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Model Teacher: Behaviorism as

Foundation of Learning
A Case Study by Grazielle Mae Andres-Sales
The concept of being a model is very wide and extends far beyond the idea
of putting on a calculated performance. It is frequent to find the term model
in many situations, the following is an example, but I will focus only in the
strategies, values and views being put forth by a teacher who had proven
time and again the effectiveness of her pedagogy. Therefore, this case study
affords the reader an opportunity to gain insights on the best practices of a
teacher who has been successfully treading her career in the industry for
twenty years.
Furthermore, with the adaptation of the K-12 curriculum, the values and
beliefs underlying the teaching and learning process are being reconceived,
thus the perceptions of the subject about this matter shall also be
incorporated.
I have taken the liberty of adding some comments based on what I am
currently learning from being a student taking up teacher education,
although there shall be no separate chapter to be included.
Mrs. Ernalyn Garcia-Sales, a grade school teacher for twenty years, is the
subject of this descriptive study. She was chosen not only she is a fourth
degree relative but more importantly out of other peoples testaments of her
effectiveness in teaching basic skills to younger pupils.
Demography
Mrs. Ernalyn Garcia-Sales is 43 years of age and is permanently residing in
her humble abode at the the far-flung barangay of Morong in the town of
Badoc, Ilocos Norte. Married to Danilo Llana-Sales, she is a proud mother to
four children; two of them are professionals (a management accountant and
a grade school teacher).
Raised in a family of farmers, she owes her success to her parents whose
meager income financed her early education. Before graduating in college as
a teacher, however, she met her husband-to-be, Danilo Llana-Sales, and
gave birth to her first born, Rosel, even before graduating in high school.
Poverty and this unexpected circumstance, she said, did not stop her from
achieving the career that she wanted and rather collectively turned them
into a driving force.
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Teaching Experience
Mrs. Sales started her teaching career when she was employed as a
substitute teacher in Gabut Elementary School way back 1995. She first held
permanency when she transferred to Madupayas Elementary School in
September 3, 1996. In July 1998, she was absorbed in Badoc South Central
School as a Grade 1 teacher. In 2005 up to date, she became an adviser to
Grade 1 pupils of Pasuc-Parang Elementary School, just barely a kilometer
away from home.
Mission, Vision, Goals, Objectives
Mrs. Sales admitted that she chose the teaching profession out of
practicality. She said that during the time when shes deciding what to get in
college, there was a consensus that if a person is poor and wants an easy
way in college, he or she may get into a teaching program because its the
cheapest and ultimately, the easiest job. Really, during our time, this
profession wasnt that attractive as others.
And so that was how I get into this profession. We were poor; teaching
education was the only course I could afford, she added, But now, its
totally different. The society has now given emphasis on the importance of
teacher education. The efforts being put forth by the government in uplifting
education truly inspires me. It helped me change my perception about this
profession through the years.
According to Mrs. Sales, her mission in teaching is to see a positive change in
the behavior of her learners. She said that if a learner passes through her
program without the required change that is expected of him or her, then
Mrs. Sales would consider her teaching as failure. I have not specifically
cited any mission or vision in teaching. The only thing that I want in this
profession is to be effective, and the only way to know whether I am on the
right track is to see my learners success in using the learned basic skills in
their daily lives. Perhaps, thats the reason why Im in the job.
Teaching Pedagogy
Belief System in Learning
The subject revealed that she uses a mix of approaches in her classroom.
Nevertheless, when the researcher requested her to give a concrete rating
between the two widely used but contrasting approaches of constructivism
and behaviorism (with the scale of 1 closest to the former to 6 or being a
firm supporter of the latter), Mrs. Sales chose the scale of 4, referring to
herself as more of a behaviorist than a constructivist.
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As a Grade 1 teacher, she cited her own experiences to support her stand.
She said that while it is indeed important for a child to develop his or her
own ability to construct meaning later in life, it is vital to get a support from
a more mature learner, or in this case, a teacher to strengthen the process of
learning particularly during the early years of education.
For her, children come to school with a background in values through their
parents or guardians, but their skills in listening, speaking and the 3Rs
(reading, riting, rithmetic) are very limited. They are blank slates in terms
of these required learning macro-skills and this is where the job of the
teacher comes in. She said this pointing out her experiences with learners in
the first grade level who were almost clueless of what to do in a given task,
unless the instruction is explained further or demonstrated.
