LESSON 7: I.

TITLE - CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (CPD); The Lifeblood of Teaching

“ The most powerful lever for reform is the transformation of a teacher’s practice. Teachers have a professional
responsibility to continually improve their knowledge and understanding about the craft of teaching and translate that
knowledge into practice.”
“ Who dares to teach must never cease to learn” – Unknown

IV. BREIF DESCUSSION: Teaching is a noble yet a demanding profession. One has to be licensed after passing the LET
examination. Goes with it is the tremendous responsibility which is something expected of a professional teacher. It is
the responsibility to develop and guide the learner for which he/she is accountable to God, to the country and to
posterity. Therefore, teacher owe it to oneself to go through CPD.

VI. SUMMARY or KEY POINTS

Once a teacher passed the board exam (LET), she will be awarded a LICENSE which simply telling us that the
professional teacher possesses the minimum competences expected of professional teachers. Hence, every
professional teacher is expected to continue developing after obtaining his/her professional license. This is one big
demand for a professional teacher. The Code of Professional Conduct for Public School Teachers cited in Sec 7 of RA
4670 states: “Responsibility is something expected of a professional teacher. The work of the teacher in the
development and guidance of the young is a tremendous responsibility for which he is accountable to God, to his
country, and to posterity. It is a trust of which every teacher should strive to be worthy. They are therefore expected to
undergo CPD.
The Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers (the revised NCBTS) includes personal growth and professional
development as the 7th domain. With the enactment of RA 10912, the CPD Law of 2016 for all the professions
regulated by PRC is now mandatory. The purpose of which is to sharpen the professional teachers’ competitive edge in
a highly competitive global world. Thus Section 3 of Art. IV of the code of Ethics for Professional teachers requires all
teachers to participate in the continuing professional development of PRC.

Philosophical Basis of CPD: Teachers just like the other professionals are human beings who are alive and growing.
For a professional teacher, he/she is always in the process of becoming better and better as a person and as a
professional teacher. In fact, no professional person can claim that he/s has already reach the state of perfection. This
implies that every professional is expected to continue developing.

- “Growth is an evidence of life.” This implies that anything that is alive grows or anything that grows is alive. So
a teacher who is alive grows physically, psychologically, mentally, socially, emotionally, spiritually. If he/she
doesn’t grow, it means he/she is no longer alive.

- “Man/woman is an unfinished project.” For a professional teacher, he/she is always in the process of
becoming better and better as a person and as a professional teacher. No person, no professional can claim
he/she has already “arrived” at a state of perfection. Neither “Perfecta” not “Perfecto” who is perfect by the
name is not perfect. This means that no professional has arrived at a perfect state. This implies that every
professional is expected to continue developing.

Historical and Legal Bases of CPD in the Philippines. Prior to enactment of this CPD Act of 2016, the 1987 Phil.
Constitution already stated the following: to quote, “The state shall enhance the right of teachers to professional
advancement”

Other laws which cited CPD, as follows:

1. Batas Pambansa 232, Education Act of 1982, Chapter 3. Duties and Obligations, Section 16 (4):
Quotation: "...to maintain and sustain his professional growth and advancement."
- Highlights the obligation of teachers to continuously grow professionally.

2. RA 9155, Framework of Governance for Basic Education, Section 7A (6) and Section 7E:
Quotation: "...Enhancing the employment status, professional competence, welfare, and working conditions..."
"...encouraging staff development."
- Emphasizes the Secretary of Education's responsibility for professional competence and school heads'
role in encouraging staff development.
 3. R.A. 7836, The Teacher’s Professionalization Act, Sections 19 and 23:
Quotation: "To encourage continuing professional growth..." "Unjustified or willful failure to attend seminars,
workshops, conferences..."
- Introduces mandatory Continuing Professional Education (CPE) and addresses consequences for not
participating in CPD activities.
4. Code of Ethics for Professional Teachers (Resolution No. 435, s. 1997):
Quotation: "Every teacher shall participate in the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) program..."
- Embeds the commitment to CPD in the ethical standards for professional teachers.
5. Executive Order # 266 (July 25, 1995):
Quotation: "The completion by professional licensees of the Continuing Professional Education (CPE)
programs...is hereby imposed as a mandatory requirement for the renewal of professional licenses."
- Establishes mandatory CPE programs for license renewal, emphasizing the importance of updated
knowledge and skills.
6. R.A. 10912. Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016.
- R.A. 10912, Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016 – With the enactment of this law, CPD
for all the forty-three (43) professions regulated by PRC including the teaching profession has become
mandatory.

The Salient Provisions of RA 10912, The Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016

A lot of questions have been raised about R.A 10912, otherwise known as the Continuing Professional
Development Act of 2016. Many teachers resist CPD. It is claimed to be extra expense, extra effort and extra time
when in fact it is every professional’s obligation. CPD is the only way professional can sharpen their competitive edge in
an international world that has become global village. The need for CPD is heightened by ASEAN integration and
internationalization which are now real. To be in, a professional must meet international standards. The way to go is
CPD.

