ALTERNATIVE LEARNING SYSTEM IN PRACTICE

At

Kaligayahan Elementary School

By

Sophia Andrea Araneta

Charmaine Love Baraoed

Dannah Loise Catucod

Richanda Ann Ching

Rogelio Nato, Jr.

Michael Sonne Pajanil

Victorio Joselito Quindara

This paper is presented to Professor Maria Mercedes Arzadon, in partial fulfillment the

requirements in EDUC 101 Alternative Learning Delivery Systems.

May 25, 2015

This report engages in the Alternative Learning Systems (ALS) program which is

implemented in a Department of Education (DepEd) based center within Kaligayahan

Elementary School, Novaliches, Quezon City. The group1 first visited the site and gathered

relevant information about and from the learners. Having considered expectations and

reservations of the Instructional Manager (IM) and the learners, the group successfully

conducted two learning sessions both of which on a Saturday, the day of normal ALS sessions

since the learning environment is a formal classroom. The Session Plan comprised three

significant needs of the learners either in their desire to go back to formal schooling or in their

wish to land on a good job Essay Writing, Basic and Practical Mathematical Skills, and Job

Hunting. The group prepared suitable learning activities to increase learner participation and to

elevate the accomplishment of Achievement-Based Objectives (ABOs). The content of every

session was also founded on the principles of andragogy and rooted in the four parts of a learning

task inductive work (anchor), input (add), implementation (apply), and integration (away).

Upon completion of the learning sessions, the group realized that learning is a two-way process

occurring anytime and anywhere, inasmuch as it cannot be enclosed within the four corners of a

site. The exposure leads the group to conclude that ALS is a viable alternative to formal

education as long as strong support systems are provided to escalate it.

1
This phrase signifies the individuals who conducted the ALS sessions and who created this evaluative report.
 BACKGROUND

The Philippine archipelago manifests one fundamental principle of communalism unity in

diversity. Considering historical accounts about the origins of this Pearl of the Orient Seas leads

us to safely generalize that the colonizers in the past refused to recognize our countrys existence

by branding discovery a remarkable point in our civilization. This and other underlying

prevalent conditions then paved the way to the introduction of schooling. Whereas the Social

Contract Thinkers believe that the State is unnatural, then schooling as well is by nature, out of

mans reason. However, as developments and breakthroughs demanded for Enlightenment, then

social conventions soon lead to standardization and credentialization of education. This has

begun another revolutionary change in the entirety of human existence, a change with so great an

impact that overthrowing it and the rest of the social order could result in anarchy.

There is but one significant loophole in the proliferation of formal schooling, i.e. privileging

fixed, compulsory formal schooling at the expense of leaving out other means of education.

Truly, the essentiality of formal instruction is pertinent to human growth, community

development, and societal progression. Very clichd as each sounds, we at times not see the

forest for the trees, or stare so long at the closed door, not to see the window open. The main

line of argument emphasizes the integral characteristic of education that one has to seek for it

and obtain it in any appropriate means available. This further shows us that to be educated

does not necessarily mean to be schooled, because education can take place anytime,

anywhere. An interesting analogy would be what St. Augustine stresses in many of his writings,

The good man, though a slave, is free; the wicked, though he reigns, is a slave. Since formal

schooling has not fully addressed the prevalence of being-out-of-school problems as poverty,

systemic dysfunction, drop-out rates, or personal lack of interest, the Philippine educational
system upholds and recognizes informal and non-formal means, e.g. alternative learning delivery

systems. Very evidently, the 1987 Philippine Constitution as stated in Article XIV, Section 1,

orders that The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all

levels and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all. Line 3 of

Section 2 further explains that the State shall encourage non-formal, informal, and indigenous

learning systems, as well as self-learning, independent, and out-of-school study programs

particularly those that respond to community needs. Inclusion of indigenous learning programs,

home-based tutorials, and religious and special education systems among others has been

rendered attention thereof. All these manners of acquisition of knowledge and application of

learning gear towards shaping the minds that shape the nation.

