How Smart Classrooms Are Changing the Way Children Learn in Schools Today

What Is a Smart Classroom?

A smart classroom simply refers to a normal classroom that has been enhanced by technologies to create a more interesting and playful environment for students to learn. Imagine large display screens, projectors, smart boards, tablets, audiovisual aids, and more. It moves learning from a one-way communication system where only the teacher talks to students, to actually seeing, hearing, and even physically interacting with the lesson.

Take a history lesson on the Mughal Empire. On a single screen, we can have animated maps, historical timelines, and videos of monuments all interacting with the learning content. Schools that spend on smart classrooms are doing their students an immense service. Learning becomes an enjoyable experience and not just a lecture.

Learning Becomes Visual and Fun

The kids today are exposed to the world of smartphones, television, and computers. You may imagine how that will be; the children go into the classroom with no other way of understanding topics than having a blackboard. Smart Classrooms fill up that gap. Learning is not just words; it turns out to be visual. A subject of science about the pumping of the heart, instead of having the children look through rows of texts, the children can view a 3-D animated heart in 3-D and actually look at the heart pumping blood with every pump. Previously, this could not be comprehended, and now it seems very simple.

Students retain 80-90% of what they do and what they see, while students retain only 10-20% of what they read. According to a study, Smart Classrooms are equipped with interactive tools that are able to incorporate audiovisuals, animations, and quizzes to further help students learn. They will be learning instead of forcing information down their throats.

Teachers Get Better Tools Too

Smart classrooms in schools are not just an advantage for students, but for teachers as well. Instead of spending hours drawing figures or writing notes on the blackboard, teachers can access a pre-prepared digital presentation that contains far more accurate figures and more interesting graphics. They may pause the video presentation to explain a difficult concept, zoom in on a figure, or simply bring out a short online quiz to see whether the students have grasped what was being taught.

With a more effective use of time (teachers have more time to spend teaching and less on preparing boring, routine tasks), students will inevitably perform better. Computer learning in schools isn't a replacement for the teacher; it is the provision of better tools to the teacher.

Every Child Learns at Their Own Pace

This one-size-fits-all nature of traditional classrooms becomes one of the biggest struggles in a classroom, given the fact that every child is different from the other – some learn very fast, whereas some need time to grasp. A classroom that is powered by intelligence, however, provides students with individual learning experiences.

In the case of digital lessons, students can rewind or pause them whenever they want. A student who fails to grasp a concept during the first watch can replay it – this might happen during the session or by the student at their own will and device. Conversely, students who can quickly grasp the lessons can proceed with additional information, activities, and challenging tasks. Here, nobody is held up, and nobody gets bored.

Making Schools in Smaller Cities Future-Ready

Good technology in education had previously been concentrated mainly in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. However, this is quickly changing, and the standard of digital learning offered in CBSE schools situated in a non-metropolitan city like Dhampur, with digital classrooms, can rival any of the digital learning provided in major metros. This is huge for smaller towns and their children. These students can now receive the benefits of state-of-the-art learning without leaving their hometowns.

Students of Dhampur and the adjoining regions can now rest assured that they are not left behind in any way. Good digital learning in schools is being deployed all over the country, and one can see the results in the increased curiosity, confidence, and level of engagement of the students.

Building Skills for the Future

Let's face it, children are going to grow up in a world dominated by technology, a digital world. From conducting business online to working remotely to participating in virtual meetings and utilizing artificial intelligence systems, the digital experience will permeate their future. Smart classrooms allow students to gain an early proficiency in technology. The skill set gained by students in a smart classroom (like finding data, developing critical thinking abilities, and problem-solving using technology) cannot be taught by a book alone.

What Parents Should Look For

If you are a parent searching for schools for your kid, here is a little advice. Prefer those schools that consider Smart Classes as a regular teaching tool, and not just a once-a-week affair. Are the teachers well-versed in using the smart tools? Does the school provide digital content on topics of science, maths, and social science? Above all, does your kid come home enthusiastic about what he learned, because the eagerness to learn is the key to every success.

A Small Story to Imagine

Imagine this. A sixth grader named Aarav comes back from school. His mom asks, "What did you learn today?" Instead of shrugging and answering "nothing", Aarav runs to his bag, pulls out his tablet, and says, "Mama, look – today we learned how plants make food for themselves! Just see!" He shows her an animation that his teacher played in class. His mom watches and smiles, and even she feels like she has learned something. That's the brilliance of smart classrooms; learning is not confined to school, it follows children back to their homes and instills conversations and curiosity.