Best innovative measures taken by MBRS during this lockdown

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June 23, 2020

The programme in order to train the teachers and bring the students on board was started as a pilot programme which covered general topics based on 21st-century skills-creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, life-skills says, Dr. N. K. Dutta, Founder & Principal, Miles Bronson Residential School, Guwahati in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

The news of the outbreak of the Novel Corona Virus in China and the dreadful nature of the epidemic was taking the centre stage of media during the later month of January of this year 2020. There was always a concern that this epidemic would spread far and wide and despite all precautions, on 30th January, 2020 the first case of COVID-19 was detected in India. The government in order to fight against the rapid spread of the deadly virus and to protect the citizens on 24th March, 2020 declared Lockdown 1.0.

In Miles Bronson Residential School (MBRS) we informed parents who were quite cooperative completed the Annual Exam smoothly and without any interruption of the Academic Calendar the school Academic Session was completed on the scheduled date of 21st March, 2020. All Parents and Guardians came to pick-up their children on 21st March, 2020 itself after the examination and all students left for home safe and sound.

With news coming of the rapid spread of COVID-19, the school took all preventive measures. The Founder and Principal, Dr. N. K. Dutta along with the Pastoral & Resident Medical Staff took preventive measures including personally handing over the face mask and advising to start for proper sanitization and hand wash.

Also read: Higher Education in the times of COVID-19

Dr. Dutta had an intuition that the epidemic COVID-19 would stay for a long time and he made lots of studies and research to plan for online classes and meanwhile World Health Organization WHO had declared on 11th February, 2020 it COVID-19 as Pandemic which would stay for a long duration. So, Dr. N.K. Dutta planned well ahead to design a programme with teachers to start online programme for the students. Thereafter on 1st April, 2020, in fact MBRS is one of the first schools in this country to start online teaching and started the Pilot Programme from the 1st April, 2020 itself.

The programme in order to train the teachers and bring the students on board was started as a pilot programme which covered general topics based on 21st-century skills-creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, life-skills covering both basic and social skills like leadership skills, language skills, etc.

The success of the preliminary online pilot project gave impetus to start the curriculum-based E-classes from 20th April, 2020. Now this programme is conducted from 9:00 AM to 12:15 PM on every Working Day. On Monday we have started a very innovative E-Assembly where the whole school participates. Besides Web Conferences / Webinars, Revered Founder & Principal, Dr. N. K. Dutta brought some unique and effective tools and resources online learning like Flip learn, Khan Academy, Links from Khan Academy and many more. Besides praying and singing, we celebrate important and significant days by organizing online competitions like Essay Writing; Creative Writing; Art competition; Painting competition; Design and Craft, etc., on the basis of 17 Sustainable Goals from Unite Nations Education and Social Council (UNESCO). In addition to curriculum based E-classes the generic classes for Well being, Reading, Hobbies, Helping in Household Chores is conducted in continuum.

In the process, we are always continuing with regular Feedback from Students, Parents and Teachers and try to ramp up more and more features so that E-classes programme at MBRS is comprehensive promoting personalized learning thereby setting a benchmark of providing quality online classes to the Bronsonians. The recent initiative is to clearly monitor students’ attendance, progress and timely compliances of homework and assignments. This is followed by Class Tests / Weekly Tests so that they are able to make a Formative Assessment of what has been taught and learnt or not.

Necessity is the Mother of Invention, divulgation to this, Revered Founder and Principal states that, “Testing Times invites great sacrifices lead to greater outcomes”.

Online learning is the key to success in lockdown

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June 23, 2020

Teachers, parents and students were trained to use the online teaching portal to its maximum potential says Pratima Sinha, CEO, DSR Educational Society, (Birla Open Minds International School) Kollur, Hyderabad in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

Sea Turtle … WISDOM …. Travel at your own pace, stay calm under pressure, trust the flow, be comfortable in your own shell …. KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

During these challenging times, amidst the worldwide pandemic of COVID 19, we didn’t sit back but immediately swung to action. The first thought was focused on our students and their future, second on the staff members, to give them the right platform to enhance the teaching process and third with our parents to continue sharing the bond of trust.

