‘If you want your pupils to think you’re a great teacher, then own what you teach’

Joe Nutt
Source:  www.tes.com

The relationship between you and the material you choose to build your lessons is central to your performance in the classroom, writes one educationist

My youngest daughter and I discuss all sorts of things during the half-hour school run: her inevitably yo-yoing friendships, too much homework, terrorism. But this week she spent almost the entire journey singing the praises of one of her teachers. A teacher she singled out because she enjoys her lessons so much and learns so much from her. A teacher who does something no other teacher at my daughter’s school ever does. Not one.

The way teachers present lesson counts the most.

So what is her secret? What makes time spent with this teacher so productive and enjoyable? Are her lessons more fun, learner-centric, project-based or kinesthetic? Is she a master of evidence-based, up-to-date research?

Surprisingly, my daughter’s voluntary eulogy started with PowerPoint. She explained how she’d just realised that one of the reasons why this particular teacher was so good was because she used her own PowerPoint slides, not someone else’s. Unlike another teacher she named, who uses several different presentations at the same time, none of them her own, and as a result never knows where she is or what she is teaching. No, this teacher is the best because, in my daughter’s view, she creates all her own stuff and knows it inside out. Whether it’s a set of slides, paperwork or a practical activity, it’s abundantly clear to the children she teaches that she put it together.

Of course once we got into a discussion, I discovered she is also highly organised, her lessons follow almost the same pattern every day, and she sets homework that reinforces what the girls learn in lessons. But in essence, what my daughter spotted is something no one ever told me when I trained in the 1980s, yet it is probably the single most important thing one can teach a teacher.

The relationship between you and the material you choose to build your lessons is absolutely central to your efficacy in the classroom. That is why models that create then deliver “content” to teachers only ever deliver mediocre results in the classroom.

I saw confirmation of this a few months ago in an article about Jack Spatola, the principal of a Brooklyn elementary school which has enjoyed long running success going back decades. Success any school facing equally severe challenges would die for. Mr Spatola made this comment, “If you are a professional, you take ownership of the curriculum.” Which is why Mr Spatola spends scarce dollars on primary texts, fiction and non-fiction, but never on textbooks.

If you are a professional, you take ownership of the curriculum. One of the most insightful and valuable comments I have seen in many years, and one which visitors to this week’s BETT show would do well to heed. In 2015 just under 45,000 people visited the BETT show, 69 per cent of them from the UK, making it arguably the single most important educational event of the annual calendar in this country.

BETT will buzz with excitement. Hordes of teachers glad to get out of the classroom will stagger under the weight of brochures, free biros and educational knick knacks foisted on them by smiling sales staff, but precious little will happen as a result to impact on the classrooms those excited visitors will return to.

So many of the businesses at BETT, so many of the heads, teachers and policy-makers being paid to improve schools, would benefit simply by adopting the single insight my daughter worked out for herself last week. If you want to be a great teacher, then own what you teach.

Joe Nutt is an educational consultant, researcher and author

5 Quick Classroom-Management Tips for Novice Teachers

By:  Rebecca Alber

Appeared originally at www.edutopia.org

I made a good number of blunders my first year teaching that still make me cringe. I learned though. And it's fair to say, when it comes to managing a classroom, most of what we learn as new teachers is trial by fire. It's also smart to heed the advice of those who have walked -- and stumbled -- before you. If you are struggling with discipline, here are five tips that you can start using right away:

 

Photo courtesy of Rappler.com

#1 Use a normal, natural voice

Are you teaching in your normal voice? Every teacher can remember this from the first year in the classroom: spending those first months talking at an above-normal range until one day, you lose your voice.

Raising our voice to get students' attention is not the best approach, and the stress it causes and the vibe it puts in the room just isn't worth it. The students will mirror your voice level, so avoid using that semi-shouting voice. If we want kids to talk at a normal, pleasant volume, we must do the same.

You want to also differentiate your tone. If you are asking students to put away their notebooks and get into their groups, be sure to use a declarative, matter-of-fact tone. If you are asking a question about a character in a short story, or about contributions made by the Roman Empire, use an inviting, conversational tone.

#2 Speak only when students are quiet and ready

This golden nugget was given to me by a 20-year veteran my first year. She told me that I should just wait and then wait some more until all students were quiet.

So I tried it; I fought the temptation to talk. Sometimes I'd wait much longer than I thought I could hold out for. Slowly but surely, the students would cue each other: "sshh, she's trying to tell us something," "come on, stop talking," and "hey guys, be quiet." (They did all the work for me!)

My patience paid off. Yours will too. And you'll get to keep your voice.

#3 Use hand signals and other non-verbal communication

Holding one hand in the air, and making eye contact with students is a great way to quiet the class and get their attention on you. It takes awhile for students to get used to this as a routine, but it works wonderfully. Have them raise their hand along with you until all are up. Then lower yours and talk.

Flicking the lights off and on once to get the attention is an oldie but goodie. It could also be something you do routinely to let them know they have three minutes to finish an assignment or clean up, etc.

With younger students, try clapping your hands three times and teaching the children to quickly clap back twice. This is a fun and active way to get their attention and all eyes on you.

#4 Address behavior issues quickly and wisely

Be sure to address an issue between you and a student or between two students as quickly as possible. Bad feelings -- on your part or the students -- can so quickly grow from molehills into mountains.

Now, for handling those conflicts wisely, you and the student should step away from the other students, just in the doorway of the classroom perhaps. Wait until after instruction if possible, avoiding interruption of the lesson. Ask naive questions such as, "How might I help you?" Don't accuse the child of anything. Act as if you do care, even if you have the opposite feeling at that moment. The student will usually become disarmed because she might be expecting you to be angry and confrontational.

And, if you must address bad behavior during your instruction, always take a positive approach. Say, "It looks like you have a question" rather than, "Why are you off task and talking?"

When students have conflicts with each other, arrange for the students to meet with you at lunch, after or before school. Use neutral language as you act as a mediator, helping them resolve the problem peacefully, or at least reach an agreeable truce.

