Education is one of the utmost services provided by teachers. The role played by teachers becomes a very essential component and in fact it can be said that they are in a way our nation’s builder. Being a teacher is a tough and challenging job. It is because the welfare of your students is in your hands and it is our responsibility to inculcate knowledge in them. Yet, no matter how demanding the responsibilities of a teacher are, teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs. The roles of teachers do not solely focus in educating children but also to contribute in the development of lifelong skills in order to prepare them to face the reality of life.
Teachers today have a much larger role. The core of the responsibility of a teacher is to help student to learn and grow. Teach not just for achievements but also for understanding. It is not an easy thing to do, to discover how to make students in this generation be passionate participants in the instructional process. It is our duty as a teacher, to provide them with learning activities and constantly assess how the activity is helping them gain essential understanding. Urge them to be actively involved in their own process of learning. The teacher functions more as a facilitator who coaches, mediates, prompts, and helps students develop and assess their understanding, and thereby their learning. We must face all this challenges if we need to be successful in molding our students to be a better person and a good citizen of society. Despite the complex role we play, we should find time to reflect. Contemplation of one's own thoughts, feelings, and self-examination, enables us to re-examine and replenish our purpose as a teacher. Realign our path towards a mission to achieve our one common goal, to be an effective mentor of our youth. In other words, we should be thinking about what and how you do, and the simple act of going over your actions and thoughts can often allow us to notice things and make connections. It’ll make us not just a teacher, but a THINKING TEACHER.
I believe that there is a need to strengthen the core curriculum in our country to be able to prepare the students for lifelong learning. It may be one of the reasons that DepED adopted to concept of UbD (Understanding by Design) in our curriculum to ensure that learning goals follow a deliberate design to impart real learning based on understanding and not merely on rote knowledge or aimless recall. UbD emphasizes the teacher's critical role as an assessor and designer of student learning. It holds a potential of keeping the curricular structure coherent and the learning focused.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Lifelong Learning in the Philippines : Major Policy Issues
Lifelong learning (LLL) is described by the International Labor Organization (ILO) as “all learning activities undertaken throughout life for the development of competencies and qualifications”, where “competencies” cover the knowledge, skills and know-how applied and mastered in a specific context, and “qualifications” mean a formal expression of the vocational or professional abilities of a person which is recognized at international or national levels.
In the Philippines, the foundations for Lifelong learning policy are the requirements of the 1987 Constitution that the State shall: “Protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.” Because of this constitutional provision, the government shall see to it that quality education shall be made available to its constituents. Quality education is a foremost determinant of a nation’s working force and the entrepreneurial ability to produce financially viable social goods and services. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has presented its recommendation to the governing body of our educational system, relating to this policy issues in creating a LLL program that are comprehensive and viable. The ILO responded to the issues to addresses the apparent situation of poor performances and quality workforce we produce from the kind of educational system we have in our country.
Furthermore, provisions in the constitution stipulates the state to “Establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of people and society; …” and to “Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged;” This has been the basis to establish policies and recommendations. Different course of actions, plans, and strategies are laid out as a proposal to enhance the educational system. The government aspires to have the need for a national vision and comprehensive LLL Program policy to meet the employability and decent job needs of Filipinos as well as the sustainability of economic and social development in the context of the globalizing knowledge- and skills-based society. As a result, the government has come up with several many brilliant ideas to address what is stipulated in the Constitution. Despite all these, the issue of preparing the Filipino workforce for global competitiveness has long been a struggle by our government. I believe that a sturdy commitment and a strong political will to implement the policies will bring the promise to a much brighter future of our people.
In the Philippines, the foundations for Lifelong learning policy are the requirements of the 1987 Constitution that the State shall: “Protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels and shall take appropriate steps to make education accessible to all.” Because of this constitutional provision, the government shall see to it that quality education shall be made available to its constituents. Quality education is a foremost determinant of a nation’s working force and the entrepreneurial ability to produce financially viable social goods and services. The International Labor Organization (ILO) has presented its recommendation to the governing body of our educational system, relating to this policy issues in creating a LLL program that are comprehensive and viable. The ILO responded to the issues to addresses the apparent situation of poor performances and quality workforce we produce from the kind of educational system we have in our country.
