THE TRENDS OF THE 21ST CENTURY: CHANGES IN THE

PHILIPPINE EDUCATION SYSTEM AND THE MODERN

ADVANCES IN TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS AND
TECHNOLOGICAL STRATEGIES
For 15 years after the start of the century, the advances in technology and reforms in
education have been changed all over again. Innovative strategies are also implemented due to
the pedagogical transformation and reborn of creativity in the classroom and the curriculum.
Here are the trends that potentially changed the educational system in the Philippines and the
intervention of a new revolution in teaching.
PHILIPPINE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM TRENDS
After the trifocalization of the Philippine system almost 24 years ago, the mandate of
reforms in basic education curriculum has drastically changed since the Garcia era. The New
Elementary Education Curriculum and New Secondary Education Curriculum are proven
insufficient to the students due to its overcrowded curriculum. This is why Basic Education
Curriculum formed under DepEd Secretary Raul Roco last June 17, 2002 under DepEd Order
No. 20, Series of 2002. This curriculum highlights the linear approach of Mathematics,
integrative and integrated teaching-learning approaches are stressed, the curriculum is dynamic
process, and focuses on the philosophy of essentialism (due to the basics of arithmetic, reading,
and writing). Science and patriotism are also the focuses of the BEC, and the integration of
Values education is established in all subject areas. This curriculum also made students ready for
lifelong learning and promotes collaboration in learning and teaching. The implementation is the
response to the RA 9155 (Government of Basic Education Act of 2001).
Due to the declining school performance from drop-outs to assessments, the Revised
Secondary Education Curriculum (DepEd Order No. 76, s. 2010) was ordered by Sec. Mona
Valisno last June 4, 2010 as the response. It highlights the understanding by design (UBD)
curriculum (the backward design, an ASCD trademark) or teaching for understanding, looking at
the outcomes in order to design curriculum units, performance assessments and classroom
instruction. The Basic Education Curriculum is retained in elementary education.
Universal Kindergarten Education Act (RA 10157) and the K to 12 Educational System
or Enhanced Basic Education Act (RA 10533) are the trends of curricular reforms signed by the
President Benigno C. Aquino III and DepEd Sec. Bro. Armin Luistro as a response to the
ASEAN Integration that already started last 2015. It was approved last January 20, 2012 and
May 15, 2013. RA 10157 highlights the equal opportunities for all children (EFA as a part of
MDC in 2015) as well as the mandatory and compulsory education (age entry is 5 years old). It

also includes the adaptation of Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) as a

primary medium of instruction as well as providing teaching strategies (unique features of MTBMLE). The K-12 Educational System, which adds 2 years of education after the 10 year cycle of
education is insufficient as well as the lack of competency of the students and its mastery,
functions the modern trends of principles of basic education (learner-centered, relevant, culturesensitive, contextualize, pedagogical approaches, mother tongue, and spiral progression of
subjects); provides the 4 core curriculum designs for senior high school which is based on
aptitude, interests, and school capacity (General Academic Strand, Technical-VocationalLivelihood, Sports, and Arts and Design); and a SHS voucher program, giving its opportunity to
work after graduate even without the diploma in college as well as its relevance in their goals. It
benefits jobs, business and college to the Philippine economy. The first batch to start K to 12
Education in Grade 1 is on SY 2012-2013 until SY 2023-2024.
MODERN PROCESS IN TEACHING-LEARNING INNOVATION
Before we know about the trends in the Philippines about the innovative strategies, here
is a closely look into the main trends of global education advances for the learners in the 21 st
Century (Eaton, 2010):

Technology use and integration

Expansion of mobile technology
Asset-based approaches to evaluation
Increased creativity
Global approaches to learning
Global motility
Borderless education

