Ms. Mj Balaguer of DZMJ Online recently attended the activity of the so called “King of Maharlika” Tiburcio Villamor Marcos at the Quirino Grandstand in manila.
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Pisay rolls out new learning strategies amid COVID-19 pandemic
By David Matthew C. Gopilan, DOST-STII, S&T Media Service
The disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic in the education sector challenged the schools in the country to continue providing quality education to every student. The Philippine Science High School System (Pisay) of the Department of Science and Technology is not exempt from these challenges.
However, Pisay was able to pivot and adapt to the new normal as mirrored from the webinar held during the 2020 National Science and Technology Week celebration, where it shared the strategies on how to continue providing quality science education to the country’s future scientists despite the pandemic and the challenge posed by slow internet connection.
Multisectoral task force
Pisay Executive Director Lilia T. Habacon explained that Pisay set up a task force with 26 committees that allowed them to customize and holistically respond to every issue they faced. This task force is made up of Pisay constituents who brought diverse perspectives in the system. Likewise, they consulted the faculty, parents, students, industry and other sectors on issues on administrative concerns, curriculum development, teacher education, information technology, and student services, among others.
DOST-Philippine Science High School Executive Director Lilia T. Habacon
Different committees to protect the overall health of the students, teachers, and staff; academic learning integrity; and emotional support for students and faculty were also set up. “A committee coordinates with public health authorities so that education actions are in synchrony and help advance health goals and strategies,” Habacon explained.
Academic breaks
Pisay also implemented academic breaks, a period when students can recharge their physical and emotional ‘batteries’. Habacon explained that during academic breaks, students are not expected to submit any home works, exams, and any other means of performance assessment.
Meanwhile, Pisay teachers enjoyed professional development programs to support learners in the new modality of education. Also, those students and families belonging to the most vulnerable sector have received the necessary support while Pisay is adopting remote learning.
Bridge classes
Further, Pisay offered a bridging program to fill in the lessons missed by students when classes last school year were suspended. This was due to the initial community quarantine that was implemented earlier this year.
Bridge programs focuses on essential topics and skills required for the following school year, according to Pisay Ilocos Region Campus Director Dr. Ronnalee Orteza.
Dr. Ronnalee Orteza of DOST-Pisay Ilocos Campus
Orteza explained that last August, students and teachers were able to experience online learning which served as a trial period. This was crucial since Pisay is shifting to online learning for the next school year. She added that they were able to explore different strategies, materials, and platforms that are suitable for their learning.
“At some extent, the bridging program prepared them for the demands of remote learning,” Orteza said. “Teachers were able to practice remote teaching and to create instructional materials that they believe to be relevant to their students.”
Pisay Knowledge Hub
The Pisay community also implemented, for the first time, the Pisay Knowledge Hub. S K-Hub for short, it is an online learning management system featuring learning materials for students and assessment tools for teachers. It has supplementary materials that students can download and then study offline, at their own pace, provided they still abide by the set deadlines.
Incidentally, Pisay Bicol Campus Director Engr. Lorvi Pogorogon added that even before the pandemic, Pisay has been looking for ways to make its top science education accessible through digital technologies. Because of this, both the students and teachers, were able to adapt to the new modalities.
DOST Pisay Bicol Region Campus Director Engr. Lorvi Pogorogon
Check-and-Balance System
Pisay MIMAROPA Campus Director Edward Albaracin, on the other hand, emphasized the importance of quality control of instructional materials. According to him, all materials underwent peer reviews and revisions to ensure that they meet the quality standards before reaching the students.
DOST-Pisay MIMAROPA Campus Director Edward Albaracin
Pisay also took seriously the suggestions and grievances they received from parents, teachers and students. They analyze emails, social media posts, and news from various media outlets to get feedback on the implementation of remote learning.
In the end, all of these innovative learning strategies have helped Pisay continue providing quality science education to its students. Pisay hopes that other schools can learn from their strategies and experiences.
