Neil Armstrong, the first man to set his foot on the moon, died on August 25, 2012. He will always be remembered with the words, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind". But Armstrong had other words that are worth remembering. His ideas about education likewise demonstrate his modesty and clear understanding of what learning really is. Here are excerpts of a commencement speech he delivered at the University of Southern California in 2005. I have emphasized some phrases.
"...A few words to the new graduates: for each of you, this is a very special day, a day for which you have labored for seemingly unending eons. You will be the proud possessor of a diploma. It will affirm that you have demonstrated the ability to learn. You have learned the importance of fact and opinion, but, more importantly, you have learned the difference between them. I would hope that you have come to appreciate the elegance of simplicity. A simple explanation is often the best, but even more often the most difficult to recognize.
I hope you have become comfortable with the use of logic, without being deceived into concluding that logic will inevitably lead to the correct conclusion.
In essence, you have embraced thinking. Robert Frost famously remarked: “Thinking isn’t to agree or disagree, that’s voting”. Thinking and a willingness to learn have brought you to this day.
Students of my vintage did not have calculators, cell phones, credit cards, personal computers, Internet or reality TV. Some might say they were very fortunate. At the time of my college graduation, airliners were propelled by propellers. A few military jets existed, and rocket engines were primitive. Had a faculty member at that time suggested preparation for a career in spacecraft operations, he or she would have been ridiculed. The most serious proposals for space flight were found on a Sunday evening television program, “The Wonderful World of Disney.” But within just three years, the Soviet Union launched the first Earth satellite and the space age was born. Within a decade, satellites were being used for a variety of scientific and commercial purposes. Probes had been sent to nearby planets and humans were frequently flying into space. That suggests that you can’t imagine the change and related opportunity that will arise for you in the years ahead. Hopefully, the things you have learned here will help you be ready for them. And you will not stop learning - learning is a lifelong process - and you have a great start.
Custom dictates that a commencement speaker give a word of advice to the new graduates. And I feel a sense of discomfort in that responsibility as it requires more confidence than I possess to assume that my personal convictions merit your attention. The single observation I would offer for your consideration is that some things are beyond your control. You can lose your health to illness or accident. You can lose your wealth to all manner of unpredictable sources. What are not easily stolen from you without your cooperation are your principles and your values. They are your most important possessions and, if carefully selected and nurtured, will well serve you and your fellow man. Society’s future will depend on a continuous improvement program for the human character. And what will that future bring? I do not know, but it will be exciting.
The author of “The Little Prince,” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was a pilot in World War II, which, unfortunately, he did not survive. Fortunately, his writings did survive, and I will pass along one piece of his advice. In Saint-Exupéry’s “Wisdom of the Sands,” he wrote: “As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” And so it is. Congratulations and good luck."
The House of Representatives in the Philippines is extremely busy. And it has nothing to do with the new curriculum that DepEd has initiated. The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture has recently passed a resolution requiring DepEd to post the slogan "Honesty is the best policy" in all public schools. Philippine Star posted a link to the news item on its facebook and there was one comment on it:
With a House committee passing a resolution on Thursday, the Education Department is mandated to implement the posting of signages in all public schools and DepEd offices which read "Honesty is the best policy."
On the Philippine Star website, there were even comments suggesting that the slogans should be placed in all offices of congressmen and senators. Honestly, are there not other things more substantial than this resolution on slogans?
Here are some data to refresh our memory. These are further described in detail in a previous article, "Who Here Wants to Be a Teacher?":
"Preliminary results of the 2011 Survey on Children in the Philippines revealed that of the 29 million Filipino children, aged 5-17 years old, there were roughly about 5.5 million working children, of which almost 3 million were in hazardous child labour. The National Statistics Office conducted the survey with the support of the International Labour Organization and the US Department of Labor." -International Labour Organization
Here is another set of data:
New Data on Out-of-School Children - UNESCO
New Data on Out-of-School Children
Released by the UIS and the EFA Global Monitoring Report
12 June 2012
Data to Make a Difference
According to new UIS data, an estimated 61 million children of primary school age are being denied their right to education. While the global out-of-school figure has declined over the past 15 years, falling from 102 million in 1990, the new data show that progress began to slow down in 2005 and has stagnated between 2008 and 2010 (at 61 million based on revised UN population estimates).At the same time, in sub-Saharan Africa, the number of out-of-school children of primary school age climbed from 29 million in 2008 to 31 million in 2010. Although enrolment in the region has risen, it has not kept pace with rapid population growth. To learn more, consult the following resources:-UNESCO eAtlas of Out-of-School Children allows users to map and share the data;-Fact sheet and interactive graphics presenting the new data; -EFA blog post urging leaders to put out-of-school children on the Rio+20 agenda.
Schools are about to open in the United States. Parents who have a child five or six years of age will receive a phone call from the school board if the child does not show up in a school. This is what compulsory education means in the US. Teachers pay attention to their students. If a child has a visible bruise or injury, the parents are called to explain. Any hint of abuse gets reported. On the other hand, in the Philippines, teachers are probably going to be busy posting those signs that say "Honesty is the best policy".
The school network is based on the idea of inclusive education that promotes diversity in schools and classrooms. Steering of teaching and learning has never been based on written standards, but rather upon guidelines encouraging creative solutions within increasingly diverse social and human environments.
To bring the above to a concrete situation, I am sharing here a short video of Davao Today made by Mick Basa, John Rizle Saligumba, and Lorie Ann Cascaro:
These lumad children long for knowledge. Not even their parents can stop them from going to school, even if it means they have to contend with their empty stomachs. By JOHN RIZLE L. SALIGUMBA Davao Today
TALAINGOD, Davao del Norte, Philippines — 15-year-old Asenad Bago, an Ata-Manobo, has made his school his home.
