Sharing Teachers' Best Practices

2008-08-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

Maskara in Philippine Culture by Lourdes K. Samson (Humanities Department)

2008-07-18T18:21:00.000-07:00

Introduction

Is Art only for the educated elite? Can the ordinary man on the street be expected to appreciate art, absorbed as he is by the pressure of eking out a living? Can art be both a part of daily life and a component of education?

It seems that the more we push for higher education, the less we pay attention to the arts.
Much of our basic education is still dependent on rote learning where students are required to recite facts that are fed to them. Critical thinking is possible only by relating facts to ideas and inputs to solution. However, the educational approach of today is still a world of drill and quizzes, not of reading and analysis.

All adults need to be effective communicators and creative problem solvers, able to access and manage information in an electronic world. Education, after all, needs to draw out the genius in each child.

Eliot Eisner, Professor of Art Education at Stanford says, “Artistic tasks… develop the ability to judge, to assess, to experience in wide range of meanings that exceed what we are able to say in words. The limits of language are not the limits of our consciousness.”

Art is humanity’s most essential and universal language. According to Mikhail Sildin, when words are no longer adequate, when our passions are greater than what we are able to express in a usual manner, people turn to art… we all go beyond our normal means of communicating and this is the common human experience for all people.

Objectives

1. to understand the importance of art in one’s life

2. To know the basic elements and principles of art

3. To create masks as a form of self expression

4. To appreciate folk arts as part of our cultural heritage

Learning Procedure/Strategies and Activities

1. Motivation
A short video on “Masks around the World” will be presented. Fro the sharing of experiences related to either making or wearing of masks, the teacher will begin to write their answers on the board. Mapping together common and related answers will then follow. This short exercise will be the springboard for the activity of the day which is to create masks.

2. Lecture
Religious celebrations are at the heart of Philippine art and culture. This centrality of religion in its ritual permeates in most of the 7100 islands in the Philippines. The important social events of the community coincide with the celebration of events in the lives of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary and the town’s patron saints.

Spain ruled the Philippines for over 300 years. Planning of towns included the geographical location of the Church to ensure that the church bell was within hearing distance of the town people. Thus, the socio-cultural life of the town has revolved and evolved from the events in the Church. Religious rites became the core of Philippine fiestas.

Prior to mask making activity, there will be a short discussion on two major fiestas in the Philippines, namely, the Ati-atihan in Panay and the Moriones in Marinduque. In both events, masks are prominently use din pomp and revelry. Key to the discussion is the ability of students to identify details in masks used for Ati-atihan and Moriones festivals. A review of the elements and principles of art is taken up again.

It is essential to note that masks are often fanciful and abstract, having little to do with everyday human features and likenesses. They give vent to the flamboyant side of the Filipino as they are done in primary colors, feature sequins and a combination of geometric shapes.
Masks serve to disguise the wearer, creating a sort of other self. The more abstract the countenance of the mask therefore, the better. Decoration takes precedence over likeness and the aim is to surprise rather than to render a faithful copy of the face.

3. Art Activity

A mask making activity is introduced to first year college students to give them direct experience of folk art. The technique is going to be paper mache. This process takes a long time to make because you have to wait for the layers of paper to dry.

Masks do follow rules, if only loosely. Even in their most outrageous, they still need to look human. Distortions only highlight emotions-an exaggerated frown, a stretched out smile or scary anger.

Materials

Aluminum foil, scissors, newspaper and paste, paint, paintbrush, tracing paper, pencil, white paper, and adhesive tape.

Procedures

1. Take three sheets of aluminum foil and press them over your face to have a reasonable impression of your features. The mask will fit under your chin and around over the top of your head. You need to press firmly around your nose, mouth and eyes.

2. Mix past to a smooth, even consistency and tear strips of paper. Dip the strips into the paste, removing the excess paste. Apply one layer of paper and leave to dry for 2-3 hours. When the first layer is dry, apply three more layers (there are four layers in total), allowing each layer to dry before applying the next.

3. Leave the final layer to dry overnight. When you are sure that the paper is completely dry, carefully remove the tin foil away from the inside.

4. Make a small amount of papier mache pulp and use it to build up the eyebrows, nose, eyeballs, lips and ears. Leave the mask in a warm, dry place until it is absolutely dry. This can take 24 hours to dry right through.

5. Paint the entire mask. You may need to apply two coats to cover the newsprint completely.

4. Conclusion

Why the masks? Masks have always been a unifying factor in primitive cultures since they usually relate the present to the past, the living to the dead, humans to gods, and the person to nature.

It is such a strong, cohesive are form that it can be considered one of man’s most important creative and cultural products. It is also in the past, in fact in primitive societies, where ritual and magical, mystic forces of the mask find artistic expression.

The mask not only provides anonymity to the wearer who can dance with wild abandon in the streets. It also allows the “characters” to be identifiable as in the case of the Moriones Festival.
The arts are important to a nation’s people and to their culture. All societies make art. When art is made to represent an event, it becomes special experience with an extraordinary quality of appreciation for one’s culture. No wonder the mask (mascara) continues to appeal to the young people. It combines an unlikely mix of anonymity and theatrical showmanship.

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation Maria Teresita R. Rapadas (Theology Department)

2008-07-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This lesson tackles the biblical foundation of the Christian concern for the integrity of creation. Being the first theology course offered to Miriam College students, T-101 takes the lead in forming the first year students’ consciousness of God’s revelation through creation. It also intends to help students become more aware that the well-being of the human community greatly depends on the well-being of the whole community of life. Because of time constraint, this lesson should be finished on two sessions. Hence, integrity of creation is reiterated in other themes within the course and is reviewed and deepened in T-104.

Objectives
At the end of the sessions, the students are expected to:
1. identify the important truth about God-human-earth relationship revealed by the Genesis creation stories
2. describe the reality of environmental destruction caused by the human members of the community life.
3. acknowledge the need to develop the sense of respect, awe, and appreciation towards creation and the sense of one’s self-being part of the web of life
4. commit themselves to respond to the call to be stewards of God’s creation by listing down at least five earth-friendly acts that they will practice regularly
Learning Procedures/Strategies and Activities
Note: At the beginning of the semester, the topics in the Course Outline are distributed among the students. They have to prepare themselves for recitation and class discussion by reading and studying the biblical texts and sections in the handout that are related to their topic. They are encouraged to approach the teacher during consultation hours so they can ask questions and make clarifications regarding their topic. This is to ensure students’ active participation every session, especially for AB/Gen classes. For this particular lesson, the assigned readings are those of Genesis 1 and 2, the New story of Creation (historical/scientific point of view), and relevant handouts.

Session 1 (80 minutes)
Classroom

Interaktibo at Artistikong Paggamit ng mga Makrong Kasanayan sa Pagturo ng Filipino* ni Teresita Cruz-Arceo, Ed.D (Filipino Department)

2008-07-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Naniniwala ako na upang maging buhay ang anumang talakayan, ang guro ay dapat na maging isang total performer. Ang isang mahusay na guro ng Filipino ay marapat gumamit ng iba’t-ibang elemento ng sining sa kanyang pagtuturo. Kailangan niya ng mahusay na ritmo, malakas at malinaw na boses, masisiglang galaw, makabuluhang gamit ng espasyo at higit sa lahat, dapat ay may dating-dahil ang guro ay isang A C T O R … May audience kasi ang guro na dapat matuto, ma-entertain, ma-excite, mapaiyak o mapatawa (lalo na kung tayo’y nagtuturo ng panitikan).

Ang ating klase ay isang organisasyon. Binubuo ito ng mga taong pinagsama-sama na nagbubuklod ng iisang layon: ang matuto at magtamo ng edukasyon. Magiging makabuluhan ang pagkaklase kung ang bawat estudyante ay makikibahagi at makikisangkot nang masigla sa mga talakayan at gawain: sa isang salita ay interaktibo.

May malaking implikasyon sa pagiging interaktibo ng klase ang anyo at hugis ng ating klasrum. Sa halip na hugis na mayroong sulok, subukin kaya nating ayusin ang mga silya nang pabilog. Sa ganitong hugis ng klasrum, ang guro ay magiging bahagi ng proseso. Sa ganitong pananaw, kapwa estudyante at guro ay tiyak na matututo. Dahil ang guro ay bahagi ng proseso, hindi na siya magmumukhang napakalayo, sa halip ay madarama ng klase na

*Ang artikulong ito ay binasa sa 3rd Annual Educational Lecture Series, Cebu International School, March 11, 2006.

My Mission as a Teacher*

2008-07-18T17:59:00.000-07:00

By: Ma.Corazon Y. Lupisan (Accountancy Department)

My mission as a teacher consist of five important aspects as shown below:

MOTIVATION of STUDENTS

Recognition system
Assignments
Attendance and punctuality
Positive approach in dealing with students
Making the students the most important people in the classroom

*Presented in the Sharing of Best Practices Workshop in Miriam College AVR, April 21, 2005.

UNDERSTANDING the LESSON

Discussion of the syllabus on the first day of classes
Providing the objectives and outline for every topic
Reviewing past lesson and relating or linking it to new topic to provide continuity
Identifying the accounting issues to be resolved in every topic
Summarizing the lesson learned at the end of each session
Discussing the mistakes made by the students and their most significant learning at the end of each session

APPRECIATION of the SUBJECT

Discussing the importance of the subject
Requiring students to get copies of actual financial statements of listed companies
iving examples applicable to companies known to students
Discussing the mistakes made by students and their most significant learning at the end of each session

RETENTION of TOPICS DISCUSSED

Requiring students to summarize the lesson at the end of each session
Giving of examination that is cumulative in scope or coverage
Assigning exercise and problems both from prescribed textbooks and other books, including past CPA examination questions.
Providing equal opportunities for class participation

STUDENTS PARTICIPATION

Board work recitation
Solve assigned problems on the board
Explained solutions presented
Answer questions of the teacher
Explanation and answers to question should be in English

LEARNING TO LIVE LIFE MEANINGFULLY

Prayer before and after class
Integrating real life experiences and the values learned in given accounting situations.
Sharing of students’ personal experiences during the first half of the semester and how the topics discussed affect them
Instilling discipline
Maintaining order and cleanliness inside the classroom
Chairs
Blackboard
Surroundings
Punctuality and attendance
Practicing the art of listening

THE TEACHER'S FORMULA

2 teach is

+ 2 touch lives

4 ever

"The Philosophical Enterprise" by Ronaldo A. Motilla, Ph.D. (Philosophy Department)

2008-07-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

Introduction:

The article “The Philosophical Enterprise,” written by John Kavanaugh, S.J., introduces the students to the world of philosophizing which entails three disciplines, namely, (1) discipline of questioning, (2) discipline of liberation, and (3) discipline of personhood. The essay encourages the students to search for the values of TRUTH and WISDOM, not subscribing to blind adherence, thoughtless conformity, and unquestioning acceptance.

To philosophize means to view life in diversity rather than conformity. It is through the ability of questioning that students are liberated from ignorance and conformity, thereby encouraging them to live a more meaningful life.

Objectives:

To instill in the minds of the students the value of questioning in order to arrive at the Truth.
To increase the students’ self-understanding and self-awareness by evaluating the forces (external or internal) which have shaped them to become who they are presently.
To make personal decisions which will result to a positive and meaningful difference in their present life.

Learning Procedures/Strategies and Activities:

1.) Graded Recitation

I conduct graded recitation every meeting by shuffling the index cards (which contains the student’s name) and pick out one who will respond to my question/s. This will make the students come to the class respond to my question/s. This will make the students come to the class prepared. Although this strategy increases their level of anxiety, this will also makes them constantly alert and guarded. Thus, they will not sleep in class. As a rule, they must speak in straight and correct English. Should they speak in Filipino or utter words “bale” or “parang”, demerits will be given. Part also of the graded recitation is the vocabulary. I ask the students to read it at least thrice, and look for the meaning of the difficult words. Since the article is difficult, I admonish my students to read it at least thrice and look for the meanings of the difficult words in the dictionary. I believe that one cannot understand the context and meaning of the sentence paragraph without first knowing the meaning of individual words.

The graded recitation is usually done during the first 15-20 minutes of the class after a sincere class prayer.

Sample questions:

Discipline of Questioning:

Explain what the author means by this statement:

“Cessation of questioning leads only to the stagnation and arresting of growth.”

Discipline of Liberations:

What are the consequence if a person engages in “blind adherence”, “unquestioning acceptance”, and “thoughtless conformity” in the presence of societal structures that close avenues to the truth?

Discipline of Personhood:

Explain the statement of Soren Kiekgaard that “one’s life is one’s life is one’s own unique creative project” How is this related to the statement of Martin Buber who says that the task of every person it “the actualization of his unique, unprecedented, and never recurring potentialities, and not the repetition of something that another, and be it even the greatest, has already achieved?”

2.) Lecture

After conducting the graded recitation, the students can now take a breather. It is now time for me to clarify, discuss and explain the questions I asked in the graded recitation. I give a lot of examples to concretize the abstract concepts of the article, and my illustrations are usually drawn from my own and others’ experiences. The bulk of my lecture is taken from the schematic presentation shown on the next page.

After I have given some examples, I now ask the student to share their own personal narrations that are relevant to the topic. (At this juncture, the students can now speak in Filipino or in English. More often than not, they speak in Taglish. I allow this in this class since this is already “sharing time”. I believe that the person who shares sincerely speaks from her heart, expressing herself through the language of her soul, i.e., the language that she is most comfortable with.

My approach to teaching this subject is existential-phenomenological which emphasizes the relevance of the subject matter to the students. This simply means that it focuses mainly on the student’s standpoint rather from another person’s. This makes the subject matter more interesting because the students are permitted to be in genuine contact with their personal problems, issues, and tribulations. I feel that learning which significantly influences personal change is something which is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning, something which has been personally appreciated and recognized as relevant by the students.

It is very important that I have to validate their experience while sharing (e.g., nodding my head) either to affirm them that their experiences are very human or to encourage them to unfold more of their stories. I usually tell my students that whatever is shared in this classroom will be treated with utmost confidentiality. This creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence. This likewise invites me and ]my students to be more authentic and integrated. I have come to realize that when students are fully understood and accepted, the more they drop the false fronts and images to which they have been answering life’s various situations, and the more they tend to move in a direction which is more meaningful, joyful and peaceful.

I encourage personal sharing because I believe that what is personal is after all universal. In the end, the specific life events of one individual are actually common experiences of humanity. One can resonate with the story of the other.

