Astha Hemant @timesgroup.com
The 2021 All India School Education Survey, conducted by the National 1 Council of Educational Re search and Training (NCERT) found that around 65% of school children have almost forgotten how to write. With the upcoming CBSE Term-2 exams, to be conducted in a traditional format, educators share apprehensions regarding students' skills in translating their learnings on paper.
Need of writing ability
Vanitha Lokesh SK, principal, BMN Public School, Bengaluru, says, "The art of descriptive writing helps translate a child's knowledge and ability on paper. Written answers also become the primary mode of checking a student's learning and intellectual skills, fostering them with the ability to explain and refine their understanding of the subject matter." With online classes during the pandemic, students' writing abilities were indeed adversely affected. "Students were far more focused on listening to class lectures rather than taking down notes. As a result, their written communication skills have seen a downfall. With CBSE Term-2 exams, educators need to take quick and specific actions to ensure that students get back into the habit of long-form writing," tells Lokesh.
Practice makes perfect
V Gowrilakshmi, principal, Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Anna Nagar, Chennai, has great faith in students' capabilities. "Whether it is about practicing from model papers or giving frequent revision tests in the written format, the onus is now on educators to ensure that students get enough practice before the Term-2 exams begin."
Since of
The pandemic has broken the link between understanding concepts and expressing them through the written word
online classes have resumed, Gowri Lakshmi has noticed enthusiasm among students to get back into the flow of ex pressing their lessons in a written format. "The pandemic has broken the link between understanding concepts and expressing them avidly through the written word. Daily lessons and assignments that focus on rebuilding this link will help," she says.
Avoid permanent loss
While CBSE and CISCE are holding Term-2 exams in a traditional, descriptive format, few state boards have taken the focus away from students' writing abilities altogether. Arun Kumar Aman, Science teacher, High School Mohan pur, Banka, Bihar, says that there has been a definitive learning loss, especially in the form of a student's writing abilities, due to the pandemic.
"Bihar board will soon hold intermediate exams. As per the syllabus, in a 100 marks paper, 20 marks are set aside for the practical exams. Of the remaining 80 marks, 40 marks are for MCQs while 25 are for short/one-word answer format questions. Only 15 marks, through three questions requiring in-depth answers, require students to employ their writing skills," tells Aman. Such an exam paper format enables students to get a distinction despite having negligible writing skills. "Even though classes continue to be conducted online, certain changes are required. Just knowing study material is not enough for success, focus on writing abilities is a must as well," says Aman.
Published on:- Time of India
Date:- 07/2/2022
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