OCTOBER 5, 8:30 - 10:00 |
Abstract |
Critical Literacy Practices and Social Engagement Among Senior College Students (Mrs. Cathelyn Adajar) |
Critical Literacy is a competency that needs to be acquired by students as stipulated in the K-12 Curriculum Guide for English that was drafted in 2013 by the Department of Education (Dep Ed) in the Philippines. The college graduates of 2018, particularly those who major in English from the College of Arts and Sciences and the General Education and Secondary Education students of the School of Education are the potential incoming teachers of Dep Ed. Are they aware of the tenets of critical literacy and can they apply them in making a lesson guide considering that it is not a subject taught in college? This study considered a sample of these senior college students from Xavier University, Ateneo de Cagayan. They were given a short literary piece and were instructed to construct a lesson guide applying the tenets of critical literacy using the Four Dimensions of Critical Literacy as synthesized by Lewison, Flint, Van Sluys and Henkin (2002) namely (1) disrupting the commonplace, (2) interrogating multiple viewpoints, (3) focusing on sociopolitical issues, and (4) taking action and promoting social justice. Xavier-Ateneo, being a Jesuit school, inculcates in the students the value of social awareness and engagement, and this is one of the dimensions of critical literacy. This paper analyzes the lesson guide prepared by the participants whether they could apply the four dimensions of critical literacy, and gives recommendations as to what can be done by the school to further promote and practice it. |
Building a culture of coaching in new-teacher training program (Fr. Joseph Haw) |
Facing the challenge of a quick turnover of teachers due to the increasing demand in Philippine Public Schools, Private Schools can no longer just rely on the time tested in-service trainings where school culture and the "tricks of the trade" are hoped to be assimilated "on the job." Private Schools can no longer simply assume that there will always be "seasoned" teachers who can transfer the school's ideals in teaching and learning. Schools need to have a more dynamic way of doing new-teacher orientation/training program that utilizes not only the expertise of the "few" tenured teachers but the developing competence of probationary themselves (within 1 -3 years in teaching career) through coaching and mentoring. Inculturation of Ignatian identity in Teaching Experience (IGNITE) is Ateneo de Iloilo- Santa Maria Catholic School's (ADI-SMCS) attempt in creating a "more" dynamic new-teacher training. In this training structure, the probationary teachers are given the task of being "experts" who will coach and train the newly-hired teachers. Allowing them to teach principles learned during their orientation and after their one or two years of immersion in school will allow them to master what they have learned. At the same time, they will be able to share to the newly-hired the added value of their experiences. Selected tenured and master teachers give them support by guiding them in their preparations and provide them encouragement and feedback at the end of each day. Offering an honest critique of performance, combining encouragement and targeted suggestions for improvement, develop the probationary teachers confidence. |
Project-Based Learning: Taking the Leap (Mrs. Maria Angela Decloedt) |
What is it like to attempt school-wide Project-Based Learning for the first time? Hear about one institution’s challenging, surprising, and ultimately rewarding experience implementing PBL from Preschool to Grade 10 during school year 2017-2018. Several factors emerged as key to a promising first effort: strong administrative support, dynamic leadership by middle management, community spirit within the faculty, capacity-building opportunities for middle management and teachers, and the provision of time for interdisciplinary level teams to plan together. Certain areas, such as scheduling and teacher- and student-preparedness, proved to be particularly tricky to navigate, and further improvement in these areas will be essential to success in the future. Nevertheless, the positive results of PBL, including increased student engagement and improved performances from low-expectancy students, far outweigh the difficulties of implementing it. |
Effectiveness of ‘No Hands-up Questioning method’ in understanding Physics of SHS students (Mr. Russel Van Erick Ramos) |
Abstract. This action research focuses on optics, specifically the polarization of light. Using the No-Hands-up method to assess the understanding of the students in the conducted lesson, in the activity they are given the symbol of a polaroid filter and light wave and it is being analogous to a lock and key(which will be discussed further), and passing through each lock as they got the correct answers. The results showed that the least percentage of students correct answer is 76, an indication of passing mark. |