#5 Always have a well-designed, engaging lesson

This tip is most important of all. Perhaps you've heard the saying, if you don't have a plan for them, they'll have one for you. Always overplan. It's better to run out of time than to run short on a lesson.

From my own first-hand experience and after many classrooms observations, something that I know for sure: Bored students equal trouble! If the lesson is poorly planned, there is often way too much talking and telling from the teacher and not enough hands-on learning and discovery by the students. 

We all know engaging lessons take both serious mind and time to plan. And they are certainly worth it -- for many reasons.

Share with us your classroom management experiences: What specific challenges are you having? What strategies have worked well for you and your students? Please share in the comment section below.

Habitual Tardiness, Undertime and Absenteeism Considered Administrative Offenses

By:  Florabelle R. Porras
Records Officer- Designate
DepEd Malaybalay Bukidnon
Originally posted at depedmalaybalay.net

Officers and employees in the public service except those covered by special laws are mandated under the law to render at least eight (8) hours of work daily for five (5) days in a week or a total of forty (40) hours a week, exclusive of time for lunch. As a general rule, such hours shall be from eight o’clock in the morning to twelve o’clock noon and from one o’clock to five o’clock in the afternoon daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays. Flexible working hours may be allowed subject to the discretion of the head of office provided that the required working hours shall not be reduced. The head of agency has the duty to require all officers and employees under him to strictly observe the prescribed office hours.

In an office, it’s quite evident that there are employees who report for work late in the morning or past 1 o’clock in the afternoon. At times, others leave from work earlier than the prescribed eight-hour work schedule in a given working day. They have all the reasons in the world when asked why they were late or why they had to take undertime. There is a need to limit the number of times an employee is allowed to be tardy, absent or go on undertime because of its inimical effect to public service. Hence, let us revisit the policies on Undertime, Tardiness and Half Day Absence and identify the corresponding sanctions/penalties for each offense which will surely prompt employees to render work within the prescribed period of time.

The CSC issued Memorandum Circular No. 16, s. 2010 promulgating the guidelines on Undertime which mentions that Undertime is not classified as tardiness. It states that any officer or employee who incurs undertime, regardless of the number of minutes/ hours, ten (10) times a month or at least two months in a semester or at least two (2) consecutive months during the year shall be liable for a Simple Misconduct and/ or Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service, as the case maybe.

Under CSC MC 23, s. 1998, Tardiness refers to the failure of an employee to report for work or resume for work on time. Any official or employee shall be considered habitually tardy if he/ she incurs tardiness regardless of minutes per day, ten times a month for Two (2) consecutive months or Two (2) months in a semester during the year. He is subject to disciplinary action: 1st offense is reprimand, 2nd offense is suspension for 1 day to 30 days and 3rd offense is DISMISSAL.

CSC MC No. 17, s. 2010 provides guidelines on HalfDayAbsence with conditions that any officer oremployee who is absent in the morning is considered to be tardy and is subject to the provision on Habitual Tardiness and any officer or employee who is absent in the afternoon is considered to have incurred undertime, subject to the provision on Undertime.

An employee who has incurred UNAUTHORIZED ABSENCES, exceeding the allowable 2.5 days monthly leave credit under the Leave Law for at least three (3) months in a semester or at least three (3) consecutive months during the year shall be considered habitually absent. Those who incur habitual absence is subject six (6) months and one (1) day to one (1) year suspension on the first offense and Dismissal on the second offense.

There shall be no off-setting of tardiness or absences by working for an equivalent number of minutes or hours by which an officer or employee has been tardy or absent, beyond the regular working hours of the employees concerned.

You may also like reading Overcoming the Procrastinator in Us and Getting Our Brand Stand Out

Why read? Six reasons why you should keep reading

From:  https://ph.she.yahoo.com/

Reading has been an essential part of our lives for thousands of years. There are various reasons why people read. Whether it is a restaurant menu, a newspaper article, a prayer booklet or the whole Epic of Gilgamesh, you can be sure that someone will enjoy reading it.

 The 35th Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) advocates reading and gives us reasons why we should continue to do so.

1. It stimulates your mind

Studies from the online issue of the journal Neurology found that reading or doing other mental activities can slow the progress of or prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

According to the news portal Science Daily, the rate of mental decline of those with infrequent mental activity was quicker by 48%.

2. It help improves your focus and concentration

Unlike the experience of reading articles online wherein you can get distracted by ads or the temptation to check other websites in just a click, reading a book can help you improve your concentration because you are focused on a single item, thus helping you absorb what you read.

3. It can help you de-stress

Research conducted in 2009 by Mindlab International at the University of Sussex showed that reading is the most effective way to overcome stress. The participants of the study started to feel relaxed once they started reading.

4. It makes you more empathic

Reading fiction makes people more empathic, according to different studies made in January 2013. Being emotionally moved or touched by a story results in a boost in empathy as seen in experimental studies done during a course of one week for readers of Arthur Conan Doyle or Jose Saramago.

5. It improves your imagination and your vocabulary

Vocabulary is widened when you research on unfamiliar words you encounter in articles or stories you read. One’s imagination is also enhanced when reading because the mind tends to picture what is being read to achieve better understanding.

6. It can help fight depression

Studies from the University of Manchester published in 2013 state that people with severe depression can benefit from “low-intensity interventions” like reading self-help books.

Text courtesy of the Manila International Book Fair. Yahoo Philippines is a proud media partner.

Improving the School System for Quality Learning

By Gilbert M. Forbes
Principal, Padre Burgos Central School
Padre Burgos, Quezon

Raising the standards and quality of education in our schools depends largely on the existing system that the school effectively follows and implements.  Actually, as former DepEd Secretary Lesli Lapus puts it when he took office, there is no more need to reinvent the wheel.  What school leaders, teachers and the rest of the school stakeholders need to do are to keep it rolling.

Aside from making the existing system works and the wheel rolling, Kathy O’Neill, Director of Learning Centered Development Program based in the US suggested the following which we may be acquainted already but we’re only doing some only for compliance.

