Notes prepared by: Nicolette Jed C.
Villalveto
SPEAKER 1: Cherry Mae C. Frias
School’s Management Style and Cultural Differences Speaker
Ms. Cherry Mae C. Frias is the speaker for School’s Management Style and Cultural Differences
She is an auxiliar de conversacion in Centro de Educación Primaria Salustiano Rey Eiras.
Auxiliar de Conversación is a language and cultural assistant from a native English-speaking
country who helps with the English level of schools in Spain.
Centro de Educación Primaria Salustiano Rey Eiras is a plurilingue school which teaches/uses
several langugages: Gallego, Castelan, and English.
It is a public school under the Xunta de Galicia – it is an autonomous community which there are
policies that are true in Galicia but may not be true in Madrid.
Grade 1-6 are consisted with a maximum of 25 students for every class and with 2-3 sections per
grade level. 25 students per class is already a good number.
Grading System: each subject is graded 7.5 or 6, or 8, and 7-8 are considered as good grades.
“Notas” or grades are given at the end of the year for each subject in their report cards.
School bus are provided by the government or Xunta de Galicia as the school’s transportation
for the students.
Everything is almost free in school; Students are provided with laptops. Funds to support
students are provided.
The online portal of the school is called Erisgal. Books are online, almost all subjects use online
books. Physical books are for supplementary only.
ANPA/PTA are the ones who provide food and funds to support the students through sports and
all other extracurricular activities. Most of the students can get scholarships through football.
The school promotes their culture through arts. Local artists, storytellers, and writers visit the
school; They also conduct book signing for writers who visit the school.
No security guards in schools.
Personnel in the school:
Jose Delgado – School Director
Daniela Martinez – Head of Studies
Victorino Palacios – Counselor
English and Art Teachers
Special Education Specialists
Class Advisers and Subject Teachers
Secretary
You cannot just teach any subject if you have not mastered it. Those who are capable or have
passed the exam will be able to teach the subject.
School Management Type: Democratic and Instructional Styles
Teachers, including parents and students have a say in the decision making, policies of the
school, and instructional styles.
Democratic – if there are concerns, the community has a voice and opinion on how to address
the concern.
Instructional – which refers to direct instruction, teachers are provided with many opportunities
to be trained. It involves teaching the students directly and developing the teacher’s skills.
The school holds a Christmas market for the students to sell arts and crafts, and also target math
through computation and sales.
Students were involved in elimination against violence against women and they were taught
how 3D printing was done.
Cultural Differences
First name basis
Students will call teachers, staff, and school heads by their first name, or
profe/professor.
Ms. Cherry feel less of a teacher if students call her by her first name.
In Spain, first name basis practice gives the students a sense of equality but with
respect.
In the Philippines, people address everyone as “Ma’am/Sir”.
Class Hours
Class starts at 9:10am and ends at 1:50pm
Lunch in Spain is 3pm
Uses 24-hour military time
In the Philippines, classes start at 7:30am and usually ends around 4:30-5:00pm.
Recess Time
1st and 2nd graders have recess time together
The rest of the grade levels have recess time together
Students are asked to go out in the classroom and play during recess time to promote
physical activities
in the Philippines, students are only expected to eat during recess time.
Reading Time
Reading time is required in the school.
There is a 15min reading time after recess.
Materials in School
The materials in the school are provided except for school supplies like notebooks and
pencils, but laptops and all other school materials are provided by the government.
Students are not required to bring anything at all. Students in Spain are very privileged
since it’s a first-world country and mostly everything are provided by the government.
Attitude and behavior of the students
Students are straightforward and frank.
Students are not afraid to tell the teacher if they are wrong, to reason out, and to ask
questions.
Students have the freedom to tell what’s on their mind, sometimes kind of rude and
impolite, but limited to bad words.
Students are very honest to talk back.
Spanish culture has evolved, students are franker and more courageous.
In the Philippines, it is considered as disrespectful and younger people are preserved and shy to speak
up.
Kids with special needs
Almost all schools cater students with special needs, and they go to same class with
regular students. But there are certain times they are pulled out by Special Education
Specialists and have a separate session.
Celebration of Festivities
There are no class during the celebration of festivities.
There is an upcoming Carnival on February which means no classes. During the Holy
week, there are 10 days no classes.
Teachers have a lot of time to rest or travel.
Extracurricular Activities
Students go to camp or clubs with extracurricular activities.
If the students are interested in martial arts, they can practice and supported by their
parents.
