Teacher's Corner

LIBRARY ORIENTATION SCHEDULE

2010-06-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

The Library and the Instructional Media Center (IMC) are closely collaborating with the educative community in the use of Learning Resource Center (LRC). The Orientation Program aims to help the students in familiarizing the Library and IMC vision-mission, objectives, policies, programs and services.

June 21, 2010 (Monday)

June 22, 2010

(Tuesday)

June 23, 2010

(Wednesday)

June 24, 2010

(Thursday)

June 25, 2010

(Friday)

7:20-8:20

III-Prudence

7:20-8:20

II Dedication

7:45-8:45

I Knowledge

8:20-9:20

III-Sobriety

8:10-9:00

III-Fortitude

8:45-9:45

II Diligence

9:50-10:50

II Fraternity

9:50-10:50

III-Justice

10:50-11:50

IV Loyalty

10:15-11:15

I Understanding

10:50-11:50

II Zeal

12:50-1:50

II-Determination

10:20-11:10

IV Generosity

10:05-11:05

I Wisdom

11:10-12:00

IV Service

2:05-3:05

III-Temperance

1:50-2:40

I Courage

3:10-4:10

IV-Availability

3:10-4:10

I-Counsel

What is Understanding by Design?

2010-05-18T23:08:00.000-07:00

Understanding by Design (UbD) is a framework for improving student achievement. Emphasizing the teacher's critical role as a designer of student learning, UbD works within the standards-driven curriculum to help teachers clarify learning goals, devise revealing assessments of student understanding, and craft effective and engaging learning activities.

Developed by nationally recognized educators Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, and published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Understanding by Design is based on the following key ideas:

A primary goal of education should be the development and deepening of student understanding.
Students reveal their understanding most effectively when they are provided with complex, authentic opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess. When applied to complex tasks, these "six facets" provide a conceptual lens through which teachers can better assess student understanding.
Effective curriculum development reflects a three-stage design process called "backward design" that delays the planning of classroom activities until goals have been clarified and assessments designed. This process helps to avoid the twin problems of "textbook coverage" and "activity-oriented" teaching, in which no clear priorities and purposes are apparent.
Student and school performance gains are achieved through regular reviews of results (achievement data and student work) followed by targeted adjustments to curriculum and instruction. Teachers become most effective when they seek feedback from students and their peers and use that feedback to adjust approaches to design and teaching.
Teachers, schools, and districts benefit by "working smarter" through the collaborative design, sharing, and peer review of units of study.

In practice, Understanding by Design offers:

a three-stage "backward planning" curriculum design process anchored by a unit design template
a set of design standards with attendant rubrics
and a comprehensive training package to help teachers design, edit, critique, peer- review, share, and improve their lessons and assessments.

Read more about the article. Click here.

Stress Management: : how to reduce, prevent and cope with stress

2010-01-14T17:06:00.000-08:00

from Helpguide.org

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses:

Do you explain away stress as temporary (“I just have a million things going on right now”) even though you can’t remember the last time you took a breather?
Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (“Things are always crazy around here”) or as a part of your personality (“I have a lot of nervous energy, that’s all”).
Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional?

Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no “one size fits all” solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control.

Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four A’s

Change the situation:

Avoid the stressor.
Alter the stressor.

Change your reaction:

Adapt to the stressor.
Accept the stressor.

Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress. Not all stress can be avoided, and it’s not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate.

Learn how to say “no”
Avoid people who stress you out
Take control of your environment
Avoid hot-button topics
Pare down your to-do list

Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation. If you can’t avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesn’t present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life.

Express your feelings instead of bottling them up.
Be willing to compromise.
Be more assertive.
Manage your time better.

Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor. If you can’t change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude.

Reframe problems.
Look at the big picture.
Adjust your standards.
Focus on the positive.

Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you can’t change. Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You can’t prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, it’s easier than railing against a situation you can’t change.

Don’t try to control the uncontrollable.
Look for the upside.
Share your feelings.
Learn to forgive.

Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation. Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, you’ll be in a better place to handle life’s stressors when they inevitably come.

Set aside relaxation time.
Connect with others.
Do something you enjoy every day.
Keep your sense of humor.

Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle. You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.

Exercise regularly.
Eat a healthy diet.
Reduce caffeine and sugar.
Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
Get enough sleep.

Learning beyond the four walls of the classroom

2009-08-04T01:35:00.000-07:00

by Dr. Lilian Leynes-Juadiong(Manila Bulletin)

Children cannot develop in an optimum manner unless their physical needs are met. That includes providing them with proper nutrition, clean air and a secure environment. Apart from these needs, the child must be surrounded by adults who are caring and available to help them meet these basic needs. Children also need a learning environment that will encourage them to explore and experience the world, which is the child's source of knowledge aside from the classroom. Every child is naturally inquisitive. When the child is curious, he investigates his own little world. You give him a ball, he squeezes, bounces and smells it. In the process of carefully studying the ball (investigation), he discovers answers to questions about the ball (final product - knowledge). For children, the learning process is more important than the final product.

