Parvathy Ramachandran
Assistant
Professor of English
TKMM College,
Nangiyarkulangara.
In prior dim the lights.
For there is always,
Truth in darkness.
The truth that is-
So ashamed!
To shine when,
Lights are on.
The truth that is-
So hesitant!
To come to fore,
For its bruteness.
The truth that is-
So scared!
To declare when,
Sickles surround they.
The truth that is-
So in bewilderment!
To be true when,
The unjust opponents hacks.
The truth that is-
So much wealthy!
Knows to be wise.
When Wisdom really deserve.
Slowly truth shuts-
It’s vicinity.
Later reverberates,
Into the minds.
And now darkness,
Drives the truth.
Truth to light -
Light shuts your eyes.
Parvathi
One Principal’s Creative and
Strategic Approach in Running School during COVID-19
*Ranjan Debnath
Tripura
As
Principal at Henry Derozio Academy, Agartala, Tripura, I have made it a
priority to respond quickly to changes and convey a clear vision every step of
the way throughout the corona virus pandemic. When our school was closed in
mid-March, our focus at HDA quickly pivoted to making plans for online
learning. Using creativity, clear communication, and online access to
resources, we were able to continue the learning process for our students while
making sure our efforts remained equitable.
Organize the Process
Our Online
learning kick-off began by rallying our teachers, the real champions of the
process especially when facing the need to make swift changes. I made sure our
teachers not only understood our learning framework and objectives but were
also ready to provide the tools at our disposal to put online learning into
motion. Indeed, in just the first few days, we were able to plan out a full
month of instruction in advance.
Our next step was
to ensure equitable access. Notably, our use of already available
computer-based learning programs positioned us to quickly establish
recognizable routines for students and families to help ease the transition to
online learning. We also printed hard copies of instructional materials to
prepare and hand over the parents. The result was we were able to achieve a
90-95% participation rate early on, as well as full community.
Maintaining an “A” Rating During Online Learning
Getting insights
into students’ progress when they’re not in the physical classroom is another
challenge, but it’s been made easier through online learning. We ask students
to spend 30-45 minutes per subject with an 80% pass rate in the online
instruction, and this has given us insights we can really act on in the form of
a phone call or video chat with individual students, as needed.
Steps
to Prepare for Online Learning Efforts Moving Forward
As
the pandemic continues, we’re focused on staying one step ahead of the process
to make sure learning continues seamlessly. This includes growing the capacity
of teacher leadership at all times to prepare for the event that virtual
learning could continue longer than expected. Through it all, it’s essential to
instill creative and fun ideas into the process. Here are some strategies we’re
using to accomplish these goals:
·
Set clear expectations.
First, we made sure teachers were prepared to deploy our school's online
instructional plan. When teachers know the expectations, they can deliver and
excel. Then they can let parents know what to expect and better prepare them
for their part in pushing learning forward.
·
Be organized and
consistent: Families want to know what to expect from the distance
learning plan. Nothing should feel sporadic. To that end, we decided to focus
on one subject a day with themes such as Monday is “Bookwork Monday,” Tuesday
equals MC squared, W.O.W. Wednesday (Working on Writing), Thursday is Creative
Thursday with the Arts, and Finish Strong Fridays. Our plan for the week is
written out and easy to follow.
·
Engage with parents.
Students actually look forward to school-work and a structured daily routine,
so we take advantage of the unique opportunity at hand by using multiple means
to communicate information to parents. For instance, we use our our
online student information communication tool Whatsapp. Using these tools, we
give regular call-outs to families to share what is happening.
·
Stay focused on school
culture and climate. The feel and flair of a school have a way of
following you as you shift to online learning, so find fun and creative ways to
keep it going. For instance, I still do daily morning announcements just like I
did at school, only now, I do them on Online Live.
·
Foster school
spirit. Everyone is craving a bit of fun right about now, so it’s important
to offer some community-building activities. Our students love scrolling
through our school Whatsapp group feed to see all the photos families have
submitted for each of these events.
·
Make it personal. While
being text-savvy is helpful, phone calls go a long way. Phone calls provide
richer opportunities to connect and give us more opportunities to show
compassion. It’s important to let our teachers, parents and students know they
are not alone during these difficult times.
·
Avoid the slide. Our
school is going for another “A” rating, and we don’t want our scholars to
suffer when they return to school. That’s why we’re pushing ahead with our
focus on academics, both accelerating instruction and providing remediation, as
needed. We’re leveraging our instructional technology to assess student
progress, so we’re even better positioned to meet students’ needs when school
reconvenes.
As
we look ahead, there is a great deal of uncertainty and we can’t be sure when
restrictions will ease, and our school buildings will open once more. We must
be prepared and anticipate the start of summer enrichment programs while
remaining realistic about whether those programs will take place. Regardless,
we should be ready for the start of the new school year in August but unsurprised
if we experience delays or we need to adopt a hybrid approach that combines
in-school instruction with distance learning. By remaining consistent,
communicative, and thorough in our instructional practices, we can collectively
succeed in making sure that student learning doesn’t miss a beat.
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