The Changing Role of the Educator in the New Normal

Karen Glaynes O. Lacsina

The author is Master Teacher I at Mauaque Resettlement Elementary School

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic may have brought new challenges to the teaching profession. The education sector is one of the sectors most affected by the crisis because of the lockdowns it caused. As a result, the online learning platform, blended learning and modular distance learning started to operate as the best way to continue one’s education. Like in any other sector, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the education sector and provided a muchneeded motivation for digitization. It has transformed the education system drastically and has brought a paradigm shift in teaching and learning methodologies forcing educational institutions across the globe to re-imagine traditional classroom learning and transition to an online mode of teaching to provide uninterrupted access to education and knowledge. Online learning has been addressed and the growing demand for online platforms is a testimony to this. Without any doubt, education has been the silver lining in this pandemic.

It’s no secret that education systems here and abroad took a heavy beating from the COVID-19 pandemic. And while we often hear of students’ and parents’ struggles with online learning or other learning modalities, teachers have their fair share of challenges as well. From preparation of lesson plans to conducting the classes and the handing out of assignments, teachers have to make sure that the quality of learning remains even with the absence of face-to-face interactions. Preparing lessons during this pandemic is way more challenging than before since the concern is not just limited to making sure that the learning will be transferred to the learners, but also to making sure that this is actually delivered to them.

Though the whole world was unprepared for lockdown, most businesses managed to get business continuity plans in place very quickly. They were able to allow their stakeholders the flexibility to work remotely. However, the same was not valid for a vast majority of educational institutions. Since educational institutions were way behind in adopting technology, having focused more on classroom teaching and never having seriously considered online education as a credible model, they were slightly more unprepared than other sectors. However, due to the incredible resilience and determination, educators were quick to adapt to the new normal. Instructors and educators have had to upskill themselves almost overnight to adjust to the new modes of teaching, ensuring that learning remains accessible to students even in the current circumstances.

With learning shifting from the public space (classrooms) to a more personal area (online), the role of the educator has also evolved. As the demand for personalized learning and online courses continues to snowball, instructors are required to learn (upskill) as much as, or even more than their students to deal with the new demand for future-proof courses. As teaching and learning become more personalized, educators need to come up with innovative teaching methodologies on a caseto-case basis to suit the learner’s requirement.

From preparing a personalized curriculum for courses to being a content creator to mentoring students on real-world projects to ensure that they are job-proof, and upskilling themselves to stay abreast of emerging technology and skills, today’s educators dabble in many things. From being facilitators of learning, educators have also turned to be innovators.

The demand for upskilling platforms will only continue to grow as people have now realized the importance of regular upskilling and acquiring new skill-sets to meet evolving workforce demands and stay relevant.

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The author is Master Teacher I at Bical Elementary School, Division of

Mabalacat City