Free Printable Inspirational Book: The True Essence of Education for Life Villamor S. Quebral, PH. D

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The True Essence of Education for Life

Villamor S. Quebral, PH. D

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Introduction

Discovering an effective method of teaching has been a great challenge to educators since the dawn of history of education. It has been the main problem addressed by so many research studies conducted in the academic world. So far, there are two opposing schools of thought which stand out, as far as teaching modality is concerned: it’s either teacher-centered or learner-centered. To be teacher-centered or student centered? -- That is the question, and at the same time the problem why until now the search for the best method of teaching seems to become the proverbial “search for the Holy Grail”.

It should be noted however, that it’s not the method of teaching that really matters in real education but the learning process that is taking place in every classroom that a teacher manages. We have more than enough of the teaching strategies (methods) being used by different teachers around the world. However, we can’t choose one from many and label it “the best method”. The best method remains to be the amalgamation of different strategies in order to address the different levels of the learning process and the diverse characteristics of the individual learners.

Another thing to be considered is, as time goes by, there are some factors affecting the educational environment. First and foremost is the advent of information technology that gave rise to the Internet which totally changed the generation and processing of information. The installation of the World Wide Web (www) provided a boundless source of knowledge and information that renders printed materials like books and encyclopedias almost useless. All information you need are just “.com away from you”, as they say. This is one very important factor that is tremendously challenging the current educational process, and this must be considered very seriously by every individual in the teaching profession. If a teacher would just teach to provide knowledge or information, then, eventually, he/she would be replaced by the Internet of Everything.

However, for an open-minded teacher, the advent of the Internet is not viewed as a threat, but rather an opportunity. Opportunity to adapt to changes, opportunity to enrich learning resources and more importantly, an opportunity to transform from being a traditional teacher/instructor into a learning processor.

Information that could be culled from the Internet offers a wide variety of learning materials that could be used in teaching. Nevertheless, a teacher should know how to process these information so as to enhance his/her teaching activities and make learning not only enjoyable but beneficial to the learners. In such case, a teacher really becomes a learning processor or a transfer factor in the learning process.

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CHAPTER 1

What Is Transfer of Learning?

The learning process should function as an “interface” that bridges the gap between understanding (theoretical knowledge) and application (practical knowledge) to real life situations or to other knowledge and information contexts. This “interface” is called the “transfer of learning” that every teacher should carefully manage in order to realize the main objective of education for life. To identify the contexts of transfer of learning, education experts provide some technical definitions for the subject matter at hand.  “Transfer of learning or transfer of knowledge or transfer refers to learning in one context and applying it to another, i.e. the capacity to apply acquired knowledge and skills to new situations.” (Baldwin and Ford, 2006).  “Students are able to transfer their learning when they can take something that they learned in one context and apply it in another context.” (Jenny Edwards in Education Week Teacher)  Perkins and Salomon (1988) describe transfer of learning as the application of skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes learned in one situation to another cognitive situation.  Transfer of learning occurs when the student is motivated by the topic, motivated to learn, has previous knowledge on the subject, and knows how to connect new information to existing information. (Anna Bartosik in Education Week Teacher)

From these definitions, there are two specific action words that define transfer of learning: applying and connecting. Transfer of learning occurs when a student is able to connect new information to existing information and be able to apply what he/she learned in one context to another context or situation.

This paper is an attempt to re-orient the educators regarding transfer of learning as the true essence of education for life. This statement is premised on the belief that the noble and ultimate goal of education should be making the learner know what he/she should learn, understand what he/she learns and be able to correctly apply it in real-life situations. With all the accolades of education managers, compendium of teaching methods and techniques, and tons of materials and resources used, if this prime goal were not met, then education is a FAILURE.

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The Transfer of Learning Process

In order to fully understand how Transfer of Learning is operationalized, the following Conceptual Framework is presented:

The Transfer of Learning Process® (TLP)

The Transfer of Learning Process is composed of three major phases, namely, EDUCATING, INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT and the final phase which is APPLICATION. These will be discussed one-by-one in the succeeding chapters giving emphasis on the different principles and strategies to be employed.

In the EDUCATING Phase, three learning principles are involved, namely, Recognizing, Responding, and Remembering (the 3 R’s). In the Second Phase, which is INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT, three teaching strategies are employed, and these are, Questioning, Collaboration and Reflection. In the third and final Phase, which is APPLICATION, three life skills are used as parameters to measure the capability of the learners to apply what they have learned in real-life situations. These are, Analyzing & Evaluating, Decision Making, and Creating.

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•RecognizingRecognizing

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•RespondingResponding

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•RememberingRemembering

EDUCATING

EDUCATING

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•QuestioningQuestioning

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•CollaborationCollaboration

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•ReflectionReflection

INTERVAL

INTERVAL REINFORCEMENTREINFORCEMENT

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•Analyzing & Analyzing & EvaluatingEvaluating

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•Decision MakingDecision Making

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•CreatingCreating

APPLICATION

APPLICATION

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CHAPTER 2

PHASE 1 – EDUCATING

The above-mentioned learning principles, teaching strategies, and life skills must be used in the learning process interrelatedly and jibing with each other, so as to ensure gradual development of learning by passing thru the three learning domains – cognitive, affective and psychomotor.

In the educating phase the teacher as the learning processor sets the learning environment, provides the information and motivate the learner to engage in the learning process. This phase involves three fundamental learning principles known as the 3 R’s: Recognizing, Responding and Remembering.

It means that the teacher should make the learners:

 Recognize what they should learn;

 Respond to ideas, knowledge and information being introduced; and

 Remember what they have learned.

Application of Phase I in Teaching a Particular Subject Matter

Subject Area: World’s Great Religions

Specific Topic: Hinduism

1. Knowing what to teach and what to learn

The teacher must give a clear picture as to what is expected of the students after discussing a particular lesson. Make them understand the learning outcomes expected of them. This is the teacher’s guide in conducting the lesson and the students’ direction as to what knowledge and skill they should gain from the lesson. It should be remembered that TLP is an outcomes-based teaching and learning process.

Example of Leaning Outcomes: After the Lesson, Students are able to: 1. Recite the creation story in Rig Veda. 2. Identify the names of the major Hindu deities as well as their corresponding functions or powers. 3. Explain: The core teaching of Hinduism is the attainment of liberation in the identification of Atman and Brahman through the Four Yogas. 4. Simulate a particular yoga and write a reflection paper on your insights on Hinduism.

