Guinness Record Holder Eran Katz of Israel talks about brain power

By Dexter Rodrigo Matilla (philstar.com) Updated May 15, 2012 08:00 PM Comments (0)

MANILA, Philippines - Eran Katz first amazed distinguished guests at the Hotel Intercon--who all celebrated with the Israel Embassy in the Philippines for Israel's 64th anniversary as a nation state--by reciting a random 20-plus digit number that he had just been given. And if that wasn't impressive enough, Eran then recited the sequence of numbers backwards.

Ambassadors, artists, and even the former first lady Imelda Marcos applauded Eran but the world-renowned mentalist and Guinness Record holder was just starting. For an hour or so, Eran gave various techniques on how to boost one's memory power, even promising that with a little practice, anyone can learn a new language in a month.

I was fortunate to sit down with Eran the following morning and in the video below, the best-selling author on memory and intelligence shares some of the techniques and reveals that everyone can use them no matter how young or old they may be.

Watch the video below . . .
 

 Posted by: Steven Egay, GCES Batch 1983

At home with homeschooling

(The Philippine Star) Updated May 15, 2012 12:00 AM Comments (0)

Take-home message: In the country, more and more Filipino parents are choosing homeschooling, and discovering its priceless benefits. | Zoom

Manila, Philippines -  What do Eragon novelist Christopher Pailini, singers and songwriters Jonas Brothers, and Ateneo UAAP basketball star Paul Tanchi have in common?
Other than being huge achievers in their chosen fields, they are all homeschoolers.

Along with impressive musical renditions and personal testimonies, the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) discussed how parents can take full charge of teaching their children and providing D.I.Y. education at its best with the proper training and resources. The group also tackled the process, principles, effects, and benefits of homeschooling like the five tools for a successful D.I.Y. homeschooling.

HAPI believes that a successful education tailor-fit to each child will have five tools to work with:
• First, ruler to represent the learning context
• Second, a hammer for the learning content or the curriculum.
• Third, sandpaper for enrichment activities that bring out and hone the talents and skills of the homeschooler
• Fourth, a sharpening steel that represents support groups with like-minded and helpful parents
• Fifth and most importantly, the plumb line, which represents the standard (purpose) that will guide the homeschooling journey by keeping a straight path and be the ultimate measure of a successful child

In the country, more and more Filipino parents are choosing homeschooling, and discovering its priceless benefits. Putting their number conservatively at 3,000-strong families at present, HAPI has made it its mission to be a catalyst in nation-building by advancing home education and unifying home educators in the country.

Edric Mendoza, HAPI chairman: I realized in raising my four kids, that I only have one shot at parenting, and one shot at being the main influencer in their lives.”

“I realized in raising my four kids, that I only have one shot at parenting, and one shot at being the main influencer in their lives. For a golden standard of success, we have chosen to follow God and enable our children to pass on this important value and legacy,” as Edric Mendoza, HAPI chairman, said in his talk at the press conference.

The Philippine Homeschool Conference will be held on Saturday, May 19, in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong with the theme “Laying a Strong Foundation.”  International speaker Debra Bell, a homeschooling authority in the USA as well as a best-selling author, and our own inspirational speaker and author Bo Sanchez are slated as keynote speakers.  The event will be graced by the Department of Education officials like Atty. Tonisito Umali, assistant secretary for Legal & Legislative Affairs.

To know more about the Homeschooling Association of the Philippine Islands (HAPI) or how to register for the conference, visit www.hapihomeschooler.comand/or email hapihomeschooler@gmail.com.

Source:  http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=806987&publicationSubCategoryId=80

Posted by Steven Egay

In celebration of Mario Taguiwalo and Victor Ordoñez

By: Juan Miguel Luz
Philippine Daily Inquirer 11:08 pm | Friday, May 4th, 2012 

Structural reform is finally taking shape in Philippine education. Formal education leaders have led this charge but there are two in particular who, as philosophers, articulated the foundations for these changes: Mario Taguiwalo and Victor Ordoñez, whose breadth and scope of thought helped shape the reforms we see today.

On May 4, friends paid tribute to Mario in a program in Malacañang. May 4 also marked the third anniversary of Victor’s passing.

Both men were exceptional human beings with an ability to take complex ideas and contentious discussions and summarize these into simple but clear frameworks upon which new ideas could be built so that even warring parties each felt they had “won over” the other.

