Elements of the smart classroom, imperative for school reopening?

After months of disruption, schools finally have started opening their doors. However, parents are still not comfortable with the entire idea of allowing their children to attend regular classes but seeing the inefficiency of online classes, they are left with no option. 

The dynamics of schools will change post lockdown.

Schools will never be the same. The norms of social distancing will change how they functioned for years.

As suggested by the Ministry of Health, there must be at least 6 feet distance between students in the revised seating plan. It is advisable to mark the seating that students should occupy. Physical/social distancing shall also be maintained in the staff rooms, office area, and other places of public interaction. These protocols call for additional costs and expenses. Ensuring proper cleaning and sanitation facilities in the school, Forming different Task Teams such as Emergency Care Support/Response Team, General support Team for all stakeholders, Commodity Support Team, Hygiene Inspection Team, etc. will bring losses to the school at such times.

While some schools are trying Alternate-day school and Double-shift school, they both are not sustainable in the long run.

What can be done?

To avoid any additional cost in school functioning, schools will do well to adopt an ‘integrated online-offline’ strategy to succeed in the post-lockdown world. This will not only help schools avoid indulging in unnecessary expenses but will also prevent learning loss due to frequent interruptions.

Even before the ongoing health crisis, there was a growing awareness of technology in schools to better prepare students for the new digital world. The pandemic just has been a catalyst.

How does an integrated online-offline strategy work?

With the help of an integrated online-offline strategy, student learning will happen through a combination of learning at home (online) and learning at school (offline). These elements of a smart classroom ensure high-quality learning without any loss. Schools that will follow online learning instead of an integrated online-offline strategy will miss out on learning when the school is interrupted. Not just that, online learning has to be integrated with offline learning, otherwise, students will struggle to see continuity and coherence in everything they are learning.

In the long run and to avoid any sudden disruption in the future, schools can inculcate elements of smart classes to keep the aspects of quality and consistency alive in the education sector.

Why LEAD will succeed post lockdown?

LEAD has been a disruptor in the Indian education space. It has addressed the worried stakeholders with Nucleus- the LEAD Academic System. With the help of this, it becomes easy to monitor students’ performance at the school level.

Also, owing to the ongoing circumstances, there will be frequent disruptions. Schools will be asked to close its door on short notice which will affect the overall functioning. Nucleus, under its school configuration setting, gives an option of switching between the various school modes, such as online/offline/both. School administration can also decide on what days they want to teach the students, add new subjects, and allocate teachers. The administration can also connect the school’s YouTube channel to the nucleus to directly upload the learning material.

The elements of smart school such as Digital Learning Content, Physical Reader & Workbooks, Learning activities, E-books, Regular assessments & Practices, quizzes, Personalised revisions, Home practice, live classes from a LEAD expert teacher, Doubt clarification, and National competitions come in handy to educators and learners alike.