IT Professionals and Educators unite towards development of science and math education

(A Narrative Report on Workshop on Trends and Development in Basic Science and Mathematics Education)

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The Computer Professionals’ Union (CPU) and IBON Partnership in Education for Development (IPED) organized an event titled “Workshop on Trends and Development in Basic Science and Math Education”. This workshop/seminar was held on 15 May 2009 at Balay Kalinaw in The University of the Philippines – Diliman.

The Workshop on Trends and Developments in Science and Technology was conceptualized with the aspiration of the organizers to contribute in the development of the instructional materials in basic science and mathematics education which will be able to aid our high school science and math educators to teach science and mathematics in a more effective way

The objectives of this event are the following:

1. To pull together the good practices and effective teaching methods which can be replicated for the use of the education sector;
2. To determine instructional tools which are appropriate and will best explain the difficult concepts in science and mathematics; and
3. To create a community of educators and ICT professionals which will actively work on the creation of apt and effective methods and materials to improve the state of the basic science and mathematics education.

The workshop/seminar brought together members of the education sector particularly the
science and mathematics teachers and ICT professionals from different parts of Metro Manila and Southern Tagalog. A total of sixty-two (62) delegates were present during the workshop.

Morning session of the workshop

A series of discussions on different trends and developments on science and mathematics was conducted during the morning session of the event. Five educators from the University of the Philippines were invited to impart their experiences, knowledge and skills in teaching different fields of science and mathematics: Ms.Sheryl Monterola – Physics; Mr. Ian Fontanilla – Biology; Ms. Catherine Abon – Geology; Mr. Omar Pecho – Chemistry; and Mr. Lucky Galvez – Mathematics.

Ms. Sheryl Monterola shared some teaching tools that have worked in her experience in teaching high school physics. Her presentation focused on a) principles of teaching physics, b) teaching strategies, c) research-based practices; and d) assessment materials.

On the other hand, Mr Ian Fontanilla shared his experience in teaching Biology in the University of the Philippines. He imparted to the audience that the hands-on experiences and field works are indispensable activities which will help in the learning process of students. He also discussed bioinformatics, biogeography and some examples of problematic biological concepts and how these can be taught.

For the Geology discussion, Ms Catherine Abon shared how she organizes topics for discussion in her lectures. She also talked about the teaching methods which can be utilized in geology instructions such as lecture, cooperative or group learning, guided discussions, demonstration-performance, and computer-based training.

Mr. Omar Pecho of the Institute of Chemistry gave a comprehensive discussion on the principles of teaching the field of Chemistry. He reiterated the importance of knowing the background of students to be able to devise apt instructional methods. He also said that the expectations of students in the class should be noted and from that clear policies and objectives should be properly set. Lastly, he pointed out that refinement on teaching procedures should be made according to the reflections and feedbacks of students.

The final speaker in the morning session is Mr. Lucky Galvez from the Institute of Mathematics. He demonstrated some computer programs which he uses to aid his teaching but he gave recognition to the limitations of the programs he uses because of the proprietary characteristics of these softwares. However, he pointed out that the availability of computer programs will greatly help students to comprehend mathematical concepts which are very important and are very much applicable in the daily lives of the people.

To cap each presentation, a short question and answer section was provided in the program in order to give opportunity to the delegates and speakers to interact.
The important observations and questions that were raised during the open fora mostly evolved in the content of the curriculum and how the concepts are arranged in which students can most absorbed the knowledge and skills they are being taught. The speakers and the delegates all agreed that it is very vital that in every field educators should be able to incorporate in the instruction the application of the concepts into real life situations and into social realities. A scientific approach and a scientific culture should be very well adapted in order to develop and enhance the state of science and mathematics education while maximizing the possibilities being offered by various innovations through ICT.

Afternoon session of the workshop

The afternoon session of the event was divided into four sections:

1. available ICT programs which can be utilized or are already being utilized in the education sector;
2. alternative science popularization schemes for the students and communities; and
3. consultation among delegates through group discussions.

A. Available ICT programs which can be utilized or are already being utilized in the education sector

For the first section of the afternoon session, four speakers shared to the plenary how ICT can be maximized for educational purposes. Ms Jill De Dumo of the Diliman Interactive Learning Center (DILC) discussed the projects that their institution has been developing. She gave a brief overview to familiarize the delegates on the available ICT to assist in the teaching process.

Ms. Toni Torres of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT) gave a lecture on the iSchools project of CICT. iSchools project according to Ms. Torres is based on the need to integrate ICT in education and to establish effective tools in teaching. She discussed some of the information on how schools can be part of the iSchools project and the challenges that are being encountered by their partner institutions. Ms. Torres imparted that the usual problem in iSchools is the sustainability of the project because of the limited resources and support that educational institutions are getting. Thus, public high schools are encouraged to come up with their initiatives on how to sustain programs which entail the use of technology.

The web-based teaching tools were also discussed during the afternoon session of the workshop. These tools were the focus of the presentation of Mr. Gener Morada, a CPU member. He gave emphasis on the importance of utilizing FOSS instead of microsoft-based programs. Mr. Morada also introduced some ways on how popular internet sites such as Friendster, Facebook and Youtube can be used in learning.

In connection with the web-based teaching tools, Mr. Roque Morales of CPU presented to the delegates the “Google as Tools and Services” - G.A.T.A.S . Mr. Morales gave an overview on how to use Google in teaching and learning through Google documents, Picassa, Google calendars, and Google videos. He emphasized that there is a great deal of collaboration among ICT professionals, educators and even students to be able to develop the most appropriate teaching science and mathematics.

B. Alternative science popularization schemes for the students and communities

The CPU and IPED invited two speakers from People’s Science School (PSS) and Science Popularization Network (SciPop Network) to provide the participants of the workshop the alternative ways in teaching and popularizing science and mathematics.

Ms. Natalie Pulvinar of Advocates of Science and Technology for the People (AGHAM) shared to the delegates the concept behind the formation of People’s Science School. The PSS according to Ms. Pulvinar was designed as a community-based school program to assist in the formation of a more scientific culture and to supplement the teaching of science and technology being given in formal schools. AGHAM is the lead organization in the creation of PSS.

On the other hand, Ms. Marjorie Pamintuan of Agham Youth presented to the plenary the SciPop Network. The SciPop Network is a formation of different organizations and individuals aiming to provide alternative methods and venues to popularize science and technology especially to high school students all over the Philippines. The CPU is one of the main organizations leading the SciPop Network.

Representative Teodoro Casiño of the Bayan Muna Party List also attended the event and delivered a key note in the afternoon. He encouraged the delegates to shift from proprietary softwares and instead start using FOSS. And even though he believes that the use of technology is not in any way the key to enhance and develop basic science and math education, technology can still help to advance and develop the present state of education. He also commended the SnT in a Box initiative of CPU.

C. Group Discussion

After the presentations, the delegates were grouped into four and were handed copies of workshop guidelines. Six questions were posed by the organizers to the delegates and these were answered and presented to the plenary after the group discussion.

The following are the questions that were answered by each group:

1. Cite particular examples of elementary concepts which are difficult for students to comprehend?
• Biology
• Physics
• Chemistry
• Mathematics
• Geology
2. What are the alternative teachings methods which are being used in your institution?
3. Is ICT being used in your teaching curricula? If yes, cite examples? If not, why?
4. Are teachers and students familiar with computers and technology? Please describe.
5. Are there any projects implemented by DepEd related to using computer and technology in science-related instructions?
6. Are the inputs that were presented during the discussion in this workshop useful? Which of them do you wish you can implement in your teaching?

The following is the summary of the responses that was collated:

For question #1, the delegates listed the following:

For question #2, the groups responded that they have been utilizing computer-assisted instructions (CAI), computer-based instructions (CBI), models/materials, film showing, local fieldtrips, cooperative learning methods and gallery walk. Aside from these, our educators from private schools cited simulation as an alternative teaching method that is being done in their institutions which is still not being utilized yet in the public schools.

For question # 3, we got both Yes and No answers from each group. According to the rapportuers, those with Yes answers, they make use of ICT in their teaching curricula through their power point presentations, LCLE, CAI and ICT subject in the schools. On the other, there were some delegates who answered that ICT is not all being used in their teaching curricula because of lack of resources, i.e. computers, electricity, internet connection, etc.

For question #4, the educators described that the educators and students are familiar with the computers and emerging technology. This is because of the fact that they have IT subject in their schools and that some of them even make use of ICT in their teaching curricula as discussed in question #3. And also, even if computers and technology are not really being used in teaching or are not being found inside the schools, the teachers and students encounter the use of these as part of their recreational activities and the use as means of communication.

For question #5, apart from the internationally accredited schools, most of the educators who attended the workshop responded that DepEd implemented the Teaching Learning Environment and Alternative Learning System as its projects which use computer and technology in science instruction. Also, there are delegates who answered that the question is not applicable to them since they do not have resources to start with.

For question #6, the participants are unanimous in the answer that the inputs in the workshop were all useful. They recognized the fact that information and communications technology will be able to aid their science and mathematics instruction. According to them, the projects of DILC for instance will be of help to better understand some concepts of science and mathematics that are difficult for students. They also gained methods on how to maximize the use of on-line programs as teaching tools and most importantly, they were introduced to FOSS which can help them to use technology which will not entail large amount of budget and that they will be able to modify according to their needs.

CONCLUSION

The one-day workshop on trends and development in basic science and mathematics education had been a successful and productive activity. The objectives that were set were achieved. The educator participants came from different schools, thus varied experiences were shared on the floor. All the speakers shared useful skills, knowledge and experiences to the delegates and most of all, we were able to initially set up a group of educators and ICT professionals who are willing to work together to build alternative teaching instruments using FOSS.

The SnT in a Box is one of the projects which educators and ICT professionals can collaborate and that they will start the partnership through the www.opensciencebox.org.

Our aim to infuse technology, FOSS, scientific culture and efficient and effective processing of knowledge and skills in instruction already inaugurated in the community of ICT professionals and educators through this activity.

The CPU is already in the process of developing the educational FOSS programs which will aid the instruction in basic science and mathematics through the SnT in a Box project. The delegates in the workshop warmly welcomed this initiative and they offered their support to this program.

The CPU will be launching the the SnT in a Box to its pioneer schools in the last quarter of 2009.