The CVIF Dynamic Learning Program:

Achieving Performance Targets with

Strategic and Efficient Learning

Christopher C. Bernido and M. Victoria Carpio-Bernido

Research Center for Theoretical Physics
Central Visayan Institute Foundation
Jagna, Bohol 6308 Philippines
Central Visayan Institute Foundation

In Jagna, Bohol,
Philippines
The original CVIF strategic plan
(circa 1999)
• Focus on outcomes indexed by real
numbers: UPCAT passers, national
exams and, if possible, international
behavioral standards and assessments.
• Leapfrog with increased math proficiency,
then do broadfront with language and
science.
Early roadblocks

• Poor facilities
• Lack of qualified teachers
• Lack of funds
• Prevailing lack of sense of urgency nor
need for change
• Low self-esteem and belief in achieving
higher goals in life
Strategic Perspective: The CVIF
as a Microcosm and Prototype

World

Philippines

CVIF
• Global Trends and Issues
Impacting Philippine Education
• CVIF-DLP’s Response
• Insights from Pedagogy,
Cognitive Psychology and
Neurosciences
 Global Trends #1
Emerging lack of
Science,Technology, Engineering,
Math (STEM) Teachers
On-going aggressive recruitment of
science and math teachers to the US,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.,
even from countries like the Philippines
which already has a severe shortage of
qualified teachers.
 Global Trends #1
Emerging lack of Science,Technology,
Engineering, Math (STEM) Teachers

 The US needing for the next decade 1 million more

STEM graduates than what they could produce at
the present rate.
 Western Europe experiencing a decline in students
going into STEM.
Common problem in
poor countries
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
A Systems Approach to Process-induced Learning

 For schools which lack qualified

teachers: bypass the lack of
teachers.
 For schools with good teachers:
redefine the role of teachers.
 CVIF-DLP Conceptual Framework
Focus of Learning Program

Improving Narrowing gap between

learner required and desired,
disposition intended and implemented
curricula
11
 Features of process-induced learning

Common
Practice
Learners’
Independent
Learner
Activity
Activity
(70-80%)

Lecture
Lecture and Discussion
Class
Discussion
(70-80%)
CVIF
Program
 For all subjects, there is no
introductory lecture before students
do the learning activities (questions,
problems, etc.).
 Lectures and class discussion are
done only about 1/4 of the time (the
rest being allotted for written
activities).
 In the CVIF-DLP:
 Students learn how to work independently without
close supervision ( about 70% of the time the
subject teacher is outside of the classroom ).
 Students become responsible for their own learning.
 Students become more confident and able to
investigate problems and find solutions.
 Students become resilient in the face of difficulties.
 Parallel Classes Strategic Study-
Scheme Rest Periods

Daily Protocol
for Improving In-school
Accomplishing Learner Comprehensive
Disposition Learner Portfolio
of DLP Activity
Sheets

Integrated Spiritual and Cultural Formation

15
 Time Mins First Year Second Year Third Year Fourth Year
(3 sections) (3 sections) (3 sections) (3 sections)

7:30-7:40 10 Morning Prayers and Flag Ceremony

Math /
7:40-9:10 90 Science
Computer Science
9:10-9:30 20 R e c e s s

Math /
9:30-11:00 90 Computer Science
Science

Technology and Livelihood Education /

11:00-12:00 60 Language Laboratory (once a week)
12:00-1:30 90 L u n c h B r e a k

1:30-2:30 60 Language Studies (English or Filipino)

2:30-3:30 60 Language Studies (English or Filipino)

3:30-5:00 90 Social Studies and Values Education

 Insights from Neurosciences

 brain activation of different structural parts

to achieve or accomplish a task;
 compensation for deficits or weakness of
certain brain regions;
 parts of the brain can perform multiple
functions
[ See e.g., R. J. Sternberg, Cognitive Psychology; S. Gilman and S. W. Newman, Manter
and Gatz’s Essentials of Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology; OECD 2002 ]
 Insights from Neurosciences

• Principles of Neural Science ( 4th_Edition)

Editors: Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz and Thomas M. Jessell
 Distinction between learners
being “behaviorally dynamic” or
“cognitively dynamic”

See e.g., Mayer, R. E. (2004). American Psychologist

59, No. 1, 14-19.

20
Global Trends #2 :
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
Development of a good learning ethos over
content coverage.

 Writing slows the students down allowing

more time for the brain to absorb a topic.

 Writing and drawing of figures activate both

the psychomotor and visual faculties.
FOCUS: Enhanced by an Activity-based
Multi-domain Learning

 Learning by doing
 Discovery approach
 Problem-solving
 Active, not passive,
learning
 In-school activity
policy
23
 Insights from Neurosciences

“Neurons that fire together are wired together.”

“Neurons that fire out of sync, lose their link.”
- D. Hebb

CVIF DLP: Writing the Activities activates both the

psychomotor and visual faculties of the brain.
 CENTRAL VISAYAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION
Jagna, Bohol 6308 Philippines

ACTIVITY SHEET
Name: _____________________________________ Grade/Score: ____________
Year and Section: ___________________________ Date: __________________
Please check the appropriate box.
Subject
Religion/Values Ed. Chemistry English TLE / IT
General Science Physics Filipino MAPEH
Biology Math Araling Panlipunan CAdT
Type of Activity
Concept Notes Laboratory Report Formal Theme Others:
Skills / Exercise / Drill Drawing / Art Informal Theme _________

Activity Title:
LearningTargets:

Reference: Title
Author Page Numbers
Designing Learning Activities
Concept Notes
(Introductory Material)

Example/illustration

Questions
Problems
Exercises
 Insights from Neurosciences

The adolescent brain:

• “developmental work in progress”
• Brain imaging has revealed that both brain
volume and myelination (a maturing process of
neural connections) continue to grow
throughout adolescence and during the young
adulthood period. (OECD, 2002)
• Note that a myelinated axon has greater
conduction velocity of signals.
 Afferent

dendrites nucleus

perikaryon
nucleolus

axon The neuron

myelin sheath Efferent

[Adapted from Manter and Gatz’s Essentials of

Clinical Neuroanatomy and Neurophysiology, 9th ed; Central Visayan Institute Foundation
and Wheater’s Functional Histology, 3 rd ed.] Jagna, Bohol, April 2012 28
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
Every academic day in the CVIF-DLP is geared
towards developing stamina and discipline.

STAMINA and DISCIPLINE :

These are developed by the routine of
learning activities. At the end of the
school year each student has written
over 200 pages of concept notes, drills,
exercises, illustrations, etc, for each
subject.
29
 Instead of notebooks,
the Comprehensive Student Portfolio

Compilation of all activities,

exams, quizzes, concept notes
Color-coded for subject areas
Cumulative scholarship (typical
of scientists’ works)
In-school Portfolio Policy

30
 Fourth year students, Section-A (Honors)
48 students
SY 2011-2012

Number of Questions Answered in a School Year:

Total no. of
Science Math Eng Fil Makabayan
Questions
878 843 786 842 1541 4890
 Global Trends # 3
Information now readily accessible (internet,
cell phones, etc.) to a new generation of
learners whose brains are wired differently.
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
Enable the students to become
independent learners.

The CVIF-DLP develops in the students the

following habits of the mind:
 To analyze new and unfamiliar materials;
 To be critical of new available data;
 To synthesize various topics mastered;
 To solve problems and create new pathways.
 Global Trends # 4:
Tutoring after school (cram school) or
has become a billion dollar industry.
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
Enhancing creativity and originality through
strategic study and rest periods.
Advise from Health Experts:
 Insights from Neurosciences:

See e.g., studies of U. Rutishauser, A. M. Mamelak, E. M.

Schuman, Nature, March 2010 (online):

“When memory-related neurons fire in

sync with certain brain waves, the
resulting image recognition and memories
are stronger than if this synchronization
does not occur.”
Synchronization is influenced by
"theta waves" – associated with
relaxation, daydreaming and
drowsiness, but also with
learning and memory formation.
 To summarize:
The CVIF DLP Components
 Parallel Learning Groups (Modified
Jigsaw Strategy)
 Daily Protocol for Learning Activities
 In-school Comprehensive Student
Portfolio (instead of notebooks)
 Teachers Comprehensive Portfolio
(instead of Lesson Plans)
 Strategic Study / Rest Periods
 Integrated Spiritual and Cultural
Formation
 Global Trends # 5
Culture of high finance, market forces,
luxury and conveniences
 CVIF-DLP’s Response:
Functional spiritual formation

In carrying out its curricular, co-curricular

and extra-curricular programs, the CVIF-
DLP adopts the perspective:

Primum Regnum Dei,

Motto of Ateneo de Naga University

 The CVIF Dynamic Learning Program addresses:

Learner Large Lack of Qualified

Disposition: Classes: Teachers:
Habit-forming Activities are Prepared Activities
Daily Protocol individualized done independently
where students by students 80% of
are engaged. the time.
The CVIF-DLP is a package of
paradoxes:

 To teach more, teach less.

