Since the outbreak of Covid-19 global pandemic, people’s daily life has changed a lot. School-going children are equally affected by this change. As schools are closed these days, most schools are making it compulsory for students to attend online classes and parents in cities and towns are in for a tough time in availing the required high-speed internet connections and downloading the necessary apps for the purpose. However, the same cannot be true for students in villages and remote areas who do not have access to high-speed internet and computers or smartphones.
Even for students who have access to online/digital classes, it is difficult to predict as to what extent they are learning through these classes and it has become the most debated topic at present for parents and educators
Nevertheless, there are many pros and cons of learning through online classes. Whether and how much a child is learning from online curriculum depends on numerous things, including the aptitude and interest of students, the teaching method of educators, the availability of required tools and technology and much more.
Let’s take a look at the different advantages and disadvantages of learning through online classes for kids.
Advantages:
- Students can attend classes from home or anywhere, anytime if they have the proper connections and systems in place
- The online classes have emerged as best go-to solution allowing schools to resume academics despite the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s after effects
- These classes are helping educators to push ahead through the academic calendar
- These classes can help students who are meek or shy, or those who are not very vocal or comfortable in communicating in public
- These classes allow students more time to think before sharing views
- They also offer flexible schedule for learning
- They help in saving commute time to reach schools and colleges, especially for kids who need to cover long distances every day
- These classes allow students to learn at their own pace
Disadvantages:
- The primary disadvantage of online classes is that they are potentially risky for young children as they expose them to internet and increase screen time to great extent
- These classes are alienating economically deprived students with no access to technology needed to attend these classes
- Children are at increased risk of health as they look at computer screen or mobile for extended period of time
- Moreover, the chances of getting distracted is also quite high with online classes
- Some students may not understand well, especially when there is a large group of students attending
- Students of higher classes who need laboratories for experiments, especially for science stream, cannot have their access through online learning
- Absence of physical classrooms as well as proper digital backup pose challenges to both teachers and students
- These classes limits the scope of interaction among kids, thereby limiting their chances of learning from each other
Well, to say if your child is actually learning through online classes is a tricky question. However, looking at the current situation when we are still clueless about opening of schools and commencing of proper classes, the online classes seem to be the best alternative. However, it is equally important to understand that these classes should be followed in a way that they don’t pressurize children or cause harm to their health.