Tips to Foster Engaging Learning Culture

In the process of becoming part of the world, there is a need to actively immerse
yourselves in the different cultures of the world through a meaningful learning engagement.

The Following tips are suggested:

C-reate new circle of friends. In this era of technology, invite local and
international friends in a social network. Know them and share stories with one another:
family, education practices, local traditions, and the like.

O-ffer- time and resources. Once friendship is established, be ready to share your
time and knowledge so you will be able to learn from each other. In the course of doing so,
you are starting to build a good relationship.

N-etwork ideas. In the process of further knowing each other and the relationship
has engendered trust, you and your friend can recommend each other for more friends.
Through this, you can share with each other in terms of your interest, plans, etc.

N-ote similarities and differences of beliefs and practices. As the network

expands, you need to note similarities and differences of your beliefs and practices. In the
process, you further learn from each other and probably enjoy each other’s’ eventually
adjust and immerse into it as well.

E-xplore opportunities. Once you have learned from each other’s culture, you can
offer chances of inviting him/her to be part of your academic activities like requesting
him/her for evaluation of your and your classmates’ course output. This can be done vice-
versa.

C-are for each other. From time to time, you check on each other’s status and learn
how to show care and concern for her/him. This is an important element to strengthen
relationship. You need to preserve it. Sometimes family members become part of such
relationship.

T-ransfer Learning. To make online communication with friends more meaningful

and fruitful way, you need to share experiences with your classmates in the classroom and
vice-versa. It is through this that you can truly claim that learning is significant because
it’s a shared with/transferred with others.

In today;s world, connection plays a powerful agent towards globalization and

immersing into others’ cultures. So, start C-O-N-N-E-C-T.
What is Multicultural Literacy?

Taylor and Hoechsmen (2011) shared that multicultural literacy is defined

through the idea of an inclusive and diverse education system where students
of all cultural background are provided with the respect and recognition they
deserve in the classroom. It is through this literacy that we must foster certain
pedagogies concerning both social justice and social difference in the
classroom.

Boutte (2008) discussed how by fostering both critical thinking and culturally
sensitive pedagogies to bring explicit attention to society-related cultural
issues, in hope to positively impact diverse learners in the classroom through
giving recognition to the barriers they face through education institutions.

O’ Byrne and Smith (2015) stated how through the use of multicultural
literacy, culturally marginalized students feel more respected and comfortable
in the classroom as they genuinely feel their needs are being met and their
voices are heard.

Banks and Stark (2003) stated that although literacy is essential that all
students acquire the basic literacy and computational skills, this is not
enough. Students should also acquire the skills, attitudes and commitments
needed to be reflective, moral and active citizens in a troubled global world.

Bsndev (2004) presented that multicultural literacy is awareness that culture

impacts behavior and beliefs. It is an awareness and appreciation of different
beliefs, appearances and lifestyles.

Boles (2006) discussed the goals in teaching children multicultural literature.

These cover the increase of self-worth and greater chance for successful
future; the achievement of education equity, working towards cultural
pluralism, creation of a sense of empowerment in students, the ability to work
in groups and teaching from a multicultural perspective. This means
educators must challenge assumptions and stereotypes.

The aforementioned ideas of experts on the value of multicultural education

are so clear that each academician is challenged to see the uniqueness of each
one in relation to the varied cultural background, physical capabilities,
intellectual acuity, financial capacity and the like.
UNIT 2 SOCIAL LITERACY

"If you talk to a man in a language that he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to

him in his language, that goes to his heart." - Nelson Mandela

In today's world where everything is Interconnected, where distance and time are no

longer a problem, where different languages are taught and learned, where culture and

cultural sensitivity are highlighted, people still find it very difficult to build meaningful

relationships. The opportunities brought about by the rise of the Internet, mobile

communication, and social media have brought us into whole new level of possibilities for

interaction. Yet, establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships has never got

easier. The ability to start a meaningful conversation, learn and ask questions, react to

situations appropriately, get along with others, and develop a healthy relationship are not

intrinsic are those we once referred to as "manners" and "soft skills"; and like any other

skills, these should be taught, practiced, reinforced, corrected over and over again until

mastery is attained. Consider the adage that "Championships are won at practice!".

Learning and displaying prosocial skills can be considered as the foundation of all complex

and advanced skills and can be linked to academic and career success. Students should be

taught that life is not just about learning the ABCs, after all, education means the whole

person, and not just academics.

This unit introduces students to the different aspects of social literacy effective

communication, intercultural communication makes meaning, express thoughts and

emotions, present ideas and opinions, interact with others and participate in activities at

school and in their lives beyond school. It is more than just the ability to read and write.

The ability to effectively express, interact, collaborate and build relationships with

other people (effective communication), and promote positive actions that benefit others,

prompted by empathy, moral values, and a sense of personal responsibility rather than a

desire for personal gain (prosocial behavior) is what social literacy is about. It is also simply

defined as "a person's ability to interact, maintain and build relationships with others"

(Università Delle Liberetà, 2012).

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Communication is an important aspect of any relationship, be it intimate, casual,

consultative, or formal. It is simple, yet complex. It is derived from the Latin word

"communicare" which means, to share. It is the process of transmitting and understanding

information. "It is the transference of meaning between individuals and the means of

reaching, understanding and influencing others" (Jayasree, n.d).

Communication is a Two-Way Process

Oftentimes, a speaker only focuses on the information he/she wants to relay without

having to consider the listener who may understand the message, understand only a

portion of the message, or miss the point entirely. Communication is not merely about

delivering a message; it is also about receiving the message as it is. This process is

simplified through the model of communication below.

 The sender sends a message

 The receiver gets the message and personalizes it.

 The receiver, in turn, sends feedback and thus becomes a sender.

 The original sender now becomes a receiver and reacts to the feedback.

 Generally, a new communication sequence is then initiated.

As simple as it may seem, not everyone is able to achieve effective communication.

People are not born with good communication and interpersonal skills; others who have

these skills sometimes do not have the confidence to use them. Either way, like any other

skills, these should be taught, practiced, reinforced, corrected, over and over again until

mastery is attained.

Three areas of communication that you may want to practice are:

 Nonverbal communication

 Conversation skills

 Assertiveness

NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

According to an Australian born American Management educator Peter E Drucker

(1909-2005), "The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said."

Sometimes when we communicate, our wordless signals facial expression, eye gaze,
postures, gestures, and tone of voice, overrule the acksp words that we say. These

nonverbal cues or nonverbal behaviors, intentional or not, can reveal who we are and

impact how we relate to other people. Moreover, what makes it more interesting is that

these nonverbal signals do not carry fixed meaning. Meaning is influenced and dependent

on the place, the people and its culture. Example, a thumbs up gesture commonly means

"approval" most countries is considered offensive in some parts of Greece, Italy, and the

Middle East.

The same case with pointing using the index finger at something c someone. This

gesture is also offensive in other cultures and countries like that in China, Japan, and

many countries.

Although international exposure makes us more open to the positive and negative

connotations of both words and nonverbal signals, it is still very important to be very

careful and mindful so as not to deliver a wrong message to the other person. Nonverbal

communication cues can play five roles according to Wertheim (2012):

 Repetition: they can repeat the message the person is making verbally.

 Contradiction: they can contradict a message the individual is trying to convey.

 Substitution: they can substitute for a verbal message. For example, a person's hug

can most of the time convey a far more vivid message than words.

 Complementing: they may add to or complement a verbal message. teacher who gives

a "two thumbs up" in addition to saying "good job can increase the impact of the

message.

 Accenting: they may accent or underline a verbal message. Pounding the table, for

example, can underline a message.

Before you can improve on your nonverbal communication, you need to first identify

any trouble spots and start working on it. Note that as you continue to pay attention to the

nonverbal cues and signals you send and receive, your ability to communicate will improve.

CONVERSATIONAL SKILLS

Conversation is one powerful tool that glues people together. Relationship bonds,

partnerships are built through conversations. The ability to start meaningful conversation

and keep them going is a challenge for most people who have social anxiety. It is difficult to

start a conversation when you are anxious. However, this ability to start conversations
confidently and talk comfortably is one of the top skills one can have. But how do you

improve your conversational skills?