Cultivating a curious attitude

Consider the child's developmental level. Give them activites and materials that they can handle, thus avoiding frustration and strengthening their self-esteem.
Avoid telling the children the best way to do things. Let them discover for themselves. While curiosity enhances the cognitive development of children, we should also consider their socio - emotional development manifested through helping, caring and sharing behaviors. All children have the ability to be affected deeply by other people's emotional state. Adults can teach children the value of helping, caring and sharing.
Make your environment as nurturing as possible like taking care of pets and plants.
Foster self-esteem. Children with high self-esteem can be caring for others because they are not pre-occupied with their own perceived inadequacies.
Assist children in defining their own feelings, positive or negative, towards others. Children can't empathize with the emotions of others until they understand their own.
Welcome children's help and show how much you appreciate even the smallest effort. They should help because they want to, not because they expect rewards.
Let children know how much you value helping, caring and sharing and be a good role model to them. The most important role of parents is that of a behavior model. Children tend to mimic what adults do more often than what they say. The ways that you communicate, solve problems, relate to others coupled with an enriched learning environment form a powerful tool for how your children will learn and behave beyond the four walls of the classroom.

Teaching with the brain in mind: The Learning Styles approach

2009-06-18T01:47:00.000-07:00

by Henry S. Tenedero (Manila Bulletin)

It was always been a dilemma for an educator to analyze the way he teaches his class, "Am I being as effective as I want to be a as a teacher?" Honestly, you don't have to ask yourself if you know the basic questions in a child's learning that is, "How do my students learn as exclusive and unique entities?" Perhaps after reading this article you would actually consider yourself not a teacher but a medium for your students' distinct learning style.

The research on learning styles explains why, in the same family, certain children perform well in school whereas their siblings do not. It demonstrates the differences in style among members of the same class, culture, community, profession, or socioeconomic group, but it also reveals the differences and similarities between groups. It shows how boys' styles differ from girls' and the differences between youngsters who learn to read easily and poorly. However, more important than the documentation of how conventional schooling responds to certain youngsters and inhibits the achievement of others, the research on learning styles provides clear directions for either how to teach individuals through their styles or how to teach them to teach themselves by capitalizing on their personal strengths.

Everybody has strengths, although parent's strengths tend to differ from each other's, from their children, and from their own parents'. Thus, mothers and fathers often learn differently from each other and from their children. However, a common parental practice is to insist that children study and do their homework as those adults did when they were young. That is not likely to be effective for at least some of the siblings because, in the same family, members usually learn in diametrically opposite ways.

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE
The terms analytic/global, left/right, sequential/simultaneous, and inductive deductive have been used interchangeably and tend to parallel each other. Analytics learn more easily when information is presented step-by-step in a cumulative sequential pattern that builds toward a conceptual understanding.

Globals learn more easily when they either understand the concept first and they can concentrate on the details, or when they are introduced to the information with, preferably, a humorous story replete with examples and graphics. However, what is crucial to understanding brain functioning, is that both types reason, but by different strategies. Thus, whether youngsters are analytic or global, left or right, sequential or simultaneous, or inductive or deductive processors they are capable of mastering identical in formation or skills if they are taught through instructional methods or resources that complement their styles. Processing style appears to change; the majority of elementary school children are global. However, the older children get, and the longer they remain in school, the more analytic some become.

DIFFERENT STYLES, DIFFERENT NEEDS
What is fascinating is that analytic and global youngsters appear to have different environmental and physiological needs. Many analytics tend to prefer leaning in a quiet, well-illuminated, formal setting; they often have a strong emotional need to complete the tasks they are working on, and they rarely eat, drink, smoke, chew, or bite on objects while learning.

Conversely, globals appear to work with what teachers describe as distractors; they concentrate better with sound (music or background talking), soft lighting, an informal seating arrangement, and some form of intake. In addition, globals take frequent breaks while studying and often prefer to work on several tasks simultaneously. They begin something, stay with it for a short amount of time, stop, do something else, and eventually return to the original assignment.

Neither set of procedures is either better or worse than the other, they merely are different. Globals often prefer learning with their peers rather than either alone or with their teacher, and also often prefer to structure tasks in their own way; they tend to dislike imposed directives. What is interesting is that, with an IQ of 145 or higher, most gifted children are global. On the other hand most underachievers also are global. The difference between the high IQ and underachieving global students tend to be motivation and perceptual preferences.