They shared a passion for education and the social sectors. Both served in government, their paths crossing in the administration of President Cory Aquino when Mario was health undersecretary and Victor, education undersecretary. And interestingly enough, they shared an extracurricular career in film as “character actors” or “bit players,” depending on your point of view.

Mario once wrote, “Victor and I were actually in one scene together in a movie entitled ‘Kid, Huwag Kang Susuko,’ starring Richard Gomez.  At that time, Victor and I were already undersecretaries (in government), and we had a scene together that Director Peque Gallaga said could be used to promote the movie as endorsed by the Departments of Education and Health. The problem was, the movie was about illegal gambling in human blood sports. Victor played a shady Chinese businessman with a weak chin; I was a corrupt small-time politician with a pot belly.”

Both had a great sense of humor.

But it is in education reform where they made their greatest contribution, in my view.
In “Politics and Education Reform,” Mario wrote in 2009:
“The urgency of education reform is no longer debated. Only the sequence and dynamics of the process are in dispute.
“As for the basic directions of education reform, evidence and expert consensus point to certain agreed fundamentals.
“1. We need a much greater effort to get all children ready for school by age 6 using a wide variety of early childhood care and development interventions at homes, communities and institutions.
“2. We must establish a longer basic education cycle than the 10 years we have at present.
“3. We must have effective mother tongue language education to achieve early mastery of literacy skills before children transition to national and English language education.
“4. Our education delivery, administration, governance and accountability have to be decentralized to school and community levels.
“5. Communities, in turn, must have institutionalized participation in education governance and accountability.
“6. The preparation, hiring and supervision of teachers must emphasize teaching competencies associated with child learning rather than the accumulation of credentials.
“7. Our education facilities and education administration must be modernized using cost-effective and appropriate technologies.
“8. We must attain consistent compliance with basic standards in our education provisions to all communities.
“9. A large, extensive and dynamic set of private education options at all levels must be sustained as an essential complement to our public education system.
“10. Higher education programs and institutions must be financed based on proven performance on valued aspects of higher education competencies.”

Mario stressed that these reforms were unlikely to succeed if pursued solely by the education sector without broader multisectoral participation. For the package to be possible, strong political backing by the national leadership at the highest levels was “non-negotiable.” In short, we needed an “education president.”

Victor’s reform view was similarly structural:
“Economics and technology have changed the way people live and work in advanced communities throughout the world, while other communities still live in cultural patterns unchanged over centuries, more deeply isolated and quagmired in poverty than ever before. And yet, for both the advantaged and the poor, the present structures for education, where it is available, remain basically the same: prescribed primary schooling of about six years, organized by age cohorts, and followed by secondary education focused on largely rigid academic subject classifications, with higher education available to a select minority.”

Here, systemic change in the approach to education was necessary: “The search is not for a single new paradigm, but for as many new paradigms as are demanded by the diverse learning needs of vastly different communities and societies at different stages of development in different sociocultural settings. The search for new paradigms does not imply rejection of the basic ethos of learning and schooling… It does recognize that much of the present structure of education and much that now occupies the time of the learner must be rethought in light of the demands of the 21st century.”

The work on education reform will not be finished in the short-to-medium term. But strong philosophical underpinnings have been laid and both Mario and Victor were instrumental in this regard.
Mario and Victor raised our hopes for a better Philippines. Our world is that much richer for having had them with us.

Juan Miguel Luz (juanmiguel.luz@gmail.com) is dean of the Center for Development Management at the Asian Institute of Management.

Source:  http://opinion.inquirer.net/28133/in-celebration-of-mario-taguiwalo-and-victor-ordonez

Posted by:  Steven Egay, GCES batch 1983

A Primer on the New K-12 Philippine Education Curriculum

06 Mar 2012

By Patricia Tanya Franco-Velasco

A major change in our country’s educational landscape is about to take place: the Department of Education (DepEd) is launching the K-12 curriculum this coming June.

According to President Benigno S. Aquino, “We need to add two years to our basic education. Those who can afford pay up to fourteen years of schooling before university. Thus, their children are getting into the best universities and the best jobs after graduation. I want at least 12 years for our public school children to give them an even chance at succeeding.” In line with this, the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that, “The State shall establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of the people and the society.“ Such mandate gives justice to the basic rights of every Filipino child: the right to quality education and the right to a quality life.

