Habi Hour S1 Episode 1: Learning Experience Design in the Pandemic

Conversations about what learning looks like during a pandemic

What skills have you picked up during the lockdown?

CELINA: Kayo ba, ano ‘yong mga skills na na-pick up ninyo during this time? New skills or mga naaral ninyo during this time?

JPAUL: So ‘nong nagsimula ‘yong quarantine, ang daming nagbe-bake, ang daming gumagawa ng tinapay. Medyo nakisabay ako doon. Gumawa rin ako ng mga sourdough, tapos eventually ang hirap gumawa so pandesal pandesal na lang. Nag-die down ‘yong hype. Ngayon, nag-aalaga ako ng halaman. ‘Yong iba hiningi ko kay mama, ‘yong iba bagong bili. Tapos ‘yon, ni-research ko ga’no kadalas diligan, saang ilaw ilalagay, anong klaseng lupa ang okay sa kanila. Mga gano’n.

CELINA: So from baking to pagiging plantito?

JPAUL: Oo, plantatay!

GERSON: Gusto ko ‘yong plantita-plantatay evolution. Mayro’n akong isang ginagawa recently Hindi ko pa siya na-a-articulate. Susubukan ko ngayon sa kuwentuhan natin. Siyempre sa pandemic, hindi natin masyadong nakikita ‘yong mga kaibigan natin, wala tayong masyadong conversations. And ako, na-e-energize ako paminsan sa mga coversations ‘pag dating sa politics, sa current events. Alam nating nagkaro’n ng mga issue – shutdown ng ABS CBN, nawalan sila ng franchise – alam nating lumalala pa ‘yong misinformation at disinformation. Mayro’n akong ginagawa recently na tumitingin ako sa Facebook groups ng mga tao that I don’t necessarily agree with politically or ideologically. Tapos for some reason, na-cu-curious ako kung bakit gano’n sila mag-isip. Mayro’n akong gano’ng rabbithole minsan ‘pag gabi, ‘yon ‘yong ginagawa ko. Tapos nagre-research ako. Ngayon lang ako natuto ulit ng political ideologies. Bakit ba gano’n ‘yong perceptions nila about the world, social justice, etc. Medyo naging Facebook lurker ng mga communites na hindi ako sobrang nag-agree. Nase-stress ako pero very interesting ‘yong natututunan ko. I still don’t agree with them. Definitely not. Pero I’m trying to empathize. Siguro ‘yon ‘yong skill, no? Mas natututo ako mag-empathize.

What online platforms have you been using to access these learning experiences?

CELINA: Facebook ‘yong sayo, no? Kung saan mo nahahanap ‘yong communities. Balikan ko ‘yong sa’yo, JPaul. Sa’n mo naman nakukuha ‘yong info on baking ang plants?

JPAUL: ‘Yong sa baking karamihan sa YouTube ang daming tutorials. Ako talaga kapag pagluluto, gusto ko nakikita ko ‘yong process. Kunwari, ano ‘yong hitsura ng dough kapag minamasa na siya, para alam ko kung nasa tamang stage or phase ako, or kung kulang siya tubig or sa pag-knead. So gusto ko visual at video. Tapos parang nagkukuwento sila, may audio. Mas madali kong naiintindihan.

Sa plants naman, kaunti lang nakikita kong videos eh, usually mga nagkukuwento lang. So kapag mga plant care tips, ‘yong nakikita kong effective or magandang resource for me ay mga website. Mukhang mga lumang-lumang website na ito, pero dito naman pictures, step-by-step process tapos may mga naka-enumerate na tips.

CELINA: Actually nabanggit mo ‘yong sa plants. Dudugtungan ko yan. Ako naman sa Instagram ako nakakahanap. Tapos alam ninyo ‘yong parang dina-diary ng mga tao ‘yong pagiging plantita-plantatay nila? Tapos makikita mo na ‘yong tinanim nilang buto, the next few weeks biglang sasabihin nilang namatay na. Hindi nag-succeed. Natutuwa ako sa mga gano’ng kuwento. Wala, sobrang tao lang. We’re all just trying. Natutuwa ako sa real life stories.