After their sharing, I usually challenged the students either by asking them question which lead to deeper self awareness and self-(e.g., Is forgiveness an option in your life right now? What does blaming do to your life? Does regretting about “what could have been?” improve your life and make you happy? Are you happy with the choices you are making presently?) I requested the students to think of ways on how they can make their own life more joyful and meaningful. More often than not, I give suggestions based on my clinical experience. Sometimes, I solicit brilliant suggestions from their classmate.

3.) Exercise

The most powerful and very effective exercise I do for this lesson (which normally happens on the second meeting) is when I request my student to get ½ sheet of paper and to answer this question:

As adolescents, what are the questions that you want (or long have wanted) to ask because you want to know the TRUTH?

Examples:

If God is a good God, why does he allow evil to happen?

What really is love?

Is there really heaven and hell?

Am I an adopted child?

Does my father really love my mother?

I request them not to write their names on their paper. I even advice them not to allow their seatmates to read their questions. They can change their handwriting if they like and they can write in English, Filipino, or Taglish. Thet can ask as many questions as they wish? --- Somehow, these guide lines will assure me that they will be completely honest with the question they will write down.

After they are finished, I ask them to turn their papers upside down (as nobody can read what they have written down) and pass them forward. When I receive all the paper, I shuffle them randomly. But before I start reading the questions aloud, I give a few guidelines. I usually tell my students that I don’t have the monopoly of knowledge. Thus, I do not have the answers to all the questions they ask. I remind them also that based on our lesson, “questions are more important than the answers.” I also admonish my students that I read their questions and generate laughter from the class; they should not take the reactions personally. Furthermore, if there are any students who have the answer to any of the questions I have read, then they can share their thoughts and feelings about the topic.

This activity is enjoyable and very insightful. Occasionally, there will be funny question (e.g., Why is the black board called black when it’s not. Am I pretty and beautiful?), which generate a lot of laughter and humor. Generally, students ask existential questions (e.g.,What is the purpose of my life? Is there really an afterlife?), which is really demand self-reaction and more introspective stance.

Expected Student Output

Students are expected to perform well in the graded recitation. Although the “sharing time” is completely voluntary, it is also expected that students will share their honest experiences relevant to the topic.

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

2008-07-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Time 5 min.
5. Closing prayer:
Pick six volunteers to read aloud one line from their second entry: “I feel ___________ because ___________.” After each line, the class responds: “Thanks be to God, the Source of all being.”
Collect the Map of Feelings and bring them the next session. Remind those who were assigned to tread the New Story of Creation to prepare for the next session.

Session 2 (80 minutes)
AVR
Time 15 min.
Learning Procedure and Activities
1. Opening prayer: Slideshow of the New Story of Creation (5 min., simplified version)
Guide Questions: What does the story make you feel? Do you see God’s creative power in the story? Where? How?
Allow the students to express their thoughts and feelings regarding the historical/scientific account of The Universe Story.
End the sharing Glory be.

Materials needed
ppt.show of New Story of Creation

Time 30 min.
2. Environmental Issues
a. Slideshow: Scary Story* (5 min.)
Introduction: This slideshow will present to us how we as individuals and as communities have been relating with the Earth, who, according to your first entry, has made you feel peaceful, relaxed, and contented.
b. Map of Feelings (third entry)
Instruction: Using a third dark color crayon, write on the upper center of the third region of your map your dominant feeling now that you have witnessed how we have been treating the Earth that god has so lovingly created for us.

Materials needed
ppt.show of Scary Story

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

c. Processing
Ask around 5 volunteers to share what they wrote on their map. (Students’ usual answers are: I feel sad, guilty, angry, afraid, depressed… because we have not been taking care of the Earth, we will be the one to suffer if we continue destroying the Earth, future generations will be deprived of the beauty of the planet, we have been ungrateful to God, we disobeyed God…)
At this point, review the message of Genesis 1 and 2. Stress the fact that in the Christian tradition, we believe that God desires for our well-being with the community of life. But what have we done? Endowed with the gifts of intelligence, consciousness, freedom, and the capacity to care, we reversed the story.
Now read the “Reversed Creation Story”. At the end of the story, ask the students to reflect on the following points: As an individual, when are the times that I fail to care for other created beings? Why do I behave like this towards the environment?
Ask some students to share their answers and insights. End this portion by emphasizing the fact that there is a great need to change the way we think about ourselves in relation to other created beings.

Materials needed
copy of the “Reversed Creation Story”

Time 30 min.
3. Commitment to the Integrity of Creation: Hope for the Earth
a. Slideshow: Beacon of Hope* (5 min.)
Introduction: What is beautiful about our Christian faith is the conviction that new life is possible. Let us view this last slideshow.
b. Map of Feelings (last entry)
Instruction: Using another dark color crayon, write on the upper center of the fourth region of your map your dominant feeling after viewing the slideshow.
Ask around 5 volunteers to share what they wrote on their map. (Students’ usual answers are: I feel hopeful, relieved, encouraged, inspired, ready to help… because we can still do something to save the environment, there are already enlightened people who work for the healing of Mother earth, it is not too late yet but I think we have to work fast or else…).
c. My commitment to the Integrity of Creation
At this point, the Map of Feelings has been completed. Instruct the students to review the contents of their maps and find out for themselves what their respective maps are telling them to do next/ what direction are they being led to take. Again, ask some students to share to the class what they have learned from their maps. (Students’ usual answers are: My map is directing me to do something to prevent further destruction of the environment, to care for the earth, to join organizations, to share what I have learned to my family and friends, to be more appreciative and mindful of nature…)
This is an opportune time to mention the ESI, the MRF, and our mini-forest; MC’s stand against GMO and Mining Act and for Clean Air Act; and to promote the school’s programs/projects that are geared towards integrity of creation such as the solid waste management scheme, DepRec, cafeteria’s “clean as you go”, Makitips, etc. Copies of SAPAT (an Environmental Ethic promoted by the AMRSP-JPIC) may also be distributed to the students. However, there is always the need to stress the importance of change in our perception and values that will open the door towards greater sensitivity and creativity in our quest for fullness of life in creation.
d. Assignment: Bookmark
Instruction: Make a bookmark. Do not buy any material; use whatever you have at home.
Front: Write/Print one of your personal insights/ learnings about God-human-earth relationships that will serve as your guiding principle in fulfilling the tasks that you will indicate at the back. (Do not copy any quotation or biblical texts.)
Back: For the Integrity of Creation, I promise to: List down five earth-friendly acts that you will practice regularly. One of these should be an activity that will develop your sensitivity to and appreciation of creation. Sign your name at the bottom. (Grading: 5 pts. For Insight/Learning, 5 pts. for the earth-friendly tasks, and 5 pts. for creativity and resourcefulness.)

Materials needed
ppt.show of Beacon of Hope
copies of SAPAT

sample of bookmark
Time 5 min.
Closing prayer: “Partners”
(Note: For two weeks, prayer leaders will have Integrity of Creation as their theme.)
Copy of the parable and prayer

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

* Scary Story and Beacon of hope were originally produced by Haribon Foundation, Inc. in 2001. I have updated them to include recent data.

On Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

2008-07-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

The words ‘learning a foreign language’ usually conjure up images of endless memorization and repetition in an effort to try to speak in that language. Add the word ‘Chinese’ to the above statement and watch people begin to say how impossible that would be.

Fortunately there are many strategies to teach Mandarin effectively, even to those who have never tried learning a foreign language. While it is impossible to say which strategy is the better one, a method that consistently produces good results is discussed below.

Theoretical Basis

As far back as the 1960’s, linguistic theories have stated that when a child learns language, she does so by listening to the people around her converse in that language. Eventually, through trial and error, she learns how to arrange words properly in that language, and eventually create her own sentences. (It also follows that if she only learned through memorizing what other people said, then she wouldn’t be able to say anything she’s never heard before, like ‘I ate a dragon today.’)

The same theories also state that the value of explicit learning (school, and the like) is in reinforcing the rules that one already knows subconsciously; i.e. one enters school already knowing how to use the words ‘big’ or ‘small’, but it is in school where one learns that they are called ‘adjectives’.

One of the reasons, therefore, why people have difficulty in learning a foreign language is that they are learning a new set of rules to ‘replace’ the rules one already knows. In other words, they are learning new ways to arrange words and conjugate verbs (among others) in a new language, which more often than not is different from their first language. And, to reinforce these new rules, they then wade through volumes of texts in the second language, then remember the material.

One possible methodology, then, that addresses this difficulty is one that teaches the ‘word-arranging’ and ‘word-forming’ rules at the very beginning: the linguistic approach.

The Linguistic Approach

As stated above, as a child learns language, she learns it by ‘picking up’ how her language goes- that is, what words go where, how to conjugate verbs, and the like. She doesn’t simply learn it by just listening to everything said around her, for if she did, that would mean she could only say things she’s heard before, and couldn’t ‘create’ her own sentences.

If one takes into account the dizzying variety of verb forms, irregularities, gender, tense and whatnot that can be found in languages the world over, then it’s really amazing how anyone learns language at all. It should be noted, however, that even people who never had formal education can still speak—meaning, that formal training helps, but is not the whole story.

Vocabulary is actually the reason why traditional approaches prescribe wading through texts and sample dialogues to learn a language. As one reads, one remembers the words, and along the way one ‘picks up’ how to properly arrange the parts of a sentence. If the approach is reversed, however—that is, learn grammar first then vocabulary—then a student would not only know what to say, but also have the advantage of knowing that what they say makes sense.

Grammar also explains why some people learning languages the traditional way have trouble saying things on their own (i.e. things not found in the book). Since their orientation is towards the rules in their first language, they unconsciously order words according to the rules of the first language, saying things that are grammatically incorrect in the second language.

What this means, is that if someone teaches a student all the ‘word-arranging’ and ‘word-forming’ rules at the very beginning, rather than as she progresses through her studies, learning becomes a whole lot easier. Once grammar is done, the student just ‘inserts’ vocabulary in the right places and she’s good to go!

Sample lesson: On making Sentences in Chinese
The following lesson illustrates this methodology:

Basic Chinese Sentence patter: S-V-O
[Subject]-[Verb]-[Object] (if needed)

wo mai yi fu
‘I-buy-clothes’ ‘I bought clothes’
[S-V-O]

ni chi man guo
‘you-eat-mango’ ‘You ate a mango’
[S-V-O]

ta ming bai
‘he/she-understand’ ‘She understands’
[S-V]

Once a student is made to understand the sentence pattern, she is then given a list of lexicon to work with:

Subjects
wo ‘I’
ni ‘you’
ta ‘he/she’

Verbs
chi ‘eat’
he ‘drink’
mai ‘buy’
kan ‘read/watch’
yao ‘want to’
(used before the verb)

Objects
fan ‘food’
shui ‘water’
yi fu ‘clothes’
shu ‘book’
dian ying ‘movie

From this, the student can now create sentences on her own:

wo kan dian ying
‘I-watch-movie’ ‘I watched a movie’
[S+V+O]

ta mai yi fu
‘he/she-buy-clothes’ ‘She bought clothes’
[S+V+O]

ta yao he shui
‘he/she-want to-drink-water’ ‘He wants to drink water’
[S+V+O]

Mandarin Chinese particularly lends itself to this approach, as Chinese has no tenses or verb conjugations; i.e. the word ‘eat’ is [chi]; the word ‘ate’ is still [chi]; the word ‘have eaten’ still makes use of verb [chi]. How does it differentiate tenses and aspect then? Chinese makes use of modifiers placed before or after the verb, like the word [yao] ‘want to’ above; students are taught how the word is used, and can then immediately use them in relation to the sentence pattern.

Advantages of the Linguistic Approach

The greatest advantage of this approach is that students can immediately begin to create sentences on their own. They merely have to ask what a particular object or concept is called, and can then use it in a sentence. This way, they merely memorize words, not entire sentences; they then arrange these words to say what they want to say in Mandarin Chinese.

For more advanced sentences, they are taught more grammatical patterns that allow them to arrange words in more complex ways. They merely have to remember the pattern (sort of like a mathematical formula) in order to say what they want to say, even if they have never encountered that particular sentence in a book before.

This approach also endows students with more confidence when they begin to use Chinese in outside situations. They know that if they remember the pattern, then they can simply ‘insert’ the words they want to use when speaking in a real-life situation; they do not have to remember ‘set’ constructions (like what to say in a restaurant, how to ask for discounts and the like). As such, students do not have to remember all the possible sentences applicable in any given situation—they merely have to know what words they want or need to use, filter them through the right grammatical pattern, and then proceed to speak and converse.

Postscript

This approach is not for everyone, as it relies on direct conversations with students to improve and gauge their language proficiency. It also is most effective with smaller groups of students, as it is physically taxing to carry on separate conversations with 40 or more students. If one manages it however, one will find that using this methodology will allow the students to learn a second language in the shortest possible time, and will give the instructor the satisfaction of a job well done.

Artstarting the Adventure

2008-07-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Artstarting the Artventure

Norma F. Reyes, Ph.D. (Humanities Department)

For more than a decade, Humanities (Hu-101) has been a crammed and cramped one-semester core subject. Trying to be true to its name (course title may be updated), I treated the course as another way to help the students rediscover and further value and enjoy their humanity in serving God, country, community, and all creation through the arts, designs, and artists in that precious time span.

Likewise, the subject attempts to connect art learning with the students’ needs and interests, the school’s objectives, with career planning and with everyday life. with its limited class hours, the subject hopes to give the students a continuity of whatever art knowledge learned in basic education, to correct misconceptions, to enhance art learning, and to help the students be a little more inspired and hopeful in life’s journey, in living well!

The Nature of the Student-Client and the Nature of the Discipline

The philosophy of the subject, or of any human endeavour for that matter, is basic- it is a beautiful ad consuming process to think about why you do what you do. Two major concerns help guide teaching. As with this subject, I reflect on the nature of the client students, in this case, the majority is in post-adolescent stage in their first year of college, and the nature of the discipline of the arts.

Addressing these issues would be a good start in planning and carrying out lessons and methods. Given only four months of a semester and the wide field of the arts, it is important to extract what is deemed to be the most basic yet comprehensive and relevant content to be given in the most productive and enjoyable manner.

Empowering the students to use art to improve their personality and to help advance cultural development (from community to nation) are urgent objectives- in short, a substantial and fun learning (which may, if not all teachers strive for) beyond information-sharing about life can be accessed from various modes outside the school. So what can we offer as classroom teachers that would make students come back for more?