• Using Data to Focus Improvement.  We have it already under our so called School Basic Education Information System.  What we need to do is to enrich it aside from looking for trend.  One way to enrich it is to take it down to the classroom level seriously.  Lots of data are generated every year.  All we need is to utilize it fully and design a workable program out of it in consultation with the stakeholders which should be integrated in the School Improvement Plan.  It should always be remembered that schools that successfully improve student achievement regularly use data to guide decisions about instruction, student support and professional development.

• Creating a High-Performance Learning Culture.  It is uncommon to see schools fully supporting a school which support a true culture of excellence due to underlying behaviorial, attitudinal, and values prevalent under the present circumstances in the Philippine School System.  If itsn’t the school leader, problems lie mainly on teachers and other stakeholders who still prefer mediocrity versus quality and excellence popularly known as ‘puwede na yan’ and ‘bakit pa’ attitude.   Schools cannot improve when the culture does not support school improvement. Often in the push to improve quickly, the school's culture is forgotten. School leaders should learn what that culture is and why it must be challenged, changed and cultivated for the better; what roles leaders play in growing the culture; and what tools and strategies are available to help leaders foster a culture that supports improvement, high expectations and the well-being of students.

• Using Root Cause Analysis to Reduce Student Failure.  Improving student learning by changing classroom and school practices both requires and results in changes to a school's culture. Culture also impacts how and what improvements are made to benefit student learning, and data can be a powerful lever to explore inequities, expose systemic biases, and change beliefs and practices needed to improve the achievement of disenfranchised pupils and stakeholders. We need to gain analytical tools to uncover the real problems that school leaders need to address to close success gaps in schools. Aside from the school leaders, teachers being at the forefront of the teaching and learning has a pivotal role in this regard.  One way to do it is the so called student tracking system long time promoted by DepEd in the late 90’s.  Another way is identification of highly at risked children through the Project REACH and DORP, the promotion of at least basic but strong guidance and counseling program, and basic parenting seminars in our schools.

• Providing Focused and Sustained Professional Development.  Professional development is a powerful tool for changing schools, yet professional development is frequently done poorly and results in little or no positive change.  This is a long time ago.  With the introduction of the NCBTS and CB-PAST, individual teachers now has a hand and a say on what professional development assistance they need.  The first and foremost need however is how could teachers fully utilized these tools when current observations point out that they usually don’t know where they really are.   This a major challenged that is seen so far which school leaders should  attend.  School leaders should lead teachers in the realization that standards are standards.  It is non-negotiable.  For one to claim that he/she is able to meet one standard or is competent of doing something should be evidenced-driven and is highly observable on varying degrees.

• Organizing Resources for a Learning-Centered School.  How can schools more effectively use time and resources for teaching, planning and professional learning?

• Building Instructional Leadership Teams That Make a Difference.  The heart of leadership is the willingness to assume responsibility. Schools that improve and sustain improvement use teams to lead school reform. A crying need exists for teachers to lead by taking a more formal and explicit role in the supervision and improvement of instruction. 

• Communicating to Engage Stakeholders in School Improvement.  Effective communication is the key to an improving school community. Often the best intentions are sidetracked by poor communication. One feature of poor communication which doesn’t promote strong stakeholders involvement is the lack of transparency and enough for full cooperation characterized by mutual understanding and democracy.  On extreme cases aside from monetary issues, clash with the PTA’s leadership come into being when school administration appear to be autocratic instead of democratic and consultative.

• Leading School Change to Improve Student Achievement.  School leaders have gotten used to the idea that "the only constant is change." Productive school leaders understand the forces that influence the change process and can direct these forces for continuous school improvement. Learn how to lead change rather than react to it.

• Benchmarking and Coaching for School Improvement.  Schools undergoing transformational school improvement processes often need external models or bench-mark and coaches to help them through the process. The main challenge however in our schools is that too few want to share their secrets of success.   While any school could benchmarked a model school, they base it merely on outside and observable indicators because more often than not, selfish desire sad to say exists due to shallowness of professional beliefs and values as successful school leader implementers would often see other school leaders as competitors to their possible rise to the educational ladder.

Certainly, there are no shortcuts in making our school continuously improve and be a quality and excellent one.  The great challenge however to achieve it in a long sustainable and continuing way is for us to change our attitudes and values for the common good.  All best systems are already there.  The only thing and the main challenge is for us is to make those systems work.

(We welcome reactions, sharing and additional ideas in relation to this article.  All that will help our schools.)

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.) 

Transformational Teachers: The Key Players in Making Education Reforms Transform

(Material below is based on the article originally entitled,  A Chance to Make History by Queena N. Lee-Chua originally appeared at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, 7:26pm, Sunday April 24, 2011)

Why reforms in education don't transform as earlier emphasized in this blog could not only be blamed to the educational planners and implementers at the national level but more importantly at the grassroots or school level.  Not only the wait and see attitude, varying interpretations to national policies, cascading effects of information once relayed and institutional cultures but most importantly, behaviors and attitudes of teachers and school heads.

Images courtesy of google search.

Having a Transformational Teachers and School Heads is a different matter.  It surpasses resources gaps and could deliberately make great things possible in the field of education. This is a total change of attitude, a total change of heart which is a victory from being self-centered and selfish to selflessness.

Drawing from hands-on experience rather than ivory-tower theory, Wendy Kopp, a best seller book author in the US who was trained in business rather than education, boldly yet reflectively cuts through policy and debates to detail what it really takes to achieve what she calls “transformational” education.

Wendy Kopp, a 1989 graduate of Princeton University, created a teaching corps of America’s best and brightest new graduates to teach for two years in the country’s most disadvantaged schools.

Her journey is chronicled in her first book “One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach for America (TFA) and What I Learned along the Way.”

Transformational teachers

After describing how TFA teachers succeed against huge odds, Kopp says, “Success is possible in classrooms in low-income communities if we redefine the role of the teacher to mean more than providing access to learning experiences.  [Successful] teachers set out to inspire their students to assume responsibility for meeting ambitious academic goals, and they commit to doing whatever it takes to ensure their students succeed—providing the academic rigor and the extra support necessary to meet their extra needs.