Computer Simulation in Science Classroom: A Strategy to Enhance Academic Engagement (Mrs. Bregida Hibaya) |
The assessment result of the Center for Educational Measurement (CEM) test in Science at XUJHS in three school years from 2013 to 2017 showed that among the different Science disciplines, Physics is ranked lowest. One attributing reason for this is the traditional way of introducing concepts to the learners that mainly manifests a teacher-centered approach by giving the concepts rather than generating it themselves. This study presents the use of computer simulations in teaching the concepts of wave properties to Grade 7 students of XUJHS. Through a quantitative experimental design, a 20-item pre-test was administered to two classes. One group was identified as the control group which followed the Traditional Instruction and another was identified as the experimental group which followed the Computer Assisted Instruction. After employing the mid-test and post-test, the paired t-test was applied. The data gathered revealed that there is a statistical difference in the increase of post-test mean scores of the experimental group. Moreover, effect size test for t-test was utilized to further validate the t-test results. The test strongly suggested that the magnitude of the effect of Computer Assisted Instruction was considerably large. Qualitative data through survey showed that majority of the students in the experimental group found the computer simulation helpful in their study. The results of the paper hope to encourage the improvement and development of Science education through the use of learning devices and educational applications that can entice student engagement and learning to be consistent with the tenets of DepEd’s K-12 Science Education which is student-centered. |
The Singapore Approach in Teaching Primary Mathematics: Teacher's Perception, Attitude, and Challenges in Preparation and Implementation (Mrs. Arzbette Ann Amon) |
The purpose of this study is to shed light on teachers’ perception, attitude, and experiences in the implementation of the Singapore curriculum in a Philippine setting. This action research includes a survey questionnaire and interview anecdotes conducted to gather information on mathematics teachers’ experiences in the implementation of the curriculum. The survey and interview revealed inconsistencies and challenges in the implementation that led to a proposed module that will ensure a common understanding and implementation of the Singapore approach in teaching Primary Mathematics. |
Dynamic Mental Imagery and Problem Solving in Solid Geometry (Ms. Melpe Cavales) |
Solving mathematics problems involving composite geometrical figures with multi-step solutions has always posed a great challenge to students enrolled in STEM programs. Transforming verbal instructions into an accurate figural representation of the problem often creates a difficulty in obtaining the correct solution. This study investigated whether students’ mental imagery could be harnessed and developed in order to solve solid geometry problems, while controlling for possible effects of student learning styles and spatial ability. The pretest-posttest two-group design was employed in this semester-long experiment making use of two intact classes of freshmen from the college of engineering (n = 60). It was found that exposure to mental imagery exercises at the start of the course led to the adaptation of mental imaging as a problem solving technique. Moreover, results showed a significant difference between the two groups’ problem solving performance. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) and t-test for independent means indicated that both learning style and spatial ability did not moderate the effects of mental imagery on student performance. |
ReQuesT and Its Impact in the Academic Performance of Grade 11 Students in Disciplines and Ideas in Social Science (Mr. Floro Peria Jr.) |
This study presented an innovative teaching strategy called, ReQuesT or Reverse Questioning Technique where the students were required to write questions that were limited to How and Why statements only based on the topic discussed by the teacher for the day. How and Why statements contributed to the improvement of the students' comprehension which was one of the categories in Bloom's Taxonomy from where this study was anchored. Questions were filed and utilized by the teacher during the oral recitation, group activity, quizzes, summative and major examinations. This study covered the academic performance of the students in the Disciplines and Ideas in asocial Science for the final grading period, first semester of the school year 2017-2018. Experimental method was utilized and the research design was two group design. The respondents belonged to the two sections of the General Academic Strand (GAS) at SDNHS, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna. They were 77 students. GAS 1 consisted of 38 students while GAS 2 was 39 students. Simple random sampling was utilized. Selected 20 students from GAS 1were considered the Experimental group while selected 20 students were treated as the Control group. This study found out the following results: 1. The mean academic performance of the experimental group was 88.6. 2. The mean academic performance of the control group was 83.3. 3. ReQuesT has created impact on the academic performance of the grade 11 GAS students in Disciplines and Ideas in Social Science. Significant data were gathered, tabulated, analized and generated using the Statistical Package for Social Sciece (SPSS). |
