Current Projects

• APEX (Applied Academics for Excellence)

APEX is an innovation in teaching and learning that connects students' learning to the development goals of the community. It prepares the youth academically and technically to pursue post-secondary education and a career or enterprise of choice by exposing them to relevant curriculum, interactive activities and real life applications. APEX views the strategic role of secondary education in addressing the emerging technical and entrepreneurial needs of the community and it helps foster a spirit of service among students. APEX truly enables the students to become real world learners, local change makers and significant contributors to the development of communities.

Project Goals
The main project goals of APEX are three-fold:

• Develop basic workplace and entrepreneurial competencies of high school students;
• Build strong institutional capacity for program sustainability in schools; and
• Develop a strong school-community partnership.

Teaching and Learning Modalities
APEX evolves as a crucial resource to the learning community. Using appreciative inquiry or strength-based approach, this emerging model attempts to connect all community development efforts around youth success.

• Basic Workplace Model - designed for schools within the economic industrial zones of Laguna. It focuses on the world of work as a learning context. This model combines academic skills, technical skills and employability skills.
• Basic Entrepreneurship Model - adopted for the province of Leyte, this model anchors on the world of business as learning context. It combines academic skills with business skills and progressive life skills.
• Basic Workplace and Entrepreneurship Model - the combination of technical and entrepreneurial models is being applied in the province of Cebu. Due to its fast industrial growth and agri-business potentials, the model for Cebu amalgamates the skills being developed and enhanced in the two basic models--academic, technical, business, and employability and life skills.

Project Benefits

For Students

• Opportunity to be exposed to different career options early in life
• A strong academic foundation and lifelong learning skills
• Development of technical expertise and/or entrepreneurial skills
• Better foundation on career development and access to employment and entrepreneurship opportunities
• Meaningful exposure to civic life and opportunity to exhibit civic leadership

For Parents

• Actively engaged in the education and career decisions of the students
• More motivated children with a focus on their future

For Teachers and Schools

• More interesting and challenging coursework
• Better trained teachers in science, math and technology and enterprise development
• Exchange of knowledge and experiences facilitated with the network of teachers created
• Schools become more relevant in addressing the needs of the community

For Employers

• Better educated workers who are prepared to grow and develop on the job
• Less shortage of skilled workers
• Reduced employer cost of training
• Potential members of the workforce are able to apply knowledge and skills to solve work-related problems
• A world-class workforce able to outwork, out-produce and outsmart the global competition

For Colleges, Post-Secondary and Training Institutions

• More high school graduates go to advanced education and training
• Students are better prepared for post-secondary education

For the Community

• Strong school-community partnership
• Creation of community resource network
• Actively engaged in community education programs
• More enterprising individuals developed in school will enliven the local economy
• Foster strength-based youth development initiatives
• Curriculum anchored on the development requirements of the community

• e-IMPACT (Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers)

The e-IMPACT  (Instructional Management by Parents, Community, and Teachers) learning system is a technology-enhanced alternative learning delivery mode for basic education. It is a learning system originally developed by SEAMEO INNOTECH some twenty years ago to address the educational problems related to access and quality of education. Recognizing the need to respond to changes in the the education curriculum and trends in the use of technology for instruction, the IMPACT Learning is repackaged; infused with the text2teach technology and aligned with the Revised Basic Education Curriculum.

Principles
The IMPACT system is characterized and based on a number of principles.

• The children are active participants in the learning process.
• The learning materials are based on the current primary school curriculum.
• Encourage and develop in the children the skill to learn independently and eventually become self- and lifelong learners.
• Learning can take place anywhere.
• There is multiple entry and exit in the e-IMPACT system.
• The progress of learners is based on mastery and individual speed.
• Education is viewed as a socializing process and learning training. Group learning is, thus, the primary mode of learning.
• Instructional management or delivery of instruction is the responsibility of the teachers, the parents and the community.
• The teacher is the manager of the learning process.

The Learning Set-up
There are three modes of delivery of instruction in the e-IMPACT system. These are programmed teaching, peer-group learning, and individual study. In addition, e-IMPACT system utilizes other modes of learning for specific purposes. In cases where two or three schools nearby are implementing the e-IMPACT system, these specialized teachers then become itinerant teachers for the three schools.

