SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CORE SUBJECT

QUARTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

TOPIC / LESSON NAME Doing Philosophy

CONTENT STANDARDS
PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
SPECIFIC LEARNING
OUTCOMES
TIME ALLOTMENT
The learner understands the meaning and process of doing philosophy
The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a philosophical way
Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life (PPT11/12-lb-1.3)
Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective (PPT11/12-lc-1.4)
At the ends of the lesson, the learners will be able to:
1. Write a one-page reflection paper following the structure of Day-to-day Life, Reflection, and
Application
120 minutes

LESSON OUTLINE:
1. Introduction/Review: Communicating learning objectives & reflection on excerpts from Plato’s Apology and Sapagkat ang Pilosopiya ay
Ginagawa by Roque Ferriols, S.J. (30 minutes)
2. Motivation: The March To Progress in the Philippines (15 minutes)
3. Instruction: Discussion about Indigenous Peoples and Philosophical Reflection on Progress (60 minutes)
4. Practice: Deconstructing personal beliefs (10 minutes)
5. Evaluation: Giving of instructions on the take-home reflection paper (5 minutes)

MATERIALS Copy of the articles, notebook

Ferriols, Roque. Pambngad sa Metapisika. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press – Blue Books, 2014.
Abella, Jerrie. “Indigenous people remember Maciliing Dulag’s martyrdom.” GMANews.TV. 24 Apr. 2010. Web. 23
RESOURCES Jun. 2015.http://www.gmametwork.com/news/story/189239/news/nation/indigenous-people-remember-macliing-
dulag-s-martyrdom

Carolino, Ditsi. “The March to Progress in the Philippines.” Aljazeera. 4 Nov. 2014. Web. 23 Jun. 2015.
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/viewfinder/2014/11/march-progress-philippines-2014112122317640995.html

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QUARTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

PROCEDURE MEETING LEARNERS’ NEEDS

INTRODUCTION (10 MINUTES)

1. Introduce the following learning objectives using any of the suggested protocols (Verbatim,
Own Words, Read-aloud)
a. I can explain the value of philosophy in my life.
b. I can write a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.

2. Unlock the definitions of the following words. Ask the leaners first and see if the class can
derive the definitions based on the student responses:
a. Holistic perspective
b. Concrete Situation
c. Philosophical reflection

REVIEW (20 MINUTES) Teacher Tips:

1. Ask the learners to read the following passages for ten (10) minutes.
Role of the Text:
a) Excerpt from Plato’s Apology (38a): “The unexamined life is not worth living.” The chosen texts are meant to facilitate
the learner’s acquisition of insight. The
b) Excerpt from Sapagkat ang Pilosopiya ay Ginagawa ni Roque Ferriols, S.J. role of the teacher is not to impose one
interpretation of the text but to point
towards the crucial elements that may
May mga taong gusto raw matutong lumangoy. Nakasuot-panlangoy na sila at sama-sama serve as the basis of the learner’s
silang nakatayo sa tabi ng swimingpul. May notbuk at bolpen ang bawat isa. reflection.

Nagsalita ang guro. “Una sa lahat,” aniya, “magsanay ka munang magtampisaw sa tubig,
Tapos huwag huminga pero idilat ang mata at magpasailalaim ng tubig. Tapos basta’t
dumapa. Huwag matakot. Lulutang ka. Tapos, matutong gumalaw ng paa, matutong
gumalaw ng kamay. Matutong huminga. At paulit-ulit na pagsikapan at pagtiyagaan ang
praksis.” Habang siyaý nagsasalita, masipag nilang sinusulat ang lahat ng sinabi niya.

“At ngayon,” patuloy niya, “eto ang swimingpul. Oras nang magsimula. Lundagin mo
beybe!” Walang lumundag, pero sulat nang sulat pa rin sila. “Hoy, sa tubig na kayo!
Walang kabuluhan ang sulat-sulat niyo kung hindi ninyo ginagawa.” Wala pa rin
lumulundag. Sulat pa rin sila nang sulat.
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QUARTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

2. Ask the following guide questions to the learners: Subjective Interpretation of the Text
a. What does Plat mean when he says “unexamined life”? If the learners give a different
b. Based on the Ferriols’ text, what do you think the students are thinking when they are interpretation of the text, do not dismiss
diligently copying the instructions given by the teacher instead of diving into the pool? their answers as incorrect but ask them
c. Why is the teacher so keen on making the learners jump in the swimming pool instead what their basis was for their
of just taking down notes on how to swim? interpretation.