What organized or structured learning experiences have you tried?

CELINA: ‘Pag dating sa mga organized learning experiences, halimbawa ‘yong mga webinars. Diba, ang dami ngayong libreng webinars? Mga Coursera, Udemy. Sa mga organized learning experiences, mayro’n ba kayong na-try?

GERSON: Nanood ako ng mga webinars. I think mas nagpa-participate rather than simply watching webinars. Iba ‘yong perspective ko sa webinars, mas behind the scenes siguro. Pero ‘yong tumatak, naalala ko ‘yong home learning packs na ginagawa namin. Kasi I have a 1-year-old, tapos she is currently enrolled in a preschool program so we get organized learning experiences every week. Usually kasama sa week na ‘yon, mayro’n kaming parent-teacher webinar. Mayro’n kaming small-group session na synchronous with the other toddlers. Nakakakuha kami ng course packs na mas tumatatak kasi ginagawa talaga namin. It’s something na hindi ako masyadong familiar. Hindi naman ako early childhood education expert so natutuwa ako sa activities, sa proseso, sa disensyo, sa anyo, sa iba-ibang features.

JPAUL: Ako, sadly, nitong pandemic, ilang buwan na tayo, parang hindi ako nag-participant sa kahit anong structured na learning experience. Usually, mga YouTube videos na ako lang nagco-consume. Or minsan, tayo ‘yong nandoon sa frontlines na nagbibigay ng webinar o online workshop. Pero parang wala akong maalala na ako ‘yong naging participant or nag-aral.

CELINA: Which is fine kasi it shows na iba-iba tayo ng learning style din.

Did you observe any trends in the design of learning experiences during this pandemic?

CELINA: Sa work kasi natin ‘no, babad tayo sa education sector pati sa mga workplaces and teams. May napapansin ba kayong trends sa mga available learning experiences during this pandemic?

JPAUL: ‘Yong napapansin ko sa Facebook feed ko, or baka dahil sa network ko, ang daming nag-a-advertise ng tutorials or instructional materials on web tools na interactive. Hindi mga pang-productivity lang. Mga video conferencing, office management tools, tapos binibida nila na dahil remote kayo ngayon o magkakahiwalay kayo ngayon pero kailangan ninyo pa ring i-manage ‘yong logistics ng team ninyo. Napansin kong dumami ng ads and sponsored content.

Pero ‘yong isa ko pa palang napansin, ang dami ring ang topic ay on wellness – taking care of yourself, managing anxiety, tapos may iba na very specific tulad ng “Anxiety or Wellbeing for Teachers” pero mayro’n din na generic na everyone can come. Kung gusto mo lang matuto for your personal growth, open sa’yo ‘to.

GERSON: Ako, siguro ang mas nakita kong trend is more on the learners or the community side. Marami akong mga kaibigan na dati, I wouldn’t normally call them webinar afficionados, hindi sila ‘yong mga tipong taong mahilig manood ng video o mahilig mag-engage in MOOCs or massive open online courses, pero ngayon, sila ‘yong mas bukas at minsan sila pa ‘yong mas excited. Hindi ko alam kung dahil sa network ko ito na baka puro nerd ‘yong mga kaibigan ko, pero ang dami kong mga groupchat ngayon na ‘Uy, check ninyo ‘tong webinar na ‘to! Check ninyo ‘tong online course na ‘to sobrang astig! Check ninyo ‘tong videos na ‘to sa YouTube sobrang sarap niyang pakinggan’ or podcast, etc. So ang general feeling ko, kung may access sila at mayro’n silang headspace, sobrang nagkaroon sila ng opportunity at eye opener na ‘Uy, ang dami palang learning experiences na available online.’

