"Playing with Friends" book

Playing with Friends

By

Bambi Rodriguez

I like to play.

I like playing with my friends.

But sometimes I forget to play nicely and then my friends don’t want to play with me.

What should I do when I play with my friends?

 I need to listen to my friends,

       

  …and use kind words.

I wait for my turn,

 

and share with my friends.

 

Then we can continue to have fun, play well and be good friends to each other. 

The End!

Miriam College

Today, I was invited by Pat Centeno to speak to her class of undergraduate students from Miriam College. It was fun and it's interesting to think about what it would be like to teach a class of college students :). I would definitely do it again.  

I still need to go and schedule a visit to the Child Study Center. I see they also have a day  care center in the college grounds.  Will have to go and ask about that. 

Here are some of the academic courses offered in the College of Education at Miriam:

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION major in CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Curriculum A: for Teachers 

Curriculum B: for Administrators

The Childhood Education program is designed to meet the needs of professionals in the field of Early Childhood Education who wish to further enhance their knowledge and skills. The program offers two curricula: Curriculum A for teachers and Curriculum B for administrators.

Curriculum A consists of a guided sequence of courses and field experiences conceived to immerse students progressively in this area of work and knowledge. It is designed to enrich teachers already in the field who desire professional advancement and personal development. It also serves as a preparation for teaching higher-level subjects.

Curriculum B consists of courses designed to prepare individuals to exercise leadership in the strategic planning and administration of an educational institution for basic education.

Both curricula require 10 units of basic courses, 15 units of major courses and 6 units of electives.

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION major in INSTRUCTIONAL MANAGEMENT

This program is intended for master teachers, administrators and other educational personnel who may be groomed for middle and high level positions as educational or instructional managers.

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION 

major in MEASUREMENT AND EVALUATION

The emphasis on assessment and evaluation, both for research and development purposes has created a need for middle and upper level personnel who have capabilities to undertake studies involving testing and measurement. While difficulties with statistics as tool of research have partly been solved by the availability of computer software on statistical techniques, the fact remains that personnel should develop special skills in interpreting and drawing meanings from computer outputs. This is an aspect where most researchers have inadequate skills.

This master's degree program specially addresses that need and aims to fill gaps in the application of statistics to measurement and evaluation.

MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION major in SPECIAL EDUCATION

This program is designed to develop Special Education teachers who have the competencies to meet the educational needs of students with varying exceptionalities. It also aims to enhance expertise and knowledge based on current theory and best practices in special education.

CERTIFICATE IN PROFESSIONAL TEACHING

The Certificate in Professional Teaching is designed to meet the educational requirements of professionals entering a teaching career. The certificate course, which also prepares students for the Licensure Exam for Teachers (LET), offers 21 units of education subjects.

To find out more about their program offerings, please check their website or email them.  

Admissions Office
MIRIAM COLLEGE
UP PO Box 110
Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, Philippines
Trunkline: (+632) 580-5400 to 29 extn. 2026
(+632) 435-9240 to 46 local 240
Fax (+632) 435-3504
E-mail: coll-admission@mc.edu.ph

Miriam College website: http://www.mc.edu.ph/about.html

A day at DepEd and Virlanie Foundation

            I went to see Mirla Olores, the head of the Special Education division of the Department of Education, yesterday.  She was kind enough to share what they have been busy with and to give me a general idea what they are planning to do in the coming year.  Basically they are working on curriculum, training for teachers, and advocacy or informing the community/families about children with special needs so that they can support them and get the necessary services.

             Also learned that the Special Education division has been around for more than a hundred years.  Wow.  

              This is a link to the DepEd SPED site - it hasn't been updated but you can get a general idea of the vision, philosophy, goals and objectives and functions of the SPED division.

 http://www.deped.gov.ph/quicklinks/quicklinks2.asp?id=34

          Right after that visit I went straight to the offices of the Virlanie Foundation, Inc. in Makati.  I wanted to take pictures when we went to their different houses (and they said it was okay) but somehow felt uncomfortable about doing so. Instead, I am relying on pics and a video from their multiply and Facebook accounts and posting them here.  Thanks Lyn Garcia (from HR) for taking the time to take me around.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myEIzbbiCjo

Virlanie has various homes depending on the child's age and needs.  There are also homes for unwed mothers and their babies, for juvenile delinquents and a home for abused children. Click on the links below to find out more.

The man in the pictures, if I am not mistaken, is Dominique Le May (?) who started it all 18 years ago.  It is amazing how much he has accomplished in such short a time.  I was also very touched, very impressed by the foreign volunteers they had there who were speaking in Tagalog, no less.

In awe of the people who work there and their dedication.  Heartbreaking to see the children, especially the young ones.  

http://virlanie.multiply.com/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4520736049

http://www.facebook.com/virlaniefoundation

Kids First Early Childhood Intervention

Got to go on another school visit last Friday.  There was more focus on early intervention and I was really excited to meet up with Jet Manalo, their Early Childhood Intervention coordinator.  

Thanks to TinTan and RJ Quiroz for setting up last Friday's visit!

The door to Kids First.

One of the classrooms. The windows look out into the streets of Madrigal Business Center.

Another pic with the flash this time.

This is the next door classroom.

If I am not mistaken this is the Toddler classroom.

Room for OT activities.  Loved the climbing wall.

Romp room for music and movement activities.

Kids first provides programs for toddlers and preschoolers and also has an early intervention program for kids with special needs.  They also have therapists on site (OT and Speech) which allows for easier team collaboration.There was lots of space to move around and play.  They also had smaller rooms for speech therapy and assessment.  Thanks Jet for letting me visit and take pictures as well.  Sorry again for being so incredibly late for the meeting (most people will tell you I am hardly ever late for anything).  All I can say is, the south really isn't my stomping ground :).

For more information on Kids First and their program offerings, please see below:

Contact persons: Jennifer Teves Manalo (Early childhood intervention coordinator) 

Vanessa Morales-Balquiedra (Educational administrator)

Address: G/f Venture Bldg., Market cor. Prime streets

Madrigal Business Park, Muntinlupa city

emails: kidsfirstdiscoveryspace@yahoo.com

kidsfirsteci@yahoo.com

Telephone numbers:7033545/5563887

Here is a link to an article on the Manila Bulletin about Kids first:

http://www.mb.com.ph/node/272080/putting-kid 

  

CREATE and Learning Paths School

Got to visit yet another school today.  I was able to go to CREATE and Learning Paths School in Merville and got to observe a class being run by their school head/directress Teacher Tin Canon.

Thanks to Randy and Ting Bello who set up this visit for me :). 

In front of the school.

Sandbox with lots of sand toys.

Cubbies with boxes with their belongings.

I have never seen a mat like this before.  It rolls out and the kids can crawl or walk on it.  Sounds fun for sensory integration activities.

Garage converted into an outdoor play area.

The objective is to match a little figure/toy to the corresponding label and learning to walk on the balance beam at the same time.

From a better angle.

In the classroom.

Circle area and materials on the side.

Pictures on the bathroom door.

Indoor play area 

Water tables

Outdoor easels behind the school

A mixture of flour, water and paint = fun! What I've learned as a preschool teacher is that some of the best activities are the simplest and ones involving the cheapest materials around :).

classroom rules

Hallway murals

CREATE has classes for Toddlers (1.6 - 2.5) up to Prep (5.6 to 6.1), as well as Tutorial, intervention and  homeschool programs for preschool up to high school students.  

Director: Kristin V. Canon

Address: 29 Calcutta Street, Merville Park, Paranaque City

Telefax: 828-83-80

website: www.clpschools.com

email: create@clpschools.com