Students are being taught online, and it is not sufficient to follow our regular teaching methodologies in the digital format.
Here are 5 ways FIITJEE Global School is making online schooling different yet better
FIITJEE Global School on June 18, 2021 “The proof of the pudding is in the eating” – is a phrase that means proof is necessary to believe that a suggested idea can be executed. Many years ago, we used to think that we can only learn in a physical class. Over the last few years, it has been proven that kids can learn coding online. It is very common for a child to learn photography, video creation, and book writing on their own at home. Have you heard of Prabhsimrat Gill? In the lockdown of 2020, this 14-year old wrote and released a book, “Explore the New YOU”. This book became an international bestseller, and as per the Asian Book of Records, he now holds the record for the youngest author of a non-fiction book. He learnt to be an author online, and his success proves that he learnt it right. We have taken giant leaps forward in online learning. The students at FGS learn AR & VR, robotics, coding, and astronomy from their ‘Lab@Home’ using Digital eNotebooks to enable this stride.
Fun and learning go hand-in-hand. When we look at students who do well in their studies, they are often those who find joy in solving problems given to them or those who have developed a genuine appreciation for knowledge and information. Tools like Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality (AR & VR) are enabling students to be stimulated by almost any subject. We understand that more than punishment, what works for a child is the reward. If we create online classes out of compulsion, we will not do a great job. We will do a great job of online education when we embrace it and do it out of choice. It is with this awareness in mind that we conduct our online classes.
Conventional teaching methodologies relied on pre-fixed benefits of children learning from peers, getting their undivided time and attention, assessing their sincerity through their body language, and such attributes. However, online schooling has a different set of variables at work, and we have learnt how to deliver quality digital education.
These 5 initiatives below give a peek into our differentiated approach:
1. DIGITAL eNOTEBOOKS
Listening and understanding alone do not lead to learning. Students tend to forget easily. Writing it down makes a big difference. We have incorporated Digital eNotebooks to make it convenient for students to take down notes while the class is in session. They can note down key points and prepare answers while attending the online class. Digital eNotebooks have also proven to be effective in enabling collaboration between students. Digital eNotebooks enable the digitalisation of the notes taken by the students and make editing and sharing easy. This results in heightened knowledge exchange and better creation of intellectual capital. Whether offline or online, this technology in making notes, as parents would notice, is a leap from how it was done a decade ago.
2. Lab at Home
Parents often struggle to create the best learning atmosphere and put together the right tools for their kids at home. Sometimes, this trial and error process can take up valuable time. We have come up with an innovative solution to this. FIITJEE Global School (FGS) has created ‘Lab @ Home’ for its students. A student kit has been developed from the modern labs of FGS, and this kit is sent to the children. The child can then set this up at home and study effectively under the guidance of teachers and parents. This Lab creates an atmosphere of learning for the students and empowers them to be actively involved in the classes. Many of the glitches faced by regular online classes are addressed and remedied through our kit.
3. Robotics, Astronomy and Coding Classes
FGS offers courses in the most modern subjects - Robotics, Astronomy and Coding.
Robotics is attracting the best students across the world. We provide not just classroom learning in the subject but also practical learning through full-fledged equipment including Arduino Uno Microcontroller Board, Motor Board, Ultrasonic Module, IR Module, Bluetooth Module, Accelerometer Module, Radio - Frequency Transmitter and Receiver Modules, FlashForge Dreamer 3D – Printer and more.
Astronomy is one of the best subjects with which we intend instil scientific thinking in children. We have setup a Skyward Astronomy Lab with fully functional state-of-the-art instruments. It is equipped with a computerised go-to telescope, manual telescopes, special telescopes for children to use hands-on and a dedicated CMOS Astronomy camera to expose students to Astrophotography. We also have wonderful working models to help students grasp the concepts visually. We feel proud that we have taken stargazing home during this pandemic. Our computerised equipment can be accessed by students from their homes, and they can study the sky and take pictures.
The most aware parents and mentors are today conscious that coding has become a must-have skill in this era of technology. As our roots are in technology and engineering, we teach advanced coding to our students after taking them through the basics.
4. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality (AR & VR)
AR & VR pervades several industries today. The visual experience they provide is being tapped into many areas of life. Both these technologies give a very deep vision and turn boring subjects into the most interesting. We now use AR & VR to teach our students. Our education centre has a state-of-the-art AR & VR set-up, and we use it abundantly to give life to written lessons. Naturally, this results in kids being stimulated about the subjects they are learning. This has the two-fold objective of teaching the subject and familiarizing the student with AR & VR. Today, several industries use AR & VR very substantially; real estate, entertainment, healthcare, automobiles, architecture, and retail are examples. It is a great feeling that we are exposing our students to the most advanced modern practices. Modern learning cannot be transmitted through traditional pedagogy.
5. Developing Intellectual Capital & Wisdom
One of the world’s most noted thinkers, Yuval Noah Harari, has been making people the world over realise that our children are living in an age of high rate of change and their world will be very different by the time they join the workforce. The content of education is changing at a rapid speed. What is relevant today is outmoded tomorrow. What we need in students is that they accumulate intellectual capital - the ability to confidently tackle new subjects, learn faster and adapt without hesitation. With this in mind, we are preparing students to be critical thinkers, self-motivated learners and develop the equanimity to embrace this world of uncertainty and change. Mental health is key to an individual, and we take several measures to fill our students with purpose and excitement and deal with challenges head-on. As we see, young achievers are everywhere, so we try to help our students develop the strength to be ready for large challenges. This can result in their potential being realised sooner. We believe that a mix of capabilities, technical and value-based, is necessary for us to have students we can be proud of.
The online education revolution has long been in the making. We had already embraced it before the pandemic stuck. As per expert views, self-learning should be encouraged in the digital education era, and teachers should be more like mentors. This is also the case with Tanmay Bakshi. He learnt some basics of coding from his father, and then he followed this with learning on his own by reading books and online resources. After this, he started uploading videos on coding and the world started to know about him. He was just 11 years old when IBM first noticed this prodigy, and at 14, he became an Artificial Intelligence (AI) expert at the company. These are the stories we have in our hearts when we built the foundation of our online curriculum – if there is a Tanmay Bakshi with you, we will help him shine.
The most valued companies are digital companies. For example, the value of AirBnb and Oyo Rooms is higher than hotel chains. Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram are not only the most used apps, but they are also the most valuable companies built by noticeably young people. Why shouldn’t our students aim high early? With Robotics, Coding, Astronomy, AR & VR, the minds of the students can begin to think deeper early and in terms of tools relevant today.
If you seek exceptional digital education with fun and empathy in delivery, FIITJEE Global School (FGS) is the right choice for you. This acceleration of online education in the world has brought forward our natural strength in technology to aid our nation’s students and teachers. While the world is learning digital education from scratch, we are glad our hands in technology are seasoned and ready to serve.