3. Write the following terms on the board: day-to-day life, reflection, and application The Nature of Philosophical Reflection
Philosophical reflection is open-ended in
4. Instruct them to do the following: the sense that the goal is not to arrive at
a. Define what each term refers to. one definite answer for everyone. This
b. Share a belief narrative where they encountered the three moments in their own life. means that while learners may not
c. Give insights as to the importance of reflection and application (praxis) in one’s day-to- necessarily agree with other’s
day life. interpretations, they do not dismiss them
immediately without trying to understand
Sample responses: where these people are coming from and
 It is important to examine our lives. what their reasons for holding their
 Unlike animals, human beings are able to think about what they have done in the beliefs. This open-mindedness to the
past. This allows us to reflect on the kind of persons we are becoming. horizons of other people enables learners
 Plato suggests that thinking about the past will help as act better in the future. to fairly evaluate different interpretations
 Ferriols’ story tells us that we can not just study about things. We need to do them. and to distinguish which among them are
 When I come home, I always have food to eat. But I see children in the streets that excellent, plausible, and poor
beg in order to buy food. I realize that while eating three times a day is normal for interpretations of the text.
me, not everyone is able to do so because they have no money.
MOTIVATION (10 MINUTES)

1. Remind the learners that today’s topic revolves around current events, and that they need
to be aware of the things happening in the country.

2. Hand out a copy of the news article, distributed as worksheets. This may also be written on
a manila paper; or shown as a news item on-screen.

3. Let them read the txt quietly for five (5) minutes

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QUARTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
The March to Progress in the Philippines
A tribesman leads his village in resisting a development project that promises progress but threatens
his tribe.
By Ditsi Carolino, AlJazeera
November 4, 2014 14:19PM

I first stumbled upon this story four years ago. My husband, a human rights lawyer, told me about a
remote village in Casiguran, Aurora province where farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples needed
legal help. They were protesting a massive government project called Aurora Pacific Economic Zone
(APECO).

APECO covers 12,923 hectares and would build an airport, a seaport, resorts and factories. It
promised jobs and progress in the once sleepy town of Casiguran. But the project was mired in
controversy.

“They say APECO will bring progress. But we feel this progress is not for us.” Said Vic, a Dumagat, an
indigenous group who have lived in the 1900s. They subsist on hunting, gathering and fishing and need
vast forest and coasts to survive.

After a grueling 350km protest march to Manila, Vic meets the president of the Philippines, looks him in
the eye and tells him: “We also want progress, but our idea of progress is different from your idea of
progress.”

I asked Vic where he found the courage to speak to the president like that and he said: “We walked for
17 days to tell the president what we felt. So I did.”

Vic was not a tribal chief. He was an ordinary tribesman who finished grade one in school. But his
practical wisdom and the slow, dignified way he spoke reminded me of much-revered chieftains, long
dead and gone but well remembered for the way they led their people against “development” projects.

While he was fishing, he told us how much the Dumagat valued their freedom. “If we work in the
APECO factories, we work for a boss. In our ancestral land, there is no boss.”

Another time he was foraging for food in the forest. “Everything we need to survive is here. If we
nurture our forest and seas, it will sustain our needs. The life of the tribe is simple. We are able to eat
everyday. Our huts are small but we are happy.

Ultimately Vic makes us wonder about the big question at the heart of the story: What is progress?
Who defines it? And who really benefits from “development” projects?

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4. As the learners to write their reactions about the given article on their notebooks.
Encourage them to write as many questions as they can for three (3) minutes.

5. Gather some questions from the class. Write them on board.

Teacher Tips:
INSTRUCTION (45 MINUTES)
1. Ask this question and call on three learners to share their answers for each term. Expanding Learner’s Perspectives
a. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the following terms: For most learners, the good or happy life
i. Progress/Development is associated with having a modern
ii. Indigenous Peoples (IPs) lifestyle (living in a concrete house with
iii. Traditional lifestyles electricity and internet, malls, gadgets,
iv. Modern Lifestyles cars). The traditional lifestyles of
v. The Good or Happy Life indigenous peoples are often depicted as
backwards or inferior to the progressive
2. Tell the learners to examine the following excerpt from the article and reflect on the city-life. The goal of the discussion is to
following questions. examine this commonly-held belief and
see whether we expand our beliefs to
“Everything we need to survive is here. If e nurture our forest and seas, it will sustain our accommodate other perspectives.
needs. The life of the tribe is simple. We are able to eat everyday. Our huts are small but we
are happy.” –Vic, Dumagat Tribesman

a. From your point of view, how will you describe Vic’s lifestyle?
b. What do you think is his notion of the good life?
c. How will you describe your own lifestyle? Is it modern or traditional?
d. What is your notion of the good life?
e. Is there a difference between your notion and Vic’s notion of the good life?
f. How would you compare the two notions? Is one inferior to the other? Why or why not?

3. After reflecting, ask them to partner with their seatmate and share some answers for ten
(10) minutes. Encourage them to discuss their points of agreement and/or disagreement
with one another.

4. Call on three pairs to share their answers to the class. Ask the class whether they agree or
disagree with the pairs’ answers to question (f) and to explain their position.

