Ugnayan ng Pahinungod UPOU holds Writing Workshops for Grades 10-12 Students

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) Ugnayan ng Pahinungod conducted a series of writing workshops for Grades 10-12 students on 25 and 27 August 2021 via Zoom. The two workshops were entitled “Résumé Writing and Job Interview Preparation” and “Diskarte’t Disenyo sa Pagbuo ng Tula.” The workshop series was conducted to help Grades 10-12 students from Los Baños and Bay, Laguna, develop their writing skills in resume building and poetry. 

The first webinar entitled “Résumé Writing and Job Interview Preparation” focused on students who will undergo work immersion in line with their curriculum. The objective of the webinar was to “train the participants how to write an effective and appealing resume; and provide the participants with techniques and tips in preparing for a job interview.” 

The resource speaker was Ms. Anna Victoria Dolores, Instructor 4 from the Department of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). Ms. Dolores is a student under the Master of Arts in Language and Literacy Education (MALLE) program of the Faculty of Education, UPOU.

This webinar was divided into two parts. The first part which was entitled “It’s not a Resume” focused on writing an effective and appealing resume and how the applicants must present and market themselves efficiently for a job interview. The second part was entitled “It’s not about you” which highlights that the resume is not about the applicant but what the applicant can offer for the company. The webinar also included an interview simulation which included how to dress, sample interview questions, and other useful tips. Ms. Dolores noted five key guidelines on how to respond to interview questions, which is to be: Anest (Honest), Brief, Comprehensive, Direct and Extemporaneous (sounds natural).

A question and answer forum was conducted after the discussion wherein students were able to expand their knowledge about the topic. The students were also given sample resume questions and a job interview role play. According to the students, the webinar was very educational and fun and they learned a lot from the speaker. Ms. Dolores ended the workshop with a last piece of wisdom, “We thought small things are just small things, but they communicate a lot”.

The second webinar entitled “Diskarte’t Disenyo sa Pagbuo ng Tula” focused on enhancing the creative skills of the students mainly from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS) strand of the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum. The objective of the webinar was to “develop the skills of the students on poetry writing; and train the participants to create their own poetry work.”

The resource speaker was Assoc. Prof. Dennis Andrew Aguinaldo, faculty member of the English Division, Department of Humanities, UPLB. He is a distinguished poet, critic, and speaker. 

Prof. Aguinaldo discussed the process and steps in writing poetry. His presentation featured activities which include a question and answer portion, mini-quizzes, traditional poetry, and experimental poetry. He also discussed the different trends, techniques, and methods of crafting poetry.The webinar was an interactive and exciting discussion which helped the students deepen their understanding of poetry and creative writing. 

Ms. Rhonna Marie Vereña, Director of the UPOU Ugnayan ng Pahinungod,  concluded the webinar series with an encouraging message that everyone should continue to give poetry in our lives a chance and give the opportunity for students to experience the magic of words.

There were 76 participants in the first webinar, while there were 44 participants in the second. All participants were issued an e-certificate for their participation.

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Written by Gian Macatangay, Marilou Pitlo and Marivic Astillo

Edited by Joane V. Serrano and Anna Cañas-Llamas