While this sharing may not be “best practice”, the topics, activities and strategies given through the years have undergone the usual refinements with the help of student feedback- which of these teaching efforts do they consider relevant, fun and memorable, even life-changing?

Since literature is the most explored art form especially with Filipino and English subjects, Humanities focuses on visual art and design and on some musical works and the performing arts.

The art forms are so pervasive in life and the environment, being experienced by everyone in daily life and at work, yet less studied in the school. And the two general art activities, skills and life itself are incorporated in all the topics and activities.

The Nature of Being Human and the Nature of Art (Who are you? Why Art?)

I divide the semester into four main topics – the Nature of Being Human, the Nature of Art, Art and Design (structure and functions) and Art, Society, Culture and Artists.

The first two weeks focus on an inductive process in leading the students to arrive at some insights into the humanity-life-art connection. This is done at the start of the semester to allow a smoother flow into understanding the succeeding topics. The relationship is again emphasized in the synthesis of the course.

Direct teaching of content and immediately showing a variety of teaching aids may affect or influence perception of such a relationship and can even shape more biases about the arts. This subject, in fact, would run out of time with numerous art books and audiovisual aids. The aids are definitely maximized as the course proceeds.

After the first two meetings of a brief self-introduction of students (usually an adjective or two to describe themselves), their given qualities are listed on the board. Questions like what do you find similar, not similar, common, unique or different in the answers about who you are individually and what you share with or differ from your classmates, some conclusions or observations are gathered from them and linked to glimpses of being human (they already know about this so far but it’s good to be reminded of why it’s good to be human).

Before the meeting ends, I echo their responses (the beauty of this exercise is the diversity of such answers which provide the teacher creative ways to direct them to the next topic). For example, a response of “creative” or “talented” leads to the next assignment of presenting what they think are their interests, talents or skills. These would take about two meetings for individual presentations. This is a truly educational and exciting activity for many students.

I then relate the “talent show” to what makes human beings a special creation, the art forms (the different kinds or fields of art) related to the given talents, the use of art and design in their subjects and projected careers, the many professions in art and design itself, how life is much more beautiful knowing what one is good at, how one’s talents or skills can affect others and the environment and why and how the arts prominently figure in progressive cultures or nations.

Likewise, some basic art concepts of creation/creativity/designing, expression, communication, experience, beauty, appreciation, and universality are also derived to relate them as some basic human needs beyond food, shelter and clothing. This Link provides the rationale about why people make and appreciate art, why we create and seek beauty in many forms.

Initially using the students’ various talents/works as examples to introduce humanity and art/design relationship rather than the grand examples of professional artists through visual aids can be a fresher and more fulfilling discovery for the students.

Form and/in/as Language by Patrick F. Campos (Comm. Arts and English Departments)

2008-07-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Introduction

This lesson should come after the class has been introduced to poetry, and should serve as an introduction to fiction. Before the presentation of the lesson, the student should have read “divide by Two” by Francisco Arcellana (National Artist for Literature), and should have browsed through scripts of a play and a film, to learn of their “form/at”. The lesson can be presented with the maximum time of three hours.

The primary topic of the lesson is the idea and manifestations of FORM in literature/art, though the mediation and agency of language/s. Form is to be discussed alongside language: how it is cannot be without the agency of “malleable” language; how it is in language and cannot be outside of it; how “manifested form” (i.e., the finished literary text) is itself another model/level of language; and how language, as a structure, does not only mean “words”, but also systems of aesthetics/signification-such as in the “language and grammar of film”, the “language of dramatic theater”, etc.

The convolution of “and/in/as” in the title of the lesson and the varied uses of the term “language” indicate the complexity and playfulness of the relationship between form and language. The terms are NOT meant to be discussed as highfalutin, but as handles by which one can find pleasure in experiencing a literary text- specifically, how one can be engaged in “play” during reading/criticism. As soon as complexity overwhelms the playfulness of the conceptual approach, the terms can be dropped.

Objectives

By the end of the lesson, the student should be able:
1) To love learning and learn loving literature and the other arts (the implicit agenda of all lesson presentations);
2) To self-consciously notice the material experience of literature (i.e. how words, in the form of lines, sentences, and paragraphs, are printed on the surface of paper for the purpose of being read);
3) To appreciate language as the “raw material” of literature, having the potential for the rhythm, color, and imagery;
4) To understand the specific non-narrative interconnections between poetry and fiction;
5) To understand the general connection between literature and other extra-literary arts, such as drama and film; and
6) To be acquainted with the works of Filipino artist.

Learning Procedures, Strategies, and Activities

The chronology of lesson presentation may proceed as follows (here told in first-person).

1. Introduction of the Authors

By way of introducing “Franz” Arcellana, I would tell the class what the man and his works mean to me, personally, apart from the state recognition./ specifically, I would tell the class how reading Franz’s “A Story” for the first time left in me an indelible fascination with how language is formally used in literature/fiction, and inspired me to attempt to write, and more importantly, to love reading.

Optionally, I would tell an anecdote about how Franz himself taught literature (and what the significance of his method is) – that is, by leading the students to analyze a literary text word-for-word. For example: “The” (Why did the author choose a definite article? Would “a” make a world of difference? Etc.)… “quick” (What kind of rhythm does this one-syllable word achieve in our reading? Etc.)… “brown” (What picture does this adjective paint? Does it set us up to expect an animal? Etc.)… “fox” (What strong accents does this word have? Etc.)… “jumped… over… the… lazy… dog.”

After introducing the author, and perhaps showing his picture, I would read aloud “A Story”.

2. Basic Story Matters

I would then proceed to the discussion of the assigned text “Divide by Two” and raise basic questions about its literary/narrative elements, such as character, conflict, plot, imagery, and themes. It is of great importance to ask students to point to “formal evidences” (Where is it in the text?) whenever they answer my probing questions.

And when a student does point to portions of the text, I would encourage her to read aloud, and I would engage her in an animated dialogue (i.e., we can spontaneously assume the characters’ voices, and imagine how they would say the line).

By the end of the probing, the class should “see” the basic points of the story – that we are literally, figuratively, and symbolically “divided” from our neighbors, whenever we are “divided” in our own homes/relationships and whenever we are “divided” in our own selves.

3. Learning Something New: Form and the Uses of Language

Once the class has found a mutual space for agreement as to what the point of the story is, I would proceed to introduce the new concept – FORM.

Since “Divide by Two” is a short story, its form should be discussed as such. However, since it has scarce descriptions, and almost only has dialogue, it may be compared to “drama”.

Furthermore, it can be compared to “A Story”, which, though sharing “Divide by Two’s” short fiction form, is more poetic in nature; “A Story” can arguably be called “prose-poem”. These are some points of discussion regarding form.

Here are some probing questions that I would probably ask to facilitate the discussion:

1. How is the form of “Divide by Two” different from poetry?
2. Does it have some characteristics akin to poetry?
3. How about “A Story”, does it sound like poetry, or is it closer to the fiction form that is “Divide by Two”?
4. What are the general differences in the uses of language in poetry and prose–fiction?
5. How about drama, how is it different from poetry and prose–fiction?
6. What between “Divide by Two” and “A Story” reads like drama? Why?
7. Does form have anything to do with the basic points that we have agreed “Divide by Two” is trying to say?

From here, the class can proceed to the discussion of scripts for a play and a film. I would invariably bring samples for perusal. Once the class has highlighted the differences between poetry, prose-fiction, drama scripts, and film scripts, I would point to the differences in the author’s motivations and purposes for writing in certain forms, the audiences predisposed reception of certain forms (e.g., there is pleasure in reading poetry aloud; fiction is meant to be read, while a film script is meant to be filmed; a play can be either read or performed; reception of fiction is private, while watching a play is a social/public act; etc.), and the material texts’ actual “look” and formats (e.g., poems are in verse, prose is not; both forms can accommodate narrative; drama and script have divisions in scene and sequences; etc.).

4. Surprise Film

As soon as all the points have been exhausted, I would show the class a short film adaptation of the short story, Divide by Two, directed by Ishmael Bernal (National Artist for Film).

5. Comparing Works, Comparing Forms/Languages

Before proceeding with the discussion, I would introduce Ishmael Bernal – a filmmaker who took up literature, and who made films with “literary sensibility”; I would point out that his important films were also concerned about individuals’ dividedness in themselves, in their homes, and from their neighbors (themes found in Arcellana’s story).

The class may then go back to the literary text, and try to compare how Arcellana and Bernal specifically “pictured” dividedness.

Some specifics that may surface would be:

In Arcellana, the dividedness is “pictured”

1. in the plot, as wall is erected between neighbors;

2. in the dialogue, as subtexts between the husband and wife suggest profound misunderstanding, animosity and infidelity;

3. in the writer’s sentence constructions, as the verbosity of the characters are divided by “walls” of he saids and she saids; and

4. in the actual look of the material pages, as a block of words, almost without paragraph breaks and indentions, are written as if a “wall” had been built

In Bernal, the dividedness is “pictured”

1. in the constant spatial distance between the actors within the frame;

2. by the characters’ constant lack of eye-contact or face-to-face interaction (they seldom face each other while talking);

3. and by the characters’ self-centered preoccupations motivated by noble ideas, such as art and activism (the man is a writer, and the woman is an environmentalist-activist).

I would then ask the students to state what they themselves felt about the experience of the same narrative in two forms/media.

Expected Student Output

For their assignment, the students are to try their hands on writing one dramatic scene (i.e., playwriting) based on “Divide by Two”. The scenes that they will come up with will be “performed” (read aloud) in class the following meeting.

Options:

If the teacher would like to proceed with the discussion of form, Arcellana, or prose-poems, the students may also be assigned to read “The Trilogy of the Turtles” and “Wings of Madness”, both by Arcellana.

Alternatively, if the teacher would like to proceed with the discussion of drama, the students may be assigned to read a short one-act play.

To Wear a Veil: Experiencing Others' Culture

2008-07-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

By: Jose L. Leonidas (Social Science Department)

Introduction

It has been a pedagogic principle that learning is greatly achieved when the learner personally experienced the particular concept or condition being studied. In this activity, the learner is subjected into an artificial environment (Miriam College) where they are asked to temporarily wear a veil (about an hour) as they tour the premises of Miriam College. The problematique here is how will students react if they take the role of a female Muslim in a predominantly Christian environment? Second, how will the environment react when confronted by veiled students.

This exercise, given to first year students who are enrolled in Introduction to Sociology, (SO 101), is usually undertaken when dealing with the topic on Culture. Culture is a given fact of life. We usually take it for granted because we born to it, and we simply assume that culture suffices for our survival. Thus, we live in that comfort zone of culture. But when something different happens into that culture or its dominant regime, then we begin asking question about it. This brings about objectifying what has been a subjective phenomenon which is our culture, the way of life we were born into.

Another specific area of this subject is about the varied cultural practices that different cultural groupings practice from female genital mutilation as experienced in some parts of Africa, to the removal of the female front teeth at an early age in the wilderness of the South American Amazon river systems.

This learning methodology aims to create in the students a questioning or critical attitude to the phenomenon of culture by taking the perspective of the Other. The Other is someone who experiences something that may be different to our experience. An example of this is women’s experience of wearing a burqa in Afghanistan. The students being asked to wear a veil and walk around campus exposed to the public will definitely create a reaction of basically a different image happening in that regime. This particularly exercises delivers an image and a message – that our culture can exist with other culture, thus the value of tolerance.

Objectives

To know the reaction of people when confronted by veiled students.
To let students feel what it is to be a female Muslim.

Learning procedures/Activities

Students are asked to know and describe the concept of culture by giving them assigned reading materials. They are assigned reading materials that are found in our teaxtbook and other sociology books. They are also asked to do a research in the internet.
Cultural relativity, dynamism of culture, culture and technic-ways, cultural change are some of the concepts the students will have to take note.
They are asked to form a group of four members to do a research on cultural practices of other cultures.
Students are asked to bring veil and the teacher explains the reason why they should be bringing veil.
At the assigned date the students are asked to wear the veil and form a group of four to six members. They are given specific mission to visit a particular office and deliver a message like “Assalam ulaykum”, a Muslim term meaning “Peace be with you,” or ask a brochure from this particular office. The students are all wearing veils as they to this exercise. The veils are not to be remove until they come back to the classroom.
Students are asked to take mental notes as to how the outside environment reacts to them. They are to remember the words uttered and the body language evoked as they pass by or as they present themselves to the public.

Expected Output

Students will share what they feel in this particular experience. -what were the difficulties, fear and thoughts. They will also describe the reception they receive from others –how people reacted to them, how were they treated and regarded.

Historical Development of Science and Technology

2008-07-09T19:36:00.000-07:00

Historical Development of Science and Technology

Maria Cecilia T. Marzan (International Studies Department)

Introduction

There is no question about the importance of technology in human life. Before we look at the impact of science and technology on society or the environment, we should be able to trace how science and technology developed through time.

Objective

A. To be able to trace the historical development of Science and Technology which will be discussed in 4 major parts:

1.) First Civilization, Pre-historic and Ancient Times

2.) Pre-Columbian Times-Scientific Revolution

3.) The Age of Industrialization

4.) From 20^th -21st Century

B. To be able to analyze the impact of Science and Technology on society and the environment

Learning procedures/strategies and activities

Before I start my class, I make sure I properly set up the OHP or the computer to be used for powerpoint presentations to ensure the orderly flow of class discussion. I start the class by greeting, doing the roll call, giving announcements or reminders related to the subject or important matters the students should know.

After I have those thing, I would most of the time articulate the outline of the lessons of the day or what students should expect on that class period or for that certain week. If I fail to articulate the objectives of the class for that period, I make sure that I always have a working outline in mind to guide me throughout the period or week. It is important that I follow an outline so that I stay focused by just covering all the important things and avoid getting sidetracked and not accomplishing anything at all.

After I have set the objectives, I assign student s before hand or I ask someone on the spot to do a recap or review of last meeting’s discussion or lesson (5-10 minutes). I believe doing a recap is important to gauge what students have learned or just remembered and how one topic flows to another or for the to see the connection of one topic to the other. This makes them appreciate the lessons better.

Then I move on to some motivational strategies such as throwing them questions, playing games, showing them pictures, and other strategies. Once I have introduced the topic, I most of the time use powepoint presentations with pictures and videos especially if the subject is about technology. The presentation should b interesting to catch their attention. In some instances, I also assign different slides to different students or groups to talk about during group activities then ask them to do the lecture instead of the teacher doing mostly of the talking. I learned that students learn more when they teach what they know to their classmates. In my class, I make sure that I practice student-centered approach in teaching. All of my students are given the chance to recite in class because I call on every student period at least once. Calling all of them for recitation keeps them alert and always on their toes.

