NISMED conducts National Training of Trainers for Grade 10 Science Trainers

Capping four years of science training in the new K to 12 curriculum, 429 science trainers participated in the National Training of Trainers (NTOT) for Grade 10 teachers held at the National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (NISMED) on 12-17 April 2015 (for the first batch) and 27 April to 2 May 2015 (for the second batch). The first batch was composed of 208 science trainers from the nine regions of the Visayas and Mindanao; the second batch was composed of 221 science trainers from the eight regions of Luzon. 

A group of teachers collaboratively doing their assigned task in one of the workshop sessions. 

The five-day training focused on building the capacity of the trainers to enable them to train Grade 10 science teachers in their respective regions. The NTOT also gave the participants the opportunity to become familiar and conversant with the rationale, philosophy, content and performance standards, and learning competencies of the science curriculum. Moreover, the training emphasized the spiraling of science concepts as well as the development of science inquiry skills in the science curriculum.

The NTOT consisted of plenary sessions, break-out sessions, and simulation sessions. Plenary sessions were conducted to equip the participants with facilitation skills for the mass training of Grade 10 science teachers. The break-out sessions provided the participants with a walk-through for each of the four science areas which involved an explanation of spiral progression—a key feature of the K to 12 science curriculum. After the walk-through, the participants engaged in inquiry-based activities for each of the four science areas. The simulation session was a collaborative activity during which participants had the opportunity to present one of the activities they performed during the break-out sessions and to critique their selected activity and its simulation.

The participants commented very favorably on the training program. Most of the participants gave a positive feedback on the walk-through sessions of the four science areas. In fact, the most suggested improvement for future training programs is the allotment of more time for the walk-through sessions of the different science areas.

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Grade 4 science and mathematics National Training of Trainers (NTOT) conducted at NISMED

UP NISMED, in cooperation with the Bureau of Elementary Education of the Department of Education (DepEd) conducted the National Training of Trainers (NTOT) for Grade 4 Science and Mathematics. The training for 502 trainers was held at the Dolores F. Hernandez Hall, Science Teacher Training Center, UP NISMED.

Ms. Edna G. Callanta, one of the chief trainers, discussing a lesson in mathematics

The trainers were divided into two batches. The first batch of trainers was from Luzon and had their training on 7 – 12 April 2015. The second batch, consisting of trainers from Visayas and Mindanao, had their training on 19 – 24 April 2015. The training was intended to: (1) provide participants with a concrete understanding of the grade 4 curriculum, the learning standards and competencies, assessment, and teaching approaches; (2) provide the participants opportunities to acquire and demonstrate the cognitive and affective competencies they need in the effective implementation of the Grade 4 curriculum for Science and Mathematics; and, (3) ensure that the participants are properly equipped with capabilities to perform various tasks in the effective delivery of the curriculum and their role as facilitators of learning.

DepEd Secretary Br. Armin A. Luistro, FSC, welcomed the participants in a video message during the opening program. He encouraged the participants not to lose heart in the face of criticisms of the K to 12 Program, reminding them that they are now so near the “finish line.” Dr. Marilyn D. Dimaano, Director of the BEE oriented the participants about the details of the training with the support of the UP NISMED staff. The opening program was capped with a video of Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Dr. Dina S. Ocampo who gave updates on the K to 12 basic education program.

There were plenary and breakout sessions for both Science and Mathematics during the six – day workshop. Sessions consisted of discussions on the K to 12 curriculum framework for Science and Mathematics; a walk-through of learning modules and teacher’s guides; an introductory lecture on teaching Science through inquiry and teaching Mathematics through problem solving; lectures on assessment using the TIMSS framework; workshops on developing assessment items; and, critiquing/presentation of test items developed by the participants. Another plenary session on classroom assessment and rating system was held before the closing program in line with the DepEd Order No. 8 s. 2015 on “Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assessment for the K to 12 Basic Education Program.” 

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NISMED conducts training for ARMM science teachers

A total of 50 Grade 8 and 65 Grade 2 science teachers from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) participated in a four-day training program dubbed as “Support for the Management of an Improved Learning Environment (SMILE).” The training of Grade 8 science teachers was held at UP NISMED on 24-27 February 2014, while the training of Grade 2 science teachers was conducted at the Pinnacle Hotel in Davao City on 4-7 March 2014. The program was intended to serve as supplemental training on science for elementary and high school trainers under the support of the Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM - ARMM) of the Department of Education of ARMM (DepEd-ARMM) and the Australian Agency for International Development (Australian AID).