Planning commenced for continuous education based on the situation, the need and the requirement. The curriculum was relooked into and tweaked for supporting online teaching. Simultaneously online portals were ascertained and cleared for being user friendly, offering good features and following cybersecurity norms. Teachers, parents and students were trained to use the online teaching portal to its maximum potential. The most exciting and exhilarating bit of the whole plan was … everybody was working from home !! We came together but stayed apart physically.

Also read: Impact of COVID 19 on Education

The whole school community was on their Mobiles, iPads, Laptops, Desktop, Tabs and so on working round the clock to create and welcome E-learning process, which became the buzz word within no time.

Online teaching and learning have been a success in the school right from Kindergarten to Senior Secondary. One and a half months of regular teaching through presentations, videos, flashcards / teaching aids, augmented activities, worksheets and fun sheets has been smooth. Live Online Classes are being conducted not only in Scholastic subjects but also in Co-Scholastic subjects like yoga, music, dance and sports. Regular storytelling, mykensho and life skill sessions are part of the teaching. Teamwork and commitment has been at its peak. Right now recapitulation classes are going on as the students will be facing a diagnostic test in the first week of June. This would help the teachers understand whether learning has taken place in the right context or not.

A recent interaction with highly appreciative parents gave us the motivation and confidence that we are moving in the right direction. Our students are being supported and guided in the best possible way.

All our Heads have been utilizing their time by keeping themselves abreast with new educational pedagogies and new trends by attending webinars. Connecting with each other, sharing best practices, guiding each other and generally getting to know each other better. Which was totally lacking during the normal time as we are all rushing against time.

For me personally it has been a jigsaw puzzle time and a roller coaster ride but I feel fresh and renewed as if I have ventured into the unknown territories but found and paved the right path.

Although COVID 19 was sudden, surged fast, affected all and created chaos . We were able to face the challenge and moved ahead with confidence, to create a success story for years to remember. The School stands tall and proud. Many worthwhile lessons have been learnt during these times.

Difficult Roads Lead to Beautiful Destinations.

Goa CM: Online classes not compulsory for students

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June 23, 2020

Keeping the mental health of students and internet connection in view, Goa Chief Minister has stated that online education is not compulsory for students in the state. According to reports, nearly 11,000 teachers have been trained for online classes in the state.

The state may opt for other options for schools to conduct online classes which include airing content on Doordarshan or other private channels.

The CM while speaking to the media stated that there is no circular mentioning that online education is compulsory for the students. The schools will have to teach the entire syllabus without insisting on online education.

Also read: Kerala starts academic year with online classes

He further stated that re-opening of schools will be decided post July 15, 2020, depending on the COVID-19 situation in the state at the time.

The chief minister further stated that the teachers will have to attend schools from Wednesday on wards and start the preparation in order to avoid losing time.

Earlier on the Karnataka State Government had decided to stop online classes for children from Kindergarten to Class 5. The Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar have stated that decisions have been taken regarding online classes for the LKG, UKG, and primary classes to be stopped immediately and collecting fees in the name of online classes should be stopped immediately.

JEE Main and NEET UG 2020 exams dates may get affected

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June 23, 2020

With huge spike in Corona cases in the country, many parents and students have demanded to cancel the pending CBSE Exams. Many have also demanded to cancel the JEE Main and NEET UG 2020 exams also.

As per reports, HRD Ministry and NTA are keeping a close watch on the Supreme Court’s hearing on Pending CBSE Board Exams 2020. The decision may also affect JEE Main 2020 and NEET UG 2020 Entrance exams.

The CBSE Board is expected to submit its decision in a closed envelope to the SC, explaining its position on holding the remaining CBSE 10th and 12th Board Exams 2020. The Board is mulling to propose an alternative assessment model or grading system based on internal assessment or pre-board examinations if exams are cancelled.

