Oct 4 Sessions

OCTOBER 4, 10:30 - 12:00	Abstract
Cross-Border Collaborative Learning in Jesuit Higher Learning Institutes (Dr. Taro Komatsu)	This paper presents the process and outcomes of collaborative learning offered by two Jesuit higher learning institutions, St Aloysius Gonzaga (SAG) Institute of Higher Studies in Taunggyi, Myanmar and Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. The work involves joint on-line and on-site seminars, as well as service-learning in rural areas in Myanmar. The contact between these two institutions began with the inauguration of Asian Pacific Interactive Jesuit Education Consortium (API) in Jogjakarta, Indonesia in September 2017 where representatives of the two institutions agreed to work on joint collaborative learning. The contact was followed by a visit by Taro Komatsu, director of the Center for Global Education and Discovery and a professor in the Department of Education at Sophia University, to the St Aloysius Gonzaga (SAG) Institute of Higher Studies where he delivered a lecture on education and peace, and conversed with SAG students. The idea of collaborative learning between the two institutions was further discussed then. In May 2018, the first on-line seminar was held where SAG students presented the findings and experiences from their service-learning and received feedback and questions from Sophia students. The event was successful in bringing two groups of students far apart together, despite potential challenges associated with cross-border on-line interaction, including language (English is not a native language for participating students), internet connection/IT devices, time difference, and different modes of learning in each institutional settings. More on-line sessions are underway to prepare for on-site seminars and service-learning in September 2018. Later, evaluative studies are foreseen to be conducted in a participatory manner involving students and faculties. Lessons learnt will be shared in API and applied to future projects with other Jesuit higher learning institutions of diverse settings, yet with a shared belief in advancing humanity and nurturing citizenship to work with and for others.
Positive Education: Nurturing Learning, Happiness, and Virtues in Schools (Dr. Ronnel King)	Positive education refers to educating students for both learning and well-being. In this talk, I will introduce what positive education is and discuss key principles that teachers can infuse into their practice in order to optimize learning and well-being in classroom contexts. I will share research I conducted in the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Singapore in order to build virtues and character strengths such as gratitude, hope, and resilience among students and share empirical evidence on how these strengths and virtues translated into optimal learning and well-being outcomes.
The Power of Getting Up: Filipino SHS Teachers' Critical Response to the New Educational Reform (Mrs. Louise May Lim)	This philosophy paper determines the condition of senior high school teachers in the Philippines in relation to the full implementation of the senior high school program by exposing the problems and challenges they are in. Using documented secondary data, I examine the current situation of our SHS teachers by providing contextual details in the light of Kant’s respect for people formulation. Employing expository-descriptive and critical-analytical method, this paper looks into how Kantian ethics serves as a catalyst to ethics of initiative. Following the critical articulations of Axel Honneth in the context of Filipino SHS teachers that without social recognition, personal integrity would be difficult or impossible to achieve as well as Jeffry Ocay’s call for audacious determination to say no to any form of exploitative system. I posit that this ethics of initiative is a development of Honneth’s recognitive justice and Ocay’s ethics of refusal in the context of this paper’s topic. This ethics could be a sound alternative in understanding our Filipino SHS teachers’ dilemma that even they lack the preconditions to achieve personal integrity and even no one pays attention to their ethics of refusal, they diligently get up with a reason to teach every day. Here, I highlight that the senior high school teachers as significant and relevant stakeholders during this transition phase of educational reform in the country are not separated from the persisting system but are dynamic agents of social transformation and emancipation who could potentially influence the system to positively change, hence, they symbolize the “ethics of initiative”.
Leader in Me®: A Whole-School Transformation Model for Developing Life-Ready Individuals (Ms. Ruth Esquillo-Ignacio)	This presentation discusses the “Leader in Me” (LiM), which is a whole-school transformation model and process developed by the FranklinCovey Company for education excellence. "The process empowers students with leadership and life skills to thrive in the 21st century. It provides a logical, sequential, and balanced process to help schools proactively design a culture that reflects their vision of their ideal school. The process starts with the paradigm that every child has unique strengths and talents that they can use to lead themselves and others.” This paradigm enables the school community to nurture the development of the whole child by teaching leadership principles, creating a positive culture of empowerment; and aligning academic systems into existing programs, curricula, and traditions. The progress of the school’s transformation is monitored through a measurable results assessment tool with a set rubric. Among the targeted measurable results are: student behavior, student leadership, Math and Reading proficiency, staff and faculty satisfaction and efficacy, family engagement, and supportive community environment. Schools that attain high standards of process implementation and school outcomes are certified as “Lighthouse” schools, which means model or example for other schools. There are around 3,500 LiM schools worldwide and around 350 of which are certified as Lighthouse. The presentation will feature the experience of Marywoods Academy, the first Lighthouse certified leadership school in the Philippines (www.theleaderinme.org). The discussion will show how the school’s transformation process has resulted in the development of the whole child (emotional, social, academic), the empowerment of students, faculty, and parents; the improvement of academic performance; and a strong culture of leadership for service. Best practices will be shared in the following areas: empowering instruction, promoting student-led achievement, systems that promote shared leadership, integrated approaches, professional learning and modeling, family empowerment, and community service.