Difference in Academic Engagement among College Students as a function of Learning Environment (Mr. Neal Nikko Espejo) |
This market potential study aimed to identify which of the factors would make the millennials enroll in second course programs and determine its significant relationship when grouped into 5 demographic factors. The study was conducted to 251 millennials who were working in the BPO companies officed in UP Ayala Land TechnoHub. The data was validated using Descriptive, ChiSquare, Factor Analyses using STATA. |
The relationship of student engagement and reflectiveness to achievement in a class on news literacy (Mr. Michael Ryan Bulosan) |
The study examined the relationship of engagement and reflectiveness of students in a class on news literacy and their achievement. The research question for the study is: Do students’ engagement and reflectiveness during a news literacy class relate to achievement in news media literacy? The hypothesis was proposed that these two characteristics of student participation would be related to achievement in a class on news literacy. Previous literature asserted that engagement (Skinner & Pitzer, 2012) and reflective thinking (Moon, 2005) lead to academic achievement. In the study, engagement refers to the degree of students’ active, enthusiastic and effortful participation in learning activities in the classroom while reflectiveness refers to the degree of active, persistent, and critical consideration and evaluation of knowledge gained from instruction. Achievement in news media literacy pertains to the knowledge, skills and attitudes in related to news literacy. Data was gathered using a survey adapting the School Engagement Measure (SEM)-MacArthur, Questionnaire for Reflective Thinking (QRT) and the News Media Literacy (NML) Scale. Qualitative data was gathered as well through a focus group discussion. The respondents were 82 Grade 12 students from a secondary level Catholic school for boys. The school adapted the course in news literacy that has been developed by the Stony Brook University in New York. The course has been actively propagated by the school in many parts of the world, including Asia. Findings in this study show that student engagement and reflectiveness are moderately related to achievement in news media literacy. Using hierarchical multiple regression to analyze student’s response to attitude statements and students’ news media literacy results, it was reported that student engagement predicts news media knowledge (β=0.294, p <.05), need for cognition (β=0.473, p <.05) and locus of control (β=0.349, p <.05). Reflectiveness was also reported to predict news media knowledge (β=0.154, p <.05), need for cognition (β=0.157, p <.05), and locus of control (β=0.301, p <.05). Support was found for both hypotheses. |
OCTOBER 5, 10:30 - 12:00 |
Abstract |
Effectiveness of a Mindfulness Program in the Formation of the Students (Mrs. Andrea Chaveli Dela Cerna) |
The session will be about a research essay I did for the completion of my Masteral Degree. It presents a synthesis of various education related articles, journals, academic papers and books that will explore the effects of mindfulness meditation on students and their behavior including existing successful mindfulness programs in different countries. The research essay wanted to find out if mindfulness meditation could yield benefits in terms of discipline and behavioral challenges and if it could deter students from committing disciplinary infractions. The session will also cover mindfulness practices we are currently doing this school year in our school as a result of this paper I prepared, and its early effects on the students |
Discipline Does Not Hurt: Context, Relationship, and Strategies in Managing Challenging Classrooms (Dr. Rhodora Nicdao) |
