Improving PH student scores in international assessments

[Lee]

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BARELY a month after taking office, the new education secretary has decided to take the bull by the horns. Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara has signed an agreement with an online education nonprofit to help improve our students' scores in the 2025 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) examinations. Our students landed at the bottom of this assessment, an embarrassment for what was once a leader of education in Asia.

Khan Academy will provide learning materials to an estimated 1,000 public schools in the country. It is a US-based nonprofit that was founded by educator Salman Khan. Secretary Angara said the project would boost the competencies of Filipino students.

However, the improved results may not immediately show in the 2025 edition of the tests but only in the next four years or around 2029. This project will attempt to boost competency, which takes at least three years to do. But it seems to be headed in the right direction. Some Filipino students are already using Khan Academy's learning modules, as shown on its YouTube channel and its separate digital app.

The logic behind the project is that since many Filipino students already spend a lot of time online, then it would not be difficult for them to access and learn from the modules of Khan Academy. Reportedly, our students spend a lot of online time playing games like Minecraft, Roblox and Mobile Legends. They also source many of their assignments from YouTube tutorials and videos.

Khan Academy's YouTube channel already has 8.17 million subscribers. Its videos have also been viewed more than 2 billion times.

The digital learning materials from Khan Academy will focus on mathematics, science and reading. These are the three subjects where Filipino students were laggards when compared with other students globally.

In theory, the bite-sized learning modules will help our teachers impart learning better. Studies have shown that learning happens best when the lessons are given in small doses, followed by an enrichment exercise or short presentation. The modules will also allow our students to take in the subjects and understand them in a way that is already familiar to them. Moreover, there are practice exercises after each module, with the exercises aligned to real-world and practical issues.

However, the country still suffers from weak internet connectivity. Some schools do not even have computers for their students' use. Thus, in remote areas of the country, the project will face the issues that have long hounded the public school system. Aside from the slow internet and lack of computers, there is also the reality of overworked teaching and non-teaching personnel.

One way to mitigate the problem is to offer an omnichannel marketing approach. This is a marketing approach where the consumers are given a seamless and unified brand experience, regardless of which channel they use or prefer.

This means that aside from the online project, the Department of Education should strengthen alternative learning systems to cater to schools with weak internet and a lack of computers.

One way is to show educational videos like the programs in "Batibot" or the Knowledge Channel.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines also has videos of "Noli Me Tangere" and "El Filibusterismo," from the TV series directed by the late National Artist Eddie Romero. These two novels are required reading for junior and senior high school students. They also have videos of "Ibong Adarna" and "Florante at Laura," which are required for the early years of high school.

Watching flickering images based on books is an excellent way for students to absorb narrative and logic and develop their creative thinking skills. But first, the students have to read the old printed texts, most of which can be found in the school libraries. Local governments can also beef up their municipal libraries with new books and multimedia materials on math, science and reading. They can also ask for book donations from embassies.

The DepEd has also listened to the public pulse and will now hire more administrative staff to ease the teachers' workload. Secretary Angara said that some schools still lack administrative assistants despite the hiring of 5,000 additional non-teaching staff.

Moreover, the DepEd chief said that some of the teachers were reportedly "overwhelmed" during the pilot implementation of the Matatag curriculum last week. Revisions will be done after collating the feedback on the curriculum.

The Department of Education is like a work-in-progress that is taking a long time to finish. But small, sure steps like these point in the right direction.

 

Improving PH student scores in international assessments (msn.com)

[Mike J]

Hopefully a step in the right direction.  There is still the problem of lack of budget which means too few classrooms, materials, computers, etc.   It would be nice to stop seeing time spent singing, synchronized dancing, marching, preparing for festivals, etc.   Spoke with a teacher last week who said students in her school spent a full two weeks getting ready for the  Sinulog festival competition.  Last year we hosted a group of youth and two teachers who were competing in a national badminton tournament starting at barangay level, then towns, etc. to a national tournament.  They were not taking any classes and were in week three of the tournament. 

Was curious about the author's statement "Our students landed at the bottom of this assessment, an embarrassment for what was once a leader of education in Asia."  After a bit of searching it appears this was during Spanish rule.  So this was well over a century ago.

From Wikipedia <snip>Spanish education played a major role in that transformation. The oldest universities, colleges, and vocational schools, dating as far back as the late 16th century were created during the colonial period, as well as the first modern public education system in Asia, established in 1863. By the time Spain was replaced by the United States as the colonial power, Filipinos were among the most educated peoples in all of Asia and the Pacific, boasting one of the highest literacy rates in that continent. Simultaneously, the knowledge of Filipinos about neighboring cultures receded.[1]<end snip>

[scott h]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

It would be nice to stop seeing time spent

What about just being in the classroom?