Isa ka pang napansin, ang daming mga talented teachers pala. I guess na-amplify ‘yong personality nila in that sense. Hindi mo kasi sila nakikita. Marami tayong friends na teachers na ‘yong way nila of facilitation or teaching, ang nakakakita lang ay ‘yong students nila in the classroom. Pero ngayon na marami sa kanilang nag-e-engage in video recording, maraming experiment sa digital means, interesting makita ‘yong personas nila. ‘Uy, magaling pala siyang mag-facilitate ng hands-on activities. Uy, nakakatawa pala siya! Mayro’n pala siyang gano’ng hidden talent sa kaniyang pag-facilitate. Uy, magaling pala siya sa graphic design, magaling pala siyang gumawa ng learning materials.’ Ito ‘yong isang surprising na nakita ko.

CELINA: Minsan kumakalat bukod sa memes, ‘yong TikTok ng mga teachers. Mayro’n nang ibang version ngayon ‘yong fruit salad. ‘Watermelon, watermelon’ may pa-TikTok dance na ‘yon. Na parang, how do you teach PE nowadays? Some teachers would post videos na, sabihin na natin ‘yong ilan diyan ay katuwaan, pero in reality, some of them might be really using TikTok to teach kung ‘yon ‘yong makakapukaw ng atensyon ng learners nila.

What deliberate design decisions do you remember making specifically because we’re in a pandemic?

CELINA: ‘Yong tatanong ko na sa inyo ngayon is more about our own work in Habi. Ano naman ‘yong naaalala ninyong design decisions that you made particularly dahil nasa pandemya tayo, ganito ang gagawin natin?

GERSON: I think sa Habi, sa simula pa lang no’ng first or second week of March, kinailagan na nating mag-facilitate ng online workshops or online meetings with some of our partners. So parang nagkaro’n nga tayo ng baptism of fire of sorts. Ang dami rin sa decisions natin ay born out of experience and born out of failures – mistakes, assumptions.

Isang naiisip ko ngayon ay, kapag nagde-design ako ngayon ng LX online, because of the pandemic medyo nababawasan ‘yong laser-like focus on specfic learning outcomes and mas nagkakaro’n ako ng emphasis do’n sa connections ng learning outcomes with real life or with other topics. So parang dati, sa workshops, mahilig tayong mag-focus sa skill o na ituturo natin ngayon. Very detailed and very scoped. ‘Pag dating sa LX, I find myself designing in a very integrative manner. Holistic. Kung ituturo ko halimbawa ang advanced techniques in Zoom, hindi ko lang siya ituturo in a silo na, okay, let’s focus on these 3 skills. Naghahanap ako parati ng koneksyon na – itong 3 skills na ‘to, ano ‘yong matutulong niya sa trabaho ng matututo? Ano ‘yong matutulong niya sa self-confidence ng matututo? Ano ‘yong matutulong niya sa overall learning experience niya with the other topics? Mayro’ng gano’ng mas deliberate na decisions.

JPAUL: Interesting ‘yong kay Gerson kasi nakikita ko ‘yon sa mga projects na magkasama kami, na lagi nga siyang mas may effort ngayon na ibalik sa real-world application o what’s in it for you na hindi lang the skills per se.

Siguro ‘yong maidadagdag ko, dahil sanay ako dati sa face-to-face facilitation at do’n kasi ang daling mag-impromptu, ang daling mag-adjust kapag may hindi naibaba ng maayos o napansin mong nahihirapan ‘yong participants na unawain o intindihin ‘yong kuwento o sinasaabi mo. Madali siyang mahuli at madali siyang tugonan. Pero ngayon online, ang hirap no’n. Kunwari nasa Zoom ka, siyempre tinitingnan mo ‘yong slides mo o ‘yong speaker notes mo. Hindi mo naman nakikita ‘yong gallery view, ‘yong mga naka-on na camera ng participants. Or minsan naka-off pa nga. So ako mismo, ginawa kong sadyang maging nas klaro sa kung paano ko ibabahagi ‘yong mga gusto kong sabihin. So may it be visuals, mas careful na ko with wording, paano nila ‘to makikita ‘yong slides sa laptop nila o baka ‘yong iba pa nga baka phone. Dati madali lang magkuwento o mag-explain ‘pag face-to-face. Ngayong online, mas mahirap mag-adjust at makiramdam so kumbaga, uunahan mo na ng kaunti.

CELINA: Sususugan ko ‘yong sinabi mo. Prepared ka para sa kung ano ang mangyayari. ‘Yong natutunan ko sa work natin the past months – usually prepared naman ako pero ito prepare ka talaga for the worst that can happen. ‘Yong level na kung ikaw ‘yong tagapagpadaloy, paano kung ikaw ‘yong ma-disconnect? Talagang nangyari siya sa akin. Nangyari ba ‘yon sa inyo? Nag-choppy, nag-error.

GERSON: Oh yes! Of course.

CELINA: One part of you could be – matakot ka na lang na sana huwag mangyari. Pero another could start thinking about strategies na parang sa atin, one deliberate design decision is more often than not, mayro’n tayong co-facilitator na alam mong kung ma-drop ka sa call, mayro’ng sasalo sa’yo. Hindi ka hihintayin ng 100+ participants mong makabalik.

And mayro’n din tayong reminder na pag nagde-design tayo ng webinar, luwagan natin ‘yong schedule. Huwag nating sisiksikan na lahat pinagawa na natin in a 2-hour webinar. Na-appreciate ko ‘yon kasi we really need to give time to things like kapag naglo-load ‘yong screens nila, or may nag-drop sa call tapos kailangan mo silang i-readmit sa meeting. Give more space for mistakes and for some technical difficulties.

GERSON: ‘Yong isa pang na-realize kong big design decision natin is regarding accessibility and flexibility. Noong face-to-face, let’s be honest diba, hindi naman tayo gano’n ka-deliberate na lahat ng workshops natin would have as many accommodations as we can when it comes to diversity of contexts and abilities and backgrounds. Kasi most of the time, dati sa face-to-face, magkakasama tayo in one place and we’re using the same materials. A lot of things are going to be available there. Pero dahil virtual na tayo, may kanya-kanya tayong bahay. Hindi natin mako-control ‘yong internet connection ng mga kasama at participants natin, even among ourselves. Nag-increase ‘yong awareness ko ‘pag dating sa accessiblity, sa multiple modes of representing information, to help the participants engage in the discussion. Naalala ko ‘yong term sa EdTech na “digital divide” kung saan technology amplifies the class system, those who have access and those who don’t have access. Nararamdaman ko siya in some of our workshops na kung ikaw, mabagal internet mo o kung ‘yong computer mo o device mo ay hindi compatible sa mga tools na pinapagamit, sobrang mas malalim ‘yong negative experience. Mas nakaka-frustrate siya for them. Nakaka-left out. Ngayon lang ako during the pandemic mas sobrang fascinated and very much deliberate with making sure that we are designing for as many contexts as we can.

Kung maingay ‘yong context ng isang participant, or ‘yong isang participant nasa mobile siya so ‘di siya nakaka-chat. Or ‘yong isang participant naka hands-free headset, or ‘yong isa hindi naririnig at nakaka-chat lang siya, etc. Sobrang daming puwedeng mangyari, at sobrang daming variables. Pero ang interesting dito, mayro’n tayong technology platforms that allow for these to make it easier. Subtitling, recording sessions para puwedeng panoorin ulit after, using chat and bulletin boards. ‘Yon ‘yong isang design decision – in many ways, making it accessible and flexible.

CELINA: It reminds me of what a good teacher friend of mine told me. Advocate kasi siya ng inclusion and sabi niya, inclusion is the new normal. I also look back to my teacher self in March noong sinabi na hindi na tayo makakapasok in school at kailangan natin mag-quickly shift. Hindi ko naman naisip na how do I make it convenient for me? I feel like a lot of our educators, we were thinking of other people before ourselves. We were thinking of how to accommodate everyone.

JPAUL: Isang favorite story ko is ‘yong nabuo ‘yong chat master. Sa isang workshop natin, may iba na nagla-lag o hindi nila nakikita ‘yong slides. Parang may nag-chat lang na isa sa atin na sina-summarize niya o inuulit ‘yong nakalagay sa slides o keypoints. Eventually ginawa na natin siyang SOP at ginawan na natin ng proses at ng role. Hindi puwedeng walang chat master sa mga online workshops natin kasi kailangan siya for accessiblity.

