THE FILIPINO BIOLOGY TEACHER

A total of 17,816 elementary teachers out of 58,471 examinees and 18,801 secondary teachers out of 53,195 examinees have successfully passed the Licensure Examination for Teachers given by the Board of Professional Teachers in September this year, the Professional Regulation Commission has announced. In a statement, the PRC added, however, that the results for three examinees have been withheld "pending final determination of their liabilities under the rules and regulations governing licensure examinations." The Board for Professional Teachers is composed of Dr. Brenda B. Corpuz, officer-in-charge; Dr. Josefina T. Cunanan, vice-chairperson, Dr. Flordeliza P. Mayari and Dr. Norma A. Adamos (members)Registration for the issuance of the Professional Identification Card and Certificate of Registration will be announced later, the PRC said. Click here to view elementary teachers' results Click here to view secondary teachers' results Click here to view full PRC statement ...

So imagine how a comment would brighten up my day. Since the other day, I have been dying to see my wife and kids before all these academic stuffs begin. Early today I was lining up again at the cashier’s office (so far the longest queue of people I had been) and was chasing against time to be done before 12 noon. True enough. It was exactly 12 noon. I was just requested by my cousin though. So I still waited until 1 pm when I had her OR presented at Vinzon's. And the next thing was a real ‘speed story’. My goal was to be at Batangas Port in the soonest possible time. I boarded a Katipunan-bound jeepney. It was barely empty so I dismounted. I hailed a taxi to send me to Cubao Bus Station. When I asked at what time it would arrive in Batangas, the driver was uncertain if he could make it before 5. So I hailed another taxi towards the nearest LRT station, Gilmore, to Recto, to Gil Puyat… the mecca of bus stations to the south. I was holding my breath hopeful that I could hear from th...

I thought of myself as invincibly affected by distance not until this morning when I was lining up for a prerog of any available subject at IB. It was a circumstance-driven nostalgia which I wasn’t able to resist. I just broke into silent tears. While I was waiting for my turn (there’s such indeed a never ending queue in that building), the guard ushered me in a big room towards the far end. As I looked around, there was not a single note of familiarity. I quietly sat down and waited for my turn. Being a first timer and obviously the eldest in a batch of students (almost undergrad) waiting in that room, echoes interfering one over the other brought a lot of discomfort in my already uncomfortable state. The two ladies behind me were talking about their grades… their regrets why they didn’t study harder. The other two English speaking young men seemed to be discussing social issues. Others were reading. Some were having fun. And the rest were oblivious, like me. The November chill unmist...

These pictures of my kids are taken separatey when they were of the same age (around 8 months). This reminded me of how genetics played a role in diversity. I remembered the class website of Miss Stacy Baker doing the meiosis dance, with emphasis on crossing over during prophase I in a process called synapsis. Interestingly, after attending an international conference in math and science education, my desire to learn more about molecular biology and genetics has been burning much. I am particularly curious about the chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA. While what I presently know is that apart from the nucleus the chloropolast and mitochondrion of the cell have their own DNAs, I know nothing much deeper than that. But it was an eye opener to me that I met a scientist telling me that what constitutes the DNA of our children are mine and my wife's but as to their mitochondrial DNAs, they are all their mom's. This indeed has a far-reaching implication in forensic science. And since ...

I received an e-mail from a UP NISMED staff. Apparently she was surprised that this is a pioneering work in biology education in the Philippines. So far, I don't know of any Filipino teacher blog of this content. As I reviewed various blogs in education around the world , there was not a single mention of a Filipino blog. There was one named siyensiya (see my blogroll) but it is managed by an American teacher. The picture above was taken two years ago. It was a mini-forest project initiated by my brothers and me in support of education for sustainable development. For knowledge of content will be futile if this will not be put into action. The simple idea of planting trees is almost preached by many teachers (particularly those in the biology stream) but how many of them are taking this sermon by heart? We did not own a piece of land. My parents are tenants of a mountainous area and that is where we are planting trees since 1990s. So far, we have already harvested a number of pape...

