Grade 1 Teachers in Calamba

Last January 12, all the 196 Grade 1 public school teachers, together with all the 51 public elementary school principals, of the city of Calamba, Laguna, began intensive training in the use of the mother tongue (Tagalog) to teach pupils how to read. Last Friday, May 6, the teachers and principals received their certificates of completion of the program.

The program, named “Pagsasanay sa mga Guro ng Pagbasa sa Unang Baitang” (“In-Service Training of Teachers on Teaching Reading in Grade One”), was sponsored by Books for Philippine Schools Foundation (BPSF) and LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation, in cooperation with DepEd Region IV-A (Calabarzon), DepEd Schools Division of Calamba City, and the City Government of Calamba.

The overall project director was Dr. Angelita G. Santos, BPSF treasurer and executive director. The host was DepEd Calamba Schools Division Superintendent Myrna P. Pamplona. The regional director who pushed for the program shortly before she retired, Dr. Paraluman R. Giron, contributed not just financial support and human resources, but inputs into the content of the training itself.

The two facilitators were Dr. Jovy M. Peregrino (director of the UP Sentro ng Wikang Filipino) and Dr. Conception U. San Antonio (Assistant Chief of the Elementary Education Division of DepEd Region IV-A). Together, they trained the teachers in both the content and the teaching strategies of reading in the mother tongue.

The program was held in the DepEd Division Office and in Chipeco Hall. Selected elementary schools were used for the pre-tests of pupils, to serve as baseline data for research. Real Elementary School hosted the support staff from Manila during the sessions. The facilitators were booked in the HRM hotel of Colegio de San Juan de Letran Calamba.

Among those that joined the sessions were Laguna Second District Congressman Justin Chipeco, Mayor Joaquin Chipeco Jr., current DepEd Region IV-A Director Lorna D. Dino, former DepEd Secretary Fe A. Hidalgo, LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation president Maria Monica G. Araneta, and LBC Hari ng Padala Foundation project director Jose C. Garcia.

One of the objectives of the training was for the teachers themselves to produce their own instructional materials. Last week, the teachers presented their output: 177 Higanteng Aklat (big books), 146 Aklat (small books), and 37 Larawang Diksiyonaryo (picture dictionaries).

The books were written specifically for Grade 1 pupils in Calamba. The books are based on solid linguistic research, as expounded by the facilitators during the training sessions. For example, in the absence of a standard readability test for Tagalog, only the most frequent letters and words in the language (as determined by linguists) are used in the storybooks. The words used to illustrate the letters of the alphabet come from the normal vocabulary of six-year-old children living in Calamba. (By the way, publishers interested in looking at the books to see if some of them can be printed for use outside Calamba may contact BPSF through me.)

A contest was held to find out which of the books were best suited to pupils, in terms of book design and presentation, readability of the story (including coherence and clarity), social content, and spelling. The judges were Dr. Hidalgo (chair), Dr. Pamplona, and me. Declared winners were:

BIG BOOKS: First – “Calamba, Saan Ka Nagmula?” written by Rowena B. Cambel, illustrated by Aries B. Hizon; Second – “Ang Kubo ni Kiko,” written by Ailyn M. Suralta, illustrated by Ramon Beray; Third (tie) – “Gubat sa Bundok Makiling,” written by Conchita C. Manaig, illustrated by Toriana M. Larino; Third (tie) “Bulaklak ni Bela,” written by Janet P. Tugot, illustrated by Ramon Beray.

SMALL BOOKS: First – “Tunay na Kaibigan,” written by Juvy O. Datiles, illustrated by Vic de Guzman; Second – “Si Bibo, Ang Masunuring Bibe,” written by Josefina F. Dela Cruz, illustrated by Joseph L. Dela Cruz; Third – “Si Mimo at ang Maya,” written and illustrated by Jennifer P. Endrinal.

PICTURE DICTIONARIES: First – “Larawang Diksiyonaryo ng Alpabetong Filipino,” written by Rosario S. Agno, illustrated by Nerissa S. Alarde; Second – “Larawang Diksiyonaryo ng Alpabetong Filipino,” written by Byron A. Manalang, illustrated by Ma. Cherrie A. Diapolette; Third – “Alfabetong Filipino,” written by Dolorosa S. de Castro, illustrated by Elanie T. Apolonio.

The prizes consisted of books donated by BPSF to the individual teachers or principals, as well as to their schools.

Since the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the training will not be considered successful if Grade 1 pupils in Calamba cannot read by the end of the year. Since the training was done only towards the end of last school year, the full effect will be felt only by the next batch of Grade 1 pupils.

In March, 2012, a random sampling of the approximately 10,000 Grade 1 pupils in the city will be tested to see if they can read not just Tagalog but English texts. The purpose of including English in the test is to confirm the validity of the current pedagogical theory that children learn to read a foreign language better and faster if they are taught in their native language. That theory has been proven correct in earlier experiments not just in the Philippines but abroad, but this is the first time, unless I am mistaken, that so many teachers and pupils are involved.

Thank you to all that helped us in Calamba, particularly the staff of the DepEd Division Office.