Activity 3.

1 Observing Differences Among Learners’ Gender, Needs, Strengths,

Interests, and Experiences; and Differences Among Learners’ Linguistic, Cultural,
Socio-Economic, Religious Backgrounds, and Difficult Circumstances.
OBSERVE

Name of the school Observed: Dupax del Sur National High School
School Address: Barangay Domang, Dupax del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya
Date of visit: November 2022
Number of students: 35
Ages: 12-14
Boys - 17 Girls – 18
The students act normally and freely in class, noting the right manners and good conduct when
interacting with the teacher. Students come in different kinds. Some are sociable that they easily talk
with the teacher while some are obviously struggling in that they tend to talk only when the teacher
approaches them in their seats. Students seated in front tend to listen more carefully than the learners
seated at the back. They are more interactive in the front rows which trigger the teacher to call the
attention of the back seaters. Fortunately, the students shift their focus to learning in class. The learners
are the same in how we connect during our days.
Together they learn, disregarding any form of competition however, this sort is still observed in
2-3 students who are obviously honored students in the class. During recitations, the sociable ones keep
on raising their hands, as they have the knowledge of the lesson. Some have backgrounds also about the
lesson however, they opt to remain silent due to a lack of social skills unless being called by the teacher.
One good thing I observed during recitations is that, when someone clueless has been called to answer,
the classmates try to help him/her respond, and it is overwhelming to know, as an observer, that students
of this school show unity and support to each other.
The way how the students behave inside the class is no different to how they perform outside. So
far, there is no discrimination according to sex, social differences, religion, ethnicity, and race. In short,
they come together in mixed social groupings, with diverse backgrounds. The secret to this? It can only
be answered by connecting with them.
ANALYZE
1. Identify the persons who play key roles in the relationships and interactions in the
classrooms. What roles do they play? Is there somebody who appears to be the leader,
mascot/joker, attention seeker, a little teacher, or a doubter/pessimist?
 Students in the class play different roles. Some act as leaders, while some as
organizers. Some are followers, while some love to listen. In every classroom,
there are attention seekers while others are making fun of others.
What makes the learners assume these roles? What factors affect their behavior?
 It may vary to the type of environment they have grown with. It may be in a
form of how they’ve been brought up in the family they belong to or the social
circle they belong with can be an affective domain to how they behave in class.

2. Is there anyone you observed who appears left out? Are students who appear
“different”? Why do they appear different? Are they accepted or rejected by others?
How is this shown?
 Yes, there is this student whose been affected mentally due to a vehicular
accident that happened during his early years of development. Even so, he is still
accepted by others however, it is saddening to have witnessed the type of learner
he is, being somebody who always initiates misunderstandings in class. This
behavior of his makes it hard for his fellow learners to adjust however, I’ve seen
the way they deal with their “special” classmates.
What does the teacher do to address issues like this?
 The teacher understands her student’s case. She sees to it that he is well taken
care of even when it seems like he’s lly learning something. Whenever the
student opts to go out on his own, the teacher lets him be, since controlling him
would trigger his violent attacks in the class.

3. How does the teacher influence the class interaction considering the individual
differences of the students?
 She emphasizes the “no child left behind” policy wherein, all learners inside the
classroom are deprived of equal opportunities and rights to learn and receive the
right amount of information expected of their grade levels.

4. What strategies does the teacher use to maximize the benefits of diversity in the
classroom? How does the teacher leverage diversity?
 In various instances like randomly grouping the class, no divisions come in
between the factors as to their age, ethnic backgrounds, social status, and others.
 REFLECT
1. How did you feel being in that classroom? Did you feel a sense of oneness or unity
among the learners and between the teacher and the learner?

Getting back to the special student’s case, the student behaved in our first class. Though he’s
quite an attention seeker, the way he takes things is controlled. The next day we facilitated in the
class without their teacher and we met an unexpected classroom setup during that time. Clueless we
are, that special student shockingly took a rock of a medium size outside, and attempted to stone one
of his classmates. We froze for a bit, not knowing which and how are we going to address it. Luckily,
the other boys immediately held him tight and slowly removed the thing from his reach. The next
thing he did was to throw his loaded lunch box at his target fortunately, the target was able to dodge
it and nobody was hurt in the class. After a while, a teacher passing by heard about the commotion
and hurriedly came to the rescue.
After the incident, without the special student, I called everybody’s attention to connect and
relate with them, telling them how difficult it must have been for the whole class to have this kind of
classmate. To my surprise, they responded that they thoroughly understand his case and they cannot
imagine themselves having of their classmate’s situation. This mindset of theirs in their eighth-year
hit and led me to realize that as a teacher, we must instill in our student’s hearts and minds the
importance of putting our shoes on other people’s feet. I appreciate the class and the teachers as well
because I know that they serve as the counselors and advisers of these learners who, do not plant
hatred against their classmates but are flexible and willing to adjust for the sake of the other.

.
 Activity 3.3 - Observing the School Experience of Learners who Belong to
Indigenous Groups.
OBSERVE

Name of the School Observed Dupax Del Sur National High School
School Address Barangay Domang, Dupax Del Sur, Nueva Vizcaya
Date of Visit: November 08, 2022

According to a reliable source I found online, Isinay as a language has three variants spoken
in the three Municipalities of Nueva Vizcaya (Constantino, 1982). The Isinay dialects spoken in
Dupax Del Sur and Aritao differ primarily in a few lexical terms. The differences of these two
dialects with that of the Bambang dialect are phonological and lexical. The Isinay language used in
formal writing is based on the Dupax Del Sur dialect.
The people who manage the school are mostly Isinays. If not an Isinay, he/she probably has
happened to marry one, while some are also half Isinay and half Iloco. Since the learners come in
diverse backgrounds as Isinays in great number, Ibalois, Kalanguyas, Kankana-ey, half foreign, etc.,
the teachers make use of Ilocano, Filipino or English language as means of communicating with
their students as these are the universal languages which, despite the differences, lead to oneness or
unity. Most of the time, speaking in local dialects is observed, be it inside the classroom or in the
faculty room. These only prove that the school fosters a sense of belonging to one’s identity by
encouraging the students to freely express their own culture and beliefs, bearing in mind the value of
having deep understanding of each community’s practices.

