Grade 5 National Training of Trainers for K to 12 Basic Education Program (BEP)

I was again so honored to be invited by the DepEd Central Office to become one of the Chief Trainers for the Grade 5 National Training of Trainers for K to 12 Basic Education Program. To be invited for the second time could somehow mean that I performed well during the last NTOT for Grade 4. I was indeed so thankful for the invitation, and immediately informed my school head, Mrs. David, about it. She was happy and proud of it and she gave her blessings that I could attend the trainings and workshops in preparation for the NTOT.

Last November 8-13, 2015, I attended the Session Guide Writeshop and orientation of Chief Trainers for the Grade 5 NTOT for the K to 12 BEP. The six-day writeshop and orientation equipped us with knowledge, skills and values on how to facilitate training sessions effectively.

I enjoyed the experience as much as I learned a lot from this writeshop and orientation together with my fellow chief trainers. It was a great experience to work and learn with them. I was even assigned to discuss the session guide for EPP-ICT and Entrepreneurship Content of our team during the critiquing, which is indeed one of the most palpitating moment of my life. Haha!

Just before the writeshop and orientation ended, we were able accomplish our session guides and training materials for the NTOT. We were instructed by our Focal Person, Dr. Rogel Doñes to wait for the invitation that will be sent in our respective stations.

The Grade 5 EPP National Training of Trainers for Luzon Cluster was held at Brentwood Apartelle last January 10-16, 2016, while the NTOT for Visayas and Mindanao Cluster was held at Eco Tech Center, Cebu City last February 6-20, 2016. Just like last year’s NTOT for Grade 4, the learning episodes I experienced this year  was also fun-filled, challenging and rewarding. I never thought that I would come to this point that I will be handling training sessions for facilitators who are even more seasoned than me. The following are the topics assigned to me by Dr. Rogel and Madam Glenda:

·         Learning Resource Management and Development System

·         EPP-ICT and Entrepreneurship Content Workshop

·         Project Method

Some moments during the National Training of Trainers – Luzon Cluster:

During the National Training of Trainers – VisMin Cluster. Do not be surprised, I am still that person. I decided last February to shave my head to prepare for the summer heat. Haha! #kalbongspeaker

The K to 12 National Training of Trainers (VisMin Cluster)

After the success of our NTOT in Luzon Cluster, we all went home to relax a bit and prepare for the NTOT for the VisMin Cluster. The two-day rest was never enough, but for the Filipino children, we needed to prepare again for a flight going to Ecotech, Cebu City, where the NTOT for Visayas and Mindanao Cluster was held.

It was afternoon of April 20, at NAIA Terminal 2, I met the EPP Training Team again. Everyone was excited and thankful for a good weather condition. And I was like a million times more excited than them because this was actually my first-ever flight (I am blushing now ha-ha).

We boarded at exactly 3:25 PM and our plane took off at exactly 4:15 PM. 

Photo op before we boarded :D

When Dr. Rogel learned that this was my first time, he insisted that I should seat at the window side for me to enjoy the view. He even reminded me to take pictures for souvenirs, and so I did:

We arrived at Mactan International Airport at exactly 5:20 PM and from there we were fetched by an official shuttle to Ecotech Center, wherein we will stay for the rest of the training. The same program of activities. The participants were gathered for a plenary session for the opening program and video presentations of Secretary Luistro’s message and Undersecretary Ocampo’s updates about K to 12.

The participants for EPP were housed in the Applied Nutrition Center (ANC), so that our training team still needed to travel from Ecotech to ANC through the official shuttle they provided us. This was the difficult part, the shuttle was scheduled to fetch us every 6:00 AM sharp. We needed to wake up so early because of this call time. Thank God, because I was never late and thank you also to Sir Noni, my roommate, who sometimes served as my living alarm clock. LOL

All the training sessions went well. We were informed by the NEAP Training Evaluation Team that EPP-ICT Group performed great as based on the training evaluation they designed on-line. We received a lot of compliments from the participants. To God be the glory. Although, there were still some suggestions for improvement, particularly on the time allotment for each learning episode. They hoped for more time. Perhaps, we could still improve the session guides by capturing all the essential topics within the required time allotment.

