Star Teacher

Highlights and valuable lessons from the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Kinder College teacher training program.

At the age of three to six years old, a child can already undergo preschool education. Also called nursery, kindergarten, or day care schooling, preschool education is defined as a learning program which starts preparing children for formal primary education. It is believed that preschool education is crucial in a child’s development, as concepts and skills taught and introduced from the ages of three to six are most readily and rapidly absorbed.

In 2008-2009, the Department of Education reported that preschools had a total of 1,175,499 enrollees, a steadily increasing rate since the recorded 834,546 in 2004-2005. In fact, the total number of preschools in the Philippines has been markedly growing these past years.

Given the rising demand for effective preschool education—and effective preschool educators—former DepEd Secretary Jesli A. Lapus, signed DepEd Order No. 8, which signified that the “quality of experiences that children are exposed to, as well as the attainment of success in primary education significantly encourages children to stay in school and complete their elementary education.”

It was in this light that the HSBC Kinder College (HKK) teacher-training program came to fruition. The program aimed to improve the skills of preschool teachers by being informed on the latest progressive techniques for children aged five to six, to establish a successful and effective curriculum for teachers, and to develop more effective learners before they enter the elementary public school system.

There are three parts to the HKK Program: A) The Conference, B) The Laboratory Practicum, and C) The distribution of the HSBC Kinder College Ignition Kit.

Inspiring Preschool Teachers

Held on September 4-5, 2010 and September 11-12, 2010, the HKK conference invited 50 preschool teachers from among 187 applicants from the Sa Aklat Sisikat (SAS) partner schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).

One of the workshops conducted for participating teachers was led by speaker Germelina Salumbides, a BA English graduate from Maryknoll University in Quezon City with a Masters of Science degree in Elementary and Preschool Education from the Bank Street College of Education in New York City. At present, Salumbides is a reading and curriculum consultant for SAS and the Learning-Tree Preschool, and a part-time teacher at the University of the Philippines.

“My task during the HKK Conference was to review teachers on reasons, philosophies, and psychology of why they teach,” shares Salumbides. “If you truly understand how the child thinks, the structures for knowledge, and how a child begins to understand his world, then you can teach him better. Part of teaching is making them ask the right questions.”

Here are some pointers from Salumbides for preschool and elementary teachers:

• Ask the child to give a good example of what it is you’re teaching. “If he can’t explain it in his own words, then he doesn’t understand it.”
• Always think about where the student is coming from and what his basic premise is for arriving at that answer. “Stop asking ‘what’ questions. Ask ‘why’ and ‘how.’ When a child makes a mistake, instead of correcting them, ask how they arrived at that answer. Where was the weakness in their thinking? Look at the thinking and not at the person, so it doesn’t diminish him or her. You cannot understand something until you make a mistake. It’s in the back tracking that you understand.”
• Acknowledge the advantages of peer tutoring. “Peer tutoring is a great way of teaching other than lecturing. Each time the tutor explains the lesson, he gets to know the topic on a deeper level.”  Another speaker, Katrina del Rosario, was part of the team from The Bridge School (TBS), a private, non-profit, co-educational early childhood learning center, which helped host workshops during the HKK Conference. “We knew that we had a great literacy program and various skills that we wanted to share when it comes to teaching and learning.”   During the conference, del Rosario shared that they used several games, hands-on activities, and videos to rekindle the teachers’ passion for teaching. They also imparted lessons that the preschool teachers could take to heart or consider for interacting with their pupils. These are also applicable for grade school teachers,
• Give encouragement to the child when he or she needs it. “Instead of admonishing the child or pointing out the possible faults of the child for failing a certain task or assignment, teachers should assume a friendly approach and offer help so he or she can further explain the topic. This way, the child feels less hesitant or scared whenever he commits a mistake. The mistake becomes an opportunity for learning and improvement.”
• Children do better when they feel good about themselves and they know what is expected of them. “Problems and conflicts are wonderful learning opportunities that cannot be taught through a textbook but instead be facilitated by the teacher.”
• Try a morning message, written by the teacher each morning. “It’s a great way to get the children excited about reading, first thing in the morning!” shares del Rosario. Follow the morning message with shared reading to practice reading skills, and try coming up with reading play stations as well to reinforce all of the reading and writing lessons learned.

