It seems a little bit challenging on how to connect leading with learning and vise versa as far as grade school teachers and children are concerned. The important questions to consider are: How can we connect them to achieve the desired outcome? And why do we need to?
Hello Hivers and everyone! In this blog, I'll take up the important reasons why the grade school teachers have to undergo trainings or up-skilling and re-skilling during the semestral break in the Philippines. So, come with me as I'll bring you to the training venue to give you an idea of my topic, i.e, lead to learn...learn to lead."
Brief Background Information
If you've noticed, for more than two years of having modular system of learning delivery due to Pandemic, there was a huge gap in the Literacy and Numeracy of the learners. Reading difficulty seems like a huge mountain that obstructs between the learner and literacy including number. Thus, it needs more efforts, patience and strategies to pass across that huge obstacle, so to speak.
For Grade 3 in this School Year who were grade I two years ago- that was during the Pandemic where modular delivery learning mode was primarily the alternative used- the teachers found out that their learning ability is two years behind. It shows that they're still in their level that was not suited to their present grade level. That's just one example. What does it imply?
Without the physical presence of the teachers, no doubt has contributed to the learning difficulties of the children, thus, primarily created a huge gap in their literacy and numeracy skills. Hence, the teachers have to retroactively use appropriate interventions or based on their skills that were intended for them two years ago. But those strategies may not be adequate to bridge the learning gap of the learners considering that they need to cope with the present competencies intended for this school year. Reading remediations may not be enough due to time and tasks constraints. What more do we need in order to address the deficiency accordingly?
Catch-Up Fridays
Collaged photo not mine but shared by my school ICT teacher in our school group chat as requested
The recent development of the performance of the learners' assessments- be it in the international or local levels- shows the need for an innovative learning interventions.
One of the most important learning interventions is to use this innovative project from the Central Office of the Department of Education that is named Catch-up Fridays from which the first learning strategy is named with the acronym DEAR that means, Drop Everything And Read in every Friday in January at first but extended until the end of the school year .
The primary aim of the project is for the learners to develop the love for reading. The teachers are- of course- expected to show to the learners that they themselves really love reading because they couldn't transmit a value that they don't possess. It should undoubtedly be reflected in their voices, facial expressions and diligent efforts that they really have that love for reading. The way relevant, motivating and value-integrating questions are asked plays a very vital role in reaching the heart of the learners. Reaching the heart is not always easy to do but if we'll succeed on this, it will become the driving force to motivate the learners to love reading. In effect, once that love for reading is figuratively engraved in their hearts, they will do it by themselves with only very minimal efforts of the teachers to prompt them to read.
The implementation of this project is urgent and should be given high degree of attention in the Philippine public schools. That's why, you can see below how the DepEd division and school officials with the teachers collaboratively engage in trainings, up-skilling and re-skilling of the teachers to hopefully achieve the desired learning outcomes of the school children.
As you have seen in the pictures above, it's definitely obvious that teachers enjoy what they're doing in preparing some relevant teaching materials and tasks for their respective classes. They do the assigned tasks happily. In fact, the joy that we see in their faces reflect their inner feelings that they love their learners.
During these trainings, our beloved Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Leah Noveras, told the participants that what matters most is the love for learners. She further explained that teaching the learners and supportively coaching the teachers in their tasks should not be mechanical but should be based on the love and true care for the learners.
The Realization
The teachers lead to learn the new strategies or innovative approaches to be used in their respective classes to support the agency's project. They lead to use the new learnings for themselves, acting like they are the school learners. They have to *Put their own self in the shoes of their learners to know and understand better their real difficulties and needs in order to address them accordingly.
Thus, they will be able to teach the children to learn comprehensively for them to have the desired life-skills. Eventually, the learners will be able to learn how to lead a better version of themselves to lead a meaningful life.
Consequently, they'll be able to learn to lead others someday in the right learning pathway, thus allowing them to become productive citizens and peace-loving people in the community seasoned with the values and respect for his/her own life, and for other people in the community as well.
Thank you for reaching until this part. See you on my next blog. Have a nice day to all of you. This is @natsve54, signing out.