Virtual classrooms and augmented reality are adding a new sheen to weekly catechism classes in the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church with an enterprising Sunday school teacher from Kothamangalam taking the initiative to deploy new technology as COVID-19 continues to prevent normal classroom learning.
Augmented reality has pepped up the classes, says Elby Varghese, a regular Sunday catechism teacher at St. Mary’s Church near Kuruppampady. He said that he took classes from his home, where he has prepared a temporary studio and mostly taught students in Classes I and II leveraging augmented reality to liven up the lessons.
As a trade instructor at the Mar Athanasius Engineering College, Kothamanagalam, technology trends is his cup of tea.
The classes open at 11 a.m. on Sundays and the number of students attending the classes has swelled to about 3,000 now, he said. The response had been positive as seen from the increasing number of students at the classes, he said.
Online classes are held for students from Class I to XII and Jacobite Church sources said that this was the first time that the Sunday catechism classes changed so drastically in about 100 years.
The Jacobite Church has 750 Sunday schools across the globe and all of the students attend the online classes. There are around 10,000 catechism teachers and more than 1 lakh students attending these classes on Sundays.
Even Sunday, Masses are a largely restricted affair with COVID-19 restrictions continuing in several places and church leaders advising caution on large gatherings.
Catechism classes, traditionally held after the Sunday Mass, are used to explain the basic tenets of Christianity. They introduce children in the school-going age to the basics of Christian teachings, and explain the sacraments that are the pillars of the faith.
