Teacher Development Program: An Update

 

The Teacher Development Project team led by Dr. Melinda Bandalaria, a professor and Registrar of UPOU, assessed the impact of the teacher-training program vis-à-vis the performance of teachers in their classroom. The team visited the elementary schools in Mauban where scholars are currently teaching.

The project team conducted focus group discussions (FGDs) with the scholars' students on 6-9 March 2007. The evaluators asked the students how their teachers inspire or motivate them to make the lessons easier and more interesting to learn. Particular factors such as manner of teaching, use of teaching materials and visual aids, application of games, and teachers' overall attitude toward teaching and students were part of the FGDs.

This is part of the final phase of the project, according to Dr. Bandalaria. She said the teacher-scholars enrolled in the Diploma in Language Studies for Teachers would earn their degrees in May 2007. Majority of those enrolled in the Diploma in Science Teaching (DST) and the Diploma in Mathematics Teaching (DMT) will graduate in June 2007 when they would have complied with the requirements of their summer courses.

The TDP is a joint program of the Municipal Government of Mauban, through the Office of Mayor Fernando Llamas, Jr.; Quezon Power (Philippines) Ltd. Co.; the UP Open University, and the Department of Education Region IV-A. It aims to improve the quality of elementary education in Mauban by upgrading the knowledge and skills of mathematics, science, and English teachers.

Aside from enrolling in various UPOU post baccalaureate programs, the teacher-scholars also attended four training programs. These are Training on Pedagogy; Communication in Basic English; Planning and Production of Teaching Aids; and Introduction to Computers and the Internet. Dr Bandalaria expects that a Trainers’ Training Program will take place within the year so that the scholars will be able to share whatever knowledge and skills they learned from the TDP with their co-teachers (Luisa A. Gelisan, OC).