Student reflection on first week of Distance Learning

“The capacity to learn is a gift, the ability to learn is a skill, and the willingness to learn is a choice” – Brian Herbert, well known American author.

Change can hurt, but it can also lead to a path to something better. Maybe the coronavirus is creating this kind of change in our lives. Closed doors, social distancing and being locked down feels more like a loss of freedom! But we all know, this change may lead the entire global community to a much more united and happier path.

While we wait for that, I believe it's important to make the most of the time we have, and see the positive side of this obstacle. As students, who are called the change-makers and leaders of tomorrow, we have been given the privilege of continuing our learning through our digital devices. With distance learning recently initiated at the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad, students and teachers have been interacting as part of effective online classes.

The best part about the distance learning programme is that the initiative replaces the usual learning process with an alternative while being at home. As a Grade 9 student, I believe that the ability and capacity to learn in this way is developing different skills and interactions amongst us students. We continue to learn new concepts every day and discover productive ways to adapt to the new atmosphere created by distance learning. The aspect that excites me the most is how easy it is for us to connect and interact, and still have the same effective discussions we had in class before.

Regular classrooms may seem more inclusive as a shared learning space for all, especially with the great campus environment at the Academy. The campus and the classrooms are definitely a much more learning-friendly space. However, every opportunity comes along with a challenge. Althoguh it is a comfortable place, my home space may not be the same experience for other students. But as home is the only place we can be right now, we must take advantage of still being able to learn. It must also be hard for teachers and students who have challenges with connectivity. Resources are planned by teachers and sent to students on time for preparation beforehand. Teachers from different departments coordinate with each other in order to send the right information to parents and students.

I conclude by sharing the opinion of a student from my class. She said, “Distance learning has been a little harder than usual classes, but on the other hand, it also gives me more freedom and time to understand each topic without any classroom or peer pressure.” I think Brian Herbert was right — the ability and capacity to learn is a skill and gift. Maybe the significance is truly visible in today’s tough times.  

Written by: Sana Popatiya, Grade 9K