Mrs. Sales further supported this by citing specific experiences: I am also an
evaluator in our school which meant that before the grading sheets and the
teachers reports reach the district superintendent, I am the one who
analyzes the data given by each teacher, screening each comment in their
journal which needed further investigation. For many times, I have
encountered the scenario wherein a learner who couldnt read was already
ready for placement in the fifth grade which is not supposed to be!
As an evaluator, I admit that this problem can be blamed on the
performance of the teachers in the first three grade levels where the foci are
on the basic learning skills, so time and again, I would say to my co-teachers
that the foundation of learning is up to us. I would tell them that the level of
school readiness of first-grade students can have an effect on their
educational outcomes as they approach middle school,
She also explained that in order for this to work out, a teacher in Grade 1 for
this manner, needs to develop a sturdy teaching pedagogy to keep up with
the undefined learning styles and behavior of students in the early stage of
learning.
Many children this age are challenging, but some are particularly spirited,
hyperactive, or otherwise difficult to manage. They need someone who could
keep up with the kind of teaching they need,
One of the first things she cited is the science of reward and punishment to
reinforce learning.
I would prefer to be seen as the strict type of teacher because I cannot think
of another way than being assertive when it comes to teaching the subject
matter. If you are too kind, too nice as a teacher, you wont be very
successful in affecting change in their behavior. It will be very hard for you to
control them if you remain soft-hearted.
You must always have a great
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presence in the classroom. They must look up to you as an authority, respect


you as a teacher, and that your words can never be ignored. This is how I
train them; you want them to become future citizens who know to abide by
the rules and accomplish their responsibilities. And to do this, you must build
the foundation and start from the bottom, said Mrs. Sales.
In fact, her strictness, as what Mrs. Sales thought, is the trait which qualified
her to become the official trainer for the repeaters or the learners who are
consistently getting failing grades in their school. If you were to ask me if
my being strict pays off? Perhaps, I would talk about how the school board
chose me to train the repeaters. It was flattering, really, but I wasnt sure
what were the criteria used for the selection. I think its because among the
teachers handling the earlier grade levels, I was the most meticulous or in
other words, strict when it comes to whether a child can already perform
the basic skills or not. Maybe, thats it.
Moreover, creating a motivational system to gain and retain the attention of
Grade 1 students has proven to help Mrs. Sales in her daily classes.
According to her, storytelling, role play and choral reading and singing are
good examples of motivational activities which a teacher may use as
springboards.
In my Grade 1 class, I always require my pupils to read in chorus the
direction of the exam as well as the stems. This is after I realized that they
get higher scores whenever we do this kind of exercise, said Mrs. Sales,
reiterating that John Deweys theory of experiential learning, i.e. learning by
doing, is actually a fact. The more senses are involved, the more active the
students get, she added.
Mrs. Sales also sees the role of technology highly important to support the
teaching-learning process. The equipment which are readily accessible to her
are TV, DVD players and paper-made materials such as posters, charts, and
flash cards. Unfortunately, since the school cannot provide equipment other
than the aforementioned, she said that sometimes she would bring her
personal laptop to class for special presentations. Students are obviously
more interested whenever they see that you are using some stuff other than
the chalk and the blackboard,
When asked about her bases in designing her everyday classroom activities,
she mentioned that she always take her learners abilities in consideration
and make sure that each involve the development of the higher order
thinking skills (HOTs). Though I already said that learners are blank slates in
some aspects of learning, I believe that the ability to learn skills is innate to
everyone.
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On Assessing Learners
On assessing the abilities of her learners, Mrs. Sales enumerated her
practices which help her maintain fairness in judging. I do not let the bright
ones outshine the others. When I facilitate a classroom activity, usually, I do
it by dividing them into groups. In here, I see to it that leadership rotates.
This means that everybody gets his own turn in leading a team.
Mrs. Sales said that each teacher in their school is required to keep a daily
journal, saying that not all grades are quantitative. Qualitative data also help
her in deciding what mark to give to a child. When asked about her view on
the importance of grades, Mrs. Sales said that grades are mere tools for us
teacher to know whether a child is already good enough to move up across
the ladder. These numbers do not necessarily define a child for I believe that
there are also kids who are naturally late bloomers. There are also those
who are good at one subject and bad at the other, depending on the kind of
intelligence that they have. Grades, really, are not the ultimate determinant
of a childs ability to perform. The learning of a child can only be gauged
through a long-term observation.
