Marilou J. del Rosario PhD
The curriculum set by the Department of Education (DepEd) is learner-centered. That means all learning activities should be focused on the learners, on the development of competencies and skills stated in the content and performance standards in the curriculum. Research Teachers should be aware that the curriculum is learner-centered. Do not believe that Research is a difficult subject.
Students will not miraculously learn the competencies and skills needed in research if the teacher will not teach them how to do research, if the teacher will not explicitly teach the research skills, if the teacher will not model these research skills, if the teacher will not provide scaffolding or support to learners in order to develop these skills, if the teacher will not provide relevant learning activities, if the teacher will not guide the learners through the research process, if the teacher will not provide several guided practice until the learners acquire the research skills and monitor them independently and provide relevant feedback.
How does a teacher develop 21st century skills in teaching research?
The 21st century skills are a set of abilities and skills that students from basic education to higher education need to develop in order to succeed in this digital age, where technology is developing and changing in a blink of an eye, in order for them to become successful and beneficial members of our society, active and thinking youth who will serve as pillars of the development of our country. The 21st century skills include information, media and technology skills such as visual and information literacies, media literacy, basic, scientific, economic and technological literacies and multicultural literacy and global awareness. These skills cannot be, and will not be developed just by showing PowerPoint slides to students.
The 21st century skills include learning and innovation skills, namely critical thinking and problem solving skills, creativity and curiosity, and risk taking. These are very important skills which can make a big difference among students in order to gain knowledge and wisdom and be aware of what is happening around them from various perspectives and points of view, from various social, economic and political issues affecting them from local, national to global levels. These are the abilities and skills to judge what are just and unjust, what are humane and inhumane acts, and act accordingly to what is being ask for in situations, where sound judgement is needed. These are the abilities and skills to conceive active and strategic solutions to problems and take necessary actions to address them. These are the abilities to create strategic plans to bring about continuous improvement to their respective fields and areas of influence, based on their imagination and creativity. These are the abilities to take risks in the face of uncertainty, dilemma and obstacles based on their sound judgement and sound decision-making. These skills can be developed by letting students to think, think and think. Let them analyze real life situations. Activate their prior knowledge, connect them with the current lesson and connect them with actual life situations. Provide meaningful and relevant learning activities wherein they will think, think and think. Again, these skills cannot be, and will not be developed just by showing PowerPoint slides to students.
The 21st century skills also include communication skills, specifically collaboration and interpersonal skills. These skills cannot be attained by just showing PowerPoint slides to students. Where is communication there? Were the learners able to collaborate with one another and developed their interpersonal skills through such acts? Were they able to exchange relevant ideas with one another? Were they given learning opportunities? Were they given opportunities to participate in class and in groups? I just don’t know from what side of the coin this research teacher is looking into, for him to think that he is applying 21st century skills.
The 21st century skills also include life and career skills, namely flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, leadership and responsibility, and ethical, moral and spiritual values. These skills can very well be integrated in teaching research. The teachers just need to provide learning activities, which will lead to the development and improvement of these skills. These skills cannot be and will not be developed just by showing PowerPoint slides to students.
Research is not a difficult subject, if the teacher knows what pedagogical approaches and strategies to use, what teaching theories, principles and philosophies to apply and what learning activities to provide in teaching research. Thereafter, research can be as easy as ABC or 123. Is the teacher familiar with the developmental stages? Can a baby instantly walk first, before learning to crawl? Can a 6-year old child be taught statistics before learning basic Mathematics? Can we Filipinos read Chinese characters without studying it first, or someone teaching us first? Can students instantly learn research by showing them powerpoint slides? Even if you present them with a hundred of examples, they will not learn, unless you as a teacher provide support and teach the prerequisite skills. Can you just tell the students to focus and listen to your speeches, orations and declamations and then learn research? Why not the teacher first tries to read Chinese characters and tries to focus and concentrate, if he can be able to read such Chinese characters? What will be the learning outcome, if the teacher already has a pre-conceived idea, that only few students will learn the Research subject, because it is a very difficult subject? It only become difficult because you, as a teacher, make it difficult for the learners. Because competent and dedicated teachers can make subjects and lessons easy for the students, if they will transform the lesson from abstract to concrete and from general to specific. Otherwise, learning research for students is like telling (not teaching) a 6-year old Filipino child to read Chinese characters.
So, how do we teach research in this 21st century, when technology is rapidly developing and improving?