This evaluative report focuses mainly on ALS, of parallel track with formal education, as

product between the interplay of non-formal and informal education. ALS programs have started

to circulate around the country, most especially for the depressed, deprived and underserved

(DDU) communities. 2 The group successfully conducted two ALS sessions with the learners at

Kaligayahan Elementary School, a DepEd based site in Novaliches, Quezon City, theoretically

from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, and 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, respectively, through fluid coordination with

the School Manager (School Principal) and the IM (Grade School Teacher). Based on the

findings from an informal interview with the IM and the qualitative survey among the learners,

both of which the group also performed, among normal 50 enrollees every year, only 25 actively

attend classes, of whom are the takers of the Accreditation and Equivalency (A&E) Test, that

which more or less 20% pass, English and Mathematics, preferably essay writing and basic (and

practical) mathematical skills, along with the possible integration of job hunting, set the sessions

2
This does not adhere to the idea of elitism per se, i.e. the primary goal is to bring education to the extremes in
consequent fulfillment of Education for All (EFA).
rolling. The group dwelt on essay writing through concept mapping, on practical mathematics

through family budget planning, on job hunting through familiarizing with and filling out forms,

mostly delivered in small group discussions that later engaged in whole class ones. Generally,

ALS learners learned from and about the group facilitators, inasmuch as the group facilitators

learned from and about the ALS learners, and thus a meaningful transfer of learning transpired.

PART 1. ACTUALIZATION

In Maslows hierarchy of needs, self-actualization defines the peak of human growth and

development. That is, one has reached the stage of ultimate ability and utmost capacity towards

the accomplishment life matters like objectives. With regard to actualization in the context of

ALS, this is the practical experience an individual seeks for so as to build up a reliable feel of

what really happens in the educational process of such target learners that shall later pilot

genuine immersion and social justice. Anchor, Add, Apply, and Away were four phases that

possess a great level of importance in the ALS sessions. To actualize is to submerge oneself into

the reality of another reality. Only when we feel how others feel even imperfectly that we grow

to social maturity and create live memory.

The ALS sessions in Kaligayahan Elementary School took place in a Grade 1 classroom

located at the third dimension of the said academic institution. On the 25th of April 2015, the

group carried out its first session not inside the classroom being talked about here, but rather by

the street side. This is how things turned out that way. In the morning of the aforementioned

date, one group member who was then in a mountain-like place for a religious activity

received a message from the IM, and it said that the session will be moved at 1:00 pm instead of
9:00 am since the IM had to attend a school-related meeting. The message of change in schedule

the first recipient had to relay to the other group members who would hold the first session.

Based on oral accounts, the group members had to wait more than one hour for the IM to arrive

and that they could begin the session. However, the IM arrived late and the school to be used was

still closed because the key still needed to be gotten from the tanod then supportive of learning

anytime, anywhere, the group taught only about concept mapping to five ALS learners. The

activity Whats On Your Mind? pumped the idea of concept mapping through deducing ideas

from the learners themselves. ALS sessions as these are not merely learner-centered, but mainly

learning-centered. The learners were able to get along with the methodology and indeed they as

individuals and members of a community always have something worthwhile to offer. Their

thoughts, internal or external, became manifest and so they were able to express themselves

freely, plus the group facilitators ever ready to listen and deal with them. The first session ended

with both the learners and the facilitators realized, at the very least.

Originally planned, there should have been three sessions. Yet with the prevailing

unexpected circumstantial occurrences, planning was proven to be not always determined. The

supposed second session was the 2 nd of May, but the IM on the night before informed one group

member that she would be on-leave for her family in the province. Saturday of the week right

after was 9th of May, the scheduled yet put-off field trip at Quezon Province. Thereof, the group

could not but skip and conduct its second and last session on 16 th of May. Fortunately there were

no unbearable hindrances that time, except for another shift in time frame, from the planned 8:00

am to 5:00 pm to the conceded 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The concession transpired through exchange

of text messages between the IM and one group member, who fortunately seemingly befriended
each other a way to easily connect to people.3 Thereafter, the morning session contained

concept mapping in essay writing while the afternoon session comprised practical mathematics,

filling out forms, and boosting self-concept. The group divided the learners (more or less 17) into

two groups, with each group having an assigned facilitator. Learners in each group made the

decision of what topic to talk about or brainstorm for the concept map. (The group first thought

to let them draw or even pick one from a list of topics, but this could have resulted differently.)

One interesting observation was the freeflow of ones own ideas. For instance, from the topic

family came about food partaken with and moments of family bonding despite bad feelings

and/or difficulties. Each learner discovered in him/herself that he or she has the willpower to do

or not to do. All ideas were contributive to the formation of the concept map which soon led to

the formation of sentences (again, by the learners themselves) which finally consisted the created

essay. Every aspect was injected with fun though the group facilitators were not funny enough.

