mid-day 43rd anniversary special: Heavy rain? No problem, class must and will go on!

Owing to heavy rain the school has declared a holiday onhelliprdquo Parents would receive such messages every monsoon before 2020 Torrential downpour in Mumbai No problem say schools now Their message in 2022 reads ldquoDue to heavy rain in Mumbai the school will have online classesrdquoAs it made the world a grimmer place confining people to their homes the Covid pandemic also created a few shiny spots It helped schools evolve with online learning With formidable experience with eclasses schools can now effortlessly switch to it on days when they do not want their kids to face flooded and unsafe streetsDr Hanif Kanjer founder directorndashRustomjee Cambridge International School amp Junior College said that hybrid or online classrooms have taught schools to look beyond chalk and board method teaching even for language subjects ldquoTeachers are using more and more virtual tools to teach in classrooms not just science computers and coding but also for language and social science subjects Another advantage of this is that teachers adapted to the virtual model of teaching during the pandemic wherein they taught various topics using PowerPoint presentations this continues every now postpandemic in offline classroomsrdquo Kanjer saidAnuja Mane centre head with children at EuroKids PreSchool Lokhandwala Kandivli PicsAnurag AhireWhen the state government directed them to stay shut amid heavy downpours Kanjer said their international and state board schools and junior college held online classes Anuja Mane centre head EuroKids PreSchool Lokhandwala Kandivli said the pandemic brought about changes in the education system where technology helped to bridge the gap ldquoWe at EuroKids introduced HomeBuddy App during the pandemic for our young children The HomeBuddy App brought great relief for us in providing uninterrupted learning and also developing an interactive and engaging classroom online So be it a lockdown or holiday due to heavy rain our young children will always have a continuous learning process as we also have the hybrid class model in our preschool The app has helped not just the teachers but also children to complete their academic portion at the given time without any interruptionrdquoThey may not have access to sophisticated tools available to their peers in private schools but government teachers are also making the best of technology They share revision topics on class WhatsApp groups that were created during the pandemic It helps the students revise the syllabus on off daysSome schools have adopted virtual classrooms as their new normal Mahimrsquos Bombay Scottish school switches to the online classroom once every week ldquoVirtual mode of teaching and learning which became popular during pandemic has now opened up a new avenue for everyone and we have embraced it as our new normal So starting this academic year that is from June we conduct classes online once a week for students of class VII to Class XII We have a specially designed timetable and lesson plans for that day On the day of virtual classrooms teachers simulate experiments and presentations and it serves as a useful study aid Not only this but even for a day it saves travel time of our Class XI and XII studentsrdquo said principal Sunita GeorgaMansi Zaveri a parent and founder and CEO of Kidsstoppress shared more insights ldquoRemember as kids how we would pray for a school holiday on rainy days But within hours I would get so bored and want to run back to school to meet my friends Thankfully my daughters today have it a lot better with the hybrid mode of education It has become a blessing in disguise for the children to meet their friends on days they canrsquot attend school as well as keep pace with their learning This way there is no disruption to their school lives There is no more learning loss just a short yet useful break It is super convenient for todayrsquos hardworking teachers too Todayrsquos schools and parents have both adapted to the hybrid mode well thanks to all that we learned in the past two yearsrdquo