Teachers in the New Normal.

Though the whole world was unprepared for

lockdown, most businesses managed to get business continuity plans in place
very quickly. They were able to allow their stakeholders the flexibility to work
remotely. However, the same was not valid for a vast majority of educational
institutions. Since educational institutions were way behind in adopting
technology, having focused more on classroom teaching and never having
seriously considered online education as a credible model, they were slightly
more unprepared than other sectors. However, due to the incredible resilience
and determination, educators were quick to adapt to the new normal. Instructors
and educators have had to upskill themselves almost overnight to adjust to the
new modes of teaching, ensuring that learning remains accessible to students
even in the current circumstances. 

With learning shifting from the public space (classrooms) to a more personal area
(online), the role of the educator has also evolved. As the demand for
personalized learning and online courses continues to snowball, instructors are
required to learn (upskill) as much as, or even more than their students to deal
with the new demand for future-proof courses. As teaching and learning become
more personalized, educators need to come up with innovative teaching
methodologies on a case-to-case basis to suit the learner’s requirement.

From preparing a personalized curriculum for courses to being a content creator

to mentoring students on real-world projects to ensure that they are job-proof,
and upskilling themselves to stay abreast of emerging technology and skills,
today’s educators dabble in many things. From being facilitators of learning,
educators have also turned to be innovators. (Saxena, Independent Higher
Education Portal and Magazine, 2020)

Additionally, since online learning is now being forced, the tendency is for
educators to translate or migrate their face-to-face learning techniques to the
online environment. But this new system will require a transformation mindset.
What normally works in the classroom would not necessarily be so in distance
learning. This presents quite a challenge to the instructor making the first shifts
online. Instructors must adapt intelligently with a keen sense of sensitivity to the
online format. The challenge is to build rich activities that keep students
engaged. (Manila Times, 2020)
Teachers of these trying times worked closely with their professional learning
community team members and performed as volunteers to fight against the
spread of the virus which mainly caused the shift of the current educational
course. Instead of thinking for a teacher-driven discussions with lengthy lectures,
these were no longer available in this moment rather online learning, self –
learning modules (SLM) and other blended learning modality were highlighted.
With the cooperation and consorted effort of other stakeholders, teachers
innovated and created self-learning modules or even online lessons to cope up
online tools and resources in order students would be up for an exciting learning
process. (Ebona, News BEaST, 2020)

Since no one is exempted from this pandemic and students may feel bored and
skeptical to this new normal, teacher’s role to motivate students shouldn’t be
underestimated for students must be trained to organize things and make
changes. Even with this virtual reality where up close and personal association is
restricted, teachers really find time to generally contact students during the time
allocated for them on the existing calendar and give students attainable goals.
This is one thing where teachers will be able to use technology to connect with
and work with students, while motivating them to do so is another matter.  With
the advances in learning technology during the current COVID19
epidemic, teachers and students are fully prepared to
continue the learning journey at home. (Ebona, News BEaST, 2020)

In these new setting of education, teachers no longer have to focus on how

to link innovations to a frontier at the heart of the education system, but how
to change education systems so that they address diversity, support source,
innovate that will provide all learners the necessary skills to create a better future
for themselves and their communities. (Ebona, News BEaST, 2020)
Pedagogical Approaches in Science. The study of teaching methods, including
the aims of education and the ways in which such goals may be achieved. The
field relies heavily on educational psychology, which encompasses scientific
theories of learning, and to some extent on the philosophy of education, which
considers the aims and value of education from a philosophical perspective.
(Britannica, 2020)
One of the Pedagogical Approaches in Science is Hands-on learning. It is
a form of education in which children learn by doing. Instead of simply listening to
a teacher or instructor lecture about a given subject, the student engages with
the subject matter to solve a problem or create something. A few examples might
include, solving problems as a part of science class, completing a lab experiment
as a part of a science class and building circuits or working machines.
Hands-on is another way to learn. Some children learn best by looking at
visuals. Some children learn best by listening to a parent or teacher speak. And
some children learn best by reading and writing about something. These are
called visual, auditory, and reading/writing learning styles, respectively. But there
is a fourth learning style that is easy to overlook: Kinesthetic learning, which is a
fancy way of saying “learning by doing.”
There are a lot of theories about why hands-on learning is so effective. The
reality is, there is no single reason “why.” But one hard-to-argue fact about
hands-on learning is this: It is incredibly engaging. When students are forced
to do something, they are engaged in active learning. They’re practicing their
skills and they’re putting their knowledge to the test. Most importantly, they are
actively creating knowledge, instead of passively consuming it in order to create,
in order to do, students must be engaged in their education. And engagement
has for years been linked to greater academic success like increased test scores
and greater academic achievements.
Another, Hands-on gives students practice. Beyond simply leading to
better engagement, hands-on learning allows students to practice the skills that
they have already learned. As anyone who has ever learned a skill or learned
information can attest to, the more practice you get, the better you will be at that
skill, and the better you will be able to retain the information. For example, see
this in action in many science classes around the country, which pair traditional
study (lecture, discussion, reading) with active learning concepts in lab sessions.
While students may learn about a concept in the classroom, it is by walking
through an experiment in the laboratory that they are able to put that concept into
action and gain practice in actually applying it. This process has been shown to
lead to higher retention and a better understanding in the subject.
 Hands-on also gives students something “real.” Incorporating hands-on
learning into the classroom or into the home is an easy way for parents and
teachers to show their children exactly how what they are learning can be used in
the real world. Through hands-on learning, students will often actively create
something, whether an essay, story, piece of art, construction project, or
something else.
When children are enrolled in a school that emphasizes hands-on learning,
most of that learning is likely to take place in the classroom. Science labs,
makerspaces, and even just traditional classrooms are all equipped with tools to
facilitate such exercises. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and the social
distancing guidelines necessary to keep the pandemic at bay, children may not
physically be in the classroom at this time. This means that they may be lacking
the tools and supervision required to help them complete various hands-on
learning tasks. This does not, however, mean that hands-on learning no longer
has a role to play in the child’s education. (Friends’ Central School Blog, 2020)
Another pedagogical approach in teaching science is Laboratory teaching.
It assumes that first-hand experience in observation and manipulation of the
materials of science is superior to other methods of developing understanding
and appreciation. Laboratory training is also frequently used to develop skills
necessary for more advanced study or research. (McKeachie, 2020)
Science educators have believed that laboratory instruction is essential
because it provides training in observation, prompts the consideration and
application of detailed and contextualized information, and cultivates students'
curiosity in science. It also provides students with the opportunity to engage with
science and research in ways that professionals do. (Travers, ed., 2012)
Another technique in teaching science is ‘concept mapping’, a strategy
developed by Joseph D. Novak and team at Cornell University in the 1970s as a
means of representing the emerging science knowledge of students. A concept
map is a diagrammatic way of representing relationships between ideas, words or
images. The key ideas, words or images are connected by arrows with linking
words that explain the connection between two points, and are arranged in a
hierarchical, multi-level fashion. The aim of concept mapping is to develop logical
thinking and effective study skills by revealing the connections between things
and challenging students to think beyond individual facts and thoughts to see the
bigger picture.
This active learning tool has the potential to increase knowledge retention
of lessons as students are no longer passive recipients of information; students
must participate with their mind and body while learning. Additionally, by making a
student’s understanding (or lack of) clearly visible in diagram form, instructors or
other classmates can ‘see’ the thinking and learning process; errors are easily
identified and corrected. Adding elements of collaborative learning to the
approach can further enhance the method; students work together to debate and
build the maps. The revision of concept maps can help students retain information
for longer, as well as improve metacognition and self-efficacy as they transition to
the more academic learning environment of a higher-education institution. (Tech-
Based Teaching, 2020)