This is because Asenad’s sub-village (sitio) is three hours away by foot from the Salugpungan Ta ‘Tanu Igkanugon (Unity in Defense of Ancestral Land) Community Learning Center, located in Sitio Dulyan, Palma Gil Village. He asked his teachers that he could stay with the school staff. In return to their kindness, he wakes up early “to clean around the school grounds and do other errands for the teachers.”
For the Ata Manobo youth and children like Asenad, the school has been a great help for them in learning basic literacy. Without such school, youths like him would have to travel greater distance to public schools in town proper.
Another reason why Asenad prefers this school is that “the teachers provide me with what I need for school like my bag, notebooks and pencil and most especially, food.”
This Salugpungan Community Learning Center is running for nine years and taught 558 Ata Manobo students.
The school started nine years ago in 2003, as a non-formal school of the religious organization Rural Missionaries of the Philippines (RMP) in Southern Mindanao.
The tribal leaders of Salugpungan thought that education is key for the future generation, especially in learning how to defend their culture and their land against the encroachment of mining and other industries.
Their hopes were supported by the RMP especially through the efforts of the slain Italian missionary Father Fausto ‘Pops’ Tentorio, PIME (Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions), who was then the chair of the RMP Board of Directors.
Fr. Tentorio, who runs literacy programs in North Cotabato province, extended support to Talaingod.
Later in 2007, the Salugpungan Council and RMP established a primary school. Now there are 10 Ata-Manobo schools. Fr. Tentorio had supported the schools through donations and financial support from his friends in Italy.
Now, the Salugpungan Community Learning Center has become a full-fledged elementary school, offering primary education — for free — up to Grade Six.
But, the religious and the lumads’ initiative to gain access to basic education had been undermined with lack of government support. Even if the Salugpungan school offers free education, the Department of Education (DepEd) has continuously denied its accreditation.
“That’s because we were not able to meet all the department’s requisites; requirements which we think are not practical for a school situated in the mountains,” laments Ronnie Garcia, the school’s first teacher.
He added, they were only given a permit to operate which they have to renew every year.
Garcia, a Mansaka lumad from Mabini, Compostela Valley province, was an RMP scholar himself who took up education course in college. After his graduation, he volunteered to teach the Ata-Manobos here in Talaingod.
He shared that this year has been more difficult for the school as DepEd required them to submit electrical, building and Bureau of Fire Protection permits, among others.
Garcia also noted that they have modified the school’s curriculum so that it will fit the community’s needs, especially on their culture and tradition. He added, the school has yet to discuss how to effectively implement DepEd’s new program, the K to 12.
As a teacher and a student once, Garcia said that requiring them to comply with the numerous requirements is tantamount to denying the indigenous peoples’ right to education, an added burden in the midst of their suffering from severe poverty.
Bago himself has witnessed how some of his classmates come to school with an empty stomach.
“Because of hunger, some of them cannot concentrate on the day’s lesson and many just fall asleep,” he said.
Students here bring with them root crops and yams, whenever it’s possible. They also look for food very early in the morning, which most of the time, stretches until school time. “That’s why some of them come to school late,” Bago said.
These lumad children long for knowledge. Not even their parents can stop them from going to school, even if it means they have to contend with their empty stomachs.
“I’m really happy because since he goes to school, he has learned how to speak Bisaya, and to read and count,” said Bago’s father, Dolfo.
But for Bago, he hungers for more knowledge, not only for him but for his fellow lumad children, as well.
“I hope a Salugpungan High School will be established. We want to reach high school, also, and eventually graduate” Bago said with full of hope. (John Rizle L. Saligumba/ davaotoday.com)
It is one of the subjects in basic education. "Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao" is one of the core academic areas of DepEd's K to 12. Unlike science, this subject begins in kindergarten. And unlike the math and the sciences, there are no international standardized exams that can be used to assess how much students are really learning from a subject that aims to teach values. But like math and science, the current status of society can appropriately serve as a gauge. The present predicament of science and technology in the country can point out that basic education is failing without looking at the results of international tests on math and science. The current situations and issues in Philippine society can truly provide an assessment on whether character education is achieving its goals. Ina Alleco R. Silverio writes an insightful article on this topic. Orginially published in Bulatlat.com, I would like to share her article to the readers of this blog.
As children, we are allowed to watch tv programs where the good guys always triumph and the villains get their comeuppance — the naughty little boy who stole cookies and then lied about it afterwards gets caught by a good little boy who always tells the truth (never mind that he’s sometimes labelled a stoolie and a tattle-tale– he has to stand up for what is right). Bullies are punished and the nerdy or geeky ones are embraced and told that they are loved no matter what.
Then when we reach adolescence and attend high school, we’re prodded to have extra-curricular activities: join the Boy Scouts/Girl scouts, the English, Science or Math Club, the gymnastics group, the chess team, whatever organization that will supposedly bring one out of one’s shell and teach one how to socialize, how to make friends, how to grow up to be a stable, decent and well-rounded individual who will also be a good model citizen.
So what will all these lessons on how to be a good person, or why it is important to make friends and be upright individuals, shouldn’t it be expected that things would be much better for all of us? Because it’s not just the children’s tv programs or the books, it’s also school: up to high school and even college we are constantly bombarded with reminders that we should be upstanding young people. What happened?
What happens is this: society and our elders and leaders go against their own words and practice the opposite of what they preach to the younger ones. The truths they proclaim are exposed as empty rhetoric, and they fall desperately short of our expectations. They establish rules and laws that allow the weak to be exploited further and the bullies to be rewarded. Liars are given high posts in government and when they steal, they also get away with it. Truth-tellers are vilified, abducted, killed, or worse, their honor and dignity undermined and they they are accused of being criminals by the killers, thieves and liars.