Learning From Each Other

Rosmito Rodriguez, Jr. from Fernando Ma. Guerrero Elementary School expressed his sincerest appreciation for the lessons he learned. “I loved the activities and I really want to use them in my classroom.”

Marilyn Panahon from Rizal Elementary School in Manila says, “I now have a deeper understanding for preschoolers and new techniques on how to handle four to five-year-olds,” Panahon says. “We’ve tried new songs that the kids love to sing along to and we’ve also applied modern instructional materials in the classroom.” These new elements incorporated into their curriculum have added an element of enjoyment to learning, so that kids will be more attentive during class time.

Even the speakers learned a lot from the conference. “As teachers, we too are still learning so we thought this would also be a great opportunity for us to learn from each other’s strengths and feed off each other’s passion,” del Rosario imparts.

“The participants were so appreciative,” recalls Salumbides. “It’s inspiring when you have that moment of ‘Aha! I understand!’ And when you reach that Aha moment you get inspired to  become a better teacher.”

Children’s Hour, in cooperation with SAS, will welcome 2011 by bringing the gift of reading to 813 Grade IV pupils as it sponsors 16 SAS Reading Programs in Donsol, Sorsogon.

The SAS Reading Program comes in three parts: the teacher training workshop, the Read-A-Thon, and the Culminating Activity. The teacher training workshop for the BOOKsan ang KinaBOOKasan teachers will be held in January 2011.

Children’s Hour Philippines and SAS have enjoyed a long collaboration, spanning seven years. Together the two organizations have brought the Reading Program to a total of 28 schools distributed across three cities and provinces—Tayabas, Quezon; Ajuy, Iloilo; and Donsol, Sorsogon.

Due to the 2010 Barnagay Elections and the subsequent unavailability of teachers, SAS decided to reschedule two of its major conferences: the Petron Gurong Kaakbay Conference (PGKC) and the HSBC Principals Lead Program (PLP) Conference.

The PGKC, which was originally set on October 22- 24, 2010, will be held on May 4-6, 2011. The PLP Conference was moved from January to May 30-31, and June 1, 2011.

Recognizing the crucial role that motivation and skills enhancement play in the professional growth of educators, SAS and its partners continue to provide quality programs, such as the PGKC and the PLP, to nurture public school teachers and administrators.

Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation continues to work towards creating a nation of readers

Emboldened by the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab Survey Study and their recent report that determined that the SAS program has a “large and statistically signifi cant impact on the reading habits of students,” SAS is currently in the process of translating our teacher-training program online! We are doing this through a new initiative called the Computer Access Mentorship Program (CAMP), which is funded by Republic of Korea’s e-Asia and Knowledge Partnership Fund, through the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

SAS was awarded a grant for the development of an online teacher training program, as well as the creation of a number of computer labs. CAMP will be implemented by SAS over a period of three consecutive years, in coordination with the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP). The computer labs, or ‘CAMP Sites,’ will serve as a venue for elementary school teachers to learn new and innovative teaching methods through the online, in-service program. The program will be aimed specifi cally at the improvement of the teacher’s skills in the teaching of reading.

“Thank you!” These two words were echoed by public elementary school teachers as they left the Bulwagang Tandang Sora of the UP College of Social Work and Community Development on the afternoon of July 11, 2010. It was the second and last day of the SAS Teacher Training Workshop, a component vital to the success of the 31-day Read-a-Thon. Conducted with the support of Citi Foundation and SGV Foundation, the workshop was designed to equip teachers with innovative classroom strategies so that they could become more e ective reading teachers and advocates.

The workshop benefited 85 educators from Pasig and 11 from Caloocan. The participants expressed appreciation for two days of educational activities, cheers, and exchange of insights among participants and trainers. Aside from the interesting methods shared by the master trainers and group facilitators, another highlight of the workshop was the interactive storytelling session by renowned storyteller Bodjie Pascua.

“This is a very interesting seminar because we do the activities ourselves,” commented one participant during a plenary session.

