The Future of Education is here

In many ways online education has been better for me both as a student and a teacher but I miss certain aspects of a physical face to face interactive class and I think I would like to put in words what I miss most about my students.

I miss being able to see their personalities - their unique beautiful personalities that is 360 degrees and as full and and bright as the sunshine. I miss experiencing the ray of color that each student adds to complete that rainbow of the classroom. From the witty comments to the unexpected questions and unthinkable answers - they never seem to be the same online.

I miss looking at the creativity in their note taking skills. I was able to give them one on one feedback and look at their work from any angle I wanted to. I could give them the flexibility of an all inclusive classroom where students who wished to write notes may do so, those who wished to type notes may do so and those who wished to draw their notes may absolutely do so. I miss the physical projects and labs we did but that's not as big as their personalities.

Now for the positives...

I have been able to enhance their learning options and expand their understanding because I am able to use far more tools and platforms. From virtual labs, to self grading learning tools, the students have a variety of opportunities to showcase their talents. While hunting down quality content and tools can be daunting and time consuming, the end result is completely worth it. Traditional teaching methods are making their way out and the future of education is already here. Students are learning to take online work seriously enough. They show up to live classes ready to learn and they provide constructive feed back about what works or does not work for them.

A truly paperless world - i have spent a lot of time typing out questions, making tests and assignments, converting paper quizzes to google forms etc. I know it is heavy on me now but with time the material can be used and reused with absolutely no paper waste, no copying, stapling, misprinting, errors - none of that and the students get instant feedback with self grading assignments.

I am able to bring out the best in the students by offering a variety of learning methods for projects and assignments. So if you love writing you can write about what we learn. If you prefer to make a video - the floor is yours, if you want to make an art project - get right in! Learning should be inclusive to all students, all talents and skills as well as be enjoyable and interesting, so I love the fact that I get to enjoy these tools as much as they do whether it be watching anime made by a student or admiring a sewn article that captures what was taught.

As the walk in to the future just became a run and a ride, the road may be a little bumpy as we start but soon the way world works will stay changed and the sooner we adjust into it the smoother the long run would be. With all the negativity that covid19  has done to us, at least it brought us to the future much faster! So embrace it and live it to the fullest

Fathima S
April 2020