As adults, we find work in the offices and the factories, but by no means is our socializing with our colleagues and co-workers allowed to become strong bonds of fraternity: we are discouraged from forming or joining unions or employee associations. When we seek to give depth and significance to the ties we form in the workplace — in the factories where we are victimized by the same unfair labor policies and the oppressive work conditions; in the government offices where we are witness to the corruption of our superiors — we risk losing our jobs and become targets of the management or the higher authorities in government. The groups we form with our friends — the unions, the associations — are banned, and when we assert our rights by speaking out in protest by holding pickets and strikes (all of which are inalienable rights), we are charged of the most ridiculous crimes like disturbing the peace, loitering and littering.
As children we are told to speak out against the wrong doings of others, to admit our own faults and apologize.
As adults, many of us would rather keep silent,and then there are others whose main duty is to silence others.
Those who keep silent live in fear and ignorance; but they will not admit it, or worse, they do not care. They remain quiet as they watch society deteriorate. Society’s leaders, in the meantime, have no shame and remain stiff-necked and defiant against public outrage against the atrocities of various stripes and colors they committed in the name of public service, while in public office. They rely on the silence of the majority to remain in power, on their fear, their ignorance, their apathy.
They do not know what it means to apologize, or if they do, the apology is false and everything is for show. They escape punishment, and the judgment of history against them means nothing because they retain the immoral and stolen wealth they accumulated – money makes all the difference and can buy influence.
Many children group to become fence sitters; others grow up to become hecklers who also sit on the fence but make it their past time to ridicule those who choose to practice what they learned as children and strengthen their values and belief in what is right and just into adulthood.
The children who grew up to adulthood with the core values intact have no need for religion or faith not because they are godless, but because they are not out to save only themselves (often religion teaches that one must pray because its a requirement to go to heaven: the unforgetting ones believe in creating heaven on earth for the poor and the oppressed). They remember childhood’s lessons on how help must be extended to others in need; that they must give what they have in excess and always share with the less fortunate.
They work for others in the same way they live for and love their families, and a sacrifice is no longer a sacrifice because it is often done out of love. The pledge they took as children to love their country, to serve it and their fellowmen/women they continue to take seriously, and many have already given their lives to the cause of daylight in a country where darkness is prevalent.
(This is dedicated to the young men and women of the League of Filipino Students.)
The following is a lecture given by Genaro R. Gojo Cruz on how to introduce literature to grade school children. It highlights the importance of culture, basically emphasizing that the mother tongue is much more than just using the language at home. More importantly, to arouse interest among the students, Cruz provides several useful suggestions. Ilang mga Metodo Ko sa Pagtuturo ng Panitikan sa Elementarya ni Genaro R. Gojo Cruz
Aaminin kong may pagkiling ako sa panitikang pambatang isinulat ng mga manunulat na Pilipino para sa mga batang Pilipino. Naniniwala kasi akong binibitbit ng mga panitikang pambata, partikular ng mga kuwentong pambata ang kultura o sensibilidad ng mga batang Pilipino. Ibang-iba ang karanasan ng mga batang Pilipino sa ibang batang di nakatira sa Pilipinas. Naniniwala akong mabisang instrumento ang panitikang pambata na ilapit ang mga batang Pilipino sa kanyang kultura. At buo rin ang aking paniniwala na mabisang instrumento ang guro upang ilapit ang mga bata sa kanilang panitikan. Ang guro ang talagang pinakamalapit o pinakamadalas humawak ng panitikan.
Ang tinutukoy ko ay di ang mga kuwentong mababasa sa inyong mga teksbuk dahil ang mga ito ay di maituturing na mga kuwentong pambata. Ang tinutukoy ko rito ay ang mga kuwentong nailathala bilang mga aklat-pambata, halimbawa, ang mga aklat-pambata na inilalathala ng Adarna House, Lampara Books, Tahanan Books, Gintong Salakot, Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang ng Anvil, CANVAS at iba pa.
Marami kasi sa mga kuwentong nasa teksbuk ay di isinulat ng talagang mga manunulat, kung kaya halatang-halata ang kakulangan ng mga ito sa kasiningan. Halatang-halata na pilit na isiningit ang mga aralin sa wika. Halimbawa, kung ang aralin ay tungkol sa pangngalan o pandiwa, asahang mamumutiktik sa pangngalan o pandiwa ang kuwento. Pilit na pilit ang mga kuwento. Kung kaya madalas, nilalayuan ng mga bata ang panitikan o ang pagbabasa sa kabuuan. Paano nga ba naman nila magugustuhan at matutuklasan ang hiwaga ng panitikan kung “pilit” at “palpak” ang mga kuwentong nababasa nila sa kanilang teksbuk.
Kung kulang sa de-kalidad ng panitikan ang mga teksbuk, ang ilang guro naman, ang mismong mga mag-aaral ang pinaghahanap. Gumawa ng album ng dalawampung tula, dalawampung alamat, dalawampung kuwentong-bayan, dalawampung pabula at iba pa. Nalintikan na! Paano nga ba naman magugustuhan ng mga mag-aaral ang panitikan na sa una’y dapat munang makapag-entertain sa kanila? Itinuturing kong pinakamasamang magagawa ng guro ang bisyong ito ng pagpapa-album.
Kaya nga sa aking pagtuturo noon sa elementarya, nawalan ng silbi ang teksbuk sa aking pagtuturo ng panitikan. Nagsimula akong bumili at mag-ipon ng mga babasahin, aklat pambata na magagamit ko sa aking pagtuturo. Linggu-linggo’y bumibili ako noon ng Liwayway, Pambata Magasin o ng mga pahayagan tulad ng Philippine Daily Inquirer na may kasamang Junior Inquirer Magazine na may mga kuwento at tulang isinulat mismo ng mga batang Pilipino. Naging mabisang katuwang ko sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya ang mga ito. Nakatutuwa ring isipin na higit na nakakaugnay ang aking mga mag-aaral sa kanilang mga binabasa, dahil ang ilan sa mga ito ay isinulat din ng mga batang tulad nila. Binabasa nila ang kanilang mismong panitikan.
