Advantages of online classes during pandemic

By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

Schools, colleges, and universities were among the most severely impacted industries, with many having to lock their doors overnight. The learning process was interrupted by forced lockdowns in different parts of the world. Physical education classes were canceled in many schools, forcing students to remain at home. Families suffered mental and psychological consequences as a result of the abrupt termination.

Many parents and students are also adapting to a new normal when living at home. ‘Necessity is the mother of all inventions,' it is often said. As a result, the educational system evolved to meet the current government safety and stay-at-home rules. Most schools and educational institutions also provide students with online courses to assist them in continuing their education.

Virtual Classes and Their Importance

According to research, children benefit from a schedule. A consistent schedule provides protection for children and aids in the development of the discipline, trust, and self-esteem. Class, homework and extracurricular sports are part of a student's everyday life. Many students' lives have been turned upside down as a result of the school closures. The lines between training, play, and hobby time are becoming increasingly blurry. Students are depressed, and their sense of wellbeing has been eroded as a result of this.

For teenagers, a virtual classroom or online school may help them get back into a routine. It keeps them interested and guarantees that they continue to learn even though schools are closed. Morning workshops, online assignments, and online tests ensure that students are engaged and disciplined in their learning.

What Are The Other Benefits Of A Virtual Classroom During Lockdown Time Apart From Uninterrupted Learning And Establishing A Routine For Students?

Device-based accessibility

Students just require a decent internet connection and a computer, tablet, or smartphone to attend class in a virtual classroom. Instead of having to deal with the everyday hassles of taking the bus or carpool to classes, students can now just open their computers and be connected to their classroom.

Use the convenience of location and time to your advantage.

Students will replay a lesson at any time because online courses allow for the archiving and documentation of lessons. All of the lessons are now saved to the server. As a result, for their virtual lesson, students are not bound to a particular location or computer.

In virtual classes, students have plenty of time to absorb what they've learned, practice what they've learned, do their own research, and develop their understanding of the subject. Rather than always catching up with their peers, they will learn at their own speed.

Around-the-Clock Education

Teachers and lecturers may be messaged by virtual classroom solutions. This choice encourages students to communicate with their teachers at any point in order to clear up any uncertainties or pose questions. This, though, is contingent on the availability of time for all teachers.

A Chance to Pick Up New Skills

Students will experiment with and experience new learning technologies using virtual classroom solutions such as Google Meet, BigBlueButton, and Zoom, among others. One of the greatest benefits of online classes is the technical proficiency and ability that students are gaining, which ranges from developing PowerPoint for assignments to conducting an online study.

Friendships and Peer Relationships

Many students are experiencing alienation and alienation as a result of the tight lockout and guidelines on social distancing. These feelings will lead to anxiety and depression if they are not addressed. Students may communicate with their classmates and colleagues in simulated classrooms. The feeling of belonging and camaraderie has now spread to the internet.

Customizable options

The material in a simulated classroom can be customized to suit the students' specific learning needs and methods. Digital learners, for example, could be guided to instructional videos. Students can tailor how they consume the lessons by using downloadable audiobooks and other personalization resources. As a result, learning outcomes are enhanced and improved.

Attendance has increased.

Students' attendance has improved significantly as they no longer have to fly to work. There has been a major increase in class attendance and engagement, as many reserved students are more comfortable engaging with teachers behind a curtain.

Learning that can be tracked 

In online courses, students' success can be easily tracked. Any student's data, including attendance records, test scores, and exam results, is stored electronically in virtual classrooms. This allows teachers to easily monitor students' progress and consider their learning curve. It assists instructors in creating online courses that are tailored to the student's learning styles and needs.

It's Exciting And Fun

Most notably, students find online virtual courses to be a fun and thrilling experience. From a young age, today's generation is fluent in modern technologies and has a strong knowledge of different devices. As a result, switching to online courses is a simple and convenient transition for them. It adds variety to conventional schooling. In addition, they are able to learn difficult topics with ease.

Finally,

Even before the pandemic made face-to-face meetings illegal, many schools were using cloud-based school management tools to optimize learning experiences and increase performance. These innovations can be funded by schools. This is due to a number of factors. We live in a constantly evolving environment, and we must prepare schools to deal with any unforeseen crisis. We need to prepare schools so that they can operate without jeopardizing students' education.

 Virtual classrooms aren't just a fad in today's world. They're the wave of the future, and a growing number of schools will turn to online school management tools to ensure they're ready for a lighter, more prosperous future.

