How are Nursery Schools Coping with the Impact of Coronavirus?

COVID-19 has caused schools all over the world to alter their methods of education. Due to this, over 1.2 billion students are taking up online classes as an alternative. Parents, teachers, and professionals in the education industry are trying their best to bridge the gap in the academic year. Education has now moved its structure to the digital. Students all over the world are covering their losses by studying through online apps and video-conferencing tools. This shift has been difficult for young learners of nursery schools and pre-schools. However, many pre-schools and nursery schools are taking innovative measures to effectively provide distance learning to these children in this time of crisis.

The Effect of the Pandemic on Young Learners

Nursery or preschools hold the hand of the children to guide them through their formative years. The top innovative schools in Gurgaon do not limit their education to mere academics. They focus on the holistic development of the child, especially in the formative years. The activities and lessons are designed to inculcate a problem-solving and critical-thinking approach from the start. These schools do not let education come to a halt because the children have to be at home. Their sense of society and communication are effectively translated into their home activities. The nursery schools that have been most successful in doing so are the ones that follow the problem-based learning approach.

Children are habituated to spending 8-10 hours in school or hobby classes with spending their evenings in the parks, especially in nuclear families. Now, the family is taking too much time off their work-life. Schools and parents are teaming together to reduce this impact with innovative measures. Children’s’ playtime, which included going to the park and playing outdoor games, has now been replaced with dance activities, playtime with the family, small household chores, etc. It ensures that their energy is channelized productively and their restlessness is taken care of. Their day might have lost a definite structure, but parents are doing all they can, to create a schedule to maintain a daily routine.

Since COVID-19, the family has to be equally responsible for their child’s education supported by their teachers. They might not be able to offer well-rounded lessons as a professional educator. But, teachers and educators of top CBSE PBL schools in Gurgaon have been continuously guiding the parents to sustain the child's growth and utilize this time in the best way. The focal point of all the exercises during their time at home focuses on developing the child mentally, physically, and emotionally.

How are Nursery Schools helping the Children?

The pandemic has yielded a change for the educators of the world. Teachers have had to gain access and learn new technological tools in very little time. They can continue educating their students sitting at home. Government entities worldwide have undertaken considerable actions to boost remote learning through various channels that reach children at home. They have begun to make smart investments to support children's education in new innovative ways.

Here are some of how schools have responded to the crisis:

1. Pedagogy: Despite the lockdown and social distancing, most schools and educational institutions have continued teaching through distance learning making sure that the young learners will not miss out much. Teachers of the pre-schools are making elaborate lesson plans and planning activities for students to do at home. The parents and the educators collaborate to ensure that the young learners are not left behind due to lockdown.

2. Physical fitness: Schools across the world have started special programs for parents to ensure their cooperation in involving technology in their children's lives. But, the physical fitness levels in the children need to match with this increasing involvement of technology. Pre-schools have begun teaching simple exercises and yoga through online videos, video-conferencing apps, and other tools. Schools are collaborating with the parents to design activities such as aerobics, Zumba, or just dancing with the rhythm for the students to keep them active. Teachers are involving meditation in their daily activities with the children to keep them calm and contain their restless behavior.

3. Online Safety: Schools are not limiting their work to teaching through the digital medium. They are taking extra steps to secure the online safety of the children. Most nursery schools are extending training on digital literacy to the parents and connecting them with tools such as child-safe browsers and search engines. Not only for the parents, but the teachers are also continually teaching the children about safe browsing and internet safety practices.

Despite constant struggles, the PBL approach opted by many schools is being translated at the students' home environment successfully in this time of crisis. The goal is for children to get engaged in their learning while parents and teachers serve as guides rather than instructors.