Samakatuwid, kailangang maging sensitibo ang guro sa pagpili ng panitikang dapat basahin o ipabasa sa kanyang mga mag-aaral. Sa aking ding karanasan, higit na naging masaya at aktibo ang klase kapag magagandang panitikan ang aming pinag-uusapan. Higit na naging natural ang pagsagot at pagkatuto ng mga mag-aaral. Natutuhan nila ang wika sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga ito. Iwasan na ang lagi’t laging pagpapabilog, pagkakahon, pagguhit, at iba pa sa mga salita. Ipagamit na ito mismo sa mga bata ang wika sa halip na ipakabisado.
Narito ang ilan sa mga hakbang sa pagpili ng panitikan para sa mga mag-aaral:
1. Piliin ang mga kuwentong-pambatang isinulat ng mga manunulat na Pilipino sa mga batang Pilipino. Malaking tulong ito upang magkaroon ng interes ang mga bata sa kuwento dahil malapit sa kanilang karanasan ang kuwento. Maganda ring ipakilala sa mga bata ang manunulat na Pilipinong sumulat ng kuwento.
2. Piliin ng mga kuwentong-pambata naaayon sa antas ng pag-iisip, kasanayan, interes, kultura o gawi ng pamumuhay, at pangangailangan ng mga mag-aaral. Kung problema ng guro ay ang kalinisan ng kanyang mga mag-aaral lalo na sa mga pampublikong paaralan, may mga kuwento ukol sa kalusugan na maaaring magamit. Mahilig naman sa mga kuwento na hayop ang bida ang mga mag-aaral sa Ika-1 hanggang Ika-2 baitang.
3. Siguruhing naaayon sa layunin ng gagawing pagtuturo ang piniling kuwentong-pambata. Halimbawa, kung ang layunin sa pagtuturo ay makilala’t makapagbigay ng puna sa pangunahing tauhan, piliin ang mga kuwentong nagbibigay diin sa taglay na katangian ng pangunahing tauhan. Kung ang layunin naman ay maibigay ang banghay ng kuwentong nabasa o napakinggan, piliin ang mga kuwentong ukol sa kasaysayan na nagbibigay diin sa pagkakasunud-sunod ng mga pangyayari. Marami ng aklat-pambata sa Pilipinas at tiyak na di mauubusan ang guro. 4. Kung nais ng gurong ikuwento sa mga bata ang mga aklat-pambatang tumatalakay sa maseselang isyu, tulad halimbawa ng paghihiwalay ng mga magulang, mga sakit tulad ng AIDS, at iba pa, kailangang munang magbigay ang guro ng mga kaugnay na gawain bago simulan ang pagkukuwento o pagbabasa. Kailangan din ang maingat na pagpoproseso pagkatapos. Huwag na huwag iiwan sa ere ang kuwento lalong higit ang mga bata.
Narito naman ang ilan sa mga hakbang na aking ginagamit sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementary.
1. Bago ko gawin ang pagbabasa o pagpapabasa, nagsisimula akong lagi sa karanasan o sa kung ano ang alam ng mga mag-aaral (establishing prior knowledge). Bukod sa ito ang paraan ko ng paghahanda sa kanila, nabibigyan din sila ng pagkakataong mailahad nang natural ang kanilang mga karanasan. Sa ganitong paraan, nalalaman ng bata na may “gamit” o “silbi” pala ang kanyang alam sa loob ng klasrum. Ngunit kung walang karanasan ang bata kaugnay ng paksa ng kuwento, maaaring gumawa ang guro ng mga gawain na magbibigay sa kanila ng karanasan. Halimbawa, kung ang kuwento ay tungkol sa isang bulag, maaaring i-blind fold ang mga mag-aaral. Itanong kung ano ang kanilang nararamdaman. Patayuin sila. Palakarin nang bahagya. Itanong kung ano ang kanilang karanasan. Mahirap ba o madali ang maging bulag? Pagkaraan nito, gumawa ng tulay na mag-uugnay sa karanasang ito ng mga mag-aaral sa kuwentong babasahin o ipababasa. Kailangang maging malikhain ang guro sa pag-iisip ng mga gawaing dudukal sa dating kaalaman o karanasan ng mga mag-aaral. Huwag na huwag agad sisimulan ang pagbabasa o pagpapabasa ng kuwento.
2. Bukod sa nabanggit sa unang bilang, ginagamit ko ring hakbang sa pagkuha ng dahil kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral ang Alam na, Nais Malaman, Nalaman o ang Know, What to know, Learned (KWL). Sa pamamagitan nito, natataya ng mag-aaral ang sarili ukol sa kanyang mga alam na, gustong malaman at pagkaraan na making o mabasa ang kuwento ang kanyang natutuhan o nalaman. Mabisang gamitin ito sa mga kuwentong tumatalakay sa kasayasayan at kalusugan.
3. May mga kuwentong di malinaw kung ano o sino ang pangunahing tauhan, kung kaya ipaguguhit ko sa mga mag-aaral ang itsura ng pangunahing tauhan. Matapos kong mabasa ang ilang pangungusap o talata ng kuwento, hihinto na ko at itatanong ko sa mga mag-aaral kung ano o sino ang nagsasalita sa kuwento. Iguguhit nila sa isang papel ang naiisip nilang itsura ng pangunahing tauhan. Sa pamamagitan nito, nasusubok at nahahasa ang kanilang imahinasyon o malikhaing pag-iisip. Pagkatapos nito, ididikit ko sa pisara ang mga kanilang mga guhit at magpapatuloy na ako sa aking pagkukuwento. Pagkaraan, itatanong ko kung alin sa mga itsura ng mga tauhang nasa pisara ang pinakamalapit sa tauhan sa kuwentong aking binasa. Mabisa ito sa mga mag-aaral na nasa ika-1 hanggang ika-3 baitang.