Not having school age kids, I am courious to know from those that do. I live next door to a well known, quality k-12 private school, down the street from a national high school and two 8-12 (I think) "colleges" (my wife, her siblings and my nieces all attended there) and not to far from a public elementary school. So when school is in session, we see nothing but school uniforms on the streets. But post pandemic it seems that there is no school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, are they all on distance learning? Is this common?

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

created during the colonial period, as well as the first modern public education system in Asia

 

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

boasting one of the highest literacy rates in that continent

What? Huh? Wait what? Hold on there! I thought colonialism was the root of all the problems facing the Philippines.  

[Lee]

3 hours ago, Lee said:

The logic behind the project is that since many Filipino students already spend a lot of time online, then it would not be difficult for them to access and learn from the modules of Khan Academy

The logic might be flawed a bit here.

It might not be difficult for them to access school modules online but where is the incentive for them to do so?

[Tommy T.]

5 hours ago, Mike J said:

There is still the problem of lack of budget which means too few classrooms, materials, computers, etc. 

Mike... From numerous discussions with my partner, L, there is plenty of budget money available. However it is going into places that are not spoken about and it simply disappears. L and some of her co-teachers have shelled out their own personal funds to provide subject matter from online, their own personal computers, TV monitors for presentations and more. Most teachers who are well qualified (there are some who are not, of course) are under appreciated and overworked with endless paperwork and reports. A few weeks ago I asked L about the largesse that was supposed to become available and delivered to schools around the country after being held hostage because DepEd was supposedly not paying for the materials. She said nothing has ever trickled down to her school or others that she is familiar with.

However, yes, as many have mentioned here, there are way too many dancing, singing and other presentations that divert attention from true classroom and book (online) learning.

I will go further now that I am on a roll... L told me that sometimes she gives a bit of her own food to some of the neediest kids or gives them some money to go out and buy rice and maybe something else. Many of the kids come from very poor families who can barely support themselves, not to mention support kids going to school. Yes, the problem can also be traced back to too many kids, too many pregnancies and not much responsibility from boyfriends/husbands who help make babies then do runners...

I will add this too. Recently DepEd, in their infinite wisdom, changed the curriculum rules. Now classes are only 45 minutes long so they can have more classes for new topics. L teaches MAPEH. One of those courses is PhysEd. Now she tells me it is very difficult to teach a proper class. The kids need maybe 5 minutes to prepare - changing into proper clothes - then do whatever the exercises are, then take another 5 minutes to change back to regular school attire. That leaves maybe 30 minutes +/- for the learning. And now L is expected to teach more classes daily since there are more time slots allocated.

According to her, there are now three "shifts" of teachers and classes. Hers is 6am to 2:15pm. There is another from 8am to something like 5pm, and then another from some time in the afternoon until 8pm. She said there are plenty of teachers, but just too few classrooms.

Okay, I think I am done now for a while.

Edited August 6 by Tommy T.
Further thoughts

[Tommy T.]

So now we know that PhysEd and dancing practice pays off here? Well, congratulations to this winning athlete!!!

Cut and pasted from MSN.com

"A gold medal gymnast from the Philippines has been receiving more than just bragging rights for his accomplishment.

Carlos E Yulo, 24, made history on Saturday, August 3 as the first male Olympic gold medalist in the history of the Philippines after winning the floor exercise event in men’s gymnastics. Yulo went on to receive another gold medal one day later for his vault routine. Since completing these difficult achievements, various companies have chimed in to make Yulo’s victory even more special.

To accomplish his wins, Yulo scored an average of 15.116 on the vault on Sunday, August 4, as he beat out Armenia’s Artur Davtyan (14.966) and Britain’s Harry Hepworth (14.949). For his floor exercise he scored 15 points, beating the defending Olympic champion Artem Dolgopyat from Israel by only 0.034 of a point.

One prize gifted to the Olympian was a two-bedroom condo in McKinley Hill township near the country’s capital of Manila. The Filipino real estate company Megaworld announced earlier this month that they would give away these condos to Olympians from the country that specifically retired with a gold medal. Yulo is the only person to have done so.

“This 2024, we are celebrating our 100th year of participating in the Olympic Games, and what a way to celebrate this milestone than by recognizing the superb competitive spirit of our newest Olympic gold medalist and welcoming them to McKinley Hill,” the company’s president, Lourdes T Gutierrez-Alfonso, said in their press release.