The NTOT for Visayas and Mindanao cluster was also a success! We were all thankful because we were able to echo, in the loudest possible way, how to properly implement the K to 12 curriculum. The trainers for the Mass Training of Teachers were now equipped to run the same sessions and guide the classroom teachers in optimizing the use of the Learners’ Materials and Teachers’ Guides, utilizing different teaching strategies applicable for the 21^st century learners and performing effective classroom assessments.

The K to 12 National Training of Trainers (Luzon Cluster)

Three days before the National Training of Trainers (NTOT), I had put my shoulder to the wheel in finalizing our session guides and slide presentations. I studied the topics assigned to me, which was about Teaching Strategies. I even bought a book about teaching strategies so that I could revisit the theories, approaches and strategies in teaching, and searched the net for the current trends about pedagogy in the 21^st century. I made my script and prompts for my talk. I also prepared an outline of the whole session.

It was like over-thinking and preparing exaggeratedly , but I considered it a normal thing for someone who would experience to become a chief trainer for the first time in a national level training, with participants who were officials in their schools or divisions. I really took this task seriously.

The night before I leave for the NTOT Luzon Cluster, I really prayed hard for strength, wisdom and confidence to effectively facilitate my sessions. Honestly, I’m having nightmares about being a chief trainer, like failing to facilitate the learning session or dealing with a challenging participant. But I would just console myself with prayers for I know that God is our great comforter. He will be there for me to support me in this enormous undertaking.

I left our home last April 11, 2015 for Teachers’ Camp, Baguio City, where the NTOT for Luzon Cluster was held.  I arrived at exactly 12:30 in the afternoon. It was Day 0 of the training, many participants were already at the administration office for setting in and waiting to be accommodated.

There was a plenary session that was held in Day 1 (April 12), wherein we were all welcomed by the Bureau of Elementary Education. The participants also watched the video message of DepEd Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro and the K to 12 Updates by Undersecretary Dina Ocampo. The learning sessions started in Day 2 (April 13), wherein a plenary session for all Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP) trainers was organized by our team for the levelling of expectations, house rules and discussion on the conceptual framework of EPP/TLE.

The EPP Training Team was divided into four sub-groups, namely EPP-ICT group, EPP-HE group, EPP-Agri group and EPP-IA group. In EPPP-ICT group, I was with Sir Virgilio Laggui and Ma’am Eden Samadan, they were my co-writers in the development of LMs and TGs. We also divided the number of EPP trainers into three classes (Class A, B and C). Every time that our group was on board, we would see to it that the participants would actively participate. The learning engagement was fun-filled with lots of inputs about the utilization of Learners’ Materials and Teachers’ Guides, teaching strategies and classroom assessments, all to equip them in their Mass Training of Teachers (MTOT) in their respective regions or divisions.

All in all, this was a great experience. I felt so accomplished after our effective facilitation of sessions and rewarded because of the positive feedback of our participants. To God be the glory.

Orientation of Chief Trainers for the Grade 4 National Training of Trainers (NTOT)

Last March 16, I went back to TICC, Tagaytay City to attend the Five-Day Orientation of Chief Trainers for Grade 4 NTOT. I was so excited and a little anxious on what was in store for us in this orientation. To be honest, this was my first ever experience to become a trainer in a national level. I became a division trainer for website development last year, but to become a chief trainer for a national training, whose participants were the best of every divisions and regions, really gave me goosebumps.

I was thankful that this orientation equipped us with all the necessary skills to facilitate the session effectively as chief trainers. The following were the highlights of our orientation:

• Undersecretary Dina S. Ocampo  gave the updates about the K to 12 BEP curriculum for Grade 4 including instruction and assessment.
• Dr. John Arnold Siena of NEAP equipped the chief trainers with skills to facilitate discussions among teacher-participants the effective implementation of the Grade 4 curriculum.
• There were also  sessions about teaching strategies like Differentiated Instruction by Dr. Evelina Vicencio and Localization and Contextualization by Dr. Ma. Theresa De Villa.
• SFX, through the cooperation of Australian Aid,  introduced the new social brand of DepEd: “Tayo Para sa Edukasyon.” This is a great communications campaign to sustain reforms in Basic Education. (I will dedicate a post about this social brand, to inspire everyone to take active participation in the current reforms in our basic education).

