Educators learn to reinvent education in hybrid learning activity

School leaders and administrators across the country were encouraged to reimagine the teaching and learning environment for the post-pandemic world in Diwa Learning Systems Inc’s first-ever hybrid event.

Organized in partnership with the Bato Balani Foundation Inc, Reinvent|ED: Teaching and Learning for the Evolving World helps school leaders to plan for the next school year by guiding them to become catalysts for innovation. The hybrid event was held on 28 May 2022 at Limapark Hotel in Batangas and streamed live via Zoom.

The first part of the program called “Schools Reinvent|ED: Ideas from Leaders on the Cusp of Change” featured four school leaders from different parts of the country. They shared their own unique perspectives on what reinventing education entails.

Dondon B. Buensuceso, PhD, Grade School Principal of Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati, emphasized the need to invest in facilities, gadgets, and teacher training, so that schools can innovate. Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati is one of the first private schools in the Philippines that has already conducted hybrid classes, where both face-to-face and online learning are happening simultaneously inside the classroom.

“In all the changes or innovations that we would be implementing, we have to train our teachers, realign all the guidelines with our vision and mission and with the philosophy of the institution, and negotiate the changes,” shared Dr. Buensuceso. “Remember that we should seek not only to survive but to grow.”

The Mabini Academy’s Grade School to Senior High School Principal, Ms. Abegail H. Vergara, however, shared that some of her teachers were overwhelmed with the sudden shift to online teaching but that they were able to adjust and transition smoothly by learning and training together.

Ms. Vergara’s experience was similar to the journey of Southern City Colleges Junior and Senior High School Principal Ms. Juanita V. Hibaya, whose school had to create inclusive solutions for the challenges brought by the education disruption despite having limited resources.

“In crisis, we all shall be learners. So, we are learning everyday as school administrators, as principals, as teachers. And we have to learn so that we know what to do and we know where we shall go from here,” Ms. Hibaya reminded participants.

Meanwhile, the Vice President of Academic Affairs of the Sacred Heart Academy, Sta. Maria (Bulacan) Inc, Willam DC Enrique, PhD, shared that readiness for new undertakings should always include awareness of the risks involved as well as the inclusion of stakeholders in every decision.

Schools as innovation hubs

“The narratives of innovation prompt the narrative of recovery. If you know new things are likely to create excitement [and] change, then that’s the one that you have to show,” shared Edizon A. Fermin, PhD, Vice President for Academic Affairs of The National Teachers College.

A renowned educator and thought leader in the country, Dr. Fermin facilitated the second half of the hybrid event. His talk “From Continuity To Recovery: Shaping Every School As An Innovation Hub” gave a comprehensive look into what post-pandemic teaching and learning would mean for our schools.

With the key to reinventing education being the willingness to think outside of established norms and conventions, Dr. Fermin invited attendees to look beyond online, face-to-face, and hybrid flexible learning in order to arrive at an education environment that is truly adaptive and responsive in a post-disruption age.

“The capital of innovation is your capability to raise awareness of the very people that you wish to put in your system,” added Dr. Fermin. “It’s not about how fast you will do it, that’s a given, but it’s how you will engage people at the right time with the right methodology. And only at that point can you secure your rightful place in the world of educational innovation.”

Reinvent|ED: Teaching and Learning for the Evolving World is one of various training opportunities offered by educational resource provider Diwa Learning Systems Inc that emphasizes on the crucial role of innovation and collaboration so schools can thrive under any circumstance.

To learn more about Diwa’s products and services, visit www.diwa.ph.