The Rights and Privileges Of Teachers in the C.

Republic Act 4670 – The Magna Carta for Public

Philippines School Teachers
(The Magna Carta for Public School Teachers)
Learning Outcomes: REPUBLIC ACT NO. 4670
1. discussed the rights and privileges of June 18, 1966
THE MAGNA CARTA FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL
teachers in the Philippines. TEACHERS
2. proposed other measures to improve the
social and economic status and working I. DECLARATION OF POLICY COVERAGE
conditions of the public school teachers in
today’s national and global situations. Section 1. Declaration of Policy. It is hereby
declared to be the policy of this Act to promote and
Introduction improve the social and economic status of public
school teachers, their living and working conditions,
The 1987 Philippine Constitution states: … their terms of employment and career prospects in
The State shall enhance the right of teachers to order that they may compare favorably with existing
professional advancement (paragraph 4). It shall opportunities in other walks of life, attract and retain in
“assign the highest budgetary priority to education to the teaching profession more people with the proper
“ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful qualifications, it being recognized that advance in
share of the best available talents through adequate education depends on the qualifications and ability of
remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and the teaching staff and that education is an essential
fulfillment.” factor in the economic growth of the nation as a
productive investment of vital importance.
Commonwealth Act 578 amended the Revised
Penal Code to include teachers, professors, and Section 2. Title Definition. This Act shall be known
persons charged with the supervision of public or duly as the "Magna Carta for Public School Teachers" and
recognized private schools, colleges, and universities, shall apply to all public school teachers except those
within the term “persons in authority. in the professorial staff of state colleges and
RA 4670, otherwise known as The Magna universities.
Carta for Public School Teachers, details the rights,
privileges and benefits of teachers such as consent for As used in this Act, the term "teacher" shall mean all
transfer, safeguards in disciplinary procedure, no persons engaged in classroom teaching, in any level
discrimination, and married couple to be employed in of instruction, on full-time basis, including guidance
the same locality among others. counselors, school librarians, industrial arts or
vocational instructors, and all other persons
These show that the welfare of professional performing supervisory and/or administrative
teachers has been given much attention. After all, functions in all schools, colleges and universities
there is no truth to what is often said about teachers operated by the Government or its political
“overworked and underpaid.” subdivisions; but shall not include school nurses,
school physicians, school dentists, and other school
employees.
A. The 1987 Philippine Constitution states
that:
Article XIV, Section 5 II. RECRUITMENT AND CAREER
(4) The State shall enhance the right of
teachers to professional advancement Section 3. Recruitment and Qualification.
(5) The State shall assign the highest Recruitment policy with respect to the selection and
budgetary priority to education appointment of teachers shall be clearly defined by
(5) ensure that teaching will attract and retain the Department of Education. Provided, however,
its rightful share of the best available talents That effective upon the approval of this Act, the
through adequate remuneration and other following shall constitute the minimum educational
means of job satisfaction and fulfillment. qualifications for teacher-applicants:
B. Commonwealth Act 578 protects teachers
by providing a provision A For teachers in the kindergarten and elementary
grades, Bachelor's degree in
1. punishment against any person guilty of assault Elementary Education (B.S.E.ED);
against teaching personnel.
2. according due respect and protection for
teachers who are considered persons in
authority.
B For teachers of the secondary schools, Bachelor's Section 6. Consent for Transfer and
degree in Education or its Transportation Expenses. Except for cause and as
equivalent with a major and a minor; or a Bachelor's herein otherwise provided, no teacher shall be
degree in Arts or Science with at least eighteen transferred without his consent from one station to
professional units in Education. another.

