Service Learning is community engagement much more than volunteerism or outreach activity

www.pnc.edu

What service learning is and how it differs from community outreach

Service Learning allows students to learn by doing, connecting theory with practice and a method of learning through active participation in organized experiences that meet community needs (Perkins, 1994). Bringle and Hatcher (1996) defined SL as “credit bearing educational experience”. SL evolved, in part, from core assumptions John Dewey (1916, 1939), who advocate learning by doing. SL offered a powerful pedagogical alternative (Billig, 2000) that allowed in which students gain further understanding of the course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility (Bringle and Hatcher, 1996). The National Society for Experiential Education provides the most comprehensive definition of SL as pedagogy, which regard SL as “any carefully monitored service experience in which a student has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience.” The definition given by the Corporation for National Service is much narrower – “ a method under which students or participants learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized service (Billig, 2000).  The use of SL within the context of developing college students’ moral development and social and academic involvement is supported by numerous higher education theories, including Astin’s Theory of Student Development [1984], Tinto’s Model of Student Integration [1975; 1993], and Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development [1984] (Taggart and Crisp, 2011).

Service Learning is a concept that incorporates two main aspects – helping a community and participation in a learning situation (Guisse, Tshuma, Victor, Papasin, Lopes, and Bakri , 2010). SL is a set of experiences (Univeristy of Toronto, 2014) that provides students with opportunities to “exercise knowledge and concepts gained in academic classroom in the more meaningful, relevant context in their communities”. It is also a pedagogical model that links academic content with direct practice through critical reflection (UT, 2014; Begley 1013) and aims to “enhance student classroom experiences and community engagement through targeted service that meets community-identified needs and reflection activities that integrate that service back into the academic framework of the course“ (Begley, 2013); as well as, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities (National Service Learning Clearing-house, 2009). We can therefore consider SL as a reciprocal approach to teaching and learning because while the students apply what they learn in real-life situations, they are able to help a community or an institution. In return, not only does the service recipient gain help but also provides additional learning to the students. 

It is very clear that SL is much more comprehensive than community outreach or the usual volunteer work. SL has two basic attributes that are not really a requirement for volunteer work – academic integration and reflection.  The University of Toronto (2014) clarifies that unlike extracurricular voluntary service, SL is primarily centered on academic knowledge development and thus guided by discipline-specific learning goals. Experiential learning students facilitate achievement of academic goals more effectively while critical reflection enables the students to identify how their academic content knowledge has enhanced the value of their service and how their understanding of the discipline has been strengthened by their practice. Volunteer work or community outreach endeavor, most of the time, focuses only on the act of serving or helping another without considering the benefits that the volunteer actually gain from such experience. The Afterschool Alliance (2011) summarizes the differences between SL and community service as presented in Table 1. 

Regardless whether SL is viewed as a required course in higher education, as a capstone project or a mere curricular activity, community engagement through voluntary service anchored on curricular goals, SL can be considered as an urgent call for all educators. The rationale behind this argument is very well defined by the Afterschool Alliance (2011), “Youth are the future torchbearers for these causes, and so engaging children of all ages in volunteering, and more importantly, allowing them to create their own service projects, is vital to the betterment of their communities, country and the world at large (Afterschool alliance, 2011). Without a doubt, both types of service are extremely valuable in all social contexts. Service learning therefore is an opportunity for students to learn and grow from their experiences and at the same time create positive change in the community. Unfortunately, in the Philippine setting, SL is not as established as it is in other countries because volunteer work in our country follows more the CO rather than the SL model. Even the majority of NSTP course in undergraduate and the community affairs department of many religious schools are also in accordance with CO approach. Hence, the need for this paper. 

Very clearly, the Corporation for National Service enumerated the basic qualities of a SL initiative (Billig, 2000): (1) conducted in and meets the needs of a community; (2) coordinated with an elementary school, secondary school, institution of higher education, or community-service program and with the community;  (3) helps foster civic responsibility; (4) integrated into and enhances the (core) academic curriculum of the students, or the educational components of the community-service program in which the participants are enrolled; and (5) provides structured time for the students or participants to reflect on the service experience.  Various authors, researchers and educational institutions or groups would have their own definition and attributes of SL but there are basic concepts that all of them agree, according to Billig (2000). SL involves "active participation, thoughtfully organized experiences, focus on community needs and school/community coordination, academic curriculum integration, structured time for reflection, opportunities for application of skills and knowledge, extended learning opportunities, and development of a sense of caring for others. Furthermore, disagreements on the definition of SL only arise when distinguishing it from other experiential education approaches, such as volunteer and community service, internships, field studies, and cross-age peer tutoring. 