My wife and I have a unique way of celebrating the first of November, the worldwide day of our dead because this happened to be among all dates, our engagement day, the very first time I opened up my feelings to her which she accepted. My wife was the very first person who took patience in listening to my 'whys'. In 1999, I was at that point of falling in love with science so everytime there were things my eyes caught and wanted to know WHY such thing happened, she was there to give me answers. Sometimes, her logic was sound and it convinced me. She is also inclined in sciences upon her parents' prodding (a licensed Pharmacist) but when she was on her own, she took BS Accountancy. There in her second course, she became my student (oddly in an English class). And the rest is history. She is now a CPA and the head of the accountancy department in our school. She is presently working towards her Master's in Business Administration degree. Yesterday, she sent me this messa...

Worried to teach invertebrates? Coelenterates, sponges, mollusks, arthropods and many more? There's an effective and enjoyable solution to that. Bring your students in a coral reef or in a marine sanctuary. The first picture was taken when I brought my students in Agpudlos reef while the next picture was in a marine sanctuary. Very few students in our province knew, that in Romblon we have a wonderful view down there and that this sanctuary in Looc Bay has been earning national attention and recognition. Look at me, I got that big smile after discovering the magnificent world under. So relaxing!

There was a semester when I already finished the course syllabus in Biological Science (a general education subject) and the class had nothing more to do. I asked this non-education students what activity they wished to do. Thus, the above picture. The students caught frogs (in ricefields and creeks) and brought them to school. I borrowed the high school biology laboratory for the dissection activities. And they just enjoyed it. They told me that during high school, their teacher just instructed them to dissect any frog without structuring guides to do so. Guess what? These are accountancy students.

In the school where I teach, our microscopic investigation is very limited to the use of compound light microscope only. So as a jumpstart of kindling students' interest in Biology, I am bringing them out to a nature trip. This picture for example was taken when my education students in Biology went to Agpudlos to gather plant specimens for herbarium preparation. As a reflection, it is only when you take your students out for a meaningful activity and you take time to be with them that you truly understand what kind of learners do you have.

As opposed to most traditional forms of testing, performance assessment does not have clear-cut or wrong answers. Rather there are degrees to which a student is successful or unsuccessful. This can be accomplished by creating rubrics. Airasian, (1991) Popham, (1995) and Stiggins, 1994) were cited by Brualdi (2000) on their definition of rubric as a rating system by which teachers can determine at what level of proficiency a student is able to perform a task or display knowledge of a concept. With rubrics, the different levels of proficiency for each criterion can be defined. Scoring rubrics are descriptive scoring schemes that are developed by teachers or other evaluators to guide the analysis of the products or processes of students’ efforts (Brookhart, 1999). Scoring rubrics are typically employed when a judgment of quality is required and maybe used to evaluate broad range of subjects. In the article by Heidi Goodrich Andrade published in American Leadership in 1999, he defined rubr...

Assessment of student performance is emerging as a crucial ingredient in the recipe for on-going improvement of school science. As programmatic change is occurring, there is a need to align student assessment practices with curricular aims, instructional practices, and performance standards. In the words of Iris Carl (1993), “What we teach must be valued; what we test is what must be taught.” Before considering alternative approaches to assessing student performance, it is important to consider the various functions that assessment serves. Various reasons for assessing student performance have been described in both specific and general terms, with distinctions being made between assessment for reporting purposes and for purposes of diagnosis and program evaluation. On assessment in the service of instruction, its purpose is to help students, teachers and parents monitor learning (Haury, 1993). Assessment plays an important part in the learning process, having both formative and summat...

I used rubrics in my classes foremost because in 2002 when I was having my Master's degree in Science Education that was the buzz word. I was not intelligent enough to investigate the downside of them until lately when I realized the need to address some silent issues about this assessment procedure. Silent because most teachers are using templates prepared by committees without considering factors that are teacher, student or classroom related. In my literature reviews, (which I failed to include in my final manuscript because disclosing problems and limitations of rubrics might weaken my study) there were some issues raised about the use of rubrics in science education. First was the validity and reliability of the rubrics; time issue, constructing one takes a longer time; and for the Filipino teacher, the transmutation issue. Those were indeed some of the many problems I faced when I first employed rubrics in my class. But I got over them. In order for the construction of rubri...