4. Kung ang mga mag-aaral ang mismong mababasa ng kuwento, madalas na sinasabi ko muna ang pamagat ng kuwentong kanilang babasahin. Magbibigay ako ng kaunting lektyur ukol sa may-akda ng kuwento at iba pang kaugnay paksa ng kuwento. Pagkaraan nito, ang mga mag-aaral mismo ang gagawa ng tanong na maaaring masagot ng kuwentong kanilang babasahin. Isusulat ko ang kanilang mga tanong sa pisara, lahat ay tinatanggap ko. Pagkaraan na makapagbigay ng tanong ang lahat ng mag-aaral, ipapakritik ko sa kanila ang mga tanong. Alin sa mga tanong ang pareho lamang? Alin ang maaaring pag-isahin na lamang? Sisikapin kong makapagtira ng sampung (10) mahuhusay na tanong. Ang mga tanong na ito ang sasagutin ng mag-aaral. Sa pamamagitan nito, natutuhan ng mga mag-aaral ang mabisang pagbabasa. Malinaw na sa kanila ang kanilang layunin sa pagbabasa dahil natukoy na ang tanong na kanilang sasagutin. Mahirap ang gawaing ito kung kaya nababagay ito sa ika-6 na baiting. Magagamit ito sa mga kuwentong loaded ng mga impormasyon o kaalaman.
5. Madalas kong ginagamit ang istratehiyang Pinatnubayang Pagbasa at Pag-iisip o ang Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA). Napatunayang kong patok ang paraang upang isangkot ang mag-aaral sa pakikinig at ilapit sila sa panitikan. Sa paraang ito, hinahati ko ang buong kuwento sa kapana-panabik na bahagi, at sa bawat bahagi ay nagbibigay ako ng mga tanong kaugnay na susunod na pangyayari. Nasusubukan nito ang husay ng mga mag-aaral sa matalinong paghihinuha. At dahil sa kanilang kasabikan na malaman ang susunod na pangyayari, sila ay nakikinig. Mabisa ito sa lahat ng baitang sa elementarya.
6. Sa mga kuwentong may dalawa o higit pang tauhan, ginagamit ko ang habing ugnayan (relationship web). Malaking tulong ito upang makita nang biswal ng mga ang ugnayan ng mga tauhan sa kuwento. Madalas na inihahanda ko na ito. Bahala na ang mga mag-aaral na magpunan ng mga ito habang o pagkatapos makinig o magbasa. Binibigyang-diin ko sa gawaing ito na kailangan ng isang tao ang iba upang mabuhay. Kailangan niyang makipag-ugnayan sa iba upang mabuhay. Ang ganitong gawain ay nababagay sa Ika-5 hanggang ika-6 na baitang.
7. Kung ang kuwento naman ay nagbibigay-diin sa taglay na katangian ng dalawang tauhan, ginagamit ko ang venn diagrams. Bukod sa madaling makita ang ugnayan ng dalawang tauhan, nakikita rin agad ang kanilang pagkakatulad at pagkakaiba. Dahil dito, madaling napagtitimba-timbang ng mga mag-aaral kung sino ang higit niyang gusto sa dalawang tauhan.
8. Madalas ko ring gamitin ang pagbibigay regalo sa mga tauhan (gifts to characters). Bawat mag-aaral ay mag-iisip ng isang regalong gusto niyang ibigay sa isa sa mga tauhan sa kuwento. Ilalagay niya sa kahon ang kanyang gusting iregalo, ito ay maaaring tunay na bagay o hindi, basta ang pinakamahalaga ay ang munting card na nakakabit sa kahon. Nakasulat sa munting card ang dahilan kung bakit iyon ang kanyang iniregalo sa pangunahing tauhan. Maaaring magpalitan ng regalo ang mga mag-aaral. Sila rin ang magbubukas at magbabasa ng mga nakasaulat sa munting card. Sa ganitong paraan, natutukoy ng mga mag-aaral ang suliranin ng kuwento o ang pangangailangan ng pangunahing tauhan. Mabisa ang hakbang na ito sa lahat ng baitang sa elementarya.
9. Ginagamit ko rin sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya, ang pagtatanong na nagsisimula sa “Ano kaya kung” o “What if”. Ano kaya kung ikaw ang pangunahing tauhin sa kuwento? Ano ang iyong gagawin? Ano kaya kung may lumang aparador sa loob ng inyong bahay na parang kuweba? Ano ang iyong gagawin? Mapapansing sa pagsagot ng mga mag-aaral sa mga tanong na ito, bukod sa naiiugnay na nila ang kuwento sa kanilang sariling karanasan, lumilikha na sila ng sarili nilang kuwento. Madalas na isinusulat ko sa kapirasong papel ang mga “Ano kaya kung” na mga tanong at ang bawat isa ay bubunot. Mabisa itong gamitin sa mga kuwento ukol sa kababalaghan.
10. Mapapansing ang mga ibigay kong paraan, istratehiya, o hakbang sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya ay mahahati sa tatlong bahagi—bago bumasa, habang bumabasa, at pagkatapos bumasa. Mahalagang may nakalaang gawain ang guro sa bawat yugto. At siguruhing may ugnayan ang mga gawain bago bumasa, habang bumabasa at pagkatapos bumasa. Mahalaga ring iayon ang mga gawain sa kakayahan at antas ng pag-iisip ng mga mag-aaral.