C For teachers of secondary vocational and two years Where the exigencies of the service require the
technical courses, transfer of a teacher from one station to another, such
Bachelor's degree in the field of specialization with at transfer may be effected by the school superintendent
least eighteen professional units in education; who shall previously notify the teacher concerned of
the transfer and the reason or reasons therefor. If the
D For teachers of courses on the collegiate level, teacher believes there is no justification for the
other than vocational, master's transfer, he may appeal his case to the Director of
degree with a specific area of specialization; Public Schools or the Director of Vocational
Education, as the case may be. Pending his appeal
Provided, further, that in the absence of applicants and the decision thereon, his transfer shall be held in
who possess the minimum educational qualifications abeyance. Provided, however, that no transfers
as hereinabove provided, the school superintendent whatever shall be made three months before any
may appoint, under a temporary status, applicants local or national election.
who do not meet the minimum qualifications.
Provided, further, That should teacher-applicants, Necessary transfer expenses of the teacher and his
whether they possess the minimum educational family shall be paid for by the Government if his
qualifications or not, be required to take competitive transfer is finally approved.
examinations, preference in making appointments
shall be in the order of their respective ranks in said Section 7. Code of Professional Conduct for
competitive examinations. And provided, finally, That Teachers. Within six months from the approval of
the results of the examinations shall be made public this Act, the Secretary of Education shall formulate
and every applicant shall be furnished with his score and prepare a Code of Professional Conduct for
and rank in said examinations. Public School Teachers. A copy of the Code shall be
furnished each teacher. Provided, however, That
Section 4. Probationary Period. When recruitment where this is not possible by reason of inadequate
takes place after adequate training and professional fiscal resources of the Department of Education, at
preparation in any school recognized by the least three copies of the same Code shall be
Government, no probationary period preceding deposited with the office of the school principal or
regular appointment shall be imposed if the teacher head teacher where they may be accessible for use
possesses the appropriate civil service eligibility. by the teachers.
Provided, however, That where, due to the exigencies
of the service, it is necessary to employ as teacher a Section 8. Safeguards in Disciplinary Procedure.
person who possesses the minimum educational Every teacher shall enjoy equitable safeguards at
qualifications herein above set forth but lacks the each stage of any disciplinary procedure and shall
appropriate civil service eligibility, such person shall have:
be appointed on a provisional status and shall a. the right to be informed, in writing, of the charges;
undergo a period of probation for not less than one b. the right to full access to the evidence in the case;
year from and after the date of his provisional c. the right to defend himself and to be defended by a
appointment. representative of his choice
and/or by his organization, adequate time being given
Section 5. Tenure of Office. Stability on to the teacher for the preparation of his defense; and
employment and security of tenure shall be assured d. the right to appeal to clearly designated authorities.
the teachers as provided under existing laws. Subject No publicity shall be given
to the provisions of Section three hereof, teachers to any disciplinary action being taken against a
appointed on a provisional status for lack of teacher during the pendency of his case.
necessary civil service eligibility shall be extended
permanent appointment for the position he is holding
after having rendered at least ten years of continuous,
efficient and faithful service in such position.
Section 9. Administrative Charges. Administrative In the case of other teachers or school officials not
charges against a teacher shall be heard initially by a engaged in actual classroom instruction, any work
committee composed of the corresponding School performed in excess of eight hours a day shall be paid
Superintendent of the Division or a duly authorized an additional compensation of at least twenty-five per
representative who should at least have the rank of a cent of their regular remuneration.
division supervisor, where the teacher belongs, as
chairman, a representative of the local or, in its The agencies utilizing the services of teachers shall
absence, any existing provincial or national teacher's pay the additional compensation required under this
organization and a supervisor of the Division, the last section. Education authorities shall refuse to allow the
two to be designated by the Director of Public rendition of services of teachers for other government
Schools. The committee shall submit its findings and agencies without the assurance that the teachers
recommendations to the Director of Public Schools shall be paid the remuneration provided for under this
within thirty days from the termination of the hearings. section.
Provided, however, that where the school
superintendent is the complainant or an interested Section 15. Criteria for Salaries. Teacher's salaries
party, all the members of the committee shall be shall correspond to the following criteria:
appointed by the Secretary of Education.
they shall compare favorably with those paid in other
Section 10. No Discrimination. There shall be no occupations requiring equivalent or similar
discrimination whatsoever in entrance to the teaching qualifications, training and abilities;
profession, or during its exercise, or in the termination
of services, based on other than professional they shall be such as to insure teachers a reasonable
consideration. standard of life for themselves and their families; and

Section 11. Married Teachers. Whenever possible, they shall be properly graded so as to recognize the
the proper authorities shall take all steps to enable fact that certain positions require higher qualifications
married couples, both of whom are public school and greater responsibility than others. Provided,
teachers, to be employed in the same locality. however, that the general salary scale shall be such
that the relation between the lowest and highest
Section 12. Academic Freedom. Teachers shall salaries paid in the profession will be of reasonable
enjoy academic freedom in the discharge of their order. Narrowing of the salary scale shall be achieved
professional duties, particularly with regard to by raising the lower end of the salary scales relative
teaching and classroom methods. to the upper end.