With the increasing recognition of children’s rights is the widespread advocacy for a non-punitive approach to discipline. There is a global campaign to eliminate any form of violence on children particularly in the school setting. Anchored on House Bill 4455 (Positive and Non-violent Discipline of Children) and the Dep Ed Child Protection Policy, a training program was developed and pilot tested to forty-one grades 4 to 5 public school teachers in Metro Manila. Data were collected using training worksheets, questionnaires, classroom observation forms and an interview guide. Findings showed that teachers encountered surface and chronic behavior problems, and misbehaviors related to low motivation. Prior to training, teachers believed that punishment was a necessary component of discipline. They utilized corporal punishment, verbal attacks and psychological threats. After the training program, participants developed a more personal caring relationship with their students, recognized students’ context and employed more non-punitive strategies. Six cases were presented to show the transition from punishment-based strategies to positive discipline. Based on the findings, a model of positive discipline was proposed. |
Leadership of Co-Curricular Organization in Teacher Education Institution (Dr. Lorie Anne Socorro Moreno) |
Student leadership and involvement in their respective co-curricular organization are important aspects in the development of potentials among pre-service teachers. This study sought to determine the following: 1) description of the members’ evaluation of their student leaders’ leadership skills; 2) description of the self-assessment of the student leaders’ leadership skills; 3) the relationship between the members evaluation and the student leaders’ self assessment of their leadership skills. A total of forty-six student leaders and fifty members of the five co-curricular organizations in the School of Education, Xavier University, SY 2016-2017 are part of the study. Data gathering adapted John Maxwell’w (2013) leadership assessment to gather data for the objectives of the study. It was modified to suit the respondents of the study. After ascertaining validity and reliability, results are reported as follows: Members’ evaluation on their student leaders is Good. Among the domains of leadership, Results (3.27) is Very Good. On the other hand, self-assessment of student leaders on their leadership skills is also Good. Among the domains of leadership, Rights (3.39), Relationships (3.27) and Respect (3.28) were all Very Good. Overall members’ evaluation of their student leaders is not considered predictive to student leaders self-assessment of their leadership skills. |
A 5-year Student activities and Social Involvement Development Plan for Xavier University HS (Mr. Samuel Macagba III) |
This paper looked into the institutional evaluation of the Formation, Outreach, Involvement, and Leadership program of the Office of Student Activities and Social Involvement (OSASI) of Xavier University High School – Ateneo de Cagayan (XUHS-ADC). A combination of both qualitative and quantitative data was used to get a comprehensive evaluation of the programs under the said office. The respondents include 323 XUHS-ADC students, Light Cavalry Leadership Community (LCLC) student volunteers, administration, faculty, staff and the beneficiaries of the program. It has been discovered that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness rating from the perceptions of both the students and the administration, faculty and staff group. Ratings in the program are consistently and moderately effective. The over-all mean rating of the OSASI program has been validated through the qualitative data gathered from this research. Over-all, the institution looks into the said program as beneficial to the development and formation of the students. The beneficiaries likewise wanted continuous interaction with the students of XUHS-ADC undertaking the said program. There were various areas mentioned in the paper that needs closer evaluation and examination especially in the areas of program evaluation and module development, which led to the formulation of Five-Year Student Activities and Social Involvement Development Plan. |
Teaching Approaches and Competencies: Relationships on the LSPU-SCC Mathematics instructors' self-efficacy in implementing outcomes-based education (Mr. Zion Zrehl Astronomo) |
The main purpose of the study was to determine the relationship between LSPU-SCC Mathematics instructors’ teaching approaches and competencies on the efficacy beliefs in implementing Outcome-Based Education. The respondents were the twenty-five (25) Mathematics instructors from all college departments of LSPU-SCC who were purposively selected by the researcher. Questionnaire-checklist was the tool used to gather the needed data. The descriptive method of research was used in this study. The principal aim for employing this method was to determine the relationship of LSPU-SCC Mathematics Instructors’ teaching approaches and competencies on their efficacy beliefs in implementing Outcome-Based Education. The statistical treatment of data used to answer the specific questions stated were mean and standard deviation and regression analysis. Based on the analyzed data, it had been known that in terms of teaching approaches, the Mathematics Instructors’ have: Strong Learner-centered View; Strong Constructivist View; Strong Integrative View; and