‘Beyond the wall, there is always a beyond’
– Loris Malaguzzi

Surviving extraordinary times, we can only imagine the realities of the new normal that we will experience in the field of early education.

At the beginning of the spread of the pandemic in India in March 2020, the government locked down all of the early childhood education centers in the country. As the gravity of the situation became clearer, we resumed with distance education online at Toy Blocks. The education model for us shifted from educators and learners being at the same place & at the same time, to different places & the same time.

Children and parents got a break from the hustle and bustle of the pre-pandemic life and got the time to soak up all of their parents’ presence at home. As the boundaries opened up with caution, we transitioned to a virtual program. Regardless of the approach, most schools have adopted blended learning as the model of mainstream education is evolving.

The central solution and concern for imparting education to learners relied upon technology. Our learning philosophy is deeply connected with nature, our belief is in supporting the online learning that allows children to experience the knowledge and sensorial exploration they would experience in a physical school. We upheld this by curating unique hands-on kits that include hands-on activities about all the critical age-relevant aspects of the learning. These included physical, emotional, art, dance, music and movements, science, cognition related activities, languages, numeracy, literacy, and values.

While there existed a lack of open infrastructure, ease of routine where children explore myriad sensory provocations or listen to musical rhymes. Children simply want to learn, and they want to decide what to learn by themselves. We see different children exploring the same stimuli (or activity) in different ways, some might throw a ball and some might kick or roll the ball. Every action and exploration done by a child is their brain’s way of keeping them engaged in an activity they are learning from. Parents and educators are guiding forces that channel the child’s energy towards constructive learning, yet always let the child be in control of his knowledge acquirements.

The virtual program worked on the principles of holistic learning and community involvement. Children began to excitedly looked forward to meeting their favorite educators each morning and stimulate their senses, learn new things, and recalling old ones. They were able to relate concepts with stimuli in a known and comfortable home space which heightened the learning experiences as they shared them with parents and families and educators at the same time.

Certain difficulties and challenges in online education that exist are shorter attention span, boredom and behavior changes, technology problems, lack of hands-on education, limited resources, low physical participation, and greater distraction from the home surroundings.

The early learners’ brains are equivalent to a blank slate. The cessation of learning, especially in the current times, could have detrimental consequences.

Parents initially found it most difficult in keeping children in front of the screen and we believe that children have innate abilities to be adaptable. They take time to adjust to any change. Even for adults, the smallest change becomes a stressor, imagine the plight of the children where their senses are possibly throwing them off guard. They can see and hear the educator through a screen, however, they are in a different space, unable to touch the educators, their confused brain trying to adjust to the situation. Just like in a physical space, it takes reassurance, love, and patience to settle into a blended learning environment. The presence of sensorial material and interesting activities allows them to engage in educational and play tasks that capture their holistic senses to stimulate their brains imparting consistent learning.

The severity of the virus practically forced us to be confined to the safety of our homes, allowing young children to absorb complete parental attention and love. While the developmentally sensitive periods suffered in the sense of social exploration with the outside world, the personal time that families got to bond and develop secure attachment in a manner that changed education practices. There were many challenges in terms of behavior and thoughts for both parents and children, however, there were also benefits to the situation that allowed children to explore and engage in their activities with their parents and families. The pandemic altered the process of education and added new priorities that children needed to be taught, to keep social distancing, to wear a mask, to avoid touching things and touching their face, to wash hands often, and practice coughing/sneezing etiquette. Future studies require the planning and implementation strategy to include innovative instructional techniques. The current requirement of early education relies heavily on open spaces, vast areas, fewer children in each class to maintain social distancing, natural materials to connect with nature, customized and child-driven learning curriculum.

The ‘new normal’, these terms sound dark or have an element of the unknown attached to them. Why don’t we adopt strategies and use these times as opportunities to transform the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ behind the ways of early education?

Children’s curiosity is a springboard for learning. They need consistent relationship building and interaction. Here, we have an opportunity to re-frame the flow of learning between home-learning and educational service centers. While children complicatedly learn at school, their learning continues at home and often has a deeper impact. As outdoor learning resumes in schools we must focus on the personal, social, and emotional development of the children. While assessing the impact of the year on the children, conversing with them about events they have observed and experiences they have had and organically easing their learning.

Through the chaos, school and families are working together to steer towards a new normal. The education systems are transitioning and changing to accomplish the requirements of the pandemic. These include and are not limited to more outside time in open spaces, protection equipment, social distancing, following hygiene rules, increased personalized attention and materials, including the child’s favorite materials and medium of explorations in the curriculum, fewer kids in classrooms, adopting constant hand washing.

Days with children need to be unfolded together with adults. We must remember how all of our important childhood memories are stored in the smell of the wet mud during the rain, the sound of our friends calling us out to play, the taste of weekly dessert with our parents, or the smell of your grandparents’ hair oil. It is the things that we experience that mold us, we must create and cherish them with immense love and care.