Online sessions for the students of Vidya Mandir, across all classes, started on June 10. Despite the initial hiccups, the principal of the school, Shoba Raman says the parents, teachers and students are now well adjusted to the routine and technology.
For many teachers the technology was initially intimidating. They trained a lot and practised for atleast two weeks before they went live. Everything was tested, the voice, video, the screen on which they need to present their work. It took about five days for the staff to finalize the time table. And once they went live, a few technical snags did come up but they were able to solve them quickly.
Shoba Raman says, “Three teachers, our biotech teacher Shanti Satyabalan and our computer teachers Viswanathan Sir and Bhuvaneswari mam were instrumental in presenting the sessions on a friendly platform. Many parents got back to us with positive feedback and with ideas on how to make the experience more comfortable for the children. We have incorporated several of those suggestions”.
As a chemistry teacher for students of class XII, she says she misses the eye contact that she had with the students in classrooms. One glance at the student was enough to find out if they understood the concept in class. With that experience lacking in virtual classrooms she says establishing a rapport with the students takes time.
She says “We don’t start off with the lessons straightaway. We talk to them to find out what their interests are. We also keep asking them frequently if they have understood the topic and encourage them to ask questions and clear their doubts”.
As regards admissions, she says the process has been completed for all classes and admissions are now closed. The school is located at 124, R. H. Road, Mylapore. Ph: 24980834.