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 After discussing the whole topic on Hinduism, the learners are expected to be able to do or demonstrate the above learning outcomes.

2. RECOGNIZING – learning starts with recognition. It is the SIGNAL or introduction of learning. It opens the sensory mode of the learner’s faculty and began to be engaged in the learning process. Recognition works primarily in the realm of ASSOCIATION. Normally, this is processed by presenting a material (object, symbol, sign, picture or figure) that signifies wholly or partly the main concept the teacher wants to impart. Symbols, signs, pictures and figures convey specific information.

 Specific examples are the road signs and religious symbols.

A. Mandatory (Road) Signs Mandatory signs are road signs which are used to set the obligations of all traffic which use a specific area of a road. Unlike prohibitory or restrictive signs, mandatory signs tell traffic what is “must do”, rather than “must not do”. Common examples are:

Minimum Speed Sign

Maximum Gross Weight Sign

Keep Left Sign

Keep Right Sign

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Pedestrians Only Sign

Taxi Only Sign

Bus Only Sign

Pay Toll Sign

Roundabout Sign

Switch Head Lamps On Sign

Note: The above road signs are purposely presented to give some sort of review for all road users, specifically the drivers and pedestrians (teachers and students are included).

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B. Religious Symbols

The Star of David – Symbol of Judaism

The Cross – Symbol of Christianity

The Star and Crescent – Symbol of Islam

The Buddha Inside a Lotus Blossom – Symbol of Mahayana Buddhism

The Yin and Yang – Symbol of Taoism

The Torii – Symbol of Shintoism

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 Teachers can just imagine how far teaching could go if the teaching process is as strong, brief and vivid as the signs or symbols.

 Math and Science commonly use symbols and these are the major subjects wherein recognition is basically applied.

Examples:

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 Below is an example of an object that is used as symbol for Hinduism:

Processing:

 The teacher may ask if the students could recognize what’s in the picture. (The expected answer here is a “lotus flower”)

 The teacher should explain why the lotus flower is used as a symbol of Hinduism (The lotus flower symbolizes Lakhsmi – 0ne of the major deities of Hinduism)

 The lotus flower now becomes a tool to recognize Hinduism.

 This is learning by associating a symbol, picture or figure with a certain concept or knowledge a teacher wanted to convey.

3. RESPONDING is the ACTION of learning.

One reason why students get bored during a classroom session is that teachers don’t get them involved or engaged in the discussion. The culprit here is the antiquated lecture method of teaching or rote lecturing, wherein the teacher monopolizes the whole session by discussing the assigned topic for that period and the students are required to just listen and take down notes. Teachers should learn on how to engage the students during a class session. They should device tools and employ strategies that could make the learners actively respond.

 Normally, the main tool to make students respond is by asking questions.

 In TLP, “concept quest” will be employed. These are pre-formulated questions the students would answer individually or in group to fully understand a particular concept discussed in a particular topic or lesson.

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 The employment of “concept quest” will definitely make teaching and learning interactive or learner-centered rather than teacher-centered

Processing:

 Topic: Concept of Karma Karma is a Sanskrit word which means “action.” It refers to the law that every action has an equal reaction either immediately or at some point in the future. Good or virtual actions (actions in harmony with dharma) will have good reactions or responses. While bad actions (actions against dharma) will bring negative effects. In Hinduism, karma operates not only in this lifetime but across lifetimes – the results of an action might only be experienced after the present life in a new life.

After discussing the concept of Karma, a teacher may ask the following questions, which we termed as “concept quest”:

Concept Quest:

1) Could you explain what “karma” means to you?

2) Have you been using the word “karma” before?

3) What do you mean when you tell a person, “Na-karma siya”? (for Filipino learners)

4) What important lesson did you get from understanding the concept of karma?

If the students were able to respond positively to these questions, it is already an indication that they gained understanding on the concept of karma.

4. REMEMBERING is the KNOWLEDGE BANKING phase of learning.

Remembering is one of the most crucial points in the learning process. This is the educating phase wherein a learner stock information in his/her “cognitive bank”. It could be likened to the encoding of data through a computer. Computer operates on the basic principle of “input equals output”. “Garbage in, garbage out” is a common saying in computing space. A teacher must crystallize the lesson by providing a summary, stating clearly, what are the things to remember.

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 Quick Facts

In concluding every lesson, a teacher must see to it that all of the stated learning outcomes are met. The basic tool in measuring what the students learned is through the provisions of “Quick Facts” and Assessment Tasks.

Example of Quick Facts

Things to:

Quick Facts About Hinduism:

 Hinduism originated around the Indus Valley near the River Indus in modern day Pakistan.

 About 80 % of the Indian population regard themselves as Hindus

 Most Hindus believe in a Supreme God whose qualities and forms are represented by the multitude of deities which emanated from him

 Hindus believe that man’s existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth that is governed by karma

 Hindus believe that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on how the previous life was lived

 Hindus celebrate many holy days, but the Festival of Light (Diwali) is the most celebrated festival

 The main purpose of this segment in the learning process is to provide the learner a general view about Hinduism. However, remembering must be reinforced and this is by letting the learners take an assessment task or a test.

 Assessment Tasks

Students must be able to answer the following assessment questions:

1. Identify the names of the major Hindu deities as well as their corresponding functions or powers.

Answer:

1. ___________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________

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2. Explain the core teaching of Hinduism: “The attainment of liberation is the identification of Atman and Brahman through the Four Yogas.”

Answer:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

3. What are the different Texts considered holy by the Hindus? Briefly discuss each.

Answer:

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

 Take note that the test questions should be perfectly aligned with the Learning Outcomes.

Quick Reminder for Teachers

Real education must go beyond the EDUCATING PHASE. Teachers must not be conformed when the students could recognize new ideas and information, respond to questions arousing from the discussion, and remember the concepts and information that have been taught by passing the assessment tasks given. The teacher’s task does not end there. He/she must proceed to the next PHASE – INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT.

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CHAPTER 3

PHASE 2 – INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT

Going back to the Conceptual Framework presented at the outset, the 2nd Phase of the Transfer of Learning Process is INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT. This is the most crucial point of the leaning process that educators shouldn’t miss to accomplish. Certainly, it would require some amount of extended efforts from a teacher and be able to come up with some more innovative techniques and strategies.

INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT (IR) is the DEEPENING or BOOSTING of learning and understanding. It is a very important phase of the learning process that teachers should be mindful of. This is injecting related ideas, information, related knowledge or concepts for the purpose of deepening the learners’ understanding on the subject matter at hand. It also includes different tools, strategies and techniques of teaching using a variety of material resources. This phase is very crucial because it serves as the “interface” between understanding and application of what has been learned to real life or new situations and contexts.

What Is Interval Reinforcement?

Interval Reinforcement, also known as Spaced Repetition or Spaced Learning is a program that is normally used by business training organizations. It is a technique of reinforcing learning to maximize knowledge retention plus measuring knowledge and its application in the business’ work place (for corporate training events) and to real life situations (for learning events in the classroom). Since training is also a learning process, and is outcome-based, this author believes that Interval Reinforcement program could also be used in the traditional or classroom-based instructions.

To understand how Interval Reinforcement is used, whether in training or classroom instruction, a research output is presented below. In his 2006 rsearch work, “Spacing Learning Events Over Time: What the Research Says,” Will Thalheimer identifies that although learning and memory is strong during a training event, knowledge is rapidly forgotten afterwards. Same case happens in the traditional classroom instructions. Take a look and analyze the graph below:

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SOURCE: Thalheimer, W. (2006, February). "Spacing Learning Events Over Time: What the Research Says," retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.work-learning.com/catalog He also points out that spacing reinforcement (spaced repetition or better known as Interval Reinforcement) on the job after training enhances how much people will remember and apply to their work. Thalheimer (2006) identifies that “the closer in time learning is delivered to the situations when it is needed, the less forgetting will be a factor. The less forgetting, the more learners will be able to remember what they learned and apply it to their jobs.” In support to this, the following graph is presented: SOURCE: Thalheimer, W. (2006, February). "Spacing Learning Events Over Time: What the Research Says," retrieved July 29, 2013, from http://www.work-learning.com/catalog

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The above presentation should call the attention of every individual in the teaching profession as well as the education managers. In order to make teaching really functional and right-on-target, an adjunctive program for classroom instruction must be implemented, and this would be Interval Reinforcement or Spaced Learning.

Strategies for Interval Reinforcement

In the Interval Reinforcement phase, though there may be so many approaches that could be used, but for the purpose of this book, only three learning activities will be employed: Questioning, Collaborating and Reflecting. Some of the strategies will be discussed in Chapter 5 (Future Applications of Interval Reinforcement).

Strategy No. 1 – Questioning – The Socratic Method Socratic Method – The Modern Socratic Method is a process of questioning used to successfully lead a person to knowledge through small steps. This knowledge can be specific data, training in approaches to problem solving, or leading one to embrace a specific fact or belief. General Structure: The Socratic Method and the Scientific Method 1. Ask a question 2. Form a hypothesis 3. Test the hypothesis 4. Accept/reject according to testing 5. Act accordingly Processing: 1. Asking the question How to be successful in life? Ask the students to give their own definition or concept of a “successful life”. 2. Forming a hypothesis – Lead the students towards having a hypothesis like the one below:

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“To be successful in life, one must go to college.” 3. Testing the hypothesis Ask the students if they subscribe to the hypothesis given. Ask them if they know some personalities who became successful in life. Ask them if all of these personalities succeed because they all finish college. For further enrichment, the teacher could also mention as examples (if not given), Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckenberg, Henry Sy, etc. 4. Accepting or Rejecting the hypothesis Ask the students whether they accept or reject the hypothesis. Allow them to defend their stand. 5. Acting accordingly After hearing opposing opinions, the teacher will now lead the students to the formulation of a new hypothesis. The new hypothesis might appear this way: “There are many ways to be successful in life, one of which could be going to college.”  This is one way of boosting or deepening their understanding on the definition of a “successful life”.

Aside from the Socratic Method, a teacher could also use Intervening Questions (IQ). By the term IQ, these are questions that a teacher may use at any point in time while discussing a particular topic in order to emphasize understanding of a particular concept presented. Remember that Interval Reinforcement matters most under the condition of urgency and spontaneity. For the topic on Hinduism here are some examples of Intervening Questions:

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Example No. 1 “Who really knows, and who can swear, How creation came, when or where! Even gods came after creation’s day, Who really knows, who can truly say; When and how did creation start? Did He do it? Or Did He not? Only He up there, knows maybe; Or perhaps not even He.” (Rig Veda 10:129)

 Above is a short account from the Rig Veda. The teacher would ask the students to read and interpret it, then, ask them the question below:

Boost Your Mind

Based on this account from the Rig Veda, do Hindus have a solid concept of a Creator God? Explain your answer.

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Example No. 2 The Creation Story in the Upanishads The Chandogya Upanishad 3:19:1-4 relates how the world which was then non- existent became existent and then became an egg. After a year the egg broke open and silver part and a gold part emerged. The silver part became the earth and the golden part became the sky. The various parts of the egg became the features of the heavens and the earth. The sun, which in this myth is equated with Brahmin, was born from the egg along with all beings who arose. Source: http://www.pathsofdevotion.com/hinduism/

 After reading this short creation story from the Upanishads, the teacher may ask the following question:

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Boost Your Mind

Interpret the Creation Story you read. How do you compare this theory of creation from that of the “Big Bang” theory on the origin of the universe?

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

 Answering this question may require the students to do a simple research about the “Big Bang Theory”, and this is another way of boosting their knowledge as they go about it. Strategy No. 2 – Collaborative or Cooperative Learning

Collaborative or Cooperative Learning – is an educational approach to teaching and learning that involves group of students working together to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. It is one of the components of the 21st Century Skills and Learning which came to be known as the 4 C’s (Critical thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Creating). Butler, 2017 clarifies that Cooperative Learning puts more emphasis on the learning, rather than the idea of the ‘work’. As the students go to the process of discovering new knowledge, their ‘collaborators’ will be processing the information right alongside them. Hence, if teachers could pitch this in the right way, students will truly be discovering, problem-solving, and learning together.

Guidelines for Successful Cooperative Learning

In order for a cooperative learning group to be successful, the teachers and students must all play their part. The teacher’s role is to play the part as facilitator and observer, while the students must work together to complete the task.

Teachers may use the following guidelines to achieve Cooperative Learning success:

1) Arrange students heterogeneously in group as few as two and no more than six.