During discussion I inject humor and animation (facial expressions, gestures, voice) to make the class lively and fun! In my class, I allow them to express their own opinions and I make them feel that I care about each and every one of them (for instance, appreciate a student’s new haircut or greet them on their birthdays *smiley*). It is important that a teacher knows how to “connect” with her/his students by knowing their needs, interests, likes, what is in, etc…If a teacher is not able to sustain their interest in your class and they would rather cut your class and do other things.

Also, if time permits, the students should be able to summarize or highlight the important points discussed in class before they are dismissed. Students also appreciate that the rules set by teachers at the start of the semester are being implemented. Students like teachers who are consistent, come to class prepared, and always with a ready smile. *smiley*

Expected student output

The class would be divided into groups and would be asked to apply technology by coming up with their own domain name on the internet that would reflect their groups personality and would embody the Miriam College education at the same time. For instance, http://www.kkk.com-/> kkk would stand for mga Kababaihang Kumikilos para sa Kapayapaan/Katarungan/Kalikasan. The group may also create their own websites if they have the time and necessary skills to do one.

Evaluation

Selected faculty members would be asked to vote on the best domain name. However, it is important to clearly set the mechanics of the activity and the criteria for judging the best domain name. the criteria I used are originality, creativity and relevance.

Road Mapping p103

2008-07-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Link provides the rationale about why people make and appreciate art, why we create and seek beauty in many forms.

Road Mapping

As the course progresses, the inevitable lecture, drawing/designing exercises, audiovisual presentations, showing actual artwork by professional artists, gallery/museum/church visits, oral and written critiques, and some tests mark the rest of the semester’s teaching-learning joyride.

But perhaps, the more meaningful learning for a student is bringing their own life experiences into the topics and gaining new ones from them. It is also giving students a hand in planning and learning in their own terms. In creative work, for example, the students choose the art form, topic, medium, technique, and style as any true self-respecting artist should.

Evaluating creative work is explained to the students even at the beginning of the semester. While art evaluation (except on some objective tests) is more criterion-referenced and more tedious, it helps the students understand art assessment and its bases. The students’ succeeding works are based from the first work.

At the end of the most sessions, the students are encouraged to express what they think of the lesson/activity or how else could it be done.

And like touring, the rhythm goes on. Like life, every semester is going fast forward.

2008-07-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

My Teaching Philosophy

by Danilo D. Reyes (Business Administration Department)

Introduction

More than 30 years ago, when I started out on my own career, I never thought of teaching as being my line. My career was concentrated in being both in government and the corporate world, although during the earlier years, I did have a very brief stint of teaching at the University of the Philippines. At that time I never considered that teaching was going to be my life, as it was a very tiring and yet unrewarding experience. Unlike in the corporate world, the job was relatively easy for me and very rewarding, financially.

As fate would have it, I embarked on my third career in life (teaching) less than ten years ago - mostly as an unplanned event. My middle daughter was then studying in college, taking up business administration at the University of the Asia and the Pacific. As she was encountering difficulties in her accounting subject, she used to ask me to tutor her and her classmates (whom I supposed were also finding it difficulty). To cut a long story short, it got me thinking, that possibly I can do this (I mean, teaching).

My first teaching stint was in PSBA (QC), where O taught both Accounting and Finance subjects, and my classes were always overflowing with students. Then I realized that I must be doing something right.

I have enjoyed a relatively successful career in teaching, having risen in position very quickly, first as the Coordinator of the Entrepreneurial Management Program at the University of the Asia and the Pacific; then as Chair of the Business Administration Department of Miriam College; then as The Dean of the Institute of Commerce of San Sebastian College - Recoletos, Manila (all in a span of less than five years).

Lessons Learned

Since I was once also a student, I got to reminiscing about my experiences as a student. I was just a regular student, not doing badly but not doing as well as I hoped. Then in my senior year in college, I had a professor, who all of things taught quantitative approaches to management. I did not particularly like the subject, because mathematics was not my strong suit then (but of course I was never afraid of simple math)> Again, to cut a long story short, I was so encouraged by this professor (not that he gave me special attention) by his way of teaching (mostly, his passion in teaching, and a very caring attitude towards his students’ learning) , that it was then that I realized that I l liked mathematics, and that in fact my brain can handle math very easily. This was a realization that came about because of the influence if this one professor.

That influence made me realize that I was limiting my ability because I was not inspired to do well. My fears were keeping me back. That influence gave me the courage to believe in my abilities. In the last two semesters of my college years, I did very well, becoming a Dean’s Lister during those two semesters and a College Scholar during my last semester. I did well in math from that time on that I was even exempted from taking the final examination in a similar subject during my MBA days.

It was then that I realized that, indeed, a teacher can become a very powerful influence in the life of his students.

Fast forward to about ten years ago, when the opportunity came for me to teach, I decided that the only way I can be successful is if I am able to become at least a positive influence in the lives of my students.

Things that I Think I Do Right

Ever since my very first work experience, I felt very passionate about my work. My work was not only my source of financial income; more so, it was my source of psychic income. My father’s influence was very strong in this, as I saw him when I was growing up, to be very dedicated to his work. His being able to do a good job gave him his sense of pride. He was a believer in “good enough is not good enough”. It was never enough for him just to complete is not good enough”. It was never enough for him just to complete the job satisfactorily, he had to do it well – for his own satisfaction.

In my teaching, all the different influences have become my philosophy:

I see my role as a teacher to be an encourager, as inspirer, a person who will open up the spirit of the student to do well, because he/she has the ability to do so. I the classroom we are so limited as to what we can teach, so as much as possible I inspire my students to love learning for its own sake – not just to pass the subject or get good grades in the subject, I believe in the saying that you can take a horse to where there is water, but you can force it to drink it. So I take my students to where there is water, and encourage them to drink (not force them to drink). I do this by creating in my classroom an atmosphere where my students are free from pressure from me and from their fears. They are free to make mistakes, as I tell them it is okay to make mistakes, nobody is free from mistakes anyway. I create a situation where they can freely express their opinions, and I do encourage them to do so.

As a teacher, I have to be passionate in what I am doing. It is actually very easy to discuss topics, be it business or otherwise, even accounting (which a lot of students fear, because it uses math as its tool). Thus, it is a challenge to make something uninteresting (or even boring) become interesting for students. That is where passion for teaching has to come in. I have always encouraged my students to ask questions, or ask me to repeat the lesson - it doesn’t matter how many times I have to repeat it. I guess, I want to do it well for my own satisfaction. I feel that I have failed my students and their parents if they leave the classroom without any added, knowledge at the end of the day. I keep well aware of the body language of students, in order to determine if they do understand the lesson or not - because sometimes, they are timid to verbalize their confusion or lack of understanding.

As a teacher, I have to be a mentor, and a friend. I do not compete with my students, such that I am willing to give high grades, even grades that I was not able to get when I was studying. After all, I do not measure their performance against my own performance as a benchmark. Their benchmark is how they compare with their classmates and how adequately they have imbibed the learnings needed.

As a teacher I have to give my students my time. My time does not only extend to the time that I am in the classroom. As long as there is a need to be addressed, my students know how to get in touch with me. My cell phone number is given in my syllabi, and some do contact me for help in their lessons at any time.

I do not claim to be an excellent teacher, as I know I pale in comparison with others. But I do have my own unique strengths as a teacher. For the past so many years that I have been teaching, my graduating students tell me that during their days in school, I have been a very important influence in their studies and lives, and that I have been their mentor. This expression of appreciation form them is what keeps me going as a teacher. As many times in the past (and even in the present), I have been tempted to hang up my gloves. I am physically tired, feeling insufficiently rewarded, but I draw my renewed strength from the feeling that like my professor in my senior year in college, I have probably become a positive influence in the lives of some of my students, that their future success un life may have been helped to a certain extent by their having been my students. I value this greater than any gold can offer.

NARRATION: Bringing out the Storyteller in Every Student

2008-07-06T11:19:00.000-07:00

NARRATION: Bringing out the Storyteller in Every Student

Lorna A. Billanes (English Department)

Introduction

Stories are a valuable learning tool in a language-learning classroom. Not only do they provide opportunities for students to articulate their thoughts and feelings; they also provide a visual framework in the learning of language skills.

Students have a wealth of ideas waiting to be tapped, and teachers wishing to foster communicative competence among students can utilize stories for maximum benefits. Because storytelling is an invaluable learning tool which lends itself well to any topic—whether narration, description or other expository techniques, it can be incorporated in most E-101 classes.

A common setback that often manifests itself is the students’ limited vocabulary and unwillingness to share their thoughts with the class—often stemming from a lack of confidence. But when the activity is done in an unthreatening way, and when they are made to understand that their contribution, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is their first baby step toward conquering their fear of public speaking, then they respond with enthusiasm.

Objectives

At the end of the session, the students are expected to:

- demonstrate competence of the language by using correct English

- create a logical story using the various elements of narration

- present the stories they have created, and answer the questions raised about them

Expected Student Output

- collaborative storytelling and pieced-together story done in collaboration with other students

- a creative re-creation of the picture using correct English

- a reading log which summarizes important aspects of the story

Motivation

Most of my students start with an ice breaker.

Option 1. A black and white photo is presented on OHP to elicit the students’ response. Students are asked to give their reaction about any aspect of the picture. It helps a lot if the chosen picture has a bearing on the essay to be discussed, so the teacher can establish a link.

Option 2. Students are asked to tell a story of their choice. The assigning of topics is usually done during the first week of the semester—usually after the “house keeping” has been done. I give out a list of topics and the students signify their interest by choosing one which she feels she is an expert on. The topics are clustered around certain themes such as: Interesting Hobbies, Favorite Characters, Unusual Traits, Embarrassing Moments, Grand Dreams, etc. I ask them to draw lots to determine the date of presentation. They are encouraged to be creative, and to bring appropriate visual aids during their talk. I often rely on the more assertive and proficient students to start the activity to set the trend for the more timid students to follow. This activity is best done on an individual basis—a prelude to the more serious task, and should not displace the other more extensive, though similar storytelling activities.

After the initial response from the class, a mini-lecture on the narrative elements such as character, setting, theme, conflict, etc. are discussed. Depending on the teacher’s preference and the students’ level of proficiency, this topic could be assigned for students to report on; or a freewheeling discussion, with several point persons taking the lead as discussion leaders may be done, instead. The discussion could later segue into an overview of the essay or article to be taken up.

A viable activity that logically springs from the initial discussion is the collaborative storytelling. I allow the students to create their own plot from the randomly selected pieces of paper which I pass around in brown envelopes. This kind of activity is best suited for small groups consisting of at most, six students. It’s amazing what surprising twists they are capable of creating. Most often, the output is diverse—at times, lacking in depth. What is important is how they are able to piece together the various elements to make a logical and coherent story.

A number of elements can make up the “repertoire”. For instance:

WHO – student, father, an old woman

WHAT – a broken guitar, an old rosary, a tattered notebook

WHEN – a rainy day in August, vesper hour

WHERE – an old hut in Pampanga

It is best, of course, to include as many combinations of these elements as possible to make for a more varied pieced-together story.

I try as best as I can to incorporate the four skills in every lesson I present. Ideally, each session should allow students to engage in meaningful reading, writing, listening and speaking activities, with springboard activities made available for them. After having taken care of the speaking component, I now proceed to test the students’ listening skill by assigning some students to raise a few thought-provoking questions about any aspects of the story created, and narrated, by their classmates.

Another possible alternative is to ask the students to listen to an interesting story. Halfway through the story, I stop and assign one student to supply a possible continuation to it. Other students are given the same chance to suggest a logical re-creation of the story. When a satisfactory conclusion has been reached, students are grouped into small units, and they are asked to write down as much as they can remember of the pieced-together story. Copies of their collaborative stories are then given to other groups for evaluation.

The students are instructed that as they read, they should do so in the context of the questions presented on OHP. Usually these are guide questions to wade them through the reading process. They are also encouraged to identify the passages they love best by drawing a smiling face or a star opposite to it.

Prior to the evaluation of the group stories, guidelines must have been set to clarify how the assessment should be done. Among the guide questions included are: Are the tenses of the verbs consistent? Do the paragraphs express a unified thought? What is the most beautifully crafted sentence? This activity prepares them for the task of creating a group magazine, which will showcase all the writings they have done in class.

The value of storytelling in a language-learning classroom cannot be underestimated. Used creatively, can bridge the gap between what the students are capable of imagining, and what they are capable of concretizing- using the printed word and the spoken medium.

pages 15-20

2008-07-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

Learning Procedures/Strategies and Activities

1.) Graded Recitation

I conduct graded recitation every meeting by shuffling the index cards (which contains the student’s name) and pick out one who will respond to my question/s. This will make the students come to the class respond to my question/s. This will make the students come to the class prepared. Although this strategy increases their level of anxiety, this will also makes them constantly alert and guarded. Thus, they will not sleep in class. As a rule, they must speak in straight and correct English. Should they speak in Filipino or utter words “bale” or “parang”, demerits will be given. Part also of the graded recitation is the vocabulary. I ask the students to read it at least thrice, and look for the meaning of the difficult words. Since the article is difficult, I admonish my students to read it at least thrice and look for the meanings of the difficult words in the dictionary. I believe that one cannot understand the context and meaning of the sentence paragraph without first knowing the meaning of individual words.

The graded recitation is usually done during the first 15-20 minutes of the class after a sincere class prayer.

Sample questions:

Discipline of Questioning:

Explain what the author means by this statement:

“Cessation of questioning leads only to the stagnation and arresting of growth.”

Discipline of Liberations:

What are the consequence if a person engages in “blind adherence”, “unquestioning acceptance”, and “thoughtless conformity” in the presence of societal structures that close avenues to the truth?

Discipline of Personhood:

Explain the statement of Soren Kiekgaard that “one’s life is one’s life is one’s own unique creative project” How is this related to the statement of Martin Buber who says that the task of every person it “the actualization of his unique, unprecedented, and never recurring potentialities, and not the repetition of something that another, and be it even the greatest, has already achieved?”