And so what, after the conference? I was the very first in our college to take part in an international academic conference and the first too, to present a research output. I was wondering why it took me two years after my Master's to do this. Exposure was the reason why I attended the conference, an international one so to speak (because of the presence of some Thais, Singaporeans, Chinese, Ghanans, Australians, Americans, Irish, etc.). While I was in the conference, I intently observed how paper presentations were done since that would be the next step in my journey. As I went over from one presentation room to another, a voice was telling me that I could equal and do at par with the other presentors. Had I known that earlier then, I could have applied as a paper presenter. But the big question is: what am I going to present? What is my advocacy in the spectrum of disciplines in science education. While I was having my trip to DOST-SEI, I got to have time to contemplate while on...

The information given by Dr. De Ungoria was so 'laymanish' that a science teacher of a rather different orientation could be interested in molecular biology. In her illustration she said that the first step is to extract DNA samples from non-contaminated source: teeth (the pulp), the heart, bone, any part that does not show signs of decay due to microbial nuclease. Blood is the usual sample they take in their DNA profiling survey. This is needed in comparing results of an analyzed sample in 13 to 15 DNA sections (out of 3 billion+ base pairs in humans). Nuclear DNA is used particularly when Y chromosome is involved while mitochondrial DNA is analysed for ante-mortem cases (matching it to mother's DNA) because people inherit the mother's mitochondrial DNA.

According to Shulman (1986) , PCK includes "the most useful forms of representation of [topics], the most powerful analogies, illustrations, examples, explanations, and demonstrations - in a word, the ways of representing and formulating the subject that make it comprehensible to others ...Pedagogical content knowledge also includes an understanding of what makes the learning of specific topics easy or difficult: the conceptions and preconceptions that students of different ages and backgrounds bring with them to the learning of those most frequently taught topics and lessons." Pedagogical content knowledge is an accumulation of common elements; Knowledge of subject matter Knowledge of students and possible misconceptions Knowledge of curricula Knowledge of general pedagogy. PCK is knowing what, when, why, and how to teach using a reservoir of knowledge of good teaching practice and experience. Check this link for more: Pedagogical Content Knowledge Taxonomies

Shown is the conference venue (only half of it). Here are some people I linked with during the conference. Side view. This is Dexter Necor (far right) from the Sarangani province , one of the three participants I was close with during the first day. We were together in a banquet treated by VG Roxas at UP Bahay ng Alumni. This is Sir Marmon Pagunsan , a physics professor at a university in the sultanate of Oman . I attended his lecture on e-learning and we were together in one of the workshops about using windows moviemaker in editing movies (like rearranging sequences). This is Sir Renato Vergara , Science Department Head of Manuel S. Enverga University Foundation in Lucena City . We first met last May during the DOST Scholars Interview and Orientation at PTRI in Taguig. He is taking PhD in Science Education (Physics) at DLSU. This is our second time to meet in a science education related activity. Edem and I with none less than Dr. Maria Corazon De Ungoria , an accomplished for...

DR. MA. CORAZON DE UNGORIA, Head of the DNA Analysis Laboratory, NSRI, UP Diliman. It was the best lecture I attended in the conference. It left a big mark, an inspiration on the role of teachers in national development just as how Dr. Ungoria's mentors in Pisay sparked in her the beauty of scientific research within moral bounds. Dr. Ungoria is an Outstanding Young Scientist awardee having devoted much of her time juggling between social and scientific concerns in her work as a forensic scientist. I have realized that teachers could also insinuate in their own little ways the students' interest in forensics by bringing social issues in the classroom. The textbook is the society and the method of resolving issues is the science process. DNA analysis was unfolded before me bigger than life and much larger than the way they are usually presented in textbooks. It was sure real. It is an essential part of the society especially the judiciary since almost all cases in the Philippin...