 To cover more, cover less.
 To speed up, first slow down.
 To master more, study less.
 EXAMPLE: the problem of motivation

Conventional  CVIF-DLP
 Games  Daily protocol for
 Stories writing of activities
 Group work on the Activity Sheet
 Recitation  Habit-forming
 Board work (biological)
 Etc.

external internal
 Performance Indicators:
Input factors:

 Jagna is a fourth class municipality

 ~ 90% of freshmen come from public elementary
schools. (The CVIF has no elementary.)
 Liberal admission policy (All applicants passed
the entrance exam for several years.)
 Tuition is P 8,000 per student per year.
 NSAT NCAE NCAE NCAE
Overall 2001 2008 2009 2010
GSA No. of No. of No. of No. of
students students students students

99 - 99+ 0 3 2 8

98 0 2 3 4

97 0 2 4 7
48 of
90 - 99 1 of 66 21 of 110 27 of 115
106
%tile (2%) (19%) (23%)
(45%)
 Improved Performance in DepEd Nationwide Exams
NSAT NCAE NCAE NCAE
Math 2001 2007 2009 2010

Students 1 of 13 of 21 of 54 of
with %-tile 66 106 115 106
90 & above (1.5%) (12.3%) (18.3%) (51%)

17 students scored in the 99-99+ percentile rank in

the NCAE 2010
Central Visayan Institute Foundation
 NSAT NCAE NCAE NCAE NCAE NCAE NCAE
2001 2007 2009 2010 2007 2009 2010
Reading Reading Reading
Verbal Verbal Verbal
English Compre- Compre- Compre-
Ability Ability Ability
hension hension hension

Mean 40.2 52.5 63.9 73.6 60.3 69.2 83.1

Median 38 49 66 79 63 75 88
90 to 2 of 10 of 20 of 36 of 18 of 26 of 47 of
99 66 106 115 106 106 115 106
%-tile
(3 %) (9 %) (17%) (34%) (17 %) (23 %) (44%)
 Percentile Rank in NCAE 2011
(given to Juniors)
Percentile Mathematical Scientific
Rank Ability Ability

99+ 12 Students 7 Students

99 3 Students 4 Students
 NSAT/ NCAE
Number
of
Baseline Number 2006
Students
2001 of
Students

Majority
of students

0 0
Performance Scores in Standardized Tests Performance Scores in Standardized Tests

2009
Number
of
Number
of
2010
Students Students
Majority Majority
of students of
students
0 0
Performance Scores in Standardized Tests Performance Scores in Standardized Tests
University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT)
16

Up to more than 10%

15
Number of
UPCAT Passers

of CVIF seniors
14

13

12

11

10

0
‘99 ‘00 ‘01 ‘02 ‘03 ‘04 ‘05 ‘06 ‘07 ‘08 ‘09 ‘10 ‘11 ‘12
Year
 International Benchmarking
 SAT scores of marker student
within cut-off of good American
universities

 Alumna accepted in U California

Berkeley, BS Computer Science
 Nation-wide
distribution of
talents
Bohol
 Requirements for scaling up in
education
In the shortest possible time,
with only local resources (no need for loans),
to have the highest possible number of
students having the highest levels of mastery
in the sciences, math and engineering disciplines,
based on international standards.

CCB/MCVB-CVIF Jagna/09 57
Scaling up partners:
• Rep. Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur
• Governor Edgar M. Chatto of Bohol
• Smart Communications
• PLDT-Smart Foundation
• Meralco Foundation
• Diocese of Pagadian
• Claret School of Zamboanga City
• Diocese of Cabanatuan
• ARMM LGU-DepEd partnership
• DepEd-PLDT-Smart partnership for Cagayan de Oro, Negros
Oriental, Sagay City, Basilan
• ...
Further information: website put up by
Smart Communications, Inc.

www.dlp.ph

Thank you