“Teachers who redefine their roles don’t need to wait to solve poverty before their students can fulfill their potential. They can partner with children and their families to provide an education that changes their likely path and enables them to ‘make history.’”

Successful teachers need the same skills of successful leaders in any other field.  They need to track goals, maximize efforts, change course if necessary. They need great energy, discipline and hard work.

Other significant characteristics are: “past demonstrated achievement, perseverance, the ability to influence and motivate others, critical thinking skills, organizational ability.”

Transformational schools

Successful schools have a precise vision, and work hard towards it. “[Transformational] schools aspire not to equality of inputs but rather to equality of outputs,” says Kopp. “They are aspiring not to ensure their students have access to the same books, or dollars, or hours, but rather, that they achieve the same levels of performance and learning and the same life opportunities. That means doing whatever it takes to level the playing field for their students.”

Kimmel says, “Everything starts with teacher quality. There are many factors at play, but I’m dead in the water if I don’t have great teachers. It all comes down to the two-sided coin of teacher recruitment and retention.”

The best administrators do not lord it over teachers. Chris Barbic of Yes Prep campus in Houston, Texas, which has one of the best college performance rates in the state, says he “spends most of my time thinking about how to find, and do we have, and how do we keep, and are we developing, the right people in our schools.” Good principals “search for, cajole, beg and win over teachers to join them to achieve their vision of success for their students.”  They also ensure that their best teachers stay.

“Teachers stay when they are surrounded by colleagues and a culture that value their contributions,” says Kopp. Effective administrators provide ways for teachers to have broader impact, such as becoming “master teachers who coach and guide colleagues.”

Teachers stay when they feel they can grow as instructors and as leaders, thus professional development is essential. “The first step is finding great people,” says Kimmel, “the next step is supporting them to go from good to great or from great to greater.”

The retention rate at Wheels is 90 percent, “almost unheard of in many schools in low-income communities” and, I am certain, even in schools for the privileged.

Great schools insist on a culture of excellence.  TFA alumnus Reid Whitaker, who now heads Port Houston Elementary, cites the awards his good teachers have earned, and explains why ineffective teachers left.

“If you create a culture of positive goodwill that is built on team responsibility and centered on really high expectations for students, people who are not team players leave.  I have worked hard to create a culture that attracts the right people and repels the people who should go. I’ve only fired one teacher, but a number of teachers have left because they knew they weren’t giving their all and didn’t want to be in the spotlight here. In our school, anyone who is not giving 100 percent, who is not working as a team member, who is not working so hard for their students, they stand out like a sore thumb, and that’s uncomfortable.”


Transformational systems

When TFA alumna Michelle Rhee arrived in the District of Columbia in 2008, she found “five million unfiled personnel records stacked up in storerooms” with “some teachers not being paid on time while others who had left were still receiving paychecks.”

Thousands of work orders for school maintenance were not done, and around half of the city’s schools “had not received textbooks by the start of the school year, or had received the wrong ones.” Sound familiar?

Rhee had to fix the system fast. Personnel files were updated, e-mail systems streamlined, financial records digitized, resources reallocated.  In her most controversial decision on her first year, Rhee closed down 23 schools to free up resources so that “every school could [finally] have an art teacher, a PE teacher and a nurse.” Rhee made a lot of enemies, and since the Democratic Party mayor lost the recent midterm elections, she had to resign. The good news—Kaya Henderson, her successor, is also a TFA alumna and also demands excellence.

Transformational leadership requires guts and resolve, honesty and accountability. In Kopp’s book, the chapter  on “Scaling Success” should be required reading for every public official and employee involved in education.

“A Chance to Make History” by Wendy Kopp (2011, Public Affairs) is available in National Book Store.

Trends and Issues in Using IT in Education

By Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd QUEZON, IV-A CALABARZON   

We are very much aware of the present status of learning of our students.  Beneath the introduction of modern concepts of teaching and learning versus the traditional one, still low performance is a primary challenge.  At the outset, we are doubtful if curriculum reform and other educational reforms in the area of teaching, educational management and supervision will create a difference.  But there is still another element aside from these reforms that can make a difference when it comes to student performance.  This is no other than the introduction and use of information technology in our classrooms.

    The use of IT is actually not new already because it has already gained its ground in our secondary schools, even in grade schools in highly developed and economically affluent school districts.  Hence, computer laboratories have become ordinary among our secondary schools and has even become a priority among some of our school administrators and benefactors both private individual and politicians alike.  As such, most of these schools are now offering not only basic computer literacy but also even advance computer studies e.g. word processing and desktop publishing, power point and spread- sheet presentations etc.  With the introduction of Tech Voch concepts in selected secondary schools, benefit from IT education further benefitted students.  These give high school students the edge when they go to college to pursue advance IT studies both degree and non-degree.  It has even popularized computer related courses to the detriment of other vocational and technical disciplines that are also equally important and in- demand in the labor market contributing further to mismatch in actual labor demand.  Fly by night computer institutions have flourished in the past two decades.

    Observers are saying that, in this mode, the use of computer in learning is not practically maximized.  This is in terms of return on investment it requires, hardware, personnel, energy and facility.  Academic programs using computers is concentrated in a single area, computer education benefitting only the TLE class.  Therefore, no significant contribution on the advancement of learning in other important areas like English, Science and Mathematics can be seen in this arrangement since computers are not utilized for this purpose.  At times it is even funny to know that the school has a functional computer laboratory but has no library or a science laboratory where students can do their experiments and manipulate important science equipment.  This was recently corrected by a series of DepEd instructions with regards to the utilization of IT but still, much have to be seen in a larger scale.  Other more productive endeavors such as wood- working and agriculture are also neglected in favor of computer instruction, until recently, DepEd has issued an order strengthening Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan in our schools.

    But still, we could not discount the unlimited possibilities, computers can offer towards the advancement of learning.  It can integrate multiple media into single educational applications, it is interactive and include the capacity to control, manipulate and contribute to the information environment; they are flexible, offering freedom from rigid scheduling and from barriers of time and location; through connectivity, they provide access to every other person on the planet who has an internet account, to hundreds of thousands of information archives, and to millions of Web pages (Blurton 2001).

