Pedagogy of the Virtual Space: Content Analysis of Voices from K-12 Online Classrooms of Four Indian Cities

Abstract

The study captures the online classroom experiences of learners, educators, school management,
parents and education activists. This new mode of learning commenced countrywide in schools across K-12,
post the declaration of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As schools shifted towards the online
medium, the stakeholders experience a complete change in the culture of the classroom. The descriptive
study conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Bangalore collects the narratives of key stakeholders
witnessing this change. The study captures a very recent and emerging issues of online education in the postpandemic
scenario and it was initiated to capture the experiences of the most important stakeholders. These
voices can pave way for policy makers and educational institutions to reform their practices to ensure
inclusion and universality in education in the new pedagogy. In the present study, the problematique
includes several learners from lower socio-economic background missing classes and facing learning gaps
due to the same reason. The narratives are analysed at the backdrop of Donna Haraway’s Cyborg Manifesto
and Stanislus Dehaene’s learning theories. The suggestions by the respondents to bridge the gap of
accessibility in the evolving culture of a class-room. These propositions range from advocating for internet
universality for effective synchronous learning and designing asynchronous learning methods with focus on
active student engagement.