"As one of the most celebrated addresses in Fort Bonifacio, McKinley Hill is home to several world-class athletes, including members of the Philippine national teams for basketball and football. This makes it a perfect home for Filipino champions who live a life of passion and excellence through and through.”

The gold medalist was also offered various cash prizes including 10 million Philippine pesos, which is the equivalent of $173,300 while the country’s House of Representatives pledged to give Yulo an additional six million pesos for his achievements.

Various chain restaurants throughout the country have also decided to participate in celebrating Yulo’s gold medals by offering lifetime supplies of ramen, macaroni and cheese, and grilled chicken.

One gastroenterologist gave Yulo free consultations and colonoscopies for life while the University of Mindanao has offered him free college credits if he decides that he wants to go back to school.

Speaking to the BBC, the mayor of Yulo’s hometown in Manila is beginning to plan a “hero’s welcome” for him once the Olympics conclude.

“The grandest welcome will greet him and all our Paris Olympians. When we meet him, we will present Carlos Yulo cash incentives, awards and symbols of the eternal gratitude of the proud capital city of the Philippines,” the city’s mayor, Honey Lacuna, said according to the outlet.

Speaking shortly after his win on the vault, Yulo admitted how shocked he was to even receive a medal at all. “I was just hoping to perform well. I didn’t really expect a medal,” he told reporters at the time.

“It really felt like a bonus for me. It’s crazy, because last night I couldn’t sleep. I was so hyped because I had won that gold medal [the day before].”

Edited August 8 by Tommy T.

[hk blues]

And now there's reports of unrest with the mother around money.

Didn't take long! 

[Tommy T.]

7 minutes ago, hk blues said:

And now there's reports of unrest with the mother around money.

Didn't take long! 

Oh really? Please divulge?

[Lee]

Here is what I found about Yulos mother

Yulo’s mother attributes strained relationship with son to his girlfriend

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Angelica Poquiz Yulo, the mother of gymnast Carlos Yulo, ascribed the deterioration of her relationship with her son to his girlfriend, content creator Chloe San Jose.

Phil News reported that during a media interaction, Angelica charged that San Jose exploited her son. This perception has contributed to the tension between Angelica and Carlos.

Consequently, despite Carlos winning two gold medals at the Paris Olympics 2024, Angelica has not yet congratulated him on his Olympic achievements, as noted by The Filipino Times.

Furthermore, she reposted a news item on her Facebook supporting a Japanese gymnast who competed against Carlos, along with a message cheering for Japan during the Olympic Games.

She has also been actively supporting her other children—Jorielgel, Karl Eldrew, and Elaiza—on social media by sharing their photos and videos with affectionate captions.

In response, some social media users commented on Carlos’ victories as being "karma" for Angelica’s actions because although she showed support for Japan, her son was hailed as the big winner.

"Also a slap to his Mom who disowned him," commented a Facebook user.

Reports suggest this isn’t the first instance of speculated conflict between Carlos and his mother, as last June, Angelica posted about her children but notably omitted Carlos and mentioned in the comments that she couldn’t tag him because she had blocked him.

According to sources, alleged tension between the gymnast and his mother is believed to stem from financial disputes, with speculations that Angelica and other family members had improperly handled Carlos’ earnings.

In an interview with the Filipino radio network Bombo Radyo, Angelica explained that she had deposited Carlos’ incentive money into a bank account, which was subsequently frozen. She clarified that she had not spent the money but planned to withdraw it after a two-year period to avoid penalties. She admitted to using only a "portion" of Carlos’ funds, which she described as minimal relative to his total earnings.

Carlos, 24, is the second Filipino to win an Olympic gold medal and the first to win multiple golds after triumphing in men’s floor and vault at this year’s Paris Olympics.

He is set to receive numerous awards from the Philippine government, including a monetary reward of 10 million pesos (US$172,966) and a two-bedroom condo unit valued at 24 million pesos in Manila’s McKinley Hill urban development, as reported by the South China Morning Post.

 

https://e.vnexpress.net/news/life/celebrities/filipino-olympic-champion-carlos-yulo-s-mother-attributes-strained-relationship-with-son-to-his-girlfriend-4778746.html

 

 

[hk blues]

1 hour ago, Tommy T. said:

Oh really? Please divulge?

I only knew about it because one of my students mentioned it this morning but upon checking there are plenty of reports online about it. 

He made a TikTok video (well, of course) about it apparently.  Something about her withdrawing money from his bank account without telling him, not disclosing he'd won prize money etc.