Lontani ma Vicini |  Rubrica a cura dei ragazzi dell’Istituto Sant’Apollinare durante il periodo del coronavirus

Saraceno Ludovica
Scuola Media

If Muhammad does not go to the mountain, the mountain goes to Muhammad

In these days of immense confusion, difficulties and uncertainties, with suspended activities and closed schools, we have come to the solution of starting video lessons, or distance lessons, so as not to make us lose valuable students, learning days, and part of the academic program. Here, in these days, pupils and teachers are asking themselves the following question: is it better the traditional school or the school / distance learning?

Limited to my opinion, I think traditional school is better. There, in your class, you can concentrate better, if you have a doubt, you can just raise your hand to cover any uncertainty, and the professor’s attention is constantly focused on you. You don’t waste unnecessary time between one lesson and another, and there are no noises that disturb the lesson that is taking place (almost always …).
The added value of traditional teaching is, in fact, the transfer of love for culture, thanks to the ability of some professors who emotionally involve students and get them be passionate about a certain topic. For me, teaching does not translate into the bare and raw transmission of the notion: the physical contact and closeness of the professor manage to convey the unsaid, that is, the set of emotions, of mimicry, sights, that turns a light on and makes you be part of you are living .

On the other hand, in the remote school we find other comforts such as the comfort of staying at home. On the other hand, in a video call, distraction is easier to reach.

Having said that, the video lessons certainly offer a wider panorama concerning comfort, but they also have many technical limits. If the microphones of all the pupils are turned on, it is impossible to understand what the teacher is saying. In addition, there could be connection or network problems.

From this experience, I am realising the limit of virtual relationships with all of its issues such as no text, video voice, video call and low connection. Nothing can ever replace real relationships. I miss those ones.