Post Graduate mathematics teachers’ online teaching during pandemic period

Post Graduate mathematics teachers’ online teaching during pandemic period

K.Saiyath Musthafa,

Senior Lecturer,

District Institute of Education and Training,

Namakkal-637 001,

, mail id:mustafa04babu@gmail.com

 

ABSTRACT

The teachers and students are familiar with usual classroom teaching. Due to Covid-19, the disease which has no medicine has been spreading over all countries in the world. Many countries are in the situation of not opening the schools during pandemic period. It is also being in our country. Students should not affect in their studies during the pandemic. But it is not possible for regular classes in schools for students. So, the teachers teach their children through online. Online teaching is treated as alternative to classroom teaching. The objectives of the study are,1. To know the technology support and web resources utilized by the teachers and students, 2. To extract the teachers’ experiences on taking online teaching, 3. To identify issues and remedies during presentation of classes, 4. To find pedagogical approaches and evaluation techniques applied by teachers for online teaching 5. To find the role of online is preparing the students to face the board examination confidently,6. To know parents’ support and feed back towards online classes. Survey method was followed to collect from teachers and students by tools. A workshop on tool preparation was conducted with three post graduate mathematics teachers. The team prepared two tools for teachers. The first tool consists of 10 items which are to be responded by descriptive. The second tool is a four point rating scale which consists of 45 items in 6 dimensions. The team also prepared a tool for plus two students that consists of 12 items with 2 point rating scale. 31 Post Graduate Mathematics teachers and 310 plus two students of 30 schools from 10 Blocks in Namakkal District, Tamil Nadu, India were randomly selected as sample for the study. The statistical techniques used for the study are t-test, F-test and item wise analysis. The teachers responded that classroom teaching is more effective than online teaching since the classroom teaching gives opportunity for interaction, clarification of doubts, guidance for facing Board Examinations and so many benefits. The students also responded the same. Most of the teachers agreed online teaching is only an alternative to classroom teaching during pandemic situations.

Key words: Online teaching, Classroom teaching, alternative, Post Graduate Teachers, Plus two students,  pandemic period, Covid-19, technology support, web resources, teachers perceptive, pedagogical approaches, evaluation techniques, Board examination, Parental support, ICT tools, Google forms.

Introduction

The teachers and students are familiar with usual classroom teaching. Due to Covid-19, the disease which has no medicine has been spreading over all countries in the world. Many countries are in the situation of not opening the schools during pandemic period. It is also being in our country. Students should not affect in their studies during the pandemic. But it is not possible for regular classes in schools for students. So, the teachers teach their children through online. Online teaching is treated as alternative to classroom teaching.

Need and Significance of the study:

During this pandemic situation, there are no classes taught for students in schools. As Twelfth standard students have to face State Board examination, there is a necessity for learning lessons without any hurdle. So, the teachers planned and have been teaching their students through online even though schools are not functioning during the pandemic situation. The investigator aims to study how far online teaching helped for teaching and learning process in this situation

Objectives:

• To know the technology support and web resources utilized by the teachers and students
• To extract the teachers’ experiences on taking online teaching
• To identify issues and remedies during presentation of classes
• To find pedagogical approaches and evaluation techniques applied by teachers for online teaching
• To find the role of online is preparing the students to face the board examination confidently
• To know parents’ support and feed back towards online classes.

Research Method:

Survey method was followed to collect data from teachers and students by tools.

Tool:

A workshop on tool preparation was conducted with three post graduate mathematics teachers. The team prepared two tools for teachers. The first tool consists of 10 items which are to be responded by descriptive. The second tool is a four point rating scale which consists of 45 items in 6 dimensions such that teachers’ perceptive, pedagogical approaches, evaluation techniques, preparation of students for Board Examination, Parental support and limitations of online teaching. The team also prepared a tool for plus two students that consists of 12 items with 2 point rating scale. The tools for teachers and students were reviewed and validated by  Mr. R.M.TAMIL SELVAN, Assistant Professor, School of Special Education and Rehabilitation, Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai-600 015.

Sample:

31 Post Graduate Mathematics teachers and 310 plus two students of 30 schools from 10 Blocks in Namakkal District were randomly selected as sample for the study.

Statistical Techniques Used:

The statistical techniques used for the study are t-test, F-test and item wise analysis.    

