Teacher On Center Stage: Arabella Soniega (1 of 1)

I was in Pangasinan around mid-June to conduct a workshop for DepEd teachers in the K-3 level. I was invited by Teacher Ara Soniega who impressed me as one of the dedicated teachers DepEd has in its teaching force. Let us get to know more about her and the work she does with DepEd Pangasinan.

What is your teacher story, so far?

I have been working in DepEd since I passed the PBET 1986. I am a BSE graduate, major in Social Science and minor in Filipino, however, I spent my first 5 years as elementary classroom teacher in two private schools in NCR – 4 years at Mother Goose Playskool/ Gradeschool in Pasig and 1 year at St. Anthony Learning School in QC – an experience I truly treasured because it has prepared me a better teacher prior to my entry to public school. In 1992, I finally entered public school at Antonio P. Villar National High School, the only high school in a small municipality of Sto. Tomas, Pangasinan,  next to my hometown (Alcala)and handled Social Studies and Filipino. I was promoted to MT 1 in 1990 then shifted to HT 3 in 2005 and became an Education Program Supervisor in 2008.I was designated as OIC in a newly opened high school for almost 3 years, then OIC office of the District Supervisor in 2 different districts.

​

     At present, I am the Education Program Supervisor in-charge of Filipino, MTBMLE, Multigrade Program in Pangasinan Division II.

 

2. What has been the most rewarding experience you have as  a DepEd teacher and professional?

 

​As a classroom teacher, I consider my being a pre-school teacher (at St. Anthony Learning Center, QC) as the most challenging yet rewarding one because I learned how to become a beginning reading teacher which was far from my area of specialization. It was rewarding because at the end of the school year, my pupils became readers.

​ In addition to this,  I was actively involved in the K to 12 Curriculum since it started in 2011 – from the development of materials in MTBMLE to the mass training conducted from Grade 1 to Grade 12 - as a writer (MTBMLE and Grade 4 (Filipino) materials) and as a national trainer during the mass trainings conducted from Grade 1 to grade 6; a regional trainer in Filipino from Grade 7 to Grade 12.

​I also became a certified NEAP Facilitator after going through rigid screening and evaluation and facilitated series of trainings conducted for school administrators and supervisors in Region I.

​Being in DepEd for 27 years and still counting, a lot of opportunities came my way. I was actively involved in the different activities of the Central Office as regard to the programs assigned to me. These activities provided me the opportunity to experience working with different people at different places and more importantly, an opportunity to take part in worthwhile endeavors that benefitted not only the teachers and learners in my own division but nationwide, as well.

Part 2 of the blog feature will discuss the literacy projects Teacher Ara conducts for K-3 learners.

Thank you, Teacher Jaron!

Oh joy! This message came from Teacher Jaron.

Hi Ms. Zarah  

I just want to share how my students, Nissi and Lesli Anastacio loved the story (My Daddy! My One and Only!). They asked me if they could borrow it so they can read it at home Thank you for this story! I personally loved it too Regards to Nico as well.

I actually told them the origin of the story that you told us at the Lampara Books Seminar. They really love their Daddy Lester who comes home late at night and they want to show their dad the story and to say thank you for being there for them.

I was teaching them a lesson about parents going to work despite of stormy days. Then I remembered the story when they were sharing stories of their parents.

Jaron Adapon Natividad is a preschool teacher in Precious Vessels Christian Academy. 

Thank you, Teacher Jaron for sharing our book to your students. How generous you are for allowing your students to bring home the book with them to show it to their father. Continue to create bridges between young readers and books written especially for them.

Workshops with Teachers and Librarians: Philippine Lit Fest, TeacherTraining Institute & AKLATAN 2015

Trash or Treasure: Turn these trash into teaching treasures!

I had the wonderful opportunity of working with teachers and librarians over the past months and recent weeks. My workshops with them were all about storytelling, books and reading, creative thinking and the use of technology for teaching and learning. Why I am still doing this after a decade or so affirms how important literacy development is in this day and age. I learn a lot from these workshops. I do design the modules I conduct and deliver, but the interaction I get from participants fuels me to further create.

Knowledge shared is knowledge gained.

