The Philippine School Doha (PSD) has started to consider various learning strategies that could be adopted once the school reopens, PSD principal Dr Alexander Acosta has said.
The move, according to Acosta, was in anticipation that the impact of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) is expected to remain even after the quarantine regulations are relaxed.
“Currently, PSD is working on a framework on ways to fulfill a learning continuity plan that would address challenges caused by the pandemic. There is no definite ‘one-size-fits-all’ programme on which the delivery approach will be executed during the learning continuity place.
“Further, a survey was conducted by the PSD’s Research Development Accreditation Office to determine the accessibility of students to distance learning options, as well as potential challenges that households would face in the adjusted system,” said Acosta in a statement to Gulf Times.
Training is on-going for PSD faculty as part of their In-Service Training (INSET) for teachers to empower them to adjust to new methods of learning, which is anticipated to become the new normal even after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Having competent and qualified educators, PSD assures to produce different practical activities for kinesthetic learners who favour a more hands-on type of scheme than just listening to lectures.
“Thus, presentations and videos to suit every kind of learner will be added. The school understands the need to design instructional materials with different types of learners in mind. The idea is to really embolden students to learn. Students can follow the modules that are intended to undertake information genuinely,” Acosta stressed.
He said the other ancillary materials will also help develop topics and give students a different point of view.
“Being incapable to connect virtual classes due to schedule disparities is no longer a cause to avoid a class. Students can effortlessly catch up on simulated classes by viewing them on the online platform of the school, as sessions can be recorded for viewing at any point. Students can also watch the classes on rerun to elucidate information on the topics conferred,” Acosta said.
Similarly, the PSD principal said the teacher-to-student ratio is also not an issue with remote learning. Aside from virtual classrooms, he said PSD faculty and staff can also receive inquiries through e-mail and via the official school website, psd.sch.qa, where students can get the benefit of a more targeted response to their queries.
“We will have numerous electronic instructional modules for each grade level and each subject area every week of the school year. We estimate that we have to produce several downloadable instructional e-modules per week.
“The decision on what learning strategy to adopt would also be highly dependent on the health scenario. If the community quarantine remains until September and classes will require strict social distancing, then PSD will definitely not require face-to-face classes and will only allow distance learning,” Acosta added.