The purposes of CPD for professional are stated in RA 10912, Article 1 Declaration of Policy.

"It is hereby declared the policy of the State to promote and upgrade the practice of professions in the country.
Towards this end, the State shall institute measures that will continuously improve the competence of the
professionals in accordance with the international standards of practice, thereby, ensuring their contribution in
uplifting the general welfare, economic growth and development of the nation. (Underscoring mine)"

The State policy on promoting and upgrading the practice of professions in the country and the institution of
measures to “continuously improve the competence of the professionals in accordance with international
standards” and gives Filipino professionals a competitive edge in the ASEAN region and in the world.

Number of CPD Units Required: For specific number of credit units earned by professional teachers per CPD
activity refer to Professional Regulatory Board for Professional Teachers Resolution No. 11 series of 2017. The
following credit units are required:

● December 2017 - 15 credit units

● January – December 2018 - 30 credit units
● January 2019 – February 2019 - 45 credit units
● March 2019 onwards (transition period) - 15 credit units

Ways by Which Professional Teachers can Earn Credit Units:

1. Professional track – this includes trainings provided by CPD providers accredited by PRC. You can earn credit
units as a participant to a training approved by the CPD council. You earn more credit units if you serve as a
resource speaker, trainer or demonstration teacher. You also earn credit units as panelist/reactor,
facilitator/moderator. You earn much more if you are assigned by the CPD Council to monitor the conduct of an
approved CPD program.
 2. Academic track – this refers to the completion of a Master’s degree, completion of candidacy to the doctorate
program, completion of the doctorate program, completion of a post – doctoral diploma, and being a
recipient of a professorial chair grant, and/or fellowship grant. Take note that ONLY COMPLETION
of the master’s degree is given full credit units. Earning MA units is not given any credit unit but completion of
candidacy for the Doctorate degree already entitles one to the required credit units. The master’s and
doctorate degrees must have been earned five (5) years before renewal of professional license.
3. Self – directed track – this includes trainings offered by non- accredited CPD providers. It refers to “learning
activities such as online training, local/international seminars/nondegree courses,
institution/company-sponsored training programs and the like which did not undergo CPD accreditation but
may be applied for and awarded CPD units by the respective CPD Councils. In addition, self-directed track
includes serving as accreditor (e.g. ISO, ISA, PACUCOA, PAASCU, AACUP, etc.) It also includes study tours
and socio-civic activities using the profession.
4. Productive Scholarship – this means that the professional teacher has developed program/training module,
curriculum guide or any other resource material. Or the professional teacher has written an article in a
professional magazine or a technical/research paper and even better if that technical paper is published in a
refereed/peer –reviewed professional journal. Best if the professional teacher writes a book or a monograph
or comes up with an invention or creative work, the latter entitles him/her to the required credit units.

Even professional and/or lifetime achievement awards from the division level regional,national and international
level make the professional teacher earn credit units.

For specific number of credit units earned by professional teachers per CPD activity, refer to Professional Regulatory
Board for Professional Teachers Resolution No. 11, series of 2017 and for the information about the amendment
of its profession, refer to PRC Resolution No. 2019-1146, series of 2019.

Continuing Professional Development Plan

A proof that a professional teacher has made CPD his/her way of life is his/her formulation of a CPD Plan which
he/she religiously follows whether monitored or not monitored by his/her superior/s because he/she monitors
himself/herself.
Developing a personal CPD development plan helps teacher leaders develop purposively. It is not enough to
have a good intention to do CPD. It is best that good intention should be made concrete in a simple and doable plan.
Every professional who has sincere intent to grow professionally must have an annual personal CPD plan.
Professional teachers formulating their respective CPD annual Plans and faithfully observing them lead to the
building of a CPD culture among professional teachers. With that CPD culture, the negative attitude towards
mandatory CPD hopefully will fade away and oblige themselves to go through CPD because this is something they owe
to themselves as professionals and to the public they serve. This is professionalism.

Joining Professional Learning Community/ Communities of Practice

CPD is made possible and alive through professional learning communities (PLCs). These PLCs are powerful
collaborations in which teachers work together to analyze and improve their classroom practice in a systematic
process. The Department of Education institutionalized the School Learning Action Cells (SLACs) as a mechanism for
CPD.
It is recommended that we should learn from the CPD practices of high performing countries like SINGAPORE,
FINLAND, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND known for their sterling school performance. Finland and New Zealand have
institutionalized CPD and so set time for CPD within the teachers’ teaching schedule. In New Zealand, teachers
observe other teachers, attend professional development activities, courses and work on curriculum, mentor teachers
deliberately and spend time to observe and confer with beginning teachers. Japan is well known for its lesson study
where a teacher demonstrates a lesson as he/she observed by his/her colleagues. The demonstration lesson is open to
critiquing by fellow teachers for professional development. Singapore has its lesson study too, in addition to
Teacher-Researcher Networks, Lesson Study and other forms of “Learning Circles.”