III. HOURS OF WORK AND REMUNERATION Section 16. Salary Scale. Salary scales of teachers
shall provide for a gradual progression from a
Section 13. Teaching Hours. Any teacher engaged minimum to a maximum salary by means of regular
in actual classroom instruction shall not be required to increments, granted automatically after three years.
render more than six hours of actual classroom Provided, that the efficiency rating of the teacher
teaching a day, which shall be so scheduled as to concerned is at least satisfactory. The progression
give him time for the preparation and correction of from the minimum to the maximum of the salary scale
exercises and other work incidental to his normal shall not extend over a period of ten years.
teaching duties. Provided, however, That where the
exigencies of the service so require, any teacher may Section 17. Equality in Salary Scales. The salary
be required to render more than six hours but not scales of teachers whose salaries are appropriated by
exceeding eight hours of actual classroom teaching a a city, municipal, municipal district, or provincial
day upon payment of additional compensation at the government, shall not be less than those provided for
same rate as his regular remuneration plus at least teachers of the National Government.
twenty-five per cent of his basic pay.
Section 18. Cost of Living Allowance. Teacher's
Section 14. Additional Compensation. salaries shall, at the very least, keep pace with the
Notwithstanding any provision of existing law to the rise in the cost of living by the payment of a cost-of-
contrary, co-curricula and out of school activities and living allowance which shall automatically follow
any other activities outside of what is defined as changes in a cost-of-living index. The Secretary of
normal duties of any teacher shall be paid an Education shall, in consultation with the proper
additional compensation of at least twenty-five per government entities, recommend to Congress, at
cent of his regular remuneration after the teacher has least annually, the appropriation of the necessary
completed at least six hours of actual classroom funds for the cost-of-living allowances of teachers
teaching a day. employed by the National Government.
The determination of the cost-of-living allowances by V. LEAVE AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS
the Secretary of Education shall, upon approval of the Section 24. Study Leave. In addition to the leave
President of the Philippines, be binding on the city, privileges now enjoyed by teachers in the public
municipal or provincial government, for the purposes schools, they shall be entitled to study leave not
of calculating the cost-of living allowances of teachers exceeding one school year after seven years of
under its employ. service. Such leave shall be granted in accordance
with a schedule set by the Department of Education.
Section 19. Special Hardship Allowances. In areas During the period of such leave, the teachers shall be
in which teachers are exposed to hardship such as entitled to at least sixty per cent of their monthly
difficulty in commuting to the place of work or other salary. Provided, however, that no teacher shall be
hazards peculiar to the place of employment, as allowed to accumulate more than one year study
determined by the Secretary of Education, they shall leave, unless he needs an additional semester to
be compensated special hardship allowances finish his thesis for a graduate study in education or
equivalent to at least twenty-five per cent of their allied courses. Provided, further, that no
monthly salary. compensation shall be due the teacher after the first
year of such leave. In all cases, the study leave
Section 20. Salaries to be Paid in Legal Tender. period shall be counted for seniority and pension
Salaries of teachers shall be paid in legal tender of purposes.
the Philippines or its equivalent in checks or treasury
warrants. Provided, however, that such checks or The compensation allowed for one year study leave
treasury warrants shall be cashable in any national, as herein provided shall be subject to the condition
provincial, city or municipal treasurer's office or any that the teacher takes the regular study load and
banking institutions operating under the laws of the passes at least seventy-five per cent of his courses.
Republic of the Philippines. Study leave of more than one year may be permitted
by the Secretary of Education but without
Section 21. Deductions Prohibited. No person shall compensation.
make any deduction whatsoever from the salaries of
teachers except under specific authority of law Section 25. Indefinite Leave. An indefinite sick
authorizing such deductions. Provided, however, that leave of absence shall be granted to teachers when
upon written authority executed by the teacher the nature of the illness demands a long treatment
concerned, (1) lawful dues and fees owing to the that will exceed one year at the least.
Philippine Public School Teachers Association, and
(2) premiums properly due on insurance policies, shall Section 26. Salary Increase upon Retirement.
be considered deductible. Public school teachers having fulfilled the age and
service requirements of the applicable retirement laws
shall be given one range salary raise upon retirement,
IV. HEALTH MEASURES AND INJURY BENEFITS which shall be the basis of the computation of the
Section 22. Medical Examination and Treatment. lump sum of the retirement pay and the monthly
Compulsory medical examination shall be provided benefits thereafter.
free of charge for all teachers before they take up
teaching, and shall be repeated not less than once a VI. TEACHER'S ORGANIZATION
year during the teacher's professional life. Where Section 27. Freedom to Organize. Public school
medical examination show that medical treatment teachers shall have the right to freely and without
and/or hospitalization is necessary, same shall be previous authorization both to establish and to join
provided free by the government entity paying the organizations of their choosing, whether local or
salary of the teachers. national to further and defend their interests.

