08 Jul We don’t need no Education
So what if the teacher is a human, so what if we are all connected in real-time, so what if the same content is being shared. But a classroom, the mere word classroom conjures up a painting in my mind, a painting with children smiling, the sound of marker on the whiteboard, the joy of getting pass marks when Sanya taught you the entire syllabus an hour before the exam, breaking the day dream of Sameer; the ever-longing wait for the break where we can share our food, gossip about the latest episode of Young Sheldon. Where is that classroom? Lost in our quest for insignificant learning? Or maybe it has drowned in the ocean of change? Lost it’s way in the world of “advanced technology”?
Through this blog entry, I stand up for the real meaning of classroom, and sorry to say, it’s not Virtual. Here is to all those students out there, who are struggling to learn through this online platform. Remember you are not alone, we’re all battling this phase of fake education, we’re in this together, and we will emerge from the chrysalis stronger and appreciate the ‘real’ classroom we used to take for granted.
Today’s new classroom is nothing but a virtual dungeon, where all of us are digital puppets dancing to the tune of a digital voice. The basic composition of a classroom is diversity, and we’ve conveniently destroyed that diversity, we’ve ignored the pleas of all those students who learn differently, we’ve hushed up the voices of all those teachers who believe in interactive, practical and face-to-face learning, we’ve lost the meaning of knowledge to mere Education, yes, we’ll become literate, yet not quite so.
Haven’t we all read “The Fun they Had”, and didn’t we hearts of hearts agree that technology spoils the fun of learning, so I ask all those people who support Today’s New Classroom, why even stand up for a cause which you and I know is not right?
Visual, Aural, Verbal, Physical, Logical, Social, Solitary- ever heard of these learning styles? I have but not on Google Meet. It is important for students to embrace their individuality and the unique way they learn. And that individuality cannot be catered to, not in today’s virtual classroom: when we’ve got the same PPT running, when we’ve all just got to stare blankly at the screen, when we’re made to forget the science lab, the fun experiments, when we’re taught what to think, not how to think.
But, I also stand here to speak up for another group, what about our economically weaker sections? Virtual classes assume that everybody has access to an iPad, a laptop or at least a phone, yet the truth remains far from this. We’re obliviously denying the right to education to all these people.
So the next time, you hear the phrase, ‘Children am I audible’ or ‘Is my screen visible’ Say ‘no ma’am’. For what you truly want to see and hear is a human voice coming from a human and not a digital voice emanating from a dumb terminal.
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