The value of working together: starting your own Learning Action Cell in your school (Ms. Raquel Cabrieto)	With the Department of Education’s K-to-12 Program, one of the most massive reform programs in education in the Philippines, there is a need to strengthen the professional development support for teachers given their key role in providing quality education. Ongoing research has shown a shift form a traditional model of professional development of teachers focused on trainings outside the school, to more relevant, contextualized and school-based professional development initiatives such as Communities of Practice (CoPs), Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), collaborative action research and lesson study. With the release of DepEd Order No. 35, series 2016, it has become essential for all public-school teachers to be part of a school-based community of practice called Learning Action Cell (LAC) as a form of continuous professional development for them. Through comprehensive review of literature of these school-based professional development practices, recommendations for revival of LACs includes reviewing the current perspective on the role of teachers and the teaching profession, engaging with different stakeholders for support in this initiative and how to promote it across the whole Department of Education. It is important to provide venues for teachers to authentically reflect on their practice through creating a culture of trust among groups of teachers in schools. Resource materials to facilitate these experiences are also essential. Further research is needed to explore how this practice of LACs can support and improve learning outcomes of students through improved quality of teaching of both public and private school teachers. In this workshop, teachers, school leaders and researchers will be guided through a process that can be facilitated in schools to engage groups of teachers in an authentic conversation to create their own learning action cell. It’s a starting point for more reflection, collaboration and innovation among teachers. The goal is for participants to have a sense of ownership and accountability for their individual learning and find joy in working together.
Epistemological Beliefs & Self Regulated Learning in Thesis Writing of College Students Among Four Academic Disciplines (Ms. Maita Ladrido)	Under revision
Research Self-Efficacy, Interest in Research and Research Knowledge of Graduate Students (Dr. Edralin Manla)	One of the goals of graduate education is to produce graduates equipped with excellent research skills. With the challenges on the quality education and demands on excellence, the current priority of the Commission of Higher Education is on research. Graduate schools offering graduate programs are mandated to guide students develop the research skills expected of them. The purpose of this study is to determine how specific factors such as research efficacy and research interest contributed to research knowledge of the students. The participants of the study are the Master’s and Doctoral student enrolled in the school. The study utilized descriptive research design. The results showed that the Graduate students have good research interest and good level of self-efficacy, but poor research knowledge. Moreover, there is a significant contribution of interest in research to research knowledge, but a negative contribution of research self-efficacy to students’ research knowledge. These findings imply that the development of the graduate students’ research interest should be prioritized by the School of Education. These also denotes that there could be other factors to be looked into that may have contribution to students’ research knowledge, not only efficacy and interest.

OCTOBER 4, 1:00 - 2:30	Abstract
Identifying the Inaugural Cohort’s Levels of Affective Commitment at Teach For All’s Global Community of Practice in Education Policy (Mr. John Carlo Fernando)	The rise of computer-assisted informal learning spaces has seen the growth of Communities of Practice (CoP) (Lave & Wenger, 1991) defined as an evolving group of people who identify with similar values and beliefs united to support a shared practice (Barab, MaKinster, & Scheckler, 2004) and enjoined for professional and social reasons (Schlager & Fusco, 2004). To support the design of CoPs, it is found that the member’s levels of affective commitment determine the group’s sustainability (Ren, Kraut, Kiesler & Resnick, 2011). This mixed methods case study traces the levels of identity-based and bonds-based affective commitment (Ren et al., 2011) of a computer-assisted CoP, and refute and support the design claims established by Ren et al. (2011). The selected case is Teach For All’s Global Community of Practice (CoP) in Education Policy launched in 2017 composed of 26 Teaching Alumni from its 14 independent partner organisations dedicated to address education inequity in their respective contexts. This paper recommends that educational designers behind CoPs should sustain initiatives that allow the members to (a) self-organise and create their own subgroups by identifying shared goals; (b) adhere to agreed norms and values; (c) maintain the high level of recruitment of incoming members; (d) address concerns on time and distance that hinder participation and communication, and; (e) invite outside experts that may reinforce the members’ identification with the shared vision.
Learning and Teaching Laudato Si’ in a Cultural Context (Fr. Pedro Walpole)	Sharing about the possibilities in interdisciplinary learning using Laudato Si'. Laudato Si’ is a message to the whole world about care for our common home and the need for a new and universal solidarity. This is a quality document that can be read and practiced certainly in the context of a school community promoting a sense of service leadership in an area of great consequence for humanity fostering both self reflection and collective aspirations and actions. Discuss new ways for students to learn and engage with ideas and people. The document can be approached in different ways. Just understanding why the document is written is an interesting inquiry and discussion. We in APC have used it in different ways identifying a topic like water, cities or culture for discussing and developing a sense of identity and responsibility. Finding, for example, the eight references to culture have challenged us in our own unique context to reflect on our own identity and values. The experience has challenged our own cultural understanding and role in society and the different ways of communication. We have used it as a reference to understand the ancestral domain and gained affirmation of the work in assisted natural regeneration that the high school students are involved in. We hope to use these experiences as a basis to engage other students in the summer who come to visit our place and so can realise together we have much in common.
Internal Stakeholders' Involvement in Senior HS Work Immersion Program (Ms. Karen Gay Dy)	This study analysed on Internal Stakeholders’ Involvement in Senior High School Work Immersion Program of Diocesan Schools in Lanao del Norte and Iligan City SY 2017-2018. Specifically, the study focused on internal stakeholders’ parental involvement as characterized by parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaborating with the community; and internal stakeholders’ involvement in the senior high school work immersion program. This study utilized the descriptive research design employing mixed methods of research. The descriptive model involves collection of data in order to test hypothesis. It includes survey approach and focus group discussion (FGD). Utilizing the data, the study revealed that teachers manifest high involvement in facilitating parental involvement in learning at home and school, parents are moderately involved in the practices while school administrators showed high involvement in facilitating parental involvement. The data collected also revealed that the school administrators, teachers, students and parents were adversely involved in the work immersion program. The school administrators work conscientiously in providing the much needed support during the pre-immersion, immersion and post-immersion stage. To fully develop the implementation and sustain work immersion program, this study developed a school improvement plan. Monitoring and evaluation would be conducted for the enhancement of this program.
Development and Validation of a Parental Involvement Scale using Classical Test and Item Response Theory Models (Dr. Jaime Jose Nicdao)	The study describes the development and validation of a scale that measures parental involvement in the Philippine context using the Classical Test Theory (exploratory and confirmatory analyses) and the Item Response Theory (IRT) (Rasch model). The initial draft consisting of 54 items and categorized into 13 factors was generated from a review of literature and focus group discussions. The content validation and cognitive pre-testing resulted to the reduction of the items to 48. This was pilot tested to 538 parents of students from private and public schools in an urban community. Exploratory factor analysis resulted to a 22-item scale with six factors. The over-all reliability index is 0.87. The revised pilot version was administered to the main sample of 3,910 parents. The confirmatory factor analysis found that the best fitting model consisted 17 items with four factors: academic support, character development, school activity participation and spiritual formation. The item response theory reliability measure indicated that the item real reliability index was excellent (1.00) while the parent real reliability index was (0.86). Overall, the parental involvement scale showed evidence of validity and acceptable levels of reliability. Recommendations for future research are discussed. The presentation will feature the experience of Marywoods Academy, the first Lighthouse certified leadership school in the Philippines (www.theleaderinme.org). The discussion will show how the school’s transformation process has resulted in the development of the whole child (emotional, social, academic), the empowerment of students, faculty, and parents; the improvement of academic performance; and a strong culture of leadership for service. Best practices will be shared in the following areas: empowering instruction, promoting student-led achievement, systems that promote shared leadership, integrated approaches, professional learning and modeling, family empowerment, and community service.
