An essay on the role of teachers in the Covid-19 pandemic situation...
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Teachers who are intimidated by technology now have to take the bull by its horns. For many who are proficient at planning and teaching in the traditional classroom, planning for an online setting requires some re-learning.
Finding the right online teaching platform is just the first step. Learning how to use the various features correctly is important. But using a platform and its features to teach effectively and ensure that all students are indeed learning is paramount.
But more than anything, online classrooms have brought up the issues of classroom management. If teachers thought they had enough trouble keeping their classrooms in order earlier, that is nothing compared to the woes of remote classrooms. It is very sad to hear long-term educators asking for help with managing students online. How can I maintain discipline? How do I ensure students don’t tamper with my presentation? How can I prevent students from disrupting the class? Can students disrupt my class? How?
This is not limited to teachers of higher grades. Those who teach the pre-primary and primary grades are worried, too. How can I keep the children attentive? What length of class is appropriate for them? They’re so young, will online teaching even be effective for them? How can I ensure effectiveness?
For schools, training teachers to become adept at teaching online is a herculean task. Ensuring that they have the right hardware and good Internet connectivity is another. Helping teachers transition to virtual classrooms and essentially a brand-new way of doing things has virtually become a reality. No pun intended.
Many want to learn the right online teaching techniques and strategies to keep their students engaged. Many want to know which platform to use. Is it Zoom? But aren’t there privacy issues? What about Google Classrooms? Is that better than Zoom because it is an LMS? What’s an LMS? What about Microsoft Teams? Others want to know how to keep uninvited students, and trouble, out of their online classrooms. This is merely the beginning. Schools have to also give serious thought to planning and conducting online assessments and evaluating students online.