After a much-needed break from a fruitful year of virtual classes, the Philippine Institute of Quezon City held its two-week long In-Service Training (INSET), for the upcoming school year 2021-2022, last June 14 – 25, 2021. The training was attended by the school’s faculty and staff respectively.
Planning has always been a part of the institution’s preparation as another school year comes ahead. Thus, new set of rules and regulations, as well as new updates regarding the school’s educational progress, were the highlight of this year’s in-service training. The institution also catered to both the physical and mental health of its constituents; this was made possible by webinars provided by the school during the said training. Furthermore, there were also webinars that contributed to the professional growth of the faculty as they were immersed with workshops, trainings, and activities that aimed to enhance everyone’s skills when it comes to giving differentiated instructional materials, student-centered learning, communication, speaking skills, etc.
The first two days served as a kick-off for the updates of the offices inside the institution. This was spearheaded by the executive council, and some of the department heads. During the first meeting, the Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs (APAA), Mrs. Liezyl Tamayo, together with the Senior High School Supervisor, Dr. Alicia Padua, and the Chinese Department Supervisor, Mrs. Kelly Ong, gave the year-end report for their respective offices. New updates such as the implementation of the partner teachers were discussed by the APAA, as well as the deadlines and requirements for the faculty. Aside from the updates regarding the senior high school department, Dr. Padua also thanked the PIQC family for their perseverance and diligence in teaching. Mrs. Kelly Ong was also proud to present their achievements from the previous school year, as well as her joy to present the new teachers who recently joined the PIQC family.
The second day was a continuation of the updates on the rest of the offices. This time around, the ones concerned are the Office of the Assistant Principal for Student Activities and Formation (APSAF), Mrs. Janette Ty, the Assistant Principal for Admin Affairs and Services (APAAS), Mr. Jeffrey Layva, and the Preschool Department Supervisor, Mr. Alex Lim. Mrs. Ty showed her appreciation primarily to the teachers who worked with such vigor despite the horrendous circumstances that the pandemic had brought upon the country. She commended not just the faculty but also the non-teaching personnel who worked together to ensure that the institution would still be able to provide quality education for its students. Alongside these praises for the faculty and staff, she also discussed the new implementations from her office. This also includes updates from the discipline office, the guidance office, as well as that from thestudent activities. Afterwards, Mr. Alex Lim also showed his appreciation for the preschool teachers for their hard work and enthusiasm in educating the younger ones. He also informed every one of the preschool online orientation as well as the online class demo, in which a good number of participants were involved. Mr. Layva, on the other hand, discussed the concerns of the admin office, namely: the PIQC contingency plan, online enrollment, online ordering of books, excel sheets; the school’s compliance for health standards, and many more. Moreover, he also discussed the calendar for school year 2021-2022, with the confirmation for another school year of virtual classes due to health protocols from the government. Policies about the virtual classes were also discussed such as the importance of the teachers’ visual presence for synchronous sessions. Lastly, Mr. Layva encouraged everyone to “be prepared to alter anything if there would be unwanted changes”, as he mentioned the things that we can do in managing in this Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world.
The third day started with the Overview of Microsoft Showcase School INCUBATOR Program (Day 1), followed by the FSC General Assembly and Election of New Officers. The Microsoft showcases discussed the details on the perks of being a school partnered with the Microsoft Team. The school showed its appreciation for the people behind Microsoft teams as this was the medium used for virtual classes in PIQC. To do things virtually might be challenging, however, it is such a relief when you know that you are working with professionals who are focused on enhancing learning through the effective use of technology. Before the day ends, the Faculty and Staff Club (FSC) honored the former officers for their hard work and dedication during the general assembly. A new set of officers were also elected for school year 2021-2023, with Mrs. Nyla Manlangit as the president. The new elected officers vowed to do their best to be of service to the institution as they embrace to fulfill their roles in the committee.
The fourth day served as a breather for everyone. The day started with a webinar about Stress, Coping, and Self-Compassion During the Pandemic with Dr. Kenneth Ross Javate as the guest speaker. He discussed the importance of taking care of one-self during these trying times especially since the teachers are also dealing with stress most of the time. He gave strategies such as: identifying the problem, the power of exercise, active relaxation, avoiding stress, when possible, etc. He encouraged the teachers to not be too hard on themselves as stress is normal, and there is always the light at the end of the tunnel. A discussion about Socio-Emotional Learning was also held with Ms. Marlene Gutierrez as the guest speaker. The discussion was fun, yet also educational due to the differentiated activities given by the speaker. She gave a number of tips on how to make learning fun and student-centered inside the classroom by introducing new mediums and strategies for instructional materials for the teachers to use and explore.
