Three Filipino educators are among the winners of the first Southeast Asian Educational Innovation Awards (SEA EIA).
As announced by SEAMEO INNOTECH, three out of four total winners were Filipino educators who stood out the most after undergoing through a rigorous three phased selection review.
The awardees were chosen out of more than 300 classroom and school innovations received from six countries in Southeast Asia which include Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Joana B. Romano, a Master Teacher I from Melencio M. Castelo Elementary School in Payatas, Quezon City, Philippines won in the “Teacher Category” for improving kindergarten performance in mathematics and reading through digital app and reading videos.
Romano developed an offline, game-based digital application coupled with a set of video materials to teach Kindergarten students mathematics and reading in their Mother Tongue language.
The digital app and videos have helped her students improve on their mathematics and reading skills while also developing positive attitudes towards the subjects.
For the “School Head Category,” two school heads from the Philippines were also chosen as winners.
Mary Hazel Ballena, Principal of Bucay North Elementary School in Abra and Rowan L. Celestra, Principal of Buenavista Elementary School in Sorsogon City were recognized for spearheading innovative efforts that would ensure education continuity in their respective schools.
In a location where internet connection is unstable, Ballena leads the implementation of the TEACH TALK (Teachers’ Engagement, Action and Commitment in Assisting Learners at Home to Think, Ask, Listen, and Build New Knowledge).
With this school’s initiative, teachers are using a different medium to deliver learning to their students in the middle of the pandemic.
Through partnership with different stakeholders, the school was able to provide handheld two-way radio for every student which they used to deliver lessons, conduct learner assessments, and conduct parent orientation and meetings.
As observed through their learners’ performances throughout the year, the students yielded favorable learning outcomes and increased their school performance in every subject.
This project also strengthened the bond between the teachers, their learners, and the parents as they were able to communicate freely and immediately.
The school hopes to continue the use of the two-way radio for their future activities, even beyond the pandemic.
Celestra, on the other hand, spearheaded the E-NAY.COM (Education for Nanay in the Community) to capacitate the “Nanay” (mothers) in the community to be learning facilitators.
During the pandemic, parents have taken a bigger role in facilitating the learning of their child at home. Recognizing this, Celestra thought of making everyone in the community a part of the distance learning.
For Celestra, this is the best option for a community that does not have access to internet, or even television.
Along with capacitating the mothers in the community, the project also established a learning center in every “purok” (zones within the community) which serves as a library, drop-off point of modules and activity sheets, and classroom.
Through the established small community learning centers and with the help of the Mother Teacher Volunteer, the learners were able to continue learning in an engaging way.
The project did not only benefit the learners, it also empowered the mothers in the community as they become learning partners in this time of emergency.
SEAMEO INNOTECH commended the winners’ creativity and innovation to effectively addressed the needs of their learners in this challenging situation.
“More importantly, their passion and dedication inspired and will continue to inspire many others on this journey to providing a better future for every learner,” SEAMEO INNOTECH said.
The winners will receive a trophy of recognition and a travel dissemination grant up to 3,000 USD each. They will also be invited to present to an INNOTECH-organized educational fora and be featured in the first publication of the Southeast Asian Educational Innovation digest.
Meanwhile, Betya Sahara, a Teacher at SLB Negeri Kota Banjarbaru in Kalimantan Selatan, Indonesia, was also among this year’s winners for an initiative that helps children with special needs.