CELINA: Ang gandang kuwento niyan. Siguro ikuwento natin ng kaunti pa for context. Usually si chat master, tina-type niya kung ano ‘yong sinasabi ng facilitator. Kung may link na sasabihin or naka-flash, para mas madaling pindutin at i-click, ilalagay ni chat master ‘yan sa chat box.

GERSON: Isang assumption ‘yon eh, na kung nakikita ng lahat ‘yong link sa slides – assumption natin dati ay kaya ng lahat ng participants pumunta do’n sa link by typing or opening a new browser. But not everyone actually has that capacity. Sometimes hindi sila gano’n ka-kumportable na magbukas ng browser window habang nakabukas ‘yong Zoom. Or iba sa kanila, hindi kaya kasi naka-mobile. Nahihirapan sila.

CELINA: May kuwento ako related to chat master! Sa isang workshop na magkakasama rin tayong tatlo. Napansin ko na maraming participants na nagpapasalamat sa nagcha-chat master. To be honest, before, no’ng nag-start ‘yong chat master idea, sabi ko ‘ang ingay naman sa chat kung may chat master tayo!’ Pero sa totoo lang, if we’re thinking about inclusion, there really are people who need that chat master para makasabay sila at makasunod sila.

And I think it’s actually something that’s contagious. Nakita ko ‘yon sa isa natin workshop series. Napansin kasi nilang may taga-Habi na nagcha-chat master, nagpapadala ng links, nag-uulit ng key messages. Tapos eventually napick-up na siya ng participants! Kapag sinabi ng faci na ‘puwede po bang may maglagay ng link sa chat box?’ Instantly, hindi na taga-Habi ‘yong nagpo-post do’n. Minsan participants na mismo ang nagpro-provide ng access sa fellow participants nila.

GERSON: Na-realize ko lang na isa pang hindi natin nababanggit. Siguro design decision siya pero hindi gano’n ka-deliberate on our end. Pero malaki yo’ng pakiramdam ngayon ng online workshops na community building exercises and experiences. Naalala ko no’ng unang webinar na finacilitate natin, akala ko no’n una 100 participants o kinakabahan ako. Ang dami na no’n. Little did I know, ‘pag pasok ko sa Zoom call, it was actually 2000 participants. And no’n nagtanong ako ng kumusta, taga-saan sila galing. All over the Phlippines from Luzon to Mindanao, iba-ibang contexts and backgrounds.

And I think ‘yong hindi intentional at the beginning, is ‘yong pagbigay ng opportunity sa mga participants to socialize and to connect. To be a part of something. Naalala ko ‘yon sa kuwento mo kanina na biglang sila na ‘yong nagbibigay ng slides, ng links, resources. I think there’s something special about having 3000, 5000, 10,000 participants in a 1-hour synchronous session learning from different places. And eventually naging part na siya ng workshops natin. We allot time at the beginning for people to say hello. We put breaks in between then we ask them to share their stories, mga breakout sessions. Part din kasi ng pandemic ‘yong may social isolation. Mayro’n tayong participants na possibly mag-isa lang sila sa bahay. Wala silang nakakausap na ibang colleagues. And these workshops and learning experiences are possibly their opportunities to do that.

What is the good and the bad with doing online sessions in a video conference while livestreaming it?

CELINA: May napansin ako, going back a bit to trends na napag-usapan natin kanina, may ilang experiences na mina-max out nila to 100 participants or kung ilan man kaya ng Zoom nila, tapos kasabay no’n may livestreaming sila sa social media – Facebook or YouTube. Sa tingin ninyo, as facilitators or designers, ano yo’ng nakikita ninyo na good and bad of livestreaming it when you have that private Zoom meeting?

JPAUL: Tingin ko ‘yong technology may kakayanan siyang mag-expand o gawin mas accessible ‘yong learning experiences. Ngayon, kahit i-post mo lang online, kahit sino, nasaan man sila, kaya nilang um-attend o i-access at their own time. Hindi kailangang sabay. Hindi man sila invitee, o hindi sila initially interested doon, baka nakita lang nila o napadaan. Ayon, expanding the reach. Hindi pa siya gano’n ka-expensive. Dati kasi diba, ang mahal ng venue tapos magpapakain ka. May nametags nad materials ka pa times ilang tao. Tapos ngayon kaya mong umabot nang libu-libo na kaunti lang ‘yong puhunan.

