School closures due to COVID-19 has brought significant disruptions to education in the entire world. Many countries have decided to close schools, laboratories, colleges and universities temporarily. Philippines is one of the countries affected by this phenomenon that we never quite thought that it would happen. It is widely evident that COVID-19 pandemic leads to dreadful and unequal opportunities for living as well for learning. Emerging evidence from some regions and place across the country indicate that the pandemic is giving an increasing loss in learning and inequality. School is the home where everyone can widen their knowledge and improve skills. We learn basic knowledge at home with the teaching and guidance of our family but in school, we can develop ourselves more than the things that we could imagine do. Discovering new ideas, gaining abilities, exploring beyond the things that surround us, experimentation, elevating self-confidence, raising social works and enjoying life while learning are some factors that school can nurture to us. We cannot deny the fact that school is our second home. Sometimes, there a few people who consider school as their primary home as they felt the happiness, enjoyment and longing for belongingness through their classmates and teachers. Nevertheless, although the pandemic is not over yet and students must stay inside their homes, educational institutions developed new improved ways on how learning can be still handled.
The Philippine’s education system is greatly affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. To continue learning, school opening is not necessarily mean traditional face-to-face learning in the classroom. It is not the accustomed ways of teaching-learning process where the students enter the classroom and the teacher starts discussing the lesson directly and physically. The opening of the class will depend on the risk and situation of the certain community and based on the classification and guidelines from Department of Health and the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF). Due to current situation, there are many learning modalities that DepEd offers. Identifying the right modalities was done through extensive survey to parents/guardians and even in the students. They adopted teaching-learning delivery modalities that may applicable for the students and teachers and these are Online Learning, Modular Distance Learning, Blended Learning, Radio-based Instruction and TV-based Instruction. Let us have a brief discussion about these modalities.
Online Learning, from the name itself, is the learning delivery modality that uses mainly electronic gadgets or devices and internet connection. It takes place over the Internet and often referred to as “e-learning”. It is the modality where the students and teachers connect themselves through the use of mobile phones with downloaded applications, of course internet connection plays the huge role in this modality. Mobile phones, computers and laptops are the major equipment used by many. When it comes on applications, Messenger, Google Meeting, Zoom, Facebook using groups and Google Classroom are several apps that have been used since pandemic started. Students and teachers have their class through video conference, chatting and the like.
Modular Distance Learning features individualized instruction that allows students to use modules. Generally, modules are either self-learning modules or printed modules that permits the learners to acquire knowledge and learning skills at home. They must develop a sense of strong responsibility in accomplishing the tasks provided in the module. Of course, the support and the guidance of parents/guardians and other members of the family are completely significant in this kind of learning modality.
Blended Learning, from the standpoint of DepEd, it is the hybrid learning or the combination of online distant learning and delivery of printed modules through barangay officials. Here in the Philippines, it is like a fusion of online learning and modular distance learning. The discussion is through online platforms (e.g., video conference, google meeting, live discussions, etc.) and the learners are answering their modules at home.
Radio-based Instruction is a program with alternative mode using radio broadcast to deliver learning and enable the learners to acquire knowledge and skills in basic education through broadcast communication.
TV-based Instruction, the students can learn from their own TVs mainly through watching. With DepEd TV, learners can watch educational lessons and informative discussions that will help them to integrate ideas into the real world. In addition, they can also site instructional and scholastic materials in DepEd Commons that serve as the network in promoting quality learning resources in a sustainable manner.
Even though this pandemic hindrance us in studying at schools and universities, the power of learning will never be ceased. However, dealing with the various learning delivery modalities can largely impact the real-life situations of the people especially the stakeholders.
How prepared the parents are?
How ready the students to learn with this sort of learning?
How are teachers cope the challenges in new mode of teaching-learning process?
It is extremely out of answers, right? But, big thanks to education system for the untiring effort they have exerted to make learning possible despite of circumstances. Do you want to know the learning delivery modality we used in school? Here we are.
I am humbly working as a flexible teacher. 2 years ago, I was able to enter in public as a secondary teacher. I handled multiple sections with one subject taught. Teaching with blended learning approach is far from the teaching we had before COVID-19 stroke the nationwide. Yes, you read it right. Blended learning is our way of delivering instructions to the learners. The school where I am currently teaching now is quite big as it holds more than the half of 23 politically subdivided barangays in town. So how does the life of blended learning works? I am discussing based on the experiences I have in dealing with blended learning. To be sure, safety health protocols and social distancing are implemented and practiced. In our school, it has four grade levels with corresponding color coding for envelopes. To easily identify, green for Grade 7, yellow for Grade 8, pink for Grade 9 and blue for Grade 10. I am luckily belonging in green team, the Grade 7. Our school has organized rules and guidelines for module’s distribution and retrieval. Prior to the assigned date of distribution, I personally prepare and fix the needed modules, additional tests from subject teachers and envelopes. With 41 students, I placed the modules inside the envelopes alphabetically one by one.
After packing of modules, the box will be taken to disinfection room, vice versa. They disinfect the box before carrying to the barangay for module distribution. As a teacher assigned in barangay, before, I also go to the place of distribution where I personally give the envelopes to the parents/guardians. This practice also helps me in monitoring the students who are complying. To those who are not, extensive communication is needed. When the modules are well distributed, I will announce the date of online class through Messenger. Yes, I conducted discussions through google meeting. Online learning is not that easy what you expected, I encountered troublesome and different problems. Not all the students have gadgets and internet connection. Some of them are borrowing mobile phones to their siblings, cousins and even in neighborhood. They have no gadgets and enough money for loading to have access. On the other hand, some of my students share one device, automatically disconnects due to poor internet connection, slurred speech, and some are not totally joining because they do not possess anything. Many of the students do not have the privilege to comply in online discussion. Through online, it is not only for discussing the lesson; it is also my way to monitor and to communicate with my students how they have been through in learning as well the impact of the current situation in their lives. Today, after a two-week of answering the modules, retrieval day is approaching with assigned date. During retrieval of modules, parents put the envelopes on the assigned box with the name of adviser. After disinfecting the box, I sort the answer sheets and modules from the envelopes repeatedly until the end. The answer sheets will be given to the subject teachers for checking and evaluation.
It is all the same scenarios until the next date of module distribution and retrieval. It is like a paper cycle. As of now, teachers who assigned in the barangay are not required to go there for safety purposes. Others are in school because of their assigned schedule. Some people might think that teachers are doing nothing. “Akala niyo lang wala! Pero meron! meron! meron!” Aside from modules, there is so much more tasks to do. Teachers are also parents, businessman/woman, officials at home and play as a catalyst of change in society. It is not always what you think that teachers are just merely sitting in school nor indulgent. However, I am extremely grateful for the privilege because I have work that sustains the needs of my family as well helps other people in need, even in smallest thing I could do to help.
As a teacher and learner as well, blended learning is serving as the bridge to fill the gaps between the school and the house. When I am staring trees, gym, canteen, flagpole and empty classrooms, it makes me feel blue. It brings me to the loud noises I am missing to hear, loveable students I want to taking care of, the interactive discussions that surely drive the students’ eagerness to learn, and standing in front of every student where my passion fires at most—teaching as far as I could, as I influence them touching their lives.
This will be a reminder to everyone that learning will never stop!
Ang haba hahahaha.