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Pisay shares online learning tool during DOST science week
By David Matthew C. Gopilan, S&T Media Service, DOST-STII
Heads up to all teachers adopting to the ‘new normal’ in the area of education!
As one of the many interesting forums to be featured in the 2020 National Science and Technology Week (NSTW) celebration, the Philippine Science High School (Pisay) System of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) conducted its webinar on remote learning experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Top billing the webinar are Pisay’s results from its action research on remote learning and experiences in implementing its own learning management system. With this system, teachers and school administrators will learn innovative teaching strategies needed to adjust to the new normal. Pisay’s strategic plans for their student-scholars during the pandemic will also be revealed.
The research results are based on Pisay’s Knowledge Hub or simply called K-Hub. K-Hub is an online learning management system that was developed in response to the new generation of tech savvy students. The contents were carefully selected and reviewed by Pisay teachers to cater to the specific needs of students who were also adjusting to the pandemic.
K-Hub’s deployment was very timely given the restrictions caused by COVID-19, where making physical, face-to-face learning session seem to be impossible to conduct.
Watch the Pisay’s one-hour webinar and see more of the interesting webinars and exhibits which are part of the weeklong celebration of the 2020 National Science and Technology Week. Visit http://nstw.dost.gov.ph/ for more information.
Web page of Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Science High School’s online learning management system called Knowledge Hub. Screenshot from https://khub.cvc.pshs.edu.ph/.
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Research confab features 74 local & int’l nuclear studies
Presenting their latest innovations, some 73 researches in the field of nuclear science will be on spotlight at the 2nd Philippine Nuclear Research and Development Conference (PNRDC 2020) to be hosted by the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (DOST-PNRI) from December 8 to 10, 2020.
With the theme “AmBisyong Nukleyar Tungo sa Maunlad na Pilipinas,” the PNRDC highlights the growing role of the atom in national development, such as the diverse applications of nuclear energy that respond to society’s pressing needs and the possible inclusion of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix.
“Through the PNRDC, we aim to disseminate the latest advancements of national and international trends in nuclear R&D, impacts, and policies to the public,” says Dr. Angel Bautista VII, PNRDC chairperson. “The PNRDC will likewise provide a forum for nuclear S&T and policy discourse among researchers and the general public.”
Dr. Bautista said that as of this writing, the PNRDC 2020 already has on its list of participants some 237 authors with 53 affiliations from eight countries (Philippines, Korea, Thailand, Australia, Germany, Myanmar, Japan, and the USA).
On the opening day, the conference will host a plenary session featuring the Nuclear Power Program of the Philippines with speakers from the DOST-PNRI, Department of Energy, the Philippine Senate, and the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA). In the afternoon, an exciting career talk will have speakers from the Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, IAEA, and the DOST-PNRI.
The next two days will feature oral and poster presentations of various researchers, with topics ranging from nuclear, radiation, and isotope studies on food, agriculture, health, education, policy, environment, theoretical and computational studies, nuclear engineering, radiation protection, nuclear waste management, radiation processing, and industry.
Plenary sessions and selected oral presentations will be broadcast live via the PNRI FB page and will be available to the general public for free. All presentations can be also viewed via Zoom by registered participants. Interested individuals can register for free at https://bit.ly/PNRDC2020AttendeeReg.
The PNRDC 2020 is partnering with the Mindanao Journal of Science and Technology (MJST) to give scientists and researchers who are presenting in the conference a chance to publish their works in a Special Issue of the MJST, which is an International Scientific Indexing-covered journal.
The PNRDC 2020 is part of the DOST-PNRI’s 48th Atomic Energy Week (AEW) celebration, and will run online from December 8 to 10, 2020 via online conferencing and social media platforms. The annual AEW celebration, as mandated under Presidential proclamation No. 1211 in 1973, aims to generate awareness of the Filipino people on the beneficial uses of nuclear science and technology.
For more information, visit the 48th AEW portal at https://pnri.dost.gov.ph/ or you may contact us at information@pnri.dost.gov.ph or visit our PNRI Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PNRIDOST/. #pnrdc2020 #dostPNRI #ScienceForThePeople