2.) Lecture

After conducting the graded recitation, the students can now take a breather. It is now time for me to clarify, discuss and explain the questions I asked in the graded recitation. I give a lot of examples to concretize the abstract concepts of the article, and my illustrations are usually drawn from my own and others’ experiences. The bulk of my lecture is taken from the schematic presentation shown on the next page.

After I have given some examples, I now ask the student to share their own personal narrations that are relevant to the topic. (At this juncture, the students can now speak in Filipino or in English. More often than not, they speak in Taglish. I allow this in this class since this is already “sharing time”. I believe that the person who shares sincerely speaks from her heart, expressing herself through the language of her soul, i.e., the language that she is most comfortable with.

My approach to teaching this subject is existential-phenomenological which emphasizes the relevance of the subject matter to the students. This simply means that it focuses mainly on the student’s standpoint rather from another person’s. This makes the subject matter more interesting because the students are permitted to be in genuine contact with their personal problems, issues, and tribulations. I feel that learning which significantly influences personal change is something which is self-discovered, self-appropriated learning, something which has been personally appreciated and recognized as relevant by the students.

It is very important that I have to validate their experience while sharing (e.g., nodding my head) either to affirm them that their experiences are very human or to encourage them to unfold more of their stories. I usually tell my students that whatever is shared in this classroom will be treated with utmost confidentiality. This creates an atmosphere of trust and confidence. This likewise invites me and ]my students to be more authentic and integrated. I have come to realize that when students are fully understood and accepted, the more they drop the false fronts and images to which they have been answering life’s various situations, and the more they tend to move in a direction which is more meaningful, joyful and peaceful.

I encourage personal sharing because I believe that what is personal is after all universal. In the end, the specific life events of one individual are actually common experiences of humanity. One can resonate with the story of the other.

After their sharing, I usually challenged the students either by asking them question which lead to deeper self awareness and self-(e.g., Is forgiveness an option in your life right now? What does blaming do to your life? Does regretting about “what could have been?” improve your life and make you happy? Are you happy with the choices you are making presently?) I requested the students to think of ways on how they can make their own life more joyful and meaningful. More often than not, I give suggestions based on my clinical experience. Sometimes, I solicit brilliant suggestions from their classmate.

3.) Exercise

The most powerful and very effective exercise I do for this lesson (which normally happens on the second meeting) is when I request my student to get ½ sheet of paper and to answer this question:

As adolescents, what are the questions that you want (or long have wanted) to ask because you want to know the TRUTH?

Examples:

If God is a good God, why does he allow evil to happen?

What really is love?

Is there really heaven and hell?

Am I an adopted child?

Does my father really love my mother?

I request them not to write their names on their paper. I even advice them not to allow their seatmates to read their questions. They can change their handwriting if they like and they can write in English, Filipino, or Taglish. Thet can ask as many questions as they wish? --- Somehow, these guide lines will assure me that they will be completely honest with the question they will write down.

After they are finished, I ask them to turn their papers upside down (as nobody can read what they have written down) and pass them forward. When I receive all the paper, I shuffle them randomly. But before I start reading the questions aloud, I give a few guidelines. I usually tell my students that I don’t have the monopoly of knowledge. Thus, I do not have the answers to all the questions they ask. I remind them also that based on our lesson, “questions are more important than the answers.” I also admonish my students that I read their questions and generate laughter from the class; they should not take the reactions personally. Furthermore, if there are any students who have the answer to any of the questions I have read, then they can share their thoughts and feelings about the topic.

This activity is enjoyable and very insightful. Occasionally, there will be funny question (e.g., Why is the black board called black when it’s not. Am I pretty and beautiful?), which generate a lot of laughter and humor. Generally, students ask existential questions (e.g.,What is the purpose of my life? Is there really an afterlife?), which is really demand self-reaction and more introspective stance.

Expected Student Output

Students are expected to perform well in the graded recitation. Although the “sharing time” is completely voluntary, it is also expected that students will share their honest experiences relevant to the topic.

2008-07-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Faculty
Best
Practices
Sourcebook

Edited by
Francis Julius N. Evangelista, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2007 by Miriam College and writers

Introduction
This sourcebook is basically a sharing of the teachers from the different departments and disciplines of the college unit of the teaching and learning methodologies they employ in their classes. The primary aim is to give the faculty-at-large some ideas, insights, and guidelines on effective and interesting ways of teaching their lessons and managing their classes.

Most contributors in this sourcebook selected a particular lesson in one of the courses they are teaching and shared how they communicate this lesson to their students, what learning strategies and procedures they use to teach it. it is worth noting how varied their teaching techniques are – from role-plays, fields trips, slideshows, and small group discussions to storytelling, playwriting, creating a map of feelings, and even walking around the campus in another culture’s attire. Some contributors (particularly the last ones) shared their general perspectives on teaching – how they see it, what inspires them to teach, and what their own learning experiences are in teaching.

Looking into the various inputs in this sourcebook, we can deduce certain common attributes of teaching practices that the contributors value and emphasize. Firstly, their practices deviate from the routine classroom procedure. Teaching the lesson is done not purely through the traditional lecture method where the teacher talks and the students listen. Instead, there is more interaction between the teacher and the students, and between the students and their fellow students. Secondly, their methodologies are student-oriented. They give students more chance to speak, express their thoughts, work on their own and think for themselves. Students are not only expected to listen but to be active learners. Thirdly, students are given a different learning set-up, a new environment. Students do not only learn through what is written on the blackboard or what is said by the teacher. They learn through viewing a film, doing a role-play, participating in a game, or going to a historical place. Fourthly, their practices create connections between the lessons taught and the real world that the students encounter. What makes a teaching practice interesting and meaningful to the students is its ability to relate what the students are learning to what they deal in actual life. The contributors make it a point to let the students understand the significance of the lessons they teach.

The different manuscripts presented here are inspiring to read. They serve as a testimony that in teaching there is a big room to innovate, be creative, and make learning a fun and worthwhile experience for our students. This sourcebook also gives us a glimpse of what our co-faculty members are doing in their own disciplines. And what is pleasing to know is that even though we belong to different disciplines, we can actually adopt and learn from others’ teaching styles and techniques. There is actually no limit to what we can do. We can see here, for instance, how a Chemistry teacher uses poetry and songs to demonstrate her lessons, or how an English teacher makes prayer and spirituality a means to communicate her subject matter.

Truly, there is a treasure chest of teaching and learning methodologies that we can use to make our classes livelier and more dynamic. It is just a matter of being creative, flexible, and open to a variety of teaching techniques. Indeed, becoming a good teacher involves being open to various pedagogical styles and philosophies as well as listening to and learning from what others have to say. It is our hope that this sourcebook will only be the start of more sharing from faculty members of our best practices in our teaching vocation in line with our pursuit of giving our students the best learning experience they can get.

Special thanks to Professors Ma. Lourdes Leonardia, Marishelle Medina, and Lorna Billanes of the English Department and Dr. Rebecca Añonuevo of the Filipino Department for taking time to go over the manuscripts, and to Dr. Maria Lourdes Quisumbing-Baybay, our College Dean, for being very encouraging and supportive of this project.

Editor

Time 5 min.
5. Closing prayer:
Pick six volunteers to read aloud one line from their second entry: “I feel ___________ because ___________.” After each line, the class responds: “Thanks be to God, the Source of all being.”
Collect the Map of Feelings and bring them the next session. Remind those who were assigned to tread the New Story of Creation to prepare for the next session.

Session 2 (80 minutes)
AVR
Time 15 min.
Learning Procedure and Activities
1. Opening prayer: Slideshow of the New Story of Creation (5 min., simplified version)
Guide Questions: What does the story make you feel? Do you see God’s creative power in the story? Where? How?
Allow the students to express their thoughts and feelings regarding the historical/scientific account of The Universe Story.
End the sharing Glory be.

Materials needed
ppt.show of New Story of Creation

Time 30 min.
2. Environmental Issues
a. Slideshow: Scary Story* (5 min.)
Introduction: This slideshow will present to us how we as individuals and as communities have been relating with the Earth, who, according to your first entry, has made you feel peaceful, relaxed, and contented.
b. Map of Feelings (third entry)
Instruction: Using a third dark color crayon, write on the upper center of the third region of your map your dominant feeling now that you have witnessed how we have been treating the Earth that god has so lovingly created for us.

Materials needed
ppt.show of Scary Story

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

c. Processing
Ask around 5 volunteers to share what they wrote on their map. (Students’ usual answers are: I feel sad, guilty, angry, afraid, depressed… because we have not been taking care of the Earth, we will be the one to suffer if we continue destroying the Earth, future generations will be deprived of the beauty of the planet, we have been ungrateful to God, we disobeyed God…)
At this point, review the message of Genesis 1 and 2. Stress the fact that in the Christian tradition, we believe that God desires for our well-being with the community of life. But what have we done? Endowed with the gifts of intelligence, consciousness, freedom, and the capacity to care, we reversed the story.
Now read the “Reversed Creation Story”. At the end of the story, ask the students to reflect on the following points: As an individual, when are the times that I fail to care for other created beings? Why do I behave like this towards the environment?
Ask some students to share their answers and insights. End this portion by emphasizing the fact that there is a great need to change the way we think about ourselves in relation to other created beings.

Materials needed
copy of the “Reversed Creation Story”

Time 30 min.
3. Commitment to the Integrity of Creation: Hope for the Earth
a. Slideshow: Beacon of Hope* (5 min.)
Introduction: What is beautiful about our Christian faith is the conviction that new life is possible. Let us view this last slideshow.
b. Map of Feelings (last entry)
Instruction: Using another dark color crayon, write on the upper center of the fourth region of your map your dominant feeling after viewing the slideshow.
Ask around 5 volunteers to share what they wrote on their map. (Students’ usual answers are: I feel hopeful, relieved, encouraged, inspired, ready to help… because we can still do something to save the environment, there are already enlightened people who work for the healing of Mother earth, it is not too late yet but I think we have to work fast or else…).
c. My commitment to the Integrity of Creation
At this point, the Map of Feelings has been completed. Instruct the students to review the contents of their maps and find out for themselves what their respective maps are telling them to do next/ what direction are they being led to take. Again, ask some students to share to the class what they have learned from their maps. (Students’ usual answers are: My map is directing me to do something to prevent further destruction of the environment, to care for the earth, to join organizations, to share what I have learned to my family and friends, to be more appreciative and mindful of nature…)
This is an opportune time to mention the ESI, the MRF, and our mini-forest; MC’s stand against GMO and Mining Act and for Clean Air Act; and to promote the school’s programs/projects that are geared towards integrity of creation such as the solid waste management scheme, DepRec, cafeteria’s “clean as you go”, Makitips, etc. Copies of SAPAT (an Environmental Ethic promoted by the AMRSP-JPIC) may also be distributed to the students. However, there is always the need to stress the importance of change in our perception and values that will open the door towards greater sensitivity and creativity in our quest for fullness of life in creation.
d. Assignment: Bookmark
Instruction: Make a bookmark. Do not buy any material; use whatever you have at home.
Front: Write/Print one of your personal insights/ learnings about God-human-earth relationships that will serve as your guiding principle in fulfilling the tasks that you will indicate at the back. (Do not copy any quotation or biblical texts.)
Back: For the Integrity of Creation, I promise to: List down five earth-friendly acts that you will practice regularly. One of these should be an activity that will develop your sensitivity to and appreciation of creation. Sign your name at the bottom. (Grading: 5 pts. For Insight/Learning, 5 pts. for the earth-friendly tasks, and 5 pts. for creativity and resourcefulness.)

Materials needed
ppt.show of Beacon of Hope
copies of SAPAT

sample of bookmark
Time 5 min.
Closing prayer: “Partners”
(Note: For two weeks, prayer leaders will have Integrity of Creation as their theme.)
Copy of the parable and prayer

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

* Scary Story and Beacon of hope were originally produced by Haribon Foundation, Inc. in 2001. I have updated them to include recent data.

A Sharing of my Learning Experiences in the Classroom pg.121-126

2008-07-05T03:07:00.000-07:00

Jesus Enrique G. Saplala, Ph.D (Psychology Department)

*I teach my students how to report. Check progress constantly. Reports limited to 10-15 minutes only. Font size for acetate is 24, 32-36 for PowerPont. Ask the students to critique theories (important) and draw insights (very important) from report.

*I encourage them to read prescribed or recommended books so they would not feel lost. Give them guide questions to answer and outline a summary on paper. I encourage them not to plagiarize. Discuss answers with groupmates then incorporate in a plenary session.

*I maintain communication outside class through constant consultations including the use of email. Members who have computer access are responsible in disseminating information to those who do not have computer access. Assignments and queries are also channeled through the email and announced in class.

* I encourage students to keep track of their own progress. They do this by writing down their grades in their notebooks (or index card). Preliminary, midterm, and final grades are posted on-line. I use the student numbers or a code name of their choice, cut and rearrange the order to protect the person’s identity. I also try to do a midterm evaluation or feedback.

*In assessing a performance, I try to use the Rubric system. The task assigned to the students is graded based on scoring criteria. The task can be a product, performance or extended written responses to a question that requires the students to apply critical thinking skills.

A scoring which is based on several components that include one or more dimensions on which performance is rated, illustrate the attribute(s) being measured or a rating scale for each definition.

Note: it is true that as much as possible we try to discourage students from being too grade conscious. However, it is also their right to know how their grades are computes and hat is the basis for the marks that they receive.

*I try to stick to a formula but if it doesn’t work, I throw it out of the window. I start the day with a springboard, usually an activity, a question, a story, a film and so on. Because psychology is based on scientific data and not just on hunches, I emphasize the use of all the research methods for springboard. For example, in teaching general psychology, I can use an experiment for the topic learning and conditioning, ask students to observe children on providing/disproving Jean Piaget, using Lawrence Kohlberg’s dilemma in interviewing respondents or introducing a case study for Sigmund Freud. In teaching aggression, for example, I use archival data such as news clippings and an actual brain specimen and ask the students to apply the theories in explaining criminal behavior.

*I try to use all my senses fully. I try to be sensitive to how my students behave in class. I look at their eyes, their face and even their posture. I try to be attentive even to subtle noise and use it to check my perceptions. The questions that I ask are usually biased-free and not meant to insult anyone: I see that some of your eyes are going like this (demonstrate) …what does that mean? When I do this, I draw their attention to a research method – observation – and I am hopefully teaching them to be non-judgmental.

*I try to heighten all the senses of my students fully.

*I try to be gender-sensitive and politically correct.

