ACTs Interactive Webinar on Online Inclusive Classroom Challenges kept Participants engaged

Asian College of Teachers successfully conducted an online panel discussion on ‘Challenges faced by Teachers & Parents in Online Inclusive Classrooms’ on 19th November, 2021. The panel comprised distinguished speakers - Dr Rita James (Founder & Director of Asha Kiran Special Needs School, Bangalore), Ms. Anju Chirimar (School Counsellor, South Point School, Kolkata) and Mr David Bourke (ESL Trainer and Special Needs Teacher).  The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Kuhurina Basu (Head of Academics, Asian College of Teachers). The panel discussion was attended by teachers of inclusive classrooms as well as parents of special kids.

The webinar began on the notes of Dr Rita James, who beautifully explained the concept of inclusion and the various challenges of an inclusive setting faced by teachers, students and parents alike in a virtual learning mode. She emphasized that challenges like connectivity, not being tech savvy, screen time exposure, isolation blues, lack of motivation in online learners, time consuming resources etc. have to be dealt with a deeper understanding and awareness. According to Ms. Anju Chirimar, the world has come a long way from what it used to be like 40-50 years back, but it still has miles to go in terms of accepting kids with unique needs. A lot needs to be done in this arena and parents, caregivers & teachers alike should be equipped with the right approach and presence of mind so as to deal with the challenges. Ms. Chirimar discussed varied challenges and stressed on the fact that parents are the best persons to understand their children and that they should be more watchful and not generalise the unique needs their kids are facing. The field of SEN and inclusion needs a sharper system of support for parents and teachers. Continuing with the track set by Dr James and Ms. Chirimar, Mr. Bourke gave a global perspective of online inclusive teaching given his 25 years of teaching experience in several countries. He also highlighted the fact that inclusive teaching in online mode also depends a lot on the socio-economic status and how that is conspicuous in different parts of the world especially since the pandemic hit. The participants got an in-depth insight into how to tackle and understand their kids/learners and support them properly. The participants’ queries were met with informative answers from the expert speakers, thus sealing the webinar with a great assimilation of knowledge which helped parents of children with special needs and teachers in the field of SEN to broaden their horizons.