The essay came into being, and the goal (hopefully) was at least fulfilled.

The afternoon session began with the same grouping of learners but this time two acted as

parents, and the rest as children. They were tasked to prepare a monthly budget given a certain

amount of income and a specific amount of necessary expenses, provided that the family eats

three meals a day and that there are still savings. By sole observations, each group was so eager

to come up with a very practical budget for the family. One dominant consideration each one

showed was by patterning the expenses, e.g. viand for food, after ones own socioeconomic

conditions indicative of the learners closeness to reality and only to their very own reality.

They were incredibly simple! Moreover, a group representative explained well to everyone how

the budget was thought about, including the concerns raised in its duration. In the same manner,

3
The group does not advocate treating people as means and not ends in themselves. The group therefore abides by
the Kantian morality.
the group facilitator further elucidated the significance of the activity, especially in a persons

daily life, as well as the related mathematical skills involved in it. Moving on, the next activity

was to familiarize the learners with the forms usually encountered either in school or in job

applications, and to learn how to fill them out. After minutes, one group facilitator noticed that

some learners were either hesitant or uneager to fill out the forms for whatever reasons. That is,

he resorted to a play on UNO cards, and indeed, this caught the attention of the learners. On the

other, while the second group finished with the forms (familiarized), the group facilitator tried to

insert background on self-concept as another pertinent thought regarding empowerment.

Through the ANINAG cards of one group member, the facilitator successfully carried out the

objective, though some learners were interested with the UNO cards and some others

uninterested to answer about themselves and so had to receive encouraging expressions first, or

if not, by free force, regardless of how paradoxical the expression might seem. The session

concluded with picture-taking and exchanging words of appreciation and gratitude, also of

sadness and longing. Nevertheless, learning does not stop as the groups ALS sessions stop. The

IM was also grateful for the opportunity she was given with.

Reaching a place from another place is not an easy thing. A person needs to be streetsmart

and at the same time, peoplesmart. Streetmart is meant for crossing pedestrian lanes amid a fast

traffic or for riding in a jeepney or taking a bus with a sometimes reckless driver, that one has

enough control and gecko-like power if he or she wants to remain inside and gets to his or her

destination safely. Peoplesmart is for politely asking trustable strangers for the right direction or

landmark or for negotiating with impatient omnibus conductors or for coordinating with the IM

and with the group members. Patience is undeniably a virtue that one must not get run out of

anytime, anywhere. A very well-known fact, Kaligayahan Elementary School is at least two rides
away from UP Diliman, approximately one hour of commuted travel. Until now, the group

cannot believe the fact that it was able to correctly locate the place in the first time when some

members went to visit it and to administer a survey among the learners and conduct and

interview with the IM as well, only with the cue of beers. Nevertheless, the main point really is

the unleashing of potentials and the unveiling of hidden selves towards the greater good of

everyone.

PART 2. ANALYSIS

In the duration of the ALS sessions handled by the group, there were three important

entities that were responsible for either the facilitation or the obstruction of learning. Foremost,

the Instructional Manager appears hand-in-hand with the implementation of the ALS program.

The IM portrays an internal drive to educate the learners. She in fact motivates them to engage in

class activities and discussions. She has an authoritative tone over her learners, good enough to

exercise legitimate, not chaining control. In addition, she possesses the industry to come to

school every Saturday for the learners who needs an IM. But one area to improve is the manner

of delivering instruction. On one session, as the group members came in, the IM was teaching

the learners a lesson in mathematics, and they noticed so great a similarity with how formal

instruction is delivered. With this reviewed and modified, the learning experience would be

meaningful and productive. Furthermore, the group has no concrete thought about the way the

ALS program completely works in the school. What it has so far is the collection of observations

from an outsiders point of view plus feedback from the IM and the learners, i.e. the program has

been in effect for five years now, with 19 learners who passed the A&E Test, a noticeably low
passing rate. Besides, the number of learners is so small that even fluctuating attendance seems

to worsen the condition. Happily, there are available modules for the learners and they are free

enough to choose what to answer, but with the supervising approval of the IM. The learning

environment, too, the group believes is not-so conducive, such that classroom arrangement still

needs juxtaposition to match with the learning topic. In the account of such information, the

group validly states that the program still lacks public dissemination, community orientation, and

local support so that target learners can have the chance to acquire innovative, critical, and

practical thoughts that can later bring them upward social mobility.

