Breakthrough Education

The K-12 challenge begins with education, at home, in school and in the community all pouring concerted, conscious and continuing efforts into a review and reformulation of the educational systems.

There is no stopping global development. It can only be met and welcomed with new ways of thinking which in turn must be nurtured through new ways of learning. Both the thinking and the learning must be equal to the challenges the opportunities unforlding in the global village.

FOR SCHOOL HEADS:

We must prepare our children for that bright world. We must help them become masters, not of other persons, but of themselves and their own destinies.

We must help them appreciate the creative dynamics between personal fulfillment and social responsibility, between freedom and social order, between diversity and shared aspirations, between national interests and international cooperation.

We must make of our children national citizens - intelligent, competent, confident, appreciative of their native culture.

And yet, we must make of our children global citizens - competitive, productive, cognizant of the intricate demands of international exchange in all fields of social activity, forward looking and pioneering.

FOR PARENTS:

It's a whole new world we live in today, bewildering for many of us parents, striking to others. Almost everything is different from the time we were growing up.

The world today is largely technology-driven, where instead being the mere handmaiden of civilization, technology is poised to become its master.

One challenge facing parents in today's world is how to turn their homes into effective centers of learning.

FOR TEACHERS:

Remember that every child is unique. Conventional learning theories and traditional teaching methods tend to overlook, or even ignore this basic truth.

Learning style is one aspect of a child's innate uniqueness so we must learn to recognize, acknowledge and respect every child's individual learning style.

Studies reveal that when teachers develop and expand their instructional methods and techniques according to individual learning styles of their students, there is a marked increase in performance and achievement, and decrease in discipline problems in as little as six to eight weeks.

FOR STUDENTS:

Some of the world's greatest pioneers,people whose ideas and practical achievements fueled our march to progress and civilization, were academic failures themselves.

Most of us associate genius with academic excellence, which in turn is associated with IQ. However, the sad truth is that IQ limits human intelligence to only two domains: the logical-mathematical and the linguistic. IQ is a severely limited and limiting indicator of intelligence.

The uniqueness finds its expression in every situation, in whatever occasion or location, particularly in school. The important thing is for you to be aware of the nature of your learning style and your multiple intelligences. If you are aware of how your brain best learns, you have a better chance of studying in a way that will pay off.

FOR EDUCATION POLICY MAKERS:

Quality education is the bridge we must build for our children. This is the bridge they use to cross over into the century, into the empires of the future.

We must continue to break down the walls of ignorance, myth and complacency and build bridges of new knowledge, new ways of thinking, doing and being!

Let this be our task today. Our project, our dream, our lasting heritage to our children.

By HENRY S. TENEDERO

mb.com.ph

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