A two-day training program for the reading teachers of Pineda Elementary School (PES), entitled Developing Reading & Language Skills Among Grades 4 to 6 Learners, was successfully held at UA&P Dining Halls 1 & 2 on June 1 and 2, 2023.
Barangay Pineda, Pasig City, is the adopted community of the UA&P BIGGKAS Program, which seeks to develop the University’s adopted community through sustainable school-based interventions. In line with this, the teacher-training program is one of the notable interventions accomplished by the UA&P BIGGKAS Program in 2023. The program was organized by the College of Arts and Sciences Humanities Program in collaboration with the School of Education and Human Development.
The sole guest speaker and trainer for the two-day teacher training was Dr. Felicitas E. Pado, a distinguished reading expert in the country with numerous accolades, including the Outstanding Teacher of the Philippines award from the Metrobank Foundation in 1991 and the Natatanging Guro award from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Education in 2013. She is currently a faculty member at Miriam College.
The training was also opened to the public, attracting a total of 12 active participants: 8 from the adopted school, PES, 2 from other schools, and 2 from the University of Asia and the Pacific. All participants received a certificate of participation after completing the required number of training hours.
As a token of appreciation, the Humanities Program Director, Dr. Sophia Marco, presented two copies of the book Teaching Beginning Literacy, authored by Dr. Pado, to Pineda Elementary School (PES). The books were also signed by the author on the day of the training culmination.
The experience was meaningful for all participants, as they were pleased to listen to and learn from an adept professional in the field of education. They were able to assimilate valuable knowledge, skills, and techniques provided by the trainer. As they implement the intervention, we look forward to their ability to effectively apply the insights they gained to nurture and enhance the reading and language skills of 21st-century primary-level learners.