Nicko A.

Concepcion III-BEE

TEACHING: THE K-12 STYLE

By: Janela Kaye Villar

Perhaps, student teaching is the Holy Grail of being an Education

student. Every year, we see senior students transforming into colorful
butterflies from being plain white caterpillars. It is even common thought
that once you finish your student teaching, everything that follows will be
easier.

But, really, saying the word teaching is much easier that doing the actual
thing. Especially now that student teaching is paired with K+12 teaching.

As a senior student, I, together with the others, saw a glimpse on the near
future that we are about to take. Soon, we will leave the university and
face the real world of teaching. Gone will be the easy-go-lucky days of
nimbynambing. To welcome us is the challenge of K+12.

But, aside from the formal and highly academic definitions of K+12, what
is it? Well, if you please, dear reader, Ill have the humble request to fill
this innocent paper with my own experience as a K+12 intern. As a
graduate of the BEC or the Basic Education Curriculum, all I can do is to
compare how I learned and how I taught in the field. At this time, the K+12
is yet to cover Grade 9 level. As for me, I was given the precious chance
to handle Grade 8 classes which gave me ample time to read and teach
what is in the learning material.

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The content of the learning material aims to make the individual globally
competitive. We always hear the globally competitive but what do we
mean by it with the context of the new curriculum? In my own humble
opinion, it is the teaching about the other countries, deeply. Not just a
simple recount of the country. In English subject, these serve as carrier
lessons. To give you a concrete example, here is one. Let us say that you
are in Unit 3 which concentrates on Burma and Burmese literature and
you are to teach the different Propaganda strategies. What are you going
to do is to use the different Burmese advertisements to carry on the lesson
of the propaganda. On this way, you are opening the minds of the
students about Burma while teaching them how the Propaganda works. (I
hope I didnt sound dumb on this paragraph)

Also, unlike the BE Curriculum, K+12 allows the teacher to spend less
time talking. Appropriate activities are given which lets the students learn
in their own way. The teacher acts as a guide, not the sole source of
knowledge. For example, your topic is about a poem. After asking the
students their opinions about the poem, let them answer a Character
Analysis Map that asks them how the speaker feels? What are the things
that the person sees? Hears? Thinks? By analyzing these questions, the
students are carefully guided to let the students work with others. Activities
are given by twos or threes. Grouped accordingly, the weaker students will
be helped by the brighter ones. This supports the principle of cooperative
learning. In this way, the activities are graded easily and no one is left
behind with others.

Another special characteristic of the K+12 curriculum is on how the

students are graded. Unlike the old BEC, K+12 rates the learners only in
four areas.

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As a simple student teacher, I was given enough time to experience K+12.
But that short time is enough to give me a birds eye view of the Philippine
educational system.

The Philippines has still a long way to go and its kind of Education will
help tread that way. The K+12 Curriculum may have received criticisms,
but as citizens of the country, we ought to support it more rather than
destructively criticize it.

Furthermore, the stability and success of a change relies on the people

around it. No matter how we change our curriculum, if we are not
supporting its pillars, then, it will obviously fall. And the ones who will
receive its greatest impact are not the other countries, not Burma, not
Africa, but us.

A teacher once told me, Nangangapa pa lang din kami sa K+12. What I
felt was a deep understanding. Our teachers on field are heroes who
strive to keep with the challenge. It is rather for us, the young ones to keep
up and accept the torch education.

I ask you now, dear future teachers, not as your colleague but rather, a
Filipino citizen. I ask you to become real warriors. Not the kind that just
aims for high salary or compensation. I ask you to become real teachers
the one that smiles with changes and sleeps with the thought that every
next day will be a good day to touch and guide a child.

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