Leading Professional Learning Community in Basic Education

Context:
The NNHS Experience
Dr. Maria Cristina A. Robles & Mr. Marco D. Meduranda
23rd ICTED International Conference on Teacher Education

Good afternoon. I am Marco from DepEd Navotas and with me is my

dearest principal Dr. Maria Cristina Robles. We are very honored to share
with you our experience in building and leading professional learning
communities in basic education context, and hopefully this will inform and
inspire us in doing our equity work as educators.

Here's the overview of our presentation. We shall first share the ground
work we did before the creation of our school-based action research
program. Next, we will explain how we build professional learning
communities in Navotas National High School through Learning Action Cell
(LAC) and action research. Then, we will discuss the outcomes and insights
we derived from this experience as well as the future direction of our
program.

Let me show you the members of the NNHS research team, the
school's lead learners. My job was to assist the principal in the
conceptualization and implementation of our research and professional
development programs.

With various DepEd orders geared towards the continuous

improvement of teaching and learning processes, the challenge was how
to communicate to teachers that these orders were not
compartmentalized, or where not meant to burden them. The school
leadership also saw the need to develop a program that will strengthen the
culture of collaboration among teachers towards the improvement of
student learning outcomes.

Four year ago in NNHS, there was no evidence of collaboration in

doing action research which simply a process of looking at data to improve
instruction by trying out or developing innovative instructional process. In
addition, only master teachers were conducting research as most teachers
did not have deep understanding and appreciation of LAC and Action
Research as professional development strategies.

To further characterize the challenge and lay groundwork for our

school-based action research program, we conducted a study on our
teachers' research self-efficacy and research anxiety. Since we want to
design meaningful and relevant capacity building for them, we examined
their level of confidence in doing research activities or "research self-
efficacy" and also examined their fears and uncertainties associated in
doing research. We used validated tools in this process. Based from the
findings, we learned that most teachers have low confidence on data
analysis and technical writing. This was corroborated when fear of statistics
and fear of writing were found to be the causes of "research anxieties"
among our teachers. Furthermore, focus group discussion with teachers
revealed that lack of time, work and personal constraints, and inadequate
support mechanism in doing AR and LAC.

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 The school research committee led by the principal also developed
this guiding framework that helped teachers understand why we need to
build professional learning communities in school.

This framework also describes our journey towards school

effectiveness. As you can see, to erase the teachers' notion that DepEd
orders on teaching and learning are compartamentalized or "hiwa-hiwalay
na parusa", we explained to them that each part complements each
other. Through the philosophy of INFORM, INVOLVE and INSPIRE, we
explained to the teachers that all activities in DepEd towards the
improvement of teaching and learning can be achieved through the
Learning Action Cell mechanism, which is at heart of the harmonization
scheme.

We carried out all of these orders: TQC or Teacher Quality Circle, PLC
or Professional Learning Community, CI or the Continuous Improvement
program and Action Research using Learning Action Cells, first, by informing
them what the policies are all about, then involving them on how to
contextualize and operationalize the activities given the school realities,
and then inspiring them or empowering them to be self-managed and self-
directed in accomplishing the collective goals of improving learning
outcomes and making them accountable to the results. We endeavored
to carry out these processes in a systematic, ongoing, job-embedded,
contextual and programmatic way as all activities are incorporated in the
3-year School Improvement Plan following the school-based management
principles.

In 2015, NNHS embarked on a school-based action research program.

How did we conduct this program? First, we used learning action cell as a way
to continuously inform, involve and inspire our teachers. In NNHS, LAC is an
opportunity for teachers to gather and discuss identified classroom problems and
collaboratively work to address the concern or improve the current practice.

Since one of the challenges identified by teachers in doing AR is the lack of time,
we uniquely restructured the class schedules to give time for teachers to
collaborate in doing AR and LAC. Without sacrificing contact time for students,
we were able to devise a schedule system where teachers deliver their teaching
in four days and on the fifth day they were given an OFF- DAY, to be used for
department-based learning action cells and action research follow-ups. These
off-days were supervised by the master teachers and the department heads. The
division office also approved our schedule system to support the first year of
implementation of the program.

To provide an environment for collaboration despite lack of faculty rooms, we

created faculty hubs, which are learning spaces in strategic corners or even
under the stairs, where teachers converge to plan, act and reflect on their
teaching practices.

Since modelling or leading by example is crucial to convince teachers that AR

can be done, the principal and the research team created, modelled and used
research to improve practice and programs.

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 During in-service trainings, we also designed intensive school-based action
research capacity building training workshops which simplified the process of
doing action research in fun and purposeful way.

To provide continuous technical assistance to teachers, the school

research team also underwent training on action research. The team gained
significant skills and knowledge from learning experiences through DepEd
initiated training on AR, and on BEST funded capacity building training especially
the Kumilos Action Research Model and also the design thinking workshops given
by Habi Education Lab.

