The University of the Philippines Open University Alumni Foundation, Inc. (UPOUAFI) Faculty of Education (FEd) Chapter conducted a Roundtable discussion entitled, “FEed Your Mind: A UPOU FEd Alumni Kapihan at Talakayan” as part of the UP Open University (UPOU) Alumni Congress on 30 July 2021.
The discussion revolved on how UPOU has helped the FEd alumni as educators face the challenges of online learning. The panelists also shared their learnings and experiences as UPOU graduates and in their respective jobs.
The panelists of the roundtable were Dr. Maria Rowena D.R. Raymundo, MD (Master of Distance Education Graduate), Ms. Katherine Bonsato (Master of Arts in Literacy and Language Education Student, Diploma in Language Literacy Education Graduate), Mr. Paulo Reyes (Bachelor of Education Studies Graduate), and Ms. Mariebelle Bas Balazuela (Bachelor of Education Studies Graduate). Ms. Mia Marci, President of the UP Open University Alumni Foundation, Inc. (UPOUAFI) and a graduate of Diploma in Language Literacy Education served as moderator.
The program started with a welcome message from Dr. Ricardo T. Bagarinao, Dean of the Faculty of Education (FEd). Dr. Bagarinao shared his belief that a stronger and better collaboration between the alumni and the Faculty can help the university in general.
The roundtable discussion started with the sharing of each panelist on how they are doing and how they are coping with the current situation. Ms. Bonsato said that it is hard to cope with the current pandemic situation. Since the current situation is very different from the normal situation that everyone is used to, it is important to stop and rethink first on how to deal with it. She shared that her way of coping is not in terms of motivation but through changing her habit in a step-by-step process.
Currently working in Japan, Ms. Bonsato shared her observation on the attitude of the parents of her students. She said that parents need to have an open mind and be adaptable to the current learning setup so as not to compromise the learning of the students, especially if the students are willing to learn. In the current learning situation, parents are investing for their children to continue their schooling and Ms. Bonsato stressed the importance of being resourceful and exploring other ways to learn.
Dr. Raymundo, now a full-time faculty of UPOU, shared that there has been an increase in the number of requests from other institutions for UPOU to assist them in transitioning to remote learning. She added that there is also an increase in the number of enrollees particularly to the course she is teaching. At this time when everyone is trying to hang on, Dr. Raymundo reminded students to learn how to manage expectations. She encouraged students to do their best and be kind to themselves and for teachers to continue to be creative and innovative in finding new ways to teach. She encouraged everyone to be hopeful that the pandemic will soon pass but while in it, it is important not only to help ourselves but others as well. Dr. Raymundo also shared that the biggest misconception about online learning is that it is for everyone. She emphasized that students should not be forced to do online learning if it is not working for them. Although the topic is a bit controversial, she points out that what is important is for students to have a meaningful learning experience. Dr. Raymundo encouraged teachers to be an advocate for a true and meaningful educational experience using technology enabled tools to support learning, and not using it as the main driver in their way of teaching, at the same time, keeping a proper pedagogical framework in teaching.
Mr. Reyes shared that what keeps him hanging on as an instructional designer is his mission, which is helping people contribute to their organizations and build a career in whatever role they are in right now. He wants the role of the people to be changed by the modules he designed for them and how these can help in accomplishing their tasks on a daily basis. Mr. Reyes noted that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic is that schools are now easily integrating and using technology in their classes. He also encouraged students and teachers to use the numerous available technological tools online because they are open source and free. He believes that the pandemic highlights the role of the teacher as a facilitator which is very different from the traditional role.
Ms. Banzuela shared that initially she was expecting that her students would be able to cope easily with the online set-up of learning being digital natives, only to find out that they were having a hard time navigating new tools of learning. She then realized that age doesn’t matter because everyone is struggling in the current learning set-up. Ms. Banzuela also shared that, sadly, a lot of teachers gave up their teaching profession through early retirement or searched for another job due to inability to cope with the online learning set-up. She added that the current situation taught her to be humble and made her realize that she still has a lot to learn.
The round table discussion was held via Zoom and was streamed live on the UPOU Facebook Page and the UPOU Networks. To rewatch the discussion, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ-E_b-ozh8.
