By: MELANIE Y. PADILLA

Teacher III

Distance Modular Learning – a concept that gained the spotlight in the educational sector in the midst of the global pandemic. The Department of Education implemented this approach during the 2020-2021 school year in order to avoid the dreaded learning gap which was about to happen while the strict health protocols were in effect throughout the country. And while the implementation pushed through despite the various critics and concerns, one question still remains: does distance modular learning approach advantageous to the 21st century learners?

On one side of the coin, the approach is indeed favorable for current learners. With the concept of being able to learn at their own pace and comfortable environment, this student-centered approach highly recognizes that the student themselves must be the one responsible for their own learning. The approach also emphasizes the need to use additional materials such as books or the internet. In this technological world, the distance modular learning seems like the best solution to the educational dilemma.

However, just like most things, distance modular learning also has its flaws and limitations. For the most part, due to the lack of an authoritative figure to monitor them, it can’t be denied that some students become complacent and allow others to do the modular work for them. The format of the modules also makes the task daunting with several lessons jammed into just one module. And that is just for one subject; just imagine, a student has to work with jam-packed modules from several subjects plus the performance tasks and summative tests in just a couple of weeks. The approach may have relied on the student working at their own pace but the workload alone is already overwhelming for anyone. Not to mention that the approach fails to address the informal education of the students which can only be achieved by interacting with classmates, schoolmates, teachers and other people in the school environment and in the wider community.

Overall, the distance modular learning is a good approach to continue students’ learning even with the pandemic restrictions; and true, the approach is nowhere near perfect. But we are Filipinos, globally known to be resilient. Resilience is what makes us roll with the punches and work with what we have; and whether we like or not, in terms of education, distance modular learning is all the students have right now. ###