In the Philippine Literary Festival, I was amazed at how thirsty we all are for authentic and genuine human connections. Stories and storytelling can quench that thirst. Weaving tales and stories is magical. In the Weavers of Magic workshop, we reaffirmed our commitment to pursue the magical path through the process of creating children's literature for young readers today. In the training I had with public school teachers of Estancia and Carles, Iloilo, we discovered how materials in our immediate environment can be used as instructional materials. What we deem as trash can actually be a treasure trove of instructional materials. All we really need is to look at our deepest needs and desires to surface the imaginative power that has been hidden with in ourselves for so long. After all, creativity is a natural talent. How it is nurtured is another story though.

Teachers read children's books. My favorite part of the workshop.

In the AKLATAN 2015 Conference of the PLAI - CLRLC, I realized that we all need to go back to books. Back to Books. Back to Basics. To fully understand why we are librarians, we need to take a closer look at why books, as a technology, is still around in this age of the digital divide. How does a technology, like the book, can magically bridge gaps, make connections and celebrate the human spirit in the age of smartphones and social media? Why do we need to talk about reading in the era of ASEAN Integration and how do books play a part in learning how to read? These thoughts came to mind as I conduct my workshop with the librarians of Central Luzon. While they make their own books, I reflect on the work that Filipino Librarians are challenged to do.

The work is plentiful but the workers are too few. I only know of one thing -- we shouldn't stop learning. And as we learn, we need to reflect on our actions; on our insights; on the next step of the journey.

Teacher Storyteller: Michelle Agas

I was with Teacher Michelle Agas last May 2015 for a week long workshop in Bicol. We had a wonderful time working together along side Teacher Pam Razon in the literacy training of EDUCO and Adarna House. Last MIBF, she was at the Lampara Writing Workshop as participant. During the A Day with Weavers of Magic, she was one of the lead storytellers in the workshop.

Was it only yesterday when Teacher Michelle was a college student in Teacher Portia Padilla's class? It was there, in Prof. Padilla's class where I met her, an "Eduk" student of UP Diliman and I was the class's guest resource person on storytelling.

A few years after, Michelle joined the PBBY Salaysayan 2008 , a storytelling competition, where she won first place in the English Division. Read the link on the PBBY Salaysayan 2008 where I happened to be  judge. I was impressed at Teacher Michelle's performance. She was a revelation.  

I am proud at how far Teacher Michelle has grown as a storyteller since her college days. Aside from teacher training and reading tutorials, Teacher Michelle runs ReadingReady where storytelling services for schools, events and parties can be availed.

Cheers to you, Teacher Michelle! I look forward to more meet ups and workshops with you in the future. I still dream of doing a tandem telling performance with you!

Teacher Mich in action at the A Day with Weavers of Magic

Picture! Picture!

A Treat for Teachers

PBBY Trio at Chocokiss, UP Diliman

Illustrator and former PBBY Chair Totet de Jesus, writer and PBBY representative Dr. Luis Gatmaitan, and myself were dinner guests of Teacher Portia Padilla's graduate class at Chocokiss, UP Diliman last Wednesday night, December 16, 2009. It was Prof. Padilla's class' Christmas get together and it was made special, according to her and her students, by our presence.



Since it's a children's literature class in the graduate level, conversations on the state of Philippine Children Literature in the country were aplenty. It could not be helped but discuss selection criteria for children's literature especially when judging entries in contests like the Palanca and the Salanga prizes. While I gave my own set of criteria as influenced by my being a librarian, teacher, storyteller, writer and parent I could only wish that the 1-2-3 selection of the "best" children's books of the year be changed. We're all living in a flat world now. "Best" is relative, besides. Hopefully, PBBY can do something about this 1-2-3 mentality.

The night was a mini-panel lecture cum dinner that showcased the uncanny humor of Totet de Jesus. He came complete with props. Just imagine the wows, the oohs and the aahs when he showed his sketches and storyboard for Tin Canon's book, Sampung Magkakaibigan by Adarna House. Luis Gatmaitan on the one hand gave valuable tips on writing, that crafting a story is up there in the totem pole, and that, writers for children should never forget their intended audience. He had books for everyone that night and the students got personalized notes and dedications from him.

You wonder now what the librarian did.

I ended the night with a story, Joseph's Overcoat, using paper and tearing parts of it as the story rolled along.

Completing Life Cycles

During the con-current session of the Petron Gurong Kaakbay Conference at the Ateneo de Manila, I was introduced by a former student, Arnold Lau. In my session on Creating Classroom Libraries with the public school teachers of the conference, Arnold was there as my room monitor-assistant. Turned out that Arnold volunteered for the task. A freshman at the Ateneo, he looked just the same as I saw him last in Xavier School.

