PALAWAN, PHILIPPINES–Twenty science teachers from different high schools in Taytay and Balabac, Palawan joined CTI-Southeast Asia’s Bayani ng Kalikasan (Heroes for the Environment) Knowledge Sharing Workshop on Coastal Resource Management and Climate Change Adaptation from 28 to 30 October 2016 in Puerto Princesa City.
The workshop aimed to encourage teachers to advance their school’s environmental projects. This is by sharing their own know-how and gaining knowledge from other school’s experiences.
Six out of the eight participating schools have been part of the Bayani ng Kalikasan Campaign since 2014 and have started projects that address environmental concerns in their localities.
During the workshop, the teachers shared challenges and achievements from their own school-led environmental projects. They have also learned about strategies on how to communicate their progress and goals better through narratives and gamification.
A teacher from Abongan National High School in Taytay, Palawan told the story about their school’s problem on soil erosion and what they do about it.
Balabac National High School and Bato National High School in Balabac and Taytay, Palawan shared experiences about their Linis Baybay (coastal clean-up) and Linis Kalsada (street clean-up), river clean-up, tree planting, and organic farming activities.
Calawag National High School in Taytay, Palawan talked about their school’s solid waste management program.
Canique National High School, Central Taytay National High School, and Pamantolon National High School in Taytay, Palawan shared their mangrove nursery and mangrove and watershed reforestation experiences. Read more: ADB hails mangrove heroes of Central Taytay National High School
Most of the communities where they have come from experience the after-effects of deforestation and illegal fishing like flooding and loss of coral reefs.
Specific topics discussed at the workshop included the challenges and opportunities in communicating science to students and people in the community, the importance of sharing experiences, how narratives or stories can be used as to easily track milestones, how to harness gamification to increase motivation, how to do monitoring and evaluation, and how to prepare a proposal.
Dr. Pamela A. Custodio of the College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Banos and Dr. Benjamin J. Gonzales of the Department of Research and Extension, Western Philippines University served as resource persons with CTI-Southeast Asia’s knowledge management team.
At the end of the workshop, the teachers presented their knowledge sharing proposals and received feedback from the panelists. Each school will be given a start-up fund for their knowledge sharing activity after they have submitted their final proposals. The schools may start their activities in December 2016 or early 2017.
CTI-Southeast Asia 