Patterns of Teaching and Learning Styles in a Virtual School-Based Learning Action Cell

Abstract

This study aims to determine the emerging teaching and learning style patterns in a school-based learning action cell. The SLAC was institutionalized to nurture the teaching-learning process and to enhance pedagogy in addressing school-related problems in primary education. Typically, the activities involve the group’s leader acting as the specialist, and the members; identify the necessary competencies and practices to help improve student achievement. These collaborative learning sessions mimic the traditional teacher-learner classroom interaction as ‘specialistmember interaction’ and then harness their preferred styles. However, key challenges usually face the teachers, such as critical identification of actual classroom activities to be selected from and how to execute their agreed learning plans. Appending to the issue is the explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic, which affects all in-person educational activities, including the SLAC; it poses new challenges as it shifts towards virtual learning mode. To explore the style patterns, we adapted the Grasha-Riechmann integrated model, remodeled it, and fitted it into the SLAC context. The modified survey instruments were administered to 97 teachers randomly selected from 16 primary education institutions in the southern region of the Philippines. The specialists responded to the teaching styles inventory, while the SLAC members responded to the learning styles inventory. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the number of latent constructs from principal axis factoring and varimax rotation of factors with Kaiser normalization. The findings revealed a blended style facilitator-model-delegatorexpert for the specialist and collaborative-independent styles for the members. This research generates constructs for teaching styles as patterns described as professional learning and ethical practice, leadership mentoring, self-directed learning, leadership, confidence delegation, and encouraging responsibility.