I remember Arnold as an upfront and straightforward boy, audacious at expressing himself and confident with his actions. He is one of Xavier School's Math Wizards. I was surprised though that he is taking a course that leans toward the humanities. Nonetheless, I felt I have completed a life cycle when he introduced me as his former teacher-librarian in Xavier School.

Just recently, I was once again given the opportunity to come full circle.
















Last Wednesday, November 25, 2009, I had the honor and the pleasure of meeting my former teachers at the Pateros Catholic School, Grade School Department. I gave a four-hour workshop on storytelling for the grade school's teaching staff. My grade six Math teacher, Mrs. Figuron, my grade four Social Studies teacher, Mrs. Padama and my grade five Science teacher, Ms. Hipolito were present. It had to be the my most unforgettable storytelling workshop yet.

For this, I have to thank my former Filipino teacher in grade six, Mrs. Flery Natividad-Guevara, who is now the school's librarian for the invitation to do what I love doing. My gratitude goes out to my former grade three Reading teacher, Ms. Lolit Evangelista, currently the principal of the Grade School for welcoming me back to PCS, my alma mater. It is my hope to go back and give back in as much as I am capable of doing.

Live Blogging: The 2009 Petron Gurong Kaakbay

Today is the last day of the Petron Gurong Kaakbay (GK) Conference. It's a yearly teacher training conference for public school teachers run by Sa Aklat Sisikat. It boasts of an array of experts in the field of education.

This morning, I facilitated a workshop on Creating Classroom Resource Centers. I had a mixed batch this year so the result was both enriching and empowering. Responses from those who have not created a classroom library were very positive. They were inspired to adapt and adopt the tips and techniques discussed in the workshop. For teachers who have existing classroom libraries, they were glad to be affirmed that what they were doing was the right thing.

I could only thank them for making my work, as a librarian, more meaningful.

At 1PM, Dr. Ricardo Abad gave valuable techniques to be more engaging and animated in class. According to Dr. Abad, the best visual aid in the classroom is still the teacher. Technology is a support for the teacher. He left us all with CAMEL - Build a COMMUNITY of learners; Involve learners in ACTIVE learning; Use MULTIPLE learning strategies; Be EXPRESSIVE in voice and body movement; and LOVE teaching!

Right now, Aris Lim, HR manager and trainor continues to animate and infuse teachers with coaching and mentoring activities.

Storyteller, Story Teacher!

I had another successful storytelling workshop for teachers last Saturday, October 17, 2009 at Phoenix Educational Systems, Inc. Most of them were preschool teachers who found the use of puppets in storytelling very useful. Apart from simple puppetry, we also had hands on activities in making Story Kamishibai and Readers' Theatre.

Teacher participants are huddled together as they worked on a kamisibai. They brought home their output of the day.

It's a joy to watch them work and blend easily with each other. They practically didn't know each other at the start, but halfway through the workshop we were all friends bound by the power of stories and storytelling.

Practice makes perfect, so they say! A group of teachers whipped up chants, songs and interactive actions to the fable, The Turtle Who Could Not Stop Talking, a readers' theatre piece taken from Dianne de Las Casas' Handmade Tales.

At the end of the day, there were plenty of smiles and laughs that went around. Plus, the confidence to tell interactive stories in the classroom.

Dr. Dina Joana Ocamo, Outstanding Teacher and Filipina

A pleasant news from the education sector! The Metrobank Outsanding Teachers (MOT) of 2009 were announced last 8 August 2009. Among the ten teacher awardees, nine came from the public school system.

From the tertiary level, it was Dr. Dina Ocampo of the Reading Department of UP Diliman who was given this prestigious award. Teacher Dina, as she is fondly called in the UP Reading community was conferred another award last 2007. She was one of the Ten Outstanding Women of the Nation for Service awardee for her groundbreaking work and research on dyslexia. Teacher Dina's research on multilingual teaching won her the MOT this year.

Teacher Dina is founder of Wordlab, a school for dyslexic and special learners. She is also the Vice President of the Philippine Board On Books for Young People (PBBY).

Source of photo - cathychronicles.blogspot.com

Photos from Donsol

You can view them in my personal blog, The Coffee Goddess.

