POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES - MANILA
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Master of Arts in Education Major in Teaching in Challenged Areas
MaEd TCA - TCA 604
Learning Log #01
| Estudillo, Carol Justine R.
Learning Log #01
The basis for this learning log is the topics
discussed last November 19, 2023. Recall
what we discussed and answer the following
questions. You may type your answers
in word or PDF format.
1. What did you do in class?
2. What did you learn?
3. Essential Questions:
a. What common problem do you encounter
daily in your work situation? What learner-
centered principles can be best applied to
solve the problem?
b. How important are cognitive, metacognitive,
developmental, and social factors in teaching
in a specific challenged area in the
Philippines. (You may cite a specific challenge
area e.g. urban poor, mountainous area, multi-
grade classes in a halfway house in a remote
area, or IP community).
November 19, 2023
1. What did you do in class?
Despite not having assigned roles during the discussion, I was able to
follow along to the discussion. The Google document sent by Group 1
was also handy as it provided additional context to their presentation.
In the end, I was able to share a summary of the topics presented and
key learning takeaways (AHAs).
2. What did you learn?
“Factors contributing to teaching and assessment must
be flexible and structured.”
Mr. Alvarez was able to present the technical definitions of learner-
centered principles and Mr. Dueño’s anecdotal report added context
on how he saw these factors play out in his ALS classes on the field.
As much as these factors and theories can guide us in approaching
instruction and creating structured learning opportunities for our
learners, it is essential to be flexible and integrate what is relevant to
their context and their experiences. Being flexible also entails that we
must not only commit to one principle but to have a holistic perspective
on what our class goals are in learning and pursuing it together with
the class.
2. What did you learn?
“Gamification, as a learning approach, focuses on
adopting themes from games. It does not mean that the
teacher must employ the use of high technology.”
Mr. Alvarez was able to clarify this usual misconception about
gamification. Usually, teachers like myself perceive gamification as an
approach wherein the use of technology is a must to be employed
properly. It was made clear during the discussion that the core of
gamification lies in the common themes and modes that reoccur in
games. Examples of these are having a point system, interactive
sessions through student-to-student (or player vs. player) activities and
the overall principle of making learning something of an adventure to
explore.
3. Essential Questions
a. What common problem do you encounter daily in your
work situation? What learner-centered principles can be
best applied to solve the problem?
In our learning center, the Better World Smokey Mountain, our
students are categorized as learners who need additional support in
literacy and numeracy. They are divided into classes according to their
learning levels, which leads to classes having different age groups.
Due to their varying age groups, some students feel different from their
peers which leads them to be withdrawn and not participate during
class. The learner-centered principles that can help in this challenge
are 1) Context of Learning and 2) Motivational and Affective Learning.
Through the Context of Learning, I must look closer into what kind of
learning environment the learners are in, what must be adjusted in the
said environment to be more inclusive and interactive, what my role as
a teacher is, how I can improve my relationship with them, and how we
can create collaborative spaces for them to exist in.
3. Essential Questions
a. What common problem do you encounter daily in your
work situation? What learner-centered principles can be
best applied to solve the problem?
The learner-centered principles that can help in this challenge are 1)
Context of Learning and 2) Motivational and Affective Learning.
Understanding their motivations and factors that affect their learning
will also improve the classroom situation. Through this factor, we will
be able to tap into the state of their well-being, what influences them to
perform well during class, and what other interpersonal/intrapersonal
affects must everyone be sensitive to, to create a culture of a caring
classroom, while also pushing the class to pursue excellence and
higher order thinking skills.
b. How important are cognitive, metacognitive,
developmental, and social factors in teaching in a
specific challenged area in the Philippines? (You may cite
a specific challenge area e.g. urban poor, mountainous area,
multi-grade classes in a halfway house in a remote area, or IP
community).
In the context of our urban poor community in Tondo, our learners
possess a different level of social awareness than the other students I
had before. As much as they are life-smart and show willingness to
learn, they have shown to need space to catch up in academic content
and skills. They are the students who are left behind by their peers in
formal schools and need extra time to process what they learned.
By developing the cognitive, metacognitive, developmental, and social
factors in teaching, these children will be given ample time to catch up
and be recognized as learners who are also celebrated as capable in
their own way.