Innovative Practices towards Teachers' Personal and Professional Growth (Ms. Venus Virrey)	Abstract This study assessed the level of participation in personal and professional development activities of public secondary school teachers in the Schools Division of Lipa City. It also considered the significant differences in the teachers’ level of participation in the said activities when grouped according to profile variables. Further, this study also assessed the extent of contribution of school and community development practices to personal and professional growth of teachers. It also analyzed the hindrances to the pursuit of personal and professional growth of teachers. The researcher proposed innovative practices which may be used in the division in order to maximize teachers’ participation in the activities leading to their personal and professional growth. The researcher utilized the descriptive research with the use of survey questionnaires in securing data and information needed to complete this study. Interviews and focus group discussion were also conducted to collect the necessary information which substantiated the interpretation of the results. Employing the Slovin’s formula in the identification of the sample population, the questionnaires were administered to 261 teachers from 15 public secondary schools in the Schools Division of Lipa City. The data gathered were interpreted upon applying the different statistical treatments such as frequency, percentage and rank and weighted mean. Moreover, t-test and ANOVA were also applied to come up with the necessary statistical computations. Findings revealed that the teacher-respondents were of legal working age, majority are female, Bachelor’s Degree holder, with considerable length of teaching experience and number of seminars and trainings attended. It was also found out that the teachers’ level of participation in trainings/workshops, school organizations and competitions, spiritual and physical awareness wellness, school and community partnerships, and in school reforms is generally to a moderate level but slight only in terms of graduate education and research. There were significant differences found in the level of participation of teachers in different activities when grouped according to profile variables. On the other hand, school and community development practices contributed greatly to the teachers’ pursuit of personal growth and professional development. However, it was found out that inadequate opportunities for professional development activities provided, hectic work schedule in school, and insufficient income were the most perceived hindrances to the pursuit of personal and professional growth of teachers. Based from the analysis of the findings, the researcher had then proposed innovative practices which will aid teachers’ pursuit of personal and professional growth represent the final output of the study. The study recommended that teachers’ level of participation in personal and professional development activities must be improved in order to maximize their personal and professional growth. Innovative practices may be implemented to enhance further personal qualities and professional competencies of teachers.
Adoption of DepED Basic Education Research Agenda in CALABARZON (Mr. Jumar Sadsad)	This study aimed to assess the level of adoption of DepEd basic education research agenda in CALABARZON region among selected public secondary school in Region IV -A CALABARZON. The descriptive research design was used as it best deemed to be able to provide better data on profile of the respondents and other information measured through appropriate statistical tools and a validated questionnaire. The main data gathering instrument was the online researcher-made questionnaire through google form supported with the use of interview, focus group discussion and analysis of the different research documents. The research involved 180 school administrators and 393 teachers in public secondary schools in CALABARZON. They were selected with the use of stratified random sampling method. Slovin’s Formula at five percent margin of error will be also used to determine the number of respondents. This study focused on the adoption of basic education research agenda in CALABARZON as basis for proposing a Research Development Management Program. It also includes the extent of conducting researches of the school administrators and teachers themselves as guided by DepEd basic education research agenda. Findings: 1. Majority of the teacher-respondents are not actively participating in research trainings in the last five years while most of the school head-respondents are moderately active. 2. Both of the respondents are not actively conducting research studies and not actively disseminating research papers through presentation and/or publication in the last five years. 3. Most of the teacher-respondents and school head-respondents conducted researches along with the basic education research agenda to a moderate extent. The research paved way for a research development management program in Region IV-A CALABARZON.
Developing Classroom Observation Tool for Transformational Teachers (Mr. Jhon Hayden Bale and Ms. Valerie Garde-Farol)	The Department of Education’s mission statement advocates the protection and promotion of the right of every Filipino to quality, equitable, culture-based and complete basic education. To do this, there is a need for teachers and school administrators to create a learning environment that would be suitable to the learner, and at the same time, be able to implement the curriculum into meaningful instruction (Sullivan & Glanz, 2013). In the Philippine public education system, the intended curriculum is crafted by the Department of Education. However, different interpretations of the curriculum lead to various implemented and achieved curriculum, all happening at the same time. To prevent this from happening, supervision of instruction should be put in place to ensure fidelity of the teachers to the intended curriculum. Implementing the curriculum goes beyond employing effective and innovative classroom strategies. To ensure quality, equitable, culture-based and complete basic education for every Filipinos, teachers should be transformational – teaching not only the concepts but also the values and skills necessary for the students’ holistic development. Ferguson (2006) cited 7 characteristics of an effective teacher, which can be divided into Press and Support measures. These characteristics were the basis of the classroom observation tool development. To validate the indicators in the tool, interviews and focus group discussions were conducted as well as actual classroom observations and debriefs. Orientation and calibration are also conducted. Furthermore, the continuous re-training of teachers, classroom observations and debriefs, and revision of the tool based on Ferguson’s study improved the scores of teachers.

OCTOBER 4, 3:00 - 4:30	Abstract
Readiness of Public School Teachers in Handling Inclusive Education (Dr. Michael Ecoben)	Public school teachers in the Department of Education (DepEd) are perceived to be integral in the implementation of inclusive education. They play a vital role in the successful application of inclusive education as they are viewed as significant in the process of including pupils with disabilities into regular classes. Thus, this study aimed to assess the readiness of public school teachers in handling inclusive education. The study utilized a descriptive – quantitative method of research using both the quantitative and qualitative techniques of data collection. The quantitative techniques were in the form of survey with public school teachers in DepEd in the Division of Cagayan de Oro. On the other hand, the qualitative techniques were in the form of focus group discussion and secondary data analysis. The significant findings of the study disclosed that public school teachers’ readiness in handling inclusive education are more aware on the importance of inclusive education. However, they need trainings, seminars and workshops because several mainstream teachers are new to mainstreaming. They are favorable on the inclusive education, but they lack updated hands-on trainings especially on the teaching strategies and handling mainstream pupils. Moreover, they are skilled in their own personal capacity, but they lack further trainings specifically on the crafting of Individualized Education Plans. In order to become more effective as an inclusive classroom teacher, the teachers need to be well aware about the type of disability and the requirements of children with special needs. Further, teachers have to regularly update themselves with innovative methodologies and upcoming technology. At the same time, teachers have to believe in the policy of inclusive education and to have a positive attitude towards it. Therefore, the need of the hour is to have a separate subject on disability and inclusive education in the teacher training courses. It is imperative to make the general educator aware of the disabilities and prepare them with skills and competencies that are needed to handle all diversity in class.
"Mula Lansangan Patungong Paaralan": A Case Study of Promoting Opportunities and Reducing Social Inequalities (Mr. Paul Vincent Hernandez)	This paper reveals the state of street children and their families, considered as one the most vulnerable sectors in society. This research paper acknowledges the need to further explore the discussion of the people and individual’s involvement in advocating social justice having been given the opportunity to be educated in the literacy program. In the work for equitable and just society, promoting opportunities and reducing inequality is a concern that must be given utmost importance. For how can there be social justice when those who have less in life are not given the privileges that others have in order that their inherent dignity be upheld? For children whose daily life revolves around the streets where they live, how is social justice in education possible? How does society operate and treat those underprivileged? Can education really be considered an emancipating factor in society today? When the Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society, how is it concretely manifested in our society? From delving deeply into the lives of street children, these questions are what the researcher wants to undertake, accomplish and answer in this study.
School Culture Typology and Leadership in Ateneo de Iloilo (Dr. Herman Lagon)	This descriptive study aims to determine the school culture typology and the school leadership category of Ateneo de Iloilo-Santa Maria Catholic School. Using stratified random sampling, 76 teachers of ADI-SMCS were asked to fill out two standardized instruments of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, namely: (a) School Culture Typology (SCT) worksheet and (b) School Culture Survey (SCS) sheet. Analysis of data was done using central tendencies and standard deviation. The SCT survey showed that the most dominant typology in Ateneo is the “collaborative” type of school culture. However, it also has a secondary blend of “contrived collegiality” and “comfortable collaboration” type of school culture. The school does not notably show a culture that is “toxic,”“fragmented,” or “balkanized.”“Collaborative” culture is found to be prevailing in the following areas: “decision making,” “openness,” “communication,” “socialization,” and “organizational history.” But results also showed that the school needs to further improve on areas of “trust” among teachers and “parent relations.” Meanwhile, the SCS survey revealed that the teachers “strongly agree” in the high level of “professional development” and “unity of purpose” in school. They also “agree” in the level of “collegial support,”“learning partnership,”“teacher collaboration,” and “collaborative leadership.” However, it was also found that teachers still need to develop more their trust to each other and to be more open in discussing disagreements over instructional practices. The administration must also be more aggressive in structurally giving space, reward, and recognition to curricular innovators. It is hereby recommended that the details of the results of this study must cascade down to the teachers through school summits, institutional meetings, and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) for affirmation, dialogue, reflection, and communal discernment. Similar study may also be made with the staff, administrators, formators, students, alumni, and parents as respondents, for triangulation.