Walang iisang mabisang teknik sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya. Kung minsan o madalas, di talagang nagtutugma ang iniisip o inaasahan na magiging resulta o daloy ng pagtuturo ng guro sa tunay na nangyayari sa loob ng klasrum. Madalas ding iba ang nangyayari sa klasrum sa nakasulat sa lesson plan ng guro. Kaya mabuting maging kargado ng iba’t ibang teknik ang guro sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya. Kung nakukutuban niyang di magiging mabisa ang teknik na nakasaad sa banghay-aralin, at kung di rin naman nakamasid ang principal na madalas ay sarado sa ganitong mga pagbabago, agad siyang makakaisip ng iba. Mahalagang dapat isaalang-alang lagi ang kapakanan ng mga mag-aaral.
Sa mga guro, maipapayo kong magdokumento ng inyong mga sariling karanasan o teknik sa pagtuturo ng panitikan sa elementarya. Alam kong ilan o marami sa aking mga ibinahagi ay di na bago sa inyo, o matagal na ninyong ginagamit sa inyong pagtuturo. Ngunit sa aking palagay, lagi’t laging nagiging bago pa rin ang mga teknik na ito dahil taun-taon, iba-iba ang ating mga nagiging mag-aaral. Bagong-bago sa kanila ang karanasang maituro natin ang panitikan gamit ang mga estratehiyang ito. At higit sa lahat, mahalagang matutunan ng mga guro ang magbahaginan ng mga karanasan sa pagtuturo ng panitikan. Ang totoo naman kasi’y sa isa’t isa tayo talagang matuturo. Sa ating mga karanasan sa pagtuturo at di sa mga libro o sa mga ispiker na tulad ko, tayo talagang natututo.
Kaya sana, sa mga darating na panahon, ‘yung mga gurong nasa field talaga ang nabigyan ng pagkakataong maging ispiker sa mga ganitong seminar-worksyap. ‘Yung talagang nakalublob talaga ng ilang taon sa field. At kung mangyayari ito, ako ay talagang dadalo at unang-unang makikinig sa inyo. Dahil gustong-gusto ko ring matuto.
(Lektyur sa SANGFIL, Hulyo 9, 2009, UP NISMED) ___________________________________________________________________________________________
Cruz leaves an important message at the end of his lecture that is worth reiterating. "Those teachers who are on the ground should be the ones given an opportunity to speak in this type of seminars or workshop. Those who are truly on the front line of teaching should be speaking here. And if this happens, I can assure that I would be among the first to attend and listen. Because I really would like to learn more."
The death of Jesse M. Robredo is truly a great loss. He is one of the few who clearly understood why it is necessary to strengthen local governance. His views on education and the actions he took to improve public schools in Naga City exemplify one of the seven elements Pasi Sahlberg of Finland talked about in reforming education:
Breadth: Education leadership has gradually diffused from the centre to local levels. Leadership is not only limited to daily managerial duties and administration but especially addresses the responsibility and right to lead continuous development of the education system.
Robredo had the vision, one that goes much farther than seeking short term solutions. And the following paper written by the great mayor of Naga City talks about this vision in greater detail:
Education governance reform, with local authorities playing a lead role, is a recent phenomenon in the Philippines. Synergeia Foundation helped bring about this interesting development, set in the backdrop of the country’s 15-year experience with decentralization.
This paper will describe these governance reform efforts as a case study in effective local action to bring about large-scale systemic reforms in a centrally managed public education system.
The Setting
Public education in the Philippines is a centrally managed service delivered through the Department of Education (DepEd). At the local level, the DepEd maintains schools divisions and districts corresponding to the three biggest local government units – the provinces, cities and municipalities. The divisions and districts in turn supervise elementary (Grades I to VI) and high schools (1st to 4th year) that comprise the basic education system in the country.
A local school board (LSB) is a special body created by virtue of Republic Act No. 7160, popularly known as the Local Government Code of 1991 (LGC 91). Its main duty is to allocate the Special Education Fund (SEF) to meet the supplementary needs of the local public school system. The SEF is an additional 1% levy that is collected together with real property taxes paid to the local government.
In the case of a city, such as Naga, the code provides for an eight-man LSB that is chaired by the city mayor, co-chaired by the schools division superintendent, and made up of the following members: the chair of the education committee of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council), the city treasurer, a representative of the Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council), and duly elected representatives of the city PTA league, the city teachers' organization, and the non-academic personnel of city public schools.
Problems facing Philippine public schools
On paper, the LSB seems well represented; but in reality most of them are not functioning well. Decision making has been confined to this eight-person board where most often, “educational priorities” are being defined by its two most powerful members: the local chief executive and the division superintendent. Because of its limited involvement, the LSB budget is used mostly for discrete and disparate activities, particularly infrastructure (where the possibility of corruption is strong) and regular sports events. As a result, this has largely prevented the LSB to help address the following problems facing public schools:
Deteriorating quality of basic education with far-reaching effects on the country’s future
General lack of awareness about the current state of public education among stakeholders
Weak “soft infrastructure” support to facilitate the learning process
Weak mechanisms for meaningful parent participation in the education of their children
Weak involvement and participation of other community-based stakeholders in the delivery of public education services
An underperforming LSB that has been reduced to a mere budgeting entity for local education funds
Weak planning and budgeting practices and processes that contribute to inefficient and ineffective use of local education funds, and
The lack of transparency and accountability in the administration of the public school system.
The LSB Reinvention Advocacy
Recognizing this huge gap, and the opportunity it represents, Synergeia Foundation focused its work on and defined its mission as promoting local government-led systemic education reforms at the community level.
It traces its roots to a handful of highly successful education reform projects spread strategically in the archipelago, with generous funding support through The Ford Foundation. When Ford decided to close its Manila office in 2003, these projects banded together and established Synergeia, convinced of the need to continue with their missionary work.