Service Learning: A brief introduction

http://carrollucommsoc.weebly.com/news--events.html

“Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng bayan.”  - Dr. Jose Rizal.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn" - Benjamin  Franklin

The two classical clichés above are the main inspiration for instigating service learning initiatives in my own little way. Globalization highlights global citizenship, which further challenges the education sector to strike the balance between character building for nation building and moral formation for social accountability. The nationwide implementation of the senior high school across the country further, on the other hand, poses the challenge to the basic education sector to develop among the learners the 21^st century skills to prepare them for a working environment and opportunities whose rules and expectations have not been defined yet. Within this perspective, we can consider that as society evolves so are the nature of the learners and therefore educators must adapt strategies that address their emerging needs, including being a more active participant in the global community. In today’s era when teaching and learning are designed based on standards rather than short-term objectives, it is imperative to also innovate practices to encourage commitment to social concerns – a difficult task in a society characterized by consumerism and competition. 

           Service learning provides the bridge between academic development and civic responsibilities. As what former US senator and astronaut John Glenn has said, “By its very definition, civic responsibility means taking a healthy role in the life of one’s community, state and nation. That means that classroom lessons should be complemented by work outside the classroom. Service learning does just that, tying community service to academic lessons.” Therefore the challenge how to address the ethical, social values and virtues, as Kenan (2009) has pointed out, not only for educators but for everyone who is interested in the education of next generations.  

In the traditional value infusion in the life sciences, environmental advocacy and health concerns are the predominant themes. However, biology is now considered an interdisciplinary area whose practical applications encompass almost all of human endeavors. My goal is not really to talk about SL as if I really understand it but to sell the idea that we can make a difference and something good out of SL. I do hopes to promote the centrality of biology’s role in today’s world through service learning. At the same time, through service learning, engaging in biological studies could provide a wider perspective that biology, as a career and field of expertise, is not limited to the medicine or health allied courses and research work. The objectives of my succeeding posts would be (1) to clarify the definition of service learning (SL), how it differs from community outreach, (2) to elucidate the benefits of applying SL as a teaching approach, as an interdisciplinary course or as a capstone project, (3) to suggest ways how to incorporate SL in biology subjects in high school, and (4) to justify how SL enable the teaching of biology to address the NGSS science and engineering practices and the 21^st century skills. 

SERVICE LEARNING IN BIOLOGY in a nutshell

SERVICE LEARNING AS A 21ST CENTURY SKILL

 

www.wcboe.org

Last year, I attempted to explore on service learning as applied in biological sciences. It was a serendipitous initiative because as I browse for references on SL, I discovered many documents that are research-based. With the on-going work on NGSS, particularly the science and engineering practices, SL is really having the spotlight as a promising area for developing and deepening 21st century skills. In the case of science, Biology in particular, the challenge is how to merge advocacies with the basic attributes of SL and striking a balance with an authentic integration of the 21st century skills. Several times in the past, (I know many would agree) that classroom and co-curricular activities were a "potpourri" of activities. Teachers and learners enjoy very much the experience per se but somewhere in the instruction, authenticity and sustainability are neglected. When we focus on the short-term effects, we defeat the long-term vision of the curriculum. Here is the abstract of the paper which  hope to post on the blog in the hope of gathering more advocates for Service Learning and 21st century skills in teaching Biology.

Many thanks to Dr. Bagarinao of UPOU who encouraged me to pursue the topic on SL, and for his constructive feedbacks, as well. 

Does your child have a Ratatouille Moment like Anton Ego?

Does your child have a Ratatouille Moment like Anton Ego? 

ratatouille from www.bonapetit.com

Anton Ego is the food critic in the animated film Ratatouille. He was such a big name in the culinary industry that one good review from him will surely add a star to any restaurant. The irony is that Ratatouille, originally a peasant food, brings out the perfection that Ego was looking for. The simple reason is that it stirs a most touching memory that even a heart as hard of a diamond would melt. No wonder Ego’s palate is hard to please, he has an extremely high standard - mom’s cooking! Watch the film and see if you would have the same conclusion. Never mind if filthy rats cooked the food but the 2-minute scene from Ratatouille should make us reflect on many things that matters in values education.

Three weeks ago, I asked my grade 8 students to record their daily meal for one week. The objective of doing this task is to have firsthand data which we can use when we analyze the interconnections of BMI, eating habits / diet, and physical activity -the usual lesson on food pyramid but with updates on the MyPlate trends. Majority of the students were very diligent and really recorded their daily meals painstakingly; and what they have written directed me to another perspective. To an ordinary teacher, the meal diaries would just be a pile of worksheets to rate. But as I read on my students’ meal diaries, there were questions that keep on popping out of my head, some even pinch my heart.

