How alternative learning methods during pandemic reshape the future of Filipino education.

In one of Education Sec. Leonor Briones’s interviews, she pointed out
how old our country’s education system is. From its introduction in the 1940s,
it has basically remained unchanged until the recent introduction of the K-12
curriculum. 

The current COVID-19 pandemic disrupted our healthcare, economy, and our
education systems. Now we begin to question what needs to be changed in the way
we do things, especially for our more than 80-year old education system in
order for us to move forward.  Aside from restoring normal school
operations, we are now also looking at how we can resolve age-old concerns such
as improving the quality of and widening the access to education.

According to Bridget Long, dean of the Harvard Graduate School of
Education, among the lessons learned by educators during the pandemic is that
the one-size-fits-all approach to
education does not work anymore. We finally recognize the reality that student needs vary because of
the pandemic and it opened us to consider novel teaching and learning methods
that may be more beneficial to both educators and students even beyond the
pandemic. 

Here are some of the emerging teaching or learning methods that experts
believe would transform education even after the pandemic:

Focused learning 

The K-12 curriculum introduced a more focused approach to learning
through its academic tracks. Students can choose their electives
that will make them especially equipped to pursue a certain discipline or
field. 

With the pandemic, educators and learning experts had the chance to
reevaluate what our priorities should be in educating our young and to take a
step further in making the education system more focused by decluttering the
curriculum. With a more focused curriculum, learners can dedicate their time
and resources to knowledge and skills that they believe would be more
worthwhile for them. 

Focused learning takes into account the reality that students face other
concerns during the pandemic. They have less time and even fewer resources to
engage in extensive academic activities. By limiting the subjects they take to
those essential to their chosen academic or career track, learners and
educators can better manage the limited resources available to them. 

Through focused learning, learners, educators, and industries can easily
match knowledge and skills with the existing needs of the market. Those who wish
to pursue entrepreneurship or employment after senior high school may do so
with the assumption that they already gained the necessary knowledge and skills
to engage in a specific discipline or trade.

As we look into a more fast-paced future with priority on managing
resources that gets more scarce by the day, having a more straightforward
education seems more responsive to the reality of our learners.

Individualized Learning

Individualized learning may be considered as a combined application of
several principles including adaptive and focused learning. It is a method of teaching in which the method of teaching, the technology employed, content, and pace of learning are all determined based on
the capacity of each learner. 

In countries like the United States and Canada, schools are implementing
the individualized learning model as a solution to the growing class sizes and
fewer resources to support education.

In the Philippines, individualized learning is seen as an effective way
to address the challenges faced by learners, educators, and parents during the
pandemic. iACADEMY, known as one of the most progressive and innovative schools
in the country, wants to mainstream individualized learning in Senior High
School through its Home School Program called DRIVE or Design for Remote,
Individualized Versatile Education program.

According to iACADEMY President and CEO Vanessa Tanco, DRIVE combines
principles of individualized learning with the strengths of the K-12
curriculum. As DRIVE is completely asynchronous, learners do not have to worry
about the usual concerns of commutes to school, unguided learning, and heavy-loaded academic activities and requirements. 

“Being primarily learner-controlled, DRIVE allows for more flexibility
in the pace of instruction and measurement of learning proficiency for
learners. However, students under the program may still reach out to their
subject teachers and success coaches for guidance and for mentoring,” she said.

Tech-supported and adaptive learning

Technology is already being used in support of traditional education
methods. Most teachers rely on tech for their research and to make their
classes much more engaging. However, tech has much more to offer in improving
education. With the wide applications of big data, user experience, and
artificial intelligence, students and teachers can benefit more with the full
integration of tech into teaching and learning.

Aside from allowing for access to education in the remote setting, the
pandemic allowed more educators to look into other ways technology can improve
our ways of teaching and learning. Among the seen strengths of tech-supported
education is that it has more flexibility to support adaptive learning.

According to Zachary Pardos, assistant professor at UC Berkeley Graduate
School of Education and the School of Information, adaptive learning allows for immediate assessment of a
student’s strengths and weaknesses and for the delivery of appropriate
individualized instruction based on such assessment. The benefit of adaptive
learning is that students do not automatically advance to the next lesson until
he or she is aptly prepared and capable. The content and pace of each lesson
can be adjusted based on the capacity and competency of each student.

While technologies that may support adaptive learning are yet to be developed
in the Philippines, the principles of adaptive learning are now being
implemented by some progressive and innovative schools.

With the continuous emergence of new coronavirus strains, reverting to
the usual face-to-face classroom instruction may take a long while. Experts see
that the alternative learning methods introduced during this pandemic may be
more responsive to the current and emerging needs of our learners. 

Traditional learning methods may have alienated some learners due to its
huge demand for time and resources. With alternative learning methods such as
adaptive, focused, and individualized learning, we may open up more
opportunities for more Filipinos to get the education they need in order to
develop. By being accommodating to learners with peculiar learning needs,
alternative learning methods may finally make the goal of leaving no child
behind a reality.