I.

INSTRUCTION: Standards of Instruction

A. Teaching Strategies

i. Framework used in Instruction

Constructivism is a powerful tool that allow students in their formative years

to observe, think critically and use real-world scenarios to approach a lesson.
In the classroom, the constructivist view of learning can point towards a
number of different teaching practices. In the most general sense, it usually
means encouraging students to use active techniques (experiments, real-world
problem solving) to create more knowledge and then to reflect on and talk
about what they are doing and how their understanding is changing. The
teacher makes sure she understands the students' preexisting conceptions, and
guides the activity to address them and then build on them.

Teachers use real-world scenarios to enhance the subject matter and allows
the students to take a pro-active role in the learning process by asking them
how they would apply what they learn or how they would approach a
problem.

ii. Integration of Outreach Program

The University of San Agustin, founded upon the virtues of Unitas, Caritas
and Veritas integrates into their learning experience the social value of
sharing and the ideals of St. Augustine on love and service. Pope Francis in
his Apostolic Exhortation “Evangelii Gaudium” exhorts “Dialogue between
science and faith also belongs to the work of evangelization at the service of
peace.” and so the University of San Agustin Basic Education Department,
aligns both science and faith. During the formative years, students are
exposed to various outreach programs that reaffirm their own Christian
missions but at the same time hones them to become completely well rounded
individuals. This too is reflected in the instructional materials and lesson plan
of the teachers wherein they create real-life scenarios that allow the students
to develop as Christian Augustinian individuals by using complex problem
solving skills and interpersonal communication.

iii. Alignment, Articulation of Subjects

Articulating and aligning the curriculum is a complex and time-consuming

endeavor, requiring the cooperation and collaboration of teachers,
educational managers and regulators. In the Basic Education Department,
articulation and alignment is regularly done to ensure that the theoretical
backdrop of the subjects are still relevant. It is essential to appreciate that
curriculum is never static nor immutable but is a process of constant
evolution in response to an ever-changing world. The cultivation of a positive
learner identity, the building of self-efficacy, legitimacy and mobility comes
from the enlargement of learning capital is one of the goals of alignment and
articulation of subjects. To ensure that students experience continuity in the
learning process, teachers ensure that whenever they take up a particular
lesson there is always some other subject or some other core concept related
to it. The seamless integration of subjects allow students to have a continuous
learning process.

B. Utilization of Innovative Materials in Instruction

Teaching students of any age group can be a challenge. But teaching

elementary aged students is one of the most challenging, because their
attention span is not as long as the attention span of older kids. It is not an
easy task to be able to hold the attention of an elementary aged student. Thus,
the use of innovative materials in instructions is not only encouraged- it is
imperative. The days of the proverbial lecture is gone, now teachers are not
only limited to visual aids there are a great deal of teaching materials which
they can use and teaching approaches that will catch the student’s attention
and allow him to retain his learning.

To peak the interest of students on the ecosystem a teacher may opt to do a

tour of the surroundings within the school or to spark curiosity on the effects
of pollution to the Earth a teacher may opt for problem based learning. The
greatest weapon of the 21st century teacher is creativity along with mastery of
subject matter. The teachers at the Basic Education Department have been
doing this consistently and a quick look at their lesson plans will show that
each of them have a different approach to their own subject matter.