It is understandable why the motivation levels of underachievers are lower than those of achievers, but what may separate the two groups is the biological development of their auditory, visual, tactual, and kinesthetic senses. Although we currently do not know how to intervene in their biological development, learning styles have been successful in teaching them through their existing perceptual preferences.

WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW
No doubt, teachers need to learn how to teach both analytically and globally. There are several easy-to-follow sources for learning how to do that. However, global students often require a different environment from the conventional classroom. They also appear to need more encouragement and short, varied tasks because of their lesser motivation and persistence levels.

Most children learn more easily when lessons are interesting to them, but globals require that new and difficult information be interesting , related to their lives, and permit active involvement. These are requirements for all youngsters; without doubt, they are necessary if globals are to master school requirements.

Back to school for students with ADHD

2009-05-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

by EDITHA R. MARTELINO (Manila Bulletin)

In a week’s time, the longer periods of sleep and leisure time will be over. Students will have to go back to the regular grind of transporting from home to school (and back), doing assignments, submitting projects and reports, preparing for exams, etc. This transition can be difficult to all children, most specially to those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD.

But if some students may seem excited with the opening of classes (new school items, classmates and teachers) children with ADHD may feel anxious about it most specially if their experiences in school have been frustrating.

PREPARING THE CHILD

The remaining days before school opens should be the best time for parents to gradually prepare their child for going back to school. The following tips could be helpful:

Adjust bed and wake up times. As early as now, help your child adjust to a new schedule by moving the "sleeping time" and "wake up" times to the "real time" they will be during the school year. Just make sure the new schedule will allow for enough sleep time at night. It is very important for children to get good quality sleep to help them in the learning process and for the child’s health in general.

Organize school supplies. Make your child enjoy and be a part of buying new school supplies and organizing his/her school bag. This will be a good time too to talk with your child about his/her feelings about school. Be a good listener.

Visit the school. Work out a visit in his/her school. This will be a good chance for the child to get acquainted with his new classroom and the school premises before school starts. Try to get an appointment with your child’s new teacher so he/she could meet your child and also show him/her around.

Create a study area. It doesn’t really have to be a big space – just a small desk or a small room would make for a nice study area. Just make sure this space will be your child’s permanently identified place for study. To make it more conducive to learning, prepare all necessary materials like pencils, pencil sharpener, paper, good light, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, ruler, etc so it will be easily accessible to your child when he/she needs it. Also list down the homework rules – what time it will begin, no television during homework time, no clutter on homework desk, etc and post it prominently in the study area.

Identify storage places. Designate special areas where your child could keep his/her school bag, lunch kit, school ID and other school paraphernalia. This will help him/her get into the habit of putting important school items in their designated areas when he/she comes home from school each day. It will also help him/her keep better track of important school items. Assist your child too in fixing his/her school bag each day.

THE TEACHER GETS READY TOO!

Although there are still no local statistics on ADHD, estimates run as high as having at least 3-5 percent of school-aged children’s population. Roughly, these amounts to at least one child in a classroom of 25 to 30 children will have ADHD.

Teachers are on the front line in dealing with and helping children with ADHD. It is therefore important for them to understand that the normal expectations from a "regular" student to sit still, stay in their seats, focus on their lessons, remember what they have been taught, submit school work on time, etc. will be more difficult for children with ADHD to perform.

It should also be emphasized that children with ADHD do not necessarily have "low IQs" , but on the contrary, they are very intelligent and creative. They may have no problem understanding the concepts being taught, but they may be unable to complete their work because of the difficulty they have staying on task. These children may also be emotionally immature and oftentimes, have low self-esteem.

Understandably, teachers, especially those with big class numbers, are often pressed for time and thus, do not have the ability to individually help each child. With both limited time and resources, teachers can truly be at a loss as to what they can do to help the child with ADHD. However, there are some simple and effective ways teachers can utilize to assist children with ADHD in their regular classroom:

Seat the child where distractions are minimized. The teacher can sit the child directly in front of him/her, along the aisle or beside a student who could easily focus and concentrate. Avoid sitting a child with ADHD by the doors, windows, and trashcans to minimize distractions.

Use a signal to help the child stay on task. Create a "special signal" between you and the child with ADHD. Signals could include tapping the child’s shoulder or your desk, just so the child would know that he/she is distracted and should get back on task. On the other hand, the child may also want to create a signal for you to know that they do not understand the lesson and may just be embarrassed to ask a question out loud. Agree on both signals and let the child know you are comfortable with it.

Find ways to praise the child. Look behind each accomplished task and recognize the effort. A tap on the shoulder or a small word as they leave the classroom can mean a great deal to a student with ADHD.

Center constructive criticism between compliments. If there is a need to let the student know about an off-task behavior in class, start with what they have done well first before offering constructive criticism. More importantly, let the student know that you appreciate their effort. This will make the child feel good about him/herself and be more open to listening to your comments in the future.