SLIA Blog Advisory

I've been running a series of teacher training seminars for the past weeks and I will fly to Donsol, Sorsogon for yet another teacher training seminar sponsored by CEMEX and Sa Aklat Sisikat this week. By Monday next week, I will be in the Philippine Association of School Librarians (PASL) National Seminar at Teacher's Camp, Baguio City.

I'm in a roll so blogging will be put on hold until I surface and catch my breath.

Storytelling Framework Sampler

Here is a sample plan for storytelling that can be used in the classroom. Following the basic framework, it observes the basic structure of reading instruction to formalize the learning of skills like characterization, drawing conclusions, comprehension (through context clues) and thinking skills like making inferences and critical thinking.

Title of Story:          Ang Mga Kwento Ni Lola Basyang ni Severino Reyes: The Prince of the Birds

 

Retold by Christine Bellen

Illustrated by Frances Alcaraz

Published by Anvil Pub. Inc. 2005

Target learners/students: Grade 5-6

 Objectives:

1. To understand the different character traits in the story (the King, Princess Singsing and the Prince of Birds);
2. To make a conclusion of a character based on actions and decisions he/she made in the story;
3. To enjoy and appreciate a story read aloud as a class/group (Readers’ Theatre) and extend the literary experience through role playing of the story’s basic parts;
4. To learn the concept and meaning of the phrase kept his promise

Pre-activity:

1. Unlock the phrase kept his promise as used in context.
2. Present a paragraph using kept his promise.

Mark and Peter agreed to bring an extra sandwich and bottled water for Ms. Dela Cruz, their coach and teacher, if either of them wins in the Spelling Bee contest. Peter won and kept his promise to Mark.

What does the phrase, kept his promise, mean?

c. Motive question – Why didn’t the King keep his promise to the Prince of Birds?

 

Storytelling Proper & During Reading Activities:

1. Introduce the book, the writers, illustrators and publisher of the book and its series.
2. Distribute the script for the Readers’ Theatre to the class.
3. During reading activities:

 

	Princess Singsing	The King of Tongkiang	The Prince of Birds
Physical descriptions   Attitudes, habits and decisions   General traits and characteristics

 

4. Go back to the motive question so students can answer it.

 

Note: The teacher/storyteller may write comprehension questions for the during-reading-activity part of the session, or have small group discussions, like a literary circle as an additional post activity. Differentiated activities is another option for the teacher/storyteller and the students to do.

 

Post Activity:

Divide the class in groups in preparation for a role playing of the basic parts of the story.

 

 

Planned and prepared by:

Zarah Gagatiga

For the Anvil Publishing Inc. sponsored workshop at Powerbooks Trinoma, April 13, 2009.

Live Blogging: Lit Circles in Xu Guang Qi Day 2008

I'm now attending the second session of my choice: Lit Circles. As Toshi explained, Lit Circles is a teaching strategy where students could discuss stories and selections read by the class. Students are given choices on stories and selections they like to read. The teacher, a mere observer. But there are so many learning that can be derived from observing. Such observations can help the teacher improve instruction and content.

In simple words, Lit Circles is a typical book club. What makes it different from the ordinary book club is its structure. Students may be given their choice of reading material and their discussions may be free of teacher's comments but, the teacher has designed it so to make students "thinking" readers. Smart!

The Lit Circles work this way: once a selection or story is chosen, roles are assigned to members of the circle. Such roles are: Discussion Director, Character Captain, Fact Finder, Wacky Wordsmith, Literary Luminary, Cool Connector and Adventurous Artist. Each is given a worksheet to jot down ideas, insights and tasks assigned for each student. When students are ready for discussion, the Lit Circle commences.

Right now, we're simulating the whole process and it's a very engaging experience.

Live Blogging: Xu Guang Qi Day 2008

It's the first day back to work. It's an easy day for everyone. Thoughts of work and lists of things to do are pushed aside for the meantime to focus on Xu Guang Qi Day activities.

Paul Xu Guang Qi is a scientist, scholar, mathematician and Jesuit Lay partner. In his memory, Xavier School commemorates his contributions to the mission through an in-service training program. And if it's organized by the IGNITE, trust that activities in the program are fun and funky.

A wide array of sessions on technology and instruction, Singapore Math and Lit Circles are offered to teachers. All faculty members signed up for two sessions of their choice. I signed up for the Promethean Board and Lit Circles.

Right now, Ms. Lopez is giving us a variety of ways to use the Promethean Board. It is an interactive board that bumps off the traditional blackboard from its eternal throne as the primary instructional tool in the classroom. Its interactive screen is plugged into a computer/laptop and an application software runs the different programs for instruction.

It's fascinating, really! It's like one big touch screen you see in malls.

The Promethean Board can be used in teaching Science, Math, Communication Arts, and other content areas. Like all technology used for instruction, the benefits and limitations of the Promethean Board must be learned to harness its power and manage its constraints.

PRC Librarian of The Year (2007)

Congratulations to Dir. Lourdes T. David of the Rizal Library, Ateneo de Manila University for being conferred by the Philippine Regulations Commission (PRC) as the Outstanding Professional Librarian of 2007.

Ma'am Lou has touched many lives of students and professionals in the field of library science, information technology and academic research. I would not have pursued the inkling to try IT and its applications to pedagogy if not for her mentoring and tutelage way back in the late 90's. I could still remember the term paper I wrote for in her MA class, LIS 260. It was about Computer Aided Instruction (CAI). Little does she know that every time I write a professional article, essay or paper on library and information science, on IT and its use in pedagogy, I close my eyes and think of her many advice. When faced with challenges and crises in library management, her words of wisdom come to mind and I become hopeful, yet again. Salamat po, Ma'am Lou!

I wish her the best, good health and many more years to inspire young librarians and IT professionals to grow in their chosen field of expertise.

Photo courtesy of The Filipino Librarian.

specta-KYu-lar

It happens all the time. When a teacher learns that his/her former student achieved something, be it big or small, he/she is bound to bask in the glory of the accomplishment. So I was not surprised when Mr. Paco Maramag (who taught English and is now Prefect of Discipline) came to the library one morning looking for a very “old” book.

The book he was looking for was a project made by his former grade 4 students way back in 1980. It was an anthology of Greek Myths written and compiled by Francisco Benitez, Mark Escaler, Joel Trinidad and Kenneth Yu. What prompted him to go to the library was the article written by Ruey de Vera in the Sunday Inquirer about a Man of Many Stories. It so happened that the man featured in De Vera's article was Mr. Maramag's student. He is none other than Kenneth Yu (otherwise known in the LitCritters Open as KYu), publisher/editor of the Philippine Genre Stories.

What's more amazing is that, Kenneth Yu is remembered fondly by one of our GS Librarians. Mrs. Rosario "Baby" Alfonso, back then she was Ms. Cahanding to Kenneth and his friends, could attest to KYU's addiction to books and reading. Such boys with an appetite for reading are never forgotten. At that time, Xavier School was still following the Individualized Instruction Approach and Methodology. Students could chart their own learning through the facilitation of the teacher. Mr. Maramag had given KYu's group the liberty to come up with the anthology of Greek Myths.

The book is still in our Filipiniana Collection. It stands proud among the classics written and produced by Filipino writers. Anyone of course can come up with such a project. But teachers and librarians consider this as a milestone in a student's literacy development.

I meet Kyu once in a while during Open Sessions of LitCritters. The last time we met, I mentioned to him his little project in grade school. He was embarassed to bits when I told him about Mr. Maramag's quest. Then again, the Man of Many Stories had to start somewhere. And like his former English teacher and GS librarian, I'm proud that his early beginnings at writing, editing and publishing began in school and nourished in the library.

Back to Teaching

Not many know this, but I taught preschool before becoming a librarian. Bosom friends know that I really wanted to major in English back in college to teach grammar and literature in basic education. Naks! As if my skills in grammar is supercalifragelisticexpialedocious! But, as destiny would have it, I ended up in the Department of Library Science to my mother's great joy. I don't regret the decision, though deep in my heart lies the passion to teach in the classroom.

This coming school year, SY 08-09, I am looking forwrad to going back to the classroom as a Reading teacher. Finally, I can now put into practice the theories I learned from my Reading mentors and professors from UP REGALE. Wink! Wink! to Teacher Portia, Teacher Vic and Dr. H :-) As a librarian, I was able to do collaborative projects and activities on Reading and Information Literacy. In June, I shall be given the chance to stretch my reach further and continue to make connections between students and the love for reading.

I am sure that the adjustment period will not be a walk in the park. There will be great challenges and obstacles to hurdle. Then again, what's teaching without risks? That is the beauty of it all. Teaching is both a science and an art. I feel most significant when I am able to put theory into practice.

It does not mean that I will no longer be a school librarian. I still am. And I think, I will always be.