Out of the 70 students, only one actually wrote a fruit as part of the meal. What does it tell me? Was it either due to economic reason or ignorance about good food? No, it actually made me want to ask if my students’ mothers actually have a regular marketing day on weekends to have enough time to look for fruits in season. Only 15 of them actually mentioned a specific, traditional Filipino dish like singing, nilaga, tinola and adobo. These home-cooked viands were usually eaten during the weekends. What they usually eat on school days-  fast foods, canned foods, fried meat, or they have no idea at all. I wonder how many of my female students actually spend time with their mothers cooking, following grandma’s recipes, or making a kitchen adventure using a cookbook. How many of the girls, when they become mothers themselves, would hand down traditional recipes to their own daughters? How many of the male students look forward to a Saturday or Sunday backyard barbecuing with their father? How many of the boys, when they become fathers themselves, would wake up early on weekends so they can prepare a brunch for their kids. The 21st century learners must be more techie but nothing can replace a meaningful moment with mom or dad. Gadgets become obsolete but a happy memory such as a home cooked meal eaten together is a shared history. 

Seventeen of my students actually skipped lunch and/or dinner at least four times a week,  14 skip at least twice in a week. Why do they skip meals, dinner particularly? Perhaps, their parents come home past their meal time or their bed time. When they come home there is no cooked dinner yet so they make themselves full with snack foods. My worst inference is that their families do not eat together during dinner. I am not an expert on family matters but common sense would tell us that a family dinner is one of the most opportune time to establish good communication and relationships. Eating a balanced diet together is more than getting our nutritional needs. Family meals would teach our children about respect, responsibility, morality, and spirituality. I wonder if my students ever get excited to come home eager to know what their mothers are cooking for dinner. I wonder how many of them patiently wait for their fathers who promised to bring home something special for dinner. I just hope they have as many good memories just as I remember what used to be our traditional home-cooked meals when I was growing up. Until now I can vividly remember what we would always have for christmas, new year, fiesta, and holy week. I can still remember how usual it is for my father to cook kare-kare, grilled relleno, and kaldereta on a Sunday. My mother would make sure there are morning and afternoon snacks standing by on our kitchen counter - spaghetti, turon, mais con yelo [during summer], and all sorts of fruits in season. It was a happy childhood not because we were well-fed but because our meals brought simple joy to a child and happy memories to an adult. 

 

Five students actually skip breakfast at least three times in a week and 13 once or twice even on weekends. As for the snacks, less than 10 listed especially cooked / prepared foods. Majority listed  junk foods with empty calories. Again, I would like to ask, how many of the students actually wake-up with their mother cooking breakfast or at least insist that they take something to jumpstart their day.  As a teacher, I think it is also my concern how many of the boys and girls actually have mothers or fathers who would take time preparing their breakfast and lunch in the morning. The mere act of waking up early and preparing the food is a good indicator of parenting style. Or is it more correct to say that times have changed and that students prefer lunch money over lunch box? 

Why do we need to bother ourselves with what and how our students eat? As educators, we have the duty to make sure that their character building is holistic and that we can assume that they would mature as well-rounded personalities once they leave the portals of our institution. Our school canteen also has the great responsibility to augment whatever is neglected at home. Meal habits, palate preferences, and eating manners are more than nutrition and discipline. What we eat makes us what we are. How we eat determines who we are. 

If you are an educator, have you had a Ratatouille moment?

What about the children in your care?

Do you think they have? will they ever have? 

What educators can learn from Mamasapano massacre

As a patriotic and nationalistic Filipino, what do you think about this video?
from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTNNwP-Iobc

How about this?



from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5XlPdJr-2w

"arrogance" "doublespeak" "lack of leadership"

"should take responsibility" "fiasco"

These are harsh words, in fact, disgusting as well as insulting, for a nation who put their hope and thrust in a president who proved to be a weakling. For a man whose parents are heroes but instead takes after a sister who blemished the family's reputation, who would be proud to have Pnoy as a leader and father of a nation? If a student would honestly tell what he/she thinks about the ambiguity of Pnoy's stand, how should a Filipino educator respond?

The Mamasapano issue is a very good material and now is an ideal teachable moment for almost all subject areas to infuse values and morality. For a "highly respectable person" he should not have acted like a young brat when he berated some members of the clergy in front of the Holy Father. When he attended a ribbon cutting ceremony instead of grieving for the Fallen 44, I asked myself if Pnoy simply lacks sensitivity or he lacks common sense; maybe he lacks both. For a student to ask a teacher, "Bakit po sinasabing walang delikadesa si Pnoy at si Purisima?" it means we adults must have done something right in forming the young. As for what our president and his friends are doing, we still need to ask, what kind of education has the Catholic schools and the Filipino society have done to create such monsters?