Likewise, the learners play a vital role in the process since they are the rationale of the ALS

program. The ambience of diversity is very much felt among the learners, from their origins up

to their current social statuses. Of age range from 15 to 25, some learners desire to pursue formal

education while the others want to find a good job. There are learners who have their own

families already, inasmuch as there are those who just gave birth and those who will soon give

birth to a child. Also, there are those who work mostly as maids for females and construction

workers or boys for males, in the same manner that there are those who quitted their jobs and

who have no job at all or those who wish to find work. Each learner has his or her own personal

motivations of why they are into the ALS program. Family, mother, father, child, sibling, self,

family. The list goes on. In addition, everyone has a set of expectations for the sessions and

has a checklist of what he or she likes to attain or to learn. Some hope to obtain a certificate and

go back to formal school while others wish for knowledge on basics of English and mathematics.

One among them mentioned to have a Facebook account, in fact! The IM and the learners also

have this interpersonal relationship that keeps the sessions going by display of positive learning

environment. Despite the hardships they face every day, they maintain the enthusiasm for new
learning through active participation in classroom activities and demonstrate unceasing hunger

and thirst for knowledge and truth the stepping stone to get to the peak of sweet success.

Daniel Schugurensky carefully notes in his review of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed that

In opposition to the banking model, Freire proposed a liberatory or emancipatory one, based on

a dialogical relationship between teachers and learners (co-intentionality), on critical thinking,

and on social transformation (1998). Jane Vella indirectly offers a similar line of declaration as

she writes, The dialogue in a dialogue education is not between the teacher and the learner but

rather among learners of whom the teacher is one (2008). The revolutionary idea of dialogics in

total overthrow of banking education clearly represents the utopian-like classroom relations. As

group members functioned like an IM, a surprising finding says about mingling with the learners

and as if sharing in their stories of laughter and tears. Being one with them in mind and in heart

really makes an incredible difference than giving oneself too much importance while unmindful

of the learners. A friendly and open character, then, is a key to enter into the situations of every

learner. Inasmuch as the learners learn from the group, so the group also learns from the learners

and from the teaching and learning experience. Learning once again promotes unity in diversity

apart from constraints of pressurized education and fossilized knowledge.

Most activities that engaged the ALS learners were done in small groups. The facilitators

observed that constructivism works with dialogue education. It is believed of Vygotsky that his

educational perspective includes the value of more knowledgeable others (MKOs) in an

individuals learning insofar as he or she gets out from his or her zone of proximal development.

But an educational expert reminds us that the responsibility for learning is ultimately the

individuals; small groups only support and enhance this learning (Vella, 2008). MKOs are not

superheroes that would save one from failing. They primarily step on the same ground as other
learners do. For instance, critical thinking and problem solving may be best accomplished with

the use of small learning groups. After all, what is at stake is the future yet to bloom.

PART 3. REALIZATIONS

Conducting the ALS sessions and immersing into the program with the learners have

brought about various realizations as the group members are themselves individuals at the same

time parcels of a larger community. Abstract unfathomable thoughts got concretized whereas

preconceived notions were either approved or refuted. Really only when people begin to realize

simple things in constant motion around them then that they can grasp the philosophy of human

life at a macro level.

Since the group did not actually see total implementation of ALS program in the school but

only noticed particles of teaching methodology on part of the IM towards her learners, it finds

best to comment on the actual sessions that group facilitators had. First of the many lessons

learned during the ALS sessions is that one must have contingency plans. There has often been a

high possibility that things do not go as planned. Education practitioners need to develop the

ability to think fast and be flexible room for adjustments. For example, the group planned the

sessions down to the tiniest detail but things went astray. That is, there was an abrupt change in

time frame which greatly affected the content of the learning sessions that were previously

planned considering estimated time constraints. The group needed to adjust the session plan for

the three sessions. Another incident would be the instance when we conducted a session on the

sidewalk because the school which accommodates the ALS program was locked and sadly, the
person who had the key was nowhere to be found. These circumstances appear inevitable, and so

any group facilitators should be as prepared to bring up bright ideas.

