31 January 2015

Choosing Hope, Justice, Peace and Change

A pause for thought on the aftermath of SAF-MILF deadly encounter

January is about to end....

We welcomed the new year filled with hope and cheer. This month, we have witnessed the best and worst in the Filipinos. Pope Francis had brought out the best in the Filipinos in the middle of the month; unfortunately, the recent tragic clash in Maguindanao has just brought out the worst in us.

Yet, the most important question is how do we respond to all these events, and which way are we going to. May we choose the virtues and paths of hope, justice, peace and change.


In a word, I mean: ang tunay na pagbabago ay magmumula sa mga mulat na mamamayan. Real change comes from enlightened and conscious people.

Source: MailOnline
In the final analysis, the greatest test is how will the people come out of this disaster. Can we see a critical mass now forming as countervailing powers to these power-holders -- which would include critically and wisely supporting and electing the best leaders for the country in the next elections?

'A Tale of Two Cities', as Charles Dickens has aptly sketched out for our choice, to where and between which we have the right to tread on and the responsibility to build:
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"

26 January 2015

Teaching as a Process, Relations and Vocation of Learning

Photo by: Duane Schoon 
I just wrote a one-page 'Teaching Statement', and am sharing it here entitled 'Teaching as a Process, Relations, and Vocation' where I highlighted in bold the key concepts of my current teaching philosophy which, I believe, evolves through time and experience....


* * *

I regard teaching as a process, relations, and vocation whose foremost objective is learning.

Teaching entails a process of learning between interacting learners (i.e., both the teacher and student) through the sharing, reflection, acquisition, and generation of ideas. In this process, the student gains knowledge through ‘learning by studying’ and the teacher also comes to a self-realization, as well as generates and (re)produces knowledge, through ‘learning by teaching’. While research-based teaching is increasingly becoming the norm in the academia, I also believe in teaching-based research where the topics and courses taught in classrooms become a stimulating and significant basis for an academic’s future research endeavor.

Teaching thus implies a learning relationship between a teacher and student. Both are considered learned and learner. A teacher is both learned and learner, and a (university) student is not only a learner but must also be viewed as learned with the faculties for learning at the level of higher education. In this relationship, both have duties and responsibilities. Key to maintaining a healthy and meaningful relationship between the learners is mutual respect by upholding one of learning’s virtues: the giving and receiving of feedback.

But the teacher must take the leading role in mentoring and facilitating the learning process and relationship, challenged and inspired by the initial conditions, capacity, and aspiration of students towards particular learning objectives. It is the task of teachers to excite students with ideas. This includes the importance of preparation in teaching—i.e., never enter the classroom ‘cold’ when giving lectures and never show up in consultation meetings without having read students’ drafts. Unprepared teachers are most likely to spoil students’ enthusiasm in learning.

Having been a student myself from grade school to the postgraduate and doctoral schools and having had the teaching experience and exposure in different pedagogical methods in a number of systems—i.e., particular features of Asian, American, British, Baltic, European, Nordic and Scandinavian teaching styles—, I can say that there are advantages and disadvantages in their respective learning approaches. Thus far, however, I shun top-down model of learning; and I have come to believe in learner-centred, or student-centred, pedagogical method. Thus, teaching has to be considered an ‘art’ that requires from teachers the skill of creativity and the virtue of empathy. Central to this is a teacher’s reflection on the preparation and conduct of a course on the issue: How do students learn best? Or, what are the teaching techniques and approaches that could effectively help students learn best?

Finally, teaching is a vocation that requires passion, commitment and dedication. It is professionalism with ethics and a good sense of meaning and purpose. I am continuously inspired by mentors who have taught and shown me a seemingly old-fashioned academic culture that is generous, critical yet liberal, erudite yet humble, and purpose-driven. I have been lucky to have experienced this kind of generous academic culture from great mentors who are generous in time, advice, exchange of ideas, and resources. I wish to share this cherished gift and professional inspiration to my colleagues and students in the conduct of my teaching vocation.

25 January 2015

Political-Economic Reforms for Cultural Change

Just curious.... 

Why is it more acceptable and easier for (Filipino progressive) intellectuals to vote, support, and defend the rhetoric and doublespeak of Obama and PNoy, but not the compelling message of Pope Francis and his attempts at (global) political-economic reforms?

I know that 'culture' is not only a practice to be observed and appreciated, but a real arena for struggle. But, I also believe in the strategic importance of political-economic reforms as decisive and pivotal in (re)creating culture concurrently or later on.

18 January 2015

Pope Francis in the Philippines on my Birthday

Reflection on Rappler's post: 

Source
Thank you very much for all the birthday greetings and wishes. I share with you and loved ones those thoughtful and lovely wishes as well. I 'like' them all, and wonder when I could reply individually during this hectic month of lecture preparations and deadlines. 

I'm one with the millions of Filipinos who feel blessed by the presence of Pope Francis in the country this week, most especially by the inspiring messages of hope and humility that the Holy Father tells us. It has been a lively celebration of Philippine culture. I belong to it, I'm proud of it, though I may have some personal differences with the belief that culture is an arena of struggle, and I embrace it wholeheartedly with all its uniqueness as well as its eccentricities and weirdness as may be perceived by people from different cultures, belief systems, and personal taste.

Today (18th of January) marks the first anniversary of Abby's baptism. I remember the engaging catechism sessions that we had with a priest in Denmark as a requirement for the baptism, and the many questions and issues I raised to him about the Christian faith, religion, human sufferings, natural calamities, and the church teachings, having been inspired by elements of 'liberation theology' in Pope Francis' chosen leadership approach (i.e., Christ-centered servant leadership) and discursive emphasis (i.e., from the point of view of the victims, the poor and the needy and the urgently important task of offsetting or dismantling the prevalence of social injustices and inequalities by the virtue of social justice and the sanctity of human life and dignity, while respecting diversity of cultures and beliefs). I pray that Abby keeps this particular Christian message and values whatever belief system she chooses to espouse later on in life when she's mature enough.

Pope Francis has shared many significant messages to the Filipinos to reflect on. One of my favourites is his message that 'Reality is superior to ideas', which is the central message of the postgraduate course that I taught last semester on 'Development Policy and Management', including the principles of participatory methods in development practice. It is a call for humility for leaders, the learned, the opinionated, the articulate to accept that they do not have all the answers to questions, and that they do not have the solutions to all social problems. The Filipinos are the best to understand our own problems and the solutions are in us. Ours is the 'pedagogy of the oppressed', as Paulo Freire puts it, that shall be the basis of our collective actions for change. It is, most importantly, for all of us to appreciate the mysteries of life and the complexities of human and social relations and to realise the transformative power of our own realities. 


Thanks again, dear friends! Cheers! 
smile emoticon

13 January 2015

Empathy in Teaching

Grades submitted, and also received my teaching evolution and feedback from last year: rating 4.25 out of 5. Very pleased! 

Ah, getting old and progressing in life, now having the privilege and responsibiity of providing the rite of passage to master's students. While their project, I was also asking myself and reflecting on: what was my thought process, or how was I, ten or so years ago when I was doing my postgraduate studies?

'Empathy' - a mentor once told me is one of my important virtues and it's something that I should carry on in this vocation.