REPUBLIC Act 12322, or “An Act that allows the DepEd the flexibility to determine the pedagogical approaches to be implemented in the basic education curriculum”, gives greater freedom to creative teachers and autonomy to the Department of Education to choose the most enlightened teaching techniques and strategies that will excite and encourage students to engage in self-learning, participate in group learning, and explore learning. It starts with self-study, knowing oneself, and having a commitment to defend their rights and dignity and those of others, and do their duties to self, family and society.
This freedom given to teachers as a result of this law enables them to develop their own creative teaching methods, bringing their enthusiasm, commitment and personality into their teaching. Teachers are no longer forced to use traditional and rigid teaching styles. They now have the freedom to employ the exact pedagogical tools that will inspire and create enthusiasm for learning among their students.
Gifted teachers are free to give attention and focus their expertise in specific fields and areas of knowledge that will most benefit students, such as advanced mathematics and science. The days of endless, soul-destroying repetition must be dumped in the dustbin of educational history.
Traditional teaching methods are hardwired into the system, and many teachers know no other method at present. Intensive retraining will take a long time. Traditional teaching methods are highly generalized and have multidisciplinary content, and that tends to slow down the learning process of students who need new and varied stimuli and entertaining teaching methods.
The best kind of learning is enjoyable learning. Participatory learning encourages students to think for themselves, to have the freedom to express their opinions and insights. When students feel they are truly respected and valued, and that their insights are given value and respect, they learn all the more with understanding and self-confidence. It helps them develop the ability to understand their own emotions, relationships, inner strengths, and human weaknesses.
True education nurtures personal values among students, like respect for each other and nature. It guides, encourages and challenges students to think critically for themselves and understand their society and the world.
Such an education gives students a compass to distinguish what’s right from wrong, what is true and false, good from bad and have a moral compass for life, enabling and empowering them to choose to do good and oppose evil and wrongdoing.
This kind of education gives students the enhanced ability to be an independent, reflective person with strong moral opinions and be confident and self-aware in society. It also helps develop in students a sense of concern for others — especially the poor and marginalized — as well as empathy, ethical reasoning, and a sense of justice.
Parents have an equally important role in this, too, teaching their children by showing kindness and support, and by being a good example of a moral life.
That is education at its best. The freedom of gifted teachers to improvise, promote creative learning and team learning is the future of a more enlightened teaching curriculum for the Philippines. (shaycullen@gmail.com)/PN
