EDUCATION REVOLUTION STARTS HERE
By
RACHEL BARAWID
MANILA, Philippines - The students of Darwin International School (DIS) System in the quaint towns of Pulong Buhangin and Bagbaguin in Sta. Maria, San Jose del Monte City and Malolos in Bulacan may literally be labeled as probinsiyanos and probinsiyanas but they are not the least bit backward, in terms of education.
In fact, the students who are all fluent in speaking English, are globally competitive and equally brilliant, perhaps even better than those from Manila and elsewhere.
Apart from topping the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) results in the province and the region, they also end up getting accepted to all the top schools in the country such as the University of the Philippines (UP), Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. This is largely due to the unconventional, out-of-the-box and unique system of education being offered in the school.
ONE-OF-A-KIND TEXTBOOKS
First off, the students from preschool to grade school don't have the usual textbooks that are commercially found in the market. Neither do they use imported books. Their simple resource materials in all subjects except Math, are actually in black and white, typed in bond paper, photocopied and bound together. These serve as their textbooks.
But one shouldn't be quick in judging its cover though, because as soon as you open the pages, you'll see that it is far from its simple and ordinary exterior.
The books, written by DIS president and headmaster Professor Rolando S. Dela Cruz, are cutting-edge, unique and filled with relevant words and concepts that students need to be able to think critically and compete globally.
The English book for preparatory students, for instance, contains vowel and consonant sounds, spelling and advanced vocabulary. Words like edifice, abbey, hilarious, cactus, iceberg, Koran, palette, queue and their proper pronunciation are being taught to these kids in the context of a sentence and not just through memorization.
"Yung libro namin mukhang kawawa pero ang pinag-uusapan ano yung laman, paano ituturo at ano yung method sa pagtuturo. In English, I need to give even prep students advanced vocabulary because my goal is to produce globally competitive students. So I engage them in critical thinking. If the words are deep, they can absorb ideas and express themselves. Through ideas, they can be able to test concepts. But that can't happen if they learn only simple words," explains Prof. Dela Cruz, an A.B. Philippine Studies (major in Political Science and Film) graduate from UP Diliman.
The English book also has poetry, literary activities such as reading a classic and analyzing the setting, characters and the story. It also includes English expressions.
The English Grade 6 book has a practical exercise that enables students to discuss their weaknesses, allowing them to express themselves. Dela Cruz says this activity particularly trains sixth graders to pass a job interview, a skill normally learned while in college!
Prep Science books, meanwhile, consist of topics on animals, plants, human biology and astronomy. Dela Cruz reasons that the abstract concepts in this book may be hard and advanced for their age but if taught using the right approach, they will be able to absorb it easily. Science, like all the other subjects, is taught in a multidisciplinary approach. Art and language are incorporated in the subject, as students learn to draw the animals they read about and also test their spelling skills from the new scientific words they've encountered.
Filipino and Civics books, on the other hand, have an English translation for every word, much like a dictionary. And then the lessons are taught in Filipino and English, on a different day, so the students who are adept in English can have a chance to understand the concepts in their preferred language. "I allow the children to master the Filipino topics first. But I don't deprive them the opportunity to learn in English. So now, we have students who can express themselves in a particular topic in two languages. That to me is the real bilingualism," points out the 48-year-old Dela Cruz.
At the DIS however, everyone including the janitors and guards are required to speak in English at all times, even during recess and lunch break.
TEACHING HUMANITIES EARLY
Another important feature of the DIS education is the integration of the Humanities, a first year college subject, in the preschool and grade school curricula.
Prep Humanities, for instance, teaches kids about prehistoric art including pottery, the first human beings and cave paintings. They also learn Achilles in Greek art, the Renaissance as well as legendary musicians, literary greats, and artists from Mozart to Lea Salonga.
"When I went abroad, I saw French preschool kids analyzing art at the Louvre Museum. My goodness, what an injustice to Filipinos! `Yung pinag-aaralan natin ng college, pinag-aaralan na ng preschool kids sa France! So I said to myself, when the time comes that I will put up a school, I will not deny them the opportunity to learn world art at the earliest possible time. I believe Humanities should be taught throughout the learning process from preschool to college," reveals Dela Cruz, a three-time Palanca awardee and two-time Cultural Center of the Philippines awardee in playwriting.