From the outset, the founding members recognized the centrality of the LSB reinvention in its overall work and advocacy program, given the fact that (a) it is present in every locality, thanks to the basic decentralization law; (b) it has access to a key resource base, i.e. the SEF tax money; and (c) the opportunity for governance reforms is evident, as the LSB itself mirrors the basic constituency of local public school systems in the country.
Transformative thinking
Naga, a city of 150,000 in central Philippines, is the demonstration city for LSB reinvention, but along the way, it has inspired a number of equally innovative variants of the reinvention process. For instance, the municipality of Murcia, Negros Occidental brought in 12 more institutional representatives to its school board, including corporate partners operating in the town. Enrique B. Magalona in the same province pioneered the establishment of barangay school boards, enabling local communities to play a more active role in managing local schools. In Tuao, Cagayan, public school alumni and senior citizens were given non-voting representation. But their common denominator is a local chief executive who thinks beyond the box. Consider Naga’s case of instance. Its pioneering work on the LSB was made possible by two key strategies:
1. Home rule or “half-full glass” philosophy. This liberating perspective anchored the whole LSB reengineering process. It enabled LSBs to become empowered entities that went beyond the traditional function – laid down in the basic decentralization law -- of providing budgetary support to local public schools. This, in itself is a controversial proposition. One school of thought held that the board can only operate within the limits prescribed by the Code. But Naga deliberately embraced the opposite – that what the law does not expressly prohibit, it allows.
2. The LSB budget is key. To provide the legal basis for its interventions, the Naga City School Board used its annual budget to allocate resources and in the process authorize the conduct of activities that go beyond current laws on the LSB. These include performance measurement through localized testing, participative planning and budgeting, fair and merit-based selection and hiring of teachers, and transparency in textbooks acquisition (procured as goods and services funded under the LSB budget).
Strategic aim
Over the years, other Synergeia project sites all over the country adopted, improved upon, and innovated on Naga’s initial LSB reinvention effort to come up with a highly adaptable and flexible approach to education governance reforms in the context of existing Philippine laws governing the public school system. On the whole, its gains in successful LSB reinvention across project sites all throughout the country demonstrate the local communities’ readiness and capability to manage the local public school system with a greater degree of autonomy from the DepEd. With the country’s 15-year track record in decentralization, there are other similarly situated localities with the same demonstrated capacity, particularly those at the cutting edge of governance innovations. In this regard, a strategic policy advocacy for calibrated decentralization of public education services in these localities, based on local demand, institutional capacity and financial capability, is worth pursuing for the long-term. Our bottomline is for the devolution of the responsibility and the resources for delivering basic education to local governments with accredited LSBs, or those that have demonstrated leadership in education governance and whose work has led to improvement in learning outcomes.
The Organization Behind
From the foregoing, it is very clear that Synergeia Foundation plays a critical integrative role in formulating and developing a social reform product that is essential, relevant and even long-overdue – given the Philippines’ 15-year old decentralization movement. More specifically, the foundation successfully
identified the best local communities that can pilot the education governance reforms anchored on the LSB. This was facilitated by its parallel work with Galing Pook Foundation, the country’s most prestigious awards programme for local authorities.
supplied the technical expertise in drawing out and developing the model, templates and systems in education governance from among its project sites: a unique strength that combines development theory with real-world practice.
set up a functional “learning circle” of, and organized regular events for local education governance advocates. This support programs facilitated the exchange of ideas and experiences that enable program managers and team leaders to resolve common problems and identify probable pitfalls in project implementation.
documented and disseminated these models to facilitate scaling up, advocacy and evaluation work.
What key factors accounted for its success in a relatively short span of time?
Implementation strategies
In terms of project implementation, Synergeia practises what it preaches: decentralized service delivery through on-site, hands-on and LCE-led practical learning activities. This involves
clustering projectsaround an allied local authority whose mayor or governor is a Synergeia program champion. This way, the local authority serves as an area resource center, and its chief executive the lead resource person, for neighboring localities interested in the program.
conducting rapid assessmentwith respect to key areas of the LSB reinvention, e.g. membership, regularity and content of meetings, education planning and budgeting. Here, interfacing usually happens at the level of project managers who handle day-today operations; thus, project managers of the area resource center become resource persons themselves.
conducting highly participative events – particularly through workshops – to surface local concerns, as well as corresponding solutions, on key aspects of the reinvention process – particularly in broadening LSB membership, expanding its functions, making the planning and budgeting process more transparent, and successfully effecting planned changes.
on-site mentoring and coachingby peer-mayors and governors, especially in managing change and improving local resource generation and mobilization; and
evidence-based advocacy, emphasizing measurable improvements in education outcomes. Helped by Synergeia-commissioned studies on LSB operations and SEF tax utilization in the Philippines, cross-referenced with poverty and human development indicators, program champions are able to send their message across. This is especially important in convincing mayors and governors that going into education governance is good for their politics.
Impacts and Outcomes
Consequently, Synergeia religiously benchmarks itself at two levels: (1) against comparable organizations in the Philippines and all over the world, and (2) among its project sites in regard to such indicators as regularity in convening the LSB, broadening its membership, improvements in school financing and improvements in test scores. Because of this, it can proudly claim key headways made in improving education governance in the Philippines, as indicated by the following:
1. Naga’s LSB reinvention initiative was recognized as one of the 10 outstanding programs of local governments in the Philippines for 2004.
2. The central government constantly cites the need to reform the LSB in its own effort to strengthen basic education in the country.
3. More than 250 local governments have embraced LSB reinvention, many bringing this down to the barangay (village) level.
4. There is heightened awareness about the crisis facing the Philippine educational system, with more sectors contributing additional resources to community-based efforts in improving public schools, and
5. Mayors and governors, who used to be ambivalent towards education governance, have become more passionate in improving the lives of children through better education.