Find opportunities to allow hyperactive children to use their energy. Give them special tasks − get supplies from the office, distribute papers to the class, clean the board or fix the books on the shelf, etc. − to let them help you and at the same time channel their boundless energy. Giving them opportunities to move around will help them stay still during periods when sitting in their seat is a necessity. If possible, do not make the child finish work or complete tests during recess or lunch breaks. These hyperactive children need these breaks to use up their excess energy.

Find a "homework buddy." One of the major difficulties for students with ADHD is forgetting their homework and which items they need to bring home each day. A "homework buddy" can help the student with ADHD get the homeworks correctly written in his/her assignment notebook and also make sure that he/she brings home all books and papers needed.

STAY POSITIVE!

Another new school year can create anxieties not only to the child with ADHD but also to both parents and teachers. As parents, try your best to keep calm and positive yourself in order for your child to feel positive about school. School should also mean fun. The parents must remind your child to enjoy him/herself too!

Teachers on the other hand can start to think about the items listed above and work on more creative ways to reach out to the students with ADHD. Keep in mind that the child’s successful inclusion in your classroom is not only rewarding and fulfilling for the student but for you too!

Making a difference through learning styles

2009-03-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

By Henry S. Tenedero (Manila Bulletin, March 4, 2009)

It has been said before in many different ways, but it all boils down to the same thing and applies equally well to learning:

“Different strokes for different folks.”

“There’s more than one way to skin a cat.”

The point is that persons are a highly diverse lot. The point is that each person is unique. This uniqueness finds expression in every situation, including the classroom. Uniform, unvarying teaching styles are not only boring to the max; they are also ineffective.

Consider the classroom as a steak restaurant, the teacher a cook, the subject matter as beef, and the students as the diners. Old teaching paradigms would have the teacher-cook say, “This is the kind of steak I choose to serve you guys, and this is the way you are all going to have to take it.”

A new teaching paradigm says it’s a diner’s world there inside the classroom: it is the diner’s tastes that must be met. You want your students to take their steak, better serve it up the way they want it. Sure, it will mean a bit more work for the teacher. But once you see your diners lapping it up and asking for more, you’ll know that it was worth it.

This new teaching paradigm goes by the name of Learning Styles (LS). Over the past 22 years, this model has been field-tested and fine-tuned through research in more than 60 institutions of higher learning in the United States and other countries.

According to the model, there are at least 22 items in the learning preference menu, and these are grouped under five major categories: environmental, physiological, social, emotional, and psychological. It defines learning style as the sum of an individual learner’s preferences in all those categories.

Hey! 22 years of research; 22 items; five categories; 60 educational institutions – that’s a whole lot of cooking! Makes you wonder how we managed to learn anything at all under the old paradigms.
(Henry S. Tenedero is the president of the Center for Learning and Teaching Styles and MINDful IDEAS, an affiliate of the International Learning Styles Network, based at St. John’s University in New York. He is a graduate of the AIM Masters in Development management and of the Harvard Graduate School for Professional Educators. He can be reached at htenedero@yahoo.com.)

The Teacher Factor

2009-03-01T22:25:00.000-08:00

by Ina R. Hernando
from Manila Bulletin

Just like many schools, Bridges Foundation Inc. is also being affected by the exodus of teachers. But Bridge’s Grace R. Reyes believes that there will always be good people who will come to teach children with special needs.

Reyes says that one of the major strengths of their school is their teachers. This is why they are very meticulous in hiring. Aside from the educational credentials, they try to discern whether the teacher applicant has the heart, the compassion, commitment, patience and perseverance to deal with special needs children.

Beyond the educational knowledge and basic skills, teachers should also have the creativity to present the lessons in a varied manner and be equipped with basic communication skills to relate with the parents and caregivers. “They should also have the willingness to learn from other co-teachers and the sense of humor to laugh at their challenges and celebrate the ‘Aha’ moments with the children,” Reyes adds.

Furthermore, the teacher should have a positive attitude towards life in general.

“Our job is hard enough so it is important that the teachers we get are more in love with life because they are more inclined to share of themselves, and to be happier in what they do.”

She says that being a SpEd teacher is not just a job title but a vocation. “The teachers who stay and who turn out to be good SpEd teachers are those who have embraced that it’s a vocation.’’

To measure up, Bridges conducts training the whole year. “It’s a constant sharing in school, whether through informal discussions during lunch breaks or scheduled formal seminars. We teach and train based on what we have learned from other specialists we meet all over. Ours is a continuous learning process because there is so much that needs to be improved.”

Bridges also continuously trains teacher aides, parents and child’s caregivers to ensure that they handle children in the manner that will help them most. “We need all the help we could get in developing the capabilities of children under our care. This is also why we encourage the teachers to pursue further studies to hone their teaching skills.”

