Blended learning stays, says Briones
The blended learning modality will continue even long after the coronavirus disease pandemic tides over.
“There is no choice, actually. Blended learning will continue whether there is a
pandemic or not,” Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones said in an interview with Daily Tribune’s “Straight Talk.”
“When there’s no more pandemic, then the face-to-face (classes) will be reintegrated back to blended learning. Blended learning has always been there, except that our focus has been on face-to-face. This time, there is no face-to-face that’s why our attention has shifted to outside of classroom approaches,” she added.
Briones then expressed confidence that the government will soon win the war against the dreaded viral disease and the education sector will be among those reaping the most benefits with “all the ingredients of effective education and effective teaching” ready to be “put in a blender” to be served to the students.
When there’s no more pandemic, then the face-to-face classes will be reintegrated back to blended learning.
Following the Duterte administration’s rollout of its mass vaccination program against Covid-19 earlier this week, the DepEd chief conveyed hopes the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and local government units with jurisdiction over pilot test areas her agency has pinpointed to finally give the green light for the resumption of in-classroom learning.
Doing such would also help the students’ psychosocial development as the curriculum will not just center on harboring their intelligence but their emotional quotient (EQ) as well.
Briones pointed out that the prolonged “vacation” and lack of interaction with other people other than those in their same household have somewhat altered the students’ behavior.
The shift to online learning after being in a long hiatus from face-to-face classes only to be halted again for school breaks and official holidays also resulted in a steeper learning curve as students oftentimes lose their momentum.
“That takes a great deal of adjustments on the part of the child and on the part of the teachers,” noted the official.
“We have noticed, and even during our time, and that was very long ago, if you have a two-week Christmas vacation, you kind of feel lazy to go back. What happened is that you had the children six months of no classes, two weeks of semestral break, and then two weeks of Christmas vacation. And each time they go off and rest on their holidays then they have to transition again,” she further explained.
“It’s like setting a machine into motion — setting it moving, making it move again after stopping it for six months and then two weeks you stop, and then another two weeks you stop and then the Holy Week coming you have to stop. So, we will have to be regaining that momentum all the time,” she said.
For now, however, Briones said the DepEd will have to keep on coming up with “creative ways to reach the learners” to ensure no child is academically left behind at this time of a crisis.