A second glance at secondary education

MANILA, Philippines - Progressive education is slowly weaving its way into our society. More and more parents are becoming aware of various non-traditional teaching methodologies which started in preschool classrooms and embraced later on at the primary level. Though familiarity with progressive education at the preschool and primary levels may have grown, would you entrust your child to a progressive school for secondary education?

“We believe a progressive education is what is best for our kids given the small class size and the approach to teaching and learning,” says Vanessa E. Exiomo, mom to a 7th grader at Domuschola International School in Pasig City. For her, it is the best continuation to her child’s education in grade school.

Named after its primary educational philosophy, home (domus) and school (schola) collaboration, Domuschola International School began 12 years ago with its Second Mom Child Care Preschool and eventually Domuschola Internationalis Grade School in 2006. The heart of the program has always been to liaise with parents, family members and even community agencies making home and school inextricably tied in the students’ learning processes.  Reciprocally, the collaboration prompts children to actively apply their acquired knowledge to their home, community and environment, making classroom learning more than just “academic.” In 2011, Domuschola was authorized by the prestigious International Baccalaureate Organization, a non-profit educational foundation based in Geneva Switzerland, thus becoming an IB World School and the second in the Philippines to run the IB Primary Years Program.

Parents like Exiomo recognize the depth of learning taking place in the school. She observes, “They love going to school because of school and not just because of their friends. They are highly inquisitive, thinkers, caring, respectful, opinionated, confident. They love to learn.” The clamor among parents for their children to continue learning in the same way as they transition to high school prompted the school to open its Secondary Department in 2012.

Learning by asking

The school’s emphasis on a student-centered inquiry methodology nurtures questioning and analytical habits, which allow the continuous quest for knowledge. “We need to go beyond data and information accumulation and move toward the generation of useful and applicable knowledge, a process supported by inquiry learning,” Banal explains. Gone are the days of simply memorizing facts and information in preparation for an exam.  At Domuschola, asking questions is the norm. Making sense of information is second nature to every student — going beyond “what” they know and putting emphasis on “how” they come to know.

For seventh grader Victoria Patrice S. Gatan, doing research motivates her to study even more. “Even if it means I have to sleep late, I would do anything just to learn about it. For Science, I got interested in the non-metals and metals and ended up studying the uses and properties when we weren’t even supposed to yet. I immediately wanted to learn more,” she says. Challenges in the curriculum make Victoria more eager to take them head on.

“As a class, we take it a step at a time. No one gets left behind. I would keep asking questions especially when I don’t understand the topic. What makes Math, Science and my other subjects easier is we don’t memorize.  We understand it,” Victoria enthuses.

Domuschola student since her primary years and now in grade 7 (first year high school) , Keiko Exiomo affirms, “I was able to adapt easily to the class and to how it was being managed. The new subjects were made more interesting in that you really want to learn from it.”  This thirst for learning is coupled with the willingness to share the knowledge she acquires. “When I learn something in school, I try to remember that knowledge so in the future I can help my siblings with their school work, too, if they need me.”

Working with parents

Collaboration is a usual occurrence between parents and their high school kids who might otherwise be embarrassed by their parents’ presence in school. But these high school students are not stereotypical. Because home-school collaboration is a strong component of Domuschola’s progressive curriculum, students actually look forward to working with their moms and dads.

What are its benefits? Exiomo illustrates, “Concrete examples of high parent involvement are not only for school events but more importantly for curriculum implementation, parent competencies, parent workshops, student-led conferences, and strong communication between home and school. Children gain confidence and motivation knowing that their parents are there and are willing to help.”

Banal takes pride in seeing students, most of them practically just learning to read and write when they entered the school, now “learning to hypothesize, testing their theories, applying their existing knowledge and ultimately drawing conclusions from their findings.” She enumerates both reflection and action as two ultimate goals of the learning process. “They transform students’ behaviors as a result. The concern is not only with in-school success but equally with preparation for life-long learning,” Banal says.

With various community projects as a collaborative effort among the school, the students, parents and community agencies, ideas are concretized and theories make their way into the real world. One such endeavour is Project READ where a community library for underprivileged children of the neighboring Mandaluyong City was developed together with a literacy program which allows students from Domuschola the opportunity to read books to other children and impart what they know.

Largely inspired by the Cambridge Secondary I Curriculum for Math, Science and English, the Singapore and New South Wales Curriculum Framework for Visual Arts, IT, PE, Music and Humanities, and the Philippines’ Department of Education’s K-12 curriculum for Filipino and History, Domuschola’s International Secondary Curriculum is highly flexible, incorporating best educational practices.

“We are internationally recognized yet very accessible. International quality education need not only be for a chosen few,” Banal informs. “Our vision is to raise a generation that will make a positive difference wherever they are.”

* * *

Domuschola International School is at  Dorm 1, Philippine Sports Complex, Ugong, Pasig City.

For information, call 635-9743, 635-2002, visit www.dis.edu.ph or e-mail info@dis.edu.ph