Sendong-affected schools find dynamic learning easier

PUBLIC high schools in Cagayan de Oro affected by tropical storm Sendong in December are finding the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) easier than the traditional learning method.

The innovative teaching method introduced by 2010 Ramon Magsaysay awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and Dr. Maria Victoria Carpio-Bernido does not rely on textbooks.

Also through the DLP, classes can be held despite the lack of teachers since some of them could not go back to work yet as they had to deal with problems after their houses were swept by the floods.

The method will also maximize students’ motivation, focus, confidence and composure, self-discipline and stamina in learning.

Gil Araneta, principal of Angeles Sisters National High School (ASNHS), attributed to DLP the increase in school attendance from 44 percent during the reopening of classes on Jan. 3 to 90 percent two weeks after.

ASNHS is one of 34 public high schools in Cagayan de Oro City that started implementing the DLP last June.

Smart Communications Inc., in cooperation with the Philippine Business for Social Progress, arranged the visit of school principals to the Central Visayan Institute Foundation in Jagna, Bohol, where the program was born.

What they learned from the Bernido couple at their school convinced them to implement the DLP in their respective schools.

DLP involves 70 to 80 percent student activities and 20 to 30 percent lecture.

Under the program, students are given activity sheets instead of textbooks. Students work on activities on their own, with the teacher coming in to discuss the concept for 15-20 minutes.

“The teacher just facilitates learning. This is why we can handle three classes at the same time on any given concept, for example math. The program has resolved the lack of teachers since a single teacher can now handle more sections,” Araneta said.

“The bigger problem was that the teachers and the students who survived the floods could not immediately go back to school. Second was the cleanup. But the program, which encourages students to learn on their own through activities and less on their teachers, required minimal logistical support,” said Stephanie Orlino, Smart Public Affairs Community Partnerships manager.

The lesson plan, finalized even before the start of the school year, could simply be printed again for the teacher’s use. All the students needed were paper and pen, since DLP requires them to write or draw their understanding of the concept introduced on the premise that these activities activate both the psychomotor and visual faculties of their brain, priming them up for learning.

Smart will shoulder the cost of printing the DLP lesson plan for teachers in all seven schools in Cagayan de Oro that were affected by the floods.

The telco will also provide school supplies to enable the students to work on their portfolio—paper, pen and folders—as well as those that the teachers might need to facilitate the lesson for the day like manila paper and pentel pens.

Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Superintendent Myrna Motoomull said the DLP is being implemented in 34 of the city’s 35 public high schools for the school year 2011-2012 and “will continue for five years so that the maximum results of the program can be seen.”