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MANILA,
Oct. 21 (PNA) -- Science and Math teachers from the University of the
Philippines (UP) and other premier institutions have proposed a revamp
of the teaching system of Math and Science subjects to enhance and
upgrade the competency of Filipino workforce that will run the country
in the coming years.
Dr.
Ester B. Ogena, Director of the Department of Science and
Technology-Science Education Institute, said the framework, which the
educators crafted, together with SEI, is a first in the country and it
is a major step in contributing efforts towards becoming a knowledge
economy.
"The
penultimate intention of knowledge economy is to contribute to human or
people development. This may be hard to reach but to attain this we
need to ensure that the country stands on the four pillars of Knowledge
Economy —Human Resource Capacity Building; Developing an Innovation
System; Developing an ICT Infrastructure; and Providing for the
Supportive Policies and Guidelines at all levels," she said.
Educators
from all over the country joined together to assess the draft of the
first science and mathematics education framework to 'define the
philosophy and directions' for teaching and learning in science and
mathematics.
Ogena
pointed out that the two are critical in human resource-capacity
building of the country, one of the major pillars for a knowledge
economy.
University
of the Philippines-National Institute of Science and Mathematics
Education Development (UP-NISMED) Director Dr. Merle Tan said the
framework aims to expose learners to engaging in meaningful,
challenging, and relevant experiences and the teachers to be able to
facilitate construction of knowledge from such experiences.
“School
science should emphasize depth rather than breadth, coherence rather
than fragmentation, and use of evidence in constructing explanations,”
Tan said.
The
framework include the cohesiveness of inquiry skills, habits of minds,
and content and connections in the curriculum and a developmental
approach of learning from Kindergarten to Fourth Year.
For
the mathematics education framework, former President of the Philippine
Council of Mathematics Teacher Educators (MATHTED) Dr. Catherine
Vistro-Yu said the framework aims to develop mathematical empowerment
that focuses on critical and analytical thinking.
The
Mathematics framework, on the other hand, include a varied approach for
teaching mathematics for Kindergarten to Grade 3, Grade 4 to Grade 6,
and High School and a set of competencies which should be achieved at
each cluster.
Teachers
also need to be oriented by the framework, to help them cope up with
the changing needs of the learners in a rapidly changing environment.
Future
science teachers are then required to take courses on Life Science,
Physical Science and Environmental Science and additional courses on
science teaching.
"Similar
courses have been offered in the UP College of Education in Diliman for
many years and proved to be beneficial to preservice students when they
do their off and in-campus training," she said.
Yu
said the mathematics teaching education framework aims to develop a
fully competent mathematics teacher that possesses a strong
mathematical content knowledge, is armed with mathematical pedagogical
knowledge as well as general pedagogical knowledge and management
skills, displays an appropriate mathematical disposition and values
one's own professional development.
“In
the hope of improving mathematics teaching in Philippine schools, this
framework advocates continued efforts in the form of continuing
programs for mathematics teachers’ professional development that allow
mathematics teachers to grow from being novices to ones that are
emerging, accomplished and expert teachers. This must be the aim of all
teacher education programs in mathematics,” she said.
The
DOST has been pushing for the improvement of national workforce since
the country lacks experts, especially in the field of Research and
Development, using the standards set by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) which is 340 R&D
manpower per million of the population.
The Philippines only has 48 R&D staff per million Filipinos.
The
proposed teaching system had been submitted to Department of Education
(DepEd) Secretary Jesli Lapus and Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) Secretary Estrella Alabastro, and other academic institutions,
Ogena said. (PNA) |
