Rep. Franciso “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District), in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy – Regional English Language Office (RELO), organized technology integration and differentiated instruction workshops for public schools across the Third District of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on Saturday and Sunday, January 13-14.
Titled “Unveiling Synergies: Connecting Literacy, Differentiation, and Technology Integration”, the workshops were conducted simultaneously across the five cities and municipalities of Metro Third. The event was attended by more than 286 school teachers and school heads, representing over 106 public schools in the Third District and Bacolod City, a press release said.
The workshops aimed to enhance the skills of teachers and instructional leaders, acknowledging the need to bridge the gap and adapt to the 21st century’s technological advancements in light of the Philippines’ suboptimal rankings in various international assessments, Benitez said.
In her message to the participants of the workshop, Dr. Carleen Velez, U.S. Embassy – RELO head, encouraged teachers to look at the trainings provided as only the beginning of the rest of their teaching career.
“Continue improving teaching practice and outreach to students, with the ultimate goal of enhancing literacy and technology integration. This is essential for students to move forward into the next century equipped with the 21st-century skills necessary for success”, Velez said.
The workshop covered two main areas: differentiated instruction, aiding public school teachers, customized activities for individual students, and technology integration, providing technical training on modern teaching applications and tools to enhance the overall learning experience.
The goal was to empower teachers with practical strategies for effective teaching in today’s digital age.
“We have trained over 286 participants from the Third District and Bacolod combined, each one represent at least 50 students that they will touch in the course of the year, that is equivalent to 14,000 to 15,000 families who will now benefit from the work we have done.” said Benitez, highlighting the positive impact the training provided.
“We hope that improving students’ literacy will open the doors for a greater scope of their imagination and greater access to everything else that the world has to offer”, he said.
With the support of the Department of Education the simultaneous workshop sessions were conducted in Victorias North Elementary School, E B Magalona Elementary School, Dona Montserrat Lopez Memorial High School in Silay, Efigenio Enrica Lizares Memorial School in Talisay, and Murcia Elementary School.
Present in the closing program held in Talisay on Sunday were Rep. Benitez, Victorias City Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez, Murcia Mayor Gerry Rojas, First Lady Berni Rojas, Talisay Vice Mayor Nicolai Jalandoni, Third District councilors Carlito Yu (Murcia), Derek Palanca (Victorias), Rolin Meliton (Talisay) and Ryan Gamboa (Silay), U.S Embassy – RELO Head Dr. Carleen Velez. and DepEd officials and public school heads and teachers from the Third District and Bacolod.*