Choosing Your Own School Teachers Is Now Possible With Lenovo’s ‘SmarterEd’ Learning Platform

Schools are GREAT places to learn. They lay down the foundation of knowledge and play an indispensable role in shaping our personalities. This is why it is heartbreaking to see such institutions being hindered by lack of infrastructural support, low student-teacher ratios, and financial constraints.

While the student enrollment rate in India has shown a positive trend, there is a distressing shortfall of teachers according to the All India Survey on Higher Education.

This begs the question, can’t the superpowers of the internet be used to create digital classrooms that are SMARTER places to learn? Can’t we connect volunteer educators with children hungry for knowledge?

YES, WE CAN! Unlike in the past where only colleges gave us the option of choosing our preferred subjects, students (Class V-XII) can now pick favourite topics, preferred day/time of study and even their teachers courtesy of Lenovo SmarterEd launched in collaboration with not-for-profit organization eVidyaloka.

Apart from the aforementioned superpowers, the platform brings out its big guns in the form of a unique matching algorithm. Essentially, it assesses the teaching styles of tutors, gauges the learning personality and capacity of pupils, and suggests best matches for a self-paced, tailor-made experience.

Registering students are presented with a set of questions which range from the basic ‘Which board does your school follow?’, ‘Which subjects would you like to learn?’, details of parents (so important) to more inquisitive ones like ‘Do you daydream or hum along while listening to music?’ and ‘Do you tackle difficult topics first?’.

Here is how the magic happens:

Doing away with language barriers.

Decoding a pupil’s point of view on tutors by asking what they love about them.

Paying attention to a student’s learning challenges and working on the most effective solution behind-the-scenes.

Then one-on-one sessions begin with video classes, access to e-books, and chat engines to solve doubts. At a time when traditional classes have been suspended and social distancing norms are likely to stay in place even when they resume, online education platforms not only provide inclusiveness but also bridge the student-teacher gap and cater to the unique learning needs of each child.

It really is up to us to utilize technology and ensure no child gets left behind. Because each and every one of them deserves a chance to connect, learn, and grow. The only question is, when do we want to begin?