QUICK-TIPS FOR THE ART OF CONVERSATION

Z. Hereford in Essential Life Skills.net

 Do not dominate a conversation or make it all about you. A monologue is not

conversation.

 Show interest and curiosity in others.

 Strive for a balance of give and take.

 Be an active listener by maintaining good eye contact and asking pertinent

questions.

 Train yourself to relax by using visualization, meditation, or other relaxation

methods. Being relaxed is vital for good conversation.

 Do not interrupt and cut in with your own ideas before the other person is finished

speaking.

 Maintain an open mind; everyone has a right to express themselves even if you don't.

agree with what they are saying.

 Although this is cliché, try to avoid topics such as sex, religion and politics. You

would be surprised at how many people get trapped by them and end up in verbal

battle, not conversation.

 Be prepared by staying on top of the latest news, developments and world events.

 Be approachable by staying relaxed, smiling and maintaining a friendly attitude.

ASSERTIVENESS

Think of an experience wherein you withhold an honest opinion for a friend. Did you

do it so that he/she will not get hurt? Or so that you didn't want to appear rude? Was it the

right thing to do? These are not effective interactions, and they never lead to honesty and

clarity. We should learn how to be assertive with our communication-meaning that we

should say exactly what we want but in a respectful manner. Assertiveness means

expressing your point of view in a way that is clear and direct, while still respecting others

(Centre for Clinical Interventions, 2016). It is an honest expression of one's own needs,
wants, and feelings, while respecting those of the other person. When you communicate

assertively, your manner is non-threatening and non- judgmental, and you take

responsibility for your own actions (AnxietyBC).

How do assertive, aggressive, passive communication differ?

For example, while you were patiently standing in line in the cafeteria, someone suddenly

cuts the line. How would you react then?

Passive: You were shocked, muttered a few words to yourself, then just watch the person

got his order first while you have to wait for almost 30 minutes already

Aggressive: You grab the person by the shoulder then shout at him.

Assertive: You approach the person nicely and calmly said, "Excuse, there is actually a line

here. It would be better if you could wait your turn like the rest of us."

PROSOCIAL COMMUNICATION

How many people have you sincerely complimented, smiled at, or even hugged today?

Have you experienced calling the clinic after watching a schoolmate in terrible pain?

Have you presented your research findings through publication or in research conferences?

Have you written or delivered a speech about promoting one's culture and the like?

Have you helped someone through social media by crowdsourcing and crowdfunding?

Prosocial communication is a communication that promotes the well-being of other

people. It is a communication, verbal or nonverbal, that benefits another individual, group,

or the society. When you give a helpful advice, a sincere compliment, or a thumbs up to
mean very good; or call the clinic to help someone in pain; or publish/present research

findings to benefit the public, these are all examples of prosocial communication. When you

promote the well-being of other people and focus on values such as caring, sharing,

building healthy relationships, then you are exhibiting prosocial behavior. The emphasis

will be on the understanding of both individual and group behaviors that promote effective

and cooperative prosocial communication.

Moreover, when defining prosocial communication, one's culture should be taken

into consideration. For example, supporting gay rights or women's rights in some cultures

would be considered prosocial, however, it might not be in others. The same is true with a

wide variety of religious, political, and social issues.

Ten to remind you of the varied ways in which following the principles of

interpersonal communication may lead to prosocial communication (Devito, 2016).

Communicating with cultural sensitivity. People benefit in their self-view when

their cultural beliefs are understood and respected.

Listening empathically. When you listen empathically, you're performing a prosocial

communication act by providing a supportive and understanding ear.

Responding appropriately to the emotional expression of others. When you offer

comfort and support to the grief stricken, you're performing a prosocial communication act.

Confirming. Communications that acknowledge the importance and contributions of

another are likely to have a beneficial effect while disconfirming messages are likely to yield

no such benefits and perhaps a variety of negative responses.

Advising. When you offer advice, assuming it is asked for, you are performing a

prosocial communication act by sharing what you know or think with another person in an

effort to comfort or reassure them.

Complimenting. When you compliment someone for a job well done or for looking

good, you're performing a prosocial communication act by helping the other person to feel

more positive.

Mentoring/Sharing. When you mentor someone, you're performing a prosocial

communication act by sharing with them your expertise and experience-making them more

efficient workers or better speakers, for example. Teaching in all its forms would be

included here.
 Communicating politely. When you respect a person's need for both positive and

negative face, you're engaging in prosocial communication.

Arguing fairly and constructively. When you engage in conflict fairly and

constructively you show respect and confirm the other person. So, when you're

argumentative rather than aggressive, you're engaging in prosocial communication.

Responding to the dark side of interpersonal communication. When you confront

bullying or sexual harassment constructively (and safely) you're performing a prosocial

communication function.

INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

In promoting prosocial behavior, we are also highlighting the importance of

intercultural communication. Intercultural communication skills are those required to

communicate, or share information, with people from other cultures and social groups

(SkillsYouNeed2017). Both prosocial and intercultural communication puts language as

one, not the only one of the requirements to achieve effective communication. Awareness,

understanding and acceptance of other people's culture, belief, tradition, practices, or even

though patterns help one to achieve effective prosocial and intercultural communication.

Key areas of knowledge for those wanting to improve their intercultural

communication are (SkillsYouNeed, 2018) .

 Some knowledge of the cultures, organizations and institutions, history and general

way of living of different communities and nations.

 Recognition that these aspects affect behavioral norms. For example, there is

considerable "history" between the Greeks and Turks, and therefore it may be

considered potentially a problem to serve Turkish food to a Greek person.

 An understanding of how culture can affect communication and language. For

example, people from Nordic countries are often said to speak more directly than

native English speakers who tend to use more "polite language Scandinavians in the

UK have reported causing offense to English people by failing to say "please" and

"thank you" enough.

 Some understanding of the conventions that may govern behavior in certain specific

intercultural environments, such as views on the role of women etc.

  Crucially, awareness of your own and other people's beliefs and values, and a

willingness to recognize when these may clash.

 Sensitivity towards cultural stereotypes that may affect and interfere with

intercultural communication.

The following are the key points for successful intercultural communication (ICAS, 2018)

 Keep an open mind at all times, focusing on what you hear, not what you see.

 Admire and respect other cultures, as we can learn a lot from others.

 Recognize your own cultural bias and how it is different from the people you are

dealing with.

 Be aware of how you act around people: some jokes, words, expressions or phrases

may be offensive to people with a different background from you.

 Cultures and customs vary from person to person. Pay attention to everything, from

tone of voice to gestures in order to increase your understanding.

 Practice. The more you communicate with other people, the better you will become at

it.

Unit 4 Financial Literacy

"If you want to reap financial blessings, you have to sow financially."

-Joel Osteen

When money was designed and accepted as an instrument of payment for goods. services,
debts or any other obligations, it has become an integral part of human's day-to-day affairs.
You use money in whatever you do. To eat, drink, enjoy, work, travel, do business, and all
other activities of life, you need money to get these done. It is therefore of great significance
that you understand how money works, its principles, and purposeful use. In fact, it is
everyone's business to be financially literate.

Financial literacy is the skill to comprehend all money matters from acquiring to
managing. investing, and helping others. It is the ability to know one's current finances and
making better literate. decisions in handling it. It is the key to attain financial freedom.
Spending beyond one's capability and lack of discipline to work within a budget
demonstrates of one's financial illiteracy.

Financial freedom is one's independence from financial worries, debts and obligations. It
happens when one has sufficient money to live his life free with all the financial troubles. If
one is rich but in debts and not at peace with his/ her financials, then he/she is not
financially free. If one have enough and content with it and he/she is free with all the
troubles of money, that is financial freedom. To achieve this, one needs to make a financial
plan that he/she should religiously follow.