*I try (as much as possible) to use an inductive approach in teaching. I draw out the answers from them (Socratic technique) by probing and prompting them. I ask a lot of “what ifs” or questions that will draw out answers from different perspectives.

*I involve the students in the learning process. In my general psychology class, I ask them to look for news in psychology that is related to the topics that we discuss in class and encourage them to share it with the rest.

*I try to keep my sense of humor intact. Sometimes when I notice that students start to behaviorally exhibit restlessness, I try to make it a teachable moment. For example, Apparently, Mr. Saplala is not a strong stimulus compared to your boyfriend so the thought of him takes you away from me and you are little by little being hypnotized without you noticing it.

On Questioning:

*I ask questions because I believe it makes both the students and me think. Instead of asking them the standard “Are there any questions?” I ask them questions to review. I notice that I get good results when I ask questions first because it encourages them to ask me questions too. I use to challenge them to think.

*I vary the questions that I ask. When doing a review or recap, I ask mostly lower cognitive type of questions: knowledge, comprehension, or application. For discussion, processing, and synthesis, I use higher cognitive questions: analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Sometimes I use a concept map or diagrams to check whether they can still remember what we have discussed in class.

*I ask questions during discussions that train the students to answer the test questions correctly. If I use diagrams or charts in the test, I make sure I use these I my lectures.

*If I make mistakes, I rectify it immediately. Because adolescents begin to question the belief system of adults, they check for consistency. I make sure I get back at any errors that I make and sometimes even ask them why it was a mistake. This makes them think that I am human enough to admit that I’m not perfect and it sets an example that they can follow. I also give occasional feedbacks and ask from them feedback through after class consultations or on-line.

*I incorporate a pedagogical paradigm. I try to be conscious of what values can be imparted. For example, I try to draw out from them reasons why there is a need for us to study a topic such as sleep (What d you think of a person who doesn’t get enough sleep? How would that affect other people around him when he functions?) chemicals in the brain (What could be other reasons why there are taong grasas, exhibitionist or people with violent behavior? ) or why we have to use research methods in psychology (How would you feel if a person judged you as a mataray and mayabang because of your bushy eyebrows?). I also try to ask them their insights (What can you do about this problem?) and from there share my own insights.

*I make sure that there is an application of what they have learned in class.

*I make them look forward to the next meeting by giving a sneak preview. For example, I would ask them, “I’m sure a lot of you see advertisements using women in skimpy outfits. Have you ever wondered exactly where this idea originated?

* …and follow it up with a question that they need to answer. What are your thoughts about how women are treated in advertisements? How do you feel about these?

*I emphasize on how much time should be spent outside the classroom for studying by reaching them time management. I encourage them to plan on learning activities that they can do before or outside of class hours. For example, I ask myself, “What impact will this lesson have on how my students prepare and on how they will study afterwards?” I feel that I owe this to them.

Wilbert McKeachie sums up teaching into the following:

1. What is important is learning, not teaching. What the student does, what she thinks, what concepts she has is important.
2. We can occasionally be wrong.
3. Classes are unpredictable.
4. Increase students’ motivation and ability to continue learning after college.
5. Most student learning occurs after class.
6. A key to improving is reflection – what you want to accomplish and what the students need to do to achieve these goals.

References

Chicago Board of Education (2000). Performance assessment=task + rubric. Instructional Intranet: Chicago Public Schools, Retrieved August 13, 2002 from:
http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/ideas_and_Rubrics/Intro_Scoring/task_scoring_rubrics/s

McKeachie, W. (1999). Teaching tips: Strategies, research and theory for college and university teachers. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

Wong, H. K. &Wong, R. T. (1998). How to be an effective teacher: The first days of school. California: Harry Wong Publications.

From Page 37 to 42

2008-07-05T01:18:00.000-07:00

Asking Questions

Elizabeth P. Ong (Communication Arts and Entrepreneurship Departments)

Introduction

Asking questions is part of the daily routine of a reporter. No article can be made without asking resource people or ordinary citizens questions on what happened, what they will think will happen or what are their thoughts on the matter. However, asking questions is not just simply mouthing them off. There’s a skill to it.

Objectives

· To teach students the do’s and don’ts of asking questions during a one-on-one interview.

· To make students get a feel of a press conference and pool coverage.

· To develop the students’ observational, analytical, listening, and comprehension skills.

Learning procedures and activities

Conducting a one-on-one interview

Methods: Role-play

A variation of the circular response

1. The professor and an invited guest will simulate a one-on-one interview. The former will be the world’s worst interviewer doing everything wrong from arriving late to not preparing for the interview to arguing with the resource person.

2. The class will observe the five-minute simulation.

3. After the simulation, the students will stand up. They have to cite one violation before they can sit down. It will be similar to the circular response where everybody must say something. The difference is, no one waits neatly and quietly for her turn to speak. They have to beat each other into citing a violation first so it’s like a contest. Again, no one is allowed to sit unless she cites something original.

Student output: Citing one “don’t” of interviewing

Attending a press conference

Methods: Lecture

Role-play

1. The professor will explain briefly what a press conference is.

2. If possible, she must invite a guest (not necessarily an actual expert) to be the speaker in a simulated 10-minute press conference. If not, she can be both the organizer and the speaker.

3. Students will act as the reporters so they are expected to ask questions but they will not be forced to do so. (Actually, it is more interesting when they are timid or don’t want to participate.)

4. After the simulation, the students will be asked to write a seven-paragraph news article based on the information shared. Here comes the interesting part when they don’t ask questions: They realize that they have not much to write about because the information that was shared can only accommodate two paragraphs. Usually, the students will beg for another simulation but there will be none. They have to make do with the given information. They are not allowed to invent or add anything.

Student output: News article based on the press conference

Joining a pool coverage

Methods: Lecture

Role-play

Project assignment

1. The professor will explain briefly what pool coverage is.

2. The class will be dismissed except for two students. (In effect, there is an early dismissal.) The most timid and hardworking students will be chosen.

3. The professor will simulate pool coverage with the two remaining students who will act as the reporters. During the role-play, the professor will unceremoniously end the interview.

4. The student reporters will then have to share their notes with the class. They will have to submit a five-paragraph news article based on the pool coverage notes next session.

Student output: News article based on the pool coverage

Evaluation

One of the objectives of this lesson plan was to develop the students’ observational, analytical, listening, and comprehension skills.

· Observational- how many errors in the interview did they point out?

· Analytical- how well did they explain the violations they cited?

· Listening- how well did they understand and remember the information shared in the simulations?

· Comprehension- how close to the facts was their news report?

Know Thy Entrepreneurial Giants

Elizabeth P. Ong (Communication Arts and Entrepreneurship Departments)

Introduction

In business, it is often said that we need to know who’s who and what’s what in the entrepreneurial world. This saves us from embarrassing ourselves. Closing deals may take some wooing and courting of the prospect who might want to spend time chi-chatting about current events and business trivia. It would turn them off when our faces are blank. Also, we can be inspired by the success stories of entrepreneurial giants and learn from their mistakes if we know who they are and what they had done.

Objectives

· To introduce to the students the who’s who in Philippine entrepreneurship.

· To gauge the students’ stock knowledge of who owns the nation’s most popular and biggest companies.

Learning procedures and activity

Method: Graded recitation in a non-threatening way

1. No prior announcement will be made for this activity since we want to gauge the students’ stock knowledge.

2. The professor will prepare the questions like: National Bookstore, Jollibee, Gateway, BPI, Cebu Pacific, etc.

3. The questions will then be put inside an envelope or a container.

4. During class session, the students will be seated differently than their usual arrangement. This is to avoid having the first people on the first row always the “guinea pig.” The students can be asked to seat themselves according to their last names, first names, by height, by age, or by waistline. Students usually howl at the last one.

5. The first student in the first row will pick a question but the second person will have to answer it. After which, the second student will pick a question for the third student and so on and so forth.

6. Students can answer by first name only (Lucio), last name only (Gokongwei), nickname (MVP) or by the name of the company (Golden Arches).

7. The class will be warned against coaching. Anyone answering the questions when it is not her turn will result in an automatic “F” for everyone. Usually, what the professor will hear from then on are just nervous giggles, “siya pala,” “Chinese ba naman?” and encouraging remarks.

Student output: Revelation of their stock knowledge as well as its increase after the session.

how psychoactive drugs affect the nervous system

2008-07-05T01:15:00.000-07:00

Jesus Enrique G. Saplala, Ph.D. (Psychology Department)

STARTERS:

Good morning! I would like to start by saying that I am thankful that I was given this chance to share what I consider my learning experiences in the classroom. I’m sure that most of the ideas that will share here may not be new to you since you might have been doing it in class too. The past 13 years I have been teaching – three in grade school, two in high school and eight in college and graduate school – have enriched me as a person and this enrichment is what I wish to share with you this morning.
Today, I would like to stimulate an actual class I am teaching in physiological psychology. In a nutshell, I’d be demonstrating to you how I conduct my class and after which, we would be processing the experience of being in that class.

FLOW:

a. PRAYER
Dear God,

We call on you today to be with is in class. Open our senses to be perceptive to your presence and out minds to be receptive to the discussion that will transpire before us today. We ask you and the Holy Spirit to give us a different high and to motivate us to participate in the learning process. We also include in our prayers people who do not have the means to this gift we call education. We pray that at the end of the day we may learn to transcend and put into action what will unfold before us today and help those who are disadvantaged. This we pray through Christ and through Mary your servant. Amen.

Miriam of Nazareth, teach us your ways and lead us to Jesus.

b. REMINDERS:

 I will be asking for one volunteer to do the reporting later on. Likewise, we will take note of people who participate in the discussion and give them corresponding merit points.
 At the end of the period, I will have a short check-up quiz so that I would know whether we can proceed with the next topic next meeting.
 Also, I’d like you to write in your planner that there would be a workshop on research, April 22, which I would be requiring you to attend since most of the materials we use in class are based on research. The workshop will give you an idea on how to start your own research projects.

That’s about it. Are there any clarifications regarding the announcement? Please take note that all of these appear on the invitation issued by the Dean and I believe that you can even access it through your e-mail.

c. SPRINGBOARD:

I’d like to show you a series of photographs and tell me what you think of these photographs. The first thing that comes to your mind. (Show pictures of Ecstasy and write down the response on the board)

 How is it spelled?
 Now that you have mentioned _________, what have you heard about this drug?
 Anybody knows what is the complete chemical name of the drug?
 Which part of your body does this affect you most?
 How does this affect your thinking? Feeling? Behavior?

d. RECALL:

Let us go back to the parts of the brain and try to recall the functions of these parts. As we go through the functions, I’d like you to look at the answers you mentioned earlier and try to link these with the parts involved.

 Nerve cells made up the brain
 Let’s go back from the spinal cord, the hindbrain – the first part to develop in a fetus to the forebrain (the last part)

a. SPINAL CORD
Where you see it? Spine is necessary for voluntary behaviors including muscle control and reflexive behavior.
b. HINDBRAIN (behind) – most posterior part, includes parts that are necessary for survival such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, balance and coordination, quick or rapid sequences or movements, timing, visual stimuli (medulla, pons, cerebellum).
c. MIDBRAIN (middle, hidden) – necessary for arousal of the forebrain.
d. FOREBRAIN (forward) – most anterior part, includes parts such as the cerebrum and considered the dominant part in humans. Functions for language and speech processing, senses, emotions, appreciation for the arts.

e. ANALYSIS:

 Now, which do you think are the parts of the brain affected by the drug? Why?
 What do you think would happen if one part of the brain as affected? If this is the effect on the brain and knowing that the brain is made of nerve cells, what do you think would happen to the nerve cells?
 If you go back to your experience of taking antibiotics for a specific illness, what did you notice about the “other effects” of the drug on your thinking? Feeling? Behavior? Why do you think this happen (side effects)?
 I want you to look at the illustration of the brain, paying attention to the part is located, and which part of the brain is its neighbor? What is its function? How would you explain the “side effects” that you get?
 If you remove a drug that you have been taking for a long time (caffeine, for example) and that drug makes you feel better – it makes you feel better for instance - and you remove it from your system, how do you think this would affect your behavior? Why?
 How can this experience be compared to an experience of a drug addict?

f. CASE DISCUSSION:

This time I will give you time to pause and read leisurely perhaps, an article that I got from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It actually features excerpts from an interview with young actor Mark Anthony Fernandez and his excursion into drugs. Take note of the experiences he mentioned including how his thinking, feeling and behavior were affected. (Read the article quietly or somebody to read then ask questions pausing in between)

 How did the drug affect Mark Anthony’s thoughts? Feelings? Behavior? (Ask somebody to write this on the board) which parts of the brain were affected? Why?
 What caused the side effect?
 Other than drugs, what other factors do you think pushed him into this- high-risk behavior?
 Can you blame him for taking drugs? Why or why not?
 Take note that in psychology we look into both the nature and nurture.
 If drugs affect a person this way, what do you think can lower the incidence of drug use?
 Now that we have come to the need of our discussion, I’d like to bring up a very important issue that is close to home: the issue of random drug testing. Based on your experience in our class discussion today, which do you consider more effective, education as a way of lowering of incidence of drug use or random drug testing?

g. ASSIGNMENT:
I’d like you to think about that first and write down your thoughts and perhaps, what has been stirred by this discussion (insights). I’ll give you a week to work on this thought paper and submit on a two-page, short bond, doubled-spaced, font 11 or 12, Arial or Times New Roman. Your thought papers will be graded according to the Rubric System as indicted in your course syllabus. I will be asking some of you to share what you wrote next week. If you wish to share it with the class, you can also post it through email so the rest can read it. Reflections that may be graded outstanding may be considered for publication in a daily paper and extra points will be given if paper gets published.

h. PEDAGOGICAL PARADIGM
 TAONG GRASA- a lack of a natural drug called neurotransmitters can cause the person to be depressed. If the person doesn’t have any means or ways of buying a drug to control the upset, what the person do about it? What would happen to that person?

Interfacing Language and Spirituality by: Patricia G. Adame (English Department)

2008-07-05T01:11:00.000-07:00

“There is enough power for every student everyday.”
La Vergne Rosow

This paper shows how students can create an atmosphere of learning with them as the “prime movers”, with the teachers’ and classmates’ contribution or sharing. This way, they may appreciate the reward reaped from monitoring their own success in a community which collaborates.

Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist and philosopher is a proponent of the social constructivist theory which holds that teachers should be facilitators who can help students carry about challenging tasks. His brand of constructivism emphasizes the critical importance of interaction.

