Blended Learning Amidst Covid-19 : Accepted?

(A Narrative Report)
By: Maria Ruthel B. Abarquez

As COVID-19 death toll and positive cases here in our country continue to arise, education has
been triggered since then as to whether or not education should still be delivered or pursued.
Various reactions from netizens on social media spread all throughout as the Department of
Education announced its Learning Continuity Plan to continue the education system and just
implement new normal protocols despite the threat of this covid-19 pandemic. One of the
approach being pushed by the department is the so called blended learning...

“Blended learning" from the standpoint of the Department of Education (DepEd) is a

combination of “online distant learning” and “in-person” delivery of printed materials to the
homes of the learners through the barangays (villages) for those who don’t have internet
access and interactive facilities in the comfort of their homes. Moreover, the department will
use television and radio-based instructions on localities that will not be reach or are not
possible by the methods mentioned above.

But are these all that easy? Would this kind of learning be fair to everyone? Would this not
deprive a certain class of people/ learners? Here, we are going to find out as to weather a group
of students, parents and teachers are in favor of this approach. The research method used in
collating their views was an interview type of research.

In gathering and evaluating the data answered by the 3 students-respondents. These

respondents said that with the invisible foe we have today, blended learning may be an ideal
solution to continue the next academic year but unfortunately when it comes to online
instruction many students are not much privilege to have the best resources for this instruction.
Unlike Japan and South Korea's fast internet speed, they said that our poor internet
connectivity is so slow that it will hinder the conducive learning they are after. Moreover,
students-respondents are for this blended learning if learners will be equipped with the
necessary gadgets and broadband that can aid them in the learning process but with our
current situation now, they are still in doubt that schools can have the capacity to do so. On the
other hand, they see this method as good if learners are well-equipped with appropriate
gadgets that can have access to many informations and resources found in the internet with
the assistance of their teachers. Time is only the limit as they can search tutorials and
demonstrations on internet platforms such as skillshare and youtube. E-books and audiobooks
are also unlimited with audible and anybooks. With those who don't have the resources can go
to school and attend the face to face instruction. It also minimizes physical interactions and
gatherings. On the other hand, they sees blended learning as expensive and high maintenance
in cost as google classroom, zoom, skype and other softwares and applications are not offline in
nature and internet is needed. Learners really need to allot money for wifi connectivity and
load promos. Also, according to them learners become internet and technology dependent as
teachers can't be there with them physically. Plagiarism of works in the internet and cheating
can also occur through online instruction. Also, it favors the privileged students as learners who
don't have the resources (and can't go to school for face-to-face instruction) will fail to maintain
the pace or progress of the online instruction and will be lag behind. They also believed that
Face-to-face instruction can cause anxiety and mental health issues with the fear and anxiety of
being infected with the virus since we can't be sure that by August and September we can be
COVID free with what's happening right now.

As for teacher perspective, teacher-respondent sees blended method of learning as an

additional burden not only to students but to teachers alike. For her, blended learning is just
adding up another labor for teachers, though it may seem feasible. Positively, blended learning
may open a new mode of teaching beyond the four corners of the classroom and to improve
the quality of the education system by rather making it open not only in the campus but
outside of the zones of peace. With this, everyone becomes part of a goal to aim for
"EduKalidad" by turning homes into the "new normal" classrooms. However, on the tail of the
coin, blended learning adds another strain and burden to teachers, by posing themselves into
danger without the certainty of being protected against the threats outside. Online learning
according to the teacher-respondent may be part of the blended mode, but for a country where
internet is almost a crawling newborn turtle, and to families who have limited access to even a
cellphone, online learning would become a mess. On the other hand, certain modalities like
those being done at ALS maybe feasible, but a risk must be taken by teachers, and it does not
guarantee that all students will receive the same learning given the constraints. There is no
perfect mode of seeking knowledge for a pandemic that to first secure the safety and security
of teachers and students and ensuring that while this occurs, there is still continuity and
progress over the students learning.

Moreover, said teacher-respondent believe that there is no single guarantee that a student will
learn even when you provide all the requisite necessary for the subject, that is the awful truth
of this pandemic. But if we rather focus on life skills than in knowledge this time, maybe we can
push for an education that will encompass both skills and knowledge through conduct of house
tasks and explaining how this and that are made through the use of languages, what
computations are done, what is the scientific basis behind the act, does this skill have a history,
or does it teach students great manners.

Lastly, as to parents view on blended learning, they sees it as a financial burden for them
especially that most breadwinners don't have jobs and it may be very hard for them to find one
in the next months to come. The main priority is putting food in the table and no allotment for
load promos for students to be able to connect to the internet. With the up-surging cases we
have now and cases of local transmission was detected, parents-respondents admit that face to
face instruction worries them knowing their children may not be able to focus on studying with
being anxious around their surroundings.

Indeed, as a graduate student, who is also a public educator, I conclude after a careful
consideration of my respondents standpoint on this covid-19 pandemic, blended learning may
not be easy to cope but as far as our present situation is concerned and in order to alleviate the
education system in spite the ongoing effect of this virus is concerned we must heartily accept
it. However, safety and security must still everyone's priority especially to the teachers and
students. As what Maslow suggests on his Hierarchy of Needs, learners must feel safe and
secured in order to achieve other needs, hence, in order for them to learn effectively they must
feel secured.