A leader must know where his loyalty lies, in his friends whom he trusted? from whom he owes his success or to what is right and true? For teachers who needed to reprimand students, it is easy to use school policies as bases of our arguments. However, we sometimes find ourselves too emotional because some students remind us of our own personal issues. In the process of redeeming our self esteem, we forget that our duty is to help the young rectify their mistakes and renew their self-worth. Instead, we lose our dignity by allowing us to compromise our principle  and unconsciously lose our dignity. Let us remember that every white lie that we allow our students to make or any laxity for discipline that we tend to dismiss, puts our students at risk of losing their soul to the devil. For educators, most especially those who hold administrative position, keeping our integrity and upholding the truth becomes more difficult. In any organization, relationships tend to become political at some degree. Even the president highlighted his personal relationship and his "utang na loob" and "pinagsagmahan" when Purisima resigned as PNP director.


from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6GvGLnMhxA

The Mamasapano incident only shows us that when a leader rules with dishonesty and inconsistency; when persons in charge refuse to take full responsibility or protects on the basis of personal reasons; when the ambiance has become too toxic because of so much deception, and when the standards become compromised, an organization is headed for doom. If we know that our colleague is already committing a disgrace, should we keep mum about it or should we make our own sacrifice for the sake of what is right and true? Would you be like Pnoy or would you lose a friend to save your own dignity? As role models, educators must always uphold truth and justice.  In the enterprise we find ourselves - that is, EDUCATION, how difficult it is to encourage every stakeholder to follow the same level of professional ethics. However, regardless of the social changes or social mores, Christian values remain steadfast and we should never forget that when we deal with moral values, we must keep in mind that we are like stewards of the future. Whatever our students become in the future, me must have taken part in their journey.

There are protocols in the workplace simply because they keep things in order and to provide a system for transparency. As a Catholic educator and as a true Christian, each of us has the responsibility to choose between truths and uphold what is good and just for all. I have never read a Catholic reference that says "we have the liberty to choose between good and evil" for true freedom applies only when we are discerning between two truths. As a teacher, and molder of future leaders, what is the message of the Fallen 44 to you?

ICT: Issues, Challenges and Implications

In 2005, Valdez enumerated concerns relevant to the challenges of technology use in the classroom. These concerns are (1) some technology may become distraction for students , (2) technology is just one variable while many others also need to be addressed, (3) teacher competency is problematic, and (4) students and teachers have unclear, often inconsistent, expectations of technology use. Furthermore, Valdez emphasized that to achieve statistically significant effect sizes, schools must make certain that (1) that there is appropriate software, sufficient technology support and maintenance, (2) technology use is aligned with learning expectations, and most important of all (3) teachers are equipped with the competencies to effectively model and teach exemplary use of technology. On the contrary, Clark, Yates, Early and Moulton (2009) presented “direct, evidence-based argument that, while media provided economic benefits for training organizations, they have not and will not influence learning, motivation, or work performance. This conclusion challenges the relevance of ICT as an educational tool. Bingimlas (2009) clarifies this contradicting views and the answer is that despite the numerous advantages, there are barriers that hinder the effective integration of ICT into education. The major barriers were lack of confidence, lack of competence, and lack of access to resources. These three barriers are critical components of technology integration; therefore, teachers must be provided with software and hardware ICT resources, professional development program, sufficient time and technical support.

UNESCO declares that ICT is instrumental for the realization of “universal access to education, equity in education, the delivery of quality learning and teaching, teachers’ professional development and more efficient education management, governance and administration”. Furthermore, the UNESCO website claims that its approach in promoting ICT in education is holistic and comprehensive. It is quite imperative that any ICT program associated with education must be assessed in view of these attributes. The challenges – barriers, difficulties, weaknesses are related to access to ICT, competency of teachers, efficiency of ICT management and administration for educative purposes and the over-all monitoring and evaluation system of ICT use. According also to UNESCO, the quality of teachers and their professional education is the key to the achievement of quality education. Yet, the quality of teacher education and the status of their continuous professional education remains one of the most pressing challenges across the globe, which UNESCO believes must be addressed to cope with the world need for 9.1 million new teachers to reach internationally agreed target by 2015.