Gomburza Martyrdom Anniversary February 17, 1872

2009-02-16T15:47:00.000-08:00

from Manila Bulletin

"WITHOUT 1872," Dr. Jose P. Rizal wrote his friend Don Mariano Ponce, "there would not be now a Sanciangco, Plaridel, Lopez Jaena... Without 1872, Rizal would now be a Jesuit and, instead of writing the Noli Me Tangere, would have written the opposite."

To highlight further the impact of the Cavite Mutiny and the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora, Dr. Rizal dedicated his novel El Filibusterismo to the memory of the three priests, thus: "The Church, in refusing to degrade you, has placed in doubt the crime imputed to you; the Government, in shrouding your cause with mystery and obscurities, creates belief in some error committed in critical moments; and the whole Philippines, in venerating your memory and calling you martyrs, in no way acknowledges your guilt... May your blood be upon the hands of those who, without sufficient proof, assail your memory."

Many vital details about the martyrdom of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora remain hidden to most Filipinos. Foremost of these details is the extraordinary courage of the three martyrs in combatting theocracy in colonial Philippines. When the friars put up in 1868 the newspaper La Verdad and printed article after article vilifying the natives of the Philippines, Father Burgos put up the newspaper El Eco Filipino. Father Gomez kept the funds for the newspaper, while Father Zamora solicited contributions for its support. El Eco Filipino fought for the rights and honor of the Filipino people.

When Don Carlos Maria de la Torre became the governor-general of the Philippines in 1869, Father Burgos and several liberal Spaniards and Filipinos honored De la Torre with a serenade and dinner at the latter’s official residence in Intramuros. In turn, De la Torre publicly praised Father Burgos, declaring: "Hail! Father Burgos, Pride and Honor of the Philippines." The friars seethed with anger against all these happenings.

Implicated in the January 19-20, 1872, Cavite Mutiny and condemned to die by the garrote, the three priests were confined at Fort Santiago. There were attempts to save them. On the eve of the execution, Srta. Clarita Rubio de Celis recruited 60 men to carry out a suicidal mission – attack all colonial posts in Intramuros and spirit away the three priests. They were blocked by several native priests who feared a general backlash against the native population.

Asked to whom they would like to make a confession, Father Gomez replied: "To any of our most vociferous enemy so that they should know the purity of our conscience." Going up the scaffold, Father Gomez saw Major Boscasa, the prosecutor who condemned them to death, and said: "May God forgive you the way we have forgiven you." A friar replied: "Forgive them, Father Gomez, for they do not know what they did." Father Gomez turned to the friar and said: "Why should we forgive them if they did nothing wrong against us?"

Even colonial historians concluded that the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora was a blunder on the part of colonial government. The Cavite Mutiny of 1872 nourished Filipino nationalism.1872 produced 1896 which, in turn, produced June 12, 1898.

Our observance of the anniversary of Fathers Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora’s martyrdom will make our youth aware that the freedom they enjoy today was nourished by the blood and sacrifices of their forefathers.

Environmental Education now part of curriculum

2009-01-15T15:16:00.000-08:00

from Manila Bulletin

CONSISTENT with the policy of the State to protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology and cognizant of the vital role of the youth and the education sector in nation-building, the Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 (Republic Act No. 9512) was enacted on December 12, 2008.

All public and private schools are now required to integrate environmental education in their curricula on all levels, including barangay daycare, pre-school, non-formal technical vocational, professional, indigenous learning, and out-of-school youth courses or programs.

The law, that declared November every year as Environmental Awareness Month, cites environmental concepts, principles, and laws; the state of international and local environmental degradation and its impact on human well-being; the responsibility of all citizens to the environment; and the value of conservation, protection, and rehabilitation of our natural resources and the environment in the context of sustainable development. Previously, it was voluntary on the part of schools to integrate environmental issues, protection, and conservation in their lessons.

With the enactment of Republic Act No. 9512, there is hope that the current and future generations of Filipinos will be more appreciative of our environment and more aware and involved in ensuring that our ecological resources are conserved and safeguarded. The law enjoins the youth to become more responsible and responsive citizens, committed to the conservation and protection of the natural legacy of this planet, not only within the periphery of their schools but also in their communities.

Higher educational institutions, in particular, would do well to encourage their faculty and students, especially those in relevant disciplines, to undertake studies that can provide valuable and viable inputs to policymakers relative to environmental protection and conservation. Republic Act No. 9512, which comes at a time when the world is plagued by the damaging effects of global warming and climate change, will help produce "a new generation of Filipinos" who will be more concerned, protective, and nurturing of our ecosystem.

2008-11-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced yesterday that 17,816 elementary teachers out of 58,471 examinees and 18,801 secondary teachers out of 53,195 examinees successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) conducted by the Board for Professional Teachers on Sept. 28, 2008 in 24 testing centers nationwide.