What is K-12?
According to the K to 12 Deped Primer (2011), “K-12 means “Kindergarten and the 12 years of elementary and secondary education.” Kindergarten points to the 5-year old child who undertakes the standardized curriculum for preschoolers. Elementary education refers to 6 years of primary school (Grades 1-6) while secondary education means four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10 or HS Year 1-4). In addition to this, two years are now allotted for senior high school (Grades 11-12 or HS Year 5-6).

Prof. Lorina Calingasan of the College of Education in UP Diliman explains that “K-12 means extending basic education by two years, so instead of having a high school graduate at 16 (years old), we will have high schoolers graduating at 18.”

The DepEd discussion paper (2010) on the enhanced K-12 basic education program explains that this new setup “seeks to provide a quality 12-year basic education program that each Filipino is entitled to” (p.5). Furthermore, the purpose is not simply to add 2 more years of education “but more importantly to enhance the basic education curriculum” (p.5).

What is the rationale for this program?
There is an urgent need to enhance the quality of basic education in our country as seen in the education outcomes of Filipino students and the comparative disadvantage of the Philippines with regard to other countries. The following data would support this explanation:

At present, the Philippines is the only country in Asia and among the three remaining countries in the world that uses a 10-year basic education cycle. According to a presentation made by the South East Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO-INNOTECH) on Additional Years in Philippine Basic Education (2010), the comparative data on duration of Basic and Pre-University Education in Asia shows that the Philippines allots 10 years not just for the basic education cycle but also for the pre-university education while all the other countries have either 11 or 12 years in their basic education cycle.  

Achievement scores highlight our students’ poor performance in national examinations. The National Achievement Test (NAT) results for grade 6 in SY 2009-2010 showed only a 69.21% passing rate while the NAT results for high school is at a low 46.38%. Moreover, international tests results in 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS) show that the Philippines ranked 34th out of 38 countries in HS Math and 43rd out of 46 countries in HS II Science. Moreover, the Philippines ranked the lowest in 2008 even with only the science high schools joining the Advanced Mathematics category.

The present curriculum is described as congested. This means that students do not get enough time to perform tasks because the curriculum is designed to be taught in a span of 12 years and not 10 years. The more obvious result of this is the fact that most high school students graduate without the readiness to take upon higher education or employment. These students are not equipped with the basic skills or competencies needed at work. Furthermore, the short duration of our basic education program puts Filipinos who are interested to either work or study abroad at a disadvantage. This is because other countries see our 10-year program as incomplete, which then, causes Filipino graduates to not be considered as professionals abroad.
Given all these supporting facts, there is indeed a need to improve the quality of basic education by enhancing it and by expanding the basic education cycle.

What is the vision of this program?
Records will show that as early as 1925, there were already efforts to improve the basic education curriculum and recommendations have been put forward since then. Thus, this idea of adding years to the present curriculum is not new.

The K-12 Curriculum envisions “holistically developed learners with 21st century skills” (Deped Primer, 2011). At the core of this basic education program is “the complete human development of every graduate” (DepEd discussion paper, p.6). This further means that every student would have an understanding of the world around him and a passion for life-long learning while addressing every student’s basic learning needs: “learning to learn, the acquisition of numeracy, literacy, and scientific and technological knowledge as applied to daily life” (p.6). In addition to this, every graduate is envisioned to have respect for human rights and would aim to become “Maka-Diyos, Maka-tao, Makabansa, Maka-kalikasan” (p.6)

The K-12 vision aims to have relevance in the socio-economic realm, as well. This means that the students would understand their role as productive members of the country. Such vision can only be possible through an enhanced curriculum.


What is the K-12 curriculum all about?
According to the DepEd discussion paper (2010), the K-12 curriculum aims to enable every child “to achieve mastery of core competencies and skills” (p.6) and develop tracks based on the student’s interests and competencies. The focus of K-12 is twofold: curriculum enhancement and transition management.
 Curriculum enhancement – With the K-6-4-2 model, the 2 years for senior high school is aimed at giving the students time to strengthen competencies and academic skills. The curriculum will also provide specializations in the following: science and technology, music and arts, agriculture and fisheries, sports, business and entrepreneurship, etc, depending on the occupation or career that they intend to pursue. These two years will build on skills that are essential to their chosen field.
Transition management - The DepEd mentions in their discussion paper (2010) that they are “preparing a carefully sequenced implementation plan to ensure smooth transition with the least disruption” in the current program.

