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SciTech

Teachers’ robotics seen to enhance SciTech strand in senior high

By MARLLY ROME BONDOC, GMA News

Some teachers from schools across the country have started to undergo a robotics training program in order to enhance the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand for Senior High School students.

 

 

The Philippine Robotics Training Center in partnership with St. Paul University Manila and First Eduspec, Inc. (FEI) launched on Monday its 5-day training for the first batch K-12 STEM teachers.

St. Paul University Manila Senior High School vice principal Ma. Isabel Albear said that the school had already conducted a pilot test of the robotics program to some students last year. She said that they will fully integrate it this incoming school year.

"The reason behind that is when they go in the industry or even when they go to college, most of the things that they will encounter are already a form of robotics or digitized. We don't want them to be left behind so that's one of the advantage of our students that they will have a competitive edge over the others," Albear told GMA News Online.

Albear said that during the school's pilot test, she noticed that students were more interested as compared to their regular classes.

"Among the students, when I observed them during the robotics class, they were more interested. They were more motivated because I think the language of robotics is the language of the young people," Albear said.

"In fact, in the pilot classes that we have, the students are eagerly waiting when will be the next class be.  I think they were more excited in the robotics classes compared to their ordinary classes. So that means, they find something very interesting, something fun in this type of study. That means they learn and have fun at the same time," she added.

Under the Senior High School curriculum of St. Paul University Manila, students can choose over three specialized track subjects: Academic, Arts and Design, and Technical Vocational Livelihood.

The academic track has four strands which include STEM along with General Academic (GAS), Humanities and Social Scienes (HUMMS), and Accountancy, Business and Management (ABM).

The arts and design track has two strands: Visual Arts (Arts production) and Performing Arts (Music and Dance).

Meanwhile, the Technical Vocational Livelihood track include: Housekeeping, Caregiving, Food and Beverage Services, Bread and Pastry Arts, Tourism Promotion Services, Animation, Computer Programming, and Tour Guiding Services.

FEI which provides the robotics training to teachers uses iCarnegie’s K-12 STEM program developed by Carnegie Mellon University.

"We're using robotics as a tool to enhance the STEM education. We partnered with St. Paul University, they're actually implementing this for the Senior High - Grades 11 and 12," Willard Paras, General Manager of FEI said.

"It is a curriculum that caters to grade 1 all the way to grade 12. There's a one hour per week, per level where they hold the robotics class. It's the same for other levels," he added.

Under its program, FEI uses robotics and software program to allow the students to experience a collaborative project-based curriculum of the K-12 education.

"We provide these robotics tool to enhance the STEM learning. Because robotics is an integrated subject, it's the integated approach to learn about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math," Paras said.

"After that, there's a continuing process where the teacher has to submit portfolio, they have to submit assignments. It doesn't stop sa 5-day training," he added.

Jan Michael Santiago, Education Lead for FEI said that participants are also given 30 days to comply with other requirements following the completion of the face-to-face training. Teachers then have to stubmit their assignments, portfolio, and projects in order to be certified in a specific level.

"Itong training na 'to...mayroon siyang three level: basic, intermediate, and advance level. Each training mayroon yang kanya-kanyang objectives na gustong ma-achieve nung program for them to be able to be competitive and equipped enough for them to deliver yung classes when it comes to STEM robotics," he said.

 

 

Santiago said that teachers are being trained on the "pedagogy" of STEM education in which they use robots as a tool to learn STEM."Teachers are being taught on the pedagogy of the STEM. They are being taught on how to work on the robots - troubleshooting, also on how to build these robots and how to use these robots in their classrooms. We are equipping the teachers with the all necessary knowledge and skills so that they can facilitate robotics program to their Grades 11 to 12 students," he said.

Robotics kits and software programming are provided during the training of teachers.  The program also aims to teach students to creatively deal with issues mathematically and to improve their analytical skills.

Some fourteen teachers from different schools participated during the first batch of training. Four teachers were from St. Paul University Manila, 3 from St. Paul Tuguegarao, 2 from St. Scholastica's College Bacolod, 2 from St. Bridget College in Batangas, and one each from BF Homes School in Las Piñas City, Elizabeth Setin School in Cavite and Dominican College.

The K-12 teachers were trained by Jay Lee, master trainer of Carnegie Mellon Asia.

"For the teachers, we select teachers. They undergo the regular process of hiring teachers. We choose teachers who are competent in Science, Technology or Computer and of course Mathematics, so that they can deliver yung necessary competency sa students, for them to learn STEM education using robotics program," Santiago said.

"The implementation in our partner school, the school has an option whether they were going to outsource the teacher from us or they will send  their own teachers to facilitate the program and those teachers will be trained by our master trainer," he added.

 

 

Meanwhile, one of the teachers who participated in the training said that they were taught on the significance of robotics in teaching their students.

"We discussed first kung ano yung microteaching and ano yung significance ng robotics sa aming pagtuturo. We discussed the main important part, the iceberg theory. In the iceberg theory, it's like the students are only solving the tip of the problem when in fact hindi naman nila nakikita yung main problem," Catherine Asuncion of FEI said.

"Dito sa training na 'to, we are being trained as to how to make students see their real problems so that they will be able to solve it. Hindi lang yung tip of the problem," she added.

Asuncion also emphasized on their role of teaching students on how to independently solve problems.

"Using the robots and knowledge that our trainer is imparting to us, pagdating namin sa classroom inplementation, we will be able to do that. We will be able to clear the real problem to the students so that they will be able to solve it on their own," she said.

"Ang magiging role lang namin as a teacher, we will just be a facilitator and we'll give them the problem, challenges, the mission and they will be the ones to solve it on their own. As what our trainer pointed out, if we train the students to just get the solutions from us, magiging dependent na yung mga bata," she added.

Paras said they have partnered with over 30 schools in Luzon and Visayas, which include: St. Paul University, Angelicum College in Quezon City, Colegio de San Beda, Theresian School of Cavite, Elizabeth Seton School, Ann Arbor Montessori, St. Bridget College, Malayan High School of Science, Grace Christian High School, St. Scholastica College, Dominican College, and BF Homes School. —NB

Tags: robotics, stem, seniorhighschool
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