2) Assign each member of the group a specific role such as:

group leader

materials manager

group speaker

recorder

time keeper

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To orient each group member about their specific task to perform, the teacher could give each group a Task Sheet as the one below:

Material Manager Group Speaker Recorder Time Keeper Group Leader

- Collect and return materials for the group

- Hand in any papers

- Participate in group discussion

- Listen in the ideas of others

- Speaks for the group when the group is called on to answer question or present to the class

- Participate in group discussion

- Listen in the ideas of others

- Write everything down for the group

- Participate in group discussion

- Listen in the ideas of others

- Keep track of time

- Remind the group to stay on time

- Participate in group discussion

- Listen in the ideas of others

- Start group discussion

- Make sure each member’s voice is heard

- Remind group members of the tasks that must be completed

- Participate in group discussion

- Listen in the ideas of others

3) Monitor each group’s progress and teach skills necessary to complete the task given each group.

4) Evaluate each group based upon how well they worked together and completed the task. This is by using the Cooperative Learning Rubric that gives criteria and ideas on how to receive a good grade.

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Source: www.pinterest.co.uk

Classroom Management Tips in a Cooperative Learning Environment

1) Noise Control – one technique to control noise is by using the “Talking Chips Strategy”. Whenever a student needs to speak, they must place their chip in the

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middle of the table. The Group Leader must give due recognition to the would-be ‘speaker’ as part of the group protocol.

Source: www.pinterest.ph

2) Getting Students’ Attention – Have a signal to get students’ attention. For example, clap two times, raise your hands, ring a bell, blow a whistle, etc.

3) Answering Questions – Create a policy where if a group member has a question, they must ask the group first before asking the teacher. Again, this should be part of the classroom protocol to install order and avoid time-wasting and unnecessary interventions.

4) Use a Timer – Give each group a predetermined time to complete their given task. A teacher may use his/her own clock or a stop watch as timing device.

5) Model Instruction – Before handing out the assignment, model the instruction of the task and make sure that every student understands what is expected of them.

4 Common Cooperative Learning Techniques

Cooperative Learning activities can help students to develop problem-solving and group work skills. There are many types of collaborative activities that students can complete. However, teachers should be prepared to have some talking and movement in the classroom for these activities.

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1) Jigsaw Activity

One simple activity that teachers can do with a variety of content is the jigsaw activity. The content or reading assignment is a metaphor for a "puzzle" that students break into smaller pieces to learn.

 "Puzzles" or groups can be small, such as four to five students. Each student will be given a piece of the puzzle to learn or to investigate. For example, a long reading assignment can be broken into five smaller "chunks." Each student will take a “chunk” and become an expert on the content.

 When the pieces of the "puzzle" are put together or when the group comes back together, each student will share what he or she learned.

 After the group has its information organized and compiled, it can share its knowledge with the class.

Situations to use the jigsaw strategy:

 Covering a great deal of content in a textbook

 Researching a new concept or idea

 Learning new vocabulary from a list

 Learning New Language

2) Group Investigation

When a group investigates a new topic, it can be very fun, and the group will take ownership of the topic and the presentation. The teacher should select a broad topic, such as this: “Why the Philippines is Called the Pearl of the Orient Sea?”.

 The group of five students should narrow the topic down to a topic that they could research. Then, the group will share the information in around a five to ten minutes presentation, depending on the age of the student.

 The group will need to assign each person a subtopic of the group topic to research.

 The group will come back together to share and organize the information.

 The group will present its information to the class.

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3) Double Entry Journal

A double entry journal can be completed with a pair of students. Students can each make one on their own. Then, the pair can collaborate and compile their ideas into one double entry journal. Teachers can use this with novels, textbook reading assignments, news articles, research information, etc.

a. Students need to create a large T on a piece of notebook paper.

b. On one side the student needs to write down interesting or important information from the reading assignment.

c. On the other side, the student needs to write what he or she thinks about the information.

d. When the journal is complete, the student needs to share his or her journal with another student.

e. The students need to compile one journal with information that the pair believes is important or intriguing.

The Double Entry Journal may look like the one below:

Source:www.google.com/site/learning strategiesforyou/doule-entry-jounal

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4) Team-Pair-Solo

In this strategy students work together to solve a problem. Next, they work with a partner to solve a problem, and finally, they work by themselves to solve a problem. The strategy uses the theory that students can solve more problems with help from others then they can do it alone. Students then progress to the point that they can solve the problem more easily on their own only after first being in a team and then paired with a partner.

The jigsaw activity, group investigation, double entry journal and team-pair-solo are just four ways that students can collaborate and learn important content. The best part is that students are bouncing ideas off each other and helping create interesting products.

Strategy No. 3 – Reflection

One effective approach of IR is by employing bibliotherapy, specifically in values education, literature, psychology and social studies. Biblio means “book”, and therapeia means “curing effect”. In its simplest definition, Bibliotherapy is the use of literature or books as therapeutic adjuvant to the learning process. It operates on the affective domain of education. To understand how bibliotherapy helps to boost learning, a brief discussion of the process is provided below: The 3 I’s: The Three-Step Process of Bibliotherapy

1. IDENTIFICATION

This is the initial step in the bibliotherapy process. The reader is able to identify with the main character and the events in the story. The main character is perceived at a similar situation as the student’s, display similar behaviors and face events with which the students can identify. In Caroline Shrode’s (1949) explanation, “this is the development of empathy with some fictional or real character in a book or any literature”.

2. INVOLVEMENT OR CATHARSIS

Do you know the reason why you cry while watching an intense drama episode? Or maybe while listening to a homily or a spirited prayer? That is the result of a “catharsis”. “Catharsis” is a Greek word which means “cleansing”. Caroline Shrodes (1949) defines it as “the illusion of standing apart and of being involved – as both spectator and participant.” The term also means, “a profound experience of recognition”. Through reading, a reader is made to touch or relate to the innermost feeling of the character of the story and is consequently affected by it.

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3. INSIGHT Insight is attained when readers became aware that the problem/situation they are experiencing like that of the character in the story need not remain static. Insight allows readers the opportunity to analyze the main character and situation and subsequently develop opinions regarding behaviors or actions adopted by the main character in his/her attempts to deal with the problem. Readers also develop problem-solving skills by exploring effective alternative behaviors to replace old and inappropriate behaviors. This makes bibliotherapy an effective strategy in teaching the students how to solve their personal problem.