Importance of English language in Education

 Because of its many uses and benefits in various human activities, English is spoken by speakers of several languages all over the world. Nobody can dispute English's significance as a global language in today's world. As a result, it is clear that the English language has grown in popularity across the globe. English, as a foreign language, gives us access to the most up-to-date information and is widely used.

It is also the language of the modern era and is used for communication by people all over the world. We cannot do anything on the internet unless we use the English language to express our thoughts and opinions with the entire world wide internet. How about the educational sector? English is sometimes used as a medium of contact and learning for people who study abroad. Many highly talented students have disqualified education due to a lack of English language skills. English is the primary language for higher-level studies and is used in every book.

All university interviews and presentations are conducted in English at the international level. As a result, there is a primary degree of uncertainty, as well as a high level of importance for one's professional life. Sporting events are also held in English. All data and commentary provided in any measure sport case, such as live cricket or football, is primarily in English. To fully appreciate this case, we must have a solid command of the English language.

The English language is vital. Nothing will be possible in the future unless we learn to understand and speak English. In India, the English language is extremely valuable. English has been promoted as a second language in India for the past 200 years. India made Hindi its official state language after independence, but English was given equal weight.

Many regional languages are spoken in India, but English is the only language used for interstate communication. Without English, higher education is not possible. In almost every area, such as technology, biochemistry, and non-technical English, English plays a significant role.

Apart from being the language of commerce, banking, computing, medicine, engineering, tourism, and so on, English is an official language in many countries. Fluency in English is a significant factor in work selection. An individual who speaks English draws everyone's attention and is a sign of higher education and personality. Both of these factors have rendered learning English a necessity.

Conclusion:

Well, this is the age of learning English, and in this competitive environment, everyone wants to achieve success, so English is crucial. It is a digitalization tradition, because any work performed via a digital medium, such as sending SMS, emails, blogging, etc has gained more popularity. It is a more convenient and effective way to communicate one's thoughts to another person. 

Guest post by Akshay Kumar

Pursing B.Tech  from Durgapur Institute of Advanced Technology and Management (DIATM)

Website: https://panjiyaratech.blogspot.com

 

Counselling and School guidance (India): History in brief

By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

From the review paper by Kodad and Kazi, it is known that according to an Indian Express interview with Sudeshna Chatterjee titled, 'Schools are neglecting to counselling, 

a) the first Child Guidance Clinic was founded by Tata Institute of Social Sciences at Wadia Hospital in 1938. 

b) In the same year, the Wadia hospital established a school health unit, which referred children with behavioral issues to the hospital. In 1979, the first school mental health clinic was founded at Nair Hospital.

Asha K. Kinra also discusses some of the significant turning points in India's school counseling progress. 

 a) In 1954, the Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance was created by India's Ministry of Education. 

b) Following the third five-year plan (1961), certified counselors and career masters, with the help of school teachers, began providing guidance services in classrooms. 

c) By the end of the third five-year plan (1966), 3000 schools offered some kind of guidance. However, these schools only had a career master on staff, whose sole responsibility was to provide vocational knowledge.

d) The Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance has assigned the task of training guidance professionals to the Regional Institutes of Guidance in Ajmer, Bhopal, Bhuvaneshwar, and Mysore, with effect from the year 2000. 

e) The primary goal of the State Educational and Vocational Guidance Bureaus is to assist students in selecting appropriate educational programs and career paths.

A review article by Kanchan Godara (Ph.D. Research scholar, MGS University, Bikaner, Rajasthan (India)) gives us an insight into the history of school counseling in India. 

Calcutta University, which founded India's first psychological laboratory in 1915, has the honor of being the first to introduce the guidance movement in India. With the help of a psychologist named Mr. Mukerjee from Calcutta, Baltiboi, a retired accountant from Calcutta, realized the importance of guidance in 1915, and he founded the 'Baltiboi Vocational Guidance Bureau' in Bombay with the sole purpose of providing guidance to the community. Patna University founded a psychological service and research department in 1945. The Parsi panchayat vocational guidance bureau was founded for the Parsi community in Bombay by trustees of the Parsi panchayat funds and properties. The government of Uttar Pradesh took another step forward in 1947 when it officially recognized the movement by establishing a psychology bureau in Allahabad. The Bombay Government created the vocational guidance bureau in Bombay in 1950, which was later renamed the 'Institute of vocational guidance bureau' in 1957. Dr. W.L. Barnett, an American educator, hosted a workshop for guidance workers around the country in 1953. Delhi's Central Institute of Education This institute is now the Central Bureau of Educational and Vocational Guidance in Delhi (CBEVG).

