“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela
Do you know how traditional education started in India?
The earliest education processes involved sharing information about gathering food, providing shelter, making weapons and other tools, learning language, and acquiring the values, behavior and religious rites or practices of a given culture. The main motive of traditional education was to pass on the values, skills and social practices to the next generation which was necessary for their survival.
According to the study conducted by ASER (Annual states of Education Report)
Interventions made by Pratham (a social welfare organization) to improve learning outcomes of the students with course tenure of 30 to 50 days to improve foundational numeracy and literacy levels among the students in the shorter span of in-person interventions showed an 11% to 16% rise in the Learning outcomes.
Why is the Physical or Offline Learning Environment Important
The learning environment is capable of stimulating students to engage in the learning process and is able to influence the behaviour of students as well as assist in the development of their skills or cognitive perception.
1. Students learn Discipline
The school environment is essential in students’ lives as the school teaches discipline. In addition, when a child is sitting in the classroom, he/she develops more interest in the studies and interaction skills. One of the reasons to consider discipline in school to be a top priority is the fact that it leads to better academic performance. Staying disciplined helps students study on time so that they are stress-free.
2. Better Student-Teacher Interaction
Classroom environments are more beneficial as teachers and students are physically interacting with each other. As there is eye-to-eye contact, students’ minds will not be distracted by other activities.
Offline classes promote socialization through group projects with other students, helping students learn new skills. However, online education makes students less interested and introverted as they connect with teachers and fellow students only through online platforms.
3. Improve physical fitness
Studies have proven that students who play sports or who are involved in physical or fitness activities have increased levels of concentration and focus. This renewed energy and concentration levels positively impact all areas of their lives including academics.
It is a well-known fact that students who exercise regularly have a better quality of sleep. A decent level of sleep increases a student’s concentration level and highly improves attention span.
Offline classes promote socialization through group projects with other students, helping students learn new skills. However, online education makes students less interested and introverted as they connect with teachers and fellow students only through online platforms.
4. Experiential Learning
Practical aspect of learning is an equally important part of education. Subjects like Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Art, and Sports require students to be physically present and conduct live experiments in the presence of their teachers.
A physical school environment combines both theoretical and practical aspects of learning, unlike online classes. This contributes to the overall cognitive and skill development of the students. Practical learning allows students to learn quickly to adapt to daily challenges.
5. Student Motivation
When Students receive face-to-face verbal feedback and constructive criticism from their teachers and peers, it gives them the motivation to improve their work and build upon what they’ve learned. Physical classroom environment and bonds give in-person learning an advantage over online learning.
Motivation is a skill that cannot be developed when students are allowed to complete tasks at their leisure. Students may get the work done, but it does not teach them how to complete a challenging task under the pressure of time.
The physical classroom environment is the traditional counterpart to online education and the original method of learning that allows students to have regular face-to-face interaction with their peers and teachers. As much as online education is predicted to be the future of learning, it cannot replace the holistic aspect of offline education.
Moreover, offline education also allows teachers to monitor the responses and behaviour of their students and accordingly address them as and when required. Hence, no matter how advanced online education is, Offline education will continue to play a vital role in the development of students’ future.