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To the Editor: Apropos earlier letter [1], we are sharing a unique blending of classrooms for school reopening.
This pandemic is forcing new life skills on all (COVID-19 lifestyle). Students are perforce “online only” learning and testing since March 2020. The Government is emphasizing online classes up to < 8th grade; a paradigm shift in curricula (syllabi) with mandatory COVID-19 protocol for all, be it masking, physical distancing, vaccination, etc. for the schools, adapting to new teaching and learning (TL) techniques for teachers and the taught through “screens” (alone, in a virtual population), or wholesome monitoring for the parents.
A simple integrated model of online mode with the physical mode of classroom teaching, based on the flipped elementary classroom [2] is proposed. Integrating the on-site real classes by teachers [e.g., a small group of 10 (from 4th grade onwards) in a physical class of 30] for asymptomatic students with virtual mode for 20 at home or hostel, per session. These physical classes’ recordings may be relayed online in a staggered manner along with the interaction of the students on-site. The former may flip at the end of a week or session. Likewise, a digital repository unique to the grade, accessible and available for review/quality check will be created. It may be safely implemented by schools, after considering number of COVID cases (e.g., if < 500/1 million population, in the last 7 d, in a particular zone) [3]. This approach of amalgamating the physical and online teaching is the need of the hour: an implicit mechanism for regaining children’s confidence and social bonding skills. Team building (with other children in real life) will also unmask creative energy as they actually interact with others; improving their emotional intelligence and well-being.
Further, a new and tangible technointegrated life skill may evolve without compromising safety of our young children and schools.
References
Kuttiatt VS, Menon RP, Abraham PR, Sharma S. Should schools reopen early or late? - transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in children. Indian J Pediatr. 2020;87:755–6.
Doubet A. Flipping the elementary classroom. In: Creative Educator. Available at: https://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/2015/articles/In-Class-Flip. Accessed on 31 Aug 2021.
Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Weekly Report. World Health Organization. 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/situation-reports/20201012-weekly-epi-update-9.pdf. Accessed on 15 Sep 2021.
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Menon, P.R., Sharma, S. How to Reopen Schools in a Flipped Manner Without a Flop. Indian J Pediatr 89, 523 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-021-04027-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-021-04027-6