CEBU, Philippines - The Department of Education launched its new education portal called the Learning Resource Material Development System yesterday at the Ecotech Center, in barangay Lahug.
The portal is a web-based catalogue and repository of learning, teaching and professional development resources that provides information about the location of resources and allows users to access directly digitized versions of these resources.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said that the said portal will help their department monitor their performance down to the school level. Lapus said that the program will provide instructional and learning materials particularly in Reading, English, Science and Mathematics.
The said portal is part of the aid given by the Australian government worth $20 million Australian dollars. Lapus said that it will be done by phase until the whole region will be able to avail of the program.
Meanwhile, next to improving the intelligence quotient of students, the Department of Education is also focusing on enriching the emotional quotient of learners even as the department strengthens the teaching of the richness of our cultural heritage.
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said DepEd is now enriching the elementary curriculum with the integration of Social Emotional Learning in the Character Education subject. Through this, pupils are expected to develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.
“These skills are expected to facilitate academic achievement and develop well-rounded, wholesome individuals,” said Lapus, “developing lifelong learners in a fast-changing world calls for continuous refinement in education.”
He noted that elementary curriculum will also strengthen values on nationalism and love of cultural heritage while learning will be made more interactive, experiential and ICT-enabled.
The inclusion of SEL in the elementary curriculum is aligned with the Education For All thrust that aims to upgrade the quality of basic education by 2015.
The guidelines on SEL and the teaching of Edukasyong Pagpapakatao at Sibika at Kultura/HEKASI that focuses on demonstrating nationalism and love of cultural heritage are contained in DepEd Order No. 71 series of 2009.
Folk dances, poems, folklore and other literature and customs that enrich the Filipino culture will be embedded in the school environment.
Moreover, the memo also prescribed that “Talk Less and Learn More” shall be the prevailing practice in instruction. This can be attained through experimental, interactive, and cooperative learning and utilization of ICT mode of instructions.
Team teaching for Grades 1 to 6 will be encouraged using the expertise of teachers in the learning areas assigned. Team leaders in the area will be the recipients of summer training and scholarship programs. — Jasmin R. Uy and Johanna T. Natavio/BRP (THE FREEMAN)