Teachers have to discuss rather than conduct a monologue, mentor and not just instruct to make classes engaging
Today’s students are able to verify a teacher’s information within seconds, produce an essay in minutes using AI and sit in the classroom and learn how to calculate calculus from a YouTube video. But sometimes the teacher’s job is more vital than ever.
Faculty in schools and colleges talk about the new cultural change. Students are less docile and more restless than previous generations, are less tolerable of lengthy lectures, and are more likely to question authority. It’s actually a reflection of a bigger shift that is being driven by technology, social media, the pandemic times of schooling and the rise of Generation Z.
Traditional Indian classroom was based on hierarchy. Students listened and teachers spoke. Silence, obedience, and distance were all often linked to respect. Today’s students have been raised in a digital world where information comes in real-time, opinions are shared, and online authority is challenged. Engagement doesn’t simply happen with the command.
This does not necessarily reflect a lower regard for teachers in Gen Z. Instead, it is an indication that younger students have a different idea of respect. Respect, for many students today, is associated with authenticity and competence, and with being accessible emotionally. They are more receptive to approachability than rigidity, discussion over monologue and mentorship rather than instruction.
Technology has helped speed up this change. The pandemic changed the dynamics of education forever — pupils got used to independent learning, the use of recorded lessons and digital interactive learning platforms. In cities like Bengaluru, students are spending more time in the classroom, taking part in online tutorials, using artificial intelligence (AI) help, or coaching sessions in one day.
The classroom is no longer the only source of knowledge; teachers are now part of a huge digital world and are in a struggle for attention.
This has grown exponentially with the introduction of AI. According to the survey conducted by the Centre for Teacher Accreditation (CENTA), involving more than 5,000 teachers across India, more than 70% of teachers were already using the AI tools with their students for lesson planning, assessments and engagement; over 50% of the higher education institutions in India have started implementing AI-related policies. The transformation presents opportunities as well as challenges.
Students today are better informed, more aware of the world and more technologically adept. They tend to be more assertive in their views on matters. If it’s directed properly, that curiosity can enhance the learning environment.
However, the digital age has also reduced attention spans. With the constant exposure to short form content, the traditional lecture-based teaching is less effective. Distracted classrooms with smart phones taking the place of the blackboard have become the norm in many schools.
There is also academic dishonesty by students who create assignments using AI and who rely on online summaries for learning.
This shift from a traditional system can be disconcerting for those who have been schooled in traditional systems. People feel a loss of authority. But the solution is not to be found in “enforcing discipline” or romanticising the older models of classroom environments.
Trying to reinstate the unquestionable hierarchy in a generation that has grown up in a digital open space will probably fail.
The teacher’s role in an era when there is a lot of information is not just to impart facts, but to develop judgment. Students can find answers online but need guidance to assess the information they find critically, think ethically and to understand context. AI can come up with answers, but it can’t be a replacement for empathy, mentorship or human encouragement.
Today’s best classrooms are those that have a mix of discipline and conversation. Those teachers, who encourage participation, connect lessons to the here and now and provide opportunities for questions are able to maintain attention more effectively than teachers who rely on authority alone.
It is not about discarding structure, standards. Instead, it’s about acknowledging and understanding that connection and relevance are now the foundation for engagement and respect.
But, the Indian education system still faces this transition. Too often the emphasis on testing, packed classrooms and a stifling of institutional environments make it impossible to have any real interaction. Teachers experience tremendous pressure as they try to balance their administrative duties, performance evaluation and the expectations of parents.
The debate around educational reform can be about the technology infrastructure or about teaching and learning outcomes, with little attention paid to the human relationship that is the essence of learning.
This is a relationship that is more important than ever. Students are in desperate need for mentors as well as teachers in an age of anxiety, digital overload, and social isolation. Preserving the human element in increasingly digital learning environments is not a challenge to be overcome or another “solution” to be applied in Indian education, but a reality.
Generation Z has transformed the classroom — but not necessarily in a bad way. The challenge for teachers is not to regain the unquestioned authority to teach, but to change their approach to teaching in a way that shows a blend of knowledge, empathy, discipline, and dialogue, as well as instruction and mentorship.
By Dr Anuradha PS, Professor, CHRIST (Deemed to be University) and Dr Divyashree, Professor, Alliance University