Financial planning is a process to help one to make literate money-related decisions that
can lead one to fulfilling life aspirations. It is the task of determining how one will afford to
achieve financial goals. Financial goal refers to one's specific desired amount to meet
certain life aspiration. To achieve financial goal one needs to do a planning process that is
called financial plan. For example, if one is wishing to spend family vacation in Singapore,
then he/she has financial goals and make a financial plan on how to achieve the required
amount and the needed actions to ensure it will happen. In the process, one will need to
make a very good budget plan, manage well his/herr expenses and debts, build savings
and investments, engage in money-making personal trading, and understand & determine
his/her financial net worth, which can possibly lead him/her further to start his/herr own
registered business. Once he/she have gone through this process over and over again, and
have achieved his/her personal goals every time, then he/she must have become
financially literate enjoying financial freedom.

Lesson 1

BUDGETING

Good budgeting is the primary requirement to know the ins and outs of your
finances. It gives you the idea on how and where to spend your money. It differentiates
important purchases to non-essentials. It contains your detailed expenses, obligations,
your income and allocated savings. It should tell you to live within your means.

With the many things you want to get in life, you often times get excited to spend
more than what you earn. The discipline in buying what you only need is forgotten due to
your impulses of wanting. You clamor for more and more to the point of misbalancing your
budget, which leads to the various traps of debts. Once you are in borrowing habit, getting
out is surely more challenging than getting in. So it is important that you have to live
within your means. You need to set a budget that you can work with and follow it strictly.

Budgeting is the process of making a plan to spend your money. This spending plan
is called a budget. Creating this spending plan allows you to determine in advance whether
you will have enough money to buy the things you need and want. Following a budget plan
will surely save you from debt or get you out of debt.

Budgeting has three major components namely income, saving and expense. Income
refers to the money received, especially on a regular basis, for work or business or through
investments. Saving refers to the money allocated for future use. Expense refers to the
money used for the cost of something. If your income is higher than your expenses, you will
surely have more money to save. But if your expenses are bigger than your income, you will
usually borrow money to augment your cover deficit. Borrowing money means debt while
deficit means lack of budget to the expenses. Excess from budget means surplus.

Making a budget is important in achieving your financial goals. Financial goals are
targets you set to meet your future financial needs such as car or home purchase, vacation,
retirement, education, medical or investment. If you track your expenses for the next six
months or more, you will be able to discover your spending patterns. Spending patterns will
give you idea on where do you spend your money most. You will see which expenses that
are not necessary and can be cut down or removed; and which are important that need to
be increased. It also stops you from having impulsive buying and avoid wasting financial or
material resources. Most importantly, you will have peace of mind as you will be financially
ready even to an unexpected situation.

Realizing your financial goals will come easy once a budget plan is set to achieve it.
With a budget plan, you will be guided on how much to earn, save and spend every time
money gets into your pocket. You will also know how to use your financial resources well
and avoid unexpected expenses. With the right money mindset and disciplined spending,
getting what you want through a financial goal will be within your reach. But the first leap
in achieving whatever financial goal you have is a good budget plan. Here is a sample of a
good monthly budget plan that you can pattern yours with.

Pocket In shows the breakdown of all your Incomes in a month while Pocket Out
tallies all your allocated Expenses. The Pocket Left Over is the excess money after all your
Expenses are deducted from your Total Income. To create a Good Budget Plan, you should
make sure that you are able to allocate well, save money and that Pocket Left Over has
more in it. Negative amount in the Pocket Left Over at the end of the month means failure
in following your spending plan, which can lead you to borrow money and start your debt
traps. So you have to strictly implement your budget plan and discipline yourself to spend
within your means.

A Good Budget Plan

In creating your good budget plan, abide by these changeless principles. These can lead
you to financial independence, as you will be guided to avoid debt traps and accumulate
more financial resources if mindfully taken into consideration,

1. Define and understand your current financial reality and habits.

2. Set your financial goals to determine your savings allocation and other course of
actions.

3. Allocate first a percentage of your income for savings depending on your

set financial goals then whatever is left will be budgeted for expenses (Income - Savings =
Expenses).

4. Identify and clearly specify important expenses from unimportant for proper allocation.

5. Lessen your expenses as much as possible.

6. If all your expenses are important yet bigger than your income, then you must find other
sources of income or sacrifice some.

7. Ensure that your Pocket Left Over is zero or more to avoid getting into debts or credits.

Defining and understanding your current financial reality and habits is very crucial
in making a sensible and good budget plan. You need to identify all your current flows of
money, where it is going and how much is left each payday. If your income is being eaten
by debt payables then your budget should incorporate your financial goal of freedom from
debt at a certain time before you can set other financial goals. If your income creates
surplus after all expenses are taken out at the end of each pay day then it could possibly
mean that you have a better chance of reaching your financial goals. Furthermore, you
should also be able to uncover your financial habits. Do you buy things every department
store sale despite lack of budget? Do you buy things without a second thought? Do you
have multiple debts? Do you have savings in the bank? Do you have investments and
properties? Do you have extras every pay day? If your answer to the first three questions is
no and yes for the last three, then you may have acquired sound financial habits. But if
your answer is otherwise, your financial habits will surely not lead you to accumulate
savings and free you from debts. So it is important to face and accept your current financial
realities and change your bad financial habits before you can move forward to setting your
financial goals.

Setting your financial goals is vital in budgeting to determine your savings allocation
and other course of actions, which can lead you to financial freedom. You have to define
your short, medium or long-term financial goals so you can incorporate each of them in
your budget plan. These financial goals may include building your retirement, securing life
and health insurances, setting up emergency fund, getting car or fire insurances, savings
for future business or investments, buying a car or a house, freeing from debts or credits,
funding for education, allocating for entertainment, travel and vacation or even
apportioning fund for helping others in need. Short-term financial goals are normally one
year or less. Medium term is more than one year to less than five years while long term is
five or more years. The financial goals should be very clear, specific, measurable,
achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Upon making your budget plan, the amount of
savings that you need to allocate should equate to the amount needed to achieve each of
your financial goals. Otherwise, your budget plan will lead you to frustrations and cause
you not to follow it any longer. So it is a must that your financial goal is achievable through
your budget plan. If ever your budget plan does not meet your financial goal, then you
must find other course of actions like minimizing or cutting expenses or finding other
sources of income. Achieving your financial goals through a discipline implementation of a
budget plan will most likely give you financial freedom. This is a kind of freedom that takes
you away from financial worries and troubles and allows you to live the kind of life you
want it to be.

Allocating savings to meet your financial goal is a must in any budget plan. So from
your total income, you have to deduct a certain percentage of savings equivalent to your
financial goal. For example, if your financial goal is to save P120,000 in a year for your
emergency fund from your P1,200,000 annual salary, then your percentage of savings is
10% of your annual income. So in making a monthly budget at P100,000 monthly salary,
you have to make sure you save P10,000 per month for the next 12 months. This means
that the remaining P90,000 is the only amount to be allocated for your monthly expenses
for a year to meet your short term financial goal of building your P120K emergency fund. In
other words, the formula in building savings to meet your financial goals is to first deduct it
from your total income and spend the rest for expenses (Total Income - Savings Expenses).
This way, you are assured of accumulating savings that you can use later for investments,
asset acquisition, business capital and any other opportunities that requires your liquidity.
This is a winning formula if you have the discipline to religiously follow your budget plan.

Identifying and clearly specifying important expenses from unimportant gives you a
better picture on how well your budget plan will go. In budgeting expenses, you should be
able to differentiate needs from wants. Needs form part of important expenses to carry out
your day-to-day activities in life. Examples of needs are food, basic clothing, transportation,
education, utilities, medical, insurance and the like. Wants are part of the unimportant
expenses that may not necessarily be allocated. These may include but not limited to
buying latest gadgets and cellphones, getting expensive branded clothing's and bags, dining
at fine restaurants, overspending vacation trips and the like. Truthfully, don't buy or spend
on things out of pride to show others that you can afford even if you can't. Better allocate
your budget to mostly important needs, provide buffer for emergency, unforeseen or
unexpected expenses and save your money from wants or caprice spending.

