1. UNLEARNING AND RELEARNING : Have always been used to classroom teaching, with face to face interaction with kids, with benches and desks, teachers table, black board chalk, white board marker, smartboard and more importantly being a science teacher, my science laboratory. Always believed in learning by doing concept, and still strongly believe in that. Now from shifting from the open classrooms and labs and grounds to every childs’ personal space, his or her homes, with one of the parent constantly monitoring each and every gesture of the teacher has become the new normal !!!!
2. CHANGE OF TEACHING METHODOLOGY: classroom teaching with the teacher having and eye to eye contat with each and every child in the class, the look on the child’s face is enough for the teacher to know whether the child has understood the concept or not. The distant online virtual learning doesn’t have the same warmth as few aren’t even visible to the teacher as they might have switched off their videos. The academic goals may remain the same for a group of students but individual students can progress through the curriculum at different speeds and use different resources based on their own particular learning needs.. Some students might learn better through watching videos while some need to read a textbook. Each student is unique in his or her way of learning, especially now when learning takes place in personal spaces. Accessibility varies from household to household, and distributing learning resources can be challenging for teachers. Therefore, teachers now can design lessons according to the individual needs of students and give them the flexibility to master the materials accordingly.
3. CLOSE MONITORING: Now that learning takes place in teachers as well as students personal spaces, most likely in students’ homes, family members become active agents thanks to the lockdown, in the teaching and learning process. The entire household can act as learning facilitators, providing guidance and assistance to make the learning process pleasant for students rather than parents observing each and every gesture of the teacher and then pointing out or commenting on social platforms. Support from household members gives students conviction that learning is an activity that is absolutely imperative.
4. EVALUATION AND ASSESSMENTS: The new normal has forced educators to adopt alternative means of evaluating learning to monitor student achievement. The purpose of evaluation activities now shifts focus from assessment of learning to assessment for learning, we use the results to know whether the intended learning outcomes have been achieved by the students or whether they need extra work to help them understand a certain concept.