Also read: NTA: JEE Main 2020 and NEET Admit Card to be released in July

The HRD Ministry has not announced the complete cancellation of the pending examination because of the impact it will have on the competitive entrance exams such as JEE Main 2020 and NEET UG 2020 which are lined up to be held in late July 2020.

HRD Minister and officials have held multiple consultative meetings with officials from Ministry, CBSE Board and NTA i.e. National Testing Agency. A common theme which has emerged during these meeting has been centred around the fact that SC verdict on pending Board exams will have a large impact on the competitive examinations.

Mental well being is important for kids

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June 22, 2020

The curriculum activities at our end are planned in such a way that some are student-led, some teacher-led and some are led by the Parents says Preeti Kwatra, Founder Director, Petals Group of Schools in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

COVID-19 pandemic has trembled the world, and everything has come to a screeching halt. Usually, preschool feels alive with children, singing out loud their morning circle time songs, has become ominously quiet. This pandemic has shut down preschool for an uncertain period.

After the school closure announcement in March, lockdown has worsened the situation in so many ways. Children are considered as most vulnerable to get the infection in this COVID 19 period. On the other hand, many preschools are running on the rental place, and most preschool owners manage their day to day operations through the student fees.

Also read: Prof. (Dr.) Kalpana Singh, Head Department of Applied Sciences, Greater Noida Institute of Technology: Impact of COVID-19 on education sector

To do this, the School had to come up with a plan to respond to the transformation of preschool students:

1. Train the Trainer Programme- At the beginning of the lockdown with the help of Tech team of our preschool; we have planned and conducted training sessions for the Teachers to access the online classes for the students. The online classes engage developmentally appropriate, including physical development, as well as we, pay attention to mental well-being activities of the children.

2. Use of Technology and Special Programmes- Preschool children are too young to handle laptops or tablets or Parents mobile phones to be available for the online session. The curriculum activities at our end are planned in such a way that some are student-led, some teacher-led and some are led by Parents. Both Parents and Teachers are working together to develop life skills in the childlike rolling towels, helping in-home chaos, storytelling, flameless cooking, Theme based storytelling, and yoga.

3. Engagement with the students- The School has taken the initiative to engage the students with some fun activities like birthdays celebration of the students, sharing the experiences of online classes of the students on social media platforms; Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp Google doc, etc. The students created some corona journal to spread awareness about the COVID-19 in their own way.

4. Webinars session for Parents- Parents have become comfortable and adapted the situation, knowing the fact that they are not alone in this fight. The School has also conducted some webinars at National and International to engage the Parents for their mental peace. All the webinars are on different themes like Parenting, Emotional Intelligence, Rhymes and stories, puppetry, mental wellbeing during the lockdown, and how to engage children in difficult times along with Storytelling session by Simi Srivastava, Folk dances by folk fitness, Nutrition by the founder of fitter fly Dr Arbinder, Cooking session by Chef Nishant Choubey.

5. Online Summer Programme- At Petals, we are all set to roll out our first Virtual Summer Extravaganza which has been curated keeping the engagements in this current scenario in mind. The planned curriculum for the summer camp emphasis more on interpersonal skills- considering how virtual introductions and code of conduct with etiquettes have to be, critical thinking, curiosity building, scientific skills etc are the activations planned for the summer camp for the age group of 2- 4 years.

At last, virtual learning is going to reset the concept of education entirely, based on preparing for exams only. Now the Schools have adopted the new culture and programs in enabling personalized lesson charts which makes learning more interactive, fun and engaging. Schools have started focusing on co-curricular activities precisely. It makes the students more self-motivated to finish their work and stick to their routines. Undoubtedly, there is a discipline in children’s work without any peer distraction.