As proof of its commitment for the upliftment of education, UNESCO includes the “Open Educational Resources (OER)” feature in their website where teachers can access educational materials for teaching and for their own professional advancement. In addition, the UNESCO Competency Framework for Teachers is a very good document that can be used in formulating a long term plan for ICT training of teachers, implementation, monitoring and evaluation particularly on investigating the role of ICT as a contributing factor to teacher effectiveness and student learning. The competencies for teachers would actually complement the need to develop the 21^st century skills among the learners because the UNESCO framework stipulates the need to (1)  build workforces which have ICT skills to handle information and are reflective, creative and adept at

problem-solving in order to generate knowledge, (2) enable citizens to be knowledgeable and resourceful so they are able to manage their own lives effectively, and are able to lead full and satisfying lives, (3) encourage all citizens to participate fully in society and influence the decisions which affect their lives, and (4) foster cross-cultural understanding and the peaceful resolution of conflict. Furthermore, it emphasizes the balance between teachers’ ICT competencies and their ability to cascade these to their students. In accordance with the 21^st century life skills, the framework aims that ICT can provide opportunities for teachers to help the students become collaborative, problem solvers, creative learners using ICT so that they become effective citizens and members of the workforce.   The framework is summarized in the table below:

 In using the UNESCO framework for creating a master plan for teacher training and ICT program implementation in schools, it is important to consider Gilbert’s recommendations regarding quality assurance of learning in science and mathematics. According to Gilbert (2005), effective use of instructional technology calls for sufficient attention to (1) curriculum uses, (20 instructional pedagogy used, (3) assessment used, (4) sufficiency of technology and access to the Internet, and (4) ICT abilities of the teacher, especially in modeling uses of technology. Hence, UNESCO framework hopes to respond to the challenges and barriers that confront ICT use in education.

 I would like to highlight that in designing teacher training for ICT, it is very important to focus on integrating ICT in curriculum design in order to justify its use. What must be avoided is too much emphasis on teacher’s personal use of technology and Internet. The primary purpose of ICT is to reinforce learning, use technology and Internet as tools for learning. The challenge therefore for teachers is how to incorporate ICT in instruction to train students to become independent learners and responsible digital citizens. The academic supervisors must also model how to use technology and on-line sources to complement teaching and encourage a more active discussion among learners. ICT are not intended to replace the human teacher but rather present the 21^st century teacher as adaptive, creative and updated learner.

 The World Bank also enumerated several key issues on ICT in education. Here are some excerpts from the WB website. (Source: Knowledge Maps: ICTs in Education, InfoDev)

 (1) Impact on learning and achievement. It is generally believed that ICTs can empower teachers and learners, making significant contributions to learning and achievement. … However, current research on the impacts of ICTs on student achievement yields few conclusive statements, pro or con, about the use of ICTs in education.

 (2) Monitoring and evaluation .Many of the issues and challenges associated with ICTs in education initiatives are known by policymakers, donor staff, and educators. However, data on the nature and complexity of these issues remains limited because of the lack of good monitoring and evaluation tools and processes. If ICTs are to become effective and integral tools in education, and if accountability is to be demonstrated to donors and stakeholders, monitoring and evaluation must be a priority area of focus.

(3) Equity. There is a real danger that uses of ICTs can further marginalize groups already excluded or on the edge of educational practices and innovations. On the other hand, with supportive policies and careful planning and monitoring, ICTs hold out the promise of facilitating greater inclusion of such groups.

 (4) Costs Given current budgetary and resource constraints, a widespread investment in ICTs in education is probably not possible in most developing countries.

 (5) Best practices Where ICTs are used for learning, evidence suggests that they are chiefly used to present and disseminate information, as tools for presentation rather than the often cited promotion of “21st century skills.” It is clear that much more information is needed on the ICT components of donor-supported projects, including how ICTs are actually being used to support educational objectives. In addition, this information needs to be better incorporated into the planning and delivery of new ICT projects.

(6) Tools new technologies are introduced, it is critical that their cost and impact in various educational situations is thoroughly examined. While evidence shows that it is the actual application of the ICT tool that is the most important determinant of its effectiveness for educational purposes, the choice of tools is quite large, and each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages.

 (7) Teachers and teaching While traditional teacher leadership skills and practices are still important, teachers must also have access to relevant, timely, and on-going professional development. They must have the time and resources to explore this new knowledge base and develop new skills. Shifting pedagogies, redesigning curriculum and assessment tools, and providing more autonomy to local schools all contribute to the optimal use of ICTs in education.

 (8) Content and curriculum. Experience shows that unless electronic educational resources are directly related to the curriculum, and to the assessment methods used to evaluate educational outcomes (especially standardized testing), ICT interventions may not have positive educational impacts.

 (9) Policy. Some of the key policy questions revolve around access, equity, finance, and best practices in scaling-up. This issue of timing is an important one as educators and policymakers operate with an eye to longer-term educational goals.

