CLRD introduced

NISMED is introducing Collaborative Lesson Research and Development (CLRD), a school-based model of continuing professional development for teachers. This is an adaptation of lesson study which originated in Japan. The aim of CLRD is to ultimately improve student learning by enhancing the competence of teachers as they collaboratively plan, implement, and improve lessons guided by a long-term goal and subgoals that they formulate.

Dr. Erlina Ronda (extreme right) meets with the High School Mathematics 1
CLRD Group of Sta. Lucia High School composed of (from left to right)
Annie Jose-department head, Eflida Tesorio, Paula Sylvia
Ronald Locasia, and Diana Santa Rosa.

A total of 19 NISMED academic staff representing eight subject areas are involved in the project. The staff in the secondary school science subject areas will be working with their counterpart teachers in North Fairview High School in Quezon City and Rizal High School in Pasig City. Meanwhile, the staff in secondary school mathematics will be collaborating with the mathematics teachers of Sta. Lucia High School in Pasig City. Through CLRD, NISMED aims to promote teaching and learning science through inquiry and teaching and learning 1mathematics through problem solving. This is in line with the emphasis of the science and mathematics curriculum frameworks for basic education which NISMED is developing.

As an initial activity to enable the schools and NISMED to develop a long-term goal and subgoals, NISMED developed a needs assessment instrument per subject area in the form of a test covering one to three topics in the first two quarters of the school year and administered it to outgoing students of the subject area in the school year 2009 to 2010. This was to determine if the students learned the most important concepts, principles, skills, and dispositions related to the topic. Results of the tests will be used as an important basis when developing unit plans with accompanying lesson plans.

The test for each subject area in science was tried out in Rizal High School. Each test was revised based on the results of the tryout. Then the revised test was administered in North Fairview High School. For mathematics, the tests were administered to two sections each per subject area in Sta. Lucia High School. Necessary revisions were done and the revised tests were administered to two sections in the same school that were not used in the tryout.

The topics covered for each subject area in science were: Year 1, Force and Energy; Year 2, Cell Structure and Function and Life Energy; Year 3, Properties and Classification of Matter, Structure of the Atom, and Atoms in the Periodic Table; Year 4, Light and Nuclear Energy. The topics for each subject area in mathematics were: Year 1, Positive and Negative Numbers; Year 2, Geometric Relations; Year 3, Quadratic Equations; and Year 4, Polynomial Functions.

A seminar-workshop for all participating teachers will be conducted on May 17 to 19, 2010 at NISMED. This is to familiarize them with NISMED’s science and mathematics curriculum frameworks, orient them on the CLRD process, make them experience teaching and learning science and mathematics through inquiry and problem solving and analyze lessons that model this approach, and to collaboratively formulate a goal and subgoals with NISMED staff.