    In simple terms computers through an LCD projectors and sound blasters could be used in the classroom in presenting various multi-media lessons using CD-R-DVD Rom, various software applications such as word processing, power point and others thus making the lesson more interesting and full of suspense to the students.  It can even free the teachers from the traditional mode of writing, because instead of paper and pen, the computer can be used for such purpose and can be retrieved and revised anytime.  If there’s an Internet provider in the area, both teacher and students will further benefit for there are now eavailable downloadble learning materials e.g., instructional videos from youtube and other sites, lesson plans and learning guides, on-line exercises, etc.

    Various studies therefore favor the use of IT in education.   According to these, evidence has consistently shown that IT mediated instruction using conventional teaching methods is as effective as traditional face-to-face instruction, and in the case of computer-based instruction, may in certain instances improve student learning and attitudes to learning (Kulik 1994, as cited in Glennan and Melmed, chap. 2, 1995). Uses of ICTs in the classroom, especially for the host of applications and methods support ‘constructivist’ learning, in which students are encouraged to work in rich environments of information and experience to build their own understanding of them (Apple Computer, Inc., 1995; Bertelsmann Foundation, 1998). ICTs can make it possible for teachers to provide students with self-paced, self-directed problem-based on constructivist learning experiences, as well as to test student learning in new, interactive, and attractive ways that may better assess the depth of their understanding of content and processes.

    For this matter, school authorities, stakeholders, benefactors most especially politicians who illogically ride on this craze should consider these realities and try to refocus their priorities on a wider and not on a limited perspective which tend to serve only their interest and not the general interest of the many.  A World Bank Report warns about the lack of planning and the necessary resources for this matter.

    Before embarking on computer literacy programs for the students, the human resource of the school must be the first priority so that they will learn to use these technologies for the advancement of learning.  Advance instructional processes to enhance advance and quality learning must be the priority and not the open-ended computer literacy programs which becomes part of the THE old curriculum only.  After all not all students when they go to college or technical schools will pursue computer related disciplines.  The presence of the computers must not be confined to computer laboratories but should be dispersed to classroom levels.  After all computers today are not as sensitive as other may think it to be.  It no longer need a common area, which is expensive to maintain.  Since 1995, we have seen a lot of poorly ventilated establishments using computers. Instead of hiring computer instructors, why not train the existing teachers and let them maintain it together with their students.  In this manner, precious funds can be saved and allotted to other equally important needs and concerns such as the establishment of functional library and a science laboratory.

    As our civilization today continues, the evolution of new knowledge and technologies are immense.  As such, our thoughts and actions must not be distorted nor limit our horizon of thinking due to the gargantuan effect this craze brought.  So may our antiquity but instead the first to break the barriers of traditionalism for the advancement of learning.

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.) 

Trends and Issues: Roles of School Heads as Instructional Leader, Administrator and Manager

By:  Gilbert M. Forbes
DepEd Quezon, CALABARZON

As the Philippine Public Educational System draws near 2015 which is the deadline of meeting Education for All goals (EFA),  it is also marching towards the most demanding ages of the 21st century- ‘behooving all educational leaders to reflect, analyze, plan and take action in order to cope with multifaceted changes in the border-less marketplace’ (Delagoza 1996).  This is regardless of the challenges, threats and internal problems and issues that the educational system is experiencing, and the common orientation that school managers’ position currently implies.

  For this matter, effective school managers are expected to be academically goal oriented and supervise instructional and co-curricular practices accordingly. They motivate and support the teachers, encourage the community and other school stakeholders to be involved in the educational program, and encourage participatory decision making.  They are also faced with the complex task of creating a school wide vision, being an instructional leader- planning for effective professional development, guiding teachers, handling discipline, attending important events and needs, and all the other minute details that come with supervising and managing a school (Richard 2000).  The job of a school principal if not more demanding and difficult than an ordinary teacher, is expected to be equal, hence “the quality of school principals as school managers is a factor in improving the quality of education” (EDCOM 1992).

    Various studies support the idea that ‘it is the leadership of the school that makes a difference between mediocrity and excellence (Hugghes 1991).  One can always point to the principal’s leadership as the key to success of a school that is vibrant and has a reputation of excellence in teaching.  Indeed, the school manager is the keystone in the building of effective schools.  (Licuanan 1994) found that the nine positive outliner schools or outstandingly effective schools in the country do have similarly effective principals.  There is a positively significant correlation between effective principals and effective schools.

    (Clemente 1996) emphasized the need to identify and develop education managers fit to pilot schools into the 21st Century. In this light he gives the characteristics that school managers should possess. The first characteristic is the capacity to contribute to the academic performance, second the capacity to promote culture in a given academic year, third, the capacity to promote sports, fourth, the capacity to manage limited resources and the last, the capacity for innovation in academics, culture, sports and resource management.


Leaders as Learners

    Even when schools are not actively in reform projects, principals and district administrators find themselves confronting issues for which they have not been trained.  This may include demographic shifts, more rigorous academic standards, various teacher’s behaviors, integration of special-needs students into regular classrooms, gang and fraternal trouble, and even sexual harassment and molestation of students.

    But no area better illustrates the challenges of unfamiliar ground than technology.  They find themselves being called to decide complex human and technical issues (Andrew Trotter 1997).  For this matter, they are increasingly defining themselves as learners, not just doers, constantly scanning the environment for new ideas, tools, and solutions.  To do so, they must overcome numerous barriers: lack of time, insufficient rewards, fear that visibly engaging in learning is an admission of imperfection, and negative attitudes from previously poorly conceived professional development activities (Roland Barth 1977).  School systems can help overcome these obstacles by creating learning opportunities that are reflective, collegial, unconventional, and principal centered.

    At the same time, the complexities of change require learning that is more than a solo activity aimed at individual mastery.  Instead, leaders must work to create “learning communities” in which the entire school works together to solve the problems confronting it (Shirley Hord 1997).  Leaders create and sustain learning by sharing decisions, nurturing a common vision, and providing support for staff learning.  They operate colegially, “leading from the center,” placing themselves physically and psychologically among the teachers, stimulating discussion of teaching and learning at every opportunity.