In regions where there is scarcity of medical facilities, Section 28. Discrimination Against Teachers
teachers may obtain elsewhere the necessary Prohibited. The rights established in the immediately
medical care with the right to be reimbursed for their preceding Section shall be exercised without any
traveling expenses by the government entity interference or coercion. It shall be unlawful for any
concerned in the first paragraph of this Section. person to commit any acts of discrimination against
teachers which are calculated to (a) make the
Section 23. Compensation For Injuries. Teachers employment of a teacher subject to the condition that
shall be protected against the consequences of he shall not join an organization, or shall relinquish
employment injuries in accordance with existing laws. membership in an organization, (b) to cause the
The effects of the physical and nervous strain on the dismissal of or otherwise prejudice a teacher by
teacher's health shall be recognized as a reason of his membership in an organization or
compensable occupational disease in accordance because of participation in organization activities
with existing laws. outside school hours, or with the consent of the
proper school authorities, within school hours, and (c)
(c) to prevent him from carrying out the duties laid PQF (Philippine Qualification Framework)
upon him by his position in the organization, or to
penalize him for an action undertaken in that capacity. PPST (Philippine Professional Standards for
Teachers)
Section 29. National Teacher's Organizations.
BESRA (Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda)
National teachers' organizations shall be consulted in
(RA 10533)
the formulation of national educational policies and
professional standards, and in the formulation of CPD (Continuing Professional Development)
national policies governing the social security of the
teachers. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization)
VII. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT

Section 30. Rules and Regulations. The Secretary

of Education shall formulate and prepare the
necessary rules and regulations to implement the
provisions of this Act. Rules and regulations issued
pursuant to this Section shall take effect thirty days
after publication in a newspaper of general circulation
and by such other means as the Secretary of
Education deems reasonably sufficient to give
interested parties general notice of such issuance.

Section 31. Budgetary Estimates. The Secretary of

Education shall submit to Congress annually the
necessary budgetary estimates to implement the
provisions of the Act concerning the benefits herein
granted to public school teachers under the employ of
the National Government.

Section 32. Penal Provision. A person who shall

willfully interfere with, restrain or coerce any teacher
in the exercise of his rights guaranteed by this Act or
who shall in any other manner commit any act to
defeat any of the provisions of this Act shall, upon
conviction, be punished by a fine of not less than one
hundred pesos nor more than one thousand pesos, or
by imprisonment, in the discretion of the court. If the
offender is a public official, the court shall order his
dismissal from the Government service.

Section 33. Repealing Clause. All Acts or parts of

Acts, executive orders and their implementing rules
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Section 34. Separability Clause. If any provision of

this Act is declared invalid, the remainder of this Act
or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain in
force and in effect.

Sec. 35. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
 THE CHANGING GLOBAL LANDSCAPE
FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TEACHERS

Learning Outcomes:
1. identified the different changes occurring in the global teaching-learning landscape.

2. identified the 21st Century life and career skills for learners and teachers.

3. demonstrated understanding of the UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Learning as these

apply to the 21st Century.

Introduction

Unlearning is to let go of things, of mindsets that we cling on despite the changes that
are happening. As a principal step towards the reinvention of the educational system, it is
necessary to shift the goal of education to the student. Schools must recognize that the primary
goal of education is not to implement the system for system’s sake, but to produce individuals
that enjoy learning, to produce life-long learners.

A. The Changing Global Landscape and the 21st Century Skills for Teachers

We are in an era of borderless “flat” world. Barriers have been broken by new
information and communication technologies. Globalization has opened doors that led nations
to co-exist and be interdependent. However, the common future will still be more dependent on
the knowledge, skills and values of its people, thus glocalization can be the response.

As future teachers of the 21 st century, there is an urgent need to understand the new
landscape that is brought about by the changes in leaps and bounds of the century.
Furthermore, the development of the 21 st century skills is a necessary tool for teachers. Without
these 21st century tools, no teacher can survive.

Zhou, 2006, as mentioned in SEAMEO, INNOTECH 2011, identified some key

categories of the different changes and developments in the 21 st century teaching and learning.
To understand the categories, we will attempt to:

1. describe the new learning environment,

2. identify the new learning contents,
3. explain the new processes of learning and how these will be facilitated,
4. describe the new type of learners, and
5. describe the new type of teachers.

1. The New Learning Environment. The idea of learning environment has

broadened from the confines of the four walls of the classroom to places that support
learning. It is a place where interactions of the learners among one another, with the
teacher and the surroundings happen. It is characterized by the following:
  learner-centered
 new spaces and borderless
 enhanced opportunity for creativity and innovations, and
 use of ICT

2. The New Learning Contents. With the new learning environment and the
explosion of knowledge, content or subject matter of learning has been modified. From
a specific discipline or subject area, subject matter of learning has the following
characteristics:

 integrated/interdisciplinary
 demand-driven
 emphasis on learning tools on how to retrieve knowledge, and
 balance of scientific, technological, cultural, global, local concepts.

3. The New Processes of Learning and How These will be Facilitated. With
the advancement in the study of the mind and cognition, various processes of learning
evolved with human intervention of teachers and peers as well as non-human
intervention of artificial intelligence (AI) of robots. With these advancements, different
processes of learning and the methods to facilitate these have evolved. These include
the idea of multiple ways of learning which can be mediated by the following:

 Face-to-Face – when learners and teachers are confined in the same learning
space at the same time with the teacher facilitating learning.

