The covid19 pandemic disrupted the education sector as most of the countries had to shut down learning institutions. Consequently, the majority of the schools shifted to online learning as a substitute for traditional classroom learning. Although online learning helped students to continue with their studies, it was not as effective as classroom learning. It was a new thing to many students, and they had to try to adapt to it. Furthermore, a distinction exists between online and classroom learning based on how they are mediated through the senses, which makes one effective than the other. Based on the George Simmel model, I think classroom learning is mediated through the hearing and visual sensory while online learning is based on hearing sensory.
In a classroom set-up, both students and teachers are in a physical interaction, making it possible to utilize the most common sensory organs based on George Simmel's ideology- ears and eyes. Simmel claims that people's senses lead them to develop an emotive and sensory response, thus making interaction effective (Beer, 2017). Based on my understanding, the students apply their eyes by maintaining eye contact with their students. As a result, a connection is developed between the students and the tutors, facilitating a better understanding of what the teacher will communicate and deliver. Additionally, the tutor's message is understood through the ears, making the classroom learning more effective. Since the eye connection tends to command attention, the students’ ears tend to be more alert in face-to-face learning than online studies.
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On the other hand, the knowledge from online learning is primarily mediated through hearing. Eye connection is limited in online learning because students and teachers are in different locations; therefore, they may be distracted by other things and opt to listen without paying much attention, like looking at the person talking. Listening allows a person to perceive what he/she desires to understand from another person. As a result, students can understand and grasp knowledge from online classes. However, Simmel claims that hearing is temporally and limited to the moment (Simmel, 2020). This claim by Simmel may explain the reasons why traditional classroom learning is more effective than online studies.
References
Beer, D. (2017). The sensory thresholds of modernity. Some reflections on George Simmel's 'Sociology of the Senses.'
Simmel, G. (2020). Georg Simmel: Essays on Art and Aesthetics . University of Chicago Press.
