Reflection in FLEXIBLE LEARNING FRAMEWORK

The threat and spread of COVID-19 have forced almost all the governments around the world to implement various forms of quarantines in their countries. As a result, it affected the operations of relevant sectors in the society, most especially the Academic Community. The Educational Sector formulated policies and programs to establish and execute distance learning modalities based on the needs and contexts of their respective learners. Distance Learning modality can be in the form of Television, Radio, Modular, and/or Online Distance Learning. In certain cases, academic communities would prefer to mix some of the aforementioned learning modalities in order to address the current situation of the students. This kind of learning modality is called Blended Learning. In the case of the Philippines, Blended Learning is very applicable to the context of the Filipino Learners.

Given the fact that not all students do not have the access to Internet and cannot afford to buy gadgets that they need for Online Distance Learning, the Educational sector in the Philippines, most especially the public sector in the basic education, opted to adopt and implement a Blended Learning approach. The Department of Education permitted each city/municipality to employ the necessary Distance Learning Modality based on the needs and context of their learners. For instance, in the far-flung places of the provinces, public schools developed a full implementation of Modular Distance Learning, since the areas of their students could not be reached by any internet signal. Teachers would deliver the learning modules of their students. Upon receiving the learning modules, the students are expected to read and understand its content and answer the included activities that they are mandated to accomplish within a period set by their schools.

On the other hand, there are some schools in the Metro Manila that both applied Online Distance Learning and Modular Distance Learning in their localities. Teachers would use some methods of Online Distance Learning for students who could afford to join Online Classes while also not neglecting the needs of those who could not join online learning sessions. Public schools would provide the learning modules and activity sheets that students would study and answer. The teachers would act as the guides and assessors of the students who selected the Modular Distance Learning modality.

This kind of learning approaches fit to the idea of FLEXIBLE LEARNING FRAMEWORK. In the Independent Report of UNESCO entitled “Thinking about Pedagogy in an Unfolding Pandemic,” the authors emphasized the relevance of the collaborative efforts and actions of a community in order to address the challenges and problems that our teachers and learners might encounter throughout the implementation of various distance learning approaches. In the said report, UNESCO believed that flexibility is the key in planning and implementing distance learning. This is the very idea of Flexible Learning Framework. The learning approach for our students in this kind of situation must be very flexible to their needs and situation. The prevalence of several distractions has become more penetrating into the mindset of the students due to their current situations in their homes. Hence, educators must learn to understand the contexts of their students, generate strategies appropriate for their students, and most especially extend compassion and care for their students. This is the main rationale behind Flexible Learning Framework.

In an Annotated Resources for online learning prepared by the representatives of Global Education Innovation Initiative of Harvard University, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, The World Bank, and HundrED entitled, “Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” the authors provided the educational sectors of all the countries with a list of helpful online learning resources that teachers and students could utilize as they would continue their journey throughout the distance learning. These online learning resources would definitely benefit every student and educator as long as they have the access to internet and necessary gadgets open and navigate the said resources.

The purpose of the Flexible Learning Framework is to provide quality education despite the disruption of tradition way of learning. Academic communities must adapt a flexible learning framework where students would have options to choose appropriate learning modalities based on their contexts and needs. It is the responsibility of everyone to ensure that students will still engage in a meaningful and enlightening experiences that would not just inform them but provide them with changes in perspective to initiate social transformation.

This unexpected phenomenon is a great opportunity for the educational sector to prove to the learners its relevance in the society. As an institution of learning that provides enlightening moments for the next generation of leaders, it is our duty to generate hope by creating avenue for learning and addressing their holistic needs as a human being.

References:

Doucet, A., Dr.,Netolicky, D., Timmers, K., Tuscano, F. J. (2020. Thinking about Pedagogy in an Unfolding Pandemic. Education International and UNESCO. https://teachertaskforce.org/knowledge-hub/thinking-about-pedagogy-unfolding-pandemic

Reimers,F., Andreas, S., Saavedra,J., Tuominen, S. (2020). Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Global Education Innovation Initiative, OECD, World Bank Group, hundrED. http://www.oecd.org/education/Supporting-the-continuation-of-teaching-and-learning-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic.pdf