Impact of COVID 19: Shift in Pedagogical and Teaching Methodologies

There is so much confusion, debate and anxiety around classroom teaching being replaced by online learning.

A dear friend of mine asked my opinion on the success of online learning and just reading some of the reactions concerns being expressed or doing rounds on whatsapp about the role of teacher and online learning which made me reflect of my own perspective.

Our education system is based on the very simple fact that as human beings we are social beings and engagement with people, our peers is extremely important for our survival so we believe and have been socialized over centuries. Hence our education system has completely relied on this principle and suddenly this is pulled away diverting delivery of that teaching learning transaction virtually which caused complete disruption to the well-oiled test and tried method.

Many progressive education systems recognized and have facilitated environments for peer learning using technology as tool of engagement and enhanced learning opportunities who might have been in a better situation of coping in this disruptive environment.

So here it is what I think, it has definitely with the COVID19 pandemic situation challenged the existing education system forcing all the stakeholders to move out of the traditional model of teaching learning. I believe the teacher today is pushed to align himself/herself with the times but cannot be replaced. Independent learning and guided learning a combination of it with a blend of virtual classroom and brick mortar will be the new adapted learning evolving systems before maybe someday a completely learner led education systems emerge. Really it is a balance and ratio between all the possibilities of engagement between human and technology led interactions. Complete dependence on Intuitive and technology based learning using algorithms is not enough.