MATH 10 SYNTHESIS

The MATH 10 GE conversation featured eight (8) plenary speakers representing UP campuses in Diliman, Los Baños, Manila, Visayas (Iloilo), Visayas (Tacloban), Cebu, Mindanao and Baguio. Most speakers are handling MATH 10 since it was first offered in 2018. The moderators utilized the the slido app for active interaction and participation of the attendees.  

Dr. Jose Maria Balmaceda from the UPD shared his personal experience of handling the course with around 100 students using UVLE to ensure efficiency of class management. He chose to meet his students synchronously through Zoom every other week. Prof. Annie Lyn Oliveros-Yusiong of UPV Tacloban College pointed out their strategies to address students’ difficulties when it comes to online learning. Their MATH 10 faculty collaborated to produce weekly study guides, activity sheets and assessment portfolios.  On the other hand, Dr. Ariel Babierra from UPLB presented the UPLB MATH 10 google site which is the common repository of MATH 10 materials for all students and faculty members. MATH 10 at UPLB is implemented in a departmental level with around 20 faculty members handling this GE with 600 enrollees every semester. Dr. Alexis Erich Almocera represented the MATH 10 faculty of UPV in Iloilo. Authentic assessment activities like MATH perceptions of students’ relatives and friends (through online interviews) highlighted his sharing of their best practices. He also pointed out that there are open educational resources like the lecture videos from TVUP that can be utilized.

Dr. Richie Mae Gamot presented innovation and teaching strategies for the delivery of MATH 10 in UP Mindanao such as collaboration among faculty members, course redesign, and annotating submissions using Canvas Speedgrader and Google Classroom, to name a few. Challenges faced by faculty members and opportunities to improve the course were also identified. Mr. Joy Escaño, MATH 10 lecturer from UP Baguio, shared how he prepares for MATH 10 and the platforms that he is using in the remote delivery of the course. Moreover, strategies that were employed to address the challenges in the course delivery were also presented which include inviting resource persons for specific MATH 10 topics. Prof. Therese Ann Basco-Uy of UP Manila highlighted the adjustments that were done in terms of course requirements and frequency of synchronous sessions. The use of the Canvas LMS and Kahoot in managing the course effectively was also included in the presentation. Prof. Cherrylyn Alota from UP Cebu emphasized that the course packs for Second Semester AY 2020-2021 were prepared in such a way that adjusted activity and assignments guides were incorporated. Assessment tools such as use of rubrics, grading guide, and posing in-class questions, together with classroom management strategies were reported.

During the forum, speakers were able to share their thoughts on the question of gender issues in the field of Mathematics. Asked about the current memorandum against the use of Facebook and Messenger, it was emphasized that they can be used for communication purposes but not the proper venue for posting of modules due to security issues. On the observation that final project submissions are mostly related to the Arts and Humanities, the plenary speakers suggested that students can always prepare projects aligned to their programs if they prefer to. The group also noted the need for the review and revision of the existing modules. Dr. Evangeline Amor relayed that the OVPAA has plans to conduct workshops to address this concern.

The MATH 10 group successfully presented strategies of each campus to cope up with the online teaching of MATH 10. One way is to address the need for authentic assessment during this new normal. It is high time for a paradigm shift in teaching and learning a GE course like MATH 10. The pandemic taught us that the sage on the stage method will not work and so the guide on the side can be worth trying. It was also noted that collaboration among the faculty is key in implementing effective strategies in teaching GE. We are in this together. A conceptual focus of MATH 10 will veer away from the essence of a GE course. The utility and ubiquity of Mathematics must be given emphasis so as to embody the GE philosophy. Throughout history, mathematics proved that it is a tool for human flourishing. Its beauty and power must be known to every UP student through the examination of its nature, development, utility, and relationship with culture and society.

Prepared by Prof. Editha C. Jose and Asst. Prof. John Mark T. Lampos