Furthermore, provisions in the constitution stipulates the state to “Establish, maintain and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system of education relevant to the needs of people and society; …” and to “Establish and maintain a system of scholarship grants, student loan programs, subsidies, and other incentives which shall be available to deserving students in both public and private schools, especially to the underprivileged;” This has been the basis to establish policies and recommendations. Different course of actions, plans, and strategies are laid out as a proposal to enhance the educational system. The government aspires to have the need for a national vision and comprehensive LLL Program policy to meet the employability and decent job needs of Filipinos as well as the sustainability of economic and social development in the context of the globalizing knowledge- and skills-based society. As a result, the government has come up with several many brilliant ideas to address what is stipulated in the Constitution. Despite all these, the issue of preparing the Filipino workforce for global competitiveness has long been a struggle by our government. I believe that a sturdy commitment and a strong political will to implement the policies will bring the promise to a much brighter future of our people.
Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life
Learning is the lifelong process of transforming information and experience into knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes. A gradual process of dynamic engagement with experience, of gaining knowledge and skills that continues throughout a person’s life. People learn in different ways at different times. It starts from the womb to the tomb. Every individual progresses from one learning level to the next throughout their lifetime.
I believe that lifelong learning can develop each and every potential and natural capabilities of a person. We all have natural and innate capabilities, it may not be apparent but it can be developed if coupled with the burning desire to improve.
There is an old adage that says “Experience is the best teacher.” It is imperative to look back in the past even if it is difficult at sometimes. But lifelong learning provides us the advantage of an actual viewpoint and enables us to find true meaning in the hills and valleys of our past. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Helen Keller. I suppose that making mistakes is part of life. Being perfect in not human nature but we must take risks, correct our mistakes and learn from it. We need to put our lives in a better perspective. It increases our understanding of the whys and the whats of previous successes and failures we encountered and among other people as well. I also believe that lifelong learning leads to an inspiring life of self-fulfillment.
Individuals now have the autonomy to make their own learning choices. The efficacy of your choice has to be evaluated, bring about, sustain and support the true natural way of learning. It is considered radical for some reasons but it challenges the existing needs to develop necessary life skills and individual abilities. The selection of different learning strategies can be a better avenue for conducive learning more than traditional approaches. But there are times each is confined into the path where every individual finds the comfort of knowledge and awareness. Clearly, life experiences are the unambiguous results that encourage critical thinking and reflective approaches to learning.
"Education is a social process...education is growth...education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey
Lifelong learning promotes the development of knowledge and proficiencies that will allow each individual to adapt to the knowledge-based society and vigorously take part in all spheres of social and economic life, taking more control of his or her future. The content of learning, the way learning is accessed, and where it takes place may vary depending on the learner and their learning requirements. Lifelong learning is also about providing second chances to update vital skills and also present learning opportunities at more advanced levels. Formal systems of education need to become much more open and flexible, so that such opportunities can truly be tailored to the needs of the learner, or indeed the potential learner.
I believe that lifelong learning can develop each and every potential and natural capabilities of a person. We all have natural and innate capabilities, it may not be apparent but it can be developed if coupled with the burning desire to improve.
There is an old adage that says “Experience is the best teacher.” It is imperative to look back in the past even if it is difficult at sometimes. But lifelong learning provides us the advantage of an actual viewpoint and enables us to find true meaning in the hills and valleys of our past. “Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Helen Keller. I suppose that making mistakes is part of life. Being perfect in not human nature but we must take risks, correct our mistakes and learn from it. We need to put our lives in a better perspective. It increases our understanding of the whys and the whats of previous successes and failures we encountered and among other people as well. I also believe that lifelong learning leads to an inspiring life of self-fulfillment.
Individuals now have the autonomy to make their own learning choices. The efficacy of your choice has to be evaluated, bring about, sustain and support the true natural way of learning. It is considered radical for some reasons but it challenges the existing needs to develop necessary life skills and individual abilities. The selection of different learning strategies can be a better avenue for conducive learning more than traditional approaches. But there are times each is confined into the path where every individual finds the comfort of knowledge and awareness. Clearly, life experiences are the unambiguous results that encourage critical thinking and reflective approaches to learning.
"Education is a social process...education is growth...education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey
Lifelong learning promotes the development of knowledge and proficiencies that will allow each individual to adapt to the knowledge-based society and vigorously take part in all spheres of social and economic life, taking more control of his or her future. The content of learning, the way learning is accessed, and where it takes place may vary depending on the learner and their learning requirements. Lifelong learning is also about providing second chances to update vital skills and also present learning opportunities at more advanced levels. Formal systems of education need to become much more open and flexible, so that such opportunities can truly be tailored to the needs of the learner, or indeed the potential learner.
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