Online schools in India operate entirely on the internet without physical classrooms as in traditional schools. Teaching takes place through virtual classrooms intending to create an interactive, collaborative, and convenient learning environment. Schools provide digital infrastructure to allocate academic resources, schedules for lessons, assessments, and grades.
Understanding online schooling
Online schools in India use web-based platforms where students can log in and see their daily schedule, classes, lessons, and grades in one place. They can see the live classes scheduled and tasks assigned for the week. They can check school emails, view grades, read school announcements, and reach out to teachers.
Certified and experienced teachers regularly conduct live classes. In these classes, students receive live instructions from teachers and can interact with classmates in real time. The school’s learning method and students’ grade level determine the number of live courses students need to attend.
Apart from the classes, students have lessons to work on independently or with help from their learning coach. Students need to complete offline assignments like science experiments, art projects, and readings.
A learning coach provides motivation, support, and guidance to students throughout the school year. A coach can be a parent, legal guardian, family member, friend, or trusted adult. Coaches need to be available and committed to supporting their students each school day. Their responsibilities depend on their student’s grade level, age, and learning needs.
The live classes that require attendance at a specific time should be built into the student’s day first. Depending on how the students prefer to work, parents can develop their schedules accordingly. Students should engage in classes and assignments for about six hours per day to build a good studying routine. Taking breaks and being social is crucial to refresh the mind and sustain interest. Meeting friends, participating in extracurricular activities, and playing sports is key to overall development.
Online school vs Traditional school
Traditional schools have a rigid format where children go to school early in the morning, sit at desks, and work on the same worksheets and assignments in a group setting. However, with the rise in online schools, many have been quick to question this rigidity.
In a traditional classroom, parental involvement is limited to reviewing homework and attending parent-teacher meetings. Many parents are unaware until the term ends and the child brings home their report card. However, in an online school, parents have the option to be more involved in their child’s education. They can be a learning coach and support learning by structuring their child’s studying routine and frequently reviewing lessons and grades. They can consult with teachers more efficiently and understand their child’s progress. While the online school has fixed scheduled classes, it gives parents and children flexibility about location and the time to complete schoolwork. Hence, they can set aside more time for recreational activities.
All about online school in India
The past year and a half have developed in unfortunate ways. Nearly all institutions moved to an online mode to educate their learners. By taking up an online format, school education in India has manifested in a new form to respond to the need of the hour.
Since online school in India is in its early stages, there are some merits and demerits to the structure. Teachers and students interact with each other via digital sources only. Some families prefer online schooling because it is flexible and economical. It also saves more than 30% of the time compared to traditional education.
India is a developing country. Hence, some towns and villages face poor internet connectivity and the unavailability of electronic devices. Apart from this, online education increases screen time. Many hours of engagement with digital devices are pretty detrimental to health.
How do online schools in India work?
Online schools in India are a giant step towards digitalisation in the country. The future of the online school in India seems bright given the increasing interest of students.
Online school in India is dependent entirely on a digital device, an active internet connection, a teacher, and a student. Some educational institutions operate entirely online, while others operate offline and online. Schools, colleges and universities also have entirely or partially virtual learning management systems. These systems offer assessments, automatic grading, and academic material, allowing students to learn regardless of their location.
Online schools in India may be the best fit for your child if you want to accommodate your child’s unique learning needs and want to be more involved in their education. With a personalised and flexible structure such as that offered by Birla Brainiacs, your child can access learning from anywhere. Enroll with us to give your child the greatest possible educational experience.