After class, they can rest and come back if they have extracurricular activities.
PTA would pay the fee for tutorials.
Working hours
Working hours are only 9:10 AM to 1:50 PM.
The school doesn’t require biometrics or “time in, time out” for employees.
Teachers have 40 hours or less per week for their work.
Language Assistants are only required to work for 4 hours a day.
The working hours and compensation are good.
Extracurricular Activities
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
The school encourages equality and no to violence.
The students are tasked to make posters promoting violence against women.
As young as they are, they already have the concept about it.
Camino de Santiago
Santiago is an apostle.
1st and 2nd graders are provided with caps and pins, they get to experience Camino de
Santiago to know what it is like to have a pilgrimage.
Students were explained what Camino de Santiago.
Storytelling, museum visit, and excursion
Students visited a local museum; storyteller tells a story about Gallego, and went on an
excursion.
Puppet show, honey making, storytelling with songs
The school conducted puppet shows to the students.
A honey maker visited the school to demonstrate how honey was manufactured.
Storytellers present stories through songs or play.
Halloween Trick or Treat and Christmas Market
The school celebrates Halloween and make pumpkins and do trick or treat.
All the students’ works are displayed to show their creativity.
Christmas market which is to sell their arts and crafts.
Sarimanok and Parol Making
Ms. Cherry shared the culture in the Philippines about sarimanok and parol making.
Sarimanok was created with colored papers.
Parol making was made with popsicle sticks.
Students understand that Filipinos are deeply rooted from the culture from Spain.
Sad thing was that they were not knowledgeable about the colonization of Spain in the
Philippines. The history in Spain was taught differently.
SPEAKER 2: Vernie Glojun T. Lasmarias
Environmental Differences and Tips and Strategies on how to Effectively Teach Speaker
Speaker of Environmental Differences and Tips and Strategies on how to Effectively Teach
Teacher-Fellow, Pedro “Oloy” N. Roa, Sr. Elementary School
To asses Philippines’ education in a sense of possibility
The speaker started with WHY teach in the Philippines, talk about the WHAT - the differences,
HOW - about strategies, WHERE you would like to work, WHEN to work in the Philippines and
WHEN to work abroad.
WHY and WHAT:
Difference 1: Salary
Teachers’ salary in the Philippines is way below ASEAN average with only $18,160 while the
ASEAN average is at $27,742.
Difference 2: Workload and Resources – “dili ka teacher kung isa ra imong bag”
Why teach in the Philippines? acquire the teachers’ highly transferable skill set.
We are expected to assume varied roles
We are exposed to different tasks and areas of skills.
Public speaking
Explore creativeness
Hone with technology skills
Difference 3: High Expectations as Community Leaders
Building partnerships with stakeholders
Difference 4: Familiarity of Context
Appreciate more what is already in our communities and in our country.
This is what I would have missed if I did not apply for the 2-year fellowship.
There’s more to things than meets the eye.
Instead of focusing in one, focus on looking at the gaps of the education system and do
something to contribute.
Difference 5: Return of Investment
Work where the ROI may be delayed, but never zero.
You can get return of investment in teaching in the Philippines but delayed.
The return of investment of teachers is for the “social good”.
Just because it’s delayed, doesn’t mean zero investment.
One of the problems in the Philippines is the access to education.
Why teach in the Philippines? being a teacher means being men and women for others,
it also means to teach for the Philippines.
HOW TO TEACH EFFECTIVELY:
1. 3S: STRUCTURE, STANDARDS, SUPPORT
1. STRUCTURE
Regardless of where you work, you have limited time.
Have a structure in instructional planning: OSLEA & Gagne’s 9 Events
Every structure has a different format of lesson plans
Gagne’s 9 Events:
1. Gain the attention of the learners
2. Inform learners of the objectives
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
4. Present the content
5. Provide learning guidance
6. Elicit performance (practice)
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job
2. STANDARDS
7C: Care, Confer, Captivate, Clarify, Consolidate, Challenge, Classroom
Management
3. SUPPORT
The structure and support are even more effective because we receive:
1. Clinics
2. Observations
3. Debriefs using detailed Observation Form (based on the 7Cs Teacher Tool
Kit)
WHERE AND WHEN: IN OR OUT?
You can try both. It may be a matter which on first.
Some opportunities abroad may require you to have prior teaching experience.
If you want to start abroad, you may want to look into SPIMS: Sa ‘Pinas Ikaw Ma’am at Sir’