Globe Telecom is collaborating with renowned teaching innovators in the country to kick off a series of teacher training workshops on 21st Century teaching methodologies and concepts to public school teachers in cooperation with the Department of Education (DepEd).
The three teaching innovators—“Mano Amiga,” “Habi Education Lab” and “Affordable Private Education Center (APEC) Schools”—were chosen based on their excellent, innovative, and creative methods and approaches to learning.
Mano Amiga Academy, Inc. is a non-profit learning institution that provides low-income communities access to international quality education, sustainable livelihood and community development while Habi Education Lab is a design and research group that works to empower schools and educators on learning through capacity-building workshops and collaborative research projects. On the other hand, Affordable Private Education Center, Inc. (APEC Schools) seeks to transform thousands of Filipino lives by providing high-quality yet affordable education and produce graduates that are ready for college and professional employment.
The “Teacher Training Workshop on 21st Century Learning” is a key component of the Global Filipino Schools (GFS) program which includes internet connectivity, ICT equipment, and infrastructure support. The teacher training component includes workshops on how to maximize the use of technology in the classroom, and project-based learning.
“We want the next generation to discover lifelong learning opportunities as well as enjoy inclusive and equitable quality education as being espoused by UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 4. GFS brings us one step closer towards that goal. Altogether, all the components of GFS are vital cogs that aim to create a holistic impact to transform learning experiences of public school students and make them more aware and adept at using technology in order to learn,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Senior Vice President for Corporate Communications.
Among the topics to be introduced by the chosen teaching institutions during the intensive five-day workshop are the integration of ICT in the classroom, design thinking and 21st Century learning approaches. The first of the three workshops will be conducted at the Globe Telecom training area in
Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.
The objective is to transform 120 teachers from various provinces in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and make them DepEd trainers and experts adept at providing 21st Century learning. They will then be responsible for cascading what they learned during the workshops to the other public schools within their own divisions. This is in consonance with the GFS program’s goal of establishing teacher training hubs on 21st Century learning through public school partnerships.
“We certainly look forward to sharing with the public sector our best practices in Mano Amiga. Being part of the GFS program is also an amazing opportunity for us to gain insights from the diverse participants who will come from different parts of the country. Hopefully, this teacher training program will create an ecosystem of innovative educators who will produce students well-equipped with modern learning techniques and be able to thrive in a 21st century learning setup,” said Eleanor Pinugu, Executive Director, Mano Amiga Academy, Inc.
For its part, Gerson Abesamis, Executive Director of Habi Education Lab said: “Globe is looking at teachers and schools not as simple beneficiaries but as partners. We’re excited to work with Globe on empowering fellow teachers to become technology and innovation champions in their respective schools and communities. We’re not just teaching or training them, but we provide them with tools and mindsets so collaboratively, we can transform student learning in public schools. Hopefully they come out of the program more adept in using technology, less afraid of failure and experimentation, more reflective about teaching, and more responsive towards the needs of our students.”
Lastly, Joie Lopez, Chief Executive Officer of APEC Schools said: “APEC Schools is excited about the partnership with Globe especially as GFS aims to train school teachers nationwide. We are looking forward to other collaboration opportunities in education where we can really help.”
When asked to comment on the program’s values to public school teachers, Marge Ballesteros, Director IV, External Partnerships Service of DepEd, thanked Globe Telecom and its other partners and stakeholders. “Globe Telecom is one of our partners who take their share in helping apply and maximize ICT integration in public school classrooms. We are very happy that Globe is investing long term in teacher training and 21st Century Learning, as it is through internet access, proper use of technology, and investment in teachers that we can truly deliver quality education in public schools and keep pace globally.”
Globe Telecom continues its strong and long-term partnership with DepEd through the Global Filipino Schools (GFS) Program in order to move forward 21st Century learning in public schools nationwide. The program provides select public schools in all DepEd divisions with support such as Internet connectivity, and mobile devices such as tablets and projectors. The program started with one pilot school in Bohol and has since expanded to 142 schools covering partnerships in 16 of the 18 regions around the country. The program is now present in 134 DepEd divisions with a commitment to be in all divisions by year 2020.
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