​“Sabi nila ang ganda daw ng ginawa n’yo, masaya daw…gustung-gusto nila ang activity. Gusto sana namin ng isa pang training mula sa inyo” [“They said what you did was very wonderful, it was fun… they really like the activity. We would like to have another training with you”], enthusiastically expressed by Atty. Cyd Charisse P. Non-Dizon, the School Coordinator of Cronasia Foundation College, Inc. (CFCI)  days after Pasali’s Children’s Education and Welfare Program (CEWP) staff conducted a TEAMBUILDING WORKSHOP FOR FACULTY MEMBERS AND STAFF of the above-mentioned learning institution.

​With the desire to hand on progressive education especially towards partner academes, the CEWP team responded promptly to the invitation of CFCI to facilitate a half-day teambuilding workshop for them. The activity took place last June 16, 2017 at CFCI’s Audio-Visual Room (AVR) with 32 total participants aging from 21 to 60 years old. It aims to build the spirit of teamwork between and among the faculty members and staff. 

​ To realize this, the team employed five (5) sub-activities. It started with “GETTING TO KNOW YOU/MOOD-SETTING” which energized the participants and released their inhibitions. Everyone really enjoyed the “Speed-date with a twist” allowing each to tell his/her nickname, length of service in CFCI, things he/she doesn’t want others to do to him/her and expectations in the entire activity while depicting different emotions such as happy, angry, sad, hurt, and frightened. “Arrange Yourselves” game further excited the atmosphere wherein surprising facts about each faculty/staff were revealed. This activity also led to the formation of groups. The participants were allowed to share their expectations about the Facilitators, Content and Co-participants during the “EXPECTATION CHECK”. Creativity, resourcefulness and team bonding were stimulated in the workshop called “POKER TOWER” in which groups are given a maximum of 30 minutes to build a tower using only one (1) deck of cards and a scissor provided for each group. 

After the workshop, the participants were asked to share their reflections. To which the main responses were the following: (a) TEAMWORK , UNITY and SYNERGY are important; (b) RESPECT for each other’s idea; (c) everyone should be GOAL-DRIVEN; (d) DREAMING HIGH plus GOOD FOUNDATION equals to SUCCESS; (e) teachers are the school’s SOLID FOUNDATION and BACKBONE;  (f) INDIVIDUAL efforts COUNT (g) ensuring the foundation before reaching the goal; (h) TAKE RISK (whether you fail or succeed); (i) REBUILD whatever is destroyed; and (j) we LEARN LESSONS when UNEXPECTED things happen. 

Sensing that they have achieved another milestone, the Pasali team carried back home smiles of success and fulfillment. This inspired them even more to continue promoting quality education among tri-people youth and children by working hand in hand with compassionate partner advocates. 

​The Respect Education Program started as an advocacy campaign in 2012 to promote intercultural understanding among the children in schools and aims to decrease number of bullying cases especially in areas where diverse culture exists. It later evolved into an approach that aims to improve the quality of education by creating a learning environment where every child feels safe, accepted and capable of fully developing him/herself. This became a child motivational learning program and sees as an effective peace building activity for the children. This kind of development has acquired many positive feedbacks from different stakeholders primarily from the Department of Education (DepEd) Region XII which later explored possibilities of integration in the curriculum. Strengthening its partnership with DepEd-XII, the Respect Education became the main program to support access of the school children to quality education in the areas of coverage of Pasali Philippines.

In 2015-2016, the approach of REP offers opportunities for teachers on how to maximize the potentials of their students in a more interesting, productive and meaningful manner. It also provides an alternative in classroom management that is helpful in dealing with large number of children in one class and giving them confidence to test their individual capabilities. This urges Pasali to bring the program to a higher level through the support of Porticus, with an upscale and enhanced modules that provide more capacity strengthening to teachers, increase participation of parents and community as they also play a vital role in the development of the child and teacher-students from Sultan Kudarat State University (SKSU) - College of Education
in Palimbang who are trained on creative pedagogy approach and will be able to practice their learning in the target schools in Palimbang.

