The Art of 'Sethubandhanam'???

 

The Art of Sethubandhanam???

    One of the greatest challenges in online education is learning how to bridge the gap of digital divide. The ever-existent gap is there. Acknowledging it is the first step towards trying to find out remedies for that. The concept of inclusive education will only be a reality when all the students are provided equal opportunity for education. While we had to undertake phase I of the school internship we had to face countless problems to make our class inclusive. Out of the 10 students allotted to us, only 6 students had smartphones and an internet connection. 2 students only had the basic phone set with the. So it’s not possible for them to be a part of the class. We were not able to track the other two students. This was the dilemma that we faced when we started the online class two weeks back.

“Smooth seas will not make skillful sailors”

It is the challenges that we overcome that makes us strong and builds our character. The school internship was not at all an easy endeavour. It was really a challenge. Every day we had to face them and try to find out ways to solve the issues at hand. That helped us to evolve as teachers. It made us more confident and patient in our task at hand.

The ways that we tried to make our class inclusive by bridging the gap of digital divide:

• Audio Lessons Every Day

The audio lesson sent to the students personally every day!

Every day to those students who couldn’t attend the class audio lessons sent to them personally. After hearing the audio the students were encouraged to ask questions and doubts. The link for accessing the audio lessons:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/14t-y9nxRlXhjLxOxjocsPfbKlUbt9_tG/view

• Question and Answers

It's Q and A!

The comprehension questions and answers were sent to the students personally and they were prompted to write that down in their notes.

• Sending Notes via Post

To the 4 students who couldn’t attend the class there address was received from the parents and from school and the notes were sent to them personally.

Postal Notes!

• Week by Week Update Over Phone

We had classes for 2 weeks and every Saturday and Sunday I made it a point to call the 2 students who had cell phone connections but no internet connectivity and updated them on the class. They were encouraged to contact the teacher if they had any doubts.

I tried my level best to ensure equality in my classroom by providing the students with equal opportunity. The efforts felt very satisfactory and enriching. Phase I of the School Internship taught me the valuable lesson that in life every problem has a solution. You just have to find it. The journey to find the answers to the questions are not easy but it needs extra effort and works on your part. 💪💪💪😊😊😊