Manager as a Moral Leader

    Leaders require followers, and some observers see signs that school leadership is slowly losing its following.  Administrators seem to get less respect than before.  Due possibly to certain factors as political intervention, leadership styles and practice, level of intelligence and communication abilities, and the rumors on how and where he is able to finish his graduate degree.  In this way, lesser respect and at the outset no more respect plus political attacks are becoming more common.  Moreover, some thoughtful critics argue that traditional public support is eroding, and that the public is “halfway out the schoolhouse door” (David Mathews 1996).  Whereas school leaders of long ago inherited moral authority, today they have to earn it.

    In part, moral authority comes from adherence to basic ethical principles such as honesty, fairness, hard- work and compassion.  For example, periodic reports or rumors of “irregularities” in conducting district and division assessment tests or even national tests such as NEAT and NSAT, corruption and even elicit affairs have raised questions about administrative ethics (Bess Keller 1998); even when unproved, the allegations undermine public faith in education.  While there is no evidence that school leaders are less ethical than other professionals, there is also no reason for complacency.  In a survey of superintendents in the U.S., William Fenstermaker (1996) found that when given an ethical dilemma with a number of proposed solutions, over half chose a response that would be considered unethical by their code of ethics.  Fenstermaker concluded that many administrators were either unaware of the ethical issues involved or did not care.  The same could also be true in the Philipppine setting although there’s no available data or research yet that may disclose this possibility.

    However, moral authority requires more than individual ethical excellence.  Leaders must create a consensus on purpose and practice that serves as the moral standard for everyone in the school (Thomas Sergiovanni 1996) aside from the code of ethics being implemented to all.  By continually raising questions and purpose, institutionalizing shared values, and motivating others by example, school leader establish a “moral voice” that infuses the school community.  Sergiovanni argues that principals go astray when they treat their schools as formal organizations rather than as living communities.  Research by Susan Moore Johnson (1998) similarly suggests that educational leadership be built on virtues such as honesty and respect.  She found that new superintendents established their credibility by initially listening and learning before making judgments or imposing solutions.

Responding to Challenges and other Issues

    So far, school leaders in the first world and in the newly industrialized countries seem to be responding to the new challenges by simply working harder.  Principals in these countries become enslaved to the job’s daily demands, responding to each crisis as it occurs, kept off balance by “the constant bombardment of new tasks and the continual interruptions” (Michael Fullan 1998). As a result, there was a big turn- over.  A study of elementary and middle school principals conducted by the National Association of School Principals in the U.S. in 1998 found that 42 percent turnover that has existed during the last ten years is likely to continue into the next decade (Doud and Keller 1998).  They point to many factors that make the principalship highly stressful: long hours of work- for most, a 60 to 80- hour work a week, workload and complexity of job, supervision of evening activities “unending,” minimal pay difference between the top teacher and administrator, feeling overwhelmed with very high expectations, state and district mandates that require “mountains” of paperwork, and increasingly complex society and social problems.  The increasing demands of the position can cause many principals to feel the stress is not worth it.

    The situation in the Philippines is quite different.  While it is expected that majority of the school principals at present are about to leave their positions, it isn’t because of the stress as a result of increasing demands in their positions as instructional leader and manager but because they are retiring.  At present being a school administrator is still seen as the easiest way out for teachers especially the master teachers to escape the demands and stress of being a classroom teacher even when it will mean a decrease on their monthly pay.  Not to include here is the honor and prestige that goes with being a school leader as well as the unstressful nature of the job as they might think it to be. This is thereby seen as the motivating factor of the relatively higher number of graduate students taking up graduate education in school management and administration.  The 1994- 95 data on graduate enrollment shows that 43.8% of the total enrollment was in teacher education.  The doctoral level is far higher having a share of 62.6% (Garcia 1996). Thus, it is predicted to increase further encouraging the proliferation of ‘diploma mill’ type of institutions and unqualified graduates.  From this vantage, it appears that their ability to respond to new challenges is questionable; hence, “it is preposterous to think of a bureaucracy manned by full-fledged MA’s and Ph.D’s who know little about their disciplines”(Angel Alcala 1996).  Given the fact that the kind of school management being employed by our school managers is far beyond compare with those in progressive countries, it is not surprising that there is still much to be desired when it comes to quality.

    In so doing, DepEd has implemented the merit system for those who will be moving to the administrative and leadership ladder.  However, still quiet a big weight is given to graduate educational qualifications.  But at least, it has equalized the opportunity particularly for those performing school managers viz their not so much performing counterparts who have already completed their graduate studies.

    Along the way there are many efficient leaders who seem to be searching for the right balance between managing and leading. Cascadden found that, these principals recognized and accepted both functions as essential but reported that the reform movement was squeezing them between contradictory demands.  On the one hand, restructuring has pushed more management decisions to the school site; on the other hand, the current management theories emphasized the importance of empowering leadership.  This creates an obvious time crunch, as well as the challenge of being both efficient and collaborative- in a system that retains a top-down orientation.  In the country however, the situations mentioned already support the reason why top-down orientation still remains and quite slow to transform itself on the new principles of leadership and management through empowerment.  But then, it is also good to review and reform the management functions of the present and future breed of school managers to make them more productive, dynamic and efficient like their counterparts in various part of the world.  They should be made ready to meet the challenges of this constantly changing world particularly now in the face of the effective implementation of School Based Management (SBM).

(Mr. Gilbert M. Forbes had his Bachelors Degree and MA in Educational Management (CAR) from the Philippine Normal University.  A campus paper adviser and trainer for 13 years.  Currently, he is a school principal in one of the central schools in the Division of Quezon.)

