Teaching Oral Communication Using Blended Learning in the Next Normal: Strategies, Challenges, Coping Mechanisms

Due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19), schools shifted to blended learning in 2020. Consequently, in the school year 2022-2023, the division of Makati conducted an online English Assessment at the six senior high public schools in Makati; the results showed a low literacy level among students. Thus, this study investigated seven participants' lived experiences in teaching the components of communicative competence: strategic and discourse, in the subject of Oral Communication, using blended learning in the new normal. The researcher used phenomenology to explore the teaching strategies, challenges, and coping mechanisms. Data was collected using triangulation, which involved seven participants, three key informants, and three encoders. Responses were analyzed using thematic analysis. The study revealed that the strategies utilized in teaching discourse competence in online classes were teaching discourse markers, facilitation of speaking activities, feedback elicitation, and utilizing online platforms. Guided speaking activities, teaching discourse markers, and feedback elicitation were used in face-to-face classes. Meanwhile, teaching communication strategies, facilitating authentic activities, and utilizing multimedia platforms were used to teach strategic competence online. Moreover, teaching communication strategies, facilitating authentic speaking activities, and using multimedia tools were utilized face-to-face. The online challenges were the limitation of non-verbal cues, learners' lack of motivation, intermittent internet connection, limitation of authentic speaking tasks, and lack of immediate feedback. Consequently, in face-to-face interaction, low English proficiency, low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and behavior were noted. To address these, the online coping mechanisms used were online and multimedia platforms, facilitating authentic speaking activities, applying learnings from webinars, motivating the students, eliciting feedback, and teaching communicative strategies. In addition, in face-to-face classes, collaborative guided speaking practices, utilization of online platforms, encouraging the students to speak in English, facilitation of authentic speaking activities, and classroom discipline were used.