Second, one must know his or her learners. Building good relationship with ones learners

aids an educator (especially an IM) to tackle the lessons well. The lessons should be as possibly

as engaging so that learners do not lose interest. They may also act all shy on an IM or feel

intimidated that result in hesitation to participate in the learning process. When one builds and

maintains a positive rapport with his or her learners, learners tend to share and contribute more to

the discussions. People often remarkably say, just as communication is between and among

communicators and not a listener and a speaker, learning is a two-way process that demands

active participation of both parties within a circle of learning opportunities.

Thirdly, one must keep his or her lessons short and comprehensive. Learners tend to lose

interest or hold a short attention span variable of focus and concentration. Therewith, the

beneficiality of short and comprehensive, yet substantial lessons is ultimate. A freely flowing

discussion is also amicable to such learning situations.

Learning does not solely comprise acquisition of knowledge and information. It includes

development of certain values and attitudes that can be utilized and enhanced for succeeding life

occurrences, in the context of lifelong learning. One, there has to be patience. Handling a diverse

class, i.e. with learners from different ages, social statuses, cultural and moral backgrounds,

records, attainment, and set of principles, does not equate to munching popcorn while watching a

movie. Two, there has to be ingenuity. The Filipino culture and society tell everyone else in this

planet that it is innately madiskarte with regard to any life problems and difficulties. Indeed,

we Filipinos manage to smile amid the tragedies that hit us a proof our deep faith and
confidence in the Almighty. In the same manner, an IM should at least be resourceful or

innovative, especially at moments of sudden changes. Three, there has to be flexibility and/or

tolerance. Being loose in the accomplishment of plans prove effective when things turn upside

down. The trending Let It Go is also applicable in ALS as Let It Flow. Four, there has to be

acceptance and open-mindedness. ALS programs adopt andragogy instead of pedagogy. By

etymology, andra means man, and when further deduced means someone grown-up and so

knows a variety of concepts about him/herself and his or her world. The IM should not act

superiorly over his or her learners because learners themselves are educated, too. Open-

mindedness goes with the sprout of simultaneous considerations for the learning sessions to work

effectively and productively. The schema of learners is a good pump to start with. All these traits

(to name a few) are integral tools towards successful implementation and sustainable

development of any ALS program.

PART 4. CONCLUSION

The group is influenced by the striking remarks of Jane Vella that principles and

practices make difference in design and in teaching considered potent to bring about

magnificent reforms in the system of Philippine education. The ALS program is only one way to

comply with the provisions of the Constitution earlier mentioned in this paper. In retrospection,

the group sees strategies and hindrances that facilitate and block dialogue education,

respectively. This ALS in practice at the viewpoint of the group who conducted the learning

sessions for a relatively very short period of time reveals the potential of the program in

delivering quality, accessible education up to the peripheries, but the local and national agencies
in cooperation with benevolent benefactors must take the initiative to promote and support the

program. Horizontal changes need to take place, i.e. within the aspects of program

implementation, monitoring, and evaluation, so that vertical changes can occur consequently, i.e.

external involvements. Let us not wait for students of formal education to stop their schooling for

reasons very varied to identify, but rather take necessary actions to ensure competencies and

achieve goals and objectives from the very start in the first place. The introduction of ALS

programs must not be seen as anticipatory of students breaking free from formal instruction, but

as alternative for the common good of the society where we live in. Provided with the principles

to work on, let us relive the fossilized expression, A principle is the beginning of action (Vella,

2008).

In conclusion, the group recommends that the teaching strategy be an interesting

combination of participative lecture and interactive activities for learners to enjoy and learn at

the same time. An appropriate learning environment should be available for the learners, e.g. not

necessarily in a formal classroom so as to avoid recounts of unpleasant experiences in a formal

set-up. Besides, the program should utilize available resources (including human resource) from

the local government for practical explorations of concepts and ideas taught to the learners.

Modules and practical applications (a sort of internship outside the ALS center) should go hand-

in-hand for deeper appreciation of knowledge and accumulation of positive, relevant experience.

Lastly, IMs and ALS handlers should undergo trainings or seminars for effective and efficient

delivery of program to the learners. Regular feedback for modifications would create a

difference. After all, it is the duty of the State to render commendable service to the citizens who

have given up their power to govern themselves and it is the duty of the citizenry to coordinate

accordingly.
 REFERENCES

Freire, P. (2005). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. USA: The Continuum International Publishing

Group Inc.

Schugurensky, D. (1998). The legacy of Paulo Freire: A critical review of his contributions.

Convergence.

Vella, J. (2008). On Teaching and Learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.