Lessening your expenses as much as possible is as important as building your

savings. In plotting your expenses, imagine a way to minimize the cost in implementing
your budget plan. For example, if you allocate P5,000 for your transportation allowance
because of taxi fares to avoid being late at work, then maybe you can try riding a jeep by
waking up early. Surely, you will still come early at work but you save much from your
transportation allowance. Also, you can cook and bring food for lunch, snacks and dinner
instead of buying food outside. Most of the money is wasted because of bad spending habit
brought by untuned personality. Bad traits and characters may cost a lot and derail
someone from his/ her budget plan. Some people need to borrow money to buy latest
expensive things to show other people that they can afford when in reality they can not.
Pride and show off can bloat your expenses instead of lessening it. It is important to tame
your trait and character to develop a very good spending habit so you can realize your
budget plan.

Finding other sources of income to meet your important expenses is required to avoid
borrowing money. If you can't find any, then you must set aside these important but not
urgent expenses. In your budget plan, only prioritize those important and urgent expenses
and stick within your spending plan. With the fast moving developments of technology,
there are now a lot of ways to make extra income. One is an online job where you can work
at home after your regular office hour work. What you need are your skills for the job, extra
time, computer, and Internet connection. Another is selling items online. You can also
sideline other jobs or small business that will not require office reporting for as long as it
will not be in conflict with your regular job. Spending without having a source of income for
it brings you to a suicidal financial breakdown. You may succumb to borrowing money you
can't afford that can bring you in bad debts. Getting inside of it is easy but getting out
takes a lot of discipline and change of character. So to avoid this from happening, you must
follow a very good budget plan and implement with unchanged discipline.

Making your pocket left over to zero or more is an indicator of good budget plan. This
implies that there is no need for you to borrow money to implement your budget plan.
Having excess money in your pockets after spending your allocated expenses means
savings. These savings can speed up in meeting your various financial goals. For instance,
you want to save for a lot purchase of P500,000 and you are planning to allocate P100,000
per year for the next five years. But since you have excess money each month for about
P5,000, your additional savings per year will be P60,000. So in total, your savings per year
will become P160,000. With this, you will reach your medium term financial goal of saving
P500,000 to purchase a lot in less than five years. So it is of equal importance to have
always left over money in your pocket after all expenses have been incurred so you can
increase your savings. The more savings you can keep, the more financial goals you can
achieve earlier than expected.

Once you have created your good budget plan, the real battle comes in making sure it
happens. No matter how good you are in budget planning but if you fail to follow it,
everything means nothing. The ultimate challenge in the budget plan implementation
resides within you. So here are eight guidelines that you should do for a self-disciplined
spending.

1. Bring a record of your budget plan for daily reference.

2. Track your daily expenses.

3. Find ways to save from your allocated daily expenses.

4. Avoid impulse buying.

5. Spend on useful and purposeful things and not for status symbol or mere
convenience.

6. Buy quality yet inexpensive things.

7. Research and ask help for major spending.

8. Less is more in truest sense.

Bringing a record of your budget plan wherever you go is a reminder of what to spend
and save. Everyday you have to look into it as reference every time money comes out of
your pocket. With the advancement of technology, it is now easy to keep a record. You may
convert your budget file to picture and save it in you phone. You can also use system apps
from Google Play Store to record your budget. However, if you prefer the old style of
bringing hard copy thru a notebook or any other recording materials, then it is up to you.
The point is that you should have it for reference every time you have financial transactions
so you will always be guided and avoid overspending

Tracking your daily expenses is needed to know your actual expense versus plan.
Failure to track daily expenses mostly lead to cash shortage or deficit especially when your
Pocket Left Over in your budget plan is zero. So always ask for receipts every spending you
make and record it daily through budgeting system apps or manual recording. If there is no
receipt then record it in your notebook or phone notes. What you do is to deduct your daily
expenses from semi-monthly or monthly budget and ensure that you spend less or within
budget. When you do this regularly, you'll get to know how much budget is left for every
allocated expense. So you will learn to say no or stop any unnecessary spending or look for
other sources of income if the intended expense exceeds your budget already. Otherwise
your finances will suffer and you will not be able to achieve your set financial goal. And the
worst thing to happen is when you borrow money to cover your deficit. So it is vital to
always track your daily expenses and record it against your budget plan.

Saving from your allocated expenses is not easy when you don't have the habit to
make it happen. It takes discipline to make savings from expenses. But there are principles
that you can abide and ways that you can try to get into this habit. First, look into your
lifestyle. Is it not too expensive to maintain? Can you sacrifice some to save more? Are all
your expenses necessary? For instance, you are currently enrolled in a Gym to stay fit and
healthy. Can you not do the exercise at home by doing household chores, cleaning the
house, car or yard, drink a lot of water; eat healthy food; avoid stress and the like to stay fit
and healthy? If you do this, you can save cost for house helper who does this kind of jobs,
avoid gym cost, and will have more time to spend at home with family. Another that you
need to look at is your food consumption. Have you checked the cost of your wasted food
daily. weekly or monthly? Find a way not to waste food and surely you will save from your
consumption. Moreover, look at your transportation expense. Is there a way that you can
walk or ride a vehicle with a cheaper fare instead of spending for taxicab? My point is that,
to save from your allocated expenses is to evaluate your current spending behaviors or
habits and lifestyle in general, and change those that are costly and unnecessary. Focus
your spending on what matters most and build better routines and habits that can help
you build your savings.

Impulse buying means instant purchase without a thought and consideration of your
budget. This mostly ruins your good budget plan especially if you have nothing in your
Pocket Left Over. And once your budget is hurt, your existing savings will be eaten up next.
So you have to avoid impulse buying. Every time you buy something, it should be out of
need and not out of like, hype or trapping sale. When you go shopping, you need to identify
your objectives, and prepare the list of items you purposely want to buy, and stick with
your budget. In this way, you will not be swayed to buy on sale items that are not in your
list or tempting items that lure your interest to buy but not really important. For instance,
you want to buy groceries to replenish your food supplies. Your objective should focus on
buying what you lack in your usual supplies. Identify and make list of these items and
check your allocated budget and work within it.

You need to spend on useful and purposeful things and not for status symbol or
mere convenience. Buying something that you don't or seldom use is a waste of money.
Another is buying too many things for reserve and future use that may sometimes put to
waste, as it may not be relevant or useful when the time comes. Sometimes you also buy
redundant things when it can be simplified by one item. But the worst unworthy spending
is the cost of maintaining your vices. Stay away from smoking, drinking liquor, partying,
drug addiction, lustful relationships and all others as these are very costly and can
consequently drain your savings and put you to financial prison instead of having financial
freedom. Avoid buying luxurious things to show you can afford and keep up with others.
Don't get the latest cellphone when your current phone meets your needed objectives. Don't
get a car to show a rich status when you are actually not. Lastly, seeking for convenience in
everyday life may come very costly. This is not saying that you don't seek it but if you can
forego some and sacrifice a little, I am sure you can save more. Thus you need to spend on
purpose and not for any others.

You have to buy quality yet inexpensive things. Don't sacrifice quality over price as
you may waste your money when it gets damage earlier than expected. If you plan to buy
quality clothes, bags or shoes, don't buy when these are newly out in the market but when
it is up for discount sale as there will new designs coming out. Known quality brands
change designs more often to keep up with what is new as the market demands. So old
editions will have to be sold out for discounted sale to give way for the new. When this
happens, take this opportunity to buy inexpensive quality branded items.

Researching and asking for help before making a major spending saves you from due
making big mistakes that can lead to huge financial loses. For example, if you want to buy
a house and lot or car or jewelry, you have to ask experts to make sure you get it right. If
you want to build you house, you need engineers to design and build it. Doing things in an
uncertain ways can become pricy at times. So do your diligence and never fail to ask
assistance when you are spending big or you will be sorry for wasting your financial
resource.

