After a semester of hard work in school, Mabinay Secondary conducts an In-Service Training on Enhancing Teachers’ KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Aptitude) in the Art of Effective Questioning to 135 classroom teachers of the 13 Secondary Schools of the Municipality facilitated by the 13 secondary school administrators during the semestral break last October 26-28, 2011 held at the town’s ABC Hall and Mabinay National High School. This is a formal face-to-face program which helps teachers improve their method of questioning and acquire more and better techniques of asking higher order questions in their classes.
Objectives of the said training are as follows: 1) Appraise one’s performance in the utilization of the different levels of questioning; 2) Formulate sample questions of different levels based on a certain lesson; 3) Prepare a concrete plan of action to apply what has been learned and relearned; 4) Acquire updated strategies, techniques and activities to develop HOTS; 5) Simulate an actual teaching-learning activity to show the Art of Effective Questioning; 6) Conduct actual demo-teaching on the techniques of effective questioning; 7) Demonstrate full cooperation with fax and pax; and 8) Appreciate the value of developing HOTS.
Mrs. Lucila B. Besario (principal of Dahile High School) discussed the topic on Personal Appraisal on the Use of the Different Levels of Questioning. Mrs. Vilma S. Sumagaysay (principal of Inapoy High School) talked about Creating an Accepting Atmosphere with Mrs. Esther P. Tayad (principal of Pantao Nat’l High School) and Mrs. Besario. Mrs. Josie G. Estrella (principal of Tara Prov’l Community High School) and Mrs. Rosemarie S. Bohol (TIC of Mabinay Science High School) deliberated on the Ways to Ask Thinking Skill-Builders Questions; The Headquarter Principal and team leader Mrs. Lucrecia C. Nicolas and Mrs. Liz Ritchelle A. Baldomar (TIC of Mayaposi High School)were tasked to speak and share some insights about Developing Learners’ HOTS or High Order Thinking Skills and the Techniques of Effective Questioning; Mr. Primitivo Torres (TIC of Canggohob High School) was assigned to lecture on Formulating Questions in the different Levels based on a specific Lesson; Mr. Zacarias L. Barona (TIC of Bagtic National High School)and Mr. Diofel Cacas (TIC of Campanun-an High School) were assigned to discuss matters concerning Sample Activities or Ways of Getting Students to ask Questions. Mr. Joey Bahandi (TIC of Cansal-ing High School) was unfortunately not feeling well those days but managed to help the facilitating team in some ways. Ms. Leticia Te-ad (TIC of Paniabonan High School) and Mrs.Edna Mediavilla (TIC of Barras High School) were assigned to monitor the attendance of the teacher-participants.
On the last day of the INSET, 5 mentors from the different secondary schools were chosen to do an actual demo teaching on the Teachers’ Art of Questioning with actual students of MNHS by subject area, to wit; Mr. Rico C. Tañesa of MNHS-demonstration teacher in Filipino 1; Ma’am Evely M. Cacaldo of MNHS-(English II); Mr. Dariel M. Cacaldo of Pantao NHS- (Math III); Cheryl Mae A. Hongcuay of MNHS (Science IV); and Mr. Genel Babor of Bagtic NHS (Araling Panlipunan III).
For the first time, the Special Education Fund of the Local School Board sponsored the budget for 1 meal (lunch) for the fax and pax daily within 3 days (from Oct. 26-28, 2011). The meals including the training materials cost Php 72,087.40. The three-day INSET ended in the afternoon of Oct.28, 2011, with hopes that teacher-participants will realize that critical and creative thinking skills are not only developed through the questions they are asking but also in the opportunities/activities they provide that allow students to ask questions of different levels. Teachers should apply what they’ve learned to their classes so that students may learn better than the previous way of teaching.