Accepting the challenge

Today, we converged in this beautiful occasion to understand the Deped Computerization Program (DCP).
This is another change in our lives as teachers and in the Philippine education system: the acceptance of
our roles as Head Teachers, ICT Coordinators and Property Custodian of our respective schools.

"ICT integration in digital literacy focuses on learning about ICT itself, how the technology works, and
how it is used in addressing the need for inclusive education,"

Students are all digital natives – fluent "speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games, and
the internet, while teachers are digital immigrants who were not born into the digital world but have
adopted many aspects of the new technology. Both terms were coined by Marc Prensky in 2001.

"As educators, our job is not to prepare kids for something. Rather, our job is to help kids learn to
prepare themselves for anything," Andaya said.

Today, we are with 253 teachers from various HEIs in Regions 1, 2, and CAR who gave up a portion of
their summer vacations to attend this training.

We jumped right into the training proper. The plenary sessions provided participants with an
understanding of the response of CHED to this education reform through the K to 12 Transition Program.
The next plenary speaker talked about the landscape of STEM Education in the Philippines, and the role
of STEM educators in molding socio-critical individuals. We then moved to discussions on Inquiry-Based
Learning and authentic assessment, techniques which, according to the curriculum, facilitates the
acquisition of intended knowledge, skills and attitudes.

On the second day, we had breakout sessions where the participants were grouped into clusters based
on the subjects they teach. There were two clusters in Mathematics, one in Chemistry, one in Physics,
and two in Biology. In these clusters, trainers facilitated experiments and demonstrated the use of
Inquiry-Based Learning in the classroom.
In both plenary and breakout sessions, we observed varied reactions from the participants. Some were
not sure if the training was meant for them. Others were curious about what will happen next. But most
understood the value of this training in facing the challenges of the new curriculum. The group might
have manifested varying degrees of enthusiasm but that did not mean that they cared less for the
training. They showed great competence in the use of Inquiry-Based Learning techniques in creating
their lesson exemplars.

In our own schools and institutions, we might have encountered diverse responses from our colleagues,
but I think such diversity is a natural response to change. I would like to echo a part of the homily I
heard last Sunday which says “Unity does not mean uniformity.” People act in varied ways to situations
simply because each one is unique. Those differences only emphasize the fact that each one is
performing a specific task in the reform. The accomplishment of each individual role is to be seen as a
way to get the whole system to function as one. We are part of a whole. Each one has a particular task
to do.

As a whole, I consider this regional rollout training successful. The objectives we had set for ourselves on
our first day have been realized. It may not have been perfect in all aspects but then again, those
imperfections open avenues for reflection and improvement. The ultimate measure of the success will be
the quality of Senior High School graduates we will produce with the K to 12 Curriculum.