Makati schools thank ‘gamified’ online lessons for higher test scores

PUBLIC schools in Makati City were able to improve their students’ performance in the recent National Achievement Test (NAT) by up to 30 percent, an accomplishment being attributed to an online platform designed to make learning more fun.

Maria Theresa Namoro, assistant schools division superintendent of the Department of Education (DepEd)-Makati, said the students were able to raise their English proficiency and competency in Math and Science with the help of Quipper School, a free online learning tool that allows teachers to “streamline teaching methods and class management,” enabling students to “learn in a fun and effective way.”

Namoro said public schools in the city who availed themselves of the program last year, such as East Rembo Elementary School and Makati Science High School, were able to increase their NAT results by 20 to 30 percent.

Developed by London-based education technology firm Quipper, the online learning program now used by around 1,400 schools nationwide aims to improve the quality of education in the country by transforming the teaching and learning experience in schools. The program, according to Namoro, is equipped with lessons “based on the competencies of the K-12 program.”

As technology becomes increasingly pervasive in everyday life, teachers are ironically encountering more pupils who have difficulty focusing on their lessons, Namoro said.

Quipper country manager Yuki Naotori said the program addresses this concern as students find it more fun to study through the “gamification” of their lessons.

Jelis Mercader, the company’s head of content, said the gamified lessons and quizzes further motivate students to master new concepts or skills. “There’s instant gratification. It also gives students the opportunity to learn and relearn,” Mercader added.

With the rollout of the senior high school program next month, the company is set to employ the same technique for 1.2 million registered students in both private and public schools.

At present, the curriculum for incoming Grade 11 students includes oral communication, general mathematics, earth and life science, among others.

To date, the program is being used by 33 DepEd divisions, from Mountain Province up north to Zamboanga City in the south. It has 200,000 active monthly users, mostly from public schools.

Naotori said they are targeting around half a million active users per month in the next two years.