Public school students will have “techie” teachers
NEXT SCHOOL YEAR’S SURPRISE
STA. BARBARA— Students of public schools in the third district will be pleasantly surprised to see a different set of teachers, not physically, but technology savvy teachers who can speak the language of computer whiz kids.
This will be made possible by a partnership program initiated by Third District Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas with the Foothill College in California, USA to implement a teaching program to help public secondary school teachers learn about communication technology that they can apply in their teaching.
The free two-week crash course training program for some 105 teachers that began on April 1 is being handled by a six-man team of experts form the American college.
“This is a program to help teachers learn about technology, to enhance what they can do, more effective, more engaging for their students,” Rushton Hurley, one of the instructors told The PUNCH in an interview at the Daniel Maramba National High School here where the training is being held.
Hurley is joined by Kimberly Randall, Leslie Fisher, John Sowash, Stacy Hollingsworth and Gertrude Gregorio for this first-of-its kind project in partnership in the province made possible by a P10-million grant from Rep. Arenas’s Priority Development Assistance Fund.
The teacher-scholars will be taught effective use of digital media tools and other collaborative tools in innovative ways. Once they complete the course, the trained teachers will not only be able to connect with other teachers around the world and share ideas, but they will learn to draw out talents of their students in the use of technology is to see new possibilities for themselves.
“That’s what’s exciting,” Hurley said.
In her speech during the opening program, Arenas recalled how she was inspired by the possibilities that the training module presented to teachers in the district when she visited Foothill College in California.
“I wanted the program for you so you can see for yourselves new techniques and methods of teaching so that in turn, you may impart to your students a new and progressive way of learning,” she told the teachers.
The project was borne out of a meeting between Gertrude Gregorio, project consultant of the Foothill College Scholarship, and Philippine Consul General, Jun Paynor, to discuss the development of a program that would bring 21st century teaching inside the Philippine classrooms.
“Her proposal made me realize that we can improve the quality of education by leaps and bounds through this training,” Arenas said.
She thanked the Department of Trade and Industry for its aggressive campaign for human resource management and capacity-building in information communication technology that made it possible for her to bring the team from Foothill College to Pangasinan.
After the teachers’ two-week intensive classroom training, a six to seven-month online or internet-assisted follow-through monitoring will follow through a secure and exclusive professional learning community website which will be kept active for the duration of the project.
The trained teachers’ students will expectedly improve learning math and science.
Foothill College is in the heart of Silicon Valley. It is named one of California’s best community colleges.—Eva Visperas
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