The Classroom of 2021

“Necessity is the mother of invention”. While this seems a cliché, it was true for the situation we were in. If 2020 was the year of survival, 2021 is a year of evolution. The lesson we can claw back from the pandemic is that change is inevitable. Though the vaccines have been rolled out by the government, a paradigm shift from online teaching to offline teaching will be a gradual process. Thus, the need of the hour is to embark on a journey towards periodic rebranding of the teaching methodology. The advent of remote teaching has laid down a platform for very interesting trends in the educational set up of CHIREC. Let’s review a few of them.

First and foremost, on the list is Office 365. The whole classroom is sustained with the help of this ecosystem. Office 365 offers a plethora of tools that make teaching and learning effective. In fact, it also acts as a bridge between teachers, parents and students. Education gained a new lease of life due to Office 365.

There is no denying that Microsoft Forms are trending a lot at CHIREC. They provide instant feedback to the students and it works as a teacher’s assistant too.

It would also be erroneous to say that My ClassBoard was of no help. It turned out to be a digital attendance register and provided a digital report card to students.

These online teaching tools are as tangible as chalk, dusters, boards, and registers in an offline classroom.

The math is simple. In 2021, though we are still evolving, some of these trends will continue in CHIREC. Consistency over randomness is the principle of CHIREC.

We wanted to remember the pandemic as a story that would have a happy ending by the discovery of the vaccine. However, coming back from the fictional world to reality we are witnessing a second wave pandemic across the country. So in 2021, we would be leaping into action. With our awe-inspiring courage, we would be embracing more technology tools that will become new trends of CHIREC in 2021.

Number one on the list is Padlet. It will pave the way to receive instant feedback from students and corroborate their feelings and emotions about a particular topic.

Gone are the days when we use to talk about homework and classwork. In 2021 the words that would be trending in CHIREC would be synchronous and asynchronous methods of instruction and learning.

Breakout sessions have also evoked rapturous praise among students. These sessions have helped us achieve the elusive dream of making online classes as buzzing and lively as offline classes. These will become an integral part of the teaching-learning process.

One year down the line it will be germane to consider blended learning as a part of the teaching-learning process. The purpose and effect of adapting this methodology would be that online and offline education would go hand in hand.

These recent developments and trends in CHIREC are our testament to courage, perseverance, and determination in 2021.

Jyotsna Dwivedi

CAIE Primary Teacher

I am a Primary teacher with a Post-Graduate degree in Botany and English and a Degree in Education. Teaching primary kids is my passion. I love spending my day with them. I work with a desire to bring a difference to their lives.  It is astonishing to experience their raw emotions, enthusiasm, and curiosity every day. I feel rejuvenated by their thoughts, ideas and multitudes of personality traits.