Major Findings:

1. All the post graduate mathematics teachers taught their students through online during pandemic period. All of the teachers utilized mobile phones and two third of teachers utilized laptops for online teaching of mathematics. A few only utilized PCs and tablet. Most of the teachers utilized the web platforms DIKSHA, TNTP, Mobile apps, You-tube channels, KALVI TV, Google Meet and Zoom. Most of the teachers responded that classroom teaching is more effective than online teaching. But online teaching is needed like this pandemic period. Most of teachers would prefer classroom teaching rather than online teaching because classroom teaching has choices like face to face contact, monitoring evaluation part, clarification of doubts, peer teaching, proper attendance, and etc.
2. There is no significant difference between male and female, urban and rural, Government and Aided, experience and age of post graduate mathematics teachers towards all the dimensions Teachers’ perspectives on online teaching, Pedagogical approaches, Evaluation techniques, Preparation of students for Board Examination, Parental support and Limitation of online teaching.
3. There is a significant difference in Teachers’ perspectives on online teaching, Pedagogical approaches and Evaluation techniques due to teachers’ educational qualifications. And there is no significant difference in Preparation of students for Board Examination, Parental support and Limitation of online teaching due to teachers’ educational qualifications.
4. There is a significant difference between Boys and Girls towards usefulness of online teaching, Technology support, Interaction, Participation in evaluation part, Presence of all online classes and Facing Board Examination.
5. There is a significant difference between Government and aided school students towards utilization of ICT tools by teacher, Interaction, Clarification of doubts and Participation in evaluation part.
6. There is a significant difference between Urban and Rural students towards usefulness of online teaching, Interaction, Participation in evaluation part and Facing Board Examination.
7. The teachers responded that classroom teaching is more effective than online teaching since the classroom teaching gives opportunity for interaction, clarification of doubts, guidance for facing Board Examinations and so many benefits. The students also responded the same.
8. Most of the teachers agreed online teaching is only an alternative to classroom teaching during pandemic situations.
9. 89% of students accepted that the online classes are useful during the pandemic period due to covid-19. 86% of students had availability of mobile phones, PCs, laptops and tablets for attending online classes. 81% of students said that online classes offered them new learning experiences. 67% of students had internet connectivity problems during online classes. Only 29% of students have accepted that online teaching is compensation to regular classroom teaching. 67% of students agreed that the teachers utilized ICT tools during online classes. 63% of students had choice to interact during online classes. 73% of students said that they could clarify doubts during online classes. 84% of students responded that they participated in evaluation part. 64% of students attended all online classes. 75% of students commented that online classes would help to face board examination during pandemic situation. 88% of students revealed that their parents were supportive to attend online classes.

Educational Implications:

Teachers utilized ICT tools during online classes and they developed their knowledge in usage of ICT tools. Hence, they can implement ICT tools during classroom teaching also. Teachers can reduce their work burden by giving home assignments, tests, worksheets, etc., through software like Google sheet or Google forms. Hence, paperless e-work can be extracted from students. There is an opportunity to utilize updated technologies for teachers in classroom teaching or online teaching. Once prepared materials for online teaching can also be utilized for classroom teaching and the students can use the materials repeatedly at anytime for their revision or for preparation of their examinations. Not only pandemic period but also any other crisis situations, the teachers can teach through online to their students.

Conclusion:

All teachers and students are very much familiar to normal classroom teaching in school premises. During COVID-19 pandemic period, it is not possible for classroom teaching. The students should not affect in their learning even though schools are not functioning due to lockdown. This event is not only happened in our country but also more over all countries in the world. So, online teaching is only alternative for classroom teaching in this situation. The teachers those who work in government, government aided or self finance schools got ready themselves to teach their students through online teaching. Thus, online teaching helps the students not to affect from their education. Now, as schools are not functioning, school students can learn from home or from their convenient place by online classes. The teachers and students got new teaching learning experience through online classes during lockdown period. As online teaching is new one in this situation for teachers and students, it seems some difficulties. Most of the teachers and students highlighted in this study that classroom teaching is better than any other teaching like online teaching. We never say scientifically one teaching method is better than another teaching method. Both the methods have advantages and disadvantages in them. The teachers should decide which teaching method is suitable to teach on the basis of students need, especially like this pandemic situation. Either classroom teaching or Online teaching, whatever it may be, the effectiveness is in the hands of teachers. At the same time, most of the teachers revealed in this study that online teaching is alternative to classroom teaching during lockdown due to COVID-19.

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