There are series of activities conducted since the start of the project last April 2016, among of which are the a) Project Launching to schools and Orientation of Respect
Program, b) Pool of Trainers Formation and Training of Trainors (TOT), c) School-based Teachers Training that are incorporated during School’s Learning Action Cells (SLAC), d) Training of SKSU-Palimbang College of Education graduating students, e) Follow-up coaching and mentoring to schools for hands-on application of the modules and its methodologies, and f) Strengthening of school organizations such as Parents-Teachers
Association (PTA).

The “Implementation of Value-based Teaching thru Respect Education Project” is a higher level of be implmented in 10 elementary schools within Region 12. It is a twelve-month project with the following activities to be conducted: Pool of Trainers formation; Schoolbased Teachers’ Training; Partnership with Respect Education Foundation (REF) of Netherlands and Philippine Eduation Theater Association (PETA); Training of SKSU-Palimbang College of Education Students; Follow-up coaching and mentoring; and Provision of materials and resources.
 [view brochure]

Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) offered Pasali Respect Facilitators an inspiring 9-Day Immersion last December 3 to 12 which was held at the PETA Center, New Manila, Quezon City. The event, mainly organized and initiated by the former’s Program Executive Director, Mr. Wilson Billones, exposed the seven facilitators to a variety of theatre performances focusing on the different forms of staging and theatre techniques. This enabled the facilitators to experience and appreciate the production processes, both on stage and offstage, for the enhancement of their Mobile Theater Production and furthermore share Respect Education and Mindanao’s culture.

​Among the unforgettable and exciting part of this immersion was the privilege to witness two amazing actual stage plays, “The Tempest: Reimagined” and “A Game of Trolls”. Both portrayed realities that were experienced by typical and elite members of Filipino society. After which, an enriching linking and learning conversation with the stage actors and some production staff followed.

​Moreover, the facilitators were able to observe 3 classes of weekend workshop rehearsals and got to experience the so-called “shadowing” where they sat, observed, asked and worked with the production and technical teams that were behind the above-mentioned plays. In addition, discussion on Curriculum Orientation and Consultation was also facilitated by PETA artist-teachers. This was apparently a refresher that summarized the noble accomplishments of the Pasali-PETA partnership.

Finally, mixed emotions of excitement and anxiety surfaced during series of rehearsals up to the final showcasing of the “Magkanawong” play - a Mobile Theater Production of Respect Education Program. This instance resulted to a shorter version of a 45 to 20-minute show to cater even non-school-based venues and events. Helpful insights and recommendations were also shared by some of the PETA members and artists to further improve the play. This performance was a breakthrough for the Pasali team in giving their best amidst audience from different walks of life and experience to play along with the theatrical lights and other effects inside one of the most-admired theater center in the Philippines. Though tired and exhausted, this once in a lifetime experience has surely afforded the Pasali facilitators with new learnings that will help them inspire and touch more lives of less privileged children especially of IP and Moro communities in Mindanao.      

The system offers practical techniques to help teachers maximize their potentials. It is a one-on-one follow-up coaching session between the Pasali facilitator and the recipient teacher prior to the actual application inside the classroom. This intervention aims to enhance the lesson plan to make it more creative by employing group dynamics that connect with the topic and by adopting Respect methodologies in the process.

The Buddy-buddy System gives teachers opportunities to be exposed to different teaching approaches as well as understanding children's individual intelligences. What's more is to enhance their teaching method, develop their creative lesson plan and promote active participation of the learners. So far, this initiative was found applicable in the following subjects: Science, Filipino, HEKASI, English and Mathematics. This also facilitates a wholesome learning experience for the children. Teachers in the target schools have already tried it and are able to sustain the use of such methodology .
At the end of the day, both teacher and the learner benefit from the approach

In line with the implementation of Republic act No. 10533, the Department of Education issues the policy on the Learning Action Cell (LAC) as a K to 12 Basic Education Program School-Based Continuing Professional Development Strategy for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning. LAC is supported by DepEd Order No. 35, series of 2016. 

Seizing this opportunity, therefore Pasali Philippines Foundation offers its effort thru a 3-hour session on Creativity on Education every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month. This session combines topics such as Respect Methodologies, Tools of a Teacher, Elements of Artistic Expression, Rules of Improvisation, Integrated Theater Arts, and Creative Lesson Planning. Its aim is to allow the teachers appreciate the use of creative and culture-based teaching strategies in the classroom. This is done by coming up with creative lesson plans integrating Respect Education methodologies while utilizing appropriate group dynamics and exercises in different subjects.