Despite the many challenges and issues that prevent the full and successful implementation of ICT, Sipin, Espiritu and Malabanan (n.d.) still provide several points for promising future of ICT in the Philippines. According to their paper, the Philippines has been identified in 2004 by AT Kearney as among the world’s 25 most attractive destinations for ICT and has the potential to be a major global service provider. This potential is actually a reality. The Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council of the Philippines (ITECC) categorizes ICT-based services into (1) “ICT services”—tasks requiring in‐depth knowledge of computer programming and programming languages, networks, and software programs—and (2) “ICT‐enabled services,” or services delivered over telecommunication networks or the Internet to a range of business areas. In the latter group, technology is used as a tool or an enabler, and the functions tend to be labor - intensive. Sipin, et.al concludes that for the Philippine context, the promising areas are software development, animation, call-centers, medical and legal transcription, and business processing outsourcing.  These areas are no longer promising but flourishing already considering that a media giant already put up an animation production facility in the country, that the call-center and outsourcing industries are big contributor to the economy and that some medical institutions are already envisioning the Philippines to be at par with other Asian countries in terms of medical tourism.

 So what are the implications of these challenges? For the administration of teacher training institutions and centers for continuous professional education, it is important to think about how to cope with the fast pace of ICT advancement and how to balance it with reinventing pedagogy. For the basic education institutions, the STEM strand of the senior high school will definitely need a very good ICT program. Another concern would be how to make informed decisions regarding ICT investments. Every educational institution must conduct a needs assessment before procuring technology. ICT must be a tool for curriculum delivery rather than becoming the curriculum itself. For a simple classroom teacher who competes with technology and internet for student attention, then the challenge is model its educational uses and to motivate the students to use them responsibly. One of the 21^st century skills is that of being a life-long learner. Science is an ever expanding body of knowledge, as well as, a process that keeps on evolving. Hence, a science teacher must reflect how ICT will transform his/her role in the classroom.

 References

 Bingimlas, Khalid Abdullah. (2009). Barriers to the Successful Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. 2009, 5(3), 235-245.  Retrieved Nov. 25, 2014 from http://www.ejmste.com/v5n3/eurasia_v5n3_bingimlas.pdf

 Clark, R. E., Yates, K., Early, S. & Moulton, K. (2009). An Analysis of the Failure of Electronic Media and Discovery-based learning:  Evidence for the performance benefits of Guided Training Methods.  In Silber, K. H. & Foshay, R. (Eds.). Handbook of Training and Improving Workplace Performance, Volume I: Instructional Design and Training Delivery. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 263-297. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2014 from http://www.cogtech.usc.edu/publications/clark_etal_2009_analysis_of_the_failure_of_electronic_media.pdf

 Sipin, Glenn L., Espiritu, Jose Lloyd D, and Malabanan, Oliver A. (n.d.) Issues on the Philippines’ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Competitiveness

Retrieved Nov. 25, 2014 from http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/research/centers/aki/_pdf/_concludedProjects/_volumeI/Sipinetal.pdf

 UNESCO. (2014). ICT in Education. Retreived Nov. 24, 2014 from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/

 UNESCO (2013) ICT Competency Framework for Teachers Retrieved Nov. 25, 2014 from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002134/213475e.pdf

 Valdez, Gilbert (2005). Critical Issue: Technology, A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom. Retrieved Nov. 24, 2014 from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te600.pdf

 World Bank. (2013). ICT and Education – Key Issues. Retrieved Nov. 25, 2014 from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,contentMDK:20533883~menuPK:617610~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386~isCURL:Y,00.html

Web-based Courses for Science Educators

Coursera is a very good resource for teaching materials, as well as, for professional development of teachers and the best thing about it is that it is free with certificate of completion given for those who successfully passed. Different professors from esteemed universities all over the world organize their video lectures in such a way that they are engaging, updated and loaded with relevant examples. Although these on-line courses are especially designed for adult learners, the courser staff actually considered the fact that many high school and college students enroll in the courses. Before enrolling at UPOU, I took several classes on Genetics, Evolution, Psychology, Research and Critical Thinking and such experience really prepared me for the modality of UPOU’s modality. Not only that, many of the web resources, figures, and readings used in coursera can be used for high school classes and so I got to use many of these materials in my own classes. For those who are interested, the courser website is www.coursera.org. Khan Academy is another popular site for on-line courses but I have not yet tried it. The website is www.khanacademy.org. For me the advantages of exploring these kind of web resource is not only to gain additional instructional materials but participating in the on-line courses, as a teacher myself, gives me a comprehensive perspective of how education should be delivered in the 21^st century. For instance, in the on-line courses that I’ve participated, I got tremendous ideas as to how instruction, lecture, and assessment are designed in other universities and so I get to experience and understand what it means to be global. Another advantage, particularly for science content which is updated at a very fast rate, on-line courses is a very good platform to look at disciplinary traditions at a different perspective, be clarified on new discoveries as well as being able to enrich my repertoire as a classroom teacher. Furthermore, the diversity of courses offered in coursera include mentoring, science teaching, organizational development and many others that educators would find very useful. In fact, I was able to get new materials for the NGSS, 21^st century skills and assessment through the e-links that are incorporated in the coursea video-lectures. Probably the most useful course that I participated in was two courses on climate change. The only challenge is the reliability of internet access because although these on-line courses are free, if one would really want to learn then the due dates for submission of assignments and completion of on-line quiz must be taken seriously.

