Roll out of Higher Order Thinking Skills Professional Learning Packages for Mathematics, Science, and English Teachers

The Philippines, for the first time in 2018, took part in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). It is an assessment that measures 15-year-olds’ ability to use their higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in Reading, Mathematics and Science to meet real-life challenges. Of the 79 countries that participated in the PISA, the Philippines ranked last in Reading and second last in Mathematics and Science. These results suggest that most Filipino students are not ready for life after school.

These areas of learners’ poor performance were interestingly identified in an analysis of teachers’ performance in the Teacher Development Needs Study (TDNS, 2014). The poor assessment results of Filipino learners, therefore, necessitate a reform initiative directed at supporting the strengthening of teachers’ subject knowledge and pedagogy to improve learner performance. To assist in this reform initiative, the National Educators Academy of the Philippines (NEAP) and the Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ) collaborate to develop Professional Learning Packages (PLPs) in Mathematics, Science, and English/Reading for teachers in grades 7 and 8, and grades 9 and 10.

In 2023, NEAP, as the professional development arm of DepEd, will implement the PLPs, providing access to all teachers and school leaders in the country. NEAP will closely collaborate with representatives from the Curriculum and Teaching strand, as well as the Research Center for Teacher Quality (RCTQ) in developing additional resources and providing technical assistance to the field stations.

The project aims to:

  • develop guide materials intended for master teachers, school heads, and supervisors to support them in their mentoring roles in schools with a focus on helping teachers;
  • support teachers in understanding HOTS and in reflecting these skills in their respective classroom practices through the development of HOTS items/questions for Science, Mathematics, and English/Reading subjects;
  • help teachers in performing pedagogy and assessment practices that promote HOTS; and
  • guide master teachers and school leaders in their mentoring roles in schools with a focus on helping beginning teachers.

Target Job Group

  • School Heads
  • Regional CLMD Chiefs
  • SDO CID Chiefs
  • Public Schools District Supervisor

Existing Article from RCTQ