Resources:

Barsaga, Eligio B., “Assessment of the Multigrade Program in the Philippine Education (MPPE), The Philippine Journal of Education, Vol. LXXIVIII, No., 1998

Clemente, Alejandro W., “Philippine Education into the 21st Century,” Joer Printing Services, Quezon City 1996

Delagoza, Rolando S., “Educational Leadership in Times of Change and Transition,” The Philippine Journal of Education, Vol. LXXIVIII

Forbes, Gilbert M., “The School Management/Administration,” An Unpublished Reaction Paper for the Course Educational Environment at the Graduate College, Philippine Normal University, Manila 1999

Garcia, Ester A., “General Directions for Graduate Education: The CHED Viewpoint,” Sangguni Vol.IX No. 1, Philippine Normal University, Manila 1997

Hertling Elisabeth, “Retaining Principals,” College of Education, University of Oregon U.S.A., Eric Digest 2001

“Modernizing Philippine Education,” Master Plan for Basic Education (1996-2005), Department of Education Culture and Sports, Manila, Philippines

“Trends and Issues: Role of the School Leader,” Clearinghouse on Educational Management, College of Education, University of Oregon, ERIC/CEM 2001

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Principal's Should Be Effective Managers- Luistro

Department of Education Secretary Armin Luistro has callеd on all principals to bе morе proactivе in managing schools bеcausе studеnt performance is a reflection of how wеll thе principals perform thеir job.  (this article is lifted from www.depedteacher.blogspot.com)

Spеaking during thе Principals’ Forum of thе National Capital Region – Philippine Еlеmеntary School Principals’ Association (NCR-PЕSPA), Luistro likеnеd thе principals to his trustеd captains manning thе frontlinеs: “If wе wеrе in a battlefield, you arе in thе trеnchеs, in thе thick of battlе еgging your soldiеrs to fight on. You arе thе first linе of dеfеnsе who havе thе fееl of thе tеrrain, thе full grasp of thе situation and who know thе capability of your еvеry soldiеr.” Thе forum aimеd to enhance thе qualitiеs of principals as school managers who arе rеsponsiblе for thе learning outcomе of studеnts.

Luistro strеssеd that hе and othеr DеpЕd officials cannot not takе crеdit for what truly bеlongs to thе principals’ - thе direct management of schools. “Wе can only sеt thе dirеction and providе thе vision, support еndеavors and drеams. But it is thе principals who arе truly responsible whеn it comеs to school outcomеs and who dictate thе tempo of progress in thеir rеspеctivе placе of assignments.” PЕSPA is a national association of Elementary school hеads which supports Deped’s programs and activities.

To datе, thе secretary has alrеady visitеd 25 schools unannouncеd. Hе would sit at thе back row and obsеrvе how thе teachers conduct classеs and if thе students connеct. This is part of his unorthodox way of monitoring thе statе of public schools and how thеy arе bеing run by thе school hеads. His school visits also allow him to sее know how first hand thе resource gaps that nееd to bе urgеntly addrеssеd.

“In еight of my tеn visits, I must admit that I am inspirеd by what I saw and еxpеriеncеd whilе obsеrving from thе back row. But thеrе wеrе also sad storiеs that makе my hеart sink,” Luistro sharеd.

Luistro said that principals should not bе confinеd in thеir officеs but out in thе schools whеrе thе action is. “Principals, who just stay in thеir officеs and do not pеrsonally monitor thе situation in thеir rеspеctivе schools, do not transform Philippine education.

• Thе principals should bе doing thе rounds,
• inquiring on thе nееds of thе tеachеrs,
• fееling thеir inadеquaciеs, 
• sharing thеir joy and 
• sympathizing in thеir griеf 

 bеcausе principals should bе on top of everything that happеns in thе school,” hе addеd.

Luistro еxplainеd that principals should possess thе capability to translatе thе vision of thе dеpartmеnt into rеality, of translating plans into action.

An eternal optimist, Luistro said that, “I always want to sее and draw out thе bеst in еvеryonе. To maximizе thе potеntial of thе young students, wе should also maximize thе potеntial of thе teachers and thе principals.”

Thе department is pushing for thе adoption of thе national competency-based standards for school hеads;

• thе administration of thе national qualifying examination for principals; 
• thе development and implementation of programs to еnhancе thе managerial and leadership competencies of principals;
• thе downloading of thе maintеnancе and othеr operating еxpеnsеs; and 
• thе allocation of rеsourcеs basеd on nееds.

Deped sееs that education reforms can only happеn if thе principals arе handson. Thеy should also ablе to inspirе thеir constituеnts, to еnеrgizе thе pеoplе bеlow us and еarn thе rеspеct of thosе abovе thеm. “Principals should bе ablе to corrеct, to еncouragе, to sеt thе standard and to livе by еxamplе,” Luistro еxplainеd.

Hе addеd that asidе from school administrators, thеy should also bе thе “dirеct link to thе community who will opеn thе door for morе stakеholdеrs to invеst in public еducation. Thеy should bе ablе to еngagе thе local dеcision-makеrs, thе private sеctor, thе non-government organizations so that thеy can bе our partnеrs in achieving our school improvement plans.”

All of thеsе arе thе essence of School Basеd Management. “Thеsе arе part of DеpЕd’s vision to makе principals not just educators, but еffеctivе managеrs as wеll,” hе said.

Luistro also noticеd thе fast turnovеr of principals, which to him is not thе idеal situation. Hе wants to push that bеginning nеxt yеar, thе tеrm of thе principal should not bе lеss than thrее yеars but not morе than fivе yеars.

“Wе havе to givе our principals еnough timе to еnablе thеm to fully implеmеnt what thеy havе sеt out to do and maybе еnjoy thе fruits of what thеy havе sown. Lеt us givе our principals thеir momеnt to еnjoy thе dividеnds from all thеir physical, intеllеctual and еmotional invеstmеnts,” furthеrеd Luistro.

“Malaki ang tiwala ko sa aking principals. (I havе grеat trust to my principals.) I еntrust you thе teachers and thе studеnts. Parents entrust you thеir childrеn. Thе nation еntrusts you thе futurе. Tiwala ako na hindi nyo ako bibiguin, (I am confidеnt that you will not fail mе.) bеcausе you arе thе department,” said thе Deped chiеf.