While the parents of his students were shocked about the inclusion of the Humanities in the lower levels in the beginning, he says eventually they realized that there is nothing wrong with learning about the best in world art and culture at such a young age.
Some textbooks at Darwin, also have footnotes that include bibliographies, links and additional readings that even teachers and parents can look up. Dela Cruz believes that they too should engage in lifelong learning to be able to effectively teach their students and children.
STUDY TOURS AND FORMAL DINNERS
Darwin International School also differs in the way it conducts its field trips which it would rather call study tours. Instead of amusement parks, the students are taken to historical, science and art-oriented places such as museums, famous landmarks and even puppet shows. In its recent study tour, students were taken to the Quezon Memorial Circle where they learned about the tomb of former President Manuel Quezon, as well as the architecture, art and history of the place. They also went to the PNP Museum where they were exposed to the concept of guns, as a tool to ensure peace and order. During the tour, students engage in complementing activities that enhance the lessons.
Every year, students attend formal dinners at DIS where they don't just learn social etiquette, table manners but also discuss serious, relevant issues with their teachers and school officials. Other extra-curricular activities include a Sports Festival, English Festival, Talent Olympics, Dream Day, Cosplay Festival and Battle of the Bands.
Apart from the small class sizes, the school has no top ten classification. Instead, all students are required to maintain a grade that can make it to either of the five classifications: first class honors, high second class honors, low second class honors, high third class honors and low third class honors. Those who do not fall in any classification will be provided with an intervention to improve his or her performance. Otherwise, a student will have to transfer to another school. What's good about this classication, adds Dela Cruz, is that everyone are motivated to study hard and give their best effort due to the equal opportunities to excel and be part of the honors class.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL FOR FILIPINOS
Established in 2003, the Darwin International School is a fulfillment of Dela Cruz's dream to provide international education to Filipino students. The wealth of knowledge offered and unconventional method used in the school are products of a rich educational and teaching experience, mostly culled from his learnings in UP, as well as from his postgraduate studies at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies in Japan, University of Leiden in the Netherlands and the University of Cambridge in England. The curriculum is likewise an enhanced version of the basic education curriculum of the Department of Education.
While he had already made significant contributions to UP, producing books and journals for the UP Law Center and teaching Political Science students for a long time, Dela Cruz felt that he would be able to give back and help improve education in the country much more if he could reach out to a greater number of students at a given time. And that would be possible by putting up his own international school for Filipino students.
"My idea of an international school is to produce students with international orientation but with a strong dedication as Filipinos with a big heart. My goal is not to destroy their being Filipino but to strengthen their identity and nationalism. I want to produce Renaissance men and women with 21st century skills who will work hard for their country," stresses Dela Cruz.
ACADEMIC AND MORAL EXCELLENCE
Third year high school student Donalyn Natorilla of DIS in Pulong Buhangin, Santa Maria, says her Darwin education has taught her to be "learned" and not just "formally educated." "Being "formally educated" means one is only excellent in academics. But being a learned individual has both academic and moral excellence," she says.
Her classmate Andrew Pesebre, meanwhile, has learned to think critically and developed the confidence to stand in front of a crowd.
For parent Alvin G. Buenaventura, his son Aaron, this year's class valedictorian and incoming Engineering freshman at UP Diliman, has developed into a walking encyclopedia. He credits this skill to DIS who trained him well. He is confident that his three other children will graduate with the same skills and grow up to be equally responsible and extraordinary citizens.
Like the students, DIS teachers continuously develop to become better educators through constant trainings.
"The trainings have provided me with the techniques on how to maximize the time for each subject, how to deepen the discussions, how to ensure effective student participation and how to facilitate collaborative learning. Therefore, I became goal-oriented, focusing more on target skills that students must learn and the mastery level that they must attain. I am very fortunate that this institution keeps on nurturing me to become an efficient and effective educator," ends DIS head teacher Mary Grace R. Domingo
(SOURCE: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/education-revolution-starts-012020080.html)
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NOTE:
I would like to thank the author, Rachel Barawid, for the piece. Special thanks goes to the Manila Bulletin's Education Section Editor, Ivy Lisa F. Mendoza. - PROF. ROLANDO S. DELA CRUZ
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