Conclusion
Of course, there is much work that needs to be done to mainstream these education governance reform efforts in the Philippines. For instance, we need to educate more LCEs that contrary to convention wisdom, there are enough legal provisions that actually support greater local involvement in public education. We also need to come up with a model that will be useful to mayors in Muslim communities in Southern Philippines, owing to the absence of a good role model and support system for effective governance. Moreover, at 250 localities, we are have barely scratched the surface in this advocacy.
Nonetheless, the successful Philippine experience in education governance through Synergeia’s trailblazing efforts affirms the following:
1. Local education governance reforms can be done. Without the need for rewriting the basic decentralization law, Naga and the other Synergeia project sites have demonstrated that education governance reforms are both doable and feasible. Their experience show that empowered and functional local schools boards have both the mandate and legal personality to serve as focal point for these reforms.
2. LSBs are the most logical vehicle for reform. Local schools boards can bring together local communities and key players in the public school system in discussing the state of local education, which can be the basis for positive and informed collective action.
3. Broad-based stakeholdership enhances outcomes. Moreover, LSBs can serve as entry points for greater and more meaningful stakeholder participation in the delivery of public education services. Regular grassroots consultations not only make for good politics; they are also avenues for multi-level and multi-stakeholder assessment of where a locality is in the journey to build better schools.
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Before becoming an Interior Secretary, the late Jesse Robredo is a well-loved Mayor of Naga City and a Ramon Magsaysay awardee. "As mayor of Naga City from 1988 to 1998 he demonstrated that democratic government can also be good government," the awards committee said back in August 2000. The Ramon Magsaysay awards described Robredo's system of governance as "against patronage," and instead enforced a "merit-based system of hiring and promotion and reorganized city employees on the basis of aptitude and competence."
Robredo's was on a twin-engine, four-seater Piper Seneca plane which took off in Cebu and was en route to Naga City. The aircraft crashed in Masbate and Robredo's body was found two days after.
Most of the discussions on improving our public education system dwell on the lack of resources to fund both the hard and soft infrastructure requirements of our public schools. While this may seem valid, I believe there is a more important and telling element that can improve academic achievement levels and participation and completion rates with the available resources that we currently have at our disposal.
In one of the Synergeia consultations I attended, I recall asking a Division Superintendent whether the results of the division achievement tests form part of the basis for the promotion of principals and superintendents. The answer was qualified, with the superintendent saying that in his case, he did consider it. But as a rule, he added, this was not taken into consideration. I can only surmise that completion rates and cohort survival rates of our public schools are incidental outcomes instead of a result of a deliberate effort at the school level to make public education fully accessible to our pupils.
The absence of a clear accountability system makes our public school measurement system unresponsive. While measurement is done both at the national level and the division level with the annual achievement test administered to the students, no one is made to answer for the results in a meaningful way. The achievement test conducted for a selected grade level each year provides a snapshot of how the schools, divisions and regions are faring. However, it could have better served its purpose if the performances of principals, superintendents and regional directors are tracked based on the improvements on achievement levels over time of the jurisdictions under their watch. This will compel them to localize programs that will address the inadequacies in subject areas of their respective assignments. This will compel the superintendents to make the subject area supervisors, principals and consequently the teachers to answer for the improvements in academic proficiencies of their pupils. (Let me clarify that what should be measured would be the improvement in achievement levels rather than the absolute scores.) This will refocus the resources and energies of our education officials to what it important — improving the academic proficiencies of our pupils.
Our experience in Naga City demonstrates that this can be done, especially with a cooperative division superintendent. Diagnostic tests were conducted at the beginning of the year and post tests were conducted at the end of the year for all grade levels and subject areas. By comparing the results of the diagnostic test with that of the post test, we were not only able to assess students’ achievement levels but also the proficiencies of the teachers for the different subject areas per grade. In fact, a portion of the incentive allowance provided by the city government to the teachers was determined by the improvements in achievement levels of the school — meaning to say, that those who did better received more. While this system needs refinement, especially in the area of ensuring the integrity of the testing process, it provides the mechanism that introduces accountability in the current scheme of things. At the moment, it seems that no one is made to answer for the poor achievement levels of our school children.
While at it, participation rates and completion rates should also form part of measuring the effectiveness of principals and teachers. The closest link to the pupils and the parents are the principals and the teachers. While these access indicators may seem to be mere statistics at the national level, at the school level, these are warm bodies whose future will be determined by the level of education they will receive. We often hear the “education for all” campaign in almost all administrations. But to emphasize, at the school level, the numbers are mere incidentals of what happened without the benefit of a deliberate and focus program to put children in school. For all the sloganeering of a free public school system, basic public education in most parts of the country is not really free. Any parent from schools of poor divisions will tell you so.
Corollary to this accountability system, the superintendents should be made accountable for their principals, the regional director for their superintendents and so on and so forth, until the buck stops at the Department of Education Central Office — the Secretary. Clearly, by focusing on what our education officials should be made to answer for, we can compel them to be more responsive.
Going back to where I started, while it is true that we need resources for the basic requisites to deliver free and quality public education to our school children, the mechanisms to measure their impact must be in place. Let us make our education officials accountable for the outcomes! This does not cost a lot of money, by the way.
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Before becoming an Interior Secretary, the late Jesse Robredo is a well-loved Mayor of Naga City and a Ramon Magsaysay awardee. "As mayor of Naga City from 1988 to 1998 he demonstrated that democratic government can also be good government," the awards committee said back in August 2000. The Ramon Magsaysay awards described Robredo's system of governance as "against patronage," and instead enforced a "merit-based system of hiring and promotion and reorganized city employees on the basis of aptitude and competence."
Robredo's was on a twin-engine, four-seater Piper Seneca plane which took off in Cebu and was en route to Naga City. The aircraft crashed in Masbate and Robredo's body was found two days after.