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Sample Lesson Using Bibliotherapy

(The following inspiring story is exclusively intended for teachers and parents.)

Who I Am Makes a Difference

A True Story by Author Unknown

A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time.

First, she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters, which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honored whom and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out, find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened."

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him.

His surprised boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he asked, "Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."

That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says "Who I Am Makes a Difference," on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but

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somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need it after all."

His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed, "Mom and Dad."

The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life... one being the boss's son.

And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson.

WHO YOU ARE DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

The following is an example of how the teacher will process the story based on the three-step process of bibliotherapy:

IDENTIFICATION

INVOLVEMENT/CATHARSIS

INSIGHT

Who are the main characters in the story?

With whom you could identify yourself? Why?

What particular event/issue in the story that piques your interest or capture your imagination?

How do you feel after reading the story?

With whom do you empathize? Why?

What particular scene in the story that touched you most?

For you, what does the blue ribbon printed with gold letters symbolize?

What is the moral lesson you learned from the story?

What action are you going to take now?

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Another Sample Lesson: Relative to the ‘concept of karma’ lesson, the following short story of how an act of kindness was rewarded can be used: TITLE A GLASS OF MILK, PAID IN FULL AUTHOR UNKNOWN LESSON SHOWING GRATITUDE AND GOOD KARMA

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk.

He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.”

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.

She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She began to read the following words:

“Paid in full with one glass of milk.

Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.”

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Processing:

Personal Reflection: Ask the students to complete the unfinished statements below.

I now understand what gratitude means. It means _____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

For me that “one glass of milk” represents the _________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

I know a person who gave me “one glass of milk”, he/she is my ___________________

I now fully understand what “good karma means”. It means _______________________

Another way to facilitate reflective mode of learning is through the use of Reflective Journal as the one below. Say for example a teacher in Economics is discussing the topic on Taxation. He or she can bring up the issue on the TRAIN Law. First, the students are required to do simple research about the TRAIN Law focusing on its effect to the life of an ordinary Filipino family. After which, students are required to have their own reflection by writing their thoughts on their own Reflective Journal.

Source: www.appessay.com

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CHAPTER 4

PHASE III - APPLICATION

While the teaching strategies and techniques employed might be the best and feedbacks are great in the classroom, if students can’t apply what they learn to real life or new situations or to other contexts, then teaching still is half-way-thru. The learning loop must include practical application of knowledge and skills acquired. Knowledge not applied remains to be theoretical knowledge. Hence, the real challenge for teachers is not before, during and after every class periods. It’s the question of “what’s next” to learning. What’s next to learning should be TRANFEER OF LEARNING or APPLICATION of what has been learned.

Transfer of Learning or Application can be defined as the ability of a learner to successfully apply the behavior, knowledge and skills acquired in a learning event (be it in a classroom instruction, seminar or training) to real life or new situations. Hence, the third and final phase of the Transfer of Learning Process is APPLICATION. Revisiting Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Domain Bloom's Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of educational psychologist Dr. Benjamin Bloom in order to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating concepts, processes, procedures, and principles, rather than just remembering facts (rote learning). It is most often used when designing educational, training, and learning processes. Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains www.thoughtco.com/bloom’s-taxonomy

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In Bloom’s Taxonomy, APPLICATION is on the third level of the learning domain. It is where the students move beyond basic comprehension in order to begin to apply what they have learned. On this level, students are expected to be able to use concepts, theories, formulas, or tools they have learned in new situations in order to show that they can use these in an increasingly complex ways. This is not to challenge the wisdom behind the proven application of Bloom’s Taxonomy in education for almost seven decades now. However, this book aims to underscore that the final phase or level of Transfer of Learning Process is the Application Level. If the students were made to apply or connect what they have learned in new situations and contexts, in an “increasingly complex ways” then education is already a huge SUCCESS. This is the basic requirement of the job market, and due to the failure of some learning institutions to accomplish this, the result is a dismal mismatch of skills and job requirements, depriving the “schooled” from landing to a good job. What comes beyond APPLICATION is what to be called ENRICHMENT Level, or Continuing Education which some educators termed as Lifelong Learning. This is the main reason why the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Program is installed by law, in order to assure that all professionals will continue to be “enriched” and “updated” in their knowledge and skills making them more productive in their jobs. Enrichment activities come in different forms, but normally they are provided through Trainings, Seminars, Workshops or Crash Courses, be it onsite or online (i.e.webinars). Different Levels of Application Not drifting too much from Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning, the three remaining levels in the hierarchy will be used as determinants in the Application Phase of the Transfer of Learning Process with the addition of Decision Making. The Application Levels will now appear as follows: Levels of Application®

Creating

Creating

Decision Making

Decision Making

Analyzing and

Analyzing and EvaluatingEvaluating

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This author believes that all these activities (Analyzing & Evaluating, Decision Making and Creating) are all determinants of the Application Domain of Learning. It means that what the students learned are applied by analyzing situations, data and information, leading them to the formulation of decisions as they are needed; and make them able to create new things, concepts and new products. Therefore, to make sure that students show that they can apply what they learned, in the teaching process, teachers should:  Provide opportunities or real-life situations for them to Analyze and Evaluate;  Provide examples of real-world problems for them to solve and make decisions; about, and;  Empower and guide them to create new ideas, concepts, and products that could be useful for the society where they live. The question now is, what approaches, methods or strategies could be used in order to process APPLICATION in classroom instruction? Among many, two strategies stand out – Problem-based Learning (PBL) and Project-based Learning (also PBL). Although, upon looking at the objectives and processes employed, it can be surmised that they are almost perfectly the same. After careful, analysis and evaluation, this author decided to use the Problem-Based Learning method because it has the essential elements needed to really process the three levels of APPLICATION in the Transfer of Learning Process namely, Analyzing & Evaluating, Decision Making, and Creating. What Is Problem-Based Learning? Problem-Based Learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which complex real-world problems are used as the vehicle to promote student’s learning of concepts and principles as opposed to direct presentation of facts and concepts. In addition to course content, PBL can promote the development of 21st Century Competencies or Soft Skills known as the 4 C’s, namely, Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Creativity/Innovation, and Communication. According to Duch, et al, (2001) PBL could also provide for working in groups, finding and evaluating research materials, and life-long learning. Potentials of the PBL  PBL can be incorporated into any learning situation.  PBL can also be used to create assessment items.  PBL uses real-world problems as tools to promote student leaning.  PBL addresses the three levels of the APPLICATION PHASE. The students are made to complete the task by analyzing, evaluating, making decisions which would lead them to creating “new products”.