Because it is a skill, that need to be developed and enhanced, it should be taught EXPLICITLY. Again, explicitly my dear teachers. You should model the research skills that should be developed among learners. Show how you process. What goes inside your mind? How do you conceptualize? How do you conceive ideas? How do you analyze information? How do you synthesize relevant facts? How do you go about the research steps? How do you begin writing the rationale or background of the research? What are the things that you consider? What are the processes that goes inside your mind? This is meta-cognition – thinking beyond thinking. You then need to articulate these processes. Let your students hear, how you do the processing inside your mind through Thinking Aloud Strategy.
You want your students to learn how to write the rationale of their research. Teach them explicitly. Teach them explicitly. Show them how. Do metacognition. Think Aloud. How do I write the rationale? What are the important things, that I should include in the rationale? How do I write the beginning sentence? What are the different ways of writing the beginning sentence? What are the things that I should consider in writing it? What is the best way of writing the beginning sentence? Can I use a question? Can I use a negative striking statement? Can I use a quotation? If I will use a quotation, what is the appropriate quotation for the rationale of my research?
Write your beginning sentence on the board or type it on your computer, wherein every member of the class can see it through the use of a projector. What are the things to consider in writing the succeeding sentences of your rationale? Name the things, that students need to consider. List them. Enumerate them. Make it concrete not abstract. Make it specific not general. Is it related to the topic of your research? Why? Show examples of related and not related sentences. Provide more examples. Provide practice exercises, until they acquire the skills in writing the rationale and distinguishing which statements, are related and not related.
Write the entire rationale in front of your students. Show how to write the body of the rationale. Model how to end the rationale. Show the different ways of ending it. State your reasons why you choose to end it that way. Defend your reasons.
Provide more examples. Provide scaffolding, or support, where and when needed. Provide guided practice exercises, until they acquire the target skill. Provide more learning opportunities. Provide independent practice, so that the students will be given chances to practice the target skill individually. Let them develop confidence in exhibiting the skill. Provide immediate feedback. Students should not wait for days, weeks, months or forever before they receive feedback from the teacher. This feedback should be positively done. Consider the affective domain of students. Remember the affective filter theory of Stephen Krashen. Make feedback positive, and avoid shaming any student.
Remember, that you are inside the classroom to help your students, and not to be a burden for them. Remember that you are there to provide support to students, and not to prove that you are the most intelligent person in the planet. You are there, to act as their second parent. You are there, as someone whom your students can defend on, and not someone to be afraid of. You should love your students, and support them, in the entire teaching-learning process.
You are not inside the classroom to prove that you are intelligent and to treat your students as morons. Maintain a healthy learning environment inside the classroom and not a threatening one. Monitor progress of each learner. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses. Analyze the needed prerequisite skills in developing the target skill.
Budget your teaching time. Do not target several skills in one lesson. As much as possible focus on one skill only, and do not go to the next lesson until the skill has already been acquired by your students. Monitor and evaluate individual progress. Provide remediation when needed. On the other hand, provide enhancement exercises, to further develop and improve the acquired skills.
Make it a habit to evaluate and analyze the entire teaching-learning process. Were you able to raise the awareness of the students on the lesson? Were you able to activate the prior knowledge of your students and connect it to the current lesson? Were you able to establish relevant connections to connect the previous lesson with the current lesson? Were you able to identify the prerequisite skills needed to develop the target skill in the current lesson? Were you able to motivate your students and raise their interest in the current lesson? Were you able to prepare the students for the lesson?
Are the strategies used effective? What are your evidences or means of verification? Were the learners able to acquire the target skill? If yes, what are your proofs, that they were able to exhibit the skill? Have you provided more than enough scaffolding? Were you able to effectively model the skill? Did you provide enough guided practice to help them acquire the skill? Did you give them the opportunity to practice the skill individually?
Are all learning activities provided relevant to the lesson? Did you provide immediate feedback? Did you consider the affective domain of the learners? Do you need to reteach the lesson? Who among your students need remediation lesson? If they need remediation, what are your plans and strategies in conducting remediation? How and what can you do to extend a helping hand to students who need remediation? Were you able to provide enrichment exercises, for those who were able to acquire the skill? Were you able to establish rapport among your students? Were you able to sustain motivation and interest, until the end of the lesson? Do you used varied strategies which are proven effective? Are all learning activities provided interesting, to avoid monotony and boredom among learners?
When all has been said and done, at the end of the day, evaluate if you were able to do everything in your capacity, to extend your support to your learners and walk with them an extra mile, so that they will not be left behind. Only then, can you say, that you have done your role as a teacher. You are a teacher in its real sense.
Remember, that you are a teacher when your students learn.
