Peer teaching phase 2 reflection

 

Reflection: Hard Work Pays Off

 

                      It was at the wake of 17^th November 2020, we heard the official declaration of first ever documented Covid-19 case. Most of us haven’t even dreamt of this 120nm weighing virus to get spread as a pandemic that shook the whole world and brought a dynamic shift in all walks of our lives. By March, we all got locked in our homes, which led to a sudden halt to all sectors, including education. But the basic survival instinct in humans has led to the sudden shift to online mode, including work from home and online learning. Teacher trainees also went with the flow of the ‘new normal’. This unplanned, dynamic shift with insufficient bandwidth and little preparation could have moved into fruitlessness, if not inspired and guided by our backbones- teachers. I would specially mention Jijan Sir, who motivated us to try out new ways of online teaching and encouraged us to incorporate new tools into our classes. It was a time-taking task at the outset, to prepare for the online class. It took hours to prepare online tools for digitalized classes, when we began adopted online mode.

                        The second phase of peer teaching and preparation of video lessons made us realize that we travelled a long way from where we were. The integration of information and communication technology into the field of education, during the pandemic affected the entire educational sector, including students, teachers as well as the teacher trainees. If at the first section, we were simply standing at the threshold and later plodding, the second phase showed us how the pandemic period has moulded us on the go.

                        We were required to take five peer lessons and five video lessons. To be experienced in this new period, teachers need to be skilled both in taking classes synchronously as well as asynchronously. Preparation of video lessons brought in front of us many challenges including the storage space, uploading time, video quality etc. Personally, I took a complete day to prepare my first video lesson. I prepared 5 lesson plans as the beginning step. To prepare lesson plans have become an easy task, in between. At the end of the day of my first video lesson preparation, I felt so tired. But on the next day, I took my remaining four video lessons with such ease. And at the end of that day, I was not tired, but was in a sense of self satisfaction. A job which was once a Herculean one has become a cakewalk. All credits to Jijan sir, who helped us in becoming easy task doers.

                        Peer teaching, at its first phase, which took much effort became simpler when it reached the second phase. Starting from establishing a rapport among students to the provision of the follow up activity, the first phase took a lot of time. It took hours to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for a lesson, during the first phase, which eventually, in the second phase, took a single hour at its maximum. Selection of tools for interaction as well as assessment also has become familiar. Once if we spent time browsing the internet and finding the appropriate one, the second phase made us realize that all those efforts have become fruitful, that now we only need to choose the right one and that too has become a breezy task.

                        Being at the end of a year, which many people call it to be in vain, has, in reality, taught us many things.  The year made us self dependent, taught us the trivial nature of human life, enriched us with the new normal and has filled our lives with hope and optimism. The second phase of peer teaching was not only a practising period, but also a period of cognizance. It showed us that hard work pays off. All the efforts that we took in the first phase of the primary phase have become fruitful, while we reached the next level of peer teaching. How can I forget Ambiance Virtuelle, the International Seminar, which is the toil of Jijan sir, which has helped us a lot!