Television Programs and other Websites for Science Teachers

Aside from the usual youtube videos that are linked to educational channels, I personally recommend the following as very good source of instructional materials.   Most of the time, when I come across an educational video on youtube, I either search for the website of origin or institution who sponsored the youtube channel. I personally prefer getting materials from these institutionally-sponsored website that are more reliable rather than get videos that are just made as a school project or personal blogs linked to youtube.

(1)   The National Geographic has a special webpage for education - http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/?ar_a=1 where teachers can have access to videos, worksheets, and even lesson plans. There are also links for professional development including access to on-line courses.

(2)   Discovery Education whose website can be accessed from http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ is part of the Discovery Communication conglomerate, the same group that includes Discovery Channel. In this website, there are free curriculum materials including lesson plans, worksheets and links to facts and figures that can be used in designing activities and assessment.

(3)   Resources provided by PBS Channel can be downloaded from http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/. What is good about this website is that you can search for materials according to standards. There is also a link to webinars that can be accessed as a personal initiative for professional development.

(4)   Another good resource website linked to television program would be http://www.bbc.co.uk/education of the BBC-UK. There are curriculum resources including activities, quizzes, videos, and lab demonstrations classified according to standards and grade levels.

Aside from the above mentioned, there are two web-based resources that I find very useful in my personal practice. In fact, I actually requested and received hardcopies of the modules and the accompanying CD and DVDs for the institutions sponsoring the websites. For biology teachers, there are two websites that are really very generous and up-to-date in terms of the content and links although both are US-based.

(5)   The  Howard Hughes Medical Institute whose free materials can be downloaded from http://www.hhmi.org/educational-materials. Many of these curriculum materials include an actual lecture of a scientist or medical researcher that can be used as a springboard for class discussion and activities. Each lecture is accompanied with a suggested lesson plan, worksheets, teacher’s guides, additional videos/animation and posters. 

(6)   Another excellent source is the website of the National Institute of Health. Their Science Resource webpage http://www.nih.gov/science/education.htm includes downloadable curriculum materials – complete modules on health and health related science topics from K to12. Their modules are also good models for the 5E constructivist approach to instruction.

As additional resource that can be used by both teachers and students, I recommend the http://www.ck12.org/teacher/ website. In this portal, a teacher can form study groups for students and design review assignments according to standards and topics discussed in class. What is good about this is that it is used both as a class portal and as source of instructional materials.  There are also free ebooks on this site.

We must not forget that our very own DOST also has a number of resources that we can use such as facts and figures accessible from the http://courseware.dost.gov.ph/ and http://noah.dost.gov.ph/

Some of the local television shows that can be used in science teaching would be AHA! and  Ibilib of GMA7. However, the themes of each episode is varied and not as comprehensive as its foreign counterparts. The Constel science video series are still useful although they must be supplemented by faster-paced and more in-depth application exercises. Excerpts from these series can be used either as a pre-lab demonstration or as conclusion to recap teacher’s explanation. Another way of using such would be to assess whether the students got the correct explanation or conclusion at the end of an experiment; through which, students can compare their ideas with that from the excerpt.

Social media, etc. as educational platforms

There are endless possibilities for social networking sites as educative platforms. Allow me to share some of the things that I explored with my students. Almost 95% of my students have internet access at home and whenever I take a survey at the start of the semester, much of their time on the internet is spent on fb, twitter, Instagram, and computer games. In other words, internet is used for leisure and for casual conversations. In order to encourage them to use the internet and appreciate the value of social media for educative purpose I’ve tried on the following and I am proud to say that these initiatives are very promising.

(1)   Last year, when we discussed the important events in the history of physics, I used a research article about the Atomic Bomb. My Grade 8 students made their own blogs to present their stand about ethical issues on the use of science and technology.

