The CBSE schools should have started two weeks ago and State Board Exams have been postponed in different parts of the country and without our desiring, the reality has changed all around us. We have been grounded and quarantined and a time for introspection and reflection has been given to us. It is certainly a time for us to realize what kind of Educators we are! |
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At the same time, endowed with common sense, intelligence and creativity, and as beneficiaries of the divine gifts of the Holy Spirit particularly fortitude, sanitized by the power of the Blood of Christ, and protected and strengthened by the vaccine of the Eucharist, we can and must find ways and means of reaching out to those homeless and poor people, if |
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any, in our neighbourhood, vagrants and migrant workers, destitute people in unregistered and unorganized slums that are ubiquitous in our urban settings, the invisible people, and give them a helping hand. The cries of starving children and widows in the vicinity of our comfortable institutions must touch our hearts. Otherwise we may face a painful situation where there may be many casualties of fear, helplessness, starvation and diseases of various kinds. Education and Learning during COVID-19: As we all grapple with the COVID-19 situation, one of the deeply impacted aspects are Education and Learning. Remote learning has become a necessity and it is a challenge for us to get connected with our children and to teach them using various media in which our children are obviously versatile. We need to learn how to cope with this type of teaching. |
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There are also a few other areas in which we can assist our teachers and parents. Here are some useful tips and sites for you and your teachers: |
1. 67OnlineCoursesfromHarvardUniversityFree:
Harvard University has made 67 of their paid courses FREE. Take advantage. These courses range from programming to art to business to public speaking to humanities. You have to search for the one you would like to take. Here is the link to all the courses:
https://online-learning.harvard.edu/catalog
There are paid courses in the middle too but keep moving on and free courses will continue to pop up.
2. TextbooksforCBSESchools
All the textbooks from class 1 to 12 are available here in PDF & flip book form.
Share it with all your friends & relatives to take an advantage of downloading it and make their wards study during lockdown period.
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1fTRvhiriVwY-dP4m2uxQDi0AE_XD8vXK
Please control and click the above link or you can copy and past the link in the URL to see all the subjects of all classes. Since the files are big, it takes time but certainly the above link works and I have checked it. You can save it in Google drive and in the cloud to be able to open in any computer, anywhere.
3. AlternativeAcademicCalendarforStudents(Primary)preparedbyNCERT
During COVID-19, for children to learn at home, NCERT has prepared a wonderful workbook which could be followed for four weeks. Following this calendar, students of all classes can receive school education systematically at home with the help of their teachers through available technological and social media tools till their schools get open, Parents of primary and upper primary students will be guided by teachers about the activities to be conducted with children using mobile phone, SMS, radio, television or various other social media. These activities are related to their syllabus and learning outcomes. Teachers will also be able to guide students by establishing contact with them through mobile phones or social media. Please find the book given in the attachment.
4. BeChildSensitive:
It is obvious children feel frightened and confused. Listening and responding in an honest, consistent and supportive way is the key. A few useful tips are given in a flier on ‘Talk and Act Kid Sensitive’. It is given in the attachment. It can be passed on to parents and teachers. There are also many be channels which teach beautiful songs to teach children. You will find one such site in the attachment.
5. MentalhealthofChildren
During this COVID-19, we have the duty to keep our children mentally healthy. I would like to introduce to you a wonderful book I had come across, named: “Psychiatry of Pandemics: A Mental Health Response to Infection Outbreak” Edited by Damir Huremovic. While discussing the psychology and social and emotional epidemiological aspects of a pandemic, it also deals with Neuropsychiatric
complications of pandemic and also the mental health of quarantine and isolation.
Please find attached the online version of the book. You can download it and read it
at your leisure.
There are also two booklets which are well-prepared, and these may be of use to you,
your teachers and parents. They are:
a. Living with Worry and Anxiety amidst Global Uncertainty by Dr Matthew Whalley & Dr Hardeep Kaur
b. Coronavirus Anxiety Workbook: A Tool to help you bring Resilience during difficult times prepared by The Wellness Society
Please find these two booklets too given as attached files.
6. UsefulOnlinePlatformswhichcouldbeusedtocontactStudentsandParents:
I understand you are using various applications (in-house and third-party) to enable Remote classes. You may be wondering which video platform makes sense to teach children online and to conduct meetings with teachers or to have PTM. Please find in
attachment a chart which gives you possible video platforms. Though Zoom is very friendly, be warned that the Home Ministry has given a warning against using it.
7. ASpecialNoteonMicrosoftPlatform:
Sometime ago I had a meeting with Microsoft India top team leaders on how they can help training our staff in raising the standard of teaching and learning, they had given me a sea of possibilities. A few possible solutions for teaching children online using Microsoft platform is given below. You can browse through and see how these
could be adapted to your situation. These are certainly of high standard and let me know if you like to have any assistance in this regard. A separate sheet explaining about Microsoft platform is given in attachment
Wishing you a stress-free day of quarantining and also a time where you can reach out to those in need!
United in Christ,
Fr. Maria Charles SDB,
Secretary,
CBCI Office for Education and Culture
CBCI Centre, 1 Ashok Place, New Delhi – 110001
Ph.no: 11-23747290, 09968747667, 9868141139
Email : macha63@gmail.com, cbcieducation@gmail.com