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 More importantly, PBL will prepare students, as they advance in their learning level, to do higher level of research works like Action Research and ultimately Standard Research like Theses and Dissertations. The PBL Research Model The implementation of PBL must be so organized in order to realize its objectives. There should be a concrete pattern of behavior and definite sequence of activities to make it systematic. It should be a process wherein there is continuity on the flow of action from start to finish. Above all, the Process should provide opportunities to make the students, analyze, evaluate and make decisions toward creating new concepts or products. The Model below was designed for this purpose: The PBL Research Model™

Anayzing &

Anayzing & EvaluatingEvaluating

Decision Making

Decision Making

Creating

Creating

Present the

Present the ProblemProblem

Brainstorming

Brainstorming

Indepenent

Indepenent StudyStudy

Collaboration

Collaboration towards a towards a SolutionSolution

Output

Output PresentatonPresentaton

Public Sharing

Public Sharing

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1. Present the problem Introduce an ill-structured(“fuzzy”) problem or a scenario to the students. This can be culled from the daily news, magazines, books, or from the internet. Just see to it that it is something relevant to the core content of the subject or topic being taught. The problem serves as the focal point for knowledge acquisition and delivery of instruction. To make it interesting, the students should not have enough prior knowledge to solve the problem. However, the teacher may need to provide background, clarify terminologies, and answer basic questions relating to understanding the problem. There are so many varied ways to present the problem. One is just by writing a word or a phrase on the chalk board or projecting it through the LCD Projector. Another way is by reading aloud a headline from the dailies or something that was culled from the internet. In some cases, a teacher may also use pictures or drawings and let the students interpret and be able to identify the problem. 2. Brainstorming After the teacher has presented the problem, he/she will now instruct the students to work in group. (Apply the Cooperative Learning Strategies). In this phase, the students will be discussing in group and be able to come up with a clear definition of the problem. Then they will proceed to listing down first “What is Known to them”, followed by “What is not Known”, then complete the activity by making a list of “What should be done”. In order to come up with a clear output, students will organize their “thoughts” by using the 3-Column T-Log® as the one below:

“What Do We Know”

‘What Do We Need to Know”

“What Should Be Done”

Students list what they know about the problem.

Students pose questions about what they don’t know and understand.

They need to find information to fill in missing gaps.

Students will now find ways as to how they “attack” or solve the problem.

This includes, making plan of action, doing research, conducting interview with an authority (if necessary, and identifying resources needed to complete the task.

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3. Independent Study One good thing about the PBL Research Model is providing the students for the opportunity to work together then work independently. This is one way of deepening individual understanding about the problem. Based on the output gained from the 3-Column T-Log, the group leader will now assign sub-topics to each member of the group, of course with the guidance of the teacher. (The Jigsaw Puzzle or “Chunking” is applied here). “Chunking”, as the term denotes, is the reduction of a whole topic into “chunks” or “bite-sized” topics to make it easily “digestible” or easier to work on. Again, the 3-Column T-Log is used for this activity, and may now appear this way:

Sub-topic

Findings/Data Gathered

Reference/Resources

The subtopic assigned to each group member

The group member writes all information culled relevant to the sub-topic assigned to him/her.

To give due acknowledgements, the “researcher” should not forget to indicate the source of all information gathered.

This activity must be completed in a pre-determined time frame in preparation for the next activity. This would be based upon the time table prescribed by the teacher in consideration of the curriculum guide being followed for the particular subject. 4. Collaboration Toward a Solution After doing their respective assignments, the students will now discuss in group their work output. (Cooperative Learning Strategy is again employed). Every group member is going to share what he got. At this stage, students will be sharing information, engage in peer teaching, and working together toward a solution. The Recorder will record every information, data and resources relevant to the solution of the problem. After the group sharing and exchanging of thoughts and ideas, the group will now work together in collating and interpreting the data gathered and structuring of the research output that will be presented to the class first. This makes the PBL Research a collaborative research activity.

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5.Output Presentation As part of the culminating activities in PBL, teachers generally require the students to communicate their findings, recommendations, and “new products” created as an offshoot of the PBL activities. The output, which can be considered as a “mini research” project should be structured as follows: I. Problem Statement II. Research Questions III. Data Gathered IV. Analysis of Data V. Solutions, Recommendations, and “New Products” based on the Analysis of Data VI. Bibliography of References The completion of the PBL Research is already a good indicator that learning on the Application Phase is taking place. As they go through the research process, students will be doing analysis & evaluation of data gathered, make decisions toward a solution to the problem, and finally, they will be creating or developing new concepts or products. 6. Public Sharing One pressing concern about research outputs is the issue of “utilizability”. Tons and volumes of studies conducted are wasted because many of these are not used but just ended up in library shelves gathering the figurative “dust of times”. Though this unwanted “habit” really makes the library one of the “richest places” on the planet (because of the priceless ideas piled up in its shelves) these “mental products” were deprived of the opportunity to contribute in the betterment of this world. Hence, to set a positive trend, the output of PBL Research should be shared to the public (referring to the learning community). After fine-tuning and final editing, which is normally done by the teacher, a “Mini Research Forum” will be organized, wherein the research team, with the guidance of their teacher will share to the learning community their “product” or their research output. Another way to publicly share the research output is through publication, be it in the School Paper, or better, if the school has its own Research Journal. And ultimately, forward-looking, a teacher could have his/her own blogsite wherein he/she could post all his/her students’ PBL Research outputs. This is one way of expanding teachers’ contribution to the improvement of life and society making education truly for life.

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Quick Reminder for Teachers John Dewey, a leader in education in his days, and who still influences educators today, conveyed that learning should not be just the acquisition of a rote set of skills. He believed that learning should be “the realization of one’s full potential and the ability to use these skills for the greater good”. These words of wisdom from a world-renowned educationist support the central idea of this book – that learning must be transferred from the “learning space” to “reality space”. This means that teachers should function as “learning processors” to make their students acquire knowledge and skills and be able to apply these acquired knowledge and skills to real-life situations and solve real-world problems. In such case, education, indeed is “for the greater good” of humanity.