It's my first time to attend an international conference. I am happy beacuse I was able to attend, and present my research paper in a form of a poster. I have set so much expectations that's why when during the opening technical problems (sound system) cropped up, I was disappointed. With the many dignitaries who spoke during the first day, only the following persons left marks for quite a number of reasons: DR. SERGIO S. CAO , UP Chancellor. His welcome remarks were tantamount to a keynote speech. He is a mathematician who redesigned himself as a financial analyst. DR. JESLI A. LAPUZ, DepEd Secretary. My impression about this man really changed a lot. He is spontaneous. Talked with a lot of sense even if it was done impromptu. DR. PETER FENSHAM, Emeritus Professor at Monash University in Victoria, Australia. He enlightened me more on the impact on science education of various policies. He presented various areas for research in science education. Some presented naiveties of...

I am receiving the certificate of appreciation from UP NISMED Staff with a gift pack from Unilever Philippines. Thanks. Click for more pictures. The poster and the maker/researcher. This is my poster. According to Dr. Kennedy: "This is professionally done." I immediately told him that I made it myself. And the rest is a long playing conversation.

Edem Nutakor, 27, Biology teacher from Ghana . Like me Edem is so passionate about science that he wanted to go out of his country for graduate training. He's teaching junior lower high school in his country. See more pics in the conference. This is Sir Edgar Caganaan , a sixth grade science teacher from Zamboanga . With him is Mam Helen, a colleague from the same place and was also very interested with my paper. She's taking up her master's. Dr. Declan Kennedy is from the University College Cork in Ireland . He is the European representative sent by the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE). He said beautiful things about my poster. Like me, he is also an advocate of alternative assessment in education (particularly rubrics assessment). There are still two others I met and got intimate with, but unfortunately I forgot my camera during the first day of the conference. They were high school teachers from Saranggani province. ***** There wer...

A friend asked me what melamine is. I wasn't able to give her a good answer. I was the second person she asked about it. So I made my research and found this article. Quick Info: Commodity: Melamine Formula: C3N6N6 Molecular Weight: 126.12 Appearance: White powder Melamine content: 99.8% min Moisture: 0.1% max PH Value: 7.5-9.5 Ash: 0.03% max Kaolin Turbidity degree: 20% max Color (Pt-Co): 20 max Packing: In 25/500/1000kg jumbo bags Use: Mainly used for manufacturing melamine-formaldehyde resin. It can also be used in decorative laminates, arminoplastics, adhesive agents, coatings and used as a paper-reinforcing agent, textile auxiliaries, cement water-reducing agent and leather retaining agent etc. Storage & Transportation: It should be kept in a cool and ventilated place and should not be stored and shipped with acids and oxidants. What is Melamine? Melamine is an organic compound used to produce melamine resin by combining it with (embalming chemical) formaldehyde. Melamine ...

And so my journey now begins. As a newcomer to the school, I feel all alone. A scared stranger. For others who would wish to follow the 'presumptous' step I made, here are some vocabularies you must know to mask the seemingly ignorant you and to fit into the 'university culture' of one of the best universities in the world. DATE: This is an almost four-hour mental torture assessing your aptitude as to whether you are prepared to take the graduate school or not. Doctor's Admission Test in Education (DATE) is a measure of your reasoning, verbal and numerical abilities. The other part of the test is an essay test. The content is not much a big matter but the writing style is. (I think it's this part that I did well.) The rest of the test was indeed a mental torture. This is administered once a year. ORIENTATION: Impression setting (not impressed, tho). There was the OHP and the white screen but they were never used. Sound system was a karaoke in a theater of about...

The following instructions are for those who are incomplete in psycho: Once you have completed, you can alraedy: a. Text me (I'll send my number in your mail) b. Get a COMPLETION FORM from the REGISTRAR'S OFFICE. Fill up the form. c. Give it to Mrs. Fetalvero (IBA) d. Get back the form when I arrive in the province soon. So keep posted.