Strong Collaborative View. For teaching competencies, the Mathematics Instructors’ level on knowledge in teaching and mathematics was Highly Evident Knowledge. Also, their level on knowledge in pedagogy was Highly Evident Knowledge. In addition, their level on utilization of instructional materials and learning devices was Highly Evident. And lastly, their level on teaching strategies was Highly Evident Application. Moreover, Mathematics Instructors have Very Strong Efficacy Belief in implementing Outcome-Based Education. It was found that there is a significant relationship between teaching approaches and competencies on the Mathematics Instructors’ efficacy beliefs in implementing Outcome-Based Education. The researcher recommended that the nature and kind of this study may also be conducted in other universities and colleges wherein Outcome-Based Education is already implemented for them to determine if teaching approaches and competencies have significant relationship on their Instructors’ efficacy beliefs in implementing the said curriculum. |
Context-based Teaching Approach in Physics: Students’ Attitude (Ms. Marvice Joyce Villa) |
A context-based teaching approach uses a real-life context at the beginning of the class as a spring-board in teaching a particular concept. This approach makes the students more interested in the subject as well as making the lesson meaningful to the students. This study used a quasi-experimental design to determine the effect of context-based teaching approach on the attitude of Physics students. Two randomly assigned groups of Grade 9 students were used in the study, namely the traditional group (TG, n=44), which was taught conventionally and the context-based approach group (CBAG, n=44), which was taught using the context-based approach. The Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) was administered to the students before and after the intervention to determine their attitude towards Physics. The mean percent favorable responses of the students in each group were analyzed using the independent samples t-test and paired samples t-test analyses. Before the intervention, the attitudes of both groups were not significantly different (p=0.487). After the intervention, the paired samples t-test analysis revealed that the attitude of the experimental group improved significantly (p=0.001) compared to the attitude of the traditional group (p=0.511). The independent samples t-test analysis showed that the attitude of the two groups significantly differ (p=0.002). Moreover, the context-based approach group’s attitude shifted into a more expert-like attitude. These results indicate that the attitude of the students towards Physics can be positively improved using the context-based approach. |
Entrepreneurship-based Biology in Teaching and Learning: Students' Motivation (Mr. John Oliver Distor) |
This study aimed to investigate the effects of integrating entrepreneurship in biology education on the students’ motivation towards learning the subject matter. The quasi-experimental nonrandomized pretest-posttest group design was adopted in the study. There were two groups of 31 student participants selected for Control (Traditional Learning Group, TLG) and Experimental (Entrepreneurship-based Biology Learning Group, EBLG). The initial mean scores in motivation towards biology of the TLG (x ̅ = 3.52; S = 0.192) and EBLG (x ̅ = 3.57; S = 0.379) have no significant difference which suggests that both groups started with the same level of motivation. The Traditional way of teaching and learning were applied for both the TLG and EBLG but the experimental group was given additional basic entrepreneurial activities. The students experienced taking loan, designing goods’ labels, marketing, and paying off loan. After the intervention, t-test analysis showed that the motivation of both TLG (x ̅ = 3.93, S = 0.167) and EBLG ((x ̅ = 4.26, S = 0.198) had significantly improved (t(60) = 6.773; p < 0.001); however, analysis of the normalized gain score showed that the EBLG’s (x ̅ = 0.473; S = 0.135) motivation in learning biology was significantly higher than the Traditional Learning Group (x ̅ = 0.288; S = 0.272). Motivational survey adapted from Tuan et. al (2005) showed that the students in Entrepreneurship-based Biology Learning Group developed significantly higher motivation towards learning biology than the Traditional Learning Group. The integration across curriculum could develop abilities, knowledge, skills, and expertise that students could attain and be successful at work and in life. Integrating entrepreneurship in biology education has the potential of motivating students in learning biological concepts and preparing them with adequate entrepreneurial skills and confidence as a pathway for creating and generating gainful employment. |
Information Literacy Self-Efficacy Among Senior High School Students: Identifying Variations in Perceived Credibility from Linguistic Cues (Ms. Jane Tricia Cruz) |
