The role of teachers in the new normal

THE Covid-19 crisis has affected the educa tional system in the Philippines. It has dis tressed the learners, teachers, non-teaching staff as well as the families of learners. School activities in the end part of the school year 2019 to 2020 like seminars and pieces of training, closing programs, recognition ceremonies, moving up and graduation ceremonies were also canceled.

As was announced by the Department of Education (DepEd), enrollment will be on June 1 to 30 and classes will start on August 24, 2020, but not necessarily face to face contact with schools. It is believed that Covid-19 crisis has brought immense change and adjustments to education.

Schools and universities are encouraged to use online learning platforms. Online learning has been pushed as a solution to address the challenge of continuous learning amidst school closure in the time of the pandemic. Other public and private schools and universities had successfully used online learning while many are still struggling to acquire internet access. There are different situations and conditions in different places that’s why DepEd is offering several alternative modes of learning because there’s no such only one solution that is suitable to all the situations and conditions of different places.

Teachers are specialists in instruction and front liners in education. They know what their students need to make progress. They know better what strategies or approaches they can employ in reaching out to the learners. They have to look for other learning alternatives to cater to the learners in the countrysides and others who do not have access to online learning.

In the new normal, teachers need adjustments and should transform how they teach, from a traditional way to online teaching. They must be open to and embrace change. Schools need to help train teachers on how to teach online. It is also necessary to introduce other alternative delivery of teaching to teachers so they can cater to the learners who are for online access. With this, teachers can curate the best online and offline learning resources suited to their topics and can fashion learning menus that can make learning remarkable. Teachers must also project effective synchronous and asynchronous learning activities that will qualify sustained engagement and self-motivation in learners.

Moreover, any form of assessment should be reviewed by the schools. They should sincerely think about the purposes and main concerns in scheming assessments or grading students. To continue sustaining and boosting student learning, continuous feedback on their learning every after assessment can help them direct their weaknesses and reflect on their strengths and find ways to improve and develop further. The teacher’s feedback will confirm if learning takes place.

There’s a tendency that students will get exposed more often to the internet in the new normal. Teachers should consider learner’s security, privacy and digital well-being for successful learning. Personal information of the learners should be protected as well as the school’s integrity and independence.

Despite technological advancement, there are still struggles and inadequacies in the classroom. However, these should not discourage every teacher from using technology, instead, it should challenge them to become vigilant in securing the significance of digital learning. Every teacher should try and have an attempt to pursue it. The absence of an internet connection in the countryside is another challenge for the teachers. How to reach out to learners in the far-flung places with no access to online learning would test the initiative, resourcefulness and patience of teachers. Surely, teachers know how they can go about their tasks. As discoverers, they can choose and decide on the appropriate learning delivery methods to use in their teaching.

The new normal is hollering the teachers to develop important skills that can help them adjust, adapt and thrive in times of such crisis. The skills of empathy and confidence, strong communication skills, having the desire to learn and a global mindset are needed during the pandemic. On the other hand, it is also necessary for teachers to be flexible in the modern digital age.

Every child has the right to education. Education is not only a right but a gateway to human development that opens to opportunities and chances. The teachers, as coaches of learning, their role is to break down the barriers that hurdle students from accessing quality education. The new normal pushes every teacher to provide several trails to learning that can serve every learner.