The last day of the first week started with the continuation of the Overview of Microsoft Showcase School INCUBATOR Program (Day 2). This time around the Microsoft team gave a more detailed instruction on how to use Microsoft teams more efficiently and effectively. Updates and new features such as the breakout rooms were also explained by the speaker by giving a demo on how to navigate the teams channel in the school’s chosen medium for virtual classes. Afterwards, Mr. Jerald Puyos gave an informational talk about the Echo Seminar on Applications and Webinars for Online Distance Learning. He introduced some applications and websites that the teachers can use effectively to make learning more fun and interactive during synchronous sessions. Some of the applications are new to the teachers, so everyone enjoyed the session as they took part in participating in the activities prepared by Mr. Puyos.
The first week was a huge success and was filled with insightful discussions, but the learnings did not stop there. The second week of the inset was equally filled with activities and training sessions that surely helped the faculty and staff with their preparations for the upcoming school year.
Mr. Bryan Chua gave a brief discussion about Common Medical Emergencies during the first day of the second week. He gave emphasis on how each individual should always make sure to take care of their health especially during these challenging times. On the same day, the Oral Communication Enhancement Workshop was held with Rev. Dr. Harold Peñacerrada as the guest speaker. Everyone was thrilled to be trained by one of the former subject area coordinators for English in PIQC. He emphasized on the importance of effective communication between the teachers and the students and how it can make a difference inside the classroom. The workshop also made sure that the teachers would be given enough chance to speak up during the session. He also left some tips and suggestions on how to be a more confident speaker in front of the class and how to handle oneself in terms of speaking and engaging with the students in a conversational manner.
The next day was all about Tech Essentials. The first part which focused on Photo and Video Editing in iPad was discussed by Ms. Joy Marie Layva. She gave some applications such as Canva to help the teachers in enhancing their PowerPoint presentations and to make them more interactive for the students. She also gave a walkthrough on the Canva website itself for the teachers to have a glimpse on how to use it effectively for their classes. The second part focused on PDF Signing and Excel and PowerPoint Basics which was discussed by Mrs. Michelle Honey Co-Prudente. She gave an overview on how to do basic presentations using the PowerPoint application, as well as how to make PDF files for e-signatures. She also gave some tips on how to use Excel more effectively when it comes to working on the grades of the students.
On the third day, the faculty was divided into two groups – the preschool and elementary teachers attended the Lights, Camera, Action! – Workshop on Teacher Performance with Mrs. Phebe Panganiban-Perea; while the Junior and Senior High School Teachers attended the eSchoolPad Orientation with Mr. Elijah Lao. The workshop gave emphasis on the interactive reading aloud with the pupils and how to make the learning more interesting by getting out of the box. Whereas the eSchoolPad orientation focused on how to navigate the application in order for the school to create a more focused learning environment for the students by having the option to control unnecessary applications during class hours.
The morning of the fourth day was spent with Dr. Roland Montes as he discussed Inclusive Education. He gave instructions on how to make sure that no student would be left behind especially with the challenge of having virtual classes. Differentiated instructions and activities were also suggested by Dr. Montes as he emphasized the importance of flexibility and creativity in teacher instruction.
The last day started with the service orientation coming from the Registrar’s Office with Mrs. Adelina Culang, Accounting Office, Library Services with Ms. Kate Busano, Health Services with Mrs. Judith Batario, and IT Services with Mr. William Astor II. New updates, as well as a brief talk on how these services would aid the institution were discussed. A brief discussion on Sun Life Insurance Policy for PIQC Employees was also given by Ms. Jasmine Enriquez.
The day finally ended with the teachers celebrating the success of the in-service training for SY 2021-2022 with an Online Team Building. Everyone had a wonderful time in participating in the games prepared by the guidance counsellors and even more because of the prizes that came with winning the games.
The success of the two-week long in-service training would not be possible without the help of the entire PIQC family. This school year has just started and there will be more exciting events for the PIQC community. Indeed, we grow, and we strive as one!
To God be all the glory!