According to Education Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro, the new curriculum is focused more on the learners and not on the teacher. Luistro said, “We are making it a real learning experience for the students, meaning, it will be less on memorization and more encouraging of critical thinking”. In addition to this, a mother tongue-based multi-lingual education (MTB-MLE) will be used for instruction in Kinder to Grade 3 classes after studies showed that students learn more when their language at home is used in discussing the lessons in school. Also, there will be less contact time as Grade 1 pupils will only attend school for half a day instead of 6 hours. Luistro explains, “It is important that our learners develop that natural love for learning and not feel that it is something imposed on them…we will reduce it to four hours to make education less stressful and more enjoyable.”

For the first year high school curriculum, Luistro mentions that the lessons will be more interactive and meaningful to everyday life. This means that Science will be reflected in terms of its practical use. He further explains, “as students go up the ladder, we want them to learn skills that are being demanded by employers while at the same time giving them the chance to appreciate and enjoy the lessons”. For instance, Luistro stresses that Science is to be integrated in all learning areas since it is a complex subject. He further expounds, “the focus of early education (Kinder to Grade 2) should be the fundamental skills and literacy of the pupils to develop better comprehension for more complicated subjects such as science”.

A study done by SEAMEO points out that the current curriculum allots about 1,100 minutes per week in elementary education to Science, which will change with the introduction of K-12. Luistro says, “this, coupled with teaching more competencies, imply congestion in our current elementary Science curriculum.” To address this, Science will now be integrated into the teaching of the Language, Mathematics and Health under MAPEH subjects beginning at Kindergarten.

Prof. Calingasan further explains that the K-12 curriculum for Social Studies will instead center on historical thinking skills rather than memory work (of dates, names, regions, capitals, etc) and accumulation of facts. She mentions examples of thinking skills such as “weighing the evidence of any information, using primary source evidence, analyzing and interpreting information, manifesting ethical standards (e.g., respect for differences, recognition of sources of evidence/idea). The K-12 Social Studies curriculum will  also teach students about local history.”

Who will be affected by this program?
Prof. Calingasan explains that incoming Grade 1 and Grade 7 students by school year 2012-2013 are the ones who will be directly affected by the K-12 program.
  
According to a DepEd briefer on K-12, the Department will begin implementing the curriculum in school year 2012-2013. As mentioned in the article, “the enhanced 12-year curriculum will be implemented starting with incoming Grade 1 students. Incoming freshmen of SY 2012-2013 will be the first beneficiaries of a free Senior High School education that will be made available by DepEd in public schools beginning in SY 2016-2017.”

What are the benefits of this program?
Prof. Calingasan explains that “while parents may look at this as extended expense i.e., paying tuition for another 2 years in high school, this would offset itself since the competencies one would learn from the additional years are the same ones which the first two years of general education in college teach.”
  
The DepEd primer (2011) specifies the benefits to individuals and families:
1. A decongested academic workload, giving students more time to master competencies and for co-curricular activities and community involvement, thus, allowing for a more holistic development;
2. Graduates will possess competencies and skills relevant to the job market and they will be prepared for higher education;
3. K-12 is affordable;
4. The potential annual earnings of a K-12 graduate will be higher compared to the earnings of a 10-year high school graduate;
5. Graduates will be recognized abroad.

The benefits of K-12 curriculum for the society and the economy are:
1. It will contribute to economic growth. Studies show that improvements in the quality of education increases GDP growth. According to the DepEd (2010), studies in the country have reflected that an additional year of school increases the earnings by 7.5% and that improvements in the quality of education will enable the GDP grow by 2-2.2%.
2. It will facilitate the recognition of Filipino graduates and professionals in other countries
3. A better educated society provides a sound foundation for long-term socio-economic development.

What will this mean for students and their future?
”Definitely this will mean that they will graduate late (by present reference point), but on another perspective, will mean that they will be more mature when they enter college, or that they will be ready for work,” explains Prof. Calingasan.   

The DepEd, in its 2010 discussion paper, explains further that every graduate of the K-12 program will have “the courage, the drive, and the relevant skills to engage in work and have a productive life” (p.6). This means that every graduate is ready to take upon the world as he is prepared holistically to meet those challenges.

The goal of the K-12 curriculum is to create a purposeful basic education system that will “produce productive, responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies and skills for both life-long learning and employment” (p.7).

