How to Spark It

Sat, 17 Apr, 2021

Skill Development For Children In The Time of Covid-19

Skill Development For Children In Time of Covid-19

Amid increased vaccinations worldwide against the Coronavirus pandemic, another wave of the virus has hit Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the UK. In India, the story is a little more complicated. In the second wave of the ongoing pandemic, Covid-19 cases in India are spreading faster than ever. The rapidly growing number of Coronavirus in recent days has brought back the spectre of lockdown. Limited lockdowns have been put in place in several cities, and there is a risk of tighter lockdowns in some areas. 

More than 1.2 billion children in 186 countries worldwide have been affected by school closures due to the pandemic. Covid-19 is a draw for successful online learning among children. Despite this pandemic and its unprecedented consequences for all of us, it is a life-changing event for children. Their routines have been disrupted as schools have been told to close, and endless indoor activities are not easy for young people to handle. Limiting this energy state and wanting to play with friends, whether at school or in the neighbourhood, means exercising a lot of self-control and resilience. It is the parents' job to help them cope with this phase without seriously affecting their emotional or social development.

The pandemic and associated blocking and distance measures have disrupted education and training provision and sparked innovation in distance learning. The integration of information technology into education will continue to be accelerated, and online education will eventually become an integral part of school education.

PlanetSpark, an ed-tech start-up, offers academic programs in Maths, English, and Science, new-age skills such as communications, reading, coding, robotics, and hobby classes, including drawing, sketching, and music, in a live, interactive manner. At PlanetSpark, we help build career and life skills in young students through live streaming of all their courses. All our courses fall under three categories - language, life skills, and aesthetical and creative skills. While language courses involve comprehension, basics of other foreign languages, and so on. Life skills are all about mental math, robotics, problem-solving, and other such subjects. Aesthetical and creative skills involve design, chess, and more.

As students make their way through the content, PlanetSpark learns their knowledge level, skills, learning pace, and gaps. With that knowledge, we can individualize learning pathways. Developing strong attitudes towards learning can help students overcome some of the potential challenges posed by online learning, such as, for instance, remaining focused during online classes or maintaining sufficient motivation. PlanetSpark is a novel method of plugging the gaps left by conventional schooling.

Positive attitudes towards learning, self-regulation, and intrinsic motivation to learn play an essential role in improving school performance in general, but maybe especially important should online learning continue. Also, the material is designed to appeal to young minds through activity, colourful graphics, etc. It addresses vocational needs, which has always been a crucial factor in terms of self-dependency both financially and emotionally. A better future won't be just good infrastructure, but good human beings who will be compassionate, helpful, and a can-do spirit that will never bow down in the face of difficulties.

PlanetSpark provides a bridge to online hands-on learning to build skills in children. Young minds are usually full of energy, enthusiasm, and ideas. E-learning represents a paradigm shift in the development of the talent landscape in India. This is an excellent opportunity to show kids that tools outside of science and maths are essential. It is necessary to make sure this energy is directed correctly when you learn something exciting and meaningful.

As parents, we urge you to see the benefits of the course and classes we offer. Why now leverage this time of social distancing when sports and other contact extracurricular activates are at a pause to help your kids develop some 21st-century skills that will help them for a lifetime. Think about it – if this pandemic has taught us anything, it is the importance of communication and presentation skills, especially as these have become so integral to your child's success during online school.