TBH, I was looking forward to a surreal yet a fruitful encounter. And it all happened last October 27, 2014.
I have been trading e-mails with Dr. Christopher Bernido inviting him to speak before the faculty members of CITE, but I can’t get past his very hectic schedule. Until I finally got an unexpected response from him for a meet-up on October 27 at Café Laguna in Ayala Center.
Who, by the way, is Dr. Bernido?! He and his wife, Dr. Marivic have doctorate degrees in Physics from the State University of New York. The couple headed the National Institute of Physics in the University of Philippines and are renowned for excellence in research and education. The Bernido couple is well respected in the international circle of physicists and have been hosting workshops for international physicists and Nobel laureates.
Until in 1999, when the couple decided to go back to a remote municipality of Jagna, Bohol and decided to run a struggling public high school. The Bernidos came into grips with the real problems that Philippine educational system is facing, and with their extensive knowledge in research in neuroscience, the couple introduced the revolutionary way of teaching science and non-science subjects albeit the dearth in infrastructures and qualified teachers. It is called the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP).
DLP started in Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF), a school which they have taken over since 2002. DLP is a teaching strategy that focused on the strong fundamentals. In the DLP mode, a student spends on activity-driven exercises built around clear targets and aided by well designed learning activities. DLP also addresses the lack of teachers by parallel classes, where three simultaneous classes are held by one expert teacher and facilitators. On top of it all, DLP strictly uses strategic rest by not giving any homework to students. The results? There was an increase of academic performance among CVIF students. Some were even passing the entrance exam in the University of the Philippines and international college tests. In 2010, Dr. Chris and Dr. Marivic Bernido received the Ramon Magsaysay Awards.
We heard about DLP two years ago. Then came a time when we had to go to Bohol to see it for ourselves. That was the first time we met the couple. We were not believers of DLP then until after two years after implementation when we see a difference in terms of attendance and academic performance among CITE students. We have attended seminars and witnessed how DLP changed the landscape of education and we are convinced that DLP is the way to go.
Fast forward. Meeting the couple after two years seemed like meeting old friends. Although this time, I was still star struck. Dr. Chris was accommodating as usual leafing through our portfolios and sample learning activity sheets. Dr. Marivic seemed to enjoy conversations more as she punctuated the conversations with nuggets of wisdom. Dr. Marivic explained the importance of no homework and parent-school coordination and how she encourages each school to tailor-fit DLP to the need of the students.
I also learned that six schools from Singapore and some schools in Vietnam got interested in implementing DLP. With the benefits a school may reap from this methodology, I don’t see any reason why it won’t work. With a committed top management and teachers ready to change roles, DLP would benefit more the learners more than the teachers.
From the conversations we had, we may narrow down to some points:
1.DLP is ready for K+12 implementation. It is just a matter of aligning the Learning Activity Sheets to address the Knowledge, Process, Understand, and Project platform.
2.Cut the LAS into a page long or less. Exercises may just be limited to 2 or 3 examples. If the activity is really long, cut the frills.
3.Activity or DVD before lecture.
Before the meeting ended, I learned that CVIF has not accredited a school as DLP implementor. We are just getting excited if DLP will soon be incorporated into our Quality Management Systems, then it will be easy for us to get certified.