Part of the Vibal contingent to the conference.

Education in the Philippines took a big leap forward with the recently concluded National Education Conference on Understanding by Design: Getting into the Core of the 2010 Secondary Education Curriculum, a joint undertaking of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education (FAPE*) and the Department of Education (DepED). It was held on February 4 - 6, 2010 at the Manila Hotel in the City of Manila; and on February 8 - 10, 2010 at the Waterfront Hotel-Lahug in Cebu City.

The UbD conference was also the venue for the Department of Education (DepED) to formally unveil the 2010 Secondary Education Curriculum (SEC) that will be initially implemented in the first year level (public school system) starting school year 2010 - 2011. DepED was a major partner of FAPE in organizing the conference.

Core of the Curriculum

The conference provided an opportunity for the thousands of participants-school administrators, teachers, curriculum developers, and educators in general-to learn from the two speakers and seasoned educators about the important concepts underlying Understanding by Design (UbD) and Differentiated Instruction (DI).

Professor Everett Kline gave a lecture on the nature of UbD as a curriculum model while Jeanne Purcell Vautour, Ph.D. talked about the key principles and strategies involved in DI. Both Kline and Vautour are affiliated with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), an educational leadership organization in the United States.

'UbD', 'DI', Workshop

The conference proper was divided into three parts, namely the lectures of Vautour and Kline on the first two days, and the presentation of the 2010 SEC and subsequent workshop on the third day.

Kline, working on the framework developed by UbD proponents Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, emphasized that UbD is about "teaching for understanding" instead of merely teaching for "knowledge acquisition." He further elaborated on the said idea by discussing an important component of UbD, which is the "six facets of understanding". These six facets include the students' ability to "explain, interpret, apply, show perspective, empathize, and have self-knowledge" about a given topic.

Kline explained that UbD entails a reorientation in curriculum planning in which the "backward design" is utilized. In this design, teachers should first identify the desired results (or goals), plan the assessment needed, and plan and develop learning experiences and instruction. Kline emphasized that teaching should focus on identifying the content and performance standards as well as the essential questions and essential understanding that should guide the teaching-learning process.

Vautour explained that DI is a "curriculum model that provides a framework for addressing learner variance within the context of high quality content." DI is also defined as "a teacher's reacting responsively to a learner's needs" She said that DI is simply about attending to the different levels of students' learning abilities through various activities, instruction, and assessments that teachers provide. Vautour also added that DI addresses the issue of learning gap between and among students with various levels of intellect, interest, and background.

Dr. Lolita M. Andrada, Director of the Bureau of Secondary Education of DepED, presented the 2010 SEC and the standards that will be used in the implementation of UbD in public schools. The workshop focused on the application of UbD in the different secondary level subject areas. Parallel workshops on UbD were also given for principals and heads of schools, and for administrators of teacher education institutions.

'Edukasyon ang Solusyon'

In his keynote address delivered on February 6, 2010 (the third day of the conference), DepED Secreatry Jesli A. Lapus used the slogan, "Edukasyon ang Solusyon", to emphasize the important role of education in addressing the problems of the country. He said that education in the Philippines, particularly the secondary education, needs major improvements. He also pointed out the need to retool and update the country's human resources to upgrade the country's educational system. Information technology, particularly its application in education, should be given importance if the country wants to be competitive in the international market.

Lapus shared that statistics indicate many Filipino high school graduates are "ill-equipped with the necessary tools to be competitive in seeking jobs." He added that important skills, especially in communication, are wanting from high school graduates.

Along these lines, Lapus said that closing one's mind to change would result in being left behind. He added that in the field of education, "we start change with our teachers." And transfer of technology becomes possible by breaking down resistance to change.

Stressing the importance of the new curriculum framework of DepED, Lapus believes that schools should facilitate a smoother transition of students from school to work. In this regard, he enjoined the educators to lead students to reflect, rethink, and revise; and to "teach by understanding and design, and not by accident."

VPHI Participants

Vibal Publishing House, Inc. (VPHI) was one of the many educational publishing companies that sent participants in the FAPE conference. Among those who represented VPHI were editors/consultants Dr. Lilia M. Rabago (Science), Dr. Grace Estela C. Mateo (Social Studies), Dr. Pilar I. Romero, (Christian Living), Dr. Lydia P. Lalunio (Filipino), Mrs. Phebe S. Peña (English), Mrs. Alicia L. Padua (Science), and Mr. Ricardo M. Crisostomo (Science). Rochelle C. Colorina (Mathematics Subject Area Coordinator, Cesar C. Inocencio (Editorial Coordinator), and this writer were also part of the VPHI group.

* FAPE is an organization that promotes the development of private education in the Philippines. Established on November 5, 1968, FAPE works to help "private schools in their quest for academic excellence, managerial competence and financial viability, through the extension of logistic and technical support."