Teachers turn students to navigate effects of pandemic

As the academic year comes to a close in April, and schools break for summer holidays in May, many schools have started holding workshops for teachers

Mumbai: On a regular school day at the start of this month, holding a book and pens in hand, teachers of Campion School in Cooperage got together in groups and made their way to a large classroom. That day, they were meant to learn and take copious notes.

Session with Dr Harish Shetty at Campion School. (HT PHOTO)

As the academic year comes to a close in April, and schools break for summer holidays in May, many schools have started holding workshops for teachers — who spent the past two years of the pandemic offering lectures in the online mode, and helped students across classes make their way through what may have been some of the toughest academic sessions in recent memory. The workshops not only focus on teaching methodologies but also include sessions on the psychological aspects of teaching. Several schools that are part of the Mumbai International Schools’ Association (MISA) have come together to conduct joint workshops for teachers since the first week of April. Others have called motivational speakers.

“Students have changed after the pandemic so our teaching methodology needs to change as well. We can’t be task masters anymore, instead we need to change our approach to discipline students and the workshop helped us focus not only on how to change teaching methodology, but also on how to interact with students better,” said Cyril D’Souza, vice principal of Campion School, which has held two, two-hour-long, sessions till now.

At Campion, one session was conducted by academician Dr Pramila Kudva, who focussed on the hybrid teaching module and the use of technology in school activities such as the use of animated videos instead of pictures to explain concepts.

The second session was conducted by psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty to help teachers gauge their emotional health, as well as the emotional health of students who have returned to physical classes after nearly two years. Shetty encouraged the teachers in the room to share their experiences and learn from each other. Some spoke about failing discipline among students, others on shortened attention spans.

Several teachers spoke of noticing behavioural changes in their students ever since schools opened following a government notification to resume physical classes after the end of the third wave.

“School has always been an out for children but the pandemic kept them cooped up in their homes even for school. This has changed children. Many are now refusing to greet their teachers in school, which is something we didn’t witness before,” said Kavita Agarwal, director of D G Khetan International School, Malad.

Teachers of this school attended a series of workshops with psychiatrists and counsellors in the first week of April to understand how to interact with students and their parents post pandemic. “No one was spared trauma during these past two years, and it is important to heal,” added Agarwal.

DG Khetan also conducted pedagogy workshops for their teachers on blended teaching — striking the right balance between technology and the regular chalkboard pedagogy while teaching concepts.

Some schools have also called motivational speakers on board to interact not just with the teachers but students as well. “Other than workshops with outsiders, we have called our own alumni to interact with the current batches, and help them cope with the pressure of examination. We also encourage our teachers to share experiences with each other to ensure they learn from each other and avoid making similar mistakes. Coming back to school after two years will be an experience for all,” said Saba Patel, principal of Anjuman-I-Islam School, Bandra.

School picnics are events most students look forward to, mostly to be able to get out of routine classes and instead spend time with fellow classmates outside the school premises. Keeping this in mind, Campion School organised a day long picnic for all their teachers—after all, teachers too need a break.

“For two years all of us were interacting through emails and online classes, which was not feeling natural to us teachers. Even once school reopened, masking and social distancing was on our mind all the time. So, this picnic helped bring us back together, we bonded well and coming to school after the trip has been exciting,” said Savio Alfonso, coordinator for external and internal activities at Campion.