CELINA: Kahit free though, napapansin kong mayro’n parang nasa Zoom sila tapos may cap. Ginagawa kaya nila ‘yon mas for management ng number of participants?

GERSON: Posible. Nakikita ko ‘yong from the facilitator or speaker’s end, ang hirap mag-manage at mag-connect to your participants if it’s only a single direction type of communication. Halimbawa tayo sa Zoom or Google Meet, marami tayong mga activities na humihingi tayo ng responses sa kanila eh. And kung facilitator ka tapos hindi mo alam kung kumusta ‘yong pagtanggap ng participants mo o nasaan na sila ngayon, may sense of isolation din siya eh, na ang kausap mo lang ay ‘yong sarili mo o slides mo. I think ‘yon ‘yong problema ‘pag dating sa mga ultra massive na learning experiences. May tendency na for the facilitator, hindi ka makaka-connect sa lahat ng participants. At the same time, kung ikaw ‘yong participant, it’s hard to feel seen. Posibleng maging passice learner ka as opposed to becoming an active participant in the learning experience.

CELINA: I don’t know if there are people like me na, as participant, minsan ayaw mo rin talagang mag-engage completely. Kumbaga, what you have energy for is really just to be listening and consuming the learning experience at a time na kaya mo siya. Parang nakita kong benefit ng pagse-stream. Kasi diba kahit live ‘yon, may replay ‘yong mga live. Sa Facebook, sa YouTube, you can watch it again. I usualy watch the webinars that I want to attend at midnight, kung kailan alam kong tahimik. Mas tahimik ‘yong utak ko, mas may headspace ako. Na-appreciate ko na there’s that option to consume it when I can. I think medyo powerful ‘yon.

As a designer, what do you think was one of the most powerful learning experiences that you’ve designed during this time?

GERSON: Gusto ko ‘yong sinabi mo that there are some learning experiences that give you the flexibility to learn whenever it’s best for you or whenever it’s convenient for you. It has something to do with learning at their own time. Mayro’n tayong isang project, it’s with a partner that was setting up what they call community learning hubs kung saan they are trying to help the distance learning situation by creating actual safe spaces for students to come in and be supervised by a tutor or an adult.

So tayo, naatasan tayo to design the onboarding or orientation program for all the volunteers and these are volunteers from all over the country, from all different local government units. I think ‘yong first batch, around 200 volunteers at that time. Originally ‘yong plano was to make a synchronous session over Zoom or over Google Meet, pero nahirapan talagang mag-schedule. And so we decided to use Facebook. We created a Facebook community and create self-paced learning materials. Some of them are readings, videos, handouts, infographics. May different ways.

At first, may tendency na mag-doubt ‘yong partners. Matatapos ba nila ‘yan? ‘Di naman nila sabay-sabay na gagawin ‘yan. Kailangan may reward pa o attendance. That’s one of the questions of many people when you’re starting to design. Pero alam ninyo, after a month, 100% completion. All of the volunteers engaged in it. And one of the reasons was because we gave them that freedom. May ibang volunteers kasi na busy sila sa umaga at hindi makaka-attend ng live sessions. They could only attend to learning in the evening. So with this flexibility, nagkaroon ng opportunity for everyone to engage and to learn. So no one got left behind. Sobrang na-floor ako doon. I think that’s a powerful experience.

JPAUL: Akin tungkol sa trust sa sarili. Mayro’n tayong project kung saan tinutulungan natin itong grupo ng mga module writers at trainers na mag-develop ng modules para sa online. Kasi ‘yong ginagawa nilang modules dati, face-to-face. Noong una, siyempre ang dami nating binababang konsepto, mga tools, mga techniques sa online. Medyo litaw na ‘yong pag-doubt sa sarili na ‘kaya ko ba talaga ‘yan eh hindi ako sanay diyan?’ Pero ‘yong ginawa kasi natin, minodel natin sa kanila. Lahat ng ginagawa nila sa engagement nila sa atin, magagamit talaga nila.

