To overcome the catastrophic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sir Padampat Singhania Education Centre (SPSEC) has chalked out a comprehensive strategy to ensure continuity in the teaching-learning process. Over the past month, the school has been leveraging the latest digital technologies and e-learning resources to craft an engaging virtual learning experience for students. The eight-step strategy adopted by the school amid the ongoing emergency lockdown includes:

Spreading the word: SPSEC used online platforms to first communicate with parents about the virtual learning initiative. An online time-table was designed for all classes to ensure 100 hundred percent participation and provide guidelines for virtual learning.

Assiduous facilitators working from home: As necessity is the mother of invention, the current situation is an opportunity for teachers and learners to become more empowered, creative and innovative. SPSEC teachers are enthused to work from home and they are constantly helping students by sharing content, solved questions, Google worksheets and videos. To make teaching and learning more convenient and effective, teachers are always available to address students’ doubts and queries. Class-wise virtual groups are created where students can post their assignments and queries, if any. Online lesson plans and syllabus are also shared with students and parents for all classes.

Tech-driven Teaching: Besides conducting live online classes through  the Zoom app, teachers share topic-based videos and links for better understanding of concepts. Audio recordings of teachers are also shared with students as and when required. Moreover, online learning portals like Khan Academy are widely used for deeper exploration of concepts in mathematics and science.

Online orientation programme: A week-long online orientation programme was arranged via the Zoom app for the novices of the school seeking provisional admission in class 11. A formal introduction to all streams and subjects that the school offers was presented by the subject experts with an aim to familiarise new students with the subjects that they can select for further studies.

Online career counseling: With an aim to assist students choose the right career path, online career counseling sessions were conducted where videos of the career counselors of the school and the city were shared. The career counseling initiative has garnered positive response from students and parents.

Co-curricular activities: To keep students stress free and help them create happy and unforgettable memories, co-curricular activities such as yoga, art and craft, drawing, blog writing, be the chef, taekwondo, rapper reloaded, budding poets, among others are woven into the virtual learning curriculum.

Skill-enhancement programmes: The lockdown time is also being utilised constructively by conducting online courses for teachers and students. Certification and skills-focused courses are conducted for teachers to enhance the expertise and competency levels.

Heart to heart: Keeping in mind the current scenario, the school’s team of counselors are just a phone call away for offering valuable guidance to students, parents and teachers. Every problem, every query is dealt with warmth and patience by the expert team of counselors.

SPSEC’s online learning initiative has been garnering well-deserved appreciation from students, parents and other stakeholders.

Students voices: 

“The world as we all know is going through an unprecedented crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On behalf of all students of class 12, I would like to express my warm gratitude to our school for leaving no stone unturned in helping us excel in academics during this pandemic. Technology and learning go hand-in-hand and is a dynamic idea. The teachers are doing their best by providing us a harmonious environment through online classes to understand and learn topics thoroughly with utmost ease. The features such as screen sharing, live chats and doubt sessions make learning more interesting. With the help of these alternative channels students are using their time purposefully hence minimising the loss of learning and knowledge during these hard times. Our parents are admiring how well the classes are conducted. The lessons taught are invaluable and we are thankful to our teachers for putting together such a useful programme.” – Shambhavi Jay, II D

“Due to this ongoing lockdown I was really concerned about my studies, but my school made it easy by providing us with the online lectures and study material. These online lessons not only help in covering the school curriculum, but also keeps us busy with enjoyable learning activities. My parents are delighted with the initiative taken by the school as they believe in the indomitable spirit of our institution to overcome hindrances and unlock the doors of education for the ebullient students.” – Ruksad Gazi, XII D