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The rapid adoption of e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the experiences of a school in dubai, gems international school, where a mix of distance and in-person teaching was implemented. It explores the challenges and benefits of e-learning, as well as the potential for a blended learning approach going forward. The article emphasizes the need for innovation in curriculum, pedagogy, and teaching methods to effectively integrate online and offline learning. It provides insights into the perspectives of school administrators, teachers, and education experts on the role of e-learning in the future of education.
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E-learning, or electronic learning, is the delivery of education and training through digital resources. While it is not a brand-new method, its inclusion across various sectors has been significantly accelerated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Dubai's GEMS International School, most of the children returned to classes at the start of the new term, but the institution is actually delivering a mix of distance and in-person teaching. Mike Kraher, the school's Head of Mathematics, shared his experience:
"I faced social challenges, to be honest. I missed my students. I missed teaching; I missed the classrooms." "When I teach with the iPad, I try to embed all these technical things in the classroom. There are good things and there are big advantages," Mr. Kraher added.
In many schools, the decision to continue with e-learning was made by students and their parents. According to the UAE Ministry of Education, for the Academic Year 2020 to 2021, 17% returned to classroom teaching, while 83% chose to continue distance learning.
Simon Herbert, Head of School at GEMS, believes there is a role for e- learning but sounds a note of caution:
"It's not a panacea. In education quite often, (people claim) 'This is the next best thing, this will solve it all!' And of course, it won't. It's just (a question of) taking the best from it, the best platforms, the best teaching and realizing that there is best practice, even (within) the GEMS group - to take from each other and to share around the world."
The familiar classroom setting is how most of us experienced school. But with the outbreak of the pandemic, teaching switched from the traditional face-to-face model to online with students at home to accommodate social distancing.
Going forward, the question arises whether we will see e-learning form a greater part of how education is delivered or if we will eventually see a return to classrooms where we can have that face-to-face experience.
In some fields, delivering blended learning - a combination of the two approaches - is already being used effectively. This approach aims to equip learners and educators with the new competencies and skills for the future.
Raya Bidshahri, Founder and CEO of Awecademy, emphasizes that it cannot just be a question of taking the same content as before and moving some of it online: "You also have to be innovative with the curriculum, with pedagogy, with teaching methods, even the way you structure a lesson and activities."