Offline Online Classes Transition Teachers Experiences Covid Challenges

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Not just students, teachers too had their share of struggles switching from offline to online classes

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned around things for the education sector. Students and teachers switched from offline to online mode of education. But, was it a smooth transition for them, or they too had their share of struggles in adopting the new technology?

Sumeet Mehta, Co-founder & CEO of LEAD, which claims to be one of the fastest growing EdTech companies in the country, explained how his platform helped teachers during the transition phase.

Sumeet Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, LEAD

"Teachers have had a tough time during the pandemic. We recognized that they need support in two broad areas. First, how to effectively teach in an online environment. LEAD Teacher Academy is an online intervention that trains teachers on online tools and techniques. It also focuses on teacher mindset and motivation to help them tide over these challenging times. Second, teachers need resources and platforms to enable online teaching. LEAD enables teachers across its 2000+ partner schools with an Integrated System that provides them with audio-visual resources, helps them deliver sessions in multi-modal learning formats, and also simplifies and automates the assessment & attendance process. With more than 20,000 teachers live on our platform, we are probably the largest teacher development initiative during the pandemic."

A LOOK AT WHAT TEACHERS HAVE TO SAY

P V Varalakshmi, a 58-year-old teacher at Buds and Blossoms High School, Jangareddygudem (Andra Pradesh)

"My passion for teaching made me learn technology at the age of 58. I don't know ABC of computer and I never believed in technology neither was I interested in it. With the transition to online mode of teaching, it became a compulsion to learn newer technologies. The pandemic gave me an opportunity to learn a new skill and now I can confidently deliver online classes. LEAD has helped us to move ahead in a simple and effective manner. It is also bringing about deep rooted changes in conventional schooling, especially in rural areas to bring them at par with city schools. My heartfelt thanks to LEAD.”

Monika Pawar, Professor at Shubh Memorial International School, Akhnoor (Jammu)

“My teaching career started amidst the pandemic and I seldom had the experience of engaging with students one-on-one and being a teacher in a normal learning environment. The nationwide lockdown which led to school closures caused difficulties for me to teach online as I did not even have prior teaching experience. Thanks to LEAD for its support along with guidance from school management, it helped me adapt to the teaching methodologies. The LEAD app not only reduced the work load of all the teachers as we all juggled between household chores and teaching responsibilities, it helped students in various ways. LEAD ensured that no student suffered learning loss amid the crisis situation and helped bridge the learning gap.”

Anjali Thapa, a professor at Stanford World School in Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh)

“Students found it difficult to adapt to online learning environment initially and the mind-set of studying in a traditional classroom setting added to their difficulties in being able to adjust to it. Good internet connectivity and access to technological tools were some other challenges they had to face, especially students in non-metros. On the other hand, parents played a crucial role in a ‘school from home’ environment as they too had to be familiarised with technology tools and computer applications so that they could help their children. It was with time and with the support from LEAD, that all of us accepted the new way of learning. The LEAD app helped in timely and effective delivery of sessions, helped us structure lesson plans and provided us with necessary study material. Online learning is here to stay and we must take this situation as an opportunity to integrate this in the post-covid world and make the most of it."