Physical Classroom Education Vs Online Education...

 With the advent of the Covid 19 pandemic, schools had to be shut down and the approach to education had to be re evaluated due to a worldwide lock down and online education emerged as the most prevalent form of learning. However, online education is not as effective as physical classroom education and it cannot be a long term solution.  Once things get back to normal, we  should continue with the traditional approach to education as it helps students learn better. It also allows teachers to effectively teach a class and also helps build character in students and provides students with a plethora of future career skills. 

Students who receive a physical classroom education learn much more effectively due to the following reasons:

Classrooms encourage collaborative learning through group projects and discussions which help students in learning and retaining the concepts they were taught. This element of collaborative learning can't be incorporated into online classes as there is an absence of peer to peer interaction. 

Classrooms also provide a better learning environment as they have no distractions as opposed to the homes of students which offer numerous distractions. With notifications popping up during a virtual class, students are prone to not paying attention in class. 

In a physical classroom, students may clarify doubts during a class and are encouraged to share their own thoughts and ideas which sparks discussions and involves engaging with the subject through the different aspects provided by peers. This motivates students and keeps them interested and engaged in the class. 

But in an online class, students are requested to only ask questions at the end of a class and there is no platform for students to share their own opinions with the class. This improves the difficulty in processing new information and retaining it, and hence, new concepts are not being correlated with previously learnt concepts. 

Also, classroom education provides students with access to equipment such as science labs. This equipment cannot be made available to students attending online classes.   

Classroom education is also a more equitable form of learning because a majority of the equipment such as sports equipment and science labs are provided by the school. For online classes, a student requires a high speed internet connection, a laptop and a constant power supply. Hence, less affluent students are at a disadvantage and an exclusive education system is not a viable future path as education is a basic right of each and every child irrespective of their economic conditions. 

Physical classroom education also helps teachers teach better due to the following reasons :

Teachers can teach in several ways and can adhere to the learning requirements of all types of learners. There are four types of learners: visual, auditory, reading or writing preferred and kinesthetic. A teacher can teach a visual learner through charts, maps, graphs etc. An auditory learner benefits from group discussions and lectures. Reading and writing preferred students learn best from reading and written assignments whereas kinesthetic learners learn through experiments, simulations and physical activity. 

However, in an online class, the need for a group discussion is absent and hence, auditory learners may fall behind with their learning. Kinesthetic learners also miss out as activities through concrete personal experiences cannot be replicated in an online class. 

Also, children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, down syndrome and learning disabilities may not be getting the help and attention they deserve through online education. 

In a classroom, a teacher can easily notice whether the students are bored or interested in the topic and can easily modify their teaching style according to the questions posed by the students. This is not possible through online education. 

Finally, physical classroom education and interaction among students helps them build conflict resolution skills, social skills, presentation skills and collaborative skills. Playing sports together builds a sense of team spirit and teaches students various lessons regarding failure, hard work and perseverance. School also teaches us how to get along with those from different cultural and racial backgrounds. 

A physical classroom education helps build future career skills as it promotes collaborative learning, critical thinking and social skills which help pave the way for future career prospects.According to a recent study from Oxford Economics, robots could take over 20 million manufacturing jobs around the world by 2030. Hence, in this competitive world, it is necessary to build skills which cannot be copied by robots. Learning from online classes will create an entire generation who can only process and store information and follow instructions. 

One could argue that online classes are more flexible and that a student could learn at their own pace. But, due to the absence of motivation from learning in an enriching environment such as a classroom, there are higher chances of students procrastinating, not being able to connect with the subject, losing interest, feeling demotivated, cramming last minute for tests or cheating on tests. Also, a research paper by Tim S Roberts and Joanne M Mclnnery cite a study of online courses in 2001 which concluded that feelings of isolation and the absence of a structural learning environment caused many students to drop out. 

One may also argue that online classes have lower costs. This may hold true for colleges and universities but the first crucial twelve years of education can't be done through a screen. Actually, online classes may be even more expensive for children attending government schools as they would have to purchase a laptop and would need to have a high speed internet connection and a constant power supply as opposed to a physical classroom education which only requires textbooks, notebooks, stationary and uniform. Hence, online education only caters to the needs of the rich and is not an inclusive form of education. 

Hence, online education is not an effective means of education and physical classroom education helps in building character and future career skills and gives a more practical, effective, interesting, just and equitable education to a child. 

Bibliography / References

• www.indiatoday.in
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• www.advancement.courses.com
• www.cnbc.com
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• www.elearningindustry.com
• www.easy-lms.com
• www.northeastern.edu