Progress and Beyond: A Good Practice Digest on Early Grade Education | Digest #4

Three school heads and friends for life from Labo, Camarines Norte collaborated in an intervention reading program for Grade 2 learners. Their friendship and teamwork with teachers made significant results to the lives of the children and the community.


Background
Friends in real life, three school heads from Labo, Camarines Norte can’t help but discuss challenges and plans in their schools over a cup of coffee. The trio even share an online group chat for daily talks.

Principals Grant Bonum, Marimyn Olga Magistrado, and Wilma Ojeda were among the 1,600 school heads who participated in the Instructional Leadership Training of the USAID ABC+: Advancing Basic Education in the Philippines Project. As part of the training, the participants were required to implement a project initiative that will help in the literacy development of early grade learners. Instead of doing it individually, the three friends decided to collaborate in solving the common problem of their schools.

“Our schools have common problems when it comes to literacy. One of DepEd’s (Department of Education) key standards is that learners should be functionally literate before they leave Grade 3. This is the challenge for us three schools,” said Principal Ojeda, the former school head of Fundado Elementary School and is now heading Don Miguel Lucban Elementary School in Labo, Camarines Norte.

Challenges
Based on the baseline data of the Schools Division Office of Camarines Norte in 2021, Grade 2 learners have the lowest reading proficiency among the early grades. The division office implemented the project Operasyon Basa as part of the intervention.

The three school heads anchored their ABC+ project initiative from the division’s Operasyon Basa project. From the baseline data, they found 45 Grade 2 learners from their schools who are struggling readers. They focused on developing the literacy skills of the identified learners and called the project Enhance Ability for Sustainable Task for Emerging Reader or Project EASTER.

The project started in June 2021 amidst the pandemic. All the identified learners belong to low-income families and have no internet connection at home. The situation demanded the teachers to visit students one by one to help improve their literacy skills.

Solutions
Project EASTER focused on improving the learners’ ability to recognize words through paragraphs and stories crafted by the teachers. The teachers who made the instructional materials have applied the strategies and techniques they learned from completing the ABC+ teacher trainings. DepEd evaluated the stories used as instructional materials to ensure its effectivity as a reading assessment tool.

The teachers conducted orientation to the home learning partners (HLPs) to guide them in teaching children at home. Teachers supported the HLPs through home visitation, with each teacher targeting to visit four students per day. The teachers bring ABC+ leveled reader books as an aid in practicing learners to read.

“Some learners are hard to reach as they live in the mountainous areas of the barangay. You need to walk a distance along a muddy strip. But I’m happy because the home learning partners and children are always excited to hold the reading sessions.”
-Teacher Vivian Onin, Fundado Elementary School

“We even cross rivers at knee-high level and quickly pass-through mad stray dogs just to visit the children. We really motivate them to read because reading is important. And in return, the eagerness of the child to learn boosts our morale.”
-Teacher Lennie Cabajar, Mabilo Elementary School

Aside from the identified learners, the teachers were able to reach other non-readers and taught them how to read. Teacher Eleanor Oliva from Malasugui Elementary School shared that a mother of a learner was able to read as she sits in the reading session of her child.

“At first, I didn’t know that she cannot read but I observed that she listens very well during my session with her child. She also requested to leave the ABC+ books at their home. Little did I know that she uses it to practice reading. In the last day of my visit, she told me that she learned reading from me. And that’s very heartwarming.”
-Teacher Eleanor Oliva, Malasugui Elementary School

In Mabilo Elementary School, there are two learners belonging to Manide Indigenous Peoples (IP) Group. The teachers need to hike for two hours to reach the community. When they conduct reading session, many of the IP members join to practice reading.

“It’s hard but it’s fun. We have established a strong relationship with them as they get to enjoy learning reading,” shared Teacher Cabajar.

Results
In December 2021, the three school heads along with the teachers conducted a post-reading assessment to the learners. All have improved their reading level, with half of them becoming independent readers. None were struggling readers anymore.

In January 2022, the school heads conducted a focused group discussion with the teachers to discuss ways forward. For Principal Magistrado in Malasugui Elementary School, she extended the monitoring of learners who were now Grade 3 to sustain the gains of Project EASTER.

Principal Ojeda, who is also assigned to a new school, proposes to adapt the project initiative in their school.

The three school heads were also instrumental in echoing the ABC+ Instructional Leadership Training to school heads in other districts for being trainers of the workshop. Principal Ojeda alone is also a trainer of ABC+ teacher trainings for other areas in Bicol Region. On the other hand, Principal Magistrado serves as an editor of ABC+ early grade reading materials.

From over a cup of coffee, the trio has realized their dreams for their schools and the future of the early grade learners.

“Reading is my advocacy. It’s fulfilling to see and hear children learn how to read. That’s why I will continue this project until all of them become independent readers.”
-Principal Marimyn Olga Magistrado, Malasugui Elementary School

“We really want children to learn how to read at an early age. It’s our greatest reward. All these efforts are for them.”
- Principal Grant Bonum, Former school head of Mabilo Elementary School and current school head of Fundado Elementary School

“With this initiative, I felt that I fulfilled my role as an instructional leader. We have built teamwork among the teachers and fostered the culture of compassion within the community.”
-Principal Wilma Ojeda, Former school head of Fundado Elementary School and current school head of Don Miguel Lucban Elementary School

To learn more about the good practice, contact:

Mr. Grant Bonum
School Principal, Fundado Elementary School
[email protected]

Ms. Marimyn Olga Magistrado
School Principa, Malasugui Elementary School
[email protected]

Ms. Wilma Ojeda
School Principal, Don Miguel Elementary School
[email protected]