Saraswathi Joshi
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” — Nelson Mandela
WE, the human beings, are quick in getting influenced. The core of this lies in the fact that we base our decisions on fear or on our passion. Education is one such issues. It is a never-ending process, but we can induce changes in the system. This can be elaborated looking at the ancient to a brand new virtual classroom.
In my opinion, what matters is that children should not be denied learning opportunities, no matter what the context is. We are all familiar with the traditional mode of learning or imparting knowledge. The mode comprises of physical classrooms where we see students and teacher confined within a set boundary and it is completely based on the norms set. But the reality is listing and trying to understand each and every child is the most challenging task which, is way beyond the expectations.
On the other side of the system, we find virtual education, which is never based on any boundary or the rules; we can access education anywhere and everywhere. Nonetheless, to identity attentiveness, we fail to make proper understanding. Yet everything has its pros and cons as well importance.
Firstly let’s consider the traditional model of education. Here, we the teachers provide the essentials of a learning environment in a classroom. This has standardizations with a few do’s and don’ts. This involves imparting knowledge with facilitation, collaboration, and a few other factors, which influence the students. The advantage of this system of education is there is a close bonding between students and the teachers. It makes much easier for both to connect and clarify. It also avoids the pressure and challenges with learning since there is no communication gap. The learner can get clarifies right on the spot, and can make their queries clear. On the contrary, we hardly find students being open for discussion or raising their voice to mention their concerns.
However, there is rapid growth in information technology, and there is no sphere where technology hasn’t reached. This vigorous growth has made tremendous changes even in the field of education. This has given rise to a new model of education system: the virtual classroom. This system has created new waves in the way of learning. Though this is not a new concept, it got popularized in the recent times.
Learning or teaching in a virtual set-up requires a great effort. It also invites creativity at its best. We are free from all sorts of bonds like time, location and travel. This form of education makes learning much easier and hassle-free.
However, it is a hard fact that this system is far away from being student-centered. It is more a teacher–centered learning and is therefore quite monotonous. In addition, a few slow learners are the greater sufferers since the setup doesn’t offer special privilege for them. Those who are quick in adapting are benefited to a great extent but those who need special attention lose track.
The virtual system is hard to be adopted by teachers as well students, since it comes with various limitations. The Internet is always necessary. All of us in Nepal are still not in a position of possess this facility. This deprives many students, who are in remote area, of their educational rights. The second need of the system is to have laptops or a gadget. This is again impossible for most of us. Another problem with the virtual setup is that students’ engagement it is very difficult for interactivity. The only criterion to judge is based on assignments.
Thus in my opinion, both the modes of schooling essentially create effective learning and make each child knowledgeable. No matter what the model of education we adopt is, we must involve children in project-based learning. It will enhance the thinking ability of the child and make him or her more attentive in the class so that he/she can get through easily with the assigned tasks. This should involve instant to a complex setup of learning. This involves interaction, exploration, relevancy, multimedia and instructions. To make education an interesting mode, the sole responsibility lies on the part of the moderator or the teacher. Be it a virtual setup or a physical classroom, we should be including 5 E’s of learning: Engaging, Explaining, Evaluating, Exploring and Elaborating.
[Born and brought up in India, Joshi is currently working as Assistant Professor of Kathmandu]