Reflection Paper

Flexible Learner: GRACE LAUC VENTURA, PhD

Name and School: VICTORIA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Specialization/Subjects Handled: GRADE 8 - TLE (ICT)

The ecstasy of enthusiasm along with tenseness whether one could give a good, honest and
consistent answer! Added to this, is the hesitation in pursuing to enroll the course. I’m in doubt
simply because of the I may not be able to do the tasks that need to be done to finish the course.
That is what GURO 21 is all about and much more…

Being a part of this course, Gearing Up Responsible and Outstanding Teachers in Southeast Asia
for the 21st century is more about getting acquainted with my co flexible learners, knowing some
of our interests, sharing our common and varied interesting teaching experiences and learning
about our insights and views on what and how it takes to be a 21st century educator.

Prior to my enrollment in the course, I just had no idea what there were to do about GURO 21.
However, I asked questions in previous batches to get an idea. Some of them said it was a bit
difficult, there were tasks that really had to be thought through and time spent. On the other hand,
other said that engaging one self in this course is much to be learned and realizations while going
through in this course that is appropriate for this time we face.

Despite these, I still can’t imagine that I’m here in the program when I know it’s hard, there are a
lot of school works that can go hand in hand with the activities in GURO21, which is the peak
period or rather this is the time were the amount of work due to the end of school year.

I just can’t imagine how to manage my time and energy being a grade eight ICT teacher, as
LIS/BEIS coordinator, and being a full-time mother and experience plus the GURO21.
Challenging and full of doubt, we really need proper time management to meet one by one all the
tasks and finish it on time.

GURO21 would keep me updated with the current trends in education, it will help my professional
growth and will ultimately help uplift my teaching position. These are the few things I put into
consideration and made me undecided until I attended the GURO21 orientation.

That day traced a glimpse of optimism that I can survive with the course, much more when I met
my co-flexible learners and our unquestionably skilled and evidently brilliant tutor, Dr. Arnold
Lorenzo.

The preliminaries somehow revitalized my enthusiasm and interest about GURO21. I had fun
interacting with my fellow flexible learners. I was looking forward to the chat sessions visualizing
how diverse and pleasurable the experience would be.
The first module of GURO 21 has brought me the following questions to reflect:

• What qualities and skills do I possess that I can call myself an effective, efficient and
competitive 21st century educator?
• What have I done to my learners that developed them to be knowledgeable, skillful and
socially responsible?

To sum up these questions, I came to ponder on this line of Abraham Lincoln: “Teach the
children… so it will not be necessary to teach the adults.”

As I interpret it, the dots following the word children, represent the four pillars of learning which is
the meat of Module 1: learning to know, learning to do, learning to live together and learning to
be.

Module 1 led me to realize deeper the vitality of my role as teacher in nurturing and shaping the
holistic development of every learner. As teachers in this fast-changing world where almost
everything is connected by Information and Communication Technology (ICT), there is a need for
us to keep ourselves abreast and updated with the latest in technology just like the way we adapt
with the kind of learners we have at present. We can take advantage of our learners’ interest in
gadgets and social media by giving them advance research assignments using the internet. This
will lead them to explore more than what is written in the textbook. Eventually, they will appreciate
the importance of technology and how should it be used wisely and responsibly.

Another significant thing I learned in this module is the importance of communication in teaching-
learning process. A teacher should not only listen. He needs to understand, appreciate and
respect each pupil’s personality.

Beyond the knowledge, skills, attitude and values that we possess as teachers, is a heart that
cares and loves the children and a heart that gives light and hope to every child’s dream.

-end–