“The Covid-19 pandemic is perhaps the most significant challenge facing humanity in the 21st century. Though it has led to an unprecedented disruption in learning, it has also ushered in a bold new era of interactive and engaging digital learning that has broken the barriers of time and place. For RKKGPS girls, virtual learning has transformed their bedrooms into classrooms and has been making them proficient in the 4C’s of 21st century skills — communication, creativity, collaboration and critical thinking. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the parents who have been active partners in this transformative journey.”
– Neera Singh, principal of the CBSE affiliated Rajmata Krishna Kumari Girls’ Public School (RKKGPS), Jodhpur – top-ranked girls day school in Rajasthan.
Consistently ranked among the top 3 girls day schools in India and #1 in Rajasthan in the annual EducationWorld India Schools Rankings, the CBSE affiliated RKKGPS has built an enviable reputation for offering contemporary K-12 education rooted in Indian traditions. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak and subsequent shutdown of schools across the country, the school staff and management have been committed to ensure minimum disruption in learning by leveraging existing and new digital technologies. The school’s carefully planned and well executed emergency strategy is as outlined below.
Planning and curriculum design: At the outset, RKKGPS academic mentors thoroughly evaluated the situation to determine the best way forward. They reached out to teachers through phone and video conferencing and requested them to conduct research for curriculum break up, design a well-tailored online learning syllabus and choose suitable digital tools to explain concepts and communicate with students, keeping in mind the diverse age groups and learning learning styles.
Student and teacher training: The school’s information technology dean shortlisted digital learning apps for the convenience of students and with the help of Smart resources trained staff and students on constructing knowledge from available information. Instructions and guidelines of academic deans served as a blueprint for the entire process. Teachers were also offered training on delivering learning through digital platforms.
Parent orientation: The school reached out to parents invoking their support for the virtual learning initiative. Further, links to access the digital learning platform and ways to contribute for making the learning process more effective were also shared with parents. Free access to the digital learning platform was provided to all students from class 6 to 12 and to parents of students from nursery to class 5.
Virtual learning sessions: After a trial round to check the feasibility of the newly designed virtual learning solution, the school launched virtual classes for all classes from nursery through class XII. For primary classes, worksheets, assignments and informative content were uploaded. Animated videos and simulations to help children gain an understanding of abstract concepts and video content to hold their attention longer were also shared.
For senior classes, a well designed online learning experience provided students with opportunities to practice, apply and reflect. Also, an online repository of all the subjects has been shared with students which contains chapter-wise content , notes, question and answers, extra polatory exercises, projects , question bank , homework packs, test series and fun activities in simple language with day to day life examples and educational videos giving them clarit to understand, learn and relearn the concepts to enhance proper learning and practising.
Counseling: Before initiating online classes, the happiness level and mental wellbeing of students, staff and parents was also addressed by the school counselor. Tips were shared with students, parents and staff on ways to deal with certain situations, following a balanced schedule while staying at home , cultivating and reflecting positivity to overcome challenges.
“It is gratifying to see our online learning initiative working so well for all our stakeholders. The most rewarding feeling for me has been to erase borders and barriers of physical presence in school and classroom, provide students an engaging digital learning experience, help them become productive and watching them grow,” says Singh.
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