OPTIMIZING K TO 3 CLASSROOMS

To strengthen the primary level in education, the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to introduce various teaching strategies. It is crucial to a learner absorbs the needed standards and competencies where the learning environment is not conducive. Maximizing the instructional classrooms with the available materials and engaging tasks motivates the learners to actively participate in the learning activities. This actually considers the early childhood growth and development of learners.

The holistic development of a child on the early years of his education depends on the foundation they get from Kindergarten to Grade 3. This primary stage shapes the character and well-being of the learners. That is why DepEd makes sure that K to 3 classrooms are motivating and engaging in context, and that they provide space for activity learning centers or play areas to enrich the physical, social, intellectual and emotional aspects of the learners.

In these play areas set in the primary level classrooms, the learners are given equal opportunities to explore and have a first-hand experience to do the learning tasks inside the classroom. They are likely able to discover themselves their own strengths and weaknesses with teachers’ tutelage and motivation. Teachers are expected to provide activity learning centers in their instructional classrooms to facilitate learning like personal care and grooming area, house and garden care, language arts corner, sensory, perceptual and numeracy zone, motor and creative development area, work or activity corner, indoor and outdoor section, and dramatic play or free play area.

The meaningful and engaging experiences the learners acquire from these activity learning areas matter the most in their early development. The physical and aesthetic feature of an instructional classroom plays a vital factor in the child’s learning and development. The provision of various play-based tasks leads them to be emergent individuals and afterwards they will naturally get hold of the needed competencies and skills holistically and of great advantage in whatever course they intend to pursue in the future and in fact they are also trained and developed to be lifelong individuals ready to face life’s challenges.

It is indeed a huge challenge for teachers to have so much care and attention during the critical stage of child growth and development. With the absorptive capacity of the learners during the primary level of their education, teachers in reality form the self-esteem, moral fiber and beliefs of these learners. Instructional classroom environment should be motivating, play-based and child-centered.

Therefore, our significant connections with our learners to provide activity learning areas bind the tights of teacher to learner, learner to teacher, and learner to learner relationships. It is a fulfillment for teachers to see their learners find enjoyment while doing the activities and learning at the same time inside the classroom. In this way, it simply validates the empirical thoughts of Harvard 2009 that the first years of life are important because what happens in early childhood can matter in a lifetime.

Because times are changing, it is incumbent upon the Department of Education to ensure that DepEd officials analyze what is happening and try to influence the policies of the department because whatever happens, it will impact the children.

These changes are brought about by developments in ICT and brought about by developments in the international scene.

In response to the Department of Education’s (DepEd) mandate to provide a complete, adequate, and relevant basic education services, the Planning Service – Policy Research and Development Division (PS-PRD) spearheaded the launch of a monthly research forum dubbed as “Research O’Clock”.

In partnership with the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) Philippines, Research O’Clock aims to provide a platform to share evidence in basic education sector and engage various stakeholders in meaningful discussions on the issues, concerns, and problems that affect the delivery of quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education to the Filipino learners – the core of the 10-point agenda of DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones.

In his welcome remarks, Undersecretary for Planning and Field Operations Jesus L. R. Mateo mentioned the Department’s policy interventions that guide all governance levels to strengthen the internal processes and systems towards evidence-based decision-making. The Policy Development Process (DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2015) provides for systematic, evidence-based, and participatory mechanisms that are supported by the adoption of the Basic Education Research Agenda (DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2016) and establishment of Research Management Guidelines (DO 16, s. 2017).

Gone are the days when policies, or DepEd orders or memoranda are issued by one office. Now the DepEd sees a lot of collaborations, cooperation prior to the issuance of any DepEd, department order or memorandum.

In 2018, Research O’Clock shall engage relevant stakeholders in discussing evidence for policy development. All DepEd offices and partners are enjoined to participate in the monthly discussions and presentations of research findings in basic education through registering via http://bit.ly/ResearchOclock.