Less is more in truest sense. Look around your house and see if there is something
you are not using. The things you acquire but with no or less use is a waste of resources.
So adhere to minimalist lifestyle. Why do you need to buy a lot of bags, shoes and clothes
when you can not wear or use them all at once? Why do you need to buy a lot of decorative
materials that will only pile up and consume your space? Why do you rush on buying
things during madness sale when not all of it can be used at once? Being minimal in ways
and acts means savings. That is why less buying means more savings. In other words, you
have to stay simple and live simply.

It takes a plan to accomplish something but it needs discipline to make sure it

happens. So get the habit of modest spending and have the discipline to follow your good
budget plan if you want to achieve financial freedom.

Cyber and Digital Literacy

“If people aren't taught the language of sound and images, shouldn't they be considered as
illiterate as if they left college without being able to read and write?"

- George Lucas

Literacy in the 21st century is more than being able to read write with the reality of
diverse cultures and various forms of media and technologies, one has to possess specific
capabilities needed not just in the world of work but also in the attainment of a functioning
individual in the community Over the years, we have witnessed how technology has shifted
the way young people learn. While it is true that students nowadays are immersed in the
digital world, it is crucial to delve into their capability to weigh, interpret and critically
evaluate any information from the digital environment. Hence, digital literacy, is more than
just the mechanical ability to use digital devices for it entails a variety of complex cognitive
skills. It is not just about using the computer and surfing the Internet but rather it is on
understanding of the kind of online information one has.

By the same token, cyber literacy, also known as digital literacy to others. a staple
set of skills that permits us to function productively in the digital is environment. It is the
literacy need in using, evaluating and creating data and images. Thoman and Jolis (2003)
in Hoshstrasser (2014) purported that through the use of data and graphics, the language
of the eve and the language of the mind are enabled to connect and collaborate, to make
meaning, create and co-create stories. Indeed, the multifaceted nature of cyber and digital
literacy provides us an avenue to better understand our role and that of others in
everything that we view. Henceforth, it has not been made more essential among students
and the college graduates of the 21st century It is in this context that prospective teachers
are taught of the value and skills of a digital literate person in the 21st century.

TODAY’S DIGITAL TOOLS

A plethora of research shows that technology and its use can improve instructional
practice for it enhance the students’ level of participation in the class. Laptops are even
becoming ubiquitous. As teachers, novice and experts alike plan and design effective
learning experiences, technology comes as a primary element. As they become effective
users of classroom technology, their approach to teaching has been reconfigured to include
any available technology as a meaningful learning tool.

Demonstration

It was not long ago when reading was primarily taught using the printed Texts Books
were known as the window of reality Very few, if not no one, questioned what has been
written. However, with the inventions of computers and the birth of Internet, change in
viewpoints has become dramatic Students are taught a on the importance of respectfully
questioning an author's claim, of carefully evaluating the materials at hand and of critically
inferring what has not been included. It is only through these that one can be digitally
competent

Chauhan (2018), identified several of the digital tools that can be used for
educational purposes. The list includes the following

 Edmodo eduClipper
 Socrative Storybird
 Projeqt Animoto
 Thinglink Kahoot
 TED-Ed K-12
 ClassDojo

Pre-service teachers must be adept in the use of these digital tools in developing
appropriate learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced strategies that support
diverse needs of the students. Hence, there is a need to acquire digital literacy. The New
York Department of Education defines digital literacy as the knowledge and ability to use a
range of technology tools for varied purposes. Digitally literate people are those that uses
technology strategically to find and evaluate information to connect and collaborate with
others, and to produce and share original content. Considerably, they use the Internet and
technology tools to achieve predetermined goals in life.

Digital literacy, also known as cyber literacy, is a life skill competence needed for
survival in the world of computers. It calls for one's awareness of computers and Internet's
promises and perils. It is more than just the technical adeptness on the how to operate
digital devices, like laptops, smartphones, tablets, smart watch, etc. It entails an
interweaving of cognitive skills and sense of responsibility in order to execute tasks in the
digital world. These tasks, according to Alkalai & Hamburger in Hossain (2014) include, but
not limited to, browsing the Internet. deciphering user interfaces, working with databases
and chatting in chat rooms In other words, digital literacy covers specific skills and
competences to general awareness and ethical viewpoints - aspects needed in keeping
current on new technologies.

The concept of digital literacy has been well explicated by one of the leading researchers
in Digital Literacy, Professor Yoram Eshet-Alakalai, who published a paper entitled, Digital
Literacy: A Conceptual Framework for Survival Skills in the Digital Era. In this paper,
Eshet says:

Digital literacy involves more than the mere ability to use software or operate a digital
device; it includes a large variety of complex cognitive, motor, sociological, and emotional
skills, which users need in order to function effectively in digital environments. The tasks
required in this context include, for example. "reading" instructions from graphical displays
in user interfaces, using digital reproduction to create new, meaningful materials from
existing ones; constructing knowledge from a non-linear, hyper-textual navigation;
evaluating the quality and validity of information; and have a mature and realistic
understanding of the "rules" that prevail in the cyberspace (Educational Media and
Hypermedia, 2004)

Therefore, a deeper sense of accountability must be exercised in keeping current on new

technologies. Corollary to this is the responsible use of all the digital tools and systems like
emails, chatting/instant messaging, photo and video editors along with the social
technology features like blogs, portals, discussion forums/threads, media sharing features,
user-generated profiles and wikis, and the common platforms such as Twitter, LinkedIn
and YouTube.

Digital Learning Platform and Digital Literacy

Which should come first digital learning- platform or digital literacy? While the former is
viewed as an environment for learning to take place, the latter is seen as the outcome of the
learning tasks one is engaged in. In other words, digital learning platform is an effective
means in promoting digital literacy such that digital literacy is only fully achieved if a
person works on a digital platform. Similarly, a swimming coach does not develop his
coachee's swimming expertise by simply letting him/her read manuals in swimming or by
watching videos of swimmers and of swimming competitions. Rather, skills are only
developed through direct purposeful activities- that is, by letting the coaches swim in the
pool and learn from the experience. The same is true with teachers. Simply reading about
teaching skills and pedagogies does not guarantee that one can become effective teachers.
It is the actual teaching experiences in the field that provide teachers with insights on what
constitute effective teaching. This means that teachers who wanted to develop their
students' digital literacy must shift transition towards the usage of digital learning
platforms that give them the tools to improve their literacy.

Alkalai (2004) posited that for learning platform to effectively promote digital literacy, it
is recommended that it will have capabilities to create meaningful learning interactions -so
knowledge will not be spoon-fed but acquired by using information literacy and
reproduction literacy significant social features-so the learners will have the chance to
develop a better socio-emotional literacy capabilities of creating rich content that includes
hyperlinks of text, static visuals and animations - so learners will be able to practice their
photo visual literacy and branching literacy.

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP

Citizenship in the digital world is defined as the qualities that a person is expected to
have as responsible member of the digital community. Such citizenship requires one to be
digitally literate and to possess certain specific capabilities necessary to survive
productively in a world diverse with cultures, media, print and non-print texts. A digitally
literate individual is he/she who possesses a range of digital skills, knowledge of the basic
principles and communities, in social networking sites while adhering to a system of rules
that explain the ethical conduct and procedures to be followed while finding, capturing, and
evaluating information.

