Before COVID-19 restricted our movement, virtual learning was already gaining popularity. We realized the value and convenience of learning from our comfortable places. But, the pandemic rendered online learning the only possible option to continue classroom learning. Virtual learning picked an unseen pace. 

Even though classroom learning has resumed, we are not able to imagine it like it was before the pandemic. Most of us have become used to virtual learning. 

There are many aspects of learning that online learning inherently lacks. Only classroom experience can deliver them. For these reasons, we think online learning is not yet able to completely replace the classroom experience. 

• Missing the Fun. During free time (other than breaks), having fun with our classmates is an essential part of our classrooms. During virtual sessions, even if we want, we can not have that fun time with our friends. In a class, you can join in with the whole class, several of you shouting at the same time. In the virtual mode, you have to wait for the other person’s response. It becomes pretty formal.
   

• Power of Discussion. Although virtual classrooms can accommodate students from the world over, discussions in the classroom can not be replaced with virtual ones. We can observe body language, facial expressions, and passion more accurately in a classroom setting than in a virtual one. The intensity and energy are not as contagious in virtual discussions as in classroom ones. 
   

• Sense of Belonging Absent. When we are surrounded by peers, what we say, believe, and the way we behave is influenced by how our classmates will perceive it. We try to be a part of our tribe. In a virtual environment, this sense of belonging is absent for a large part. In classrooms, our engagement is deeper, and in addition to grades and extra-curricular activities, our personal relationships with our classmates also define our standing.
   

• Student Teacher Interaction is Limited. In classrooms, our teachers are quick to notice when we are distracted, not interested, or need help. In virtual sessions, an instructor often finds it difficult to assess what help students needs. For elementary-level classes, it can be quite difficult because students are often not able to express their questions.
   

• Limited Interaction Among Students. During an online class, your interactions are limited in time and with a limited number of peers.
   

• Participation goes beyond the classroom. Participation in regular classrooms has many dimensions. In a virtual setting, activities are limited in time and space. If you explored an idea in the classroom, you may discuss these ideas during casual conversations. Virtual interactions are limited and do not allow us the same convenience as the classroom environment.
  We pick up ideas from our peers, debate them, sometimes correct them, and even go to great lengths to defend our positions, without any prompt from instructors. We learn to co-exist.
   

• Develops Skills. In classrooms, we learn to disagree, reconcile our differences, appreciate and encourage others, and many more things. We learn to perceive others’ emotions and shape our own emotional responses. In a virtual classroom, achieving such results would require a lot of effort. In regular classrooms, we learn it as a part of daily activities.