In response to the challenges of education in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, the UST College of Education recently organized its 1st International PSALM Conference for Teacher Education and Formation.
PSALM, which stands for Passion for Scholarship And Love for Mission, was initiated by the Departments of Secondary and Elementary Education of the College of Education, in cooperation with the Office of International Relations and Programs.
With the theme “Harmonizing Functional Competence and Personal Identity in Teacher Education,” the virtual conference brought together experts from the University’s partner institutions and networks in Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Poland, and the Philippines.
College of Education Dean Assoc. Prof. Pilar I. Romero, Ph.D., affirmed in her welcome remarks that the leaders of the community remain zealous in training future educators, despite the pandemic and its devastation.
In her opening address titled, “Teacher Training and Formation in the Catholic University of the Philippines: Challenges and Victories,” UST Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Prof. Cheryl R. Peralta, DrPH, highlighted the University’s shift to online learning and the corresponding adjustments that had to be carried out in assessment and grading schemes.
South East Asian Ministers of Education Secretariat (SEAMEO) Director Dr. Ethel Agnes Valenzuela, delivered her keynote address titled “Utilizing a Culturally Responsive Framework in Accompanying Higher Educational Institutions in the Work of Teacher Training and Formation.”
Dr. Krystian Cholaszczynski of the College of Social and Media Culture, Torun, Poland delivered a lecture on “Scholarship and Mission: Cornerstones for Teacher Training and Formation in Catholic Universities.”
Meanwhile, Okinawa International School Vice Principal Ms. Marilyn Tinio, spoke on “Professional Competence and Self-Identity: A Filipino Teacher Experience in an International School.”
Another speaker was National Taiwan Normal University’s International Teacher Education Division Director Prof. Yvonne Yeh. Her lecture centered on “Functional Competency and Personal Identity Re-shaping: Crisis and Opportunity for Teacher Candidates in Taiwan.”
In the following session, International Exchange Support, Global Commons, University of Tsukuba, Japan, Director Dr. Nomura P. Nakao, spoke on “Enhancing Functional Competence and Personal Identity of Teachers through Internationalization Engagements and Opportunities for Cross- Cultural Exchange.”
The conference was a confluence of the celebration of the 95th Founding Anniversary of the College of Education, 14th Fr. Antonio Gonzales, O.P. Memorial Lecture, the 6th Dr. Lourdes J. Custodio Memorial Lecture, and the 2nd Nenita Caralipio Honorary Lecture.
It also aimed to strengthen the faculty and students’ professional development program, the internationalization at home, networking and linkages and public presence initiatives.
The webinar was livestreamed via the official YouTube channel of the UST College of Education and remains available for public viewing through this link.
