As epidemic prevention and control continues to improve in China, schools across the country have carried out a series of disinfection measures to prepare for students' return to the offline classroom. However, while some schools may soon see students walking through the gates to attend classes in person, others are only receiving teachers.
One such school is in Xiangyang City, central China's Hubei Province. As the province, which was once the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in China, has yet to resume classes, teachers at the NO.4 High School of Xiang Yang have returned to the classroom alone to provide upgraded distance learning with the aid of smart boards and other interactive technology.
A teacher delivers a virtual class in an empty classroom. /Xinhua News
Zhou Chengcheng, a teacher at the high school, told Xinhua that the facilities at school were more advanced and that they apply a bunch of multimedia functions, including more comprehensive support.
Zhou Chengcheng works out a mathematical formula while speaking in his virtual class. /Xinhua News
The functions are not limited to writing, drawing and analyzing, which are all essential to geography as well as pure sciences teaching.
A complete set of multimedia facilities are applied for online tutoring in classrooms. /Xinhua News
He believes the teachers can feel more involved, and thus, deliver better performances when standing in front of a lectern and using the chalkboard, compared to facing a laptop or a pile of books at home. Zhou, for example, pushed himself to put maximum effort into teaching his "vanished class."
Zhou said he was motivated to put in his best effort. /Xinhua News
Such updated behavior is, of course, under the premise of strict epidemic prevention measures are being taken on the school campus.
In late January, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission requested that local schools prepare management programs and classes in a scientific method. The commission also recorded a batch of high-quality tutoring resources for schools to broadcast at a later date as the coronavirus outbreak was at its peak all around China at that time.
Compared to video broadcast classes, online classes are said to demand more focus and control from students. Meanwhile, live broadcast classes provide are believed to offer more opportunities for teachers and students to communicate in a timely manner. Questions, doubts and discussions can be made explicit in real time, which contributes to an overall high participation that, in turn, motivates the teachers.
Although the classroom appears empty, class is still in full swing as the teachers make real-time connections with their students as they teach their subject matter.
Students send their greetings from home while the teacher is alone in the classroom. /Screenshot via Xinhua News
When Zhou gets online to teach, a series of "hello Sir" would pop up one after one, which makes him feel good.
A teacher disinfects a computer screen before starting virtual classes. /Xinhua News
Some offline classes have begun for 12th-grade students in some cities across China, as well as plans to stagger class resumption for other grades soon. As schools resume classes in the schoolroom, teachers have shared concerns over students' mental health after weeks of online classes.
However, although COVID-19 cases peter out and the outbreak seems to be stabilizing in China, schools are taking every precaution. Strict measures are in place to prevent cluster infections and other potential infections, including temperature checks, social distancing in the classroom and lines, and health declaration forms verifying good health.