Want to discover the teachers who passed? Just click the blackboard to know who they are.

The Top 10 examinees on the elementary level are:

Elisse Adrianne Hilario Regala, Philippine Normal University-Manila, 91.80 percent; Rudolf Tamangen Vecaldo, Cagayan State University-Tuguegarao, 91.60; Melisande Cabacungan Juan, University of the Philippines-Diliman, 91; John Wilbert Raymundo Aretaño, Polytechnic State College of Antique, 90.40; Sheilamarie Cabugon Cachero, Mariano Marcos State University-Laoag College of Education, and Iris Culanculan Duhaylongsod, University of the Philippines-Diliman, 90.20;

Roderick de la Cruz Marbella, Philippine Normal University - Lopez, 90; Dorothy Joann Lei Osog Labrador, Ateneo de Zamboanga, and Estefanie Salcedo Vargas, Ateneo de Naga, 89.80; Richelle Alday Steigerwald, University of the Philippines-Diliman, 89.40; Princess Raymunda Guzman Gatan, National Teacher’s College, 89.20; and Catherine Gimang Capilla, Negros Oriental State University (CVPC) Dumaguete, 89.

Meanwhile, the Top 10 examinees on the secondary level are:

Ma. Cleofe Nicolas Tabangin, University of the Philippines-Los Baños, 92.20 percent; Romina Ann Soon Yap, Ateneo de Manila University-Quezon City, 91.80; Angela Dimalanta Carreon, University of the Philippines-Diliman, 91.60; Ma. Elena Fermin Ferrer, University of Santo Tomas, 91.20; Johnny Abellera Esmilla Jr., University of San Agustin, and Lucille Virtudazo Gandionco, University of San Carlos, 91;

Tony Dane Bugarin Quetulio, Ateneo de Manila University-Quezon City, and Ma. Nenita Silang Se, Philippine Normal University-Manila, 90.40; Ariel Dangcalan Co, University of Sto. Tomas, 90.20; Ryan Oliver Danganan Bautista, University of the Philippines-Manila, Carl Jestoni Bariquit Dakay, University of San Carlos, Elexor Torres Damasco, University of the Cordilleras (Baguio Colleges Foundation), Audie Dacumos Laudencia, Philippine Normal University-Manila, and Felizardo Nicodemus Pulumbarit Jr., University of the Philippines-Diliman, 90;

Oliver Vallejo Aromin, Mindanao State University-Marawi City, Miren Amale Mendezona Jopson, Ateneo de Manila University-Quezon City, and Rochell Casia Miguel, Philippine Normal University-Manila, 89.80; and Pamela Cristina Parciso Crisostomo-Tumang, University of the PhilippinesManila, Israel Cruz Cruz, University of Sto. Tomas, and Von Ryan Gasmena Pangwi, University of Baguio, 89.60.

On the Board for Professional Teachers which gave the examination are Dr. Brenda B. Corpuz, officer-in-charge, Dr. Josefina T. Cunanan, vice chairperson, and Dr. Flordeliza P. Mayari and Dr. Norma A. Adamos, members.

Registration for the issuance of Professional Identification Card (ID) and Certificate of Registration will be announced later.

Oathtaking tickets are available at the Office of Professional Teachers, 3rd Floor, PRC Annex Building, in Manila for Metro Manila and Region 4 passers, and at the PRC regional offices for the passers from the other regions.

The schedules for the oathtaking ceremonies in each testing center are:

NCR, Cuneta Astrodome, Dec. 16, 2008 (Tuesday), 9 a.m.

Tuguegarao, St. Paul University Auditorium, Dec. 7, 2008 (Sunday). 9 a.m.

Baguio, University of Baguio, Dec. 14, 2008 (Sunday), 9:30 a.m.

Cebu, USJ-R Coliseum, Basak Campus, Dec. 20, 2008 (Saturday), 9 a.m.

Region 4, Cuneta Astrodome, Dec. 16, 2008 (Tuesday), 1 p.m.

Palawan, Gov. Alfredo Amor Abueg Gymnasium, Palawan National High School, Puerto Princesa City, Dec. 13, 2008 (Saturday), 9 a.m.

Lucena, Sacred Heart College Gymnasium, Dec. 6, 2008 (Saturday), 9 a.m.

Region 6-Iloilo, Iloilo Grand Hotel, Iloilo City, Dec. 8, 2008 (Monday), 9 a.m.

Region 6-Bacolod, Colegio de San Agustin Gymnasium, Bacolod City, Dec. 19, 2008 (Friday). 9:30 a.m.

Cagayan de Oro and Butuan, Capitol University Auditorium, Dec. 14, 2008 (Sunday), 8 a.m.

