Teachers during lockdown took the initiative to conduct reading and numeracy assessments at students' homes. Teachers went out of their way to visit students at home who were performing poorly. Teachers also learn about their students' lifestyles and economic situations. Each school and teacher has its own system for distributing modules to students. Each school district design and structure its module distribution and student work collection.
According to Leonel Itoc, Principal of Libertad Elementary School, every Monday, parents receive their children's modules at school. Teachers also prepared ahead of time by putting the modules in a plastic envelope. Teachers also provided students with a reading program and a numeracy test. Feedback and assessments of learner performances were provided immediately in order to inform parents and home learning facilitators about their child's performance. They also have a focal point person assigned to each site to coordinate the delivery of the modules. They also recognized each focal person's efforts in the implementation of this modular distance learning by providing them with a certificate as a token of appreciation.
According to Lilibeth Pogoy Colaba, principal of Don Felipe Elementary school, their home visits to students with low performance are scheduled every Wednesday. Then, on Mondays, modules are distributed while the previous week's modules are retrieved. Monday is module distribution day. On Tuesday, while the teachers were printing, they double-checked the modules. Home visitation on Wednesdays, scores were recorded on Thursday while printing was taking place. On Friday, modules were packed and disinfected before being placed in plastic envelopes. They also have focal points for each site that can be reached for announcements and information dissemination. Because there is no internet service provider at many schools, important messages are often relayed to parents who have cellphones with a reliable signal.
(The following interview was conducted with Emanuel Yunting, the school head of Libertad Annex High School).
Q. Can you describe your module distribution process and schedule?
A. Teachers will be the ones to deliver the module to far barangays and sitios on a weekly basis, with all lessons covered for all subjects covered in one week and to be answered by the learners with the help of their parents/guardians as facilitators. However, in some cases, parents will be the ones to obtain the module so that they can ask difficult questions of the teachers, which can then be passed on to their children. Given the difficult situation caused by the threat of COVID 19, the schedule for dropping off modules will be agreed upon by both teachers and parents. In our case, the teachers will retrieve the module and distribute the next module to answer.
Q. And when do you collect and grade student work?
A. The pick-up of students' works is subject to agreement by both parents and teachers; however, if the learners have not completed the work, the teacher must understand and provide adequate time to complete the work.
Q. Is it common for teachers to pay visits to their families' homes?
A. It is our responsibility to visit students and assess their situation, particularly if they have failed to return modules or have returned modules with no answers. The teacher must determine why this occurs.
Q. How do you improve the learning experience with no classroom available only module.
A. It is very difficult for both teachers and learners because there is no classroom or face to face communication between students & teachers so at this point automatic reactions after the lesson is missing. If students have questions regarding difficult topics it is done through messenger or other means of communication but only for those who have technology like internet connection can avail, others, in rural areas poor families cannot afford to provide basic technology for their students, so therefore their is a wide communication gap problem between students and teachers.
Q. Are the students able to acquire knowledge similarly to how they would in a classroom?
A. By using module program today's students learn less because the module program is not as effective as opposed to face-to-face, where students can have participation in classroom by asking questions directly to teachers or class grouping reaction. But pandemic change the course of our teaching process.
Q. How are families and children faring during these tough times?
A. It's extremely difficult for the families who have their students to support, and it becomes increasingly difficult to support them because many parents are out of work due to the pandemic.
Q. Do these families have access to food and the ability to work?
A. Other parents have lost their jobs and, as a result, are unable to provide their children with three meals a day, which is why they force their children to work for them rather than allow their students to continue their studies.
In these troubling times, it is of utmost importance for principals and teachers to keep motivating their students to learn and for principals, teachers, and students to maintain a positive attitude and outlook.
CMA 11/17/2021
(Teacher paying her student a visit at their home).