Participants arrange the bottles based on the pitch of the sound
created when struck with a spoon.

The objectives of the training conducted were to (1) explain the rationale, philosophy, and features of science and mathematics in the K to 12 curriculum; (2) show spiraling within science concepts and interconnections across concepts; (3) apply inquiry-based teaching in science, and; (4) demonstrate how content and inquiry skills are interwoven in the teaching of specific science concepts using the training modules written for Grades 2 and 8.

The training program helped to further orient ARMM trainer-participants on the new curriculum and its features, with emphasis on spiral progression and teaching science through inquiry. To develop inquiry skills that will facilitate meaningful learning of related concepts, Grade 8 teachers performed selected hands-on activities on various areas of science like Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, while Grade 2 teachers participated in the modeling sessions of inquiry-based science activities on selected topics like Sense Organs, Sounds, Weather, and Solids. NISMED trainers also had an opportunity to address misconceptions arising from the discussions and emphasize features of inquiry from the modeled science activities.

The trainer-participants are expected to conduct roll-out training sessions among all Grade 2 and 8 science teachers in various divisions in the ARMM region within the year

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NISMED teacher training caravan goes to Lucena City and Nueva Vizcaya

As part of NISMED’s activities for its Golden Anniversary Celebration, the NISMED teacher training caravan went to two places during the month of February 2015. The first training was held on 10-12 February 2015 at Lucena West I Elementary School, Lucena City, Quezon Province. It was participated by 99 elementary and high school science and mathematics teachers from the Division of Lucena City, Division of Tayabas, and Division of Quezon. The second training, which was participated by 60 elementary and high school science teachers from the Division of Nueva Vizcaya, was held on 27 February - 1 March 2015 at the Bintawan National High School, Bintawan Sur, Nueva Vizcaya. Both training caravans were sponsored by the BPI Foundation, Inc.

The participants of the teacher training caravan during the opening ceremony
at the Conference Hall of Lucena West I Elementary School, Lucena City

The NISMED teacher training caravan was designed to enhance instructional competencies of science and mathematics teachers in teaching science through inquiry and teaching mathematics through problem solving. The caravan project targeted science and mathematics teachers who have not attended any training for the last five (5) years.

The elementary school science participants of the Division of Nueva Vizcaya
during the presentation and constructive critiquing of their inquiry-based lesson plan.

In each of these trainings, the participants were grouped according to the grade levels they were teaching. To develop teachers’ instructional capacities, each group was assigned specific outputs. For elementary school science, the trainers modelled an inquiry-based science lesson which exposed the teachers to the five features of inquiry. This was followed by a workshop on collaborative development of an inquiry-based science activity, constructive critiquing, and revision. For elementary school mathematics, the participants were introduced to TIMSS-based assessment using items featured in the newly launched assessment book in mathematics of NISMED. The high school science teachers were given supplementary training on teaching science through inquiry for Grades 7 and 8.

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First public lecture for 2015 held

As a continuing activity for NISMED’s Golden Anniversary celebration of NISMED, the first public lecture for the year 2015 was held on the 14th of May at the Dolores F. Hernandez Hall, UP NISMED. The lecture was attended by 387 participants, most of whom were science and mathematics pre-service and in-service teachers. The activity was the 5th in the series of public lectures held from the kick-off for the 50thAnniversary. The public lecture series aims to promote scientific and mathematical literacy and contribute to the professional development of science and mathematics teachers in the country.

The lecture was titled “Teaching and Learning Mathematics through Origami” and was delivered by Dr. Patsy Wang-Iverson, the Vice-President for Special Projects at the Gabriella and Paul Rosenbaum Foundation in the United States. Her lecture was interspersed with hands-on sessions which exposed participants to origami. Her presentation also enabled the participants to examine how origami helped students perform better in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) assessment items. 

Dr. Patsy Wang-Iverson answering participants’ questions after her lecture.

Dr. Iverson is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and was deeply involved in disseminating lessons learned from international studies, including TIMSS, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), and Progress in International Literacy Studies (PIRLS).

She is the U.S. representative to the APEC Lesson Study Project directed jointly by Thailand and Japan. She co-edited the books “Building our Understanding of Lesson Study,” “Origami 5,” “Lesson Study: Challenges in Mathematics Education (to be published in 2015), and is working on “Origami 6.”

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