Snapshots
 ANALYZE
Curriculum Design, Competencies, and Content Answer each question based on your
observation and interview data.

1. Does the school foster a sense of - They always include the singing of the Dupax
belonging to one’s ancestral domain, and Del Sur Hymn every time they have their Flag
a deep understanding of the community’s Raising Ceremony.
beliefs and practices? Cite examples

2. Does the school show respect for the - Every class subject starts with a prayer before
community’s expression of spirituality? How? learning.

3. Does the school foster in the indigenous - They celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day
learners a deep appreciation of their identity?
How?

4. Does the curriculum teach skills and - Integration of competencies to the different
competencies to the indigenous learners that will subject areas like Understanding Society and
help them develop and protect their ancestral Politics.
domain and culture?

5. Does the curriculum link new concepts and - Teachers make use of relevant examples that
competencies and competencies to the life would make the students relate to the community.
experience of the community?

6. Do the teaching strategies help strengthen, - Yes, the student’s behavior and response can
enrich, and complement the community’s tell.
indigenous teaching process?

7. Does the curriculum maximize the use of the -The school conducts simple sessions maximizing
ancestral domain and activities of the community the use of the community’s ancestral domain and
as relevant settings for learning in combination activities relevant to learning.
with classroom-based sessions? Cite examples

8. Is cultural sensitivity to uphold culture, beliefs, - Evaluation of materials to be used in the

and practices, observed and applied in the teaching-learning process. Eliminating those that
development and use of instructional materials could create bias on and among learners and
and learning resources? How? (For example, changing them into that having a unified objective
Culture bearers of the Indigenous Peoples are is helpful to everyone.
consulted.)
9. Do assessment practices consider community - Helping the students reflect through a situational
values and culture? How? analysis given by the teacher.
10. Do the assessment process include the - Letting the students think outside the box, not
application of higher-order thinking skills? merely answering what, who, and, which about a
specific issue.

What do you think can still be done to promote and uphold the indigenous people’s knowledge
systems and practices and rights in schools?
I think, one effective way to promote and preserve the Indigenous People’s Knowledge
Systems and Practices, as well as rights in schools, is to create organizations of different tribes
and impose a program for studying and learning the dialect each learner belongs to. Since, our
ancestral domain is slowly depleting due to the fast evolution of time, schools, having the
authority to educate young minds can be very much influential and effective to their constituents.
Through this, students who claim to be IPs but are not even familiar with their dialect can learn
and be able to speak the basics, reaching their potential to act and behave as Indigenous Peoples.
It is also possible `to learn the cultures and practices such as dances, playing gongs, and others by
asking the help of the ancestors found in the society. With that, cultures are being preserved and
passed on to the following generations.

REFLECT
Reflect based on your actual visit or videos that you watched.
1. What new things did you learn about indigenous peoples?
 Indigenous Peoples do not compete with each other according to their group affiliation rather,
they come together and stand as one, representing their being IPs, who play important roles in
the society/community.

2. What did you appreciate most from your experience in visiting the school with
indigenous learners? Why?
 The school has proven once again that there is unity in diversity. I appreciate this
kind of because it is the institution’s advantage in reaching further.

3. For indigenous learners, as a future teacher, I promise these three things:

3.1 Be open to and respect indigenous peoples by relating/connecting with them despite
their differences.
3.2 Uphold and celebrate their culture, beliefs, and practices by implementing a
culminating activity, showcasing their identities according to the group they belong to,
with due respect towards each other.
3.3 Advocate for indigenous people’s education by helping them gain confidence in being an
IP member, considering myself as an example.

SHOW Your Learning Artifacts

With the principle of individual differences in mind, what methods and strategies will you
remember in the future to ensure that you will be able to meet the needs of both the high and low
achievers in your class? Make a collection of strategies on how to address the students’ different
ability levels.
In a class, there will always be high and low achievers. As a future teacher and facilitator
to these young minds, I picture myself as an experimentalist, who will be conducting a lot of
strategies and doing testing and comparison on what could be the possible reasons for this, why
did they end up being one, and how am I going to address these as a teacher whose primary goal
is to consider my students in every aspect of their individualities. To name a few, my first step is
to select those who easily get along with the lessons with those late bloomers. Through this, I can
make use of an assessment having two sets where one is made up of normal contents while the
other is molded with few adjustments that would meet the capacity of the learners in a way they
could understand. For the delivery of lessons, it is best to impose remedial classes and a one-on-
one session, if possible, to identify the very specific thing the students are struggling with.
Of course, I have to instill in the minds of my students the character of humility in which,
no one should think highly of themselves, and that everybody has to be taught to learn. By using
careful approaches, it is possible to connect and get my students’ attention to learning with me,
which will make learning fun and easier. If I needed to sacrifice snacks for them to get along,
then I will be willing, so long as I have the means to do so, because I can do more of what is
required all by His grace alone. With this, I can say, I found my purpose in life.