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CHAPTER 5 FUTURE APPLICATIONS OF INTERVAL REINFORCEMENT

The application of Interval Reinforcement in the Transfer of Learning Process poses a great challenge to teachers and educational leaders as well. It is an educational space that is yet to be fully explored and used. To make it truly contributory to teaching and knowledge efforts and ultimately to the bottom line – EDUCAION FOR LIFE, it must be implemented in such a way that it ensures maximum success.

What is needed is a cost-effective and automated system that can deliver instruction to students quickly, and easily with on-going lessons. A web-based software solution offers the best opportunity for cost-effective and efficient delivery of Interval Reinforcement. Once the interval system is configured, delivery is automated providing “bite-sized chunks” of information to individual learners and measuring their own personal knowledge retention. (This would certainly call the attention of the IT professionals, specifically those who are working on educational technology as software developers.)

However, the above prevailing reality should not prevent the educators to take the first strides towards the implementation of the IR. And this book is an attempt to introduce some activities, though still not fully-automated, but could serve as start-up strategies for Interval Reinforcement. And take note, this is where technology will come into play.

Different IR Strategies  “Chunking” “Chunking”, as the term denotes, is the reduction of a whole lesson into “chunks” or “bite-sized” modules to make it easily “digestible”. It can be a “Lesson Brief” or “Quick Facts” about the lesson discussed. Or, it can be a “Modulet” discussing the whole lesson into five sub-topics. Example of a Lesson Brief: (Taken from the book Pathways of Devotion: An Introduction to World’s Great Religions, after discussing the topic: The Positive and Negative Effects of Religion) “Within every religion, there is outer imperfection, But, there are also teachings and a culture which can help lift up man to live a better, more fulfilling and more selfless life. It is true that man has often misused the ideals of religion for their own selfish ends. Religion has become a source of pride and conflict because man has acted badly in the name of religion. However, there are many ‘saints’ and religious figures, who, being inspired by religion have made significant contribution to the world. This is not to say that religion is indispensable. One may live a deeply spiritual life, without being attached to a particular organized religion. But, religion can be an inspiration for someone to lead a better life. Nevertheless, like many other things, religion is what we make of it.”

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Example of Quick Facts: (Taken from the Book Pathways of Devotion: An Introduction to World’s Great Religions, after discussing the topic lesson on Taoism) Quick Facts About Taoism:  Taoism originated in China 2,000 years ago  It is a religion of unity and opposites represented by the Yin and Yang. The principle of Yin and Yang sees the world as filled with complimentary forces: action and non-action, light and dark, hot and cold, and so on…  The Tao is not God and is not worshipped. Taoism includes many deities that are worshipped in many Taoist temples. These deities are believed to be part of the universe, and like everything, depend on the Tao.  Taoism promotes: achieving harmony or union with nature; the pursuit of spiritual immortality; being virtuous; and self-development.  Taoist practices include: meditation; feng shui; fortune telling; and reading and chanting of scriptures.  Modulet or Bite-Sized Module The Modulet is a by-product of a teacher’s innovative strategy. It would be the product resulted from the employment of Cooperative Learning strategy, wherein the whole class is grouped into five and each group is assigned a subtopic to work on. This is after the teacher has divided the whole lesson into five sub-topics. Each group, after discussing among themselves the topic assigned to them and doing some needed research, will be presenting their final output in written form. Final editing and fine-tuning will be done by the teacher, of course, and the student output will now evolve into a Modulet, which the teacher will “circulate” via available apps, i.e. messenger, telegram, viber or the latest, What’s App. Eventually, this Modulet will evolve into an e-Module – a shortened version of the e-Book. The Learning Brief, together with the Quick Facts, will also be “circulated” via the same apps mentioned. This is how technology will come into aid of Interval Reinforcement. Consequently, this would require every teacher to have the ability to use mobile technology in the advancement of their teaching activities. Technology, indeed, is not a threat, but a subservient aid to the teaching profession. The beauty of using the above-mentioned mobile apps is the spontaneity and instantaneous delivery of the spaced lessons to the students. This would be as simple as texting once the whole system is set and thus making information technology very relevant and useful to education.

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 Active Recall or Refresher Course Typically, an Interactive Reinforcement program starts with the critical learning points from a prior learning event and performs an iterative test/refresh process until knowledge retention to a specific level is achieved. The space in between each iteration is also important in maximizing information retention. One strategy that could be used in IR or Spaced Learning program is Active Recall. Active Recall is a “periodic quick test” given to the learner in between learning sessions. If there were five Modulets provided, based on the five sub-topics of every lesson, then the number of “quick test” to be given for every lesson must not be less than five. The quick test format varies according to the knowledge a teacher wants to be retained. It could be:  Fill in the blanks or sentence completion;  Identification;  Matching Type;  Problem-solving for Mathematics, or  Essay – which is best suited for Critical Analysis and understanding of principles.  Feedback Mechanism via Email The teacher must be diligent enough to monitor and evaluate the result of Interval Reinforcement. Again, this requires extended effort from the teacher’s end. He/she should find time to check the “quick test” result as a parameter of the success of spaced learning he or she is employing. See the diagram of a Feedback Loop below: Source: www.houcked.com/blog/tag/feedback-loop

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After checking, the next job of the teacher is to give feedbacks to individual learners via email. For the students, this is to give them self-evaluation, and for the teacher, the result could be a hint about what is missing or lacking, and thus, needed to be “reinforced” further.  The Learning Loop By employing Interval Reinforcement, the teaching and learning process will now evolve into a Learning Loop®. For the objective of this paper, the author defines the Learning Loop as “a learning connectivity that helps a teacher to define how the learning activities he/she does now, informs what he/she should do next. It provides a high-level perspective on how the teaching process can be broken down into “bite-sized” processes of iterative cycles.” In such scenario, the whole class will be like a computing system wherein the teacher will be the “central learning processor” and the students are all linked to it via mobile technology. See the illustration below:  Timing Matters Now, the next big thing to consider is the timing of Interval Reinforcement. It refers to the scheduling of spaced learning provided every after a learning event or class session. Going back to the Learning Curve presented at the outset, the footnotes given by the researcher will provide a clue as to how scheduling can be done.