To address fear of writing and statistics, we were also able to develop tools
that simplify the writing of action research. This templates guided teachers from
the topic conceptualization up to research proposal writing. One of our tool was
even recognized and adopted by DepEd National Capital Region. We also
developed a school research editorial team composed of willing English and
Math teachers who took care of the editing and statistics of teachers action
research reports.

For the first year of the implementation of the school-based action research
program, teachers received continuous technical assistance in the conduct of
their projects. These were done before, during and after their AR studies.

One way to monitor and evaluate the teachers' AR projects is through our
KUMUSTAHAN sessions. Here, teachers, by areas of specialization, presented and
reflected on what they had accomplished and received feedback and
technical assistance. Since AR is a recursive process, teachers sometimes plan for
another cycle of action plans to meet their AR success indicators.

With all of these activities and simplified mechanisms put in place, I am

proud to say that 100% of teachers in Navotas National High School are doing
action research. For the initial year of the program, we were able to produce 32
action research projects done by 136 teachers who were divided into 32 teams,
by learning area, per grade levels.

After its first year of implementation, the number of action research

proposals soared from 32 to 65 for this school year.

We have also received support from DepEd's Basic Education Research

Fund. A total of 385,739.00 pesos were given to a total of 46 approved action
research projects made by NNHS teachers. To fund other research, we used the
school's MOOE and sought assistance to local government or development
partners.

In August 31, 2017, our teachers were able to complete their action
research projects funded by BERF and they were given recognition by DepEd
NCR.

We also tried to make action research viral through our school-to-school

partnership on action research program. Principals who wish to capacitate their
teachers in the AR process were given assistance. We provide the training during
their school learning action cells and we also allowed them to go to our school
for continuous technical assistance on the action research projects of their
teachers. Since 2015, our team has been able to train 1380 public school teachers
from 15 different schools in Navotas, Malabon, Pasig, Manila, Las Piñas, Legazpi
and Pangasinan. It is good to note that the first school that we trained, San Roque
Elementary School in Navotas, has been also recognized for their successful
action research projects.

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 With regard to the effects of the program to student learning outcomes, we
would like to share that all 32 interventions developed by teachers during the 1st
year of the implementation of the program showed positive results on students'
learning outcomes. These findings were verified through the data triangulation of
students' pretest and posttest results, the findings from the focus group discussions
and the evaluation of students formative assessments like worksheets used in the
course of the intervention.

We were also able to develop an action research program for students.

Since 2015, a total of 103 students were trained on civic-based action research
program that engaged students in identifying policy solution to an identified
community problem. We were able to get support from the US Embassy Manila,
City Government of Navotas and Save the Children in funding these student-led
action research projects. One action research made by students about the
improper disposal of wastes in the Navotas City cemetery was made basis by the
city mayor in his project. The program is also being considered to be replicated in
Mindanao by our sponsor Save the Children.

We were also indebted to the Basic Education Sector Transformation (BEST)

for supporting and funding our action research festival held on February 25, 2017
at First Pacific Leadership Academy, Antipolo City. It was encouraging to note
that our school-based AR program became a division-wide activity.

We also shared our model to selected research coordinators and professors

of Teacher Education Institution during the CHED-BEST Capability-Building
Program for TEI Faculty held in on January 25-26, 2018. The theme of the program
was: BUILDING COMMUNITIES OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE THROUGH ACTION
RESEARCH and we helped them redesign their syllabus during the workshop to
embed action research and learning action cells as components of their
coursework and program.

We were also able to engage the parents in the action research process.
In fact, the concept from our Isang Nanay, Isang Gulay Project came from them.
The AR project seeks to augment the resources of our school-based feeding
program by engaging each parent to plant vegetables in their homes and then
offer these vegetables in our school-feeding activities. This process caught the
attention of Senator Bam Aquino. We were invited to present this modality in a
hearing in the senate last November, 2016. And last June 29, 2018, the bill was
passed into law and it was so rewarding that our simple action research project
became part of a national law.

The future of our AR program to deepen professional learning communities

in our school is bright. We intend to intensify training on data-driven instruction to
improve utilization of research findings. We are also reviewing the program to
align it with Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers and Results-based
Performance Management System (PPST RPMS). We will also sustain our linkages
with other schools to our modified school- to-school partnership with the help of
our valued stakeholders to promote student-led action research.

As we reflect on this experience, we were able to draw the following

insights:

1. Action research and learning action cell as way to operationalize the

concept of professional learning community in schools are effective means

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 in promoting collaborative culture in schools as these allow teachers to
work together to analyze and improve classroom practice.
2. Transforming a school into a professional learning community requires
creativity, hard work and innovativeness. Its success depends not on the
merits of the concept itself but on the commitment and persistence of the
educators within it.
3. Pre-service teacher education should provide opportunities for future
educators to explore and apply the principles and processes of action
research as this will foster an openness toward new ideas, reflective
practice, meaningful collaboration and inclusive education.

Thank you for your attention and have a good day.