As dynamic and vivid as the world around them, every student must experience the ideas taught in schools in a way that genuinely resonates with them in order for these lessons to instill a lifelong love for learning. This is why the grade school department is introducing one of this year’s flagship programs: Experiential Community Trips and Engagement with Experts.
Announced by the Vice Principal for Academic Affairs Jomar Dela Cruz during the parents’ orientation, this initiative is designed to enrich our authentic approach to education. As the hub for creativity and innovation, it is only essential that our students experience firsthand the concepts they encounter in their lessons. While the usual learning methods rely heavily on classroom instruction, our experiential field trips and engagements with experts offer a refreshing dive into immersive experiences that bring big ideas to life. Each grade level’s task will revolve around a central theme, ensuring that every engagement is relevant. These themes and big ideas are carefully curated to align with their respective curriculum.
In Grade 1 for example, where the theme is “Self and Family,” the teachers will meticulously craft learning experiences that will let the students know themselves better in relation to the people around them. This will allow for collaboration and relationship skills building while emphasizing the virtue of a “sense of family.”
Grade 2 students will experience two events anchored on “Health and Community.” With aprons on and hands busy, students already engaged in a sandwich-making activity together with a pastry chef, utilizing their lessons from subjects like Science and GMRC. They will also ride a Jeepney that will tour around the City of Baliwag. We believe that simple exposures like these are the first steps to understanding the culture and the community around them.
Meanwhile, students from Grade 3 will surely be wide-eyed with curiosity as they delve into a talk with officers from the Baliwag City Environment & Natural Resources Office (CENRO) about environmental appreciation. Their big idea is to explore the “Wonders of Region 3,” which encompasses the land and water bodies, local products, food, culture, festivals, and historical sites of Central Luzon.
Grade 4, on the other hand, focuses on “Philippine Culture and Nature,” where fourth-graders visited Pulong Kabyawan Agricultural Farm in Pulilan, Bulacan to witness vibrant community-based ecotourism painted by a 20-hectare lush farmland. This aims to show students how beautiful the concept of agriculture and nature is. These will also help them remember the heritage of Filipinos as well as the culture of sustainable living experienced by our ancestors not so long ago.
Furthermore, the Grade 5 students’ theme will be “Pre-Colonial Philippines” reinforced by an engaging talk with a renowned Filipino historian Michael Charleston Chua who is celebrated for his ability to make history engaging to the public while advocating for its preservation.
Last but not least, our Grade 6 students will focus on “War Veterans,” with an actual Military History Tour in Baliwag City and in the nearby municipalities of Bustos, and San Ildefonso. This project will be integrated across multiple subjects, including Filipino, where students will engage in discussions on individuality within the context of Araling Panlipunan. It is in our hopes that as they walk through our historical sites, they may be able to connect with the embers of the events that transpired here, as well as the bravery and sacrifices of significant people in their local community.
These experiential learning activities aim to ultimately deepen not merely our Sagradans’ understanding of their lesson but most importantly their appreciation of it. For each learning to linger on. As the information age encourages us to constantly bridge the gap between instruction and real-world application, through these programs, we ensure that learning extends beyond the four walls of the classroom, making every Sagradan’s educational journey truly meaningful and lasting for a long time.
Photos taken by: Megan Edrea Ladao and Ericaviel Maureese Isaac