Break from the Conventional Classroom: Boon or Bane?
As we break our shackles from the four concrete walls of the global education system and emerge in a vast open field of internet education, we can only say that probably we missed quite a few steps in between and arrived at what seems like a giant leap for mankind. It may feel like a sudden push, an unanticipated wave that toppled our traditional boat, shoving us into a boundless, borderless ocean in an uncharted territory. The message was clear: sink or swim.
In a matter of few months, the entire world was upended by a devastating pandemic and the global economy faced a massive quake. Schools and educational institutions were shut globally, and they started remote operations, creating an ugly chasm between the first world and the rest, a digital divide that should not have manifested in the second decade of the 21st century. The post-pandemic world of education is severely critical and seriously uncertain, whether we like to admit it or not. The demise of the traditional classroom may be one of most permanent casualties that is perhaps irrevocable. But is that a good thing? Finally, can we expect digital literacy among teachers and skill-based learning among students? Or is the larger scheme of things exposing something deep-rooted not likely to be fixed by a band-aid?
The heart of education is connection. Human interaction has always been the front and centre of learning. The very purpose of traditional education is to facilitate public discourse, to influence communication, to inspire independent voice. But what happens when all of this gets boxed up on a computer screen and the only connection that matters is of the WiFi? The teachers supposed to stimulate independent voices, are shushing students into muting themselves. Is storytelling still a thing? Online classrooms in the country have limited themselves to project works and class tests, where discourse has quite literally become a backbencher. And friendships, who needs them? We have Instagram and WhatsApp and connected to everyone. Interaction is overrated.
Let’s talk about sports and all the other activities that are an integral part of schools and higher-education institutes. Scholarships and stipends depend on athletic clubs, theatre groups and the like. Community service and school-organised academic and non-academic competitions bring in extra credits to a student’s track record, which in fact, helps them secure admission into the college of their dreams. The online classroom cannot facilitate that for certain. But hobbies are still encouraged — probably as a tonic to stay sane and balanced in such an unbalanced and confusing era.
Perhaps, the loudest effect of the break from conventional classrooms is the digital divide that is so clearly perceptible. Post lockdown, my nephew has been attending his online classes and taking exams online and has a digital presence that the school clearly notices. But Archana, whose mother works as a domestic help at my place, could not attend a single class since her academic sessions for class 10 began. Why? Because unlike my nephew’s school, Archana’s school near her locality does not have an infrastructure to provide online instruction. And even if it did, Archana does not have a computer or a smart phone at home. When her mother bought her one with her modest savings, Archana’s brother was given a priority over her to use the smart device.
So, we can see there are 2 things at play here.
One, in a family of 6, Archana’s mother can only afford one device for internet services. Two, Archana’s brother Dilip will always get an access to the internet (in this case, education) over her. The two factors shaping this divide are loud clear: social divide and gender divide.
But there is a sunny side to all of this. It is natural to be overwhelmed by this sudden transition. The break from traditional classrooms can be viewed as something of a tectonic shift, much needed to break free students from the age-old curriculum that focussed excessively on being offline, a phenomenon that is almost, in this day, obsolete. It is but these crucial changes that define the very nature of a paradigm shift, that gives meaning to a dismantling force.
Out of many things that digital education can do, it facilitates on-time learning, timely completion, and become the poster child for technological advancement. Robots and driverless cars may be seem like a near future wrapped in luxury, but remote classrooms are accessible and affordable; at least to those who have a simple smart phone and something as basic as an internet connection.
One can’t deny the perks offered by digital classrooms, the major upside being learning from the comfort of your home — or anywhere at all! School children and college kids can not only attend their classes online from their own bedrooms, a large number of learners are taking part on online courses that has become a revolutionary and affordable affair for millions of people who do not have to spend thousands on daily commuting, public gatherings, baby sitters for their kids, coffee breaks and expensive lunch hours as it saves so much of these expenses.
The traditional form of schooling falls short somewhere on motivation or strategizing to engage students. The repetitive teaching-learning methodologies only build to curb the enthusiasm of both students and teachers. The fact is we are still not noticing the enthusiastic or innovative energy of the online learning model of today. Higher-education certificate MOOT courses aside, the digital classroom for schools and colleges have initiated the interactive online connection no doubt, but there is spark that needs to be ignited somewhere.
Surely, this right here, right now, is a start of a revolution, and we are bound to get better at it.
The question isn’t really about whether digital classrooms is better than traditional classrooms — because they are not mutually exclusive. It will be a collective boon to the society once we acknowledge that online learning is not an alternative but a supplement to traditional education. Schools will need to continue their public discourse and physical classrooms as the primary source of education but certainly with digital tools at their disposal. The traditional classroom needs to become tech-enabled and accessible online, anytime, anywhere. And that is how necessity becomes the mother of invention.
Online learning modules are a boon in modern-day education but until and unless both Archana and Dilip and billions of such students get access to the tools and become active participants of the digital revolution, it is as distant as driverless cars and space robots — at least to a large section of the society.
This article first appeared on https://www.dalhamlearning.com/dl_blogs/2021/06/06/break-from-the-conventional-classroom-boon-or-bane/
