Online Collaborative Learning and the Enhancement of Most Essential Learning Competencies in General Mathematics among Grade Eleven Senior High School Students

Abstract

Making collaborative learning happen during a pandemic raised concerns and doubts among educators, given that learning during these trying times emphasized the importance of cooperating, corroborating, and interacting, particularly on subjects that were thought to be difficult, such as mathematics. The uncertainty stems from the question of how collaborative learning affects competency learning. Teaching students to acquire mathematical competencies is difficult in and of itself in a face-to-face setting; thus, peer-teaching and collaborative learning are always on the list to help below-average learners cope easily. This study determined the effect of online collaborative learning on the enhancement of most essential learning competencies (MELC) in General Mathematics. The study focused on thirty-five (35) respondents who were enrolled in online classes in the aforementioned subject during the academic year 2020-2021. The results revealed a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores, indicating that the OCL aided the students in mastering General Mathematics competencies. It was suggested that Mathematics Supervisors, Coordinators, Master Teachers, and Teachers propose in-service training or a learning action cell (LAC) that covers teaching and training of ways and means for teachers to make collaborative learning possible through the use of various modern-day applications such as Google Breakout Rooms, Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), and other platforms to ensure learners can still interact and learn with peers amid tumultuous times.