The nine principals in attendance gamely participated in every session of the workshop, and even contributed in clarifying teachers’ concerns related to the implementation of the Read-a-Thon. In fact, the group facilitators noted the cooperation and good working relationship between the teachers and the principals.

With the enthusiasm displayed by the participants and their commitment to build a nation of readers, SAS anticipates another successful implementation of the reading program; thus, SAS ended the workshop also with two words for their new partners: “Thank you!”

Find out how Sa Aklat Sisikat and its partners have been building a nation of readers.

CITI Sponsors Read-a-Thon

The pupils of nine schools in Pasig City visited various places and worlds through storybooks donated by the Citi Foundation through the SAS Read-a-Thon.

The Read-a-Thon in the said schools was launched with a program on July 15 at San Joaquin Elementary School. Attended by the principals, teachers, and grade four pupils of the benefi ting schools, the launch was also graced by the SAS team headed by its vice president and treasurer, Ms. Lizzie Zobel; Country Corporate Director of Citi Foundation, Ms. Lillibeth Fajardo; and Pasig City mayor Bobby Eusebio.

Mayor Eusebio commended SAS and Citi Foundation for their untiring support to the public schools. Ms. Fajardo, meanwhile, encouraged the children to read by assuring them that they would enjoy the illustrated storybooks especially selected by SAS.

As a preview to the exciting experiences that the books could provide, a storytelling session was conducted by Adarna’s in-house storyteller Jay Menes who did not only entertain the children, but got them actively involved in the narrative process too.

The CITI-sponsored Reading Program had its culminating and turn-over ceremony on September 8, 2010 at San Miguel Elementary School.

For the second year in a row, the Principals LEAD Program is once more a resounding success.

On January 30 and 31, and again on February 6 and 7, 50 principals from select public schools throughout the NCR gathered in the hallowed halls of the Ateneo de Manila University to take part in a world-class, educational conference. Sponsored by the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) and managed by SAS, this year’s Principals LEAD Program (PLP) was about effective instructional leadership and building innovative learning communities.

As the leaders of their schools within the public education system, principals have a great responsibility. They need to be equipped with the proper skills and must be encouraged to assume their many administrative and curricular leadership tasks successfully. The LEAD Conference is one of the ways in which HSBC and SAS can help principals be effective CEOs of their schools, allowing them to LEAD both our children and our nation towards a bright future.

SAS takes steps to scientifically determine how effective SAS’s Reading Program is.

2009 was truly a milestone year for SAS. Not only was it the foundation’s 10th Anniversary, it was also the year we officially began our collaboration with the MIT Jameel Poverty Action Lab (MIT J-PAL). Based in Boston and New York, the Lab’s goal is to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is based on scientific evidence. MIT J-PAL gathers its evidence through a system of randomization created by noted Social Development Economist, Dr. Esther Duflo.

As far back as 2006, SAS began communicating with Dr. Duflo in the hopes of forming a collaboration that would be focused on measuring the effectiveness of reading programs in the public school system. Now that our collaboration was made official in June, the four-phase SAS/MIT J-PAL survey study is a first of its kind in the Philippines.

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Learn more about Quit It!—a bully busting program in the early grades.

What do you do with reports of teasing and bullying in your classroom? How do you resolve the conflict presented to you by the bullied and the bully? Do you often find yourself in a bind, clueless, or confused?

The Educational Equity Center (EEC) at the Academy for Educational Development (AED) in the US has an answer to these questions and more. Quit It!, a program developed by the EEC to promote respect and civility among students in the early grades, provides teachers with strategies and guidelines on dealing with teasing and bullying in the classroom and in school. It is divided into three modules focusing on real life classroom situations namely, Creating Rules, Talking About Teasing and Bullying, and Exploring Courage. It comes with a teacher’s guide as well.

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How partnerships and loyal supporters fuel Sa Aklat Sisikat’s literacy objectives.

Sa Aklat Sisikat Foundation, Inc. continues to steadily gain ground towards its vision of building a nation of readers, thanks to the generosity of three Cs: Coca-Cola, CEMEX, and Citibank.

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