Relationship with Learners
When asked about how she gauges her relationship with her students, Mrs.
Sales told me that she would observe how frequent her students ask curious
questions during discussions or approach her after class hours. For her, any
gesture which shows a desire for communication means a positive
relationship. Even though I am strict inside the class, I see to it that beyond
the classroom, I will still appear motherly to my learners. I treat them as if
they were my own children, Mrs. Sales pointed out. She also explained that
appreciating even the smallest deed done by a learner is as important as
giving them a high report card mark. A simple smile or an utterance like
very good are all vital not only in boosting the learners confidence but in
encouraging them to reinforce such positive actions. Communication,
according to Mrs. Sales is the key to everything, including in involving trust in
developing your relationship with students. Whether you do it verbally or
non-verbally, you must show a response to whatever gesture a learner do,
she said, That is how you build a rapport: be kind, but not too kind for them
to take you for granted. You must have a balanced relationship with them.
When asked about how she would handle learners who are behaviorally
disturbed, she said that she usually give them something to constantly work
on. Make them busy. Thats how they will develop a sense of responsibility
and eventually the value of cooperation, she added.
Professional Growth

For Mrs. Sales, the most unforgettable seminar she attended was way back
2003 when she was awarded as the Most Outstanding Teacher in HEKASI in
the entire region. It was a competition. I was nominated by my school, won
in the division level and then when I presented my best practices during the
regional seminar, I bagged the award! It was such a blessing!
However, it was apparent that Mrs. Sales did not talk about any other
experience other than that and proceeded on answering my question about
the frequency of her attendance to seminars or workshops for teachers. She
was downright honest to admit that in a year, she could even barely attend
two local seminars. If you are the breadwinner, you have four kids who still
need financial support, and your income was just enough for all of your
monthly needs, its really quite hard to spend extra money on seminars,
especially on those which require a registration fee of P3,000 and above
alone. For the meantime, I only rely on what DepEd can offer to me for free
but that have become quite rare lately, Mrs. Sales confessed.
Taking the exam for principals was also considered as an option by Mrs.
Sales. However, she was quick to lose confidence on turning this into a
possibility upon realizing that she had not yet finished her masters degree. .
Out of shortage in resources, Mrs. Sales revealed that she stopped at 43
units in her masters education, deciding to allot the money she needed for
her thesis to help Rosel, her eldest child, enroll in a masters program in
Business Management, instead.
Im part of something bigger here now; Im a mother. If one of my children
needs money, I would not have second thoughts to give what I have to her.
And that time, Rosel wanted to get her masters degree so I gave her my
budget for thesis, she confided, Titles can always wait, anyway, but a
childs dream cant. I wanted to nourish Rosels desire in taking up her
masters degree because that desire may not come again if we let it pass.
Mrs. Sales, who is now a Master Teacher, said that she is planning to
collaborate with co-teachers in creating workbooks or assessment materials
in the future. This is how I want to turn things around. I might not be getting
any free seminar or do any further step for my education but I believe that
by making these materials, I could still contribute positively beyond the
classroom. This is how I will never be stagnant in what I do, if not grow.
Mrs. Sales also described her relationship with co-workers as highly
collaborative. She said that she and her co-teachers have been open about
sharing what they have to each other, most especially when it comes to
lesson planning. I do not think twice in sharing my lesson plans to other
teachers whenever they need them. I also give honest comments or
suggestions whenever they ask me.
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relationship with each of them. I always reach out and thats how they are to
me as well.
Role in the Community
Mrs. Sales recognizes the fact that a teachers role is not only confined within
the classroom. She believes that above everything else, the most important
role of a teacher is to become a role model of the community. When theres
an event in the community which requires the attendance of us in the
academe, I always find a way to show up despite a hectic schedule because
that is part of my job. Also, during elections when the government requires
us to help out, I am always there. Number one is to abide by the rules and
regulations, to embody the law, and uphold responsibility
Another role she pointed out is the teachers duty to create a rapport with
the parents of the learners, saying that parents are part of the community.
