BRINGING BEST TEACHING PRACTICE TO THE PHILIPPINES
September 22 saw the best of classroom teaching brought to the Philippines by International Education Specialists of Makati. Inter-Ed (819-1001/02) hosted their annual education conference at the Asian Institute of Management Conference Center which had the theme, “Teaching with Purpose”. Today’s youth have many distractions, not least from computer games and cable TV, and it can be very difficult to get them to focus on their core curricular studies and they frequently see little relevance or need for them.
“Teaching with Purpose” highlighted best practices in teaching Math, Arts, Science and English in schools and colleges, and the talks and demonstrations were given by teaching authorities from across the globe. Dr. Jamal Ibrahim, senior science teacher at Bellerbys College, Oxford, focused on “Teaching Science with Purpose”. Known for his research work on AIDS & HIV, Dr. Ibrahim finds his most rewarding work in the classroom with High School students where he is immensely successful. Bellerbys College has one of the best records in the UK of getting students into the very top universities for Science and Medicine including Philippine student Abegail Guillermo who was accepted by Oxford University for BSc. Chemistry.
Tim Fox specializes in Teaching English with Purpose to a wide range of high school students from the highly talented to the special needs. He also is a qualified school counselor and assists students having learning issues. After 25 years of globe-trotting to Cyprus, Japan, the UK and now SE Asia, Tim has become a known figure at the British School, Manila and is a favorite of the students because of his “infinite variety” in approaching the (UK) national curriculum. Tim is known for his student participation style of teaching and for achieving excellent results across students with disparate abilities
Chris Maughan from The Cambridge Education Group, Cambridge, UK, specializes in Arts Education (visual, performance) and showed why students can focus their attention for extended periods on movement and visual input utilizing a particular style learning. Chris loves teaching and moves all over the world (recently Russia) to promote Arts Education for High School & College students which has a universal appeal. Now the head of college, Chris brings nearly 20 years of teaching experience with him, and loves every moment of it.
Maria Luisa Villano is a Math teacher through and through. With a Masters Degree in teaching Mathematics, 24 years of practical experience, 12 books and many publications to her name, Ms. Villano is at the forefront of Math education. She has had seven years as a Math instructor and two years as Dept. Chairman at Brent International School and currently is Curriculum Coordinator at Cebu International School. Each Summer Ms. Villano answers the call to teach in the USA at the John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth at Stanford University where she is tasked with keeping 8-years olds excited and motivated studying Math 6 hours a day – and she succeeds! This is someone who was worth listening to!
Inter-Ed also incorporated some tips on Career Counseling which helped schools and teachers to motivate students who do not see where their studies are taking them. The conference which is endorsed by DepEd was designed for teachers, subject area specialists and principals of schools and colleges and was of major interest to education students and education researchers. Post event CDs are available from International Education Specialists by e-mail (intl_edu_specialists@pldtdsl.net) or by calling 819-1001/02.