 Distance Learning – when teaching-learning is mediated by traditional (modules

in print) or modern technology (on-line or off-line) without the physical presence
of the teacher in a virtual class. It can be synchronous or asynchronous.

 Blended Modalities – when teaching and learning is facilitated through face-to-

face or distance learning which enable to the teachers and learners to have both
physical presence or physical absence in the teaching-learning process.

 Experiential and Lifelong – when learners are immersed into the real life
situation, such that learning becomes more authentic and meaningful.

4. The New Types of Learners – The new breed of learners does not have age
boundaries. Learners maybe are in an informal, formal or informal setting. The new
type of learner is:

 A confident person who thinks independently and critically and who

communicates effectively;
 Self-directed and who questions, reflects and takes responsibility for his own
learning;
 A concerned citizen, informed about the world and local affairs, has a strong
sense of civic responsibilities and participates actively in improving lives of
others;
 A member of the new generation: pop-culture, different ways of thinking,
responding.
 Furthermore, the new types of learners are those coming from diverse
background, multi-cultural, and multi-generational as coming from different age groups
of lifelong learners. In order for every learner to address the challenges of the century,
he has to develop life and career skills. Life and career skills are enhanced in schools
as part of the learning outcomes. Life and career skills include the following:
(www.P21.org.; OECD, 2018).

Life and Career Skills

 Flexibility and Adaptability

Learners adapt to various roles, responsibilities and schedules. Despite

the complex condition, they are able to do the different tasks at one time.
Recognition of this potential will give a signal to the teacher to provide all
learners the opportunities to develop their individual potential of being adaptable
and flexible. Rigidity runs counter to the development of this skill.

 Initiative and Self-direction

A self-directed learners demonstrate life and career skills. Goals are set
and managed by themselves. There is a commitment to learning as a lifelong
process. Many of the young learners are capable of doing things without being
told. They take initiatives. They do not need to be given detailed instructions.
They plan and work out their plans. Like the learners, the teachers should also
possess the same skills.

 Social and Cross-cultural Skills

This life and career skills require learners to respect cultural differences
and work effectively with others, to be open-minded to different ideas in order to
innovate and improve quality of work. If one understands the other’s culture, it
will be easy to respect. Disrespect may spring from ignorance and bias. To be
able to appreciate the mores, tradition, history of others, one needs to be open
and willing to accommodate and compromise.

 Productivity and Accountability

Individuals who possess these skills are able to produce results. They
respect teamwork and cooperation. They manage time very well and can do
multitask. The most tangible proof that one has done something is the product or
result. It can be an idea, or a material product. When one is tasked to do
something, that person has an accountability to produce results as evidence of a
job done. Better results are accomplished if done together through collaboration
and cooperation.

 Leadership and Responsibility

 Good leaders use interpersonal and problem-solving skills with integrity
and ethical behavior to influence and guide others. Leadership and responsibility
are life skills that should be developed by all learners and teachers. Leadership
is not assigned, it is earned. As the saying goes: “Leaders are born, but they
can also be made.”

5. The New Type of Teachers – As teachers are currently preparing students

for jobs and technologies that don’t even exist yet, the challenge then is to produce the
new type of teachers. Teachers for the 21 st century learners teach within the context of
new environment, new content or knowledge, and new processes of teaching and
learning. Hence the new type of teachers must possess the following characteristics:

 Clear standards and accountability that their learners should know and be able to
do at the end of their schooling;

 Use broad pedagogies including inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning,

other pedagogies;

 Skillful in the integration of ICT in pedagogy;

 Skillful in the use of assessment to guide teaching and learning;

 Great understanding of local and global cultures;

 Skillful in action research to diagnose and solve classroom problems based on

evidence;

 Practice the core values of inspiring teachers; and

 Develop life and career skills for the 21st century and beyond.

B. UNESCO’s Four Pillars of Learning

Our common future will depend on the degree to which we all become better world
citizens. There are huge changes that take place in our world. Too much is being asked of
schools and teachers, hence, there is a greater demand to cope and strike a balance between
what is unchanging and what is changing. What is unchanging must remain, and so what is
changing, should be dealt with?

1. Learning to know. This implies thirst for knowledge and acquisition of such
knowledge. More so, it is learning how to learn throughout one’s life. After
completing formal education, there should be great desire to gain more
understanding of the world and other people. An individual who is knowledgeable is
literate. Being literate is always related to being knowledgeable.
 2. Learning to do. How can the knowledge and the methods be incorporated and
enhanced towards the development of skills? To apply knowledge, one must have
the 21st century skills. Qualifications now is equated to skills and not to knowledge
alone. Can the knowledge gained be translated to application? Learning by doing is
a pragmatist’s view of life. Knowledge acquired is nothing unless applied in daily life.

