In an effort to ensure that parents will have a better understanding of how education will be delivered to their children this upcoming school year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that an orientation will be conducted for parents before classes formally start in August.
DepEd Undersecretary and spokesperson Nepomuceno Malaluan said that part of the school opening preparations of DepEd for school year (SY) 2020-2021 set to start on Aug. 24 is making sure that its stakeholders – including parents and learners – will understand the Basic Education -Learning Continuity Plan (BE-LCP).
The BELCP was developed by DepEd in response to the disruptions in education due to the COVID19 crisis in the country. It was designed to ensure that the health and safety of learners and teachers are prioritized without sacrificing learning continuity.
“The parents will be given an orientation certainly before Aug. 24,” Malaluan said. To see how blended and distance learning will be implemented, dry-runs and simulations are being conducted by various regional and division offices.
Malaluan said that what are being demonstrated in the simulations will be imported to what will be done when classes officially start.
Citing the simulations conducted by DepEd-Navotas City, various adjustments will have to be made depending on the grade levels of the learners. Learning delivery in Kindergarten, for instance, is different compared to elementary or high school students.
“Kindergarten is one of the most difficult learning deliveries because instructional partnership with the parents is really needed,” he explained. Given this, teachers or schools – with the help of their local government units (LGUs) – will have to deliver the learning resources or packets to the homes of the learners since face-to-face learning is not yet allowed.
Activity sheets will be given to learners and delivery of learning will also depend on the capacity of student.
“If they have access to online or other telecommunication facilities, teachers and parents can communicate with each other especially in giving feedbacks,” Malaluan said.
Along with the self-learning modules for learners, a guide will also be given to the parents. “That’s how the instruction is going to happen,” he added.
Malaluan noted that a “synchronous delivery of instruction” may also be implemented via apps like Zoom – among others. “Some teachers may conduct classes using these – so this is how distance learning is going to happen,” he added.
Aside from certain lessons in subject areas like Math, Science, and English, Malaluan noted that teachers may also hold psychosocial discussions.
Materials will also have similar expressions or formats – whether printed, digital, or online. “There will be interactive modules or materials,” he added.