City schools are collaborating with parents of three- and four-year-olds for online nursery sessions that have recently started. The parents are asked to be more involved during classes to hand-hold the tiny tots during online sessions.
The La Martiniere Schools on Wednesday began their nursery section by sending parents recorded videos. Modern High School is reaching out to nursery students with the help of recreational videos sent to parents and St Augustine’s Day School, Barrackpore and Shyamnagar, launched a “parent engagement programme” on Monday and had parents come to the schools to learn Montessori techniques. “For the first quarter, we didn’t even start nursery. When we did, in June-end, we sent videos with instructions so that parents could sit down with the children at their convenient time and do the fun lessons,” said Devi Kar, director, Modern High School.
Rupkatha Sarkar, principal, La Martiniere for Girls, said, “Our online learning for nursery will be an orientation for parents to guide their children to play at home with engaging activities that develop the motor and cognitive skills.”
St Augustine’s Barrakpore and Shymnagar did a survey where parents reported various challenges the younger kids were facing. “They are too small and get restless while sitting at the laptop or mobile phone,” said Jhuma Biswas, principal, St Augustine’s Barrackpore. Counsellor of the school’s Shyamnagar branch Sucharita Ghosh said, “The little ones are used to seeing a teacher in front. So we are familiarizing parents on Montessori techniques.”
Shayani Das, an IT professional, was apprehensive about enrolling her son, almost three years old, for online nursery classes. “I didn’t want him spending three hours with headphones on,” she said.
But nursery is only a transition from the “known to unknown” that contributes to the foundation of the child. “These video chats are given in a developmentally appropriate manner and can help a child with social, emotional and cognitive development,” said Baruna Chatterjee, a Montessori trainer.
“When they watch TV, it is a one-way communication. But if a teacher is on the screen, asking them to sing or dance, it becomes a two-way communication,” she said.
Source:Times of India
