By Ferdinand E. Padilla, Teacher III, Callos Integrated School

The school lockdown and the implementation of modular learning delivery modality in
most public elementary schools, specifically in Callos Integrated School posed many
challenges to the teachers, learners and parents too. During the school year when everyone had
to embrace the new normal education set up, teachers and learners observed changes such as
using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) that reduces the number of
competencies to achieve; unpacked by teachers for a clearer and achievable objective of the
lesson. This is applied in all subjects including non-academic subjects like EPP of Grade IV.
Edukasyong Pangtahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) Grade IV has four components
namely Home Economics, ICT and Entrepreneurship, Elementary Agriculture (EA) and
Industrial Arts (IA). As an EPP teacher, this author handles the subject and in the modular
learning delivery modality, most lessons in these components were not completely understood
by just sending them print materials. During the height of pandemic and transformed classes,
teachers must impose the flexibility of learning, of which teachers had to consider the learners’
location, accessibility to internet connection and capacity of home facilitators so the required
learning outcomes can be gauged aside from their submitted modules and activity sheets.
Teachers of EPP have to rely on sending powerpoint or video presentations of lessons like
understanding and familiarizing learners on computer parts and basic operations, knowing the
concept of entrepreneurship while in agriculture and industrial arts, they must teach learners
what are the scientific ways of growing ornamental plants, how to benefit from simple animal
raising and clips on decorating, assembling simple designs made of ceramics, carton or wood.
Learners also perform their tasks by submitting pictures and video while doing their learning
outputs. The activities were really inclined to be more on digital platforms due to very slim
chance of doing them physically in school since children do not have the permission yet to go
to schools.
It was right after the re-opening of limited face-to-face classes to selected areas, including
our school, Callos Integrated School in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija that limited and expansion of
face-to-face classes are held. The in-person learning resumed after twenty months or nearly
two years of suspension, as education is slowly going back to the conventional way but this
time, with so many things to consider especially the observance of health and safety standards

set by the Department of Education and partner- government agencies. The opportunity to teach
and learn face-to-face is again back in shape and although in limited scope, the teacher has this

question in mind: Can the learners now comply to the learning activities they have in EPP-
plant, care and demonstrate the actual procedures of growing plants? Can they present

manually how is the proper way of operating a desktop computer? Can they be given actual
measurement activity of things around using the English and metric system?

Again, everyone is reminded that presence in school and learning is in limited option-
go only for the continuity of learning focusing first on their literacy, numeracy and writing

skills; maybe the laboratory of life skills in EPP will take some time before it is fully delivered
and practiced in school. For the meantime, teacher has to adopt “near to actual or real”
application of the concepts to learn.