The current quarantine protocols required by the government to prevent the spread of the fatal coronavirus pandemic ruled against the gathering of big crowds, including in schools.
Thus, the Department of Education (DepEd) ordered the blended teaching, including online, in lieu of face-to-face meeting of students and teachers under the new normal for schoolyear 2020-2021.
At the Philippine Science High School (PSHS or Pisay), which classes will open on September 1, the Knowledge Hub (KHub) online platform will be used in its 16 campuses all over the country.
PSHS Executive Director Lilia habacon proudly told the BusinessMirror in an online interview that the KHub is a learning management system that was “locally developed.”
It will serve as a “one-stop shop” for the academic needs of the teachers and students of PSHS, Science Secretary Fortunato T. de la Peña said at a recent webinar of “DOST Reports.”
Francis Joseph Serina, information technology officer II of PSHS, explained that the KHub platform was developed for the “online classroom” for a more efficient use of both students and teachers.
Serina explained on the same webinar that before KHub’s use, Pisay teachers were using the currently globally available virtual learning platforms Google classroom, Edmodo and Schoology.
Easier operations
He said the students requested to use a single platform, thus, KHub was developed.
The online platform aims to make the operations of the school’s more than 9,300 students and teachers easier, Serina explained in Filipino, as he added that similar to a traditional classroom, the students and teachers could communicate with each other through KHub.
“The teachers could post their [lessons] and the exams. The students access and download the [lessons] to be able to study and solve the exercises,” he said. “It is the hub of the students for their academic needs.”
Only the employees of PSHS, students and teachers could access the hub with the use of PSHS official e-mail, he said.
Serina further explained that each of the 16 campuses of PSHS will have its own KHub.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Executive Director (OED) will have its own hub that could be accessed only by its employees, including the teachers from different campuses.
The OED KHub, he added, could carry materials for each subject that could aid teachers, and other resources for the administration.
Students, teachers ‘face’ each other on KHub ‘rooms’
The students and teachers”face” each other in the KHub, where the subjects have their “own rooms,” and which only the students enrolled in the specific subjects could have access.
KHub also features “badges” that reward students who passed the exercises, after which the next activity or lesson would be unlocked.
“Through this the assessment of the students could be hastened and could ensure their mastery of the subject,” Serina said in Filipino.
“Although KHub is fully online, we ask the students to download the learning guides so they could study when there is no Internet connection or in offline mode,” he said.
Asked on other features of KHub, Serina said once the students have accessed the campus KHub, they could only see the subjects they have enrolled in, the learning guide for which will be provided by the teacher.
When the teachers have logged in on the hub, they could see the subjects assigned to them, including the learning guides for each subject.
“The teachers could use many resources in teaching,” Serina said. There are guides in the webinar prepared by the Research, Policies and Academic Division of PSHS, which could be uploaded in the KHub easy access by teachers.
Since KHub is a teaching and learning repository, resource materials could also be accessed from the DOST-STII, Department of Agriculture and other sources.
With peer assessment currently popularly used, he added that students could easily assess their peers’ work through the KHub platform.
Changes in curriculum
When by asked by the BusinessMirror if the high quality of education of Pisay will suffer with the online mode, de la Peña said “there will be changes.”
Since the learning set-up was changed, “there were identified competencies that should be attained,” and some were “removed,” explained Joel T. Bautista, PSHS Special Science Teacher V.
De la Peña added that some activities could not be implemented if the students and teachers are not in the school.
He said the laboratories they built could not be used if there is no face-to-face learning.
Communication allowance
The students and teachers will be provided with communication allowance for the remote teaching and learning, Serina said.
Access-wise, entry to KHub could be a breeze with the use of smartphones, tablets, desktops and laptops as long as one has a web browser and reliable Internet connectivity, preferably a broadband with bandwidth of a minimum of 4mb per second download speed, he assured.
He added that the PSHS had an experience on the use of a remote learning system. It was used during the bridging program when the enhanced community quarantine was declared in March, when no face-to-face school classes were allowed.
The online mode was used in order to fill the gap during the fourth quarter of the grading period for the past school year.
He said the first week of school year will begin with an orientation on the use of KHub, together with the policies on its use; on different socio-emotional skills enhancement program; how to take examinations; importance of integrity; and others. The lesson proper will being on September 8.
“This will be the main preparation of Pisay on how to go about with teaching and learning in the new normal environment,” Serina said.
Qualifications and requirements for Pisay scholarship
The privileges of a Pisay scholar are free tuition, free loan of textbooks; monthly stipend; uniform, transportation and living allowances for low-income groups; and dormitory accommodation.
To those who want to apply for scholarship at Pisay, Bautista enumerated the qualifications at the same webinar.
The pupil should be in Grade 6 from a DepEd duly-recognized school, and has a final grade of 85 percent or higher in Science and Mathematics as shown in the Grade 5 report card.
If the grades in Science and Math are below 85 percent, the pupil must belong to the upper 10 percent of his batch. The pupil must also be a Filipino citizen with no application as immigrant to any foreign country, and born on or before August 1, 2006.
The pupil must also have a satisfactory rating in his or her character in the report card, of good health, and has not taken the PSHS National Competitive Examination (NCE) previously.
For requirements, the pupil should submit two copies of accomplished NCE application form, together with documents needed.
The application form can be downloaded on PSHS web site pshs.edu.ph or could be obtained from the nearest PSHS regional campus, DOST regional offices or from the provincial science and technology offices.
Online application
For the coming next schoolyear, Bautista said the school system has launched an online application for NCE.
The deadline for the submission of application is on December 11, while the examination is on February 6, 2021.
All they need is to go to the PSHS web site, accomplish the application form and upload a 1-by-1 ID picture, and submit the scanned Grade 5 report and scanned documents and certification that the student is a scholar.
What are the benefits of a Pisay scholar? Bautista said that besides having a globally-competitive education that is specialized in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, a Pisay scholar is given a chance to engage in real-word settings in science and technology institutions and industries, in the country and abroad.
They could also engage in non-stem fields, such as in national at international event or competitions to express their globally-competitive skills.
Image credits: Webinar screenshot/Lyn Resurreccion
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