By Myra V. Salazar, Master Teacher I, Peñaranda Central School

Classroom teachers and learners are equally delighted in the resumption of limited
face-to face classes that was launched in the last week of March this year. The pilot schools
had their limited face-to-face sometime in November of last year, and the impressive
success of this led to the imposition of progressive and expanded limited face-to-face

classes in other low-risk areas in the country. Among the schools allowed to hold face-to-
face classes is Peñaranda Central School and in my advisory class, more than half of the

enrolled learners participated.
As instructed, teachers followed the guidelines in DepEd Order No 17series 2022,
concentrating on the policy in ensuring teaching-learning. The limited class hours were
maximized in stimulating learners to continue their pursuit of learning, and in reinventing
the preparedness of learners in the new normal; they already adjusted themselves in the
modular modality and this time, they will again readjust- for the resumption of in-person
learning. Learners were assessed and to the disappointment of most teachers, majority of
them in the face-to-face classes had performed unsatisfactorily to the competencies
expected of them. Many are poor in reading, in comprehension, in solving and even in
writing.
Personally, my Mathematics 5 class was beyond the skills they should be
demonstrating, in terms of solving equations and word problems. To address this, I use an
intervention named Project: Climb and Learn: A fairytale-themed gameboard which is
utilized in filling the gaps in learning caused by disrupted classes in pandemic times.
Though the learners are already in the intermediate level, there is still the need to practice
them in solving equations using the fundamental operations- addition, subtraction,

multiplication and division. Ironically, the modules sent to learners during the quarantine
times when they were exclusively on modular learning delivery modality were
accomplished and answered correctly but at present, they are struggling to solve simple
Mathematical equations.
Interventions like the fairytale-themed gameboard is designed to stimulate the
learners’ fun in learning and at the same time, they were taught of fairy tales with values
infused. This kind of strategy modified the adventures of characters in such a way that
learners will be solving Mathematical operations, every correct answer is considered a
triumph, and all collected answers lead to the top where the main reward is achieved. An
hour a day, for four times a week, learners play this gameboard, until their speed and
accuracy in numbers are regained. For variation of gameboards and activities, teacher has
prepared different fairy tale-themed gameboards, each with distinct mechanics to follow
but everything has a common purpose: to fill the gaps in learning Math and catch up with
the next competencies to learn.
Teachers always explore their creativity to put up learning materials or adopt
strategies that will remediate, improve or enhance their leaners’ skills, in whatever learning
area they are found appropriate. When they assess learners and find them struggling,
teachers’ innate response is to help them. They search for means and ways to address the
problems identified. The feeling of contentment and pride is achieved when learners who
were previously left behind become updated to their competency level, or when they
improve their skills, or when they simply demonstrate interest in studying and continue the
habit of reviewing and practicing their lessons. If the interventions utilized are effective,
again teacher and learners are equally delighted.