As the learning hub for creativity and innovation, MDSF gives premium on 21st-century teaching and learning. 2022-2023 is the school year where blended learning (infusion of technology in the classroom) is fully implemented across all grade levels. The school firmly believes that the utilization of technology does not only promote engagement among students, but also collaboration and agency.
For the Sagradan faculty members, creating student-centered learning plans and implementing them both in the physical and virtual classrooms have always been a challenge considering that they were educated by their former teachers the traditional way. But because they fully support the school’s vision, mission, and goals and are lifelong learners themselves, they have been working hard in ensuring that their instructional practices are aligned with 21st-century teaching.
This school year, the members of the school board established the Guro Bente Uno Award to recognize the outstanding faculty members of MDSF that have been diligently working on their 21st-century teaching strategies. Last February 17, 2023, during the Sagradan Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, the school honored thirteen (13) nominees from all departments. Each nominee submitted his/her own teaching portfolio which included various outputs and evidence of his/her 21st-century teaching practices. The top five (5) finalists that garnered the highest rating were declared as winners.
The judges came from different progressive schools in the Philippines and abroad. All of them have expressed how impressed they were with the contents of each finalist’s portfolio. The criteria for judging were the following: instructional design, learning resources, delivery of instruction (teaching strategies), student outputs, and learning environment (classroom setup).
Ms. Stephanie Barredo – Assistant Head of School and Head of Remote Learning at Keys School, a PreK-12 Progressive IB World School in the Philippines. She is also an Apple Professional Learning Specialist.
Mrs. Darlene Flores – Early childhood educator with 17 years of teaching experience in international schools in the Philippines and abroad. She is currently an IB Primary Years Program teacher at Beacon School Manila.
Dr. Trixie Sison – Dean of College of Education, Miriam College. She is an early childhood educator for 30 years with expertise in curriculum innovation. She is an active member of the Technical Committee on Early Childhood Education under the Commission on Higher Education, various Technical Committees of the Early Childhood Care and Development Council, Asia Pacific Regional Network for Early Childhood, National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Association for Childhood Education International.
Mrs. Maricar Gustilo – De Ocampo – Education consultant, trainer, early childhood care & development specialist, college lecturer (DLSU, Manila), conference producer, and resource speaker.
Mrs. Genesis Guadarama – Primary Years Program (PYP) grade 3 teacher at Tsukuba International School, Japan. She is an early childhood educator for twelve (12) years and has attended workshops by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS), Innovative Global Education (IGE), and Stanford University.
Here are the Guro Bente Uno Awardees for SY 2022-2023: Mrs. Rochelle Ramos (Pre-elementary Department) Ms. Sophia Tolentino (Lower Grade School), Mr. Bryan Dave Ignacio (Upper-Grade School), Mr. Lance Angel Cruz and Ms. Ruby Ann Pascual (High School). The awards were presented by the School Principal Teacher Maria Carmela Ong and the School Directress Teacher Maria Cristina Silamor.
Being a recipient of the Guro Bente Uno Award is a mark of one’s dedication, passion, and commitment to providing relevant education in a rapidly changing world. It serves as a motivation for other educators to embrace non-conventional teaching methodologies that will help prepare students to succeed in the volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous landscape of the globalized world.
To access the teaching portfolio of each awardee, kindly click the following links: