The students of P. S. Senior Secondary School, Mylapore have been quite busy since the lockdown. Till May 15, the students, especially classes IX to XII, had more than three hours of classes online everyday, complete with projects and tests. The students and staff took a two week break and are back to their classes from June 2.
The principal of the school, Revathi Parameswaran, says, “So far for the primary and middle school students we have been sending powerpoint presentations along with a voice over by the teachers and assignments. But from this week, the middle school students will start having classes through Zoom for about two hours everyday. We have incorporated choral music and fitness classes also into their schedule”.
When asked about the challenges that they have had to overcome she says, “One of the biggest challenge for the teacher is to keep the children engaged. The children may switch on the device and can get distracted with something else. To avoid this the teachers are trying to make the session as interactive as possible. They call out the names of the students frequently and ask them if they have understood the lesson”.
Teachers she says have had to put in double the amount of work that they usually do. “The teachers now have the responsibility of coming up with content that will make the lessons so attractive that the students will be able to learn by themselves. They have come up with so many creative worksheets and assignments to help the student understand the topics easily”.