The Ipsos Perils of Perception Report released in December 2017 ranked the Philippines among countries that have widely misinformed populations, and likewise, in the most confident populations. In what can only be described as an illustrative example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, the Filipinos’ representation in the report can only tell so much about the state of information literacy in the country. The present study aims to explore this situation to the level of Philippine classrooms, exploring the information literacy self-efficacy of Senior High School students and the linguistic conditions where they call as “credible”. The two-part study performs the following methods; 1) survey the students on their information literacy self-efficacy; and 2) provide a corpus of news from mainstream sources and “fake news”, where the students will highlight the words/ clauses that make these texts “credible” for them. The study aims to define a framework of perceived credibility among Senior High School students, and provide insights for future directions on information literacy instruction in the country’s infantile Media and Information Literacy discipline in the Senior High School level. |
Mga pahiwatig sa Konteksto: Estratehiya sa pagtukay at pag-unawa sa kahulugan ng salita sa panitikan (Ms. Maria Liesa Mae Millan) |
Napakaraming sagabal sa pagkatuto ng estudyante ng XUJHS sa pag-aaral pero isa sa puno’t dulo nito ay ang kahinaan ng estudyante sa bokabolaryo. Kaya naman ang pag-aaral na ito ay naglalayong tugunan ang pangangailangang ito ng mga estudyante nang sa ganoon ay mauunawaan nila ang ibig ipakahulugan ng salita sa pamamagitan ng kontekstong kinabibilangan nito. Gamit ang pagdulog kontekstwal ginamit ng mananaliksik ang iminungkahi ng pagdulog na ito ang estratehiyang pahiwatig sa konteksto kaya gumawa ang mananaksik ng pre-test, mid-test at post-test. Ginamit ang kwantitatib na pamamaraan upang masuri ang makabuluhang pagbabago ng iskor ng respondente sa pre-test at post-test. Kwalitatib naman ang ginamit upang masuri ang paggamit ng mga impormante sa estratehiya. Lumabas sa kwantitatib na may makabuluhang pagtaas ng iskor ng mga respondente sa pre-test at post-test na sinang-ayunan naman ng mga salaysay ng impormante sa panayam. Kung ganoon, masasabing isang magandang ideya ang paggamit ng estratehiyang pahiwatig sa konteksto upang matukoy ang kahulugan ng mahirap na salita. |
OCTOBER 5, 1:00 - 2:30 |
Abstract |
Differentiated Instruction in Inclusive Education: Its Influence on Pupils' Reading Proficiency (Dr. Mia Phoebe Ajo) |
Differentiated instruction is a philosophy of teaching that is based on the premise that teachers must adapt instruction to respond to the diversity of learners with the dual goals of honoring each student’s learning needs and maximizing their learning capacity. This study determined the influence of teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction on pupils’ reading proficiency. Specifically, it sought to identify teachers’ concerns on differentiated instruction, which pertains to the teachers’ knowledge of differentiated instruction, learning and behavioral characteristics of pupils at-risk of learning difficulties and administrative support in terms of time, resources and empowerment; extent of differentiated instruction implementation, based on the standards of the Department of Education, which consisted of teacher behavior, student engagement, assessment of learning, classroom culture and evidence of differentiation in content, process and product; and its influence to reading proficiency. Results are reported as follows: Teachers were knowledgeable of differentiated instruction, pupils did not demonstrate the learning and behavioral characteristics of pupils at-risk of learning difficulties and administrative support was evident. All the areas of teachers’ differentiated implementation were inconsistent. Reading proficiency of the Grade three pupils was frustration level. Apparently, teachers’ implementation of differentiated instruction considering teacher behavior is a high predictor of pupils’ reading proficiency, while evidence of differentiation in content, process and product is also a significant influence to pupils’ reading proficiency. Findings of the study affirmed the Constructivism theory of Bruner. This results further reinforced the differentiated instruction framework by Tomlinson (2001), which highlighted the need for identifying pupils’ readiness, interest and learning profile in lesson design and lesson implementation. |
Day Care Teachers of Cagayan de Oro City: Utilization of the NAEYC Standards (Mrs. Junefel Macagba) |
