ETHNOGRAPHY
A research strategy often employed for gathering empirical data on human societies/cultures. It aims to describe the nature of those who are studied through writing.
DIGITAL ETHNOGRAPHY
Application of new technologies to the process of ethnography. It affects the entire ethnographic enterprise.
THE EXPERIMENT
Study groups were asked to gather the perceived traditional best teaching practices in DLSU-CCS using new media.
The experiment is intended to capture some of the unique tacit knowledge and experiences of the senior professors and codify these knowledge and experiences through use of new media - podcasts, video and blogs.
THE SUBJECT
THE INTERVIEW
Sir Paul, may we ask what your undergraduate course is?
Computer Science in Software Technology
How did you get in the occupation?
I was taking my masteral and then my adviser suggested that I try to teach. And then, I'm taking up masteral subjects so it didn't really take up the entire time. So my extra time, it was suggested na magturo din ako. So I took the chance and then I started teaching.
How long have you been teaching exactly?
After graduating, I started teaching alreadry. 2 years habang nagmamasters ako. Then 3 years. So more or less 5 years.
Sir, did you have a difficult time adjusting to teaching? Or did it come naturally? Was it enjoyable at first?
Kasi i joined dati peer tutors so that i have an idea of how to teach, to try and teach others... But it was not in the context of ung classroom. It's really very difficult
Sir, do you enjoy teaching?
Well, yeah. It's very very different so... At the start, I guess, it was a challenge for me. But i guess eventually i moved into it... And i'm still here.
Sir, how do you describe the feeling when you teach?
Sometimes exciting, sometimes challenging. Sometimes depressing also. When you thought you had what you expect to happen... So it's a mixture of emotions.
Sir, in what way would you say it's depressing? What do you mean by you don't get the results you want