3. Learning to be. One of the most difficult things to do among the pillars is Learning
to be. It implies developing the potentials of each individual. Continuing education
must improve self-knowledge and self-esteem. What would you like to BE? Answer
to this question will require self-analysis, reflection, social skills, creativity and
personal discovery. At this point in time, have you decided that you should really
BECOME A TEACHER? Do you have now the skills that enable you to become
one?

4. Learning to live together. This refers to the relationships among people. It is

bringing together a community to work harmoniously, to live in peace and prosperity
and to show respect and concern for others. It also refers to interpersonal skills that
will enable people to live side by side with others at home, in school, in the
community, and the whole world.

All the pillars are interrelated with each other as basic principles. One pillar will not
function if it stands alone. There is a need to connect in order to address the 21 st century
demands for teaching and learning.

How is Literacy Defined?

In 1958, UNESCO defined literate as one who can, with understanding, both
read and write a short simple statement on his or her everyday life. However, in
1970, a functionally literate person is one who can engage in all the activities to use
reading, writing, and calculation for the community’s development. Further on, in
2000, literacy was defined as the ability to read and write with understanding a
simple statement related to one’s daily life. It involves a continuum of reading and
writing skills and often includes, numeracy. However, the UNESCO international
expert meeting in 2003 redefined literacy as the ability to identify, understand,
interpret, create, communicate, and compute using printed and written materials
associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in
enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential,
and to participate fully in their community and wider society.

But with the changing global landscape, literacy in the 21 st century is not limited
to the definitions given previously. Let us look at the 21st century literacies as
presented by SEAMEO, Innotech in Guro 21 Module, 2011.

The 21st Century Literacies

21st Century Literacies Brief Descriptions

This literacy can be manifested in creative ways of
The Arts and Creativity problem-solving and expressed through the production
of various art works. Teachers and students need to be
more adept in the arts and manifest creativity in various
 activities.
This entails acquiring knowledge about climate change,
Ecoliteracy pollution, loss of natural habitats and biodiversity as
well as the impacts of environmental problems on
human lives. Moreover, solutions on how these
environmental problems could be addressed must also
be practiced. Teachers and students need to develop
awareness of the environment.

Cyberliteracy/Digital This competency is based on the reality that societies

Literacy (Information and workplaces have now become more information-
and ICT Knowledge) driven. Workplaces of the 21st century rely heavily on
electronic (digital) forms of data storage and
management as well as in the area of communications.
Teachers and students need to develop familiarity and
skills in the use of computers, the internet and other
information technologies.

Financial Literacy Teachers and students are expected to be

knowledgeable about the basics of economics and
financial management. This way, you as a teacher, can
extend the skill into livelihood activities,
entrepreneurship, and wise handling of personal
finances.

Teachers and students are expected to be

Media Literacy knowledgeable and skilled in the area of
communications particularly the media.
Teachers and students must learn how to
discern news and information based on the form
and content as to how these information are
transmitted via various forms of media.
You and your students need to acquire social skills that
Social/Emotional are attuned to the norms of your current society.
Literacies Emotional intelligence must also be developed to be
able to effectively manage the stresses of a fast-paced
21st century society.

Globalization and You and your students need to develop a culture of

Multicultural Literacy respect for cultural diversity. There is value in having a
perspective as a global citizen whose local actions can
have an impact on the wider global arena. You also
have to understand how world events may also affect
you and your community at the local level.
 The Global and Glocal Teacher Professional:
Is there a Difference?

Learning Outcomes:

1. described global and glocal teachers.

2. inferred the demands of globalization in the 21st century on teacher professionals.

Introduction

As you prepare children for their future, teachers need to explore what the future holds.
Teachers have to envision creative, innovative ways to prepare diverse learners in their own
cultural context without forgetting that they live in their local communities but within a global
village.

To compete globally means to prepare teachers who are capable of changing lifelong
education needs. How do you prepare for these needs? What are the emerging technologies
that will shape the future? How can we use our technologies for best learning advantage?
What will be the jobs of the future and how should curricula be shaped to prepare students for
their future?

A. Global and Glocal Teacher Education

Global education has been best described by two definitions:

 UNESCO defines global education as a goal to develop countries worldwide and is

aimed at educating all people in accordance with world standards.

 Global education is a curriculum that is international in scope which prepares

today’s youth around the world to function in one world environment under teachers
who are intellectually, professionally, and humanistically prepared.

