An old Chinese proverb says, “a teacher for a day is like a parent for a lifetime." My students are my academic "children," and when they grow intellectually, I value my part in contributing to that growth.

Education has always been very important to me, and it has always been an integral part of my life. I see myself as a lifelong learner who will always be learning through research, experience, and interaction with others. One reason that I desire to be a teacher is that I want to share what I have learned about learning, teaching, and working with children and adolescents, but also look forward to learning even more from my students.

One of my undergraduate professors once told me that all he desired, all that he hoped for, was to help his students learn. He explained his desire by asking me to imagine myself standing on his shoulders and seeing a little further into the horizon, and thus seeing beyond his scope of vision. I hope to achieve the same goal: to help my students see at a greater distance into the horizon than I can see.

Teaching is extremely challenging. Before I had the full responsibility of teaching a class of students, I had a very naive view of how much energy, time, and planning would be involved. It was surprising to me how complex, demanding, and rewarding teaching could be. Words cannot express the gratification in successfully teaching a student. Since my first few days in the classroom, I have spent much time reflecting on what my perspective of good teaching is, recollecting my impressions of teachers, mentors, and most importantly, my first teachers, my parents. I have also critically analyzed my own teaching strengths, weaknesses, and style, which has inspired me to experiment with new strategies and to consult with more experienced teachers for their advice.

In the conceptualization of learning, interestingly, most high school teachers agree that one of their main functions is to facilitate student learning; yet most draw a blank when asked how learning occurs. This is likely due to the fact that their ideas about this are intuitive and based on experiential learning, rather than on a consciously articulated theory. The task of articulating a conceptualization of learning is therefore difficult.

What is the role of the teacher with respect to motivation, content and assessment? How can a teacher respond to different learning styles? How can a teacher help students who are frustrated? How can a teacher accommodate different abilities of students?

In today's Information Age, I believe it is imperative for teachers at all academic levels to employ technology in their instruction, in particular because it is so prevalent in our society. There is not one facet of life that is not tied to technology in some way. However, I also believe it is important to utilize technology in meaningful ways and with purpose. Simply using technology for technology's sake defeats the purpose.

Further, technology should be used to make things easier and more efficient, not to make things more complicated. Technological literacy is vital, and will become increasingly important as schools become more and more dependent on technology.

Indeed the training in FUSE made a difference in my teaching. Through the aid of FUSE videos, the motivational activities became more interesting and appealing to students. Motivational activities in the form of questions, situations, scenarios and cases that require creative and critical thinking, were delivered and carried out well. The different components of the lesson such as the summary of the previous class session, outline of recent topics, assignments and answers to homework were organized and delivered in an interesting manner as well. Moreover, cooperative learning approach was easily employed because of the varied resource materials available. Indeed, with the integration of FUSE videos, I was able to take my students in a journey where they can see authentic applications and concrete examples for the concepts discussed in class. FUSE videos, serve as the spring board for many classroom activities. Specifically, the FUSE materials provide students to work in pairs or groups of three up to five on a short problem. Specific instructions were flashed on the television screen, regarding mechanics in sharing ideas and coming up with a common solution and this strategy gave the teacher the opportunity to move around and give immediate feedback to students while the groups are working. At the end of activity, students are given the chance to be more critical and creative as they compare and discuss the various solutions to the problem.

Learning through the FUSE videos is most likely to occur when students become personally engaged with the material and perceive the subject matter to be directly relevant to their own lives. Topics like electricity and light that needed a lot of imagination can now be presented in the context of reality through the use of FUSE videos. This reminds me of an ancient Chinese proverb which says: “Tell me, I forget. Show me, I remember. Involve me, I understand”.

I firmly believe that my ministry in teaching is an opportunity to inspire and empower. As a teacher, it is my goal to enhance student learning as a transformative experience. Ideally, I want students to feel personally changed by their participation in a course I am teaching. One way I work to encourage students to challenge existing boundaries is by teaching them to make the familiar strange and question how they have come to know what they believe to be true about their world. This helps students see boundaries, whether personal or social, as constructed and affords them an opportunity to challenge and move beyond them. It is this movement "against and beyond boundaries" that both empowers and transforms learners.

Arnel Jon-jon F. Tipay
arneltipay@yahoo.com
09082770576
1248 Molave, Brgy. San Isidro. Tarlac City 2300
Tarlac National High School San Roque, Tarlac City

Founded by Dr. Lucio C. Tan on December 1, 1994, FUSE seeks to improve the skills in English, Science and Mathematics teachers. Its programs include regular teacher training workshops; a post-graduate scholarship program for Science and Engineering teachers; production and distribution of telecourses in English, Elementary Science, Chemistry, Physics and Math; and a host of other educational programs in partnership with government and private learning institutions.