by MARIA MICHELLE G. FRANCISCO

This new normal stage of education system truly marks the so-called self- learning engagement era. This is because of the temporary restrictions of face to face instruction and physical attendance to school settings and more priorities on home-based and distance learning systems, exposing the all learners in the need and challenge to rely more on their independent learning abilities, skills, habits and practices. It is evident that the different learning delivery modalities and alternative learning methods endorsed and mandated by the education department are designed to provide learners with sustainable self-learning experiences in this new normal.

However, it does not mean that because of the self-learning nature of this new normal period of education at present, learners would not be needing the pedagogical and instructional support systems and services of their teachers. Even amidst the new normal, teachers could still foster sustainable educational support to their learners especially with the help of technological platforms and other alternative means of instructional provision, guidance and mentoring to the learners. Teachers may still guide and monitor the learners in understanding modular instructions, contents and inputs with the aid of on-line platforms for students with access to technologies at their homes, while for learners with no ICTs at home for on-line communication, teachers have the noble initiative to do home visitation to monitor their learners. However, at the course of this home visitation, teachers and household members need to consider and observe strict health and safety protocols and measures.

Moreover, it is also evident that modular learning is the most widely used alternative learning modality. Thus, this is the LDM that exposes learners to more independent learning tasks and activities unlike on-line and blended modalities. Learners are faced with the serious and huge challenge of accomplishing modular learning tasks by themselves or by their independent learning abilities. But it is also a reality that the level of independent learning abilities of learners highly differs from one another. Thus, teachers’ initiatives to guide and monitor their students’ modular learning engagement, activities, performance, comprehension and outputs should still be sustained and fostered even during this crisis.