UNESCO’s Education 2030 Incheon Declaration during the World Education Forum
established a vision “Towards inclusive and equitable quality educational lifelong learning for
all.” Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 for Education is one of the 17 goals of the United
Nation’s SDGs. The seven of the ten targets are expected outcomes while three are means of
achieving the outcomes. These outcome targets bring together all member nations to expand
beyond their geographical territories for global education.
By 2030, the seven outcome targets of SDG 4 must have been achieved. These are:

4.1 Universal primary and secondary education. Ensure all girls and boys complete,
free equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and
effective learning outcomes.

4.2 Early childhood development and universal pre-primary education. Ensure

that
 all boys and girls have access to quality early childhood development care and pre-
primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

4.3 Equal access to technical/vocational and higher education. Ensure equal

access
for all women and men to affordable and quality technical/vocational and tertiary
education including university.

4.4 Relevant skills for decent work. Substantially increase the number of youth and
adults who have relevant skills including technical and vocational skills, for
employment, decent jobs, and entrepreneurs.

4.5 Gender equality and inclusion. Eliminate gender disparities in education and
ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational trainings for
vulnerable,
including persons with disabilities, indigenous people and children in vulnerable
situations.

4.6 Universal youth literacy. Ensure that all youth and substantial proportion of
adults,
both men and women achieve literacy and numeracy.

4.7 Education for sustainable development and global citizenship. Ensure all
learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development,
including among others through education for sustainable development and
sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promote culture of peace and
non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and cultures
contribution to sustainable development.

One of the means to achieve the target is to increase the supply of qualified
teachers, through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries,
especially the least developed countries and island developing states.

James Becker (1988) defined global education as an effort to help individual learners
to see the world as a single and global system and to see themselves as a participant in that
system. It is a school curriculum that has a worldwide standard of teaching and learning. This
curriculum prepares learners in an international marketplace with a world view of international
understanding. Global education incorporates into the curriculum and educational experiences
of each student a knowledge and empathy of cultures to make them better relate and function
effectively within various cultural groups.

Thus, to meet the various global challenges of the future, the 21 st Century Learning
Goals have been established as bases of various curricula worldwide. These learning goals
include:

1. 21st century content: emerging content areas such as global awareness; financial,
economic, business, and entrepreneurial literacy; civic literacy; health and environmental
awareness.
2. Learning and thinking skills: critical thinking and problem solving skills,
communication, creativity and innovation, collaboration, contextual learning, information
and media literacy.
  ICT Literacy: using technology in the context of learning so students know how
to learn.

 Life skills: leadership, ethics, accountability, personal responsibility, self-direction

 21st century assessments: authentic assessments that measure the areas of

learning.

On the other hand, glocal education is about diversity, understanding the differences
and teaching the different cultural groups in their own context to achieve the goals of global
education as presented by the United Nations. It is preparing future teachers from the remote
and rugged rural villages in developing countries, to the slum areas of urbanized countries, to
the highly influential and economically stable societies of the world for their roles in the 21 st
century classrooms. Global teacher education addresses the need of the smallest schools to
the largest classrooms in the world. It responds to borderless education that defies distance
and geographical location. This makes education glocal.

Thus, glocal education provides equal opportunity and access to knowledge and
learning tools which are the basic rights of every child in every community, locality within the
global community.

B. From Global Teacher to Glocal Teacher Professionals

A glocal teacher is a global teacher who is competent and armed with enough skills,
appropriate attitude and universal values to teach learners at home or abroad but is equipped
with both time tested as well as modern technologies in education in any time and any place in
the world. A glocal teacher is someone who thinks and acts both locally and globally with
worldwide perspectives, but is teaching in the communities, localities, towns, provinces and
regions where he is situated.

More specifically, a glocal Filipino is characterized several qualities and attributes in

addition to in-depth knowledge, functioning skills and embedded values. Glocal teachers:

 Understand how this world is interconnected;

 Recognize that the world has rich variety of ways of life;
 Have a vision of the future and sees what the future would be for himself and the
studends;
 Are creative and innovative;
 Understand, respect, and tolerant of diversity of cultures;
 Believe and take action for education that will sustain the future;
 Facilitate digitally-mediated learning;
 Possess good communication skills (for Filipino teachers to be multilingual);
 Aware of international teacher standards and framework; and
 Master the competencies of the Beginning Teacher in the Philippine Standards for
Teachers (PPST, 2017).
 Further, glocal teachers in addition to the above qualities must possess the following
distinct characteristics and core values of Filipino teachers (Master Plan for Teacher Education,
2017):

 cultural and historical rootedness by building on the culture and the history of the
learners and place;
 ability to contextualize teaching-learning by using local and indigenous materials,
content and pedagogy whenever appropriate;
 excellence in personal and professional competence, leadership, research, technology,
innovation and creativity;
 responsiveness through social involvement and service, learner-centeredness, respect
and sensitivity for diversity and inclusiveness;
 accountability and integrity by being a positive role model with strong moral character,
committed and conscientious, credible, honest and loyal;
 ecological sensitivity by being resilient and a steward of the environment for
sustainability;
 nationalism/Filipinism by being a responsible citizen and upholding the Filipino identity
amidst globalization; and
 faith in the Divine Providence by being humane, just, peace-loving and respectful of
human rights.