(2)   Also last year, I asked my Grade 10 and 8 students to participate in an on-line interview about diet and lifestyle and then make a reflection paper about the experience. Our lesson for this activity was on nutrition, BMI, and diet-related diseases.

(3)   Just recently, I uploaded on my blog an editorial about the culture of responsibility discussed in the light of doing research experiments involving ebola victims. I asked my students to post their answers to the guide questions and comment on each other’s posts.

(4)   In progress is the take-home unit test that my Grade 9 students must upload in my class wiki. They are supposed to google a recent article or upload an ebook excerpt, highlight the metabolic pathway and suggest practical applications or possible research interest. I can’t wait to see their answers.

[visit our class wiki at http://haynayan.wikispaces.com/]

There are a lot more possibilities for social media and web-based portals. They are, in fact, good avenues to encourage civic responsibility and intellectual curiosity. As educators, I think we must try to encourage our students to use the internet, in general, as a tool to communicate for the common good, to advance our knowledge, to participate in advocacies, and to demonstrate social responsibility. Young people are so engrossed with technology that we must channel their energy into something that are more meaningful. I limit my internet-based activities into only 2 per year because my school setting cannot allow special schedules for our computer laboratory so students are forced to either work at home or bring their own laptop in school. Another thing to consider is that a number of my students do not have internet at home and they can only use the library computers for limited time in the afternoon. Also, I do not want my students to use my assignments as excuse for them to go to an internet shop, café or mall where there is free wi-fi.

Perhaps in the near future, I can have the opportunity to explore the following:

ü  Use the surveymonkey [https://www.surveymonkey.com/] as a tool to survey misconceptions, assess prior knowledge and elicit feedbacks and suggestions from my students

ü  Utilize the googleearth for virtual field trips

ü  Use Instagram and twitter or any other social media for a class advocacy such as environmentalism and promoting green lifestyle

ü  Work with my students in tapping the useability of social media, youtube, blog, wiki and other websites to collaborate with other teachers and students in other countries – a sort of global competency project

ü  Explore the Flipped Classroom approach in my instruction

 

Some Points to consider when using web-based and non-print media materials.

(1)   We must remember that they are instructional materials and we are the human teacher in the classroom. They should not be the be-all and end-all of everything that we do as educators. These materials are designed to suit a particular curriculum and in accordance to pre-set standards. We have our own set of curriculum standards and content and therefore it is imperative that we use the materials according to how it would suit our curriculum and how it will address the needs of our learners.

(2)   Regardless how comprehensive or how interactive these instructional materials are, the teachers must still think about how to customize their use. For example, a curriculum packet is designed with the assumption that it address a certain set of standards and needs of a teacher. However, it does not mean that it must be used as a straight-jacket. Common sense would tell us that a teacher who knows her craft will find ways to use these materials according to how she/he deems it appropriate rather than following it like a recipe in a cookbook.

(3)   We must use these materials to facilitate learning and to help our students develop a value system that appreciates others, make connections, and find educative usefulness of technology. For example, educational videos may replace a teacher’s input but it means that the teacher must find ways to guide the learners see different points from the lecture, ask questions, add explanations, etc. There must always a pre-viewing, viewing and post-viewing task to ensure that these materials are used tools for learning rather than become the main subject of learning.

(4)   The internet with lots of free access and downloads would be very engaging and enticing. In fact, if the internet connection is excellent, surfing and downloading would take up so much time and therefore a teacher can have the tendency to just rely on the internet and once accustomed to easy access may easily become handicapped when faced with just a simple technical glitch. Technology can encourage laziness of the teachers. There is a great tendency that library and media center resources can be put aside because everything can be downloaded from just one click on the computer without needing to get out from the faculty room. In using technology and in utilizing ready-made curriculum material packages, the attitude of the teacher must not be that of a mere consumer but more importantly that of an innovator. Once a teacher come across with a material then he/she must be able to say “what if I use such like such and as such?”. For instance, there are print materials in the library that can be used to replace those that are downloaded – same purpose and same technique but different tools. Another possibility would be to use videos as example or to replace lab demonstrations. Students, guided by the teacher, can go to the field or in the laboratory and design an investigation inspired by the video.

(5)   Lastly, as educators, end-user and creator of instructional materials, we must always uphold the ethics of digital citizenship. Whenever we present a video, distribute a worksheet, or present a powerpoint, we must always make sure that sources are properly cited. Students are penalized for plagiarism so teachers must be models of honesty and integrity.

 References

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/the-problem-with-technology-in-schools/2013/01/28/cf13dc6c-6963-11e2-ada3-d86a4806d5ee_blog.html

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te600.htm

http://edtechtimes.com/2013/11/06/top-5-problems-technology-education-today/