Flexible Learning amid the Coronavirus Pandemic: Maximizing the Opportunities

Edna P. Calma

The struggles of learners in the new learning delivery modalities in education are real. As learners become more anxious and feel discomfort in these new set-ups in learning, teachers need to provide intervention or remediation. In today’s situation where face-to-face classes are disrupted by the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, flexible learning as an alternative teaching-learning method comes into popularity.

Flexible learning is a customized method of learning that provides freedom on learners’ pace, place, and mode of learning. It gives importance on the learners’ preferences on physical spaces/settings, groupings, schedules, and resources.

Having such flexible arrangements allow teachers and learners to have organic discussions, continuous flow of ideas, and comfortable with the learning paces. In short, it allows learners to become more sensible in their learning and fill their curiosity with options. It is tailored to help learners with varying backgrounds, needs, interests, and abilities, as well as to continue learning in various situations. Such flexibility in learning also makes learning collaborative, engaging, and mindful of their progress in the learning process.

However, flexible learning does not mean unstructured learning. Teachers are still in control of the structure that learners need to follow as they still the learning managers.

What are the things that teachers need to keep in mind for flexible learning to be successfully in-placed?

1.Lesson plan/matrix for various learning modalities and types of learners 2.Contextualized/differentiated learning resources

3.Flexible schedules

4.Flexible groupings

5.Flexible sitting arrangements

6.Flexible learning modalities

7.Variety of options in learning tasks/activities

8.Consensual teacher-learner relationship

9.Alternative assessments

10.Sound learning feedback

There is no single formula to educational success at this moment. The goal of education is just for reintegration and make learners abreast with their future by not being too anxious and depressed on what is happening today. Education can be a great escape for learners to be busy, active, and mindful again.

W ith the present situation in education, being with the learners and guiding them along the process is more important than anything. Besides, they are the real actors of education; they need to feel in-control to some extent of their own pace of learning, thus, developing further among them independency and sense of responsibility. Learners nowadays are multi-faceted, diverse, and dynamic; hence, the method of education needs to be responsive and adaptive to such nature.

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The author is Master Teacher I at San Pablo 2nd NHS