When this COVID-19 pandemic hit us, academe is one of the sectors in society that is greatly affected. From the traditional face-to-face class, we are forced to shift to online mode of learning.
Though online mode of learning is not that totally new in the country because an academic institution like UP Open University has been doing it for many years even before pandemic, this can still be a challenge to others especially to both teachers and students who are dominantly equipped only with the approaches fit to the conventional mode of teaching and learning.
Since March 2020, I am one of the educators who adjusted and adapted to this current situation or what they call the “new normal.” Personally, I must say that it is not that easy because all the methods, strategies, and assessments that I already prapared as a result of many years of teaching must be modified. A certain culture of tradition has to be changed.
That kind of change may irritate some of us. But I have to look at it as also part of how society changes and evolves, and so the teaching practice.
That’s why as a professor, I should also be open to other scientific theory-based approaches that adapt to the new normal of teaching and learning. Good thing is that I am currently enrolled in the Professional Teaching Certificate program of the UP Open University. The learning experience encourages me to reflect on my teaching profession and apply the theories and principles that I see fit for the changing needs of my students.
Definitely, I consider this new journey as part of my own growth and development as a teacher. After all, learning is a lifelong continous process.
Blog entry for Module 1 | EDS 103: Theories of Learning | UPOU
Here, I win. 