Friday, September 25, 2015

QUALITY EDUCATION ON WHEELS


Rotarians with students of Torres High School in Tondo, Manila
Proficiency in the language used as means of instruction is very essential in the facility of learning. In the Philippines English is commonly the medium in teaching core subjects such as mathematics and sciences, that non-mastery of the language greatly hampers comprehension, and ultimately quality education.

Gab Enriquez is among the myriad of Philippine public school students who struggle with the English language. He considers his lack of skills as a millstone around his neck that weighs down his class performance and diminishes his self-esteem. “I’m not really good in English because at home our family does not use the English language when we communicate with each other. There were times when my classmates laugh at me during class recitation because of my poor grammar,” shares the 15-year old Grade 9 student from Araullo High School. Inadequate English proficiency not only casts an adverse impact on  the students’ capability to assimilate knowledge  in but also puts them at a disadvantage in global communications.

Inside the mobile classroom
The limited English proficiency of students like Gab, most likely, is a result of absence of proper learning tools and facilities, such as speech and writing laboratories, prevalent in government-run elementary and secondary schools. Acknowledging the need to address this problem, the Rotary club of Manila 101  initiated a service project called Education In Motion that aims to complement  learning tools and facilities in public schools to upgrade quality of education, and assist them meet the challenges of the K to 12 Basic Education Program that started in 2011. The new 13-year basic education curriculum calls for mastery of concepts and skills, development of lifelong learners, as well as  preparation for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

According to RC Manila 101 President Majella T. Villaroman, Education in Motion intends not only to help facilitate learning among students , but also, in the long term, develop communities. “Education is the key to improving the lives of the students and in return they can contribute back to their communities and alleviate poverty,” she states.

The program, which was launched in Rotary Year 2014-2015, offers a mobile classroom equipped with multimedia learning tools such as internet, computers, and television. These facilities are acquired through a Global Grant worth US $75,000 secured with the efforts of Dr. Caridad Icaciano Santos and RC Manila 101 Charter President Tess Tumangan in partnership with the Rotary Club of Sarasota, Florida as well as with the support of RI District 2820 (Japan) and  the Department of Education-Manila City Schools Division.

Students sharing  their i-Ready lessons
with RC Sarasota President Vicente Medina
Education in Motion uses i-Ready, an online diagnostic and instruction tool for English and mathematics developed by Curriculum Associates, a US-based education company. The i-Ready tool, recipient of the Tech& Learning 2013 Awards of Excellence, provides an engaging  and visually appealing approach to learning and allows teachers to monitor each student’s performance in real time to identify if he/she is ready to advance to the next level or needs further remedial interventions.  “It’s a two-part program. It has a diagnostic part where each child gets to be assessed in his/her individual weaknesses and the remediation part wherein the deficiencies of the student are being addressed so he/she can improve in that area and advance in the lessons,”  Andrew de Jesus, chair, RC Manila 101 Basic Education and Literacy Service Project Committee, explains. Aside from the mobile classroom, the club also installed licensed  i-Ready software in the computer laboratories of the participating secondary schools for the students’ online English lessons.

De Jesus further emphasized that Education in Motion is intended to enhance the students’ comprehension skills so they can learn effectively. “Comprehension is important. In fact, solving a mathematics problem requires 80 percent comprehension and 20 percent actual solving. One has to understand the problem and the process to take before resorting to solution. That is why around the world language comprehension and mathematics are the two basic subjects that are being prioritized,” says the club officer.

Dr. Caridad Icaciano with students of Araullo High School
Last August, RI District 6960 Past Governor Richard Rehmeyer, RC Sarasota President Vicente Medina, and Dr. Santos visited the schools participating in the Education in Motion program.  The Sarasota Rotarians were impressed with the outcome of the project where 80 percent of the students advanced in their English skills just a year after program implementation. President Medina,  a Spanish by birth, shared his knowledge that in language teaching it is essential that contemporary communications technology must be incorporated in order to capture and sustain the interest of the student. “This is a multifaceted method of learning where more interaction, more media, and more technology have to play a role. Kids now are more tech-savvy than we were when we were growing up. We have to adapt with these changes and modify our methods to make teaching more lively and tuned in to their interests,” asserts Club President Medina.

Gab’s school was among the six high schools in Manila selected by DepEd to participate in the Education in Motion program. The other schools were Mariano Marcos Memorial High School, Jose Abad Santos High School, Manuel A. Roxas High School, Esteban E. Torres High School and Corazon Aquino High School.

RC Manila 101 President Majella Villaroman
Amazingly, Gab was among the students who have enhanced English proficiency through the program. He confides that not only were his English skills boosted but his self-esteem as well.  According to his English teacher Adeline Tejada, Gab and his classmates have become more confident to speak, write and engage in discussions in English. The students also turned more eager to pursue college education and land a good job.

One of the student-participants, Jasmine Mendoza, 14, a Grade 9 student of Torres High School, thanked the Rotarians when they visited  her school for the excellent educational experience through the i-Ready program, wherein they learned and had fun at the same time from its interactive content and good quality graphics .“i-Ready is a very interesting experience. I don’t feel pressured. In the traditional setting, sometimes I get shy to ask teachers questions regarding the lesson, while i-Ready makes you understand more at the right pace. You can even repeat the lesson until you master it. The approach of i-Ready is very relevant to us,” she says.

Jasmine’s English teacher, Lady Chris Caati-Leonardo, lauded the Education in Motion’s efficiency in making the millennial students learn the English language better.  “I think it’s a good thing that we can combine the traditional approach and the new approach wherein the kids use their 21st century skills.”


Villaroman and Medina take a selfie
 with students of Araullo High School
The success of the service program motivated Villaroman and her club members to sustain Education in Motion and broaden its service.  In fact, her club is currently working on another program which will partner with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies to help address the high unemployment rate in the country. Termed as the Bridge program, it is in line with Education in Motion and will enable the students  acquire greater chances of landing jobs in the BPO sector which is one of the largest industries in the country at present that generate gainful employment.


We believe that this program will be very meaningful. We as citizens are accountable for our future and it makes me want to make sure that the program moves forward. I think if we are able to bring together all players to make this happen, we can make each school better and our lives in the future,” declares Villaroman.



 (Published in September 2015 issue of the Philippine Rotary; Photos by Carmen Dela Cerna)