ADL Course set to help educators as classes shift online
With classes going online amid the COVID-19 crisis, Ateneo de Manila University through the Ateneo de Manila Institute for the Science and Art of Learning and Teaching (or the Ateneo SALT Institute) has been requested to train over 500 educators of the Philippine Science High School System through its Adaptive Design for Learning (ADL) Professional Certificate Course.
Adaptive Design for Learning is Ateneo de Manila’s unique framework for online course design customized to respond to the contexts of schools and universities in the country. The ADL Professional Certificate Course, which over 2000 educators from the Jesuit network of schools and universities in the country had completed last summer, is an asynchronous project-based program designed to guide educators committed to learning how to design and promote engaging and effective online learning.
This time the program will be conducted for teachers from the various campuses of the PSHS System nationwide, to equip them with the necessary competence to design and conduct online classes. Five online classes have been opened to conduct and deliver the six-module ADL course to the participants from PSHS through a team of professional trainers.
“I am very pleased that the Ateneo is able to assist Philippine Science High School in engaging online learning platforms. During these trying times, it is crucial that schools help and learn from one another.” Fr. Roberto Yap, S.J., President of the Ateneo de Manila University said.
The program was launched last September 21 and will be conducted for three months. In the online orientation conducted last 21 September 2020, Dr. Lilia Habacon, Executive Director of the Philippine Science High School System, told the participants:
“With the shared vision to raise teacher competence, the Philippine Science High School System and the Ateneo SALT Institute will offer and conduct the ‘Adaptive Design for Learning’ professional certificate course for about 500 educators of the Philippine Science High School System, who aim to learn online course design and delivery. Through this joint initiative, we also promote cooperation, peer learning, and exchanges of experience among PSHS teachers. I am optimistic that this course can empower the Pisay teachers and students to rise above the challenges of online learning.”
Because the Ateneo de Manila values PSHS’s unique mission of providing premier science high school education in the country, it has agreed to subsidize 65% of the cost of this nationwide training. The subsidy was made possible by Ateneo SALT Institute’s two endowment funds: The VTL Teacher Education Endowment Fund and the RBA Scholarship Fund for the Education of Public School Teachers.
When informed of this project, Mr. JJ Atencio (AHS ’79, AdMU AB Psych ’83), Chairman of the Dr. Rosario Bustos-Atencio Scholarship Fund, immediately granted his approval: “I’ve always believed that public school education—especially the sciences—is the backbone of a society’s intelligence. We must do everything we can to make sure that those who are tasked with educating our society are equipped with the tools and values needed to create an educated citizenry.”
Mr. James Lim of the VTL Teacher Education Foundation—also an Ateneo de Manila alumnus–praised the joint endeavor: “Education and values formation are a country’s long-term solution to uplifting its people from poverty. We are proud to partner with PSHS in this endeavor. Through this, it is envisioned that our academicians will further advance their vocation of nurturing the young minds for our future.”
Fr. Bobby Yap added, “We are happy to support the PSHS in their goal to provide their teachers with the training that they need to cope with the prevailing realities on the ground. We also welcome other educators who may be interested to undergo this program as we know that this can prove beneficial for them especially now.” For more information about the Ateneo SALT Institute and the ADL Course, please visit https://ateneosalt.org/.