Thematic findings revealed that these teachers face significant challenges with regard to the transfer of learning quality, the distribution and retrieval of modules, the difficulty of students in understanding what is being taught, power outages, internet connectivity, and health risks brought on by the pandemic. It is crucial for teachers to pay attention to their pupils’ worries and to show empathy and understanding. Give your kids the chance to speak with you one-on-one to rekindle their relationship and address any issues that may have come up while their school was closed. The country’s educational system has adopted distance learning as the new norm. DepEd (2020) developed the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) for the academic year 2020–2021 without compromising the standard of instruction. This offers instructional strategies that teachers can use in the midst of the pandemic. DepEd created the Basic Education-Learning Continuity Plan considering the new normal. The goal of this plan is to guarantee the security of the faculty, staff, and pupils. It also aims to provide high-quality distance education through the use of self-study modules. These are accessible through web portals, radio, television, and digital formats.
The two main issues that pose the most challenges to New Normal education are Internet connectivity and the need to modify curricula and instructional materials for usage in a blended learning setting. Compared to teachers in face-to-face classrooms, teachers in all-remote contexts reported increased student absenteeism and worse student work completion. Additionally, compared to their colleagues who were teaching in-person, these online teachers claimed that they required more support and direction when developing lesson plans. The pandemic has also brought about a completely new set of mental distractions. Instead of concentrating on their online schoolwork, students may be obsessing over what they don’t get to do, worrying about themselves or their loved ones, or experiencing fear about the future.
By: Lani O. Ching, Teacher I, OUR LADY OF LOURDES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