Skills trainings by community resource persons are undertaken when the system utilizes the specialized skills of some community members. The instructional coordinator or the principal arranges this. Certain learning modules in Makabayan, Science, and other learning areas may need actual demonstration of skills, which a resource person in the community can very well provide.

The rating system being followed in the e-IMPACT system is that of the conventional schools. Diagnostic tests are also administered at the start of the school year to determine learners’ difficulties. As each learning module has a posttest, this represents quizzes for the learning areas. Likewise, periodical tests and other assessments as required by the Department are also complied with by e-IMPACT schools. The instructional supervisors also assign projects, home works, and give ratings for recitations to comply with DepEd’s requirements. Additional points are given to programmed teachers and group leaders, thus encouraging more participation from the learners.

Learning Modes

• Learning how to learn
• Programmed teaching
• Transition learning
• Peer group learning
• Self-instruction
• Basic skills practice
• Skill training by community resource person
• Itinerant teaching

School Sites

• San Francisco Learning Center, Malilipot, Albay
• Sta. Teresa Elementary School, Sta. Teresa, Malilipot, Albay
• Pili Elementary School, Bacacay, Albay
• Assemblyman Segundo Moscoso Memorial School, San Pedro, San Jose, Antique
• Bagong Buhay Elementary School, Sapang Palay, Bulacan

• DMDP (Decentralized Management Development Program)

Background
The Design and Implementation of Decentralized Management Development Program is an activity being undertaken through the Philippine Department of Education's flagship project, the Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP).

The DMDP is focused on building commitments and coherent actions to the goal of establishing high performing schools and learning centers through decentralized basic education. The DMPD framework aims to address the "people issues" in the implementation of a decentralized basic education management, hence the building block approach with emphasis on advocacy/communication strategies, values orientation and on-the-job trainign for enhanced approaches and methodologies for priority areas of education management.

SEAMEO INNOTECH, in partnership with the Philippine Social Science Council (PSSC), will undertake the conduct of a Perception Study from a sample respondents from the target participants from CO, RO, and DO; and the development of a DMDP Strategy Map.

The PSSC will design the Perception Study and undertake data analysis. The results of the study will provide an indication of the level of understanding/appreciation of the goals of education management decentraliztion as an area of reform in DepEd, the issues/pressure groups that hinder or likely to impede the smooth implementation of the decentralization thrusts, and potential solutions to issues and problems. The detailed design of the proposed DMDP components will take into consideration the results of the Perception Study.

The DMDP Strategy Map, on the other hand, which SEAMEO INNOTEH will develop, focuses on advocacy, capacity building and values reorientation activities that involves various stakeholders who have different views about the reforms that decentralization of education management may bring about. The DMDP strategy mapping exercise will generate clearer understanding, insights, agreements and actions. The Strategy Map will give focus on the topics for the training and thus a better chance of achieving the desired competencies within the limited period of DMDP implementation. Likewise, the DMPD Strategy Map will serce as a guide for SEDIP to replicate the same DMDP design process with focus on different topics and competencies.

Approach and Methodology
SEAMEO INNOTECH will employ the participatory approach that will involve on-the-job training and mentoring of stakeholders at the Cental, Regional and Division levels. The program is designed to create an organizational environment that will facilitate the process of basic education decentralization. It will build on the gains of various capacity building trainings, innovative projects and research projects already undertaken in the SEDIP. The program is aimed to deepen the process of building relationships and commitment to the decentralization reform objectives.To support a DepEd culture that facilitates the decentralization process, greater focus will be given to reorientation for all participants.

SEAMEO INNOTECH will engage the services of the Philippines Social Studies Council (PSSC) to design and implement the activities for values reorientation, advocacy and social mobilization and the mentoring/coaching course for the Team of Mentors/Trainers.

Components
Component 1: DMDP Strategy Map - contains the priority concerns for the decentralization of basic education management and provides focus on the conduct of the DMDP activities. These priority concerns will be identified through a workshop among selected key officials from the central, regional, division and representatives of school heads. The workshop intends to assess the gains of various DepEd interventions, such as TEEP, UNICEF-CPCV, BEAM, and others. It will also provide an opportunity to gain insights from the international experiences of SEAMEO INNOTECH resource persons. Aside from these, the workshop will help identify the gaps for achieving the vision for high performing schools/learning centers through decentralization of basic education management.