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In Figure 1, it was stated: “During the learning events, memory for information is strengthened. As long as the learning event ends, forgetting begins.” In Figure 2, it was stated: “Spaced learning on the job turns the forgetting curve into a learning-and-forgetting curve, improving memory.” These observed phenomena must be considered in the scheduling of spaced learning. The hint here is urgency and spontaneity of reinforcement so as to sustain retention of knowledge and information. The closer the spaced learning applied, the greater memory is enhanced. Challenges in the Technology-Driven Application of Interval Reinforcement Interval Reinforcement as applied to the learning process, should normally be done immediately after the class (learning event) as part of their homework and as part of introductory activity of the next class period the following day. However, there are some constraints to be ironed out first, and this would certainly and totally change the classroom set up and teaching resources, and this makes IRP more applicable to Periodic Trainings and Subject-Specific Crash Courses at the moment. 1. Teaching Force Re-alignment Technology-driven application of Interval Reinforcement will basically require re-alignment of the teaching force. Teachers should be grouped homogenously by major subject area and by grade level. This is to ensure uniformity of materials and strategy to be used, and more importantly, to avoid information overload which would adversely affect the teaching and learning process. With the present set up, wherein teachers handle so may classes and teaching different subjects, the main objective of IR can hardly be realized. It would adversely affect the basic principles of urgency and spontaneity of spaced learning materials. 2. Teaching-In-Tandem IR requires additional manpower assigned in every classroom for every subject area. Teaching must be done in tandem (teaching in tandem indeed), which means that every subject teacher has his/her own Teacher Aid. As the main subject teacher is delivering and managing the learning activities, the main function of the Teacher Aid is “encoding and collating” of learning materials to be used as Learning Brief, Quick Facts, Modulet and for Active Recall. All these tools must be ready for uploading or “circulating” immediately every after class. This can’t be realized if there is only one teacher handling the class. Additional manpower means additional expense. Yes, but educational leaders should view it from the perspective of cost-effectivity.

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3. Technological Considerations IR will also require every teacher and students to be techno-savvy or be able to functionally use and operate needed gadgets and interfaces for the automated delivery of IR tools. As indicated at the outset, the Class will now evolve into a Learning Loop wherein the teacher and students are interconnected via mobile technology. Additionally, learning institutions will now need to offer some amount of leniency regarding the use of tablets, laptop, and mobile phones inside the classroom. Also, the program would require that every household and all public places and transport utilities to be Wifi-connected. For those who are currently working on this space, please be reminded by this postulate: “Wifi is like an Air, It should be Free and Everywhere.” 4.Curriculum Design IR would certainly create an impact to the Curriculum Design and this poses a great challenge to Curriculum Designers. This book provides for a basic guide and this is the Transfer of Learning Process Conceptual Framework, which suggests that in designing the curriculum, the three phases of the learning process should be carefully considered. A great emphasis must be given to the Interval Reinforcement and Application Phases, because this is where the critical points of learning are addressed. It is in the same areas that the current educational process must be improved in order to realize the noble purpose of education for life. 5. Instructional Material Development Another challenge to be faced is the development of Instructional Materials. Textbook authors or even the e-book writers will now be invited to do some “enrichment” or modification in their writing design, format or style. Outcome-based Education (OBE) format is the “in” thing or most commonly-used format now-a-days. However, considering the new paradigm discussed in this book, not much emphasis is given to the Interval Reinforcement and to the Application Level of the learning process. To make instructional materials really “outcome-based” they should compliment all the three phases of the Transfer of Learning Process, by providing innovative and suitable learning activities and strategies. Indeed, there are lots of future tasks ahead, should educators would go for the automated application of Interval Reinforcement. Conclusion This author believes that the new learning paradigm, concepts and deviant-from-the- normal ideas discussed in this book would certainly invite critical minds to ponder and them react. This is a normal phenomenon when something “new” is introduced, especially

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if it challenges the installed traditional system, and thus having an agitating impact on established norms and “comfort zones”. The main driving force of this work is “change for the greater good” as what John Dewey emphasized as the ultimate objective of education. This pronouncement must call the attention of every individual in the teaching profession, or better to say in the teaching vocation. Change is the main propeller of development and this author believes that the greatest catalyst for change is EDUCATION. However, in order for education to sustain its noble purpose, it should not be off-tracked from a continuum – a continuum of never-ending development that compliments the ever-changing environment, material and human resources, and more importantly, the current demand of human society. Educators should not be conformed with what they have and do now as “learning processors”, because these things will certainly become things of the past if they won’t innovate, strategize and then change. They should take advantage of the gifts of technology and shared wisdom from “knowledge societies” offering so many avenues for improvement. Finally, the educational system must be re-focused or re-calibrated and make it “sensitive” to the needs of times. What the world now needs is a strong ally that could help it survive from its ailing problems – the worst of these are Climate Change and Food Security. Education is the best ally that humanity could provide to make the world a better place to live in. However, EDUCATION must be transformed into a powerful and dynamic system that could really effect sustainable “change for the greater good”. This is the true essence of ‘EDUCATION FOR LIFE”. Reflective Statement for the Teachers Education is not the simple task of giving information, explaining concepts, defining principles and making the learners remember and understand all these in order for them to pass examinations. It is the noble but very challenging task of making the learner think, analyze and evaluate, make decisions and then create new “products” to promote “the greater good”. Without transfer of learning these couldn’t be fully achieved, and thus making Education a mediocre. - Villamor S. Quebral, Ed. D

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Bibliography:

Baldwin, T. T. & Ford, J. K. (1988) “Transfer of Training: A review and directions for future research” Personnel Psychology, 41 (65).

Bartosik, Ana, Education Week Teacher, 2014

Butler Community College, Cooperative Education, 2017.

Duch, B. J. (Ed.), Groh, E. S. (Ed.), & Allen, D. E. (Ed.), The Power of Problem-based Learning, University of Delaware, 2001.

Edwards, Jenny, Education Week, 2014.

Perkins, D. D. & Salomon, Gavriel, Educational Leadership, v46 n1 pp. 22-32 Sep. 1988.

Quebral, Villamor S., Pathways of Devotion: An Introduction to World’s Great Religions, LORIMAR Publishing, 2017.

Thalheimer, W., Spacing Learning Events Over Time: What the Research Says, 2006.

Electronic References:

www.work-learning.com/catalog

www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-middle-class-school

www.nea.org/tools

www.thoughtco.com/bloom’s-taxonomy

www.houched.com/blog/tag/feedback-loop

www.pinterest.co.uk

www.pinterest.ph

www.google.com/site/learning-strategies-for-you/double-entry/journal

www.appessay.com

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