As the process  goes, the facilitators conduct the activity creatively with much of exercises that can be used also by the teachers in their daily teaching. The bottom end of this activity is to persuade the teachers to become innovative in their teaching approaches where each child feels safe, accepted, and able to partake in a wholesome and rewarding learning environment.

In addition, the activity is school-based in nature and is being implemented in the recipient schools of the Respect Education Program primarily with its 10 focused schools in Palimbang (6 schools), General Santos (2 schools) and Maasim and Malungon, Sarangani Province (1 school each). It started last September 23, 2016 and is still currently to more schools due to the requests of the School Heads and teachers.

After which, from being stage actors, Pasali staff turned facilitators of the Children’s Congress thru the workshops to around 150 in-school and out-of-school children and youth participants using the group dynamics activities and Respect Education approaches in the small group discussion. Magkanawong Play became the basis for the plenary discussion during the workshop. Taking a different approach in promoting respect, the event has drawn the participants’ attention and action by the way of theater performance leading to equality in education despite differences.

Held in various recipient public schools within General Santos City and Sarangani Province, Pasali Philippines Foundation tapped the partnership of PTA (Parents-Teachers-Association) as co-peace advocates in the promotion of equality and understanding thru the Respect Education Program in every school campus. Thus, the School-Based PTA Strengthening Orientation-Workshop was productively conducted on Nov 7, 8, 9 &10, 2016. Participants in this event were the Principals and 15 GPTA’s (5 PTA Executive Officers and the BOD’s that include the teacher-secretary and BOD teacher-member) per school.
With the aid of DepEd Gensan Division by issuance of memorandum represented by Mr. Herven Allado, currently, a Senior Education Program Specialist for Social Mobilization and Networking, Pasali successfully reached out to 12 Schools, grouped in 4 clusters:

Cluster 1 included Bawing Elementary School, Changco Elementary School and Bawing High School, held on November 7 at Bawing Elem. School.
Cluster 2 for the School-based PTA Strengthening included Labangal National High School, Lozano Elementary School and Banisil Elementary School and was held on November 10 at Labangal National High School.
Cluster 3 included San Jose Elem. School, Datu B. Balunto High School and NASA Elem. School and was held on November 8 at the last mentioned school.
Cluster 4  included Conel Elem. School, A. Biscayda Elem. School and Upper Labay High School held on November 9 at Conel Elementary School.

This event was done to further determine the roles and limitations of the PTA and even be acquainted in proper recording and handling of the organization’s funds for the purpose of transparency and safekeeping. The topics that were discussed involve the Revised PTA Guidelines on DepEd Order #54, series of 2009 and Simple Bookkeeping.

​To diversify the intercultural understanding in education and fulfill explicit basic needs of students, Pasali, once more, launched “Creativity in Teaching with Respect Methodologies Training for K-12 Teachers” last November 4-5, 2016 at Sultan Kudarat State University, Poblacion, Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat. It was participated by 7 Faculty Personnel and 55 Graduating BEED Students of SKSU. 

​Since the first phase of this training was done last September 2-4, 2016, this time, Pasali spruced up the training by adding topics such as creative lesson plan formulation, elements of artistic expression, integrated Theater Arts such as Creative writing, Creative Sound and Music and even Creative Body movement that supersede the traditional way of teaching. This event was facilitated by Pasali’s Children’s’ Education and Welfare Program Facilitators and co-facilitated by 10 selected previously trained SKSU BEED students (September 2-4, 2016).

It is one of the project’s aims to capacitate the teachers to handle a class incorporated with value-based teaching methodology and contributes to leading educational aims in K-12 and the 21st century skills. ​

This three-day workshop focussed on the use of creative and culture-based teaching strategies in the classroom. At the end of this course, it aims for the participants to
1) identify context of the Philippine education, teachers and students vis-à-vis the existing education curriculum;
2) Realize the creative, experiential, integrative, participatory and dynamic approaches to the learning process and
3) Recognize the definition, handles, core principles, approaches and strategies of creative pedagogy and Respect Education. ​