The bureau of educational and vocational guidance (CBEVG) is currently being established at the CIE in Delhi as part of a government-sponsored scheme. This department keeps track of the country's guidance services on a regular basis. The data is gathered by the use of a questionnaire. NCERT has been conducting periodic status surveys to gather knowledge about the guidance bureaus/cells. Guidance and therapy cells are formed at the state level under regional SIERTs. The Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA 2012), a government of India initiative aimed at universalizing secondary education at the secondary and higher secondary levels, places a strong focus on guidance and mentoring to achieve the aims of universalizing secondary education, quality challenges, and secondary education development In order to provide guidance and counseling services to school students, the RMSA has prioritized the strengthening of state-level guidance departments, the appointment and use of qualified guidance staff, and in-service training and orientation programs.

For a long time in India, school guidance facilities have been left in the hands of school teachers who are already overworked and lack experience in the field of guidance and counseling. Recent changes in Indian education, particularly the potential for free and universal education, have resulted in a new set of issues in schools and across the country.

Many kids go to school with no idea what they're going to do, and they leave with no idea what kind of jobs or occupations they should pursue. They still have limited knowledge of themselves as well as their socio-economic and political surroundings.

NCERT's 8th AISES study summarises the current state of education and vocational guidance and counseling (EVGC) in the country. Educational and technical guidance and counseling (EVGC) services are provided to students by 39,799 (33.94 percent) secondary schools and 29,604 (47.24 percent) higher secondary schools in the country.

However, these figures are merely figures; in fact, guidance and therapy in schools are given by regular school teachers; no licensed guidance counselors are present. Professional counselors are available at only a few colleges.

Excerpts from:

Counselling and School Guidance (US): History in brief

By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

While the foundations of therapy and instruction concepts can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome with Plato and Aristotle's philosophical teachings, the tradition of school counseling officially began at the turn of the twentieth century. Also, there is evidence suggesting that some of the methods and skills used by modern-day guidance counselors were used by Catholic priests in the Middle Ages, as shown by the commitment to confessional confidentiality. The Universal Plaza of All the Professions of the World (1626), written by Tomaso Garzoni, was one of the first texts on career opportunities published near the end of the sixteenth century. Formal guidance programs using advanced textbooks, on the other hand, did not begin until the turn of the century.

In the United States, the social reform movement paved the way for the establishment of advice and therapy in the 1890s. Many people were angered by the struggles of inhabitants living in slums and the systematic use of child labor. One of the outcomes was the compulsory education movement, which was followed by the vocational guidance movement, which was originally concerned with leading people into the workforce so that they could become active members of society.

Frank Parsons, a social and political reformer, is widely regarded as the founder of the vocational guidance movement. The Boston Vocation Bureau was established as a result of his work with the Civic Service House.

The Boston Vocation Bureau aided in the creation of a vocational guidance system in Boston public schools in 1909. The bureau's work influenced the need for and use of vocational advice in the United States and abroad.

 The bureau's presence was known as far away as Uruguay and China by 1918. Initially, guidance and therapy were thought to be mostly vocational, but as the practice progressed, more personal interests became part of the school counselor's agenda.  

With the United States' entry into World War I (WWI), large numbers of draftees needed to be assessed, in part to choose suitable people for leadership roles. These early psychological tests on a large number of people were soon established as useful educational resources, kicking off the standardized testing movement, which is still a strong part of American public education in the early twenty-first century. At the same time, vocational guidance was becoming more widespread across the country, with over 900 high schools having some form of vocational guidance by 1918. The National Vocational Guidance Association was established in 1913, and it was instrumental in legitimizing and increasing the number of guidance counselors. Early vocational guidance counselors were frequently teachers who were assigned to the role because of the additional responsibilities it entailed in addition to their daily teaching duties.

Counseling positions were expanded in the 1920s and 1930s, and they were no longer limited to dealing with vocational issues. A student's social, medical, and educational needs all needed to be addressed. Funding for therapy services was restricted during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Guidance counselors did not see an improvement in funding for their practice until 1938, following a presidential committee's recommendation and the passage of the George Dean Act, which allocated funds specifically for the purpose of vocational guidance counseling.

Following WWII, there was a noticeable shift away from research. Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, was one of the key people who indirectly influenced this transition. His focus on "nondirective" (later known as "client-centered") therapy was embraced by those in the counseling industry. Counseling and Psychotherapy were published in 1942, and Client-Centered Therapy was published in 1951, by Rogers. In stark contrast to previous psychological and therapy theories, these two works established a modern counseling theory. This new theory emphasized the development of circumstances that put the client in control of the therapy material, rather than the counselor providing advice.

The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was passed in 1958, and it provided funding for education in the United States at all levels, public and private. NDEA was created to promote science, mathematics, and modern foreign languages education, but it also helped with technical education, area studies, geography, English as a second language, therapy and instruction, school libraries, and educational media centers. The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik and concerns that other countries were outperforming the US in mathematics and science fueled yet further support for school therapy. As a result, it was anticipated that by having adequate funding for education, including instruction and therapy, more students would pursue careers in science. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) was established in the 1950s, furthering the school counselor's professional identity.

C. Gilbert Wrenn's writing, including his 1962 book The Counselor in a Changing World, highlighted the need for school counselors to be more culturally sensitive. Many more counseling ideas, such as Frederick Perl's gestalt therapy, William Glasser's truth therapy, Abraham Maslow and Rollo May's existential approach, and John Krumboltz's behavioral counseling approach, were introduced in the 1960s. During this time, legislative funding and an amendment to the NDEA provided funds for the training and employment of elementary school counselors.

In the 1970s, the school counselor began to be identified as a component of a larger program rather than as the entire program. There was a focus on the accountability of school counselor programs and the advantages of standardized assessments. The special education movement arose during this decade. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 addressed the educational and counseling needs of students with disabilities.

Training requirements and qualifications for school therapy were established in the 1980s. This was also a period when schooling in general, and therapy services, in particular, were subjected to more rigorous scrutiny. School counselors were qualified to adapt the educational atmosphere to student needs in order for schools to provide equal educational resources for individuals with disabilities. Many counselors' responsibilities and functions evolved significantly. Counselors began serving as gatekeepers for Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and Student Study Teams (SST), as well as advisors to special education teachers, after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990 was passed.

School therapy was neglected as an important part of a student's educational growth during the development of national educational standards and the school reform movement of the 1990s. With the adoption of national guidelines for school therapy services, the ASCA paid in part. These standards outlined the roles and obligations of school counseling services and demonstrated the importance of school counseling for each student's overall educational success.

Excerpt from: 

 Guidance and School Counseling - A Brief History of School Guidance and Counseling in the United States - Counselors, Students, Counselor, and Education - StateUniversity.com 

What is Educational counselling and it's significance

By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

Educational counseling entails assisting and guiding students in making the best possible, educational decisions, including educational plans, job goals, stream and specialization options, and college or university placement based on their desires and priorities. In instructional settings, an Educational Counselor deals mostly with students in high school and college. Many schools have their own educational counselors to assist students in finding the right career and making educated decisions in their studies, especially for special needs students, and educational counselors often assist students in coping with personal problems that could be affecting their academic journey. In order to address those difficulties, an Educational Counsellor works with the student's parents, guardians, or teachers to assist them with determining the right solutions to the student's concerns.

There are three core types of Educational Counselling:

1) Educational Guidance and Counselling

2) Vocational Counselling

3) Career Counselling

1) Educational Guidance and Counselling

Guidance and Counseling focuses on giving students the correct advice for their academic needs, whether it's choosing the correct major or finding the best college and course after high school. Educational counsellors can be used in classrooms and universities, and educational counseling programs can also help you find the best mentorship for your learning journey. Educational Counselor Addresses Concerns more than just schooling is looked after by an Educational Counsellor. Some issues that Educational Counselors must address include:

Issues concerning the family

Questions about puberty

Educative and job guidance

Giving help to the family

Problems of transport

Grade-related concerns

Fighting or Bullying?

2) Vocational Counselling

Similar to occupational counseling, vocational counseling focuses on choosing the best profession or employment opportunities for an employee based on their needs and demands in the field or business they want to work in.

3) Career Counselling

Career counseling is something of a holistic blend of career and occupational counseling since it relies on both students and working adults, providing them with the best mentorship they need at any stage of their college and professional journeys.

Educational Counseling's Advantages

We always find ourselves in a quandary when it comes to choosing a profession because of the variety of courses and subject combinations available. At this point, educational counseling is critical. So, if you're wondering why educational therapy is important for students, here are a few reasons to think about it:

It aids in the realization of passions and skills.

