Adapting and Learning with the Times

The pandemic has forced schools to adopt new approaches in providing education. What has changed and are there more changes in store?

- Lim Hong Meng

The lockdowns effected by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 disrupted learning as we knew it and brought home the fact that online learning is, in fact, a subject in itself—one that educators, parents and their children found themselves inadvertently enrolled in. While it may not seem immediately apparent on the outset, the challenges online learning presented were multifaceted. Beyond the immediate concerns of ensuring that suitable equipment, software and online access were available to students and teachers, schools also needed to explore the more pertinent questions of how they will conduct virtual lessons effectively and furthermore, how they will offer support to students as well as their parents during the unprecedented situation.

Interviews with two of the top educational institutions in Malaysia, Alice Smith School, and Marlborough College Malaysia, revealed some common concerns when it came to virtual learning. Firstly, the diminished opportunities for the overall holistic learning experience students derived from face-to-face interactions and engagement with their teachers and peers in and outside of a classroom setting, all of which form an integral part of their development as a whole. Screen fatigue was another concern.