This study examined the utilization level of the seven standards of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) by the day care teachers in one of the cities in Region 10. Profiles of the day care teachers include their educational attainment and number of years in teaching. Seventy-two day care teachers of the city were the respondents of the study. They were made to evaluate the series of training seminars conducted by the faculty of the select Higher Education Institution of the city. The said training seminars ran from August 2014 until April 2015. The tool utilized to collect the data was a researcher-made survey questionnaire developed from the seven standards of NAEYC. The findings of the study revealed Fair utilization in areas of Promoting child development and learning, Using developmentally effective approaches, and Using content knowledge to build meaningful curriculum. The area on Building family and community relationship was rated Good. However, areas that were rated Poor in terms of their utilization were Observing, Documenting, and Assessing to Support Young Children and Families, Becoming a Professional, and Early Childhood Field Experiences. Moreover, results of the study showed no significant differences between the educational attainment and the number of years teaching in Day Care Centers and their level of utilization of the seven NAEYC standards. It can be inferred from the findings that these day care teachers have experienced intensive training seminars for the first time. And so, this denotes that day care teachers require ample time and space to fully understand and implement properly the contents and skills in teaching very young learners. Results also suggest the need for these day-care teachers to be provided with further trainings through the involvement from the CSWD officials. |
Positive Discipline: Ensuring Safe Spaces for Learners (Mr. Fredyl Hernandez) |
The workshop session aims to share the pedagogical experience of the Advocate Right to Safety (ARTS) Zone Project, a cultural advocacy program of the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA), in engaging the public, particularly the parents, teachers, and other adult care-givers who are in charge of disciplining children. It draws from the numerous number of trainings and creative educational sessions conducted through the forging of partnership with grassroots institutions such as schools, non-government organizations (NGOs), and people’s and faith-based organizations, as well as with government agencies. The workshop will zero in on the integrated theater arts (ITA), a core philosophy in PETA’s 50 years of educational theater practice. In PETA’s ITA, the educational function of theater is to be found in the development of human resources and creative potentials in understanding various social realities. In the context of the ARTS Zone Project, the ITA intimates with the clarion call of protecting children against spanking, belittling, and other forms of physical and humiliating punishments conducted by adults-turned-into-abuse-perpetrators but are supposed to be protectors of children in the very first place. It seeks to bring the participants into a new understanding of the problematics of discipline and punishment through creative arts – drama, writing, sound and music, dance and body movement, and visual arts, so as to surface ideas from the participants, to question long held personal and social values, and to draw out future plans of action. Embedded in the process is the use of group dynamics intended for the participants to be at ease with themselves and with one another so as to make them plunge into highly improvisational scenarios. |
Developing students’ approaches to learning thinking & communication skills in the Mathematics classroom through Boy-Centric Strategies and Visible Thinking Routines (Mr. Yuin Hur Ang) |
Males, on average, use half the brain space that females use for verbal-emotive functioning and most boys experience words and feelings differently from girls (Blum, 1997; Moir & Jessel, 1989). Boys are therefore less expressive and descriptive with words. In Mathematics, boys struggle to verbalise their thinking and understanding with the use of specialised words and phrases in a mathematical context. The International Baccalaureate (IB) learner profile aims to nurture thinking and communication skills as an integral part of developing students’ approaches to learning (ATL) skills. The rationale of the research is to develop in Year 3 and Year 4 male students, the ability to use mathematical language to express mathematical ideas and arguments precisely, concisely and logically in both verbal and written form. In this presentation, participants will gain insights into the methodology, experiences and key learning points of how good thinking and communication skills can be taught explicitly in the mathematics classroom by incorporating the framework of Making Thinking Visible and Boy-Centric Teaching (BCT) strategies. The clarity of BCT and Visible Thinking Routines are crystallized through numerous lesson observations, professional conversations and deep reflection on what works and what does not. |
An Analysis of Fourth Grade Students' Concepts of Fractions Using the Modified TIMSS Released Items (Ms. Jenny Lou Bermejo) |