Component 2: Building the Central and Regional Offices Partnership. Under RA 9155, the Central Office and Regional Offices will focus on standard setting, policu formulation, evaluating learning outcomes and instituting quality controls. It is thus important to build a closer link between the CO and the RO. The training is aimed to deepen the understanding and acceptability of the decentralization reforms for the CO and the RO levels and new roles especially for the regional level. It will also build a working relationship for the CO and the RO by initiating a specific priority work program. At the end of the workshop, participants will have a "shared vision" on their new roles. The outputs will include a Decentralization Transition Plan and Advocacy/Communication Plan.

Component 3: Building a Team of Coaches/Trainers/Mentors who will serve as "Change Champions" and act as coaches/mentors to the Division Managers. Selected participants in the CO and RO Partnership workshop will undergo general training on coaching and mentoring, change management, group process, facilitation management and interpersonal communications. These trainors will assist in the capacity building of the DOs and serve as "mentors" during the initial stages of implementation. They will also be trained in selected specialized area of learning outcome management, for which that will mentor the Divisions. These specialized areas will be any of the following as may be identified in the DMDP Strategy Map: (1) Learning Needs Assessment; (2) Student Assessment/Testing; (3) Curriculum Review; (4) Curriculum Implementation Planning; (5) Developing Intervention Programs; (6) Educators Program/Project Management; (7) Instructional Materials Development; (8) Instructional Supervision and Management; and (9) Quality Management.

At the end of the training/ workshop, the participants will comprise a group of "inspired teams" willing to assist the Divison Managers as their "mentors" in the conduct of Component 4. The outputs will include draft training manuals or guide for mentoring the Divisions and Advocacy/Communication Plan. The draft manual(s) will be finalized by SEAMEO INNOTECH in coordination with the SEDIP-NPMO.

Component 4: Mentoring the Division Managers in the implementation of their Division Education Development Plans. The Team of Trainors trained in the Component 3 will be assisted by SEAMEO INNOTECH Experts in facilitating the training of Division Level Managers and staff on various aspects of Learning Outcome Management. A review of their DEDPs will be undertaken with a view of harmonizing their plans with the Decentralization Transition Plans formulated by the CO/RO partnership workshop.

At the end of the Division Workshops, participants will identify "innovative actions" as active participants in the DepEd Decentralization change process. The outputs will include a Division Decentralization Transition Plan and a workplan for updating DEDP which include time specific work program for the following: (1) Performance Standards for Managing Learning Outcomes; (2) Analysis of Test Results; (3) Indigenized Curriculum; (4) Indigenized Instructional Materials; (5) Instructional Supervisory Plan; (6) Programs and Projects to address learning difficulties; (7) Learning Outcomes; (8) Tracking System; and (9) Staff Development Program.

• Project ELSA (Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance)

The Education and Livelihood Skills Alliance (ELSA), under the United States Agency for International Development  (USAID) Education Quality and Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) program,  is a multi-stakeholder, multi-sectoral/public private partnership, which aims to create and expand school-based and community-based learning and employment activities for Filipino young people, ages 30 and under, living in Mindanao, including the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The ELSA Project aims to help expand access to, and quality of basic education in Mindanao, towards the attainment of economic productivity, peace, and development.  The project runs from October 2004 to October 2007 to address education and livelihood challenges faced by Mindanao youth.

Program Focus
ELSA text2teach is managed for the Department of Education (DepEd) by SEAMEO INNOTECH under the leadership of IYF, and in close partnership with Nokia, Pearson, Globe Telecom, Philippine Multimedia System, Inc.(PMSI)-Dream Broadcasting, and Chikka Asia. The project aims to help improve the quality of teaching in science, mathematics, and English in Grade V and VI classes in elementary schools in Mindanao through the provision of highly interactive easy-to-use multimedia packages designed to make science, mathematics, and English learning more fun, exciting and meaningful among young learners.