E-Learning need of the hour

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June 22, 2020

To increase their exposure & boost their skill development, we conduct weekly Contests on social media platforms where children all across our 650+ branches participate says, Amol Arora, Vice Chairman and MD, Shemrock and Shemford Group of Schools, New Delhi in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

While the whole nation was in turmoil, trying to come to terms with the lockdown to contain the outbreak of Coronavirus, there was a burning question that was bothering us & millions of parents across the nation- How will the education, learning and development of children continue to persist in this hour of crisis? But we were certain about one thing that we must keep the wheels of our education system running.

SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group of Schools was started with a view to providing a stress-free & joyful learning experience to kids. So, how could we let the education of our students hamper now? That’s how we came up with an idea to take everything online. The technology was always a part of our curriculum, but for the first time ever, we resorted completely to E-learning.

Also read: E-learning helped us to tackle the crisis

From classes and curriculum to the admission process and training, we digitalised everything. We made our digital platform & all other processes, easy & hassle-free to operate so that not only parents & students but also our school branches find it convenient & user-oriented. But we didn’t want to limit ourselves to basic e-learning; we wanted to establish the same education culture that we had been following at our schools for all these years. So, we decided to go the extra mile!

We planned the schedules of children meticulously to unleash their creativity, nurture their family bonds, restore their healthy routines & make learning a fun experience. Today, we upload subjective lesson plans, family-time activities, concept-based activities, daily schedules, worksheets, multiple exercises & documents every week for different grades. On important days & festivals, we plan special activities for our students.

As a part of ShemTips, Mrs. Meenal Arora (Director) shares interesting tips and activities for children, throughout the week, to keep them constructively engaged and active. It’s a big hit among students & parents!

We believe that a successful organisation runs on a strong foundation! And that’s why from the very first day, we rendered full technical & academic support to all our franchisees. Mr. Amol Arora (Managing Director) has been conducting regular masterclasses and webinars for franchisees to acclimatise them to the new mode of learning. We have been providing weekly training to them in different areas & resolving any query they have, through video conferencing.

That’s not all! Regular webinars for parents are also conducted to address their fears and doubts related to technology.

They make virtual classes interactive, fun & motivating for children through their engrossing styles & methods of teaching. Plus the exciting activities & content we have designed, complement well their painstaking efforts.

SHEMROCK & SHEMFORD Group of Schools has always tried to come up with innovative ideas to give children joyful learning experience. It is our visionary planning, persistence & collaborative team effort that has earned us the trust and respect of millions of parents. Initially, when we turned to virtual learning amid lockdown, we faced some teething problems as the whole nexus of more than 650 branches is connected with us. Our branches were new to this kind of teaching, they were a little hesitant but we were determined to carry the torch. And that proved to be a worthwhile endeavour for us!

Bombay HC asks Centre, state to clear stand on ICSE exams

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June 22, 2020

Keeping the safety of students in mind, the Bombay High Court asked the state to make it absolutely clear whether it would allow the CISCE to conduct its rescheduled board exams in July for class 10 and 12.

The HC also said that though the deadline for students in Maharashtra to choose one of the two options given by the CISCE was June 24, the interests of the students would be safeguarded regardless of the option they chose.

Also read: Children have right to quality education: Bombay high court

The court had directed the board to clarify on the marking or grading methodology they would adopt in the event of students opting out of the rescheduled exams in July. The council had said that either the students appear for the rescheduled exams or they would get marks for the board exams based on internal assessment or the pre-board exams conducted by the respective schools.

The bench then directed the union of India through additional Solicitor General Anil Singh to inform the bench as what decision was taken by the Ministry of Home after a writ petition filed before the Allahabad high court seeking cancellation of the pending CBSE and CISCE board exams was referred to the ministry.

International School of Hyderabad and Continuous Learning in COVID time

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June 22, 2020

The clear message was to keep it simple, especially as we began to ensure everyone was learning, says Dr Oli Tooher-Hancock, Head of School, International School of Hyderabad in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

Our Story?

