By Bernadine Rodrigo
With curfew imposed and no one knowing when we would be able to get back to our normal schedules, schools have begun conducting classes online so as to keep the minds of students running while at home. A very different schooling situation has been introduced due to this and different individuals seem to have different opinions on this. Here’s what some shared with The Sunday Morning Brunch:
Alice Pieris, Teacher at a leading international school in Sri Lanka
I teach grade one students and what we do is upload some work and then the parents have to download it for the kids and sit by their side and help them do it. Some enjoy it but most find it very difficult. Some parents have other kids too, and that makes it very difficult for them to simply focus on this one child and get everything done. There have been a few complaints about how difficult it is. Even some of the kids complain saying that they miss their teachers and friends. But right now, this is all we can do and we are all working towards covering the syllabuses and keeping the school work running, especially since the parents pay such a high school fee. The thing is, we are currently only doing pilot lessons as the new term hasn’t started yet but when it does, there is going to be more work everyday- and everyone is already complaining that there’s too much work. Face to face is certainly better. It is not easy for the teachers either as we have to come up with new ways to make the class more interesting everyday but,for the time being we have no choice.
Vimansani Pathirana, language teacher at Goethe-Institut Sri Lanka
In my opinion, online classes are a good alternative – a “Plan B” – in this time of the coronavirus to keep the students involved. At first, it was challenging for me to learn the whole software and enter this online scenario, mostly because although I am a trained language teacher, I had no experience in conducting online classes and in my field of language teaching, there are still not enough didactics and methods to teach online. So the teacher has to be creative in finding new methods in order to make the class active and interactive. But after conducting a few more classes, I felt that I am learning a lot from my own experiences and mistakes and it is becoming very interesting.
Johnson Jayaratnasingham, teacher at a leading international school
I feel that given the current situation, it is a good thing. But the only problem is the internet connection. Our telecommunication providers in this country are not so advanced and equipped enough to serve a purpose such as this. Another problem is the lack of experience with using these tools to learn. Students and teachers need to be tech savvy to be able to get a good experience with learning. If you don’t come from a background where you have had a computer and an internet connection, it is not likely that you’d be able to accommodate yourself to online teaching or learning, such as those from rural schools in Sri Lanka and so on.
I was using Zoom before, but I was made aware that there might be some security issues with this site, so I was inclined to switch to MS Teams (Microsoft Teams), which is a very workable platform. However, while most people are quite familiar with using the internet for various purposes, the greatest issue is the internet connection and telecommunication providers of this country. They are ripping off their customers; the customers don’t have a voice and even if they do, they don’t know how to express it.
Jacintha Anthony, special needs teacher at a popular boys’ school in Colombo
This process is a little different to say the least. Most of my students are those with learning problems such as dyslexia, where they have trouble with reading and writing. These students are also very young, ranging from ages six to 11 years. The issue with teaching these children is that they respond greatly to physical stimulation and need the presence of someone to encourage them and keep them confident in what they are doing. I would love to have the child next to me so that I could read their emotions and work accordingly.
The reading component of their learning is good enough as I can monitor it and correct them through the digital source (Zoom). However, when it comes to writing, it is a whole other level. Sometimes it is difficult for these kids to figure out where to begin writing and in what direction they should write, so it is extremely difficult to guide them without actually being there to direct them. They also respond better when they can feel the movement of their pens and pencils and it is very difficult to know how they are doing when they only have a screen to write on.
The teachers are trying really hard to do their jobs as well as they could with whatever resources they could find. While doing one-on-one lessons is greatly preferable, we are trying to make the best of what we have and I take note to especially convey that the children are trying really hard and they must be applauded.
Sinali Thevarapperuma, 16-year-old student
The benefits of not needing transport, being able to concentrate properly without getting distracted because of the comfortable surroundings, and being able to directly communicate with the tutor without having to wait for his/her attention are appreciated. We can access the internet for information as the tutor requests. The drawbacks are the need for a proper internet connection, the need for a proper device to communicate properly, not being able to clear all doubts due to the time limit, and the need to arrange the classes at a specific time with the suggestions of all the students taken into account.
Natalia Rodrigo, 14-year-old student
Online classes are a new and rather exciting method of education that has been introduced to us. It is extremely comfortable as we are at home and have all our needs at hand. However, there are difficulties we face when downloading and opening the video and occasional disturbances and trouble with screen sharing. Sometimes it is quite hard to keep up with the teacher if you don’t have a computer as the screen is much smaller on a mobile phone. However, during this time, it is the best we can do to keep up with school and this method is somewhat effective as we can contact the teachers whenever we are in doubt.
Liza Silva, 18-year-old student
Online classes work as a good solution to keep up with lessons during this time and there are a lot of platforms that cater to this really well. However, with that being said, I think for me, someone who has never tried online classes before, it’s all a bit strange and difficult to get used to. Most of the time, it feels like a half-hearted effort and I think this is due to the lack of a learning environment of being physically present. The online class I take is for a foreign language and for me, learning a language requires a high degree of interaction with other students. The chance of this occurring is lessened through online platforms.
Senaya Wickramathunga, 15 year-old Student
There is no babbling unlike in an existing class room.Online classes is a new trend at present due to the prevailing situation in the world. They can be very helpful and productive for students as teachers can give individual service to all students anywhere. It also helps studies as personal doubts can be clarified and it is also a reduction in transport costs and also increases the speed and efficiency between individuals rather than meeting them physically. Online classes is more personalized and would not abash any individual in online class so teachers would be able to customize their class with students personally. Online classes also involve parents acclamation and guidance including their control unlike misbehaving in class. It is comparatively audible. It is also much safer to be studying from home rather than going outside for both students and teachers.
Dinithi Gunasekara, 19-year-old university student
Following courses online is an entirely different experience to many as we are used to learning in physical classroom settings – be it at school, extra tuition classes, or any other additional course. Sitting in class for hours was hard enough, but at least we had our classmates to keep things interesting; from asking the dumbest questions to pulling the most entertaining tricks to distract the teachers from completing the lessons. Staring at a screen for hours is frustrating and to top it off, the fact that you and your classmates for once have no choice but to learn at a stretch is a little depressing. However, whatever said and done, I guess every student who has the privilege to partake in online classes, myself included, should more or less be grateful that we are not deprived of our education, even at an instance of a pandemic.
Anuji Munasinghe, 20-year-old university student
It’s admirable that universities adapt to implement new methods without compromising their usual annual schedule. Online sessions solely depend on WiFi or mobile data connections. Therefore, there are abundant technical difficulties that are faced by both the students and the university. Hence, the universities must be understanding and lenient with regard to student attendance, due dates, etc.
Tilan Chandrasena, father of seven-year-old
There’s no online school for them (the children); they are just sending the work to us over WhatsApp and we are supposed to teach them. It’s quite difficult because they are too small and we can’t just give them the work and wait, so we have to stay with them and get them to do the work. It’s very difficult because we are also working from home, but we are getting it done little by little. However, I’m not following the schedule sent by the school. I’m just getting the little one to do a little bit of work every day including Saturdays and Sundays.
