Project Citizen Moderator participates in Korea-Philippines Teacher Exchange
PCCED’s Project Citizen Moderator, Ms. Eirish Zulueta, is currently participating in the Korea-Philippines Teacher Exchange Program, which is aimed at exposing educators to other countries, cultures and societies, as well as to new pedagogical methods and competencies to promote global citizenship education. The program is implemented through the Asia Pacific Center of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO, coordinated through Philippines’ Department of Education and funded by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Education.
Prior to the program, Eirish has actively engaged as a Teacher-Moderator of PCCED’s Project Citizen since 2008, and have served as a Trainer for Project Citizen Teacher’s Training , and NCR Coordinator. According to Eirish “my stint as a teacher-moderator and trainer for Project Citizen influenced me to embrace the ideals of promoting democratic values and principles, and responsible citizenship among my students. It helped me to realize the crucial role of teachers in enabling the students to actively participate in government affairs and increase their self-efficacy. By doing that, my students became more critical on the issues that concern their respective community and demonstrate their capacity to communicate with their local officials and other stakeholders to resolve community issues.”
As part of the Project Citizen program, Eirish have coached various groups of high school students to successfully propose a barangay ordinances, including the regulation of computer/internet shops near their high school. She continues to encourage many of her Project Citizen Alumni students through projects that would benefit the community and instill the importance of sustainable development (i.e. save the pawikan project in Naic, Cavite, sponsored by the US Embassy).
Eirish has also participated in the Civic Education Training seminar (CETS). According to Eirish, “PCCED helps me to become more conscious in designing instructional materials and facilitate teaching strategies which aims to develop civic knowledge, skills and disposition. Here in Jeju, all my lessons in Philippine Culture, Geography and History entails the civic components. I believe that through this way, the learning will be more relevant and I will be able to foster the GCE skills and values.”
Eirish’s participation in the APCEIU is closely linked to her experiences as a mentor to Korean Exchange students in 2015, and as a collaborator for the Pen Pal Project between Las Pinas National High School and Euneoseong Middle Schools. The Pen Pal project is aimed at developing cultural sensitivity, mutual understanding and language development. The project helps students to appreciate and recognize diversity, respect cultural difference, reduce ethnocentric tendencies and improve communications skills. She alludes these values and skills as similar outcomes that Project Citizens desires to develop among the students. After her participation in the Program, she hopes to continue the Pen Pal Project and develop and modify activities with her Korean counterpart, to mainstream sustainable development, environment protection, gender equality, women empowerment and human rights and respect for the dignity of people. She said, “in this way, we can help the students to face the issues present in both societies and can learn from each ideas and their country’s policies. “
Eirish also aims to continue the application of Project Citizen and facilitate the program in Las Pinas, when she returns in June. “With the support of the officials of our Division Office, I’m planning to revive Project Citizen with some modifications of the activities. The application project will use Project Citizen as part of the grand performance of the students in their new subject (Contemporary Issues) in Social Studies program for Grade 10. The modification includes making of a 20-minute documentary film which features a resolving community problem using the project citizen process. Each school will showcase one of their best documentary film in a division-wide showcase. This activity will be really tough, but with the help of PC moderators in our city and Muntinlupa, PNU professor and assistance from PCCED I’m optimistic that this will be a fruitful activity which promote the global citizenship.”