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5. Lead the learners to realize that while our notions of good life may differ from those held by
Indigenous People (IPs) such as Vic, it does not necessarily mean that one or the other is
inferior or superior. Contrary to the stereotypical depiction of Ips in mainstream media as
backwards people who are against progress, Ips such as Vic actually desire “progress” as
well. As Vic states, “We [the Dumagats] also want progress, but our idea of progress is
different from your [the government’s] idea of progress.

6. Ask the learners to reflect on what Vic’s idea of progress.

7. As why the State should accommodate their understanding of progress into its own. As a
guide for reflection, share the following excerpt from an article about the life of Mac-liing
Dulag, an IP pangat (tribal chieftain) of the Butbut tribe in Kalinga province who was
assassinated while fighting against the establishment of Chico Dam in the Cordilleras.

“When an army engineer reportedly asked the Kalingas for titles to their ancestral land,
Dulag was said to have replied, “You ask us if we own the land. And mock us, ‘Where is
your title?’ Such arrogance of owning the land when you shall be owned by it. How can
you own that which you outliveyou?” (gmanews.tv)

8. After giving them two (2) minutes to reflect, call on three (3) learners to share their answers
to the class.

9. Synthesize the discussion by explaining to the learners that what have done is to engage in
a philosophical reflection as to the nature of “progress.” Following the structure laid out
earlier, we can divide the process of reflection into three parts.

a. Day-to-day Life. Prior to reflection, our notions of progress seem to be common-sensical

and those who deviate from this notion would readily be labelled as traditional, anti-
progress, and irrational.

b. Reflection: However, an encounter with people coming from different horizons of

understanding (life-worlds) forces us to take back from our notion of progress and
examine their rationality using their own criteria instead of ours. This enables us to see
the existence of an alternative perspective that is neither inferior nor superior to ours.
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Application (Praxis): After realizing that there are a plurality of perspectives as to the
meaning of progress and that our own perspective is not necessarily the (only) correct one,
one should realize that it would be unjust to impose one’s beliefs on others especially when
it resorts to violence.

10. Ask a follow up question: What can you, as an individual, do in order to ensure that the
tragedy that befell Mac-liing Dulag does not happen again?

PRACTICE (15 MINUTES) Teacher Tips:

1. Instruct the learners to think of a belief that they hold to be common-sensical I their
immediate community (family, neighborhood, school, religious community, and ethnic Checking for Understanding:
community) which other people they have encountered do not share. Remind the learners that if they have any
questions and/or clarifications, they
2. Ask them to formulate their belief in as concise a manner as possible as well as the should raise it as soon as possible.
position maintained by those who do not share the same belief and their alternative
positions (if possible). Instruct them to write their answers in their notebooks. Scaffolding:
If students are unable to think of any
Suggested Format based on class discussion: belief that they themselves hold, ask
Pre-examined Belief Contending belief Re-examined Belief them if they are familiar with any cultural
Progress consists in having Indigenous People’s such There is more than practice from other countries that they do
a modern lifestyle. (concrete as Macliing Dulag and Vic one notion of not necessarily understand/or agree
houses with electricity and believe that there is an progress and one is with. They can use this belief as a basis
plumbing, automobiles, alternative notion of not necessarily and propose a contending belief.
computers, internet, etc.) progress which consists of better than another
living in harmony with as people coming
mother nature and dwelling from different
in their ancestral lands. worldviews have
different ways of
valuing the world.

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QUARTER ONE – INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

EVALUATION (5 MINUTES)

1. Give the following instructions to the class: “Based on what you have written down on your
notebook (for practice), write a one-page reflection paper following the structure of
(a) Day-today Life, (b) Reflection, (c) Application (Praxis)

2. Remind the learners to cite their references accordingly using the APA format.

3. Refer to the attached rubric for the evaluation of the paper.

EVALUATION (For the Reflection Paper)

1 (NOT VISIBLE) 2 (NEEDS IMPROVEMENT) 3 (MEETS EXPECTATIONS) 4 (EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS)

Depth of Learners demonstrate a Learners demonstrate a Learners demonstrate a Learners provide new and
Reflection lack of reflection and minimal level of reflection and sufficient level of reflection and creative insights resulting from a
(Content) internalization of the given internalization of the given internalization of the given profound reflection and
material. material. material. internalization of the given
material.
Learners did not comply Learners complied with the Learners complied with the
with the structure and structure and format provided structure and format provided Learners complied with the
Structure format provided for the for the reflection paper but the for the reflection paper and the structure and format provided for
(Form) reflection paper and the thoughts were expressed in thoughts were expressed in a the reflection paper and the
thoughts were not an incoherent manner. Writing coherent manner. Writing is thoughts were expressed in a
expressed in a coherent is vague and disorganized. sufficiently clear and coherent manner. Writing is very
and logical manner. Writing organized. clear and organized.
is vague and disorganized.
Grammar, The learners made more The learners made no more The learners made more than The learners made no more than
Spelling than five spelling and than five spelling and two spelling and grammar two spelling and grammar errors.
(Syntax) grammar errors. grammar errors. errors.

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