The course, Speech Communication, provides the First Year students opportunities to interact with their classmates. Primarily designed to develop their oral skills for effective communication in various disciplines, English 102 stresses the need for the use of the language in all types of communication, which many students find quite strenuous.

To provide them opportunities for language development, thus enabling them to gain confidence in public speaking, each student is required to lead the class prayer before each session. Given a set of criteria, one faces the class for a more personal communication with God and a more meaningful interaction with her classmates, thus she takes control of the learning situation.

Miriam College has always inculcated Christian values among students in various forms. In a classroom setting, a prayer is an inherent part of the days’ session. Because of this, it has always been my goal to make students become more aware of God’s presence in their lives. What could be more personal and effective than the students’ own prayers? How can they best develop their oral skills without them using the language on a theme which chooses no one?

What, then, is the role of this teaching practice in the development or enhancement of the students’ oral communication skills?

Objectives:

Primarily, this activity, which may be done in two meetings, aims to achieve the objectives of the course:
A. Demonstrate proficiency in oral communication
1. Skillful use of the paralinguistic elements of communication: voice, facial expression, gesture, movements, posture, eye contact, stage bearing
2. Effective delivery characterized by variety, purpose, gracefulness, economy, smoothness
3. Good diction and grammatical correctness

B. Demonstrate responsibility and critical thinking through:
1. Proper speaker and listener etiquette
2. Active and intelligent participation in class activities and public forums

C. Appreciate the value of free and open, but responsible communication in the college and in a democratic society.

Learning Procedure/Activity:

In one session during the second semester last year, my students, Stephanie Saraos, who was assigned to lead the prayer, asked her peers when, why, and how they would communicate with God especially during their vulnerable times. After this, she brought out a bottle of ‘vitamins’ which contained Bible verses on small cards. She, then, asked her classmates to draw one card for each and reflect on the passage. A song was played for this purpose. This was followed by a big group sharing which the student, too, facilitated.

Focusing on the affective domain, Stephanie did the processing through the given questions:
1. What does God tell you based on the verse you have gotten?
2. How do you feel about this?
3. What have you realized or learned in the purpose?

While this was going on, I acted as an observer who guided the class through some questions that led them to see what was significant about the ‘dialogue’ especially what was worth following up in the ‘conversation’.

Because it was also required that the prayer leader be given comments, another student (who was instructed about her part) was asked to facilitate the giving of the feedback (both positive and constructive) based on:

1. Paralinguistic elements of communication
2. Accuracy of the feedback based on “You-Message” and “I-Message” Type
3. Effectiveness of the prayer: articulation of the message which includes drawing the main point
4. Preparation

Right after this, the leader’s response to the feedback about what she did was shared and made an integral part of the whole learning situation.

The task was also meant to introduce the lesson on speaker-listener etiquette. The following questions were given:
How do you rate yourself as a listener in a scale of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest)?
What type of a listener are you?
What are the characteristics of a good listener?
Were you an active listener during the sharing/interaction?

A short lecture about the aforementioned topics followed.

The students were therefore expected to have given appropriate and correct feedback, observed the paralinguistic elements of communication assessed listening style, and noted the proper speaker-listener etiquette.

The synthesis of the whole learning process was done by the students too with the teacher’s guidance and support.

Now, it was very uplifting to know that even three English 102 classes of college freshmen that semester have appreciated the interfacing of language and spirituality which has been brought to fruition through the students’ creativity and their sincere desire to be active participants, who can impart and construct meaning.

To empower students is to make them aware of the whole learning process in which they are not merely passive participants but active thinkers who are capable of becoming more involved, hence more prepared to tackle even the most challenging tasks toward a more fulfilling outcome.

Teachers thereby give students the power to develop independently by “resisting the urge to control how much, how fast, and in what direction that development will go”.

“For educators who are up to give power, for those who discover how to give it away, there is a limitless supply.”
La Vergne Rosow

References:

Babbie, Earl. 1989. The Practice of Social Research. 5th e. USA: Wadsworth Publishing Co., pp. 333-335

Mason, Jana M. and Kathryn H. Au. 1990. Reading Instruction for Today. USA: Scott, Foresman and Co.

Kuhrt, Bonnie L., Pamela J. Farris. 1990. “Empowering Students through Reading, Writing and Reasoning.” Journal of Reading, pp. 436-437.

how psychoactive drugs affect the nervous system

2008-07-05T01:09:00.000-07:00

How Psychoactive Drugs Affect the Nervous System
Jesus Enrique G. Saplala, Ph.D. (Psychology Department)

STARTERS:
Good morning! I would like to start by saying that I am thankful that I was given this chance to share what I consider my learning experiences in the classroom. I’m sure that most of the ideas that will share here may not be new to you since you might have been doing it in class too. The past 13 years I have been teaching – three in grade school, two in high school and eight in college and graduate school – have enriched me as a person and this enrichment is what I wish to share with you this morning.
Today, I would like to stimulate an actual class I am teaching in physiological psychology. In a nutshell, I’d be demonstrating to you how I conduct my class and after which, we would be processing the experience of being in that class.

FLOW:
a. PRAYER
Dear God,
We call on you today to be with is in class. Open our senses to be perceptive to your presence and out minds to be receptive to the discussion that will transpire before us today. We ask you and the Holy Spirit to give us a different high and to motivate us to participate in the learning process. We also include in our prayers people who do not have the means to this gift we call education. We pray that at the end of the day we may learn to transcend and put into action what will unfold before us today and help those who are disadvantaged. This we pray through Christ and through Mary your servant. Amen.
Miriam of Nazareth, teach us your ways and lead us to Jesus.

b. REMINDERS:
• I will be asking for one volunteer to do the reporting later on. Likewise, we will take note of people who participate in the discussion and give them corresponding merit points.
• At the end of the period, I will have a short check-up quiz so that I would know whether we can proceed with the next topic next meeting.
• Also, I’d like you to write in your planner that there would be a workshop on research, April 22, which I would be requiring you to attend since most of the materials we use in class are based on research. The workshop will give you an idea on how to start your own research projects.
That’s about it. Are there any clarifications regarding the announcement? Please take note that all of these appear on the invitation issued by the Dean and I believe that you can even access it through your e-mail.

c. SPRINGBOARD:
I’d like to show you a series of photographs and tell me what you think of these photographs. The first thing that comes to your mind. (Show pictures of Ecstasy and write down the response on the board)
• How is it spelled?
• Now that you have mentioned _________, what have you heard about this drug?
• Anybody knows what is the complete chemical name of the drug?
• Which part of your body does this affect you most?
• How does this affect your thinking? Feeling? Behavior?

d. RECALL:
Let us go back to the parts of the brain and try to recall the functions of these parts. As we go through the functions, I’d like you to look at the answers you mentioned earlier and try to link these with the parts involved.
• Nerve cells made up the brain
• Let’s go back from the spinal cord, the hindbrain – the first part to develop in a fetus to the forebrain (the last part)
a. SPINAL CORD - Where you see it? Spine is necessary for voluntary behaviors including muscle control and reflexive behavior.
b. HINDBRAIN (behind) – most posterior part, includes parts that are necessary for survival such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, balance and coordination, quick or rapid sequences or movements, timing, visual stimuli (medulla, pons, cerebellum).
c. MIDBRAIN (middle, hidden) – necessary for arousal of the forebrain.
d. FOREBRAIN (forward) – most anterior part, includes parts such as the cerebrum and considered the dominant part in humans. Functions for language and speech processing, senses, emotions, appreciation for the arts.

e. ANALYSIS:
• Now, which do you think are the parts of the brain affected by the drug? Why?
• What do you think would happen if one part of the brain as affected? If this is the effect on the brain and knowing that the brain is made of nerve cells, what do you think would happen to the nerve cells?
• If you go back to your experience of taking antibiotics for a specific illness, what did you notice about the “other effects” of the drug on your thinking? Feeling? Behavior? Why do you think this happen (side effects)?
• I want you to look at the illustration of the brain, paying attention to the part is located, and which part of the brain is its neighbor? What is its function? How would you explain the “side effects” that you get?
• If you remove a drug that you have been taking for a long time (caffeine, for example) and that drug makes you feel better – it makes you feel better for instance - and you remove it from your system, how do you think this would affect your behavior? Why?
• How can this experience be compared to an experience of a drug addict?

f. CASE DISCUSSION:
This time I will give you time to pause and read leisurely perhaps, an article that I got from the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It actually features excerpts from an interview with young actor Mark Anthony Fernandez and his excursion into drugs. Take note of the experiences he mentioned including how his thinking, feeling and behavior were affected. (Read the article quietly or somebody to read then ask questions pausing in between)
• How did the drug affect Mark Anthony’s thoughts? Feelings? Behavior? (Ask somebody to write this on the board) which parts of the brain were affected? Why?
• What caused the side effect?
• Other than drugs, what other factors do you think pushed him into this- high-risk behavior?
• Can you blame him for taking drugs? Why or why not?
• Take note that in psychology we look into both the nature and nurture.
• If drugs affect a person this way, what do you think can lower the incidence of drug use?
• Now that we have come to the need of our discussion, I’d like to bring up a very important issue that is close to home: the issue of random drug testing. Based on your experience in our class discussion today, which do you consider more effective, education as a way of lowering of incidence of drug use or random drug testing?

g. ASSIGNMENT:
I’d like you to think about that first and write down your thoughts and perhaps, what has been stirred by this discussion (insights). I’ll give you a week to work on this thought paper and submit on a two-page, short bond, doubled-spaced, font 11 or 12, Arial or Times New Roman. Your thought papers will be graded according to the Rubric System as indicted in your course syllabus. I will be asking some of you to share what you wrote next week. If you wish to share it with the class, you can also post it through email so the rest can read it. Reflections that may be graded outstanding may be considered for publication in a daily paper and extra points will be given if paper gets published.

h. PEDAGOGICAL PARADIGM
• TAONG GRASA- a lack of a natural drug called neurotransmitters can cause the person to be depressed. If the person doesn’t have any means or ways of buying a drug to control the upset, what the person do about it? What would happen to that person?

Factoring Polynomials

2008-07-05T00:56:00.000-07:00

Melanie Magsanoc Covar
(Mathematics Department)

Introduction

Factoring a polynomial involves expressing an algebraic expression with positive integral coefficients with two or more terms as a product. It essential breaks down a polynomial into simpler components or factors. A number of methods or patterns are employed to factor different types of polynomials according to their intrinsic characteristics. Mastery in factoring polynomials as a topic is not new to those who are taking M101 (College Algebra) such as involving quadratic or higher order equations.

Factoring polynomials as a topic is not new to those who are taking M101 (College Algebra) as it is assumed that they have encountered these in their high school math subjects. The goal then in M101 is not to mechanically factor out polynomials but to distinguish patterns that may be used to solve them and to provide a new perspective to the whole process. Equally important to the methods and strategies that will be used is the learning environment. Students must feel that they are free to express themselves in class, whether this may take on the form of sharing their ideas and strategies they employ in solving given problems or in expressing their difficulty in handling the subject.

A square plot with side equal to the x thereby having an area of x²

A rectangular plot with length equal to x and side equal to 1 unit thereby having an area of x

A square plot with side equal to unit 1 thereby having an area of 1 unit.

Note that one face of the tiles is colored gray and the other face is dotted. The students will be initially asked to construct rectangles such that only the gray faces of the tiles will be shown.

Additional guidelines in constructing the rectangular plots are as follows:

The sides of the big squares cannot touch the small squares

The small squares should all be together

Only equal length sides may touch

Equally sized tiles of different colors cannot be placed next to each other

Each group shall be given 12 square tiles, 66 rectangular tiles and 34 small square tiles to form into the following rectangular plots:

1. The first rectangle consists of one x² plot, two x plots and one unit plot.

2. The second rectangle consists of four x² plots, nine x plots and two unit plots.

3. The third rectangle consists of two x² plots, thirteen x plots and fifteen unit plots.

4. The fourth rectangle consists of five x² plots, forty-two x plots and sixteen unit plots.

Four groups (one for each number) will be asked to paste the rectangle they formed on the board and present it to the class.

Each of the examples will then be discussed in class.

A. Lecture-Discussion

1. Consider the resulting rectangular plot for the first example:

This rectangular plot consists of one x² plot, two x plots and one unit plot. The total area of the formed rectangle will then follow the expression:

X² + 2x + 1

What are the measurements of the sides of this rectangle? To get the measurement of each side, notice that since one side of x² tile has side equal to x and the width of the small rectangular plot is equal to one then each of the sides of the formed rectangular plot has a measurement equal to x + 1. The area then, computed as length times width will be equal to (x+1)(x+1). Equating the two derived expressions for the area of the rectangular plot will result in:

X² + 2x +

1 = (x+1)(x+1)

This shows the factored form of the polynomial x² + 2x + 1.

The other examples will be processed in the same manner the answers are which are the following:

Example 2: 4x² +9x +2 = (4x+1)(x+2)

Example 3: 2x²+13x + 15 = (2x+3)(x+5)

Example 4: 5x²+42x + 16 = (5x+2)(x+8)

The significance of the answers above must also be stressed. One way of doing this is to cite numerical value for x and to compute for the resulting areas and dimensions of the rectangular plots. Another way is to elicit from the students other situations that reflect their interests where the method taught maybe used such in the layout of clothing stores or event their closets.

2. Notice that in the examples given only positive coefficients were used. How are negative coefficients handled? The dotted faces of the tiles will be used for this purpose. Thus to signify –x, the dotted face of one rectangular tile must be shown. To show -7, the dotted face of 7 unit tiles should be used.

For example, the polynomial x² – 3x – 4 using algebra tiles, one would initially need one gray x² tile three dotted x tiles and four dotted unit x tiles. Following the rules given above in forming the rectangle you will notice that you will not be able to form a rectangle. You must then add each equally sized tile, the values of which should cancel each other. In this case, one more dotted rectangular tile (-x) and a gray rectangular tile (x). The rectangle formed should look like the following:

The resulting rectangle has total area equal to x2 -4x +x – 4 or simplifying would give you x² – 3x – 4. The length of this rectangle is equal to x – 4 and the width is equal to x + 1. Therefore, we have factored the polynomial as:

X² – 3x – 4 = (x-4)(x+1)

If the coefficient of x2 is negative then the negative sign will need to be factored out first and the expression with the positive x2 coefficient is then factored out using the procedure above.