Demonstration

Any digital literate person (DLP) possesses critical thinking skills in understanding all
societal issues raised by digital technologies. Expressed as Common Core State Standards,
Connolly and Giouroukakia (2016) summed up the seven characteristics of a DLP. To them,
a DLP

 demonstrates independence with text. They can, independently, with little guidance from
teachers and peers, comprehend varied, complex print and digital texts, communicate
and build an others' ideas, and understand and apply academic and discipline-specific
vocabulary and conventions of English. They know how to use strategies and employ
them when necessary to comprehend texts and apply literacy knowledge and skills.
 builds strong content knowledge. They acquire and share knowledge of subject matter
through reading, writing, and speaking as well as research and study. They read and
understand discipline-specific texts and become experts in the content.
 responds to varying demands of audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They set and
adjust their communication in relation to audience, task, purpose, and discipline. They
understand how words affect meaning in writing and in speech, depending on the
audience and the purpose, and how different disciplines call for providing different
types of evidence.
 comprehends as well as critique. They understand and can explain what writers,
speakers, and visual and mixed media creators are saying through their texts, but they
 also know how to analyze and examine these texts critically. They question an author's
assumptions and biases and evaluate the veracity and logical reasoning of the claims.
 values evidence. They can cite evidence to support their interpretation of text, both
verbally and in writing. They also communicate their reasoning effectively and know
how to evaluate the reasoning and arguments of others.
 uses technology and digital media strategically and capably. They employ technology
thoughtfully and effectively and can determine which media are best suited for their
communication goals. They also synthesize information found through various media
and technologies.
 comes to understand other perspectives and cultures, they encounter perspectives and
ways of life that are different from their own through reading, writing, and listening,
and they are able to work and communicate effectively with peers of diverse
backgrounds. Through reading multicultural literature, they have new experiences that
expand their cultural understanding and sensitivity.

Citizens of the Cyberworld

Cyber citizenship entails taking responsibility for one's role in cyberspace, the online
world of computer networks and the Internet. The roles include, but not limited to, using
respectful and kind language, treating others the way one wants to be treated, not sharing
private information, not plagiarizing or stealing from the web without proper referencing
and citation, and following security measures at all times.

It is also important to know the impact of the cyber bullying, phishing. pharming and
pop-ups. Anyone can be a victim of emotional scarring, of fake companies trying to get
private information, of being redirected to phony websites or on messages (ads) that pop up
while surfing the web. These could not have happened if all digital citizens adhere to cyber
protocols. Consequently, it is necessary that we know how to safeguard our privacy by
being critical when we post, upload, download or copy any piece of information in and from
the web.

ELEMENTS OF CYBER/DIGITAL LITERACY

Information is increasing exponentially. So much information is so easily available to

us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In fact, needless to mention is the initiative of
teachers of the 21st century to plan and to design effective learning environments and
experiences supported by technology. Both teachers and students are users of the web as
they interact with media, create their own media and integrate their critical point of view to
an interactive message. Therefore, becoming cyber-savvy is important to understand how
the flow of ideas and information works and being able to relate with it in the digital era.

The use of varied technology in the classroom is a manifestation of one's appreciation

to students' diversity as evidenced by their learning styles, ways of engagement, and degree
of motivation.

Demonstration

Literacy is complex and multifaceted. Its definition stretched from the proficiency in
the five macro-skills-listening, speaking, reading, writing and viewing to the ability to use
methods in making meaning to various experiences whether direct purposeful or contrive.
In the 21st century learning, literacy is measured in one’s capability to make sound
judgement in the choice and use of the current and merging technology.

As the world is permeated with technology, one’s literacy’s definition has included the
ability to make well-informed choices, and to have accountable as data consumers. The
new media is not without its dangers. While many own digital devices, very few possessed
digital competencies. Henceforth, we need to have more than one literacy to decode
information from multiple modalities-texts, images, sounds, videos and maps, to raise
awareness and readiness to the world of computers. Cyber literacy is a life skill needed for
survival.

Information available online is not regulated. Anyone can post anytime, anywhere
and information can be readily accessed. As such, the need to be critical when evaluating
posted information has never been so important. The acquisition of new knowledge and
skills on digital wellness must be given priority. It includes the ability for data users to
evaluate, to reflect on the possible dangers the new media has come with, and to close if
not lessen the apparent digital gap.
 ECOLOGICAL LITERACY
The role of education is not only to form the heart, head, and hands (3s) of every
learner but also to foster an understanding S of human-environment relationship.
Embedded in the curriculum is raising of public awareness on the many environmental
issues that beset each one of us. For almost two scores and two years, UNESCO clearly
specified the goal of environmental education to develop citizens who are concerned about
the environment and its associated problems. Henceforth, everyone. whether individually or
collectively, was enjoined to find ways to solve the problems and prevent new/ ones. What
has become to this goal? Have we successfully lessened our environmental problems? How
much have we done to protect and save our Mother Earth?
There is a pressing need to develop in every learner, especially the pre-service
teachers, a heightened awareness of and concern about the environment. Scholars and
educators called this as ecological literacy (or ecoliteracy), a term coined after the idea of
"environmental literacy." As a concept, ecoliteracy is equated with ecological knowledge
vital in obtaining informed decisions. How much do we know about how nature works?
How often do we connect with nature? To what extent is biophilia, the tendency to interact
with other forms of life in nature, evident in us? There will always be variations of
responses to the aforementioned questions for people differ in the way they experience or
understand the nature of "nature"
UNDERSTANDING AND CULTIVATING ECOLITERACY
Natural places are replaced by screens as children are exposed more to online games.
Richard Louv in Jones (2018) referred this phenomenon as "nature- deficit disorder." To
address the disorder is to influence the children to connect with nature, to make use of the
natural places to connect with other life by embracing positive action towards the
protection and preservation of the environment.
What is ecological literacy? Jones (2018) highlighted how nature works. He professed
that each is connected to one another species and communities. Cooperation is essential
for the sustaining life in all its forms, amidst diversity. Every living and non-living thing is
related. Life is all about connections. Forms may change. A waste to one maybe a blessing
to another. This is ensuring the great balance in ecosystem. All throughout our existence,
we need plants and animals, clean air and water, and fertile soil for vegetation. We are part
of nature and our actions or lack of actions will have tremendous impact in our lives.
Demonstration
Ecoliteracy is the ability to understand nature along with the systems that make life
possible. It is understanding the principles that govern the ecosystems making sustainable
human communities possible. According to an American physicist, Fritjof Capra, the
survival of humanity will depend on our ecological literacy, that is, our ability to
understand ecology's basic principles and to live accordingly. As such, developing
ecoliteracy must be an important part of education across levels. It is imperative that
education must be viewed as an environmental education- training students to take part of
the natural world, to understand their place in nature. Oberlin College Professor and noted
environmental author David Orr once wrote:

"All education is environmental education. By what we include or exclude, we teach the young
that they are part of or apart from the natural world. An economist, for example, who fails to connect
our economic life with that of ecosystems and the biosphere has taught an environmental lesson all
right, but one that is dead wrong. Our goal as educators ought to be to help students understand their
implicatedness in the world and to honor mystery. Or in the jargon of the time, to 'connect the dots' to
see systems and patterns."

Ecoliteracy is fostered when teachers integrate an inquiry-based approach on

developing students' understanding and awareness of all the environmental elements and
their interconnectedness. Environmental education (EE) strengthens ecoliteracy of students
and of the community where they belong. Joel Barnes (2013) contented that any EE
program must be geared toward guiding students in acquiring deeper ecoliteracy through
engaging them to experiential and sustainable education activities.
 Similarly, UNESCO, with SEAMEO, through the joint efforts of Education for
Sustainable Development (ESD) focal persons from different countries, initiated production
of Teacher's Guide for Integrating ESD in Pre-service Teacher Education for Southeast Asia.
It is the primary purpose of the guide to equip the teacher-practitioners with the vital
knowledge and skills on how to embed ESD concepts and principles in their existing
courses outcomes, Le, using problem-based approach air pollution, deforestation, illegal
fishing, etc. based on local contexts. It is hoped that through this endeavor, everyone will
have an equal opportunity to contribute to sustainable development. This is in consonance
to the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 Ensure inclusive and equitable
quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
It has been acknowledged that education is pivotal in achieving sustainability and
eco-literacy is a component of education for sustainable development. Conscious of
mitigating the damage suffered by our interaction with the ecosystem, an Eco literate
person advances empathy, responsibility and cooperation in addressing environmental
issues that destroys balance in the ecosystem. At the heart of developing ecoliteracy are the
real issues in the community. Teachers achieve local significance through a contextualized
and authentic task like having real-life problems that students must resolve. After all,
sustainability is not an end but a continuous journey where teachers and students play
key roles in the process towards achieving education for sustainable development.
ECOLITERACY AND PLACE-BASED LEARNING
Have you heard of "earth-dependence"? What does it take to be bonded to the earth?
These are few of the questions an ecoliterate can i be earth-dependent is to acknowledge
that as part of nature, we are to remain faithful in doing the things which sustains all
forms of life on earth. Every man's action has an equal repercussion. Like an old dictum,
respect begets respect; love readily answer. To begets love, we will face the consequences of
our actions or lack of actions to take care our environment. The choice is ours. Truly
Michael Stone's words, This generation will require leaders and citizens who can think
ecologically, understand the interconnectedness of human and natural systems, and have
the will, ability, and courage to act," challenge everyone to be the citizens our world badly
needs.

