Philippine Basic Education

Being anxious before an exam is a factor that can certainly influence a child's performance. Five years ago, I posted on this blog a piece about test anxiety. Test Anxieties: A Barrier to Learning Assessment Back in Chicago, when I was a teaching assistant in General Chemistry, the professor used the word "party" whenever referring to an exam inside the classroom. With every exam, the professor also added humorous cartoons on the first page. The purpose is to somehow relieve test anxiety which significantly impairs a student's academic performance. Taking an exam seriously and preparing for it is good. However, worrying about an exam needlessly with particular emphasis on scores as measures of success or failure is harmful. This is test anxiety. With education reforms, tests serve as measures of learning outcomes. Test scores are sought to gauge whether a given educational reform is working or not. With higher stakes, greater attention is given to scores in th...

When education works, we can see it. Some say activism is part of education. It is, provided that the experience leads to a greater understanding of how a society functions, what challenges are to be faced, and how actions or protests can become effective for progressive change. In 1986, the Philippines witnessed a dramatic change in government. It was the defense secretary and one of Marcos' generals who first led the withdrawal of support for the old strongman of the country. The duo then received the protection of the public as protesters began to flood a major roadway in Manila. More than thirty years later, protests are still held. This time, they are voicing once again, against multiple issues. The number of issues, however, cannot hide what is really in the mind of the leaders of the protest, removal of the current president. Activism in the Philippines, sadly, has always been cast as a quest for power. In this light, student activism becomes not a part of good education, bu...

Even the late night shows here in the United States are in awe. Student activists from Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The discussions on gun-control legislation do not appear to fade as quickly as previous times. At this point, it seems that teenagers are no longer going to sit down and tolerate the deaf ears of their politicians. Hundreds of miles away, here in Virginia, students from the middle school my son attends have also staged a walkout. My son's principal, Maria Eck, writes in an email addressed to the parents of middleschoolers: About 40 of our students walked out at in honor of the 17 victims from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Staff members directed them to exit the front of the building and stand by the flagpole. Students exited and reentered the building in an orderly fashion and were outside for 17 minutes before returning to class. FCPS (Fairfax County Public Schools) respects the rights of our students to engage in peaceful ...

Showing a special handshake for each of her 20 students, Mueller Elementary school teacher, Ms. Jerusha Willenborg, finds herself in a viral video . Making that connection especially for a white teacher with minority students can indeed bring positive emotions from any viewer of the video. We all remember those teachers we had in grade school that made us comfortable, safe and confident. These teachers provide a climate in which we can regard the classroom as a second home. Research is clear on how important a teacher-student relationship is to a child's social and emotional development. The effect on academic outcomes is less clear but there is no doubt regarding the impact of a teacher on how we begin to view ourselves and school. How a young child copes with the social challenges inside a classroom is definitely linked to the quality of the relationship that child has with his or her teacher. Above copied from KWCH12 In a recent study , Rucinski and coworkers find that ...

Values and character are indeed caught and not taught. Teachers as models inside the classroom influence how students view themselves. Students feel supported when the teacher shows tolerance, energy and care. Students can also feel positive about themselves when they receive compassion, acceptance and confidence. Teachers are humans. Each one has a personality. We remember teachers who are kind and caring. Teachers who are strict are equally memorable. Derrick Meador at ThoughtCo.  lists the following traits as helpful for teachers and students: adaptability, conscientious, creativeness, determination, empathy, forgiving, genuineness, graciousness, gregarious, grit, independence, intuitiveness, kindness, obedience,passionate, patience, reflective, resourceful, respectful, and responsible. How the personality of a teacher affects students is an important question in basic education. Recent research shows that the personality of a teacher correlates with how we view ourselves but n...

While people have become aware of the mistake made by the Aquino administration with regard to a mass vaccination program for Dengue, a much larger fiasco continues in the country's basic education system. The DepEd's K to 12 curriculum has always been touted as learner-centered and inquiry-based. The curriculum is now largely based on fads such as learning styles. Instead of focusing on evidence-based and proven methods of teaching, the Aquino administration has chosen to emphasize process instead of content, leaving the classroom leaderless. Aquino's education reform is both romantic and ideological but is an utter failure in evidence and efficiency. Above copied from  K to 12 Toolkit Jean Stockard and coworkers have published a meta-analysis of fifty years worth of research on Direct Instruction . The results are crystal clear. From over 300 studies, substantial positive results are obtained for a style of teaching called Direct Instruction. The method is found t...

Sound bites capture us because of our emotions. Statements whether logical or illogical become effective only when the message is delivered in a succinct, easy to remember, and personalized manner. For instance, " The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun .", was a very catchy statement made by the National Rifle Association president Wayne Lapierre a week after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Yesterday was Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday, yet, before the day was over, another mass shooting happened in a high school in Parkland, Florida. My family would often spend weeks in this "safe and beautiful" city of Parkland. This massacre occurred close to home. President Trump, in his first public address after the shooting, promised only to tackle "mental issues. Indeed, Lapierre's words could not be drowned. Years ago, Lapierre said, "How can we possibly even guess how many, given our nation's refusal...