On Saturday March 14, International School of Hyderabad (ISH), held a mini closure-tournament for our Varsity Boys’ Cricket and Varsity Girls’ Volleyball Teams. All were disappointed as the girls were supposed to be traveling to Mahindra International School in Pune and ISH was to host the Cricket with the British School, Delhi, Mahindra IS and Stonehill, Bangalore, all part of a well-established activities league known as ISACI. We ended the morning of sports with the students, faculty and parents in a small gathering as we enjoyed Burger and Fries. The last thing I said was – See you all on Monday. At 4.00 pm that afternoon, we got the news that schools had to close down.

We sprang into action with a highly supportive Board and UK and US Consulate help as well as guidance from our trustee, ICRISAT (an international crop research institute, a not-for-profit organization under the umbrella of the UN and in whose grounds we are nestled). The Board agreed to teachers having two full days to prepare for online, Continuous Learning.

Also read: COVID-19 Lockdown: Course of Rajasthan Polytechnic Colleges on YouTube with 4000 e-Lectures

Our New Normal

We were fortunate in that we already had two learning platforms established: Google Classroom and Seesaw for our younger learners, the challenge was certainly Zoom, but teachers quickly became adept and all our teachers rose to the occasion and on Wednesday, March 18 Continuous Learning began at ISH with a mixture of Synchronous and Asynchronous, depending on age and subject etc; and using zoom as a communication tool.

The clear message was to keep it simple, especially as we began to ensure everyone was learning. In secondary we realised after three weeks, that too much mirroring of a regular school day was simply exhausting, so we reviewed the structure and redesigned daily blocks, to optimise ongoing energy and engaging levels. We ensured ‘Office Hours” were built-in, enabling students to meet with their teachers individually or in small groups. We very quickly went to Zoom Pro which offered additional teaching and learning features and increased security.

As time went on, teachers became more sophisticated with Zoom.

Our Actions

• Regular surveys and checks to students and teachers asking input into the schedule and Learning Day.
• Thrice weekly communication from the Head of School to the Community
• Regular Board meetings and Board Communication to the Community
• Mindfulness exercises and an emphasis on staying fit and healthy
• Provided forums for students faculty and parents to ask questions and provide feedback.
• Changed the nature of assessments to what we believe to be more authentic and meaningful.
• Support for faculty acknowledging their work and efforts
• Modified Calendar. Gave up April break and had five, four day weeks in May to sustain energy and pacing to the end of the school year.
• Virtual events – IB Art Exhibition, Three-Way Conferences, IB and IGCSE Orientations and Grade 12 final assembly etc

As our school year finishes on June 12

Our Tagline is ‘Leading our own Learning’ and has certainly come through loud and clear in every aspect of learning at ISH. Gooooooooooo Vipers!

Our Future

Of course, we are not sure what learning and schooling will look like exactly come August. But one thing is for sure, it will look different. We are excited by the change in approach and attitude to What is worth learning… and Why? The time is here and we embrace the change.

Leap Years Preschool Success story during lockdown

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June 22, 2020

Early education plays a critical role in shaping a child’s learning abilities and adult personality and any disruption during this phase is not desirable says, Pooja Dugar, Founder & Director, Leap Years Preschool in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

The Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown hit us just when we, like all schools, were preparing to start the new academic year. This uncertainty could have jeopardised the learning process and that was a serious concern. Early education plays a critical role in shaping a child’s learning abilities and adult personality and any disruption during this phase is not desirable. Three basic factors motivated us to innovate.

Firstly: The children at Leap Years Preschool are aged between 1.5 to 5 years. During normal school functioning the curriculum is structured to help direct and indirect learning through experience based lessons and self-exploration. With long gaps, the child’s learning experiences would remain disconnected.

Secondly: Parents of older children face tough competition when they start applying for admission in the big schools. Their parents worried that the child would lose out because of this unexpected break in the learning and preparation.

Also read: COVID-19 Effect: A change in Higher Education

Thirdly: We believe that the company of their teachers and friends plays an essential part in the nurturing and development of children.

We took a bold and unprecedented step and started our new academic year as scheduled through virtual classes. To sustain and enable continuity, we created a ‘Blended learning approach’ where the teachers guided the virtual classes, also guiding parents with a structured home-schooling curriculum.

