Journey Into Edification
"The more I learn, the less I realize I know."- Socrates
This line of Socrates sums up what I have realized from my learning experiences in my Assessment and Evaluation in Values Education of the Philippine Normal University. This subject was actually one of the subjects that I was so excited to take and one that I have anticipated to attend and learn from. It was because as a non-Values Education Major supervising Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP) Program in our Schools Division, I was not so confident in giving technical assistance to test writers. It was part of the job so prior to enrolling in the Diploma in Teaching Values Education Program, I did what I could to learn the minutiae of the learning area - studied the curriculum guide, read books, read good samples of test instruments, asked for technical assistance from experts, yes, name it, I've done it. Just when I thought that I was learning fast and good, I came across PNU's DTVE through a colleague. Knowing that I still lacked much knowledge and expertise despite the "crash course" I was having to study the technicalities and trivialities of EsP, I did not hesitate to enroll. And lots of extremely WOW moments, I had in this course! Every learning session was so precious that I did not dare skip a single one. I made sure to attend even if I was still inside a vehicle in transit from a venue of work-related activity that was far from my home and it was impossible for me to come home before our class started; even if it meant using my data connection with additional charge to my mobile network subscription. No monetary value could amount to the learnings I anticipated to have from our class. And deliver, this course did! What I appreciated most is that our sessions were mostly like intellectual conversations and the technology integration amazed me so much that I really tried using them not only in my outputs but more importantly in performing my jobs at work. I experienced navigating through podcast applications to give my insights, Canva or Vengage to make infographics, Weebly and Google Sites to make e-portfolio, and Pinterest to search for valuable and relevant images. My skill in evaluating test items was dramatically enhanced with much emphasis on evaluating the alignment of the items to the competency being measured. I literally learned new concepts and gained new skills, unlearned concepts that are no longer applicable and beliefs that were proven wrong, and relearned things that I forgot due to lack of practice. This class undoubtedly made me realize that there were still a lot to learn and that I was not too old to learn. I mastered the art of juggling time between tons of tasks at work and doing my outputs for this subject. Burning the midnight oil has become a norm for me. Most of all, I have learned to care for my classmates who struggled to cope with the overwhelming requirements. My classmates and fellow EPSs and I often had our virtual "kapehan at kumustahan" just to check on each other and to extend help, to boost each other's morale, and to push each other to finish all the tasks. We reminded each other on tasks to accomplish and due dates. We provided guidance on how to accomplish the tasks with less hassle and stress. Anyway, learning should be fun and not so taxing, right? If there is something missing in our experiences, It was having our learning session face to face. I can only imagine how thrilling it could have been doing group works and exchanging ideas with my classmates in a physical classroom or any place where we can study, work on projects, and eat at the same time. I wonder how it feels like entering PNU as one of its students. Who know, I might still get to experience that in another program😉. Now, that my DTVE journey is about to end, I can say that I have triumphed over the hardships and challenges. I might not hit all the targets bulls-eye but I will come out of this better, more equipped, and ready for more. So help me, God. 💪💪💪