Marje Menorca Manacho Rose Ann Rance Gonzales Well congratulations to our adopt a CPA reviewee recipient Rose Ann Rance Gonzales and Marje Menorca Manacho for passing the October 2008 CPA Licensure Exam. The national passing rate was 2,442/6,663 (36.54%). RSC's passing rate was 33.33%. Earlier yesterday when the result was released, the IBA family was sooooo excited expecting that they hit the 50% goal. Unfortunately there were two other takers who did not inform the office about their plan of taking. I am not sure if these two did ever review. Whoever you are, better luck next time, but please... do inform the office of your intent so that we can include you in our prayers. And please, we are protecting the passing rate of BSA in RSC so that it won't close. Please cooperate with us in our efforts of elevating RSC's performance in the Licensure Exam. Anyway, Congrats to Rose Ann and Marje!

This post may be a misfit. But as my wife is a CPA, I am taking off my hat to those who can successfully hurdle this board exam. The preparation and review are no joke, plus the financial demands of the review. Here are the top performing schools in the 2008 CPA Board Exam. CPA Board Exam Results October 2008 . RANK SCHOOL TOTAL NO. OF EXAM. TOTAL NO. PASSED PERCENTAGE PASSED 1 UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS 332 259 78.00% 2 ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY 100 64 64.00% 3 POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES MAIN -STA. MESA 584 301 52.00% B.WITH 51-99 EXAMINEES RANK SCHOOL TOTAL NO. OF EXAM. TOTAL NO. PASSED PERCENTAGE PASSED 1 DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY - MANILA 51 38 75.00% 2 SAN BEDA COLLEGE 72 45 63.00% 3 BICOL UNIVERSITY - LEGAZPI 59 35 59.00% NOTHING FOLLOWS ————————– C.WITH 26-50 EXAMINEES RANK SCHOOL TOTAL NO. OF EXAM. TOTAL NO. PASSED PERCENTAGE PASSED 1 UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - DILIMAN 40 40 100.00% 2 ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA 37 26 70.00% 3 SILIMAN UNIVERSITY 26 18 69.00% NOTHING FO...

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 2,442 out of 6,663 passed the Certified Public Accountant Licensure Examination given by the Board of Accountancy in the cities of Manila, Baguio, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo and Legazpi this October 2008. The following are the Top 10 Board Exam Passers (CPA) for October 2008: 1 RICHIE JACKSON TAGUINOD PADILLA - UNIVERSITY OF SAINT LOUISTUGUEGARAO 92.71 2 ZIFF CALVIN RIGOR MARABILLO SILLIMAN UNIVERSITY 92.14 3 JOANES ALBERT BATALLA DE VERA FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY-MANILA 92.00 4 RICHELLOU JAMAICA ORTEGA LENON - UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN 91.86 5 HAZEL ANGELINE QUIAPOS ABENOJA BICOL UNIVERSITY-LEGAZPI 91.57 6 MHARK ALMARIO SERATO DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY-MANILA 91.43 7 KRISTINE JENNIFER DISCAYA CHUA UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN 91.29 8 ADRIAN HIZON BAJADOR UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES DILIMAN 91.14 9 RAYMUND CHRISTIAN SAYCO ONG ABRANTES ATENEO DE DAVAO UNIVERSITY 91.00 TEEJAY TAMAYO BANAL JOSE RIZAL UNI...

Accomplishment Report of the different units for the first semester of SY 2008-09 was the theme of the 2008 RSC-General Conference last Tuesday, Oct. 14. Here are my impressions! President's Report: Amazing, unbelievable, exciting! The salary standardization caught my attention more. I was impressed with Commissioner Angeles's redefinition of an SUC in this time and age. Somehow, it rationalizes the high and stringent admission and retention policies of the BS Accountancy program which we have been rallying for years. To paraphrase, the Commissioner supports programs that produce quality and effective graduates even if these graduates are very few because of retention policies. Congrats IBA! You have been misinterprented for so many years and now comes the fruit of your principled judgment of distinguishing quality vs. mercy. And even if you have been dubbed as 'ineffective teachers' because almost 50% of the students failed in accounting classes' you were not mov...