Proposed K-3 subject merges social studies, arts, PE

MANILA, Philippines — As part of efforts to free up the curriculum and give students more time to develop foundational literacy skills, the Department of Education (DepEd) has bared plans to introduce a new subject that merges social studies, culture, history and physical education for students from kindergarten to Grade 3.

The new learning area – called Sibika, Kultura, Kasaysayan at Kagalingang Pangkatawan (SIKaP) – is among the new features included in the draft 2022 Basic Education Curriculum released for public review this week.

According to DepEd, the curriculum integration of the former Araling Panlipunan (AP) and the Music, Arts, PE and Health or MAPEH subjects is aligned with its plan to focus on foundational literacy in kindergarten to Grade 3 levels, known as Key Stage 1.

“The introduction of a new learning area in Key Stage 1, which is SiKaP, intends to provide learners with essential knowledge, skills and attitudes enabling them to develop personal and cultural consciousness in becoming active and creative members of their respective communities,” read the general shaping paper released by the agency’s Bureau of Curriculum Development.

“This results in teachers and students having ample time to strengthen functional literacy which includes but is not limited to reading comprehension, which is one of the identified causes of low educational achievement among Filipino students,” it added.

Based on the draft curriculum, SiKaP is described as a “transdisciplinary curriculum” aimed at developing students’ personal and cultural consciousness, creative skills and the ability to connect with other people and the community.

In explaining the plan to merge the learning areas, the DepEd said that “AP and MAPEH are open to merging the two learning areas as both are multidisciplinary.”

“These two learning areas are responsible in building a strong foundation for learners, igniting their nationalistic pride and fervor as a Filipino,” it added, citing an expert who supports the integrated curriculum “as a vehicle to achieving a more positive effect on the emotional aspect of learners, as this reflects in their attitude in class and as it extends to how they behave in society.”

For Key Stages 2 (Grades 4 to 6) and 3 (Grades 7 to 10), the agency proposed learning areas that would merge Music with Arts and PE with Health. The AP will remain as a standalone subject.

“The revised Music and Arts Education aims to develop a musical and artistic 21st century lifelong learner… It focuses on the development of learner’s multicultural literacy, artistic and creative expression and holistic national identity as a Filipino through engagement in, creation and production of different art forms and creative and innovative expressions,” it said.

Meanwhile, it said that merging PE and health is becoming increasingly popular in many countries “due to the recognition that these two subjects are interconnected and that a holistic approach to health education is necessary for students to develop healthy habits and lifestyles.”

The DepEd has invited stakeholders and the general public to review the draft revised curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 10. It is part of the agency’s extensive review of the K-12 program, which aims to identify and address gaps in its implementation.

Crowded curriculum

Based on the general shaping paper, a primary issue identified is the congested curriculum, which contained a significant number of essential learning competencies.

“While a significant number of prerequisites are explicitly articulated, others were implicit or misplaced, and thus need to be addressed. Corollary to the said findings are recommendations to further decongest the curriculum,” read the paper.

“Results show that only a few teachers reported having adequate time to teach all learning competencies. The percentage varies by learning area, grade level and quarter, but typically fewer than 20 percent of teachers reported having adequate time to teach all the learning competencies assigned to a quarter,” it added.

In some learning areas, the DepEd noted, almost half of the teachers did not have sufficient time to teach even half the number of learning competencies.

“This supports the recommendation in the review of the intended curriculum that the number of learning competencies be reconsidered in order to ensure that all learning competencies can be taught with the required cognitive depth in the time available in schools,” it added.

Aside from SIKaP, the draft released by the DepEd also introduced other new features, including a redesigned kindergarten curriculum that aims to help students “attain emergent literacy and basic numeracy along with developmentally-appropriate competencies under physical, emotional, social and values which help them in seamless transition to formal elementary schooling.”