ARMM moves to improve high school students performance

DAVAO CITY, Philippines — The Department of Education in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DepEd-ARMM) will embark on efforts to improve the performance of high school students in the region. 

The Dep-Ed-ARMM will expand the implementation of an innovative teaching method dubbed the  Dynamic Learning Program (DLP), a cost-effective teaching method wherein 70 percent of class time is utilized for student-driven activities and 30 percent for reinforcement lecture. 

The DLP was  developed by spouses Christopher Bernido and Maria Victoria Carpio-Bernido, 2010 Ramon Magsaysay awardees and renowned physicists.

The program uses a “parallel class scheme” in which two simultaneous classes are handled by one expert teacher with the help of facilitators.

“We have piloted DLP in the province of Basilan, and based on assessment, the results are encouraging,“ ARMM Education Secretary Jamar Kulayan said.

“We are formulating plans to expand the program in the other provinces by next school year,”Kulayan added.

A three-day training on DLP was conducted in Basilan on Jan. 22-24 to expand the concept not only for Physics but also Science, English and Filipino subjects.

Kulayan said DLP is instrumental in the 14 percent increase in the 2014 average for the National Achievement Test (NAT) of secondary students in Basilan, which was double the seven percent target for the year.

The students displayed more creativity, improved handwriting and critical thinking skills, and were more motivated to learn.

“There was less absenteeism,” Kulayan said.