Learning fractions in elementary school mathematics is crucial and critical because it is mathematically rich, cognitively complicated and difficult to teach (Litweller & Bright, 2002, p. 3). Understanding fractions requires understanding all the five multifaceted construct of fractions. (Kieren, 1993) Failure to grasp these constructs causes misconceptions and limited understanding of its applications (Kieren, 1993; Kilpatrick, Swafford & Findell, 2006). Missing out on four of these subconstructs of fractions leads to a weak foundational understanding of numbers. This study investigated and analyzed the fourth grade students’ concepts of fractions based on their responses to the modified TIMSS released items and follow-up interviews. The participants consisted of 36 pupils who were in the fourth grade in a public school in Cainta, Rizal during the SY 2016-2017. These students went through three years of primary school using the mandated Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). Twelve released items on fractions from TIMSS 1995, 2003 and 2011 were modified in two ways: first, Filipino translation and versions and second, students were asked to explain their answers. The 36 students were randomly selected into three groups to answer the modified All-Filipino (Group A), Combined Filipino and English (Group B) and All-English (Group C) tests. To further investigate, 5 interview questions were given to 12 randomly selected participants, 4 students from each group. The result showed that the language of the test in not a factor in the students’ performance. Furthermore, these students have a limited construct of fractions, have difficulties with order relations of fractions, and in identifying numbers between whole numbers. Recommendations are given to improve the curriculum and instruction of fractions in school mathematics. |
Creating Goal-Directed Homework to Increase Homework Utility Value and Decrease Its Cost (Mrs. Janneth Ong) |
Formative assessments are considered to be important in teaching-learning process. Homework, being a formative assessment, is considered by XUJHS helpful for students’ practice of skills and development of self-discipline. However, a growing concern about the importance and cost of homework had been a topic of debate among students, parents and teachers in XUJHS for school year 2017 - 2018. To help address this concern, the Math Department conducted an action research on how to increase the importance of math homework while decreasing its cost through creating goal-directed assignments. This research lasted for one month. Two parallel studies were conducted in this action research, one from Grade 8 and another one from Grade 9. The 4-pt rating scale research tool used was valid and highly reliable (.89). In this study, the teacher clearly and consistently explained the purpose and connection of the homework with the past and with next lesson, and to the students’ overall development. Recording of elapsed time in every homework was also written on the students’ homework paper which was utilized to determine the ratio between teacher-students time. The results of the study revealed that the utility value of math homework significantly increased in Grade 8 (t = -1.66*) comparing the pre and post-intervention data while it tended to increase in Grade 9 (t =-1.26). On the other hand, the perceived cost of math homework significantly decrease in Grade 8 (t = 2.01*) while the decrease in cost was highly significant in Grade 9 (t = 3.59**). The focused group discussion validated the results of the analysis. Furthermore, the line graph showed that the utility value continually increased while the cost continued to decrease from pre to mid and to post intervention. Therefore, creating goal-directed homework increases the value that students place into the tasks and decreases the burden that they feel towards it. In effect, the students will slowly develop self-discipline, focus and independent learning, two of the purposes of homework. |
The Five C's Meaning of Work Model (Dr. Edna Franco) |
Work is a fundamental element of the human adult life and its meaning is a personal construction influenced by a number of variables. This study sought to validate a model for meaning of work that is defined by two dimensions: affect that one’s work evokes which ranges from negative to positive, and the outcome one derives from work, which ranges from extrinsic (instrumental) to intrinsic. The five meanings that emerge from the interaction of these dimensions are: Calling, Cause, Career, Chore and Coast. With a sample of 1040 employees of various job levels from 25 organizations, two-step cluster analysis and discriminant analysis confirmed the existence of five meanings as predicted in the model. The measures of Affect and Outcome are validated as significant factors in defining meaning of work. |
*Schedule and actual sessions are subject to change without prior notice