Cases of Corona are on a rise with alarming figures and new regulations. Possibility of second lockdown is scary and everyone is trying to avoid it.
Staff and students of Københavns Private Gymnasium (KPG) in Østerbro have been constantly working towards prioritizing education in its best and uninterrupted way.
The gymnasium has been observing ‘Virtual days’, once every month to get used to the new ways of learning and imparting education. Initially the students were happy to sleep in long hours, not be bothered to take the public transport and work from the comfort of their homes. Soon, everyone realized the difference, difficulties and the importance of physical presence at school.
Virtual day is when we are being taught from home online without being physically present at school. We use online platforms called Zoom and Teams, and it’s been a different way of learning to which we all seem to be adjusting. “At times, it’s funny to see my friends and my classmates through a screen”, says Hilal. We use a system where the teachers give us either synchronous (when lessons taught online) or asynchronous (where teachers give us a deadline to finish the task and upload it) education.
“I feel lonely and miss social contact with my friends and classmates. We find it very hard to be sitting all day in front of the laptops with very little movement”, added Yasmeen. “Some of us get very distracted during online sessions since we are at home”, says Erge. Irem shared her personal experience as a Dyslexic student where learning becomes even more challenging because it’s online, especially Math. Irem feels that she can participate better and clarify her doubts when she is physically present in front of her teachers. Aida on the other hand loves learning from home, but she feels irritated with network issues and is stressed learning Spanish as a new language when it’s online.
It is not just an adjustment for the students but teachers are also working very hard to plan and get ready for their online sessions. It is a huge challenge for the teachers to have equal participation from students in the class. KPG is united in its team efforts to plan such virtual days often.
Article written by Students of KPG; Hilal Sivri, Yasmeen Abu-Lifa, Erge Utku Ayhan, Irem Nur Gezen and Aida Gogenur
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