What does it take to be an EdTech teacher: Finding the X factor

Finding the X factor in EdTech

EdTechs have been making waves in terms of both business generation and disrupting existing educational models. Yet, the key pillars of the EdTech industry aren't just massive funding and marketing strategies. It's the teachers.

Many fail to understand the X factor that differentiates an educator in the traditional schooling system from an EdTech.

Subject matter proficiency not enough 

Expertise in a subject matter alone is insufficient to make an effective EdTech teacher, said Ganesh S, chief human resources officer of EdTech firm Emeritus, which offers business and professional courses.

Pedagogical, or educational, expertise is indispensable in preparing effective online courses and delivering instruction that maximises student learning outcomes, he said.

Pedagogical expertise refers to a teacher's familiarity with instructional design, teaching strategies and learning theory. It encompasses the ability to use technology to create appealing and compelling learning experiences for students and the capacity to adapt to different learning styles and provide feedback that supports students’ growth and development.

ALSO READ | Allowing married couples at work: Is it a new retention strategy?

In addition, new-age proficiencies such as digital literacy and competence are required.

For instance, Ganesh said, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered learning tools can personalise the learning experience for students by adapting to their unique abilities.

“Teachers who grasp the benefits of these tools can use them to create individualised lesson plans and assessments, leading to better student learning outcomes,” he added.

Customising content 

When New Delhi-based Sonu Gupta migrated from in-person coaching to online mode during the pandemic, he realised the challenge lay in keeping the content updated and engaging.

“The continuous change of skill requirements and the emergence of so many YouTube teachers with amazing editing skills always posed a tough challenge for us who employ traditional methods of teaching,” he said.

University professors also teach live and, increasingly, through videos but are structured and formal as far as content design and delivery are concerned, said Dr Abhinanda Sarkar, Faculty Director at Great Learning, another online educational platform.

They may not always be in sync with the latest skills that the industry requires.

Here, he said, EdTech's flexibility allows its teachers to keep their material constantly industry-relevant.

It took eight months for Gupta to update or rather revamp the syllabus of each online class (10-12). Secondly, he hired a video editor to make the content engaging. Currently, Gupta makes two separate videos of each lesson: One based on his updated syllabus and the other based on traditional methods.

ALSO READ | Pipped to the post: How to approach performance improvement plan and layoffs

Personalised attention 

Though EdTech teachers impart education to a larger audience compared to traditional teachers, they have more access to quantitative data. Edtech teachers say data interpretation can help instructors deliver more personalised feedback in an agile manner.

This aspect has helped Indore-based teacher Dinesh Motiani pay attention to students’ learning behaviour. For instance, he noticed some students spent more time on video sessions for taking chemistry lessons relative to physics, maths and literature.

“In fact, videos on literature were the least watched videos of all. Students were more inclined towards written material for it,” he said, revealing that he ceased making videos on literature and paid more attention to other subjects.

Common sense is not so common 

Teachers usually start a session where they had previously left. However, this can’t be done with EdTech teachers.

“This is because students who use EdTech platforms typically come from varied backgrounds and have varying levels of previous knowledge on the topic,” said Divya Jain, co-founder of Seekho, an AI-powered EdTech platform.

Typically, teachers club background knowledge with content into “common sense.” They suggested that since EdTech teachers are sometimes unaware of their audience, they should always stick to the basics.

For instance, Jain said, even if a student has no prior programming experience, the teacher of a programming course must explain the concepts in a manner that is simple for a beginner to understand.

In a nutshell, even if teachers are explaining rudimentary topics such as “temperature inversion,” they should all start with the “movement of air” and not directly with the “lapse rate.”

ALSO READ | Rs 1 lakh for an MNC job: How 'helpers’ game corporates

Don’t ignore soft skills 

Communication, problem-solving and adaptability, among others, are of course the much-needed soft skills. However, with Generation Z (people born in mid-to-late 1990s) and Generation Alpha (people born after 2010), soft skills are not just about visible interaction.

The reason most EdTech teachers including Faisal Khan or Khan sir, Vikas Divyakirti and Alakh Pandey, among others, find their way to trending Instagram and facebook posts is because they offer life advice to youngsters apart from education.

“Popular teachers usually relate complex and theoretical concepts through movie dialogues, shlokas from the epic Mahabharata and offer advice on life decisions, even on romantic relationships,” said Lucknow-based Atul Tyagi, a 32 years-old teacher.  “This makes students relate to teachers and in turn subjects more than through traditional methods.”