They constitute the village that directly affects the learning of a child. It is
important to make them aware of this important role by partnering with
them. Make them cooperate with the fact that you are all partners in building
the child.
On K-12 and on the Efforts of DepEd
I am positive about the new change, Mrs. Sales answered after asked
about her stand on the most pressing issue on Philippine Education, that is
the adaptation of the K-12 Curriculum, I like the idea that graduates of the
senior high school can already work or that we are now ready to be at par
with our neighboring countries in terms of education.
Mrs. Sales further said that she had no other issue against the new
curriculum except one thingthe use of language inside K-12 classrooms.
According to her, although she is aware that there are principle supporting
the decision of the K-12 curricularists to require teachers in the earlier grade
levels to utilize the learners mother tongue in teaching, for her, this change
will only create further confusion.
In the previous curriculum, were allowed to practice bilingualism, which is I
think effective already in itself. And I am still in favor with the use of that,
considering that for the higher grade levels, English will be the medium of
instruction. Their competence in the said second language will be greatly
affected once we fail to introduce it to them as early as three or five, those
years when plasticity in learning is at its best. Another is the fact that in
Iluko, we are using varied translations, depending on the origin of our source.
We also have no direct Iluko translation for certain words in English and in
Tagalog. Really, if K-12 has a loophole, this is it,
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When I asked her about that one thing she wanted to talk about with the
highest officials in the Department of Education, Mrs. Sales said that she
would raise the issue on the misalignment between DepEd-distributed
instructional materials and the learning objectives targeted by a teacher. She
further added that the textbooks handed out by the department needed
major revisions, and that they should satisfy the desired learning outcomes
(DLOs) and suit the learners needs.
I was also concerned about the learning continuum which is not wellarranged and overlapping. I hope that this would not be repeated with the
adaptation of K-12.
For Future Teachers
For Mrs. Sales, there are only three important words which a teacher should
bear in mind to be consistently successful in her everyday endeavors. First, I
would say patience. Nothing is more important than being patient in
whatever you do. You might be passionate, you might be in love with your
job but having the patience is different. In being patient, you know how to
wait and what it takes to do it. You are open for sacrifice: sacrificing your
time and effort, and choosing to accept everything calmly when all else fail.
The second virtue mentioned by Mrs. Sales is about being prepared.
Preparedness in terms of creating your lesson plan, the teachers bible.
When you are not prepared emotionally and physically to face the everyday
challenge in the classroom then theres a great possibility that you will not
be able to meet your DLOs.
Lastly, a teacher should be smart, according to Mrs. Sales. Being smart
literally means being the smartest person in the classroom because there will
be moments when one of your students will ask you the wildest questions. It
takes a smart teacher to go around it if she herself does not know the exact
answer or on how to properly respond to it. So teachers should be smart, or
at least look smart to her students all the time because this is the only way
that we could maintain our credibility, she remarked.
As a parting question during the interview, I asked her for the best advice
she could vere think of giving to young teachers like myself. This was her
answer: Love your profession. You have to regard teaching as your own rice
paddy. If you do not plant on it, nothing will come out of it. This is not just a
career, but like how farming is to a famer, this is your livelihood. This is what
feeds you physically, emotionally, intellectually so why not just focus and be
a master of your craft? We have different perceptions about success and for
me, being successful is simply being effective in what you love to do, she
concluded.
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The interview with Mrs. Ernalyn Sales which was held in her home last March
20, 2016 was immediately followed by a short interview with one of her
former students. This is to make further confirmations as for the responses
given by the subject of the study.
Geraldine Sales, my younger sister, said that she could remember Mrs. Sales,
our aunt as we call her, as a very strict teacher. She had this behavior of
widening her eyes when a student fails to perform well at something and
that quite scared me during that time. Nevertheless, it was that fear which
drove me to be always prepared whenever I come to her class. I should
never miss doing assignments, I should be able to read well. To not piss off
Mrs. Sales was one of my daily objectives.
When I asked Geraldine if such strategy of Mrs. Sales worked to her
advantage as a learner, she answered yes, in a way that it pushed her to
be a better student.
Shes my Grade 1 teacher; other than Ma, shes the other person who
helped me develop my skills in reading and writing. For me, she is effective,
Geraldine added.
March 28,
2016

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