What does learner-centered look like in a land of
conformity? There’s the benefit of
the school uniforms worn by public and private school students. Conformity and diversity are masked
beneath this similarity. One
glance in a school reveals uniformity.
The rich and poor, achieving and struggling don’t stand out by outer
adornment. Curriculum is
prescribed by national government in incremental modules doled out with
outlines and activities. Every
teacher in every district is paid the same according to a national pay scale
and promotion code. Teachers, like
teachers everywhere, stand at the front of the room, and pass out knowledge to
the hungry learners shifting in wooden desks as dragon’s breath wind cuts
through the open slated windows to move the humid air. And children learn…uniformly? But how is this sea of up to 60
students per classroom covering the days’ prescribed curriculum learner centered
as the nation’s department of ed envisions?
The hero of individualization in the Philippine private and
public school system doesn’t rely on uniforms or the department of ed to dole
out individualized instruction.
The hero of individualized instruction is the same in the Philippines as
in every other land. That hero is
the teacher and saw many champions of individualized instruction here.
First, there were the enthusiastic nuns and teachers of St.
Paul College in Manila. They were
the wind beneath their students who were soaring confidently – building their
own extra-curricular activities, mapping out their own educational journey by
experimenting with electives and discovering a curricular track that led
towards the goals they set for their own lives. Their choices include art, music, performance, cooking,
science, math, language… so many choices, but more than that the joy in the
eyes of the teachers as they sat back and let the students fly demonstrates
their student centered nature.
Individualized heroes walked with tired eyes through public
vocational schools. They spoke up
for children as state regulations change.
They worked to make the additional two years of high school meaningful
for all students – not just for those going on to college. They create evening programs and open
programs that allow students to provide for their families while continuing
their education. They gazed from
classrooms of 50+ students divided into interest and age tracks. Like us in the US they don’t have the
tools to individualize like they would like, but they have a vision. Interestingly they claim to have received that vision from us. Being colonized by Spain gave them religion and the US gave them education. We continue to partner with each other in building solid, meaningful, individualized learning opportunities!
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