Bibliotherapy Mini-Workshop (3 of 3)

As of writing, Taal volcano's alert level has been lowered by PHIVOLCS. From Alert Level 4, Taal volcano's seismic readings and activities have gone down to Alert Level 3. Many families were allowed to go back to their homes but children and the elderly stayed behind in evacuation centers or went home to families and relatives in Batangas. 

There are evacuation centers that have closed down and there are a few that are still operational. Our outreach and community service will continue. We are monitoring the volcano on a regular basis since its activities are dependent on our courses of action. Good weather permitting, the Librarians Association of Quezon Province (LAQUEP) had an initial visit in an evacuation center in Dolores Quezon last Sunday, February 2, 2020.

Audrey Anday, one of the lead facilitators, shared this in our Facebook Group:

PLAI-STRLC in cooperation with the LAQueP-LInc had a relief operation for Taal Volcano Eruption Victims in two ways: a) sharing of packed goods for the 120 families and b) storyelling, art and play workshop for kids. #BangonCaLaBaRZon
Thank you for your generosity fellow librarians!

This initial visit by LAQUEP fulfills one of the three plans of action discussed during the mini-workshop.

Specifically, the action plans for interested volunteers are as follows:

1. You can volunteer to join groups who will visit Dolores, Quezon and Cabuyao, Laguna. To follow are information of contact persons.

UPDATE - The evacuation center in Cabuyao, Laguna has closed. The one in Brgy. Bucal, Calamba, Laguna is still operational.

2. You can pledge donations and sponsorship. Information on what to donate and who to sponsor will be posted in the FB Group.

3. Contribute titles of books and resources for art, play, music and movement and Bibliotherapy sessions. We have created a submission form for this purpose and the link will be posted by 6pm tonight. From this list, we will create an open database of resources accessible for everyone. Your contribution to this database will be beneficial in the Bibliotherapy guide and module I am putting together.

Here is the link to the Bibliotherapy, Art and Play Center 

Keep these in mind when recommending sources and resources:

1. Our readers and learners are children in the K-3 grade levels. Consider their development stages in reading and information processing.

2. Our target readers and learners are children from Batangas who are affected by the eruption of Taal volcano. Context matters!

3. Universal themes such as hope, perseverance, kindness and the like are just as important as the readers’ context and developmental stages. Your recommended books and resources can go beyond topics and concepts on natural disasters, displacement, loss, and evacuation.

For interested volunteers and to people who wish to help, feel free to comment on this post, send an email or get in touch with us via Facebook. Check our group, Bangon CALABARZON.

The Lighthouse Diary #18: Volcanic Eruption and E-Learning

Where we live and work is 27-40 km from Taal, Batangas. The eruption of the volcano has left many of us afraid, insecure, nervous, unsure and “shookt”. Leadership and School Administration are up and about mitigating clean up of campus, checking on members of the community and setting up of an area to relocate students so that learning continues. Somewhere in the midst of the chaos, we are all striving to bring back a sense of permanence into our lives. 

One of the many decisions we made as a learning community last week was to use e-learning and distance education with face-to-face sessions among our junior and senior high school students. We are making use of several e-learning platforms and social media tools to facilitate teaching and learning. Life has to go on. 

As the Teacher Librarian, my role now as content curator and e-learning resource person comes into play more than ever. My staff and I began identifying library administrative work that can be converted into a virtual platform. Right now, I am in touch with school librarians in the south and in the Makati area seeking support and activating networks for learning. If there is one thing I learned from facing natural disasters, it is to look at it straight in the face, roll with the punches and fight back when it is not looking.

I cannot help but pause and think back on the many e-learning experiences I had in the past. How do I channel this experience as concrete actions to further help and support colleagues? Technology is evolving but, a common thread or pattern can be found in its matrix. It’s time to read and do some research and development. 

So here are links on e-learning and Blended Learning which I discovered and trawled online. Expect a part two of this post or a series. 

Let’s begin with e-learning and why it matters  The link is a chapter from an ebook that discuss e-learning basics, history, pedagogy and applications in business and in the corporate world. For the full e-book, follow this link Introduction to e-Learning. The ebook is available for download in PDF format. There is a chapter on Blended Learning with discussions on ways  to use it as an approach with tools for classroom instruction.

Scholastic has a blog article where in different models of Blended Learning are described. Education Elements has a video showing why it is necessary to rethink traditional teaching and where Blended Learning come into play as an instructional innovation. The role of the teacher changes too. From a sage on the stage to a guide on the side, a mentor who is a companion of the learner or an architect of learning environments, the teacher, at this juncture needs to collaborate with different departments in the learning community to reach a sense of fulfillment and succeed in some measure. This natural disaster leaves everyone with no other choice but to face these challenges and work together. 

I am ending this post with an infographic on Blended Learning. There is going to be a part two of this post. Definitely. 

Taal, Tagaytay, Talisay and Tanauan

In light of the phreatic eruption of Taal Volcano, I look back at the many times I have been to Tagaytay and Tanauan, Batangas with family and friends. These links are compiled as I remember them. Arranged in no particular order but with fond memories of a beautiful and historic place. This does not include the amazing stretch of beaches and resorts that litter Batangas, the retreat houses and churches and the growing enclaves for artists in Tagaytay. If the alerts reach a level 5, then the terrain will change and so will the lives of those who depend on the land.

Tagaytay is a good place to take on writing retreats. It was there where the Bulilit Books Writing Workshop took place in 2016. A year after, nine picture books were published through the supervision of the Nutrition Council of the Philipipnes.

In February 2019, my friends and I, along with our teenagers visited Sentro Botaniko, Ilog ni Maria, The Cat and Dog Cafe for a day trip. Back in 2012, I had another day trip but it was in Taal. I wonder now of the basilica and ancestral houses in Talisay and Taal. The Taal Heritage Tour: Taal Basilica and Our Lady of Caysasay, Spanish Ancestral Houses, these places hold so much value and precious memory.

It was in Tagaytay when the 1st International Conference on Children's Library Services, was conducted by the National Library of the Philippines. I was one of the speakers and here are the links to the paper I wrote and presented: Paper Presented 2 of 4, Paper Presented 3 of 4, Paper Presented 4 of 4. Lastly, from 2010 until 2013, I helped a UK Charity set up school libraries in Tanauan, Batangas. Know about it by following these links: Who is Sambat Trust? and Sambat Trust School Library Project: My Story Our World.

While evacuation centers have been set up for residents and families who fled, helping them in the rehabilitation process will take time.