To summarize, the K-12 curriculum speaks about hope and change for the country. As our culture puts great value on education, it is about time that our national government supports this fully. The K-12 honors every Filipino child’s right to better future as it is designed to “develop a learner who possesses a healthy mind and body; has a solid moral and spiritual grounding; has essential knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and self-actualization; engages in critical thinking and creative problem solving; contributes to the development of a progressive, just, and humane society; is proud to be a Filipino and appreciates the beauty around him/her and cares for the environment for a sustainable future.”
Indeed, K-12 is every Filipino child’s future.

References:
Department of Education. (2010). Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K +12 Basic Education Program.
Department of Education (2011). K to 12 Basic Education Program Primer
Quismundo, T. (2011, October 7) DepEd readies K +12 curricula for next year. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from http://multilingualphilippines.com/?p=5350
DepEd Updates. Retrieved from http://www.deped.gov.ph/
Department of Education. (2010). Briefer on the enhanced k12 basic education program. Retrieved from http://www.gov.ph/2010/11/02/briefer-on-the-enhanced-k12-basic-education-program/

Photo by real.heightz from flickr creative commons


Source:  http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/kids/preschooler/k-12-101-a-primer-on-the-new-philippine-education-curriculum/page/1

Posted by:  Steven Egay, GCES batch 1983

Governing by CBR

Written and posted by:  Steven Egay, GCES Batch 1983

This coming April 8, 2012 there will be a grand reunion of all graduates of the Gigaquit Central Elementary School (GCES). Aside from the reunion, the main agenda to be tackled is the process of organizing the GCES Alumni Association (GCESAAI).

Although am the one who took the initiative in organizing the GCESAAI, i am sure several people have thought of doing this before. Maybe the time was not ripe that is why there was no previous attempts.

So why do it now? I have to give the credit to Mr. Roy Pepino who gave me the inspiration to take action. He is the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) President of the whole Gigaquit DEPED District aside from being President of the GCES PTA. I have been working with him early last year for the Gigaquit Civic Club scholarship project, and along the way he mentioned the problems they have regarding the facilities of the Gigaquit Central Elementary School. He is a very valuable figure in the realization of building new classrooms in GCES under the KALAHI-CIDSS project of the government. But much still needs to be done and so there the impetus for me to take action. I am a GCES alumni and its a pity if i just standby on the side doing nothing. Something could be done. Alone I cannot do it but am sure with the combined "powers" of all GCES alumni this will not be wishful thinking for very long.

The second person i have to be thankful for is Mr. Dominic Larong, the current principal of the GCES and an alumni also. When i broached the idea to him around the middle of last year (2011) there was no second thoughts or hesitations on his part. A BIG YES came out immediately. We met last August 31, 2011 at the GCES. That time I went home to Gigaquit to attend the town fiesta and also for the purpose of discussing with Principal Dominic face to face the things to be done to organize the GCESAAI.

We owe to Principal Dominic and to his organizing committee members the preparations of this April 7 and 8 grand reunion.

What is CBR?

CBR stands for Council of Batch Representatives. This is the idea i discussed with Principal Dominic on the system of governing the GCESAAI. This is similar to the parliamentary form of government. It works like this . . .

- Each batch will send a representative to the CBR (with 2 reserve nominees). It is up to them how they will choose their batch representaives. But they should choose those who are based within the mainland of Surigao del Norte so there will be no problem with the attendance. In case of absence of a representative, he maybe replaced by the 2nd nominee and if both are not available, by the 3rd nominee.

- The representatives from all batches will compose the CBR. This will be the main body that will run the GCES alumni. From their ranks they elect the following:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Assistant Secretary
- Treasurer

- In the CBR, each batch is entitled to one vote only

- The CBR should discuss issues as a group and decide based on consensus as much as possible. In this system, whatever ideas from down to the top, or from top to bottom can be cascaded efficiently via the representatives of each batch. All batches will have the chance to be heard and be informed.

- The CBR is a sort of Expanded Board of Directors. In case the GCESAAI will be registered at the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future, the CBR may appoint among their ranks the Board of Directors which is maximum of 15 members only as prescribed by law. However, the CBR being the Expanded Board of Directors should be the one to discuss and approve matters. The Board of Directors who are also CBR members should just execute what is voted upon by the CBR.

This is an idea in progress so will update from time to time whatever developments that will come up.

Good luck to all CGESians!