After implementing the BEC, a lot of changes in educational trends have already
disseminated. Among of these are the following: reading literacy program (DO 45, s. 2002),
operationalization of Science and Math teachers to teach in the Philippines (DO 49, s. 2002),
Citizenship Advancement Training revisions (DO 54, s. 2003 & DO 52, s. 2004), reviewing the
Filipino Alphabet and Spelling (DO 42, s. 2006), an addition of foreign languages to the
curriculum of third and fourth year high schools (DO 55, s. 2009), institutionalizating and
implementing mother tongue education (DO 74, s. 2009 & DO 16, s. 2012), deduction of
classroom time program in elementary and secondary education (DO 90, s. 2009), strengthening
and giving the rights to special education at the basic education level (DO 50 s. 2010),
indigenous programs at Alternative Learning System (DO 101, s. 2010), enhancing EPP
programs (DO 108, s. 2010), and protecting the childrens rights (DO 40, s. 2012).
Mentioned curriculum or various policies as stated above provides the diversity,
collaboration, and tech-powered defines the future of teaching and learning leading to the
empowering the vision of innovate strategies. Although none of the policies mentioned

technology, the changes of the learners in this century seems to be appropriate. Following the
implementation of Outcomes Based Education in the Philippines trough CHED Memo Order 46,
s. 2013, the competency-based learning standards and outcomes-based quality assurance
monitoring and evaluation is also motivates to the technological strategies to be done by the
professor in the tertiary education. Its approach is just the same as the K-12 curriculum.
The learners in public schools in the Philippines in terms of innovation are drastically the
problem itself due to its defective material of computers and lack of technological mastery of the
teachers. In contrast, the learners in private schools in the Philippines are fully prepared to the
advances in technology. But when the implementation of K-12 System was approved, the
innovation has been started as the Digital Age continues to revolve in this century. Here are the
characteristics of the learning in the 21st Century (modern) and the comparison to the traditional
age that has an impact to the learners.
ROLE OF TEACHERS
INTERACTION
ASSESSMENT
CENTRICITY
LEARNING PROGRAMS
LEARNING FOCUS
NATURE OF THE
CURRICULUM
TEACHING APPROACH
RELEVANCE

THINKING SKILLS

TEACHING
METHODOLOGIES
FEEDBACK
STUDENT SELFMANAGEMENT

LEARNING STYLES
TECHNOLOGY USE

Traditional
Controller
Individual over collaboration
Percentage/numerical
Teacher-centric
Group based some extension
or remedial
More on content
Fact-based and traditionalbased
Just in case learning
Low relevance to the learner
Often low currency
Can lack context for the
learner
Lower order
Unistructural &
Multistructural
Lecture, Stand and Deliver
Teacher-centric Instructional
approach
Limited
Based on rules
Limited or no student input
into framework
Basic Essentials
Literacy & Augmentative

Modern
Facilitator
Collaboration over individual
Criteria-based/Performancebased
Student-centric
Individual learning programs
or sometimes team based
More on process
Concept-based and outcomesbased
Just in time learning
Relevant to learner
Current and topical
Has high contextual value for
learner
Higher order
Relational
& extended abstract
Project and problem based
learning
Constructivist
Multiple sources
Based on moral and ethical
approach
Students, staff & community
partnership in development
Multiple Intelligence
Transformative

Here are the strategies that anyone can apply this throughout your lesson plan:
visualization, an especially good teaching strategy in which students visualization helps them
understand, recall and think critically about the subject areas they study; wisely managed
classroom technology, another way to strategize the innovation through enhancing digital
experience and the right to information; and active learning, ranging from peer discussion to
collaborative learning to reflective learning as well diverse and global approach.
FAST FACTS
Timeline of Brief Universal Technological Revolution in the Western Culture
1. (1900-1100 BC) Indo-European technological revolution
2. (700- 200 BC) Celtic and Greek technological revolution
3. (300- 700 AD) Germano-Slavic technological revolution
4. (930-1200 AD) Medieval technological revolution
5. (1340-1470 AD) Renaissance technological revolution
6. (16001740) Financial-agricultural revolution
7. (17801840) Industrial revolution
8. (18701920) Technical revolution (or Second Industrial Revolution)
9. (19401970) Scientific-technical revolution
10. (1985present) Information and telecommunications revolution