Selected faculty of the UST Junior High School Department attended the 2nd International Conference on Action Research, Action Learning at the De La Salle University last March 30-April 1, 2017. The said conference was organized by the LaSallian Institute for Development and Educational Research (LIDER). The conference served as a showcase of action research outputs through paper and poster presentations as well as an avenue for knowledge building and knowledge sharing through the experts in the field of action research. Plenary speakers in the conference included Prof. Mary Brydon-Miller (University of Louiseville, USA), Dr. Bill Atweh (Visiting Professor, Philippine Normal University), Dr. Sarafy Wa-Mbaleka (Adventist Integrated International Studies), and Prof. Maricar S. Prudente (De La Salle University). The conference was participated in by more than 250 educators both from the public and private sector.
Through the efforts of the Committee on Research and Development (CORD), headed by school Principal Assoc. Prof. Marishirl P. Tropicales, the committee was able to produce one completed action research and five on-going researches. It is the objective of this committee to not only produce research outputs but also inspire a culture of research among the faculty.
During the said conference, Mr. Ryan Lansangan, a grade 9 Science teacher was able to present his action research entitled, Improving students’ approaches and motivation in Earth Science through cross-disciplinary collaborative activities. His paper focused on a creative implementation to differentiated instruction to facilitate the learning of concepts in Earth Science. In addition, Ms. Katherine Patrice Sibug, a grade 7 English teacher won 2nd place in the Best Poster Presentation category for her on-going action research entitled, Strengthening students’ written outputs through writing prompts, frames, and models.
Other poster presenters include Mr. Emmanuel Batulan, PhD (Assessing students’ understanding of Mathematics using cartoon strips), Mr. Walner Saturno (Incorporating integer time in learning linear equations in Grade 8 Mathematics), Mr. Jay Lawrence Garbin (Strengthening algebra schema through Brain-Based Questioning [BBQ]), and Mr. Charles Issac Deita (Using case-based learning to engage fast learners’ need for challenging task).
Batulan’s paper
The 3-day conference was an opportunity to listen to educational trends and issues through action research. The UST Junior High School through its Committee on Research and Development believes that interest in action research can be of great help most especially to classroom teachers. Action research can help validate and evaluate classroom practices, methods, or techniques. Results of an action research can be a point of reflection for teachers that can help them improve and innovate their teaching practices.