Ozamiz, Ramiro Gym, Dec. 13, 2008 (Saturday), 2 p.m.

Region 5-Legazpi, Albay Astrodome, Dec. 8, 2008 (Monday), 9 a.m.

Region 3-Pampanga, Paskuhan Village, Dec. 22, 2008 (Monday), 9 a.m.

Zamboanga, Pagadian, Tawi-Tawi, Jolo, Sulu, Don Pablo Lorenzo Memorial High School, Dec. 6, 2008 (Saturday), 9 a.m.

Region 8-Tacloban, Leyte Park Hotel Gym, Dec. 7, 2008 (Sunday), 9 a.m.

General Santos and Cotabato, Notre Dame of Dadiangas University, Dec. 13, 2008 (Saturday), 9 a.m.

Davao, University of Mindanao, Dec. 14, 2008 (Sunday), 9 a.m.

Reports of rating will be distributed to successful examinees on the day of the oathtaking ceremonies, except for NCR and Region 4.

Classical Music can Stimulate young minds

2008-11-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

Music teachers in the cities of Oroquieta and Ozamiz City have urged the return of music lessons in the curriculum of public schools to help stimulate young minds.

The teachers issued the call after learning from Professor Reynaldo Reyes that listening to classical music produces more brain cells and makes young minds more active and intelligent.

Reyes, a full-time professor at the Towson University in Baltimore, said he was saddened that music was no longer part of the public school curriculum. He said scientific studies showed that making or listening to classical music developed more neurons.

The Batangas-born Reyes, who graduated with top honors from the Paris Conservatory, noted that Korea, Japan and Singapore used classical music to produce better citizens and promote their countries.

Our brain or mind with music

Research on listening to music has shown an increase of activity in the brain's temporal region, which is the auditory center responsible for transferring sound and music. According to J.M. Flohr and D.C. Miller's (1999) research on children's brain waves based on EEG (electroencephalogram).

The EEG shows that the left temporal region of the brain responds to music. Flohr and Miller also found that children's EEG appear differently with different types of music after the age of five.

Human brainwave activity also increases when listening to music of particular amplitude (loudness). They found that music helps to improve cognitive functioning, increase the size of brain neurons, and assist a person to achieve higher mental performance. According to Bower (2004), children who listen to music show average IQ increases of about 7.0 points each school year.

Figure 1: Brainwaves without music.

Figure 2: Brainwaves with music.

Effect of music on academic and work

Researchers also tackled the question of whether listening to music while doing homework or studying or performing a task or job would affect the particular performance. Different music has different effects on the brain—it is possible that we each tend choose music based on our individual emotions at a particular time. Music may create a positive learning environment.

Researchers, Flohr and Miller (1999) found that when students listening to classical music in the background scored higher in math than students who were not listening to any music. At the same time, researchers discovered that listening to soft rock, jazz or fast pace background music in the work place can enhance worker productivity and performance efficiency.

All in all, researchers have not identified what fits best in all situations and have no proof whether background music is really the cause of better academic or work performance.

Music varieties

There is a lot of music to choose from as a background music while performing a task. What suits you the best and which can bring out your best performance? Turn on your stereo and try it out in different situations and find out for yourself. Make sure to record your results. Try these variations:

Instrumental music vs. vocal music.
Music with familiar vs. unfamiliar lyrics.
Slow vs. fast pace.
Light and easy vs. hard rock.
Classical music vs. pop music.

Some research indicates that when doing math problem solving, it's better to have background music such as classical music or music without lyrics or with unfamiliar lyrics. However, when performing routine tasks such as cleaning a room, it can be advantageous to have music with lyrics, especially familiar ones.

All in all, "music or background music actually provides great positive learning environment" (Malyarenko et al., 1996).

Benefits of music

According to Strickland (2001), a doctoral student of marriage and family therapy from Florida State University, Tallahassee, young children who received musical instruction show enhanced academic development. This may be because playing a musical instrument has beneficial effects on cognition.

According to Mary Ann Davies (2000), an associate professor of education at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, music also helps reduce stress, increase productivity, regulate energy, set an appropriate mood, and stimulate creativity. For instance, filmmakers use music to create the mood for a movie in order to brings out the feelings of actors or actresses. Without the background music, the movie may be boring, dull and lifeless.

References

Bower, B. (2004). Tuning up young minds. Science News. Education Module, 165; 25. pg 389.

Davies, M. A. (2000). Learning... the beat goes on. Childhood Education. Research Library Core, 76 (3). 14-153.

Flohr, J. W. (1999). Recent brain research on young children. Teaching Music. Education Module, 6 (6). 41-54.

Strickland, S. J. (2001/2002). Music and the brain in childhood development. Childhood Education, 78 (2). 100-103.

