When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”
The entire world has come to a halt due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prevent the further rise in the cases of infected individuals, global leaders have announced lockdowns. The nationwide lockdowns, such as the one imposed by the Government of India and Honourable PM Shri Narendra Modi, all the citizens of the nation are asked to stay home and ensure social distancing at all times.
The one consequence of this lockdown that has affected a majority of citizens aged 3-18, is the lockdown of the schools and physical classrooms. Students thrive on learning, intellectual stimulation, and an exposure to multiple stimuli with encouragement and mentoring from their teachers. Due to the norms of social distancing, the students are unable to attend their schools; this can be detrimental to their academics as well as other interpersonal skill development.
To address this issue, The Lexicon Schools took the initiative of bringing the classroom to the students’ homes. Through digital learning, The Lexicon Schools are now successfully delivering academic sessions, positive encouragement, counselling, dance and music, all through digital e-learning platforms.
The foremost step taken up by The Lexicon Schools is to ensure that the learning never halts. All three high schools, The Lexicon International School Wagholi, The Lexicon International School Kalyani Nagar, and The Lexicon School Hadapsar, are conducting online sessions daily. Covering materials of the planned syllabi regularly, the teachers are able to stay on track for the academic year 2020-21, ensuring that there is no loss of precious time. There is a stronger focus for the students of Classes 9-12, as these are CBSE pre-board and board examination years. It is imperative that these senior students continue to receive extra support and mentoring, and continue to stay motivated for the upcoming exams. All other students from Pre-primary classes to class 8 are also learning online through lectures, videos and other self-study assignments. The regularity of these daily lessons is ensured through a time table that has been shared with the parents and the students. All students across all classes are able to attend their respective Zoom Online lessons daily.
Another important rationale behind online lectures is to strengthen the bond between the school teachers and the students, and to normalize this unprecedented global pandemic situation for young children. Through regular communication with the teachers and by continued mental stimulation through online class time and offline home assignments, children can resume their routines which include studying and learning. Furthermore, even parents have provided positive feedback appreciating this new initiative of online learning, which is keeping their children engaged at home as well.
A crucial element of this online learning is the development and curation of learning materials. The transition from the physical classroom to the online classroom can be challenging, however, the teachers of The Lexicon Schools have curated a plethora of resources which are enriching the students in this period of isolation. Students are receiving recorded lectures, YouTube videos, self-explanatory and easy-to-follow Powerpoint Presentations, worksheets, and notes which are aiding to their learning and providing deeper understanding of new concepts. There are also multi-disciplinary resources which provide scope for extra-curricular activities at home, such as the creation of new crafts, trying new and safe recipes, writing original pieces of rap and songs, as well as trying out different dances and yoga asanas. This continues the Lexicon foundation of holistic development of children and child-centric learning.
The ERP Portal used by The Lexicon Schools is also playing a crucial role in the sharing and management of these resources. Teachers are able to upload resources which are accessible to both the parents and the students. These learning materials are shared and stored on the ERP for the student’s use. The students are asked to complete their assignments and then submit them online on the ERP as well. This builds an ecosystem of learning, where all the stakeholders- teachers, students and parents- are collaborating with the final outcome of providing the child the best learning environment possible.
To oversee this new medium of learning, there are various members of the team who supervise these lectures and resources. The Director, Additional Director, Deputy Director, School Principals and the Academic Auditors are collaboratively working to establish a Knowledge Bank which comprises only of the best quality learning material. The Lexicon Schools are reputed for perfection, and there is no compromise to that even in this new format of learning and teaching. This Knowledge Bank is a collection of all online lecture videos, and is available for all students on the official school websites.
The Lexicon Schools understand the deep psychological impact of this COVID-19 outbreak, and are aware of its underlying implications on the students’ well-being as well. To overcome any negative thoughts and anxiety, The Lexicon Schools have launched ProjectEmpathy@Lexicon. This unique initiative is an attempt to provide support, encouragement and motivation to the entire Lexicon family of students, staff, and parents. A comprehensive team of counsellors, teachers, supervisors and other professional experts are working together to create videos and posts which aim to develop a more positive outlook at life. Our in-house school counsellors are reaching out to the entire student community at large with their motivation talks and emotional support. Additionally, our dance and yoga instructors are creating videos which aim to engage the students through physical activities and our music teachers are creating original compositions of positive songs. We also have international experts as guests who are volunteering their time and skills through novel videos discussing topics such as Art Therapy.
All of these videos, posts, and other positive content is regularly being shared with the Lexicon family through the official social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. While we are no longer in the convention of the physical classrooms, The Lexicon Schools and their team of dedicated teachers are working round the clock to ensure that no child is left behind and that learning never stops.