3. For practice exercises on using algebra tiles and factoring polynomials, the students will be brought to the computer room to access the link:

http://argyll.epsb.ca/jreed/math9/strand2/2210.htm

4. Using the same grouping as when they solved the "Grow-in-your-Barangay" project, the student
will again be grouped and asked to complete the attached table.

Different classes of polynomials and their corresponding factors are listed down per row. The tasks

of each of the groups are:

a. to identify the similarities of the problems in each class,

b. to give a general expression or formula for factoring the type of polynomial, and

c. to come up with similar problems that use the derived formula.

After they have completed the table, a discussion on the table entries will follow. The problems

which they came up with will be written on the board.

5. The students will be asked to factor out the polynomials listed on the board in their notebooks. After

all the students are through with the exercises, volunteers may write their answers on the board

for checking.

6. After all queries have been answered and clarified, a quiz on factoring polynomials will be

given. Sample questions are given below in the evaluation.

Expected Student Output

A number of student outputs have been identified in the section above. Among these are:

A. Rectangular plots demonstrating the use of algebra tiles in factoring

B. Completed table of commonly used techniques in factoring polynomials

C. Answers to drills and exercises

Evaluation

A quiz to assess if the students understood the lesson will be given containing the following questions:

D. Illustrate how to factor the following polynomials using algebra tiles.

1. x² + 5x + 6

2. 2x² + 5x +3

3. 4a² – 1

4. x²– x – 20

5. 9x² + 12x + 4

E. Factor out the following polynomials completely. Identify the type(s) or method(s) that you used in factoring.

1. 33x⁷y⁴ + 121x¹¹y² – 66x³y⁸

2. 6(a – b)³ – 15(a – b)² – 9(a – b)

3. 81a²b⁴ – 16

4. r¹² – 1

5. 125(x – 1)⁶ + 64(y + 1)³

6. 4(m + 2)²– 4(m + 2) + 1

7. 3(3c – 1)²– 16(3c – 1) – 35

8. (5b + 8ac) – (10ab + 4c)

9. x² + 64 – r² _8x

10. x₂ – 2x +1 – y² – 4y – 4

F. Identify a real life situation where you can apply factoring and write out a problem for this. Show your solution to solve the problem.

Women and Mass Media

2008-07-05T00:54:00.000-07:00

Ma. Margarita A. Acosta (Communications Arts Department)

The following is an example of the modules we use in the Communications Art department in teaching the course “Women and Mass Media”:

MODULE I: INTRODUCTION AND ORIENTATION TO CA-20 WOMEN AND MASS MEDIA

Week 2 Day 1

Number of hours: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Objective: To translate Miriam College’s vision-mission to specific attidunal and behavioral formation and/or change through self-awareness and rediscovery of the student’s nature, dignity, worth, and potentials as a person and as future mass media professional.

Materials Needed:

Individual copies of Miriam College Bulletin of Information or Student handbook

Overhead projector and transparencies

Schedule of Activities:

Time Allotted	Activity/ Methodology
20 minutes	Lecture on the Role of the Institution in the Life of its Students
30 minutes	Discussion of the Vision-Mission and Core Values of Miriam College
15 minutes	Presentation of the Conceptual Framework of Teaching Women’s Studies
25 minutes	Seatwork on “Living the Core values of Truth, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation”

Module Text and Activities:

A. Lecture on the Role of the Institution in the Life of its Students with transparencies:

: Miriam College being an educational institution has the duty and the responsibility to best educate, prepare, train, and dedication stressed in its vision-mission

: A person’s intellectual and character formation come from very important spheres such as genetic factors/family environment and values; social environment and educational institutions such as Miriam College. All are equally crucial to a person’s development.

: Fifteen to seventeen years of a person’s life is spent in formal school and the baccalaureate degree prepares an individual to face the “world outside” when she finally immerses herself in society.

: There are two critical goals of undergraduate experience: 1. Commitment to individual development and 2. Commitment to community involvement.

: The first goal is for the individual to pursue her/his own goals, become productive, self-reliant individuals and continue learning after College days are over.

: The second goal is for the individual to see her/his place in the larger community, go beyond private interests and develop a sense of civic and social responsibility.

: You are now in a stage where you will undergo development/reflection of moral reasoning. The school will help you in your cognitive and moral reasoning development.

B. Discussion on the Vision-Mission and Core Value of Miriam College based on the Bulletin of Information or Student Handbook with transparencies:

In the discussion of the Vision-Mission and Core Values of Miriam College, the teacher will use the transparencies while the students read from their Handbook or Bulletin of Information. The teacher is responsible for concretizing the vision-mission and values through experiences that are tangible in the Miriam setting. It will be very helpful if the teacher is an alumna or has spent quite a number of years in Miriam to give credibility to what is written in the handbook or bulletin. The credibility to what is written in the handbook or bulletin. The students will be encouraged to give their own feedback on the vision-mission of their schools based on their own experiences.

C. Presentation and discussion of the Conceptual Framework of Teaching Women’s Studies with Transparency

: Based on the conceptual framework of the masteral thesis of Ma. Luisa B. Gatchalian entitled “Women and Mass Media: A Teaching Program for Communication Arts Sophomores of Miriam College” the model shows how a Miriam student interacts with different spheres in the environment such as the family, educational institution, mass media industry, and the society as a whole. This activity is done to supplement the earlier lecture on the role of the educational institution in the life of a student this time focusing on the intended effects or impact of the course Women and Mass Media.

D. Personal reflection through essay on “Living the Core Values of Truth, Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation”

: The teacher will ask the students to reflect and write on a half-sheet of yellow pad paper their thoughts on how they can live the core values that Miriam College would like to instill in its students as young women of generation. After the students are done the teacher will collect and read the essays which can give the teacher a perspective on the values of the youth.

Week 2 Day 2

Number of Hours: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Objectives: To understand the current situation of women through the historical accounts in the

film “The Burning Time” produced by the Canadian Film Board

: To be able to see the parallelism of the beginning of western patriarchy to the Philippine context with the introduction of western civilization and Christianity

Materials needed:

Monitor and VCR

Film entitled “The Burning Time” available at the College AVR

Note: Since the activity is a film showing, there is a need to reserve all the necessary equipment (including the video tape) before hand.

Schedule of Activities:

Time Allotted	Activities/Methodology
54 minutes	Viewing of the film “The Burning Time”
20 minutes	Class discussion/ individual reaction to the film
10 minutes	· Assignment for next meeting by groups of fives or fours to form three groups: - Each group will research and present the different dimensions of the creation of woman and man i.e. religious, cultural or folkloric and scientific - Presentation, limited to 20 minutes per group, may be through role playing or any creative means that the group will agree upon

Module Text and Activities:

A. The film “The Burning Time” runs for 54 minutes and documents the life of women in the early 15^th and 16^th century. The women in those times had their own connections to nature and cultural practices until the inquisitions brought forth religious persecutions of women (by branding them as witches and burning them to the stake) who countered the early Christian teachings. In essence the film traces the beginnings of the patriarchal society.

B. As a means of processing the film viewing, the teacher will facilitate the exchange from the students’ reaction to the documentary every now and then referring to the Philippine context whenever possible.

Week 3 Day 1

Number of Hours: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Objectives: To research and present the different dimensions i.e. religious, cultural or folkloric and scientific of the creation of woman and man

: To be exposed to the early concepts of the creation and the coming of woman and man and discover whether these have any impact on the current perception of the role of women and men

Materials Needed:

The groups will be responsible in bringing their own materials as they deem it necessary for the presentation of their report

Nuclear Chemistry

2008-07-05T00:24:00.000-07:00

Schedule of Activities

TIME ALLOTTED	ACTIVITIES/METHODOLOGY
60 Minutes	reporting and presentation of the religious cultural or folkloric and scientific dimensions of the creation of woman and man (20 minutes per group)
30 Minutes	processing of the reports

Module Text and Activity:

The students have a free hand on the activity both on the topic and manner presentation. This will hone the skills of the students in research and critical thinking. Creativity will also be enhanced

The processing of the activity will be dependent on the researched materials and presentation of the students of the different dimensions of the creation of woman and man.

Nuclear Chemistry

Rebecca S. De Borja (Science Department)

Introduction

This lesson explains the process of radioactivity and radioactive decay and describes the different types of radioactive emissions. Detection and common sources of radiation are also taken up. The biological effects of radiation and the units used to measure levels of exposure are cited. Medical and non-medical applications of various radioisotopes and the significance of half- life are also discussed. Students are taught how to deduce the type of radioactive emissions released from the nucleus and balance nuclear equations.

This lesson differentiates the processes of nuclear fusion and nuclear fission. A discussion of how the energy produced from these nuclear reactions can be harnessed, followed by a presentation which traces the operations and structure of a nuclear fission. The significance and implications of the use of nuclear power as energy source and as weapons are also discussed.

Objectives

At the end of the lesson the students should be able to

1. Compare and contrast alpha, beta and gamma radiation.

2. Balance nuclear equations

3. Distinguish nuclear fission from nuclear fusion

4. Develop awareness of the sources of radiation and their biological effects

5. Illustrate medical and non-medical use of radioisotopes

6. Recognize the implications of the use of nuclear power as energy source

7. Assess environmental consequences of nuclear technology

Methodology

A. Motivation

To motivate and sustain the interest of students, I usually have several options. For this lesson a proverb which can be correlated with the lesson is used. Whenever possible, I also try to inject humor, but most of the time I use the question and answer technique.

· Ask the students to interpret the proverb “To man is given the gates of heaven; the same key opens the gates of hell”. This can later be correlated with the current lesson

· Illustrations of CT scan, PET and MRI are flashed on the screen. Students are then asked if they can recognize any of these procedures or if they any idea what these are and for what purpose they are usually used.

· Students may also be asked if they have seen any movie, documentary or television program that features nuclear power plant accidents or the use of nuclear weapons e.g. the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Engage students in a critical thinking exercise by allowing them to give their own interpretations or impressions regarding the film or documentary.

· Students may also be asked if they any idea how the sun produces its energy and for how long the sun’s energy will last or if they are aware of the significance of SPF (sun protection factor) value found on the label of sun block cream. Students are then encouraged to express their opinion and perceptions and usually, these questions stimulate a lot of reactions responses

B. Developing the lesson

To start the lesson proper, students are often asked to recall the previous lesson and then relate this to the present lesson. For this topic, students will be asked to recall what they have previously learned about the structure of the atom. A model of the atom may be drawn on the board, and after the parts have been identified, students are chemical reactions they have been studying up to this point. It would then emphasize that up to this point, in all previous chemical reactions taken up, the nuclei of the atom did not change. However, for this particular lesson, the focus is on the reactions which involve changes within the nuclei of the atom. At this point, discussion of the different concept begins.

C. Activities

Some of the activities, which may either be individual work or cooperative learning exercises are

· Activity 1: Constructing a concept map with radioactivity as the central idea. Students are then asked to explain/present orally their concept map

· Activity 2: Answering cross-word puzzle on nuclear reactions.

· Activity 3: Composing a poem or rewriting song lyrics to incorporate the concepts learned regarding nuclear reactions

· Activity 4: Film showing on the biological effects of radiation

Other activities that require research are usually assigned to groups of students several weeks prior to the final oral presentation. These activities are

· Activity 4: Debate “Resolve that Nuclear Power is the Answer to the World’s Energy Problem”

· Activity 5: Interview (Optional): Interview radiologist regarding possible hazards they may encounter and safety measures being observed.

Expected Student Output

1. Recitation

2. Concept map

3. Crossword puzzle

4. Participation in debate

5. Poem or song

Evaluation

1. Graded presentation (debate, interview or poem/song)

2. Graded concept map, puzzle and reaction paper

3. Short quiz

Nasyonalismo at Kulturang Pilipino:

Pagbubuo at Panggigiit

Ma. Carmen V. Peñalosa ( Social Science Department)

LAKBAY-ARAL

Ang pagtuklas at pagpapahalaga sa kultura ay nagaganap hindi lamang sa pagbabasa ng mga sekondaryang batis sa loob ng mga silid aralan. Sa katunayan, higit itong napalalalim at samakatuwid nakapagmumulat sa kamalayan kung ipinapaloob sa karanasan mismo ng tumutuklas.

ANg Lakbay-aral ay nagbibigay-halaga sa tatlong pamamaraan ng pagkatuto: Una, ang pakikinig at bahaginan sa mga panayam o lektura sa sasakyan at sa mga lugar (lectures on board and on site) na pinupuntahan, Ikalawa, ang pagmamasid at pagtatanung-tanong ng mga mag-aaral sa mga taong nakakadaupang-palad nito sa lugar na pinupuntahan . Ikatlo, ang aktibong pakikibahagi sa mga nakatalagang Gawain na nkatuon sa mas mapanuri at eksperensyal o pangkaranasang pagkatuto. Sa huli, ang mga pagkatutong nasagap/ naisaloob ng mag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng aktibong pakikibahagi sa lakbay-aral at, una pa rito, mula sa mga talakayan sa klase, ay prinoproseso sa paggabay ng guro, ng mga panauhing historyador at/o itinilagang tagapagpadaloy.

CAVITE

Mga Pakay

1. Matalakay ang suliraning pangwika sa pagpapakahulugan sa pagitan ng elit at bayan noong Himagsikang 1896, ang mga pundamental na batayang panlipunan at pangkasaysayan ng

Sharing Teachers' Best Practices

Maskara in Philippine Culture by Lourdes K. Samson (Humanities Department)

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation Maria Teresita R. Rapadas (Theology Department)

Interaktibo at Artistikong Paggamit ng mga Makrong Kasanayan sa Pagturo ng Filipino* ni Teresita Cruz-Arceo, Ed.D (Filipino Department)

My Mission as a Teacher*

"The Philosophical Enterprise" by Ronaldo A. Motilla, Ph.D. (Philosophy Department)

Genesis 1-2: A Scriptural Basis of the Integrity of Creation

On Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

Artstarting the Adventure

Form and/in/as Language by Patrick F. Campos (Comm. Arts and English Departments)

To Wear a Veil: Experiencing Others' Culture

Historical Development of Science and Technology

Road Mapping *p103*

NARRATION: Bringing out the Storyteller in Every Student

pages 15-20

A Sharing of my Learning Experiences in the Classroom pg.121-126

From Page 37 to 42

how psychoactive drugs affect the nervous system

Interfacing Language and Spirituality by: Patricia G. Adame (English Department)

how psychoactive drugs affect the nervous system

Factoring Polynomials

Women and Mass Media

Nuclear Chemistry

Road Mapping p103