Five college faculty members of the University of Saint Louis (USL) attended the Commission on Higher Education (CHED)-sponsored national training for the teaching of the new General Education (GE) Core Courses.

Pursuant to CHED Memorandum Order No. 50, s. 2016, the training of trainors aims to assist Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) transition to the new GE Curriculum and focus on the enablement of faculty to (1) learn the philosophy of liberal education, away from the strictly disciplinal and remedial thrust of current GE courses; (2) teach the interdisciplinary GE courses using new materials; (3) serve as trainors of other GE faculty; and (4) recognize, share, and disseminate best practices in general education.

For school year 2018-2019, the new GE Core Courses in college will include: (1) Art Appreciation/ Pagpapahalaga sa Sining; (2) Ethics/ Etika; (3) The Contemporary World/ Ang Kasalukuyang Daigdig; (4) The Life and Works of Rizal/ Ang Buhay at mga Akda ni Rizal; (5) Mathematics in the Modern World/ Matematika sa Makabagong Daigdig; (6) Purposive Communication/ Malayuning Komunikasyon; (7) Readings in Philippine History/ Mga Babasahin hinggil sa Kasaysayan ng Pilipinas; (8) Science, Technology and Society/ Agham, Teknolohiya, at Lipunan; and (9) Understanding the Self/ Pag-unawa sa Sarili.

Here are the five USL faculty members who attended the rigid GE Core Courses training in CHED-approved delivering higher education institutions (DHEIs) in Metro Manila:

Trainor’s Name: Mrs. Ma. Haydee C. Guillermo, RN, MAPsych Department: School of Education, Arts and Sciences (SEAS) Position in the University: Instructor & Social Sciences Department Head GE Subject Assigned: Understanding the Self Training Location: Centro Escolar University Training Dates: Oct. 10-28, 2016

Mrs. Guillermo engages in the different training activities.

“The training helped build my self-confidence. It gave me a sense of pride as I knew I was able to successfully deliver the topic assigned to me, i.e., The Political Self, in front of faculty members with different disciplines from institutions all over the country. It bolstered my self-esteem knowing that I can be a trainor, even motivating me to continue to strive for higher levels of productivity,” said Mrs. Guillermo when asked how the training empowered her.

Aside from the usual classroom lecture, she and her fellow trainees had class/ group discussions, and were given individual activities such as random interviews (“quickie surveys”), journal writing, short videos, film clips, illustrative songs for reflection, and psychological tests. A topic was also assigned to each of them for demo teaching. They also had two long exams (midterms and finals).

“I really had to review for the exams as I was expecting an objective type test. Also, I had to browse the net, read books, journals and the other reading materials given to us so I could come up with a comprehensive and interesting lecture on the topic assigned to me,” she shared.

Trainor’s Name: Mrs. Erovita Teresita B. Agustin, MoM Department: School of Engineering, Architecture, Interior Design, and Information Technology Education (SEAIDITE) Position in the University: Instructor & Mathematics Department Head GE Subject Assigned: Mathematics in the Modern World Training Location: Ateneo de Manila University Training Dates: Oct. 10-28, 2016

Mrs. Agustin in a discussion of their project proposal with fellow trainees (left photo).
Right photo shows her class with their two professors.
“The experience I had during the training was indeed very difficult but very much enriching, rewarding, fulfilling, and useful to me as a Math teacher.”

The same accounts given by Mrs. Guillermo, Mrs. Agustin spent her hours vigorously studying and complying with her requirements. “The requirements of the course demanded a lot of time. I had to study for long hours at the hotel. I had to sleep late at night in order to finish our problem sets and essay. I also had to wake up early in the morning just to read three to four chapters of the book to be ready for the next session. However, the training has been a great experience.”

“I hope that I can contribute in the learning process of the trainees by presenting information effectively and giving purposeful activities   in such a way that the trainees can use them to increase their knowledge in the new GE Mathematics Course,” the Mathematics department head said.

Trainor’s Name: Mr. Herbert S. Corpuz, MAEd Department: SEAS/ Administration Position in the University: Instructor & Dean of Student Affairs GE Subject Assigned: Readings in the Philippine History Training Location: De La Salle University Training Dates: Oct. 10-28, 2016

Mr. Corpuz with his fellow trainees. Part of their training was an educational field trip in historic sites in Manila.
“The training lasted for three weeks of lectures, field trips, scholarly discourse, learning conversations, and independent and group activities,” Mr. Corpuz’s response in a letter-interview.

DLSU’s Department of History was the frontline implementer of the training. They designed the training program and conducted the training workshop for the participants.

“There were 73 teachers of various HEIs nationwide who were trainees in the program. Among those trainees, only three represented the region of which I solely represented the province of Cagayan and two representatives from Nueva Vizcaya,” he said.

Trainor’s Name: Ray T. Obispo, Ph.D. Department: SEAS Position in the University: Instructor GE Subject Assigned: The Life and Works of Rizal Training Location: Ateneo de Manila University Training Dates: Oct. 10-28, 2016

Another SEAS faculty member who shared his training experiences in an interview jokingly said, “It was really hard considering the rigid strategies and methods of teaching in Ateneo. I would face the days with quiz as breakfast!”

Dr. Ray Obispo and his teacher-trainer in GE Course,
Professor Francis Gealogo, pose for a keepsake.

“Our professor was Dr. Francis Gealogo, the prominent History Instructor of Ateneo.  He gave us plenty of quizzes, workshops, and group activities. I needed to read every night until dawn about the life and works of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal,” shared Dr. Obispo.

“What was really challenging was that all our reading materials were written in English, but during our class hours, the subject was taught to us in Filipino!” he added.

Trainor’s Name: Mr. Wilson J. Temporal, MST Department: SEAS Position in the University: Instructor and Assistant Department Head, Philosophy and Religious Instruction GE Subject Assigned: Ethics Training Location: University of the Philippines Diliman Training Dates: Jan. 4-20, 2017

Recently, Mr. Temporal, the DPRI Assistant Head was chosen to attend the GEC Training for Ethics.

“We had lectures, group discussions, assignments, reading tasks, quizzes, and a final exam,” Mr. Temporal recounted.

“I earned good scores in the quizzes given, and I submitted assignments. I was also very active in recitation and group dynamics, and I think that I made well in the final exam,” he confidently said.

“Since the training was more than two weeks that I was apart from my family, I had to develop a focused mindset for professional advancement.”

Mr. Temporal in a class picture (left) and during the awarding ceremony

Meanwhile, Dr. Therese May G. Alejandrino, SEAS Dean, expressed her compliment, “The attendance of our teachers in the National GE Training for Trainors affirms the University’s support for life-long learning through professional development programs for teachers. The participation of our four SEAS instructors and one SEAIDITE instructor in the training qualifies them to design and conduct training to retool our faculty in USL and in the region to teach the new General Education courses.”

“Focus of the training will be on the content, the pedagogy and the learning resources that may be used to effectively teach the new courses. Target participants will include the GE Curriculum teachers in USL and in the region as the trainors shall respond to CHED invitations to facilitate or conduct training,” she added.

The University extends appreciation to CHED and the delivering HEIs for recognizing the qualifications of the five USL teachers as CHED trainors.