Demonstration
Michael Stone (2010) held that ecological literacy can manifest anywhere, in all
aspects of education. The "green school" concept does not only comply with the green
building or green architecture but it also pertains to how the school embraces the
sustainability principles in the design of the curriculum. It is best achieved when teaching
and learning activities are tailored fit to the sustainability needs of the environment, the
community to which we belong. The integration of ecoliteracy is not a curriculum add on
nor a new subject to enroll in. It is adding "an important flavor to the curriculum Principles
can be embedded in the development of a competency, of an intended outcome of the
course/subject
Place-based Learning
Cognizant that ecoliteracy is developed when one is connected with the physical
environment, teachers must facilitate the students' awareness of the impact of human
action to the environment. Smith-Sebasto in Locke (2013) noted the one's value system
supports ecological understanding He postulated, "People learn about what they value and
value what they know." It is therefore, every teacher's role to make every student appreciate
nature and the interconnectedness of things around them.
Similarly, Roth (1991) in Locke (2013) operationalized ecoliteracy in three phases.
The first phase is the getting to know phase or the recognizing and identifying basic
environmental terms. The next phase is formulating an attitude or a standpoint on an
identified environmental crisis. The last phase of literacy is acting phase where an informed
action is taken to resolve such an environmental issue. Henceforth the 'knowing deciding-
acting on an environmental problem marks the attribute of an ecoliterate person.
 Place-based learning is a kind of grassroots movement where teachers make the
community an extension of the classroom where authentic learning experiences happen.
Teachers, as designers of activities, create educational experiences that foster better
relationships with the community. Students, too, in the process, internalizes the challenges
and solutions to the community problems that beset them. For instance, teachers may
assign the students to interview their local community officials on the recycling and
composting program adopted by the barangay. From the data, students can initiate ways in
which they could be of help to the realization of the program, if there is one, or to propose a
program for waste management.
FOSTERING ECOLITERACY
There are underlying principles that govern our natural world. As rock, teachers are to help
the students, across levels, value the concept of education for sustainable development. One of the
many ways is to provide learning experiences that engages the students in real life tasks. As we
together find solutions to hom problems, a more sustainable world is made possible.

Demonstration
Every day we are confronted with choices. Conscious of how our choices affect the world
around us, we make sure we think critically and act accordingly. In school, teachers, as frontliners,
are instrumental in developing the students' critical thinking skills as a fundamental element in
promoting one's ecoliteracy and in fostering a strong sense of environmental citizenship. However,
there are also a number of exercises that one can do to be close with nature and thereby fostering
ecoliteracy in the process.

ARTS AND CREATIVITY LITERACY (ALL EXPERTS 4)

Against a backdrop of a fast-changing world primarily brought about by the
unending advancements of technology. technology-savvy students may lose their ability to
look at a cardboard box and see a castle. If one's unique thought is not cultivated and
fostered, there might be a danger of stagnation. The world now needs fresh, vibrant and
new ways of seeing things and solving problems. Creativity is what makes a student think
outside the box and combine fresh unique ideas from what already is. Through creativity,
one can go beyond the conventions and come up with first-hand ideas, alternatives, and
possibilities. Moreover, the role of the arts in fostering creative thinking is very vital. The
arts "give expression to our understanding, our imagination, and our creativity" (Nunan,
2010 as cited in Creativity and the arts in the primary school, 2009). Art is a valuable tool
for students to develop their abilities to think, analyze and solve problems in countless
ways. It enables them to learn how to express themselves, work cooperatively with others,
and understand the world and its diverse cultures. Fostering creativity through arts helps
the young people mentally, socially, and emotionally. The creative skills students develop
through the arts bring them to a world of new ideas and experiences. new
Hence, this unit exposes students to various arts concepts and activities that
promotes and foster creative literacy.
CREATIVITY IN THE 21st CENTURY
Creativity is one of the 4Cs of 21" century learning along with critical thinking,
communication, and collaboration as identified by United States-based Partnership for 21st
Century Skills (P21). These skills have also been emphasized by the Department of
Education in the country as very important skills students in the 21" century must
possess.
Demonstration
Maybe for many, they think that "creativity" is a bonus quality lucky people are born
with. When you are amazed of how fast your classmate can think and form ideas out of
nowhere and here you are not even able to imagine even a single idea. However, the reality
is, everyone is, and can be, creative Even if you think your mind just works in an entirely
conventional way, there are techniques you can practice and apply to help you think more
creatively.
According to UNESCO as cited in Creativity and the arts in the primary school
(2009), "the encouragement of creativity from an early age is one of the best guarantees of
growth in a healthy environment of self-esteem and mutual respect - critical ingredients for
building a culture of peace"
 Creativity involves the rethinking of conventional ideas to form fresh, unique ideas,
alternatives and possibilities. Gardner (1993) described creativity as 'the ability to solve
problems and fashion products and to raise new questions Lucas (2001) also described it
as 'a state of mind in which all our intelligences are working together Different experts say
different definitions, but when people hear the word "creativity" everyone is one with that
certain "feeling". When you are creative, you are aware of a special excitement, since it is
you expressing yourself in your own way.

Crayola (2011) has laid the following answer to the question, "What is Creativity?"
 Creativity means "coming up with new ideas that work."
 Creativity is a "habit of mind" for looking at situations in new ways and creating new
ideas.
 Creativity is "thinking outside the box" or "divergent thinking."
 Creativity is the act of making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas to
make something new and appropriate.
 Creativity means finding new ways to solve problems and interact with the world.
 Creativity is a cycle, an evolving thinking process, that moves from inspiration to
exploration, creation and evaluation.
 Creativity is the ability to see what's not there and create something new
 Creativity is more than just brainstorming new ideas. Part of the creative process is
deciding which ideas work best for the particular situation or problem. Every artist
edit, evaluates and revises, building on feedback and inspiration from others.
Moreover, they (Crayola and the National Association of Elementary School Principals, in
partnership with the National Art Education Association and the Partnership for 21st
Century Skills Crayola NABSP) have also developed the 40 of CREATIVITY