You learn about your flaws and strengths by using a SWOT analysis. It increases your self-assurance and helps you make better choices. It enables you to anticipate and plan for the problems that will inevitably arise. Counseling helps people see more clearly and eliminates the tension they experience at work.

It allows you to change your behavior by assisting you in identifying undesirable characteristics.

Lene Sovold: The strategies we adopt to deal with the situation is going to determine our resilience as human species!!!

 By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

In one of the article published in WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM, Clinical psychologist and mental health advisor from Norway, Lene Sovold has explained in detail that the COVID_19 pandemic is functioning as an effective method for social change and giving new alternatives to many urgent global problems, depending on the coping mechanisms we have been using in response to this emergency situation. 

From his clinical practice and general observation, Lene Sovold mentioned that different people react to a situation in different ways to cope with it and has categorized them into four categories, they are 

1. Negativity due to external stimuli:  The behavioral changes (not following covid_19 guidelines), curiosity to explore negative theories, etc observed due to continuous exposure to social media or destructive external expressions.

2. Positive or proactive external expressions: A very constructive state of mind, helping people in and around their vicinity, upskilling themselves, getting involved in physical activities, etc. 

3. Negative or destructive internal expressions: A complete negative outlook, worrying around about the future, like small kids they too have worry dragons which they couldn't tame. They exhibit panic attacks, anxiety, depression, etc. 

4. Positive or proactive internal expressions: These individuals have demonstrated the real meaning of crisis management through their actions. They not only take care of themselves, and their family but also contribute to society. Best example: Pandemic frontliners. 

From his experiences through online consultations during the pandemic crisis, he concludes that 

1) Like all other sectors even healthcare will witness digitalization in the form of online consultations and engaging patients on virtual platforms in coping with mental health-related side effects pandemic is creating 

2) It is important to become more proactive and adaptive to cope up with the crisis.

3) The strategies we adopt to deal with the situation is going to determine our resilience as human species

Excerpt credits:

Lene Søvold, Clinical psychologist and mental health advisor, Norway

Prediction on psychometric tools during COVID_19

By S Adeeb Mujtaba Ali

In the current COVID-19 setting, where everyone is talking about or picking up on a variety of topics, one has piqued my interest.

Presenting an excerpt from the same 

In a culture where employees and businesses meet by video conference and selection and recruitment monitored online with no face-to-face interactions, search consultants can offer precise and predictive assessments and useful insights into finding the right executive and non-executive talent. With the help of psychometric testing.

What is psychometric testing?

They are questionnaires used for personality evaluations. Psychometrics allows one to quantify personality characteristics, behaviors, emotional reactions, and psychiatric effects objectively in both study and practice.

Psychometric testing instruments are appropriate for a variety of uses and results and help you determine which assessments are suitable for your business. There are four major clusters or groupings of characteristics that psychometric evaluations evaluate: aptitude, behavior, appearance, and emotional intelligence.

An Australian-based Challis & Company (www.challis.co), with Hannah Challis (Executive director and Organisational psychologist), firmly believes that psychometric testing can be predicted to be an essential tool to perform structured and organized virtual interviews and recruitment. 

The reports generated from the psychometric tools will give insights into the personality trait (behavior, decision-making ability, competency, nature, etc) of the applicants (individually) and a window for improvement with the development plans created by the tool.

Through this type of recruitment procedure, it not only becomes easy for the clients to onboard best fit, but also candidates receive valuable development plans and insights whether or not they are selected for the job.

The effect of COVID-19 highlights the importance of research. Challis & Company works closely with boards of directors and CEOs who are making recruiting decisions without getting the ability to meet applicants in person. Psychometric assessment is much more important in this situation.

Relational distancing has resulted in organizations and persons living under altered employment conditions, which could last for a long time. Psychometric testing may reveal how individuals and groups respond to the effects of physical separation, social alienation, and remote working. Hannah says, broader understanding of an individual’s fundamental beliefs and form of character proves to be helpful. It allows leaders to be more empathetic to a wide variety of reactions, challenges, and desires at these periods, as well as implement successful working conditions and the correct community.

Excerpt credits:

Contact: Hannah Challis - hchallis@challis.co

Website: https://www.challis.co/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahchallis/

Website - Melbourne: https://agiliumworldwide.com/melbourne-challis-company

Website - Sydney: https://agiliumworldwide.com/global-locations/asia-pacific/sydney-challis-company