The simulation is a preparation for the school’s plan to shift to a HyFlex learning modality next school year. HyFlex is a mode of learning wherein students online and students onsite attend a class simultaneously. According to Miriam College Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Jasmin Nario-Galace, the school is preparing for this set-up next school year as “a response to government mandates as well as results of consultations with students, parents, learning partners, faculty, and staff.”
A number of senior high school students attend their classes inside the classroom, while others participate online at the same time.
Prior to the simulation classes, MCN, in coordination with the MC Administrative Services Division and the Human Resource Department, prepared school facilities and established health and safety protocols in compliance with DepEd requirements. Mr. Ryan John Garcia, Senior High School Coordinator, gave an orientation on the HyFlex simulation classes to all SHS students and teachers. A survey was given to identify volunteer students for the onsite classes.
DepEd visits MCN
Representatives from the Department of Education Calamba City School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD) visited the MCN during the simulation and evaluated the school’s facilities and protocols based on the following indicators: operations, well-being, disaster risk reduction and management, and curriculum implementation.
Officials from the DepEd Calamba City SGOD observe the classes and evaluate the school’s facilities.
Ms. Dolorosa S. De Castro, Chief of the Curriculum Implementation Division, praised the school’s teaching and learning approach, saying that “the Hyflex approach is really aligned with the 21st century learners that we have at present and with the situation that we have at present.” She reiterated that HyFlex caters to the needs of the 21st century learners and needs in terms of the pandemic.
Members of the MCN administration explain protocols and guide them around the school.
After meeting with the school’s administrators and learning about MCN’s curriculum, she observed that the school’s practices are in line with the heutagogy and peeragogy approaches, which she advocates. Heutagogy provides positive inputs to learners and teachers using technology for them to have self- awareness and improvement, while peeragogy is working holistically with others using technology.
The DepEd Calamba City (SGOD) expressed their satisfaction with the school’s limited face to face setup.
MCN is home
Students were excited to be able to have classes in school once again. Those who attended onsite classes said that they were happy to finally see their classmates and teachers after two years of ODL. Some of them mentioned that they found learning easier, since they can interact with each other more comfortably.
Students expressed their joy in being able to visit the school. For the students who stepped into the campus for the first time, they mentioned that they were overwhelmed, but also amazed by the environment. “The sensations here make me feel so alive,” Grade 11 student Shann Alexander Ompoc shared, as he described the fresh air, the beauty of the chapel and the gardens, and the cordiality of the people in school. Lois Tobias, a Grade 12 student who joined MCN last year, shared that the MCN community made her feel welcome and at home.
Alec Tenerife, Grade 11 student, also mentioned that they felt safe with the protocols set in place, explaining that “there are a lot of implementations that the school has against COVID, like how we students always wear masks.”
The school’s HyFlex simulation was a success. The DepEd SGOD will endorse MCN to the Regional DepEd Office for a permit to operate limited face-to-face classes. The school continues to prepare for a HyFlex modality for the upcoming school year.