Halimbawa, sa workshop natin, magkikita tayo nang umaga mga 9-12 for synchronous, pero sa hapon may Facebook group – videos, articles, worksheets – sila. Magagamit ninyo ito kapag kayo na ‘yong magte-train sa mga ibang trainers at teachers. Tulad ng mag check in, norms, tools. Ang habang engagement nito, ilang buwan. Currently, binababa na nila ‘yong mga natutunan nila sa iba pang trainers. Tayo, invited tayo as resource speakers at tech support. Pero minimal na ‘yong assistance na kailangan nila. Kahit sa facilitation nila, hindi na sila kinakabahan. Nakakatuwang makita na nagbunga ang pakikisama natin sa kanila nang ilang buwan. Powerful kasi nakikita natin how they owned it. ‘Di lang nila kinopya ‘yong ginagawa natin eh. They did it in their own way.

CELINA: Gusto ko rin mag-share ng isang learning experience kung saan sabihin na nating isa ako sa mga promotor ng learning experience na ito. Noong mga nakaraang buwan kasi diba ang dami natin proyekto na talagang teacher training ang ginagawa natin dahil ang daming schools and organizations na nagpapa-train on how to effectively design for blended learning. Isang araw, naisip ko, ‘Wow! Sobrang lakas na ng teachers natin ah. Sobrang powerful na nila kasi talaganag kaliwa’t kanan ‘yong training nila. Tapos pinag-iisipan ko, kung ‘yong mga teacher natin, sobrang ready na silang mag-blended learning teacher, sino namang nagpre-prepare sa mga students natin na maging blended learning student? Paano naman sila? Do they feel as prepared as us educators?

Mula do’n, nagkaroon tayo ng proyekto na – ‘yong mga module? Marami kasing gumagawa ngayon ng modular learning. Gumawa rin tayo ng isang module para sa isang school kung saan ang punto ng module is ihanda ‘yong mga estudyante natin para sa magiging modular learning set-up. Kumabaga, ‘yon na ‘yong naging playground nila na ‘Sige, i-explore natin ‘yong LMS, ‘yong Google Classroom. Kung mayro’n tayong mali-mali na na-upload. Kung nagclass comment tayo instead of private comment. Mga gano’ng little things. ‘Yon na ‘yong naging playground nila.

Na-feel ko na sobrang powerful ‘yon n’ong bumalik na ‘yong feedback mula sa mga estudyante kasi sabi talaga nila na na-appreciate nilang inisip sila ng school nila hindi lang para ‘Magpatuloy lang tayo ng learning! Sige, kaya natin!’ because you can go that track. But instead the school thought about how the students would feel before they engage in schooling. Thinking about the students, na no one really gets left behind. Teachers are strong, but also our students feel strong.

Fast talk! Finish the statements

CELINA: ‘Yong large question natin dito is if more people thought like designers, ano kaya ang magiging hitsura ng komunidad natin? Kinakabahan na ba kayo?

GERSON: Nakatayo ako!

JPAUL: Ako rin!

CELINA: Na-pressure ako! Maikli lang listahan ko! Sige, sisimulan ko kay Gerson. Meetings would be…

GERSON: Easy.

CELINA: Webinars would be…

JPAUL: Interactive.

CELINA: Schools would be…

GERSON: fun!

CELINA: Teacher training would be…

JPAUL: looked forward to.

CELINA: Remote learning would be…

GERSON: Flexible.

CELINA: Parents and families would be…

JPAUL: Supportive.

CELINA: Last. Learners would be…

GERSON: Learning! Ang self-explanatory, no? Hindi, totoo naman diba? Not all learners are learning if it’s not well designed.

Check Out

CELINA: Finish the statement. A powerful learning experience in a pandemic is…

CELINA: authentic.

JPAUL: human.

GERSON: Grabe ‘yon din sasabihin ko, JPaul! A powerful learning experience in a pandemic is… kind.

[Habi Hour outro]