DepEd Mentors Favor Modular System of Teaching

                      THEY FEAR THE DANGER OF COVID-19

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

M’LANG, Cotabato – Some secondary education public school teachers were in favor of the modular method of teaching in the August 21 opening of classes all over the country because of the danger brings by the deadly Corona Virus Disease -19 Pandemic.
Grade – 8 Social Studies mentor Raffy Santiago of M’lang National High School said he was in favor of the modular approach because a teacher avoids direct contact with the students.
“Mas pabor ako sa modular kasi materials lang ibibigay sa mga bata walang physical (presence),” Santiago said in Tagalog.
Modular Distance Learning is an individualized instruction that allows learners to use self-learning modules (SLM) in print or digital format or electronic copy whichever is applicable in the context of the learner and other learning resources like learner’s materials, textbooks, activity sheets, study guides, and other study materials, according to teacherph.com

Learning Delivery Modalities (Photo Credit:filipinohomeschooler.com)

.Santiago said however that the most effective pedagogy is still the face-to-face system because “ma transfer talaga ang knowledge sa bata,” he stressed.

But Alternative Learning System (ALS) teacher Easter Joy Garcia deferred to the face-to-face as the absolute strategy of mentoring the wards inside the classroom.

As ALS teacher handling students from Grades 1 to 10, she used the modular system despite using the face-to-face.
Was she in favor of the customary system where teacher and students meet inside the classroom?
“For me sir in my own opinion, hindi. Oo hindi kasi kaya din naman naming magturo dati ng modular”.

Garcia said in the modular system teacher gives instruction to the students’ parents for them to assist the mentor on the instructional materials.
She cited that ALS is a once a week whole day mentoring when Covid-19 had not rear its ugly heads in the country early this year.
“Our students range from 16 to 24 years old where those 16 to 20 years old were in the elementary grades while those in the 20 to 24 years old were in the Junior and Senior Grades”.
The grading portfolio of ALS is 50% output and 50% result from each of the wards.
“They have to take the Accreditation and Equivalency test to pass,” she told this newspaper.

Learning Delivery Modalities (Photo Credit:filipinohomeschooler.com)

Face-to-face modality was not scrapped as parents understand it but depends on the risk severity grading or classification of an area as based on the guidelines of the Inter-Agency Task Force( IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department of Health, or Office of the President.
 Department of Education Secretary Leonor Briones said that physical distancing will still be required where combine face-to-face and distance learning are combined by the DepEd.

State and local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs) and private schools that offer primary and secondary education will be allowed by the DepEd to open classes within the days authorized by Republic Act No. 7797. It means first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August.

SUCS, LUCS, and private schools are enjoined to submit their Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) showing alternative delivery modes when face-to-face learning is not allowed.