Challenges in Facing Instructional dilemmas. The new school year comes

with new modes of learning, a “new normal” in education established as a
precaution against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This new normal, according
to Grant Thornton, has affected—and will continue to affect—the 27 million
learners and one million teachers and non-teaching staff in the country. (ADEC
Innovations, 2020)

There are two major concerns: Internet connectivity, and the issue of the
curriculum and educational materials that have to be adapted for use with a
blended learning environment. Access to educational materials through the
Internet isn’t worth much if the Internet itself is inaccessible due to lack of service
or network infrastructure. Be it through provisions for budget, equipment, and
commercial access to the Internet, much has to be done to improve digital
connectivity throughout the country. It would also be important to fast track the
implementation of RA 10929, the Free Internet Access in Public Places Act,
which mandates that public basic education institutions, state universities and
colleges (SUCs), and Tesda technology institutions to have free Wi-Fi access.
(Angara, 2020)

The country's health crisis raises difficulties in teaching where teachers are part
of the current normal education system. These problems have an effect on their
success in the preparation of modules. There are times where teachers are stressful
from time to time because of a lot of things to do. As a result, they are also withdrawing
from group talks with their friends. (Canonizado, 2020)

Teachers face difficulties under the current normal education system. These
problems include teaching the learners where it is difficult for teachers to reach out to all
the learners at home, even the teachers are using different forms of communication. It is
therefore quite difficult for them to develop the skills of the learners because the
learners remain at home while learning the lessons. Not all parents have the desire and
ability to support their children in their studies. Some parents lack the ability to
comprehend the handwritten details written on the modules. DepEd constantly
implements multiple systems that have culminated in the loss of the teachers. In this
phase of the pandemic, it is difficult to gather everybody to carry out the various DepEd
services. (Canonizado, 2020)

Challenges are part of a life that cannot be erased. Individuals need to consider
these obstacles in order to realize that they are living spices. In addition, they need to
have a positive temperament in their lives so that they can cope with the difficulties they
face in carrying out their everyday tasks at school. Learners are used to learn at school;
face-to-face with teachers in the delivery of lessons. As a consequence, the learners
grasp the lesson of the day. However, changes arise as a result of the COVID-19
pandemic, in which learners remain at home to prepare their lessons with the aid of
their learning facilitators. The changes that are taking place directly impact the delivery
of the lesson. (Canonizado, 2020)

Teachers cannot teach the lesson the way they used to teach. The majority of
parents prefer written modules as an effective way of learning. Teachers' function is
typically limited to planning modules, distributing and retrieving modules, answering
parents' questions, and correcting learners' responses. Based on these, it is obvious
that there is no contact with the learners. In the absence of a teacher, the learners study
their lessons all by themselves. (Canonizado, 2020)

Some modes of learning are conducted without a teacher or

facilitator, and students may get confused on how they could progress
through the course, especially if they are not aware of the expected or
desired outcome. At times, students might need the continuous guidance
of their teachers through virtual means. Administrators can expect their
students to feel isolated, since these modes of learning are conducted
without the interaction between students and teachers seen in the
traditional classroom. As students are compelled to continue their
education from their own homes, they face an entirely different set of
distractions that may hinder them from completing the required
coursework. (ADEC Innovations, 2020)
Peel, E. A. (2020, October 29). Pedagogy. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/pedagogy