Viadero, D. (1998). Music on mind. Education Week, 17 (30). 25-30.

Beyond Cut-and-Paste: Engaging Students in Wrestling with Questions of Import

2008-11-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

We are suffering here and there from a cut-and-paste culture bred by the ease with which any of us can locate and save information. Sadly, Google and its relatives give us all a false sense of security and wisdom as we can search for something as elusive as "the truth" and Google delivers an answer in less than ten seconds.

Enter "the truth" in Google, elect "I'm Feeling Lucky" and with little hesitation or needless strain or effort we have our answer. You can find "the truth" at http://www.thetruth.com/ according to Google.

Would that it were so easy!

Schools and districts committed to 21st Century Skills as well as the standards of AASL and ISTE must confront this cut-and-paste culture head-on, eliminating those classroom practices that encourage and promote such lazy thinking and research, replacing them with activities that are more challenging and more worthwhile.

Eliminate Topical Research Rituals

The first step in fighting against simple cut-and-paste thinking is to gather all teachers together to discuss and adopt a school-wide policy outlawing the assignment of topical research projects.

"Students in this school will conduct research on questions of import that require they make answers rather than find them. We will no longer assign topical research or accept papers that are little more than a rehash of other people's ideas and thinking."

This policy means an end to long scrolling lists like the one below:

Go find out about . . .

Captain James Cook

Captain Matthew Flinders

Captain George Vancouver

Captain William Bligh

Fletcher Christian

Breadfruit

The mutiny on the Bounty

Tahiti

New Zealand

Australia

Navigation

Discovery

The Pacific Ocean

The Admiralty

This kind of list is an invitation to copy-and-paste, scoop and smush. The lack of defining and challenging questions to shape the research permits a HUGE range of activities. The mere gathering of information is pretty much guaranteed by going topical. The implied value of such gathering is the mistaken notion that one gains in understanding as one's piles of information grow in size. Sadly, it is possible to lose ground and find oneself fogged in by such collections - the "poverty of abundance."

Replacing Topical Research with Questions of Import

Questions of import usually require that students wrestle with difficult challenges and build their own answers rather than relying upon the thinking of others.

Example: Which of the following captains was the best at navigation?

Captain James Cook
Captain Matthew Flinders
Captain George Vancouver
Captain William Bligh

The above question requires the collection and weighing of evidence to substantiate a well-considered judgment. Such comparison challenges the student at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy - the skill of evaluation. It mirrors the type of demanding reading comprehension questions found on the NAEP Test (National Assessment of Educational Progress.)

What causes the main character to do _____? Use evidence from the story in your response.

How do you think the character’s actions might be different today? Support your response with evidence from the story.

For students to build an answer to this question about the relative navigational skill of the captains, they must go past the simple judgments and opinions to be found in Wikipedia, so-called professional encyclopedias and even some national library sites. Reliance upon secondary sources means the student need not wrestle with evidence and judgment.

According to material written about Captain James Cook on the Canadian National Library site . . .

"Many believe that James Cook was the greatest ocean explorer ever to have lived, and that he mapped more of the world than any other person. It cannot be denied that he combined great qualities of seamanship, leadership and navigational skill."

If the student copies and pastes this section, it is unsubstantiated opinion, strongly worded but weakly supported.

To build their own answers, students must collect specific examples of the navigational challenges each captain faced and ultimately passed or failed, checking historical records such as ship's logs and records from the Admiralty. For example, when Bligh was abandoned in a small boat by the mutineers and managed to sail more than a thousand miles across the open Pacific, what does that prove?

For each captain, the student must consider the following questions (among others), gather the facts and then compare and contrast the records of each:

Did he know how to use all the best instruments of his time?
Did he keep a careful log?
Did he usually know where they were?
Did he ever get lost?
Did he seem to know what he was doing?
Did his ships have to wander around very much?
Did he stay clear of known hazards?
Did he know how to make the best of prevailing winds?
Did he know when to ask for directions?

This type of research is much more demanding than copy-and-paste research, but ultimately more rewarding and more empowering because it equips students to wrestle with the real issues of their own lives.

21st Century Skills

Schools and districts that have adopted the 21st Century Skills model for schooling will find this kind of research on target, especially for the sections on Information Literacy, Media Literacy and ICT (Information, Communications & Technology) Literacy:

Using digital technology, communication tools and/or networks appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information in order to function in a knowledge economy
Using technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate and communicate information, and the possession of a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal issues surrounding the access and use of information

Standards from AASL and ISTE

New standards from the American School Librarians and ISTE both call for students to do more than gather information when they research. They set the expectation that students develop good new ideas, not just scoop and smush, copy and paste.

Learners use skills, resources and tools to:

1. Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

2. Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

3. Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner

the educational technology journal

Vol 18|No 1|September 2008