After this orientation, I felt so eager to become a chief trainer, I learned a lot and I wanted all these learnings to be shared with all the other trainers nationwide. 

This photo is priceless, we are with one of the great education champions 

of our country, USEC Dina S. Ocampo.

Development of Session Guides for National Training of Trainers

I felt so honored when I received a call coming from DepEd Central Office inviting me for a Five-Day Writeshop on the Development of Session Guides (SGs) in Preparation for the National Training of Trainers (NTOT).

It was last March 9 when I went to TICC, Tagaytay City, to attend the writeshop. I was so glad to know that it was like a reunion with my fellow writers for EPP 4 Learners’ Material and Teaching Guide. We excitingly worked with our session guides that will be used for the NTOT.

At first, I thought this was just an easy task, like preparing lesson plans. But when I heard the discussions of Dr. John from National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) about the development of session guides, I learned that developing SGs for a training is an entirely different thing. For the first time I encountered the term andragogy (opposite of pedagogy), which is consisted of teaching strategies focused on adults. Since the participants are adults, we should learn some principles and theories concerning about how adults could be engaged in a learning process. Thereby, Dr. John comprehensively lectured about Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory and the 4 As (Activity, Analysis, Abstraction and Application) of Learning.

This workshop also required us to produce the materials that will be used for the training, like the presentations, videos, and other visual aids. I was glad that I had finished the session guides for the EPP-ICT Team, but quite disappointed because I wasn’t able to produce the presentations and other materials on time, because I needed to go back to our school to attend to activities related to our forthcoming graduation. So thankful that Ma’am Glenda, our team secretary, allowed me to go back to my station earlier to attend to the needs of my class advisory. I just promised her to work on these materials during the orientation of chief trainers. 

With my fellow writers while working with 

our session plans in preparation for the NTOT.

Like this pose is an essential part of my documentation :D

10-Day National K to 12 Writeshop for Development of EPP-ICT Teacher's Guides and Learner's Materials

As part of the implementation of the K to 12 program and in preparation for the S.Y. 2015-2016, the Bureau of Elementary Education, Curriculum Development Division invited writers from different regions of the country to attend the Ten-Day Write-shop on the Development of Grade 4 Learner’s Materials (LMs) and Teacher’s Guides (TGs).

I was so fortunate to be invited as one of the writers on this recently concluded write-shop. This was held last July 14 – 24, 2014 at Oasis Hotel and Resort, Tanza, Cavite.

As soon as we arrived at Oasis Hotel and Resort, an orientation program was held to give preliminary instructions to all the writers about important schedules, requirements and layouts that we should comply for the camera-ready outputs.

The writing table, which became my dear companion
during the 10-day write-shop

After the orientation, we proceeded to concurrent breakout sessions, so that every subject area could further talk about the LMs and TGs format and page requirements. I was assigned to the EPP-ICT 4 team together with my co-writers, Mr. Virgilio Laggui and Mrs. Eden Samadan. Our team is supervised by our consultant, Dr. Mona Sasing, and our team secretary and Education Program Specialist, Mrs. Glenda Granadozin (she was the one who endorsed me to be part of the team... thanks so much madam!).

With Ma'am Glenda, our very dedicated writing team secretary!

This was actually my first write-shop experience. I was kind of very conscious if I am doing my task right. From time to time, I would ask Ma’am Glenda, our team secretary if my write-ups are okay. Dr. Sasing, our consultant, would comment on our work and suggest some revisions to improve our write-ups.  

I was again invited last August 11-16, for the finalization of the LMs and TGs. Once more, we stayed in Oasis Hotel and Resort for final critiquing and content reviewing of our camera-ready outputs.

During the finalization of the LMs and TGs at Mojave Function Room

 

I feel so blessed to be with this group of very inspiring writers
from different parts of the country

To God be the glory!

This was indeed a one of a kind experience I would never forget! I learned a lot from this write-shop. It feels so overwhelming to be part of this endeavor. Being part of LMs and TGs development for the incoming Grade 4 made me realized that as a module writer, my role is very critical in designing instructional strategies that will not only meet the content and learning competencies, but will also guide and support the Filipino learners on their quest for a more meaningful education.