Developing and implementing this unique ‘Blended Learning approach’ required a lot of hard work and inspired efforts by the teachers and staff.

• Training programs for teachers and parents to develop familiarity and comfort with virtual learning
• Developing online session content for teachers
• Modifying lesson plans for parents to home-school their children
• Make sure that resources and aids to homeschool the children are available at home
• Ensure technology used was user friendly
• Work with open lesson plans which allows the teachers to collaborate

We had a bit of advantage as well. We use a parent interaction app at Leap Years for teachers to share daily activities and lessons with the parents every morning. The new content was uploaded on this app while online classes ensure we stay connected.

Undoubtedly, brick and mortar classrooms have distinct advantages. However, our ability to leverage virtual education provided advantages and enabled us to ensure that learning was uninterrupted during this unpredictable time. It has helped families structure their day and in a routine. The children get to e-meet their school friends, interact with their teachers, enjoy virtual circle time learning new facts, singing rhymes, and listening to stories. All this helps them to stay connected and continue learning. Once the school reopens, our children won’t be burdened with unending homework and curriculum. They will be able to move forward seamlessly without the separation anxiety that tends to create problems during such disruptions.

Feedback from parents are that our ‘Blended Learning Approach’ for homeschooling has helped them bond better with their kids and they are reliving their childhood through this. We are delighted. Though we realise this maybe the starting of the new normal and we are committed to keep innovating and nurture the children with love.

ASPAM Scottish School’s success story during lockdown

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June 22, 2020

The whole process of online classroom teaching required a lot of forethought and had to be initiated to facilitate learning for our students, ensure their safety during these exceedingly challenging times and simultaneously make sure that there is no lockdown in ‘teaching – learning’ process says Meenakshi Zarabi, Principal, ASPAM Scottish School, Noida in a conversation with Elets News Network (ENN).

“Online learning is rapidly becoming one of the most cost-effective ways to educate the world’s rapidly expanding workforce.”

Not many of us envisioned such momentous transferal in the teaching –learning process, i.e. from real classroom scenario to virtual classrooms and adopt and adapt to the non-traditional yet innovative way of teaching by incorporating technology into learning. This technology is now seamlessly integrated into our curriculum and should be viewed as an add-on and not as an after thought.

The whole process of online classroom teaching required a lot of forethought and had to be initiated to facilitate learning for our students, ensure their safety during these exceedingly challenging times and simultaneously make sure that there is no lockdown in ‘teaching – learning’ process.

Also read: Teaching Aids for Combating Lockdown of COVID-19 in India

Thus started demo conferences with teachers where they were trained by the school’s IT team on the usage and integration of online tools with teaching along with sessions with parents and students to equip them with the basics of attending the cybernetic classes. The students were also trained on prescribed netiquettes such as:

• Hand raise
• Unmuting the mikes
• Turning on the video
• Turn taking

Usage of various online tools like padlet, quizzes, screen sharing with power point presentations and audio-visual aids, demonstrations, whiteboard teaching, discussions has ensured maximization of student participation in the learning process. Thus, these online tools have supported in mapping students’ learning outcomes to their actual achievements by the way of differentiation, plenary and feedback in the form of assessment for and assessment of learning and thereafter devise methods to fill in the learning gaps. Extended learning tasks and assignments further help the students to reinforce their concepts.

We have also initiated online teachers’ observation as peer and collaborative observations yield its greatest benefits of sharing instructional techniques and ideologies between and among teachers with high quality feedback and support tools to enable them to improve their online instructional practices and facilitate students’ academic success in particular.

An online Parent teacher meet was also organized to enable interaction between parents and teachers for implementation of remedial and diagnostic recommendations. Periodic assessments and Interventions are also undertaken to assess students’ learning accomplishments.

Thus the present online sessions besides enhancing academic attainments of the students will also inculcate in them self-restraint, netiquette, understanding and using the new technology with aplomb.

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