Curiosity Confidence Common, Everyday Experience Creative Cycle

 Creativity  Confidence is  Artists are not the only  Creative people
stars with an essential people who are creative go through an
curiosity condition for •Everyone has to come up with evolving
 Children the free flow ofcreative solutions to everyday process to
are ideas challenges. develop,
naturally procedure, and
curious refine their
work.
 The creative
cycle is:
Inspire,
Explore, Create,
Evaluate
As students in the 21" century, you are expected to possess the 21" century skills,
which include creativity and innovation skills within a comprehensive skills framework, as
suggested by United States-based Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21).
Think Creatively
1. Use a wide range of idea creation techniques (such as brainstorming).
2. Create new and worthwhile ideas (both incremental and radical concepts).
3. Elaborate, refine, analyze and evaluate their own ideas in order to improve and maximize
creative efforts.
Work Creatively with Others
4. Develop, implement and communicate new ideas to others effectively.
5. Be open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives; incorporate group input and
feedback into the work.
6. Demonstrate originality and inventiveness in work and understand the real-world limits
to adopting new ideas.
7. View failure as an opportunity to learn; understand that creativity and innovation is a
long term, cyclical process of small successes and frequent mistakes.
Implement Innovations
8. Act on creative ideas to make them tangible
As reflected above, creativity is more than just thinking but also implementing the
new ideas. According to Linda Naiman, founder of Creativity at Work, "Creativity involves
two processes: thinking, then producing. Innovation is the production or implementation of
an idea. When one has the ideas, but do not act on them, it is not being creative, only being
imaginative. Naiman encourages the usage of arts-based learning to develop creativity,
innovation, and collaboration.
Creativity and Design Thinking for Educators
"You cannot solve a problem with the same mind that created it." -Albert Einstein
The world becomes more complex, and so as problems. The society needs fresh and
new ideas on how to solve these problems. Design thinking is a design methodology that
provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It is often referred to as 'outside
the box' thinking, as designers are attempting to develop new ways of thinking that do not
abide by the dominant or more common problem-solving methods (Dam & Shiang, 2018).
Although it is originally anchored for businesses, its principle has been adopted to different
fields and areas. Design Thinking is not an exclusive property of designers-all great
innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and business have practiced it.
As schools and teachers continuously look for innovative ways of equipping students
with skills that would enable them to cope with 21" century demands. one promising
approach focuses on design thinking Retna (2013) revealed in his research study on
"Thinking about design thinking: a study of teacher experiences" that design thinking holds
the potential for enhancing skills such as creativity. problem solving, communication and
team work as well as empower students to develop empathy for others within and beyond
the community. Moreover, teachers can use design thinking to re-imagine their classroom
through the lens of their students' needs. This for sure can elevate student engagement and
academic outcomes.
The five-stage model of Design Thinking proposed by the Hasso-Plattner are as
follows: Empathise, Define (the problem), Ideate, Prototype, and Test. Let's take a closer
look at the five different stages of design thinking.
Empathise Define Ideate Prototype Test

Empathizing: Understanding the human needs involved.

Defining: Re-framing and defining the problem in human-centric ways.
Ideating: Creating many ideas in ideation sessions.
Prototyping: Adopting a hands-on approach in prototyping
Testing: Developing a prototype/solution to the problem.
Although the five stages can be seen as sequential as reflected in the diagram, they
do not have to follow any specific order and they can often occur in parallel and be repeated
iteratively. These stages are understood as different modes that contribute to a project,
rather than sequential steps. Moreover, although there are also different Design Thinking
models proposed by different schools and authors. the central idea remains the same it
offers us a means of digging that bit deeper; it helps us to do the right kind of research and
to prototype and test our products and services so as to uncover new ways of improving the
product, service or design (Dam &Shiang, 2018).
CREATIVITY THROUGH THE ARTS
How can teachers better meet their students’ learning needs?
 According to Howard Gardner, in his article entitled The Happy Meeting of Multiple
Intelligence and the Arts, “All of us as human beings possess a number of intellectual
potentials… every intelligence has the potential to be mobilized for the arts” and that
“educators should be sure to nurture each of these intelligence in school”.
Demonstration
Gardner's theory supports the fact that there are many ways in which one can show
understanding. As a future teacher, you can encourage limitless possibilities for lifelong
learning which also supports your students' skills in creativity and innovation. However,
you need to acquire these skills first. One way to do this is to expose yourself and your
future students to the different arts which include dance, drama, media arts, visual arts
and music
Arts is more than just painting and drawing. It encompasses all other forms of self-
expression and personal choice, communication and cultural appreciation. As one creates
and learns in, about, and through the Arts, he/she is able to nurture his/ her own natural
skills and inclination, foster creativity and innovation, maximize learning potential, and
understand his/her own self as part of a wider world.
The National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) defined artistic literacy as
the ability to understand and contribute to the broad milieu of art- related subjects,
including visual arts (painting, pottery, drawing, and so on). theater arts, musical arts, and
dance. Students can become engage in any of these fields through its integration in
different subject areas. Several studies have also pointed out the benefits of giving students
the opportunity to be actively engaged in the arts which include: improved student
performance on standardized tests; stronger academic motivation; and improved social
skills.

Why the Arts are Important

Education in the arts is essential to students' intellectual, social, physical, and
emotional growth. Through the study of music, visual arts, and drama and dance, students
not only develop the ability to think creatively and critically, but also develop physical
coordination and the ability to work both independently and with others. In addition, the
creative and practical work encourages students to express themselves in both verbal and
non-verbal ways, and can enable them to discover and develop abilities that can prove to be
rich sources of pleasure later in life. The Ontario Curriculum Grades 1-8: The Arts, 1998.
Drama
The word drama is of Greek origin which means "action". It is one form of human
expression and actors perform on stage and act out events and characters of a story. A
dramatic work is usually called a play, but if you want to specify what type of drama it is,
you can call it a comedy, a. tragedy, a farce or tragicomedy or other names. Drama involves
the following as cited in De Luca, et al. (1997):
 a playwright or dramatist, that is, the author of the play.
 a stage, that is, the area in a playhouse or theatre where the play is performed;
 an audience, that is, the people who go to the theatre to watch the performance.
Drama promotes the development of one's imagination and creativity through self-
expression, decision-making, and problem-solving It opens one's understanding of self and
of others which promotes appreciation and respect of peoples and cultures in the world.
Moreover, it is also defined as the "enactment of real and imagined events through role-
play, play making and performances, enabling individuals and groups to explore, shape
and represent ideas, feelings and their consequences in symbolic or dramatic form (SACSA
Framework, 2001).
The following is a short list of the different forms of drama as used by teachers in the
classroom.
 While the word "drama" evokes images like scripts, line C learning and
bossy directors, "Let's Pretend promotes authentic communication
Let's Pretend highlighting the beauty of spontaneity. It requires mustering up all
your language knowledge and combining it with your imagination.
 In this activity, a situation is given and will be portrayed by a group or
pair without memorizing a script.

 This activity requires time for preparation Students act out certain role
in a scripted play. They memorize their lines and internalize the
Let's Act Out character they play. After several rehearsals, the play is performed on
stage with background music, props, and lighting.

 In this activity, students are given words or situations to act out using
only facial expressions and body language while the rest of the class
Let’s Guess It will guess what it is. To give a twist, a timer may be set for this game.
 While performing the activity, the student (doing the act must stay in
character for her/him to be able to pass the message In this case,
students are able to value non- verbal communication.
 In this activity, students wear a mask (portraying only two emotions-
happy and sad). Students are given roles to play based on a script.
Let’s Tell a Since masks are worn, they have to use their voices in creating the full
Story picture of the story to the class. Interpretation and expression of the
story area done using only their voices. They must use their voices
effectively to be able to paint images in the listener's mind.

What classroom activities can you think of? Provide one activity to add up to the list
given above.
Visual and Media Arts
With the advancement of technology, visual arts are more than what one can portray
through drawing or painting. It is more than still and flat pictures; more than making a
simple animation with just a note pad and a pen called a flip book. These new media
technologies that are becoming very accessible and user- friendly offer a wide selection of
traditional to digital practices. You can now create artworks from drawing, photography,
collage and assemblage, to digital imaging. computer graphics and animation, 3D printing,
or interactive art. Through these array of visual and media arts activities, you will not just
learn to create art- - you will learn to use artistic skills as a means for exploring the vast
world of ideas. Before being able to create your own artwork - either through the use of
traditional media or contemporary media, you need first to familiarize the elements of both
visual arts and media arts.
Elements of Visual Arts
can be thick thin, textured, delicate, bold, curved, straight,
LINE continuous or broken and is considered to be the groundwork of
drawing
refers to hue, tone, intensity and temperature
Color
also known as tone is the lightness or darkness of a color
Value
refers to the surface quality of an artwork- either tough or
Texture smooth.

Shape is formed through series of lines which merge, touch or intersect.

refers to the area in which art is organized

space
refers to any three-dimensional design (3D) or that of sculpture
Form and architecture
The following is a short list of activities you can do or apply in your own classroom.
Line Drawing- a drawing that primarily Photobook- a collection of photos that tell
uses different kinds of lines a story about the person
Collage- putting together photos, pieces of Assemblage- the same with collage only
paper etc. to form a single idea that it is three-dimensional
Painting- an art created with the use of Cartooning- a sketch or a drawing often
paint, pigment, etc. to a solid surface portraying a deep message
Elements of Media Arts