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.
0 Comments