To prepare for the challenges set by the full imple
mentation of the K to 12 curriculum this school year, teachers from both the English and Chinese departments of the school underwent a seminar workshop on creating a standards-based curriculum. Dr. Greg Pawilen and Prof. Josefa Carina Clavio, two esteemed curriculum experts who were former professors under the Curriculum Studies department of the University of the Philippines Diliman-College of Education, conducted the seminar workshop held last May 22-23, 2015 at the Philippine Institute of Quezon City.
The two-day seminar workshop provided the teachers with much-needed knowledge and skills to create a curriculum that will follow the learning standards set by the Department of Education. For the first day of the seminar workshop, Dr. Pawilen stressed the importance of having a standards-based curriculum, as opposed to a competency-based curriculum that has been the norm in many schools for the past few decades.
According to Dr. Pawilen, a competency-based curriculum is very prescriptive in nature, and it does not see the teachers as experts in their field; rather, the curriculum sees the teacher as someone who should adjust to the curriculum and not the other way around. A standards-based curriculum sees the teachers as experts, and it generally does not restrict the teacher of what skills to teach, as long as the teacher conforms to the set standards.
Aside from the standards-based curriculum, the teachers were also given the opportunity to create a unified set of learning outcomes as facilitated by Prof. Clavio, making the curricula of different subjects more aligned with what the school wants its graduates to be by the time they leave PIQC.
The second day of the workshop focused on the creation of a curriculum plan that adheres to the outcomes set by the institution and by each subject area. The teachers actively participated with the creation of a sample curriculum plan and presented it for everyone to be aware of how each subject area will go about teaching a particular lesson. The seminar workshop concluded with the teachers more equipped than ever with the technical know-how on improving the curriculum of the school.
With the alignment of the curriculum across all subject areas, and with the goal of the school to produce K to 12 graduates who are well-rounded Filipino-Chinese individuals that are nationalistic, innovative, competent, and socially responsible, PIQC is on track for these goals to come into fruition.