Philosophies of Education

Philosophies of Education
Learning Outcomes:
1. Explained the four (4) major philosophy of education.
2. Formulated own philosophy of education.

4 Major Educational Philosophies

There are many different types of philosophies in education. Here we will focus only on
the four main types of philosophies that may help you to form your teaching philosophy and
write your teaching statement - Perennialism, Essentialism, Existentialism, and Progressivism.
A mix of more than two philosophies is called Eclecticism.

1. Perennialism

Perennialism values knowledge that transcends time. This is a subject-centered

philosophy. The goal of a perennialist educator is to teach students to think rationally
and develop minds that can think critically. A perennialist classroom aims to be a closely
organized and well-disciplined environment, which develops in students a lifelong quest
for the truth. Perennialists are primarily concerned with the importance of mastery of the
content and development of reasoning skills.

2. Essentialism

Essentialism is also a subject-centered philosophy. Essentialism is the

educational philosophy of teaching basic knowledge, skills, and values. This philosophy
advocates training of the mind. Essentialist educators focus on transmitting a series of
progressively difficult topics and promotion of students to the next level. Essentialist
programs are academically rigorous. The emphasis is on academic content for students
to learn the basic skills or the fundamental r’s – reading, writing, arithmetic, and right
conduct – as these are essential to the acquisition of higher or more complex skills
needed in preparation for adult life.

3. Progressivism

Progressivists believe that individuality, progress, and change are fundamental to

one's education. Believing that people learn best from what they consider most relevant
to their lives, progressivists center their curricula on the needs, experiences, interests,
and abilities of students. Progressivists believe that education should focus on the whole
student, rather than on the content or the teacher. They emphasize on group activity and
group problem solving so that the students learn through cooperative learning strategies.
It is antiauthoritarian, experimental and visionary and aims to develop problem- solving
ability. This educational philosophy stresses that students should test ideas by active
experimentation

4. Existentialism
 The main concern of the existentialists is ‘to help students understand and
appreciate themselves as unique individuals who accept complete responsibility for their
thoughts, feelings, and actions.” Since “existence precedes essence”, the existentialist
teacher’s role is to help students define their own essence by exposing them to various
paths they take in life and by creating an environment in which they freely choose their
own preferred way. Since feeling is not divorced from reason in decision making, the
existentialist demands the education of the whole person, “not just the mind.”

Formulating Philosophy of Education

Your philosophy of education is your concept of the learner, concept of what must be
taught and how this must be taught. These thoughts are the bases of your actions and
decisions when you prepare to teach and when you teach.

Your philosophy of education is your ‘window” to the world and “compass” in life. Hence,
it may be good to put that philosophy in writing. Your philosophy of education is reflected in
your dealings with students, colleagues, parents, and administrators. Your attitudes towards
problems and life as a whole has an underlying philosophy. If you articulate your philosophy of
education, you will find yourself more consistent in your dealings with other people, in your
actions and decisions.
Study the examples of philosophy of education given below:

1. To understand the message from his students, the teacher must listen not only to
what his students are saying, but also to what they are not saying.

2. The learner must be taught how to communicate his ideas and feelings.

3. A learner must be allowed to learn at his own pace.

4. The teacher and the school head must prescribe what is most important for the
students to learn.

5. For the learner to acquire the basic skills, he must go through the rigor and discipline
of serious study.

6. Learner produced knowledge based on their experiences.

7. Schools should help individuals accept themselves as unique and accept

responsibility for their thoughts, feelings, and actions.

8. Teacher cannot impose meaning; students make meaning of what they are taught.

9. In the classroom, students must be encouraged to interact with one another to

develop social virtues such as cooperation and respect.

10. School should stress on the teaching of basic skills.

Philosophy of Education of Teacher Macrina Sanchez:

I believe that every child has a natural interest in learning and is capable of learning.

… can be influenced by not totally by his environment.

… is unique, so comparing a child to other children has no basis.

… does not have an empty mind, rather is full of ideas and it is my task to draw out
these ideas.

I believe that my task as a teacher is to facilitate the development of every child to the
optimum and to the maximum by

… teaching not only what to learn but more important how to learn.

… providing every child activities meant to develop the body, the mind, and the spirit.

… consistently practicing good values to serve as model for every child.

… making every child feel good and confident about himself through his experiences of
success in the classroom.