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE CPD: (based on CPD practices and experiences of high performing countries)
1. Must be continuous – a professional does not stop developing or else he/she ruts. Stagnant water becomes
putrid.
2. Must be collaborative – need to be part of a PLC, a professional learning community. According to Helen
Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
 3. Must be focused on a specific teacher need – not prescribed by higher officials which may not respond to
the need of the teacher herself.
4. CPD is job-embedded – it becomes even more relevant. The teacher has not to be removed from the
workplace for CPD so there is no work disruption. What the teacher is trained on is exactly what he/she
does.
5. Quality CPD demands adequate time – quality time spent for CPD ultimately redounds to improved teaching
for the benefit for learners.
6. CPD with support funds is definitely better than one without.

LESSON 8 – I. TITLE: PHILOSOPHIES OF EDUCATION – Formulating my own Philosophy

“Teachers…are the most responsible and important members of society

because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.” – Helen Caldecott

II. OVERVIEW/INTRODUCTION
Teacher really played a significant role in the society. Undeniably, teacher influence the learners and that
influence to learners and on other people he/she works and lives depends a great deal on his/her philosophy as a
person and as a teacher. His/her philosophy of life and philosophy of education serve as his/her “window” to the world
and “compass” in the sea of life. This philosophy will govern and direct his/her lifestyle, thoughts, decisions, action and
relationships with people and things. Remember, no school in the Philippines will be granted permit to operate
without clear statement of its very reason for existence contained in its Philosophy.

VI. SUMMARY and KEY POINTS

ESSENTIALISM – the basic idea is that there are certain essentials that all men ought to know. In education,
learners must acquire basic knowledge, skills and values. The goal therefore of this philosophy is to promote
intellectual growth of the individual learners

PROGRESSIVISM – adheres to the ideas that thinking and reasoning should be emphasized, and that good and
successful teaching utilizes the principle of self-activity, that stimulates thinking and reasoning. This also accepts the
impermanence of life and the inevitability of change. Its goal is educational concern must be on the learner’s interest,
desires and freedom as an individual rather than the subject matter area. It is child-centered.

PERENNIALISM – comes from the word perennial which means everlasting. Meaning, the ideas that have lasted
over the centuries are relevant today and those ideas should be the focus of education. Its goal is to help students
discover ideas most insightful and timeless in understanding the human condition. Curriculum is universal on the view
that all human beings possess the same essential nature. Its heavy on humanities, on general education. Less emphasis
on vocational and technical education.

EXISTENTIALISM – is a doctrine which emphasizes the freedom of human beings to make choices. Man has no
fixed nature and he shapes his beings as he lives. Its goal is to train the individual for significant and meaningful
existence. The individuals are responsible for determining for themselves what is true or false, right or wrong, each of
us has the freewill to develop as we see fit.

BEHAVIORISM – Behaviorists look at “people and other animals as complex combinations of matter that act only
in response to internally or externally generated physical stimuli.” The goal is the modification and shaping of student’s
behavior by providing for a favorable environment, since they believe that they are a product of their environment.

CONSTRUCTIVISM - Learners are taught how to learn by teaching them learning processes and skills such as
searching, critiquing and evaluating information, relating these pieces of information, reflecting on the same, making
meaning out of them, drawing insights, posing questions, researching and constructing new knowledge out of these
bits of information learned. Its goal is to develop intrinsically motivated and independent learners adequately
equipped with learning skills to construct knowledge and make meaning of them.
 LINGUISTIC – means to teach the learners to communicate clearly, how to send clear, concise messages and how
to receive and correctly understand messages sent. Its goal is to develop the communication skills of the learner
because the ability to articulate, to voice out the meaning and values of things that one obtains from his/her
experience of life and the world is the very essence of man.

RECONSTRUCTIVISM – believes that man to a significant degree, plans and controls his society, that in a
democratic society, this should be done in the public interest. Its goal is “quest for better society.

IDEALISM – holds that knowledge is independent of sense perception or experience. Believes that universe is
made up of infinite mind/spirit. Its goal is that education must provide for the development of the mind of every
learner.

PRAGMATISM – from the Greek word “pragma” meaning “ a thing done, a fact that is practiced.” Reality is
determined by individual’s sense of experience. Its goal is the total development of the child through experiencing or
through self-activity or the “learning by doing.”

To sum up: The above philosophies are few of the many philosophies but I included only those very related to
education. However, you are encouraged to explore more philosophies to widen your knowledge and understanding
about philosophies.
It is important that you make explicit your philosophy of education. Your philosophy is your “window” to the
world and your “compass” in life. Your philosophy is your own thought and formulation, never formulated for you by
another that is why you were advised to begin stating it with the phrase “I believe….” It is best to state it in the
concrete not in the abstract like a theory because this is your blue print to daily life.
Teaching is the noblest of all professions because in teaching we develop people. We work with human minds and
hearts to help persons become more human. Teaching is touching lives. In that way, teachers help shape the future.