KaSaMa Teachers Online Community wins UP Diliman Parangal

KaSaMa Teachers online community, an extension program initiated by UP NISMED, won the first UP Diliman Parangal para sa programang pang-ekstensiyon in the non-degree granting unit category held on 17 May 2016 at the Malcolm Hall, UP College of Law.

In awarding the online community, the Search Committee headed by Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development, recognized UP NISMED’s excellent use of technology in bringing to teachers in and out of the country much needed help and effective strategies in teaching science and mathematics.

The KaSaMa Team (Ms. Celia R. Balbin (2nd from left), Mr.
Michael Anthony B. Mantala, Mr. John Alex M. Reyroso, and
Ms. Ma. Dulcelina O. Sebastian (2nd from right) is joined by
Dr. Soledad A. Ulep, UP NISMED Director (3rd from right),
Dr. Fidel R. Nemenzo, Vice-Chancellor for Research and
Development (extreme left), and Chancellor Michael L. Tan,
(extreme right).

For over four years now, the online community has been carrying out its mission of leveraging technology and relationships to help teachers implement curriculum reform. It has become now, in effect, the logical go-to site not only for teachers who look for K to 12 resources but also for teachers who want to share their K to 12 resources; not only for teachers who seek help in implementing the learner materials but also for teachers who wrote the learner materials themselves.

The online community has nurtured through the years professional relationships among its members. This is key in transforming the virtual platform into a veritable forum in which members engage in conversations with one another – conversations which take shape on wide-ranging issues like curriculum reform, on immediate concerns such as how to go about an activity in the learner material, and on just about anything that affects teachers and their teaching of science and mathematics.

Previous to the awarding ceremonies, an extension colloquium featuring presentations of finalists to the Parangal was held on 29 April 2016 at the College of Mass Communication. During the colloquium, Ms. Celia R. Balbin, the program leader, presented to the UP Diliman community, the contributions of the online community to science and mathematics teachers. The other program team members include Mr. John Alex M. Reyroso, Mr. Michael Anthony B. Mantala, Ms. Ma. Dulcelina O. Sebastian, and Dr. Monalisa T. Sasing. Two other programs of the Sentro ng Wikang Filipino headed by Dr. Rommel B. Rodriguez made up the list of finalists for the non-degree granting unit category that presented in the colloquium.