(Reposted from an original article as described in the link entitled, Principal Performance: 8 out of 10 rated Inspiring on Unannounced Visit)

Making School Leadership Effective

By Gilbert M. Forbes
DepED Quezon
Region IV-A CALABARZON 

Reading different leadership and Management Books from my personal collection of well known authors as Covey, Maxwell, Waitley, Oswald, and the likes of Filipino educators as Franco, Nebres, Gonzales, Sibayan, Trespeces, Nemenzo and Luz, aside from various readings both conventional and novel (through the use of the internet), is simply not enough if school principals really wanted to make a difference particularly in the public school system and of the future thousands of school children.  For if one would just reflect on the thoughts of the first post apartheid president and the first black president South Africa had, Nelson Mandela who said, “Education is the great engine of personal development.   It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that a son of a mine-worker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation.  It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”

It is a fact that countries with excellent education like Japan, South Korea and Singapore enjoy significant levels of economic success. A former colonial country like that of the US became of what it is today, the lone super power because of education. US later on, learning from the very power that education can do, used it to further and maintain its interest in various countries of the world through its neo-colonial policies.

To this end, school head plays a very significant role in ensuring that our schools, our next generation of workers and citizens will find their way at least in the fiercely competitive, knowledge-based economy. School principals therefore must be totally sensitive to the expectations of his stakeholders which is actually zeroed in on the demonstration of leadership. It is a leadership which is anchored on bringing a group or institution towards a clear objective. Since, we are principal, instructional leadership is what fits in to us. Other literature called it learning leaders or learning-centered leadership. The demands of 21st century life and work call for principals with a deep understanding of how students learn and at what levels they need to learn. Principals therefore should be able to provide teachers with the leadership and support they need to help students gain the skills and knowledge now identified as important for success in a “flat” world filled with uncertainty and constant changes.

This is the very essence of instructional leadership. To make this happen, as Marsh puts it, as an instructional leader, he is characterized as being a resource provider, an instructional coach, an effective communicator; and has visible presence.Along this line as an instructional leader is that of being a curriculum manager. Since the curriculum is basically what students are expected to learn in the classroom and how the lessons are taught (Farris,1996), the principal must ensure that it is being followed by teachers as the prime basis of their daily teaching.

This is curriculum leadership defined as the exercise of functions that enable the achievement of a school’s goal of providing quality education to learners. It is not only implementation that matters but ensuring curriculum quality and applicability, alignment and integration of the curriculum, regular evaluation, enrichment, update and revitalization of the curriculum.In the public school system, curriculum is developed by curriculum experts and subject specialists and after testing and validation is handed down to all schools for implementation. This doesn’t mean however that the curriculum is absolute for the department encourages localization, enrichment and revitalization considering and understanding local settings, needs, cultural diversity and values. For this reason, principals must really have at least a basic understanding of curriculum development in general and the various models therein like Tyler. Obvious reason is that the given curriculum is not enough to make sure that maximum learning could be achieved. Enrichment and Mastery Curriculum enters and no other person is in the best position to lead in its formulation other than the principal.

In the course of all these, it is very important to know the factors that may affect curriculum implementation success as explained by Parsons (1987, cited in Marsh, 1992) and these are the need for time, technology for change, recognition of the school culture, incentives and rewards, sharing of burden in the workplace, releasing of energy for innovation, collaborative framework, leadership, recognition of the system-level culture, incentives and rewards, the need for political perspective, the need to win allies and the recognition of the role of individuals. Moreover, in monitoring curriculum implementation, it is important to: place more emphasis on mutual accomplishments rather than total fidelity (faithfulness or similarity to the source); strive for the development of a teacher-friendly and change-simple curriculum in the beginning; and promote a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement in the school.When all these are accomplished, we could now gauge the effectiveness of curriculum implementation following the three basic domains: use of curriculum materials, student activities and achievements and teacher activities.

While there could be clear limitations that most principals face in assuming their instructional leadership roles particularly financial resources, this must not discourage them in anyway for instructional leader is tasked to spearhead activities that address the educational shortcomings identified within his/her power. Strengthening one’s emotional quotient EQ will help a lot. Studies say that people with high EQ have the AURA of leadership, meaning they are able to appreciate, understand, respond and adapt to the challenges that face them.Effective school management is observed or measured in many ways. And that some of the indicators of good management in schools are the following: 1) Instructional supplies are ordered and arrive on time (for those schools where MOOE is released directly), 2) Teachers come to school on time, 3)Teacher absenteeism is low, 4) School facilities are in good repair, 5) Teachers have copies of syllabi, 6) Teachers receive instructional supervision, 7) Each school has a functional parent teacher association, and 8) Parents know how their children are progressing in their studies.This time that School Based Management is being emphasized among schools as part of the School First Initiative and Basic Education Reform Agenda, principals need to have leadership qualities in attempting school improvement.

Working towards overall improvement in our school will really requires that we AFFIRM our leadership role in the school’s “domains for improvement.” which includes: curriculum and instruction, performance and development of students, professional-personal performance of teachers and staff, administration/organization, school facilities and supplies and external relations. These could be attained not only by influencing and managing, just a school manager or CEO but an educational LEADER, a transformational leader who act as strong role models (idealized influence), communicate high expectation and provide inspiration (inspirational motivation), encourage creativity and innovation (intellectual stimulation) and provide support to others (individualized consideration).In the absence of continuous flow of knowledge that need to fill a vacuum due to schools which are not effectively organized to support and encourage continuous learning, the quest for coming up with educational research and new information as made stronger and prompted by the changing demands of the society, a principal plays a pivotal role in this regard. He must emphasize the value of research and of lifelong learning and should be the role model of it.

Sound and effective leadership will help a lot and will be the primary key. I am happy to know that effective leadership is characterize by the following indicators (Marsh, 1992): facilitating the development, implementation and monitoring of shared visions and mission; advocating and sustaining a school culture; promoting and sustaining an effective instructional program; Managing operations and resources in the learning environment; collaborating with community stakeholders; involving others and acting with integrity fairness and in an ethical manner.

Reference: Innotech Flexible Learning Management System Learning Modules 1 and 2.