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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| Villaroman and Medina take a selfie with students of Araullo High School |
“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)