Specific Objectives

• Expand and enhance basic education learnings in Science, Math and English
• Train teachers on newer strategies, including ICT-based approaches
• Provide technical assistance in the content planning and development/production/testing of learning materials for both teachers/trainers and for learners
• Implement learner responsive and culturally-sensitive strategies, including ICT-based approaches, aimed at increasing access and improving quality
• Generate data that would serve as inputs to the scaling up and sustaining the said strategies

Components

• Content Planning and Lesson Development
  • Review of BEC and contextualization of content
  • Inventory of available materials
  • Development of project content framework
  • Actual development/pre-test and validation of lesson plans
• Materials Development
  • Development and production of lesson plans/teachers’ guides
  • Development and production of appropriate learning packages in video/VTR; audio, print modules, and VCD/CD formats
• Capability Building
  • Training of trainers
  • Teachers training
• Community/Project Launches and Community Mobilization
• Actual Implementation of Project
• Monitoring
• Evaluation

Project Inputs

• Media Technology in 120 selected schools
  • Television Set
  • MediaMaster
  • Satellite dish
  • Cell phone
  • Other AV equipment
• Lesson Plans/Teachers’ Guides
• Teacher Training Community Orientation
• Linkages/Networks
• Technical Assistance during project cycle

Project Outputs

• ELSA text2teach Lesson Plans / Teacher's Guides

Teacher's guides in Grades 5 and 6 science, mathematics, and English were produced for the  ELSA text2teach project.

• LEARNTECH eXCELS

eXCELS or  “Excellence in School Leadership for Southeast Asia” is a pilot project of SEAMEO INNOTECH under the  LEARNTECH Initiative. As the name suggests, it aims to promote excellence in school leadership within the SEAMEO member countries of Southeast Asia. It pursues this goal by working cooperatively with National Partner Institutions to develop and implement a flexible, multi-modal learning program for school heads that can be used in a range of technology environments within their respective countries. During its pilot phase eXCELS will be implemented in selected sites in three SEAMEO member countries - Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Objectives
LEARNTECH eXCELS is in line with the World Education Forum’s goal of “improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so that measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all.” Cambodia, the Philippines and Vietnam are all improving their education systems to adjust to developing environments and circumstances. A major component of improving educational systems is to train school heads and expand their capabilities as leaders for the school and community. SEAMEO INNOTECH envisions eXCELS as the training tool that builds on the existing skills of school heads so that they become more confident, competent and excellent school leaders.

In a nutshell, the LEARNTECH eXCELS program aims to strengthen the leadership and management capabilities of selected educational leaders / administrators from the Southeast Asian region. This is primarily achieved through the delivery of multi-modal flexible learning courses based on a competency-based curriculum framework. The Course on Leading in Curricular and Instructional Processes is the first one selected, designed and supported by seventeen prototype self-instructional learning modules made available in multiple modalities. It is meant to enhance (or add on to) school heads' instructional leadership competencies and skills.

Flexible Learning System
LEARNTECH eXCELS is a flexible learning system as it is primarily delivered through self-instructional modules with several learner support strategies designed to give learners more control and choice over what, where and how they learn. Modules are designed to be interactive and encourage learners to be active participants in the teaching and learning process.

While it is a flexible learning system, learners are provided a set of riles and schedules to follow. They have to enroll at a fixed time and study as a member of a group. They need to complete the ;earning modules and submit requirements on the given deadline. Nevertheless, they still have substantial control over when, where and how they learn.

Mode of Delivery
As LEARNTECH eXCELS is multi-modal, lessons are delivered to the learner through several modalities—print-based self-directed learning with or without accompanying audio and video-based instruction, CD-based multimedia and online web-based modalities. These delivery methods reflect the three available technology options in LEARNTECH eXCELS.

Competency Focus
The LEARNTECH eXCELS project is designed to address the essential competencies that school heads need to master to effectively perform their responsibilities as educational leaders and managers. To this end LEARNTECH eXCELS has developed a Competency Framework for Southeast Asian School Heads, consisting of 12 general competency areas and 106 enabling competencies, that has been reviewed, verified and validated by school-based educational management specialists and practitioners in each of the ten SEAMEO member countries. It is a constantly evolving framework.

For the pilot phase of LEARNTECH eXCELS, SEAMEO INNOTECH has selected the competency area “Leading Curricular and Instructional Processes” as the focus for the first flexible learning training course. Seventeen (17) self-instructional flexible learning modules have been developed for delivery in multiple modalities supported by supplementary audio and video programs. Learning support services will be provided by flexible learning tutors attached to participating National Partner Institutions.

Stakeholders
The groups involved in this project are SEAMEO INNOTECH, National Partner Institutions (NPIs), Ministries of Education in the participating countries, national coordinators support officers, flexible learning tutors (FLTs) and the flexible learners (FLs).