Determining School Readiness to Changes through School Climate and Culture Index (Mr. Jhon Hayden Bale)	The nature and vibe of a school workplace is an interesting topic to look at when studying educational organizations. For one, although there have been researches about school climate and culture, there is still little too vague understanding on what they are and how they are behaviorally seen or felt in schools. To study the school culture and climate is very important for it gives the school the identity and the atmosphere that could hinder or help in the development of a school as an institution that provides quality education. According to Edmond’s Model (1979), as cited by Hoy, Tarter and Kottkamp (1991) in their book Open Schools/Healthy Schools, school climate that stems from strong administrative leadership, high performance expectations, a safe and orderly environment, an emphasis on basic skills, and a system of monitoring student progress constitutes a condition that will promote academic achievement. This brings us to a hypothesis that school climate is an integral factor to consider by educators as one of the means in improving student achievement, thus developing the whole school. In the advent of the implementation of SHS under the K to 12 Curriculum, a private school in Quezon City is on a transition stage, especially with the curricular reform at hand. It is important, therefore, to look into the school’s preparedness in terms of climate and culture, so as to better inform the administrators on how to implement the changes this coming school year. This study revealed that the school has high health index and above average openness index. Thus the conditions are favorable to implement changes not only for curricular reforms, but also for other administrative changes in streamlining the processes and re-opening the lines of communication.
Ignatian Pedagogy in Timor Leste (Fr. Sidelizio Pereira)	Implementing Ignatian pedagogy in the process of learning and teaching in the context of Instituto São João de Brito (ISJB) has its advantages and disadvantages. The students appreciate and accept Ignatian pedagogy as an instrument for teaching, learning and forming intellectual capacity and personal character of a person. However, their lack in the educational foundation from their previous basic education, most students found the teaching style more challenging. Although the faculty members tried to implement the Ignatian methodology in teaching, but it also seems that they lack the confidence to be firm in their implementation.
Pedagogical Content Knowledge of Pre-Service Teachers in Test Construction (Mr. Ronald Quileste)	The study sought to determine the pedagogical content knowledge of pre-service teachers in test construction. The study employed the descriptive research design and was conducted in the School of Education of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan. The sampling method used for the study is simple random sampling and made use of Cochran’s formula of estimation for getting the sample size. The results show that the pre-service teachers have “Fair” pedagogical knowledge in the essentials of test construction and needs to improve in writing instructional objectives and constructing of table of specifications. However, they have “Good” pedagogical knowledge in the majority of the objective type tests, except in the constructing of completion and multiple-choice test items. The results show that there is no significant difference with the respondents’ pedagogical content knowledge in the preliminaries or the essentials of test construction when grouped according to their Undergraduate Program. The results also show that there is no significant difference with the respondents’ pedagogical content knowledge in the construction of objective-type tests when grouped according to their Undergraduate Program.
Categories of Questions and Critical Thinking (Ms. Adeva Jane Esparrago)	Asking questions is an important teaching tool which helps educators assess learning and stimulate students to think. Alongside this notion, this study was made to determine the categories of questions and critical thinking skills of the students from XUJHS. It sought to find out the categories of questions based on Anderson and Krathwohl’s Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy, followed by finding out the students’ Student Talk and Critical Thinking Skills under Induction, Credibility, Deduction and Assumption identification. The relationship between teachers’ categories of questions during classroom discussion and students’ critical thinking was investigated and teachers were also interviewed. The results showed that the categories of questions were usually at the lower categories, namely: Remembering and Understanding. The students’ over-all critical thinking skills fell under Average, the skills under Induction were Average while the skills under Credibility, Deduction and Assumption identification were Fair. Most of Student Talk fell under Brief Response, Silence and Covert or Mumbled Responses. Most of the Student Initiates consisted of only Covert or Mumbled Initiates. It can be surmised that there is a significant relationship between category of questions during classroom discussion and students’ critical thinking. Once the lower categories have been satisfied; the higher the categories of questions, the more likely higher the students’ critical thinking is. Further, the interview with teachers yielded the following: students have opportunities to demonstrate HOTS through prepared questions in the lesson guides and pre-assigned selections; evidences of thinking critically include outputs, test results or performance; difficulties include students’ discomfort with wait time, settling with one-word answers and the lack of motivation to read or answer and to solve the problems, teachers maintain motivation and have students read ahead; lastly, to help develop more meaningful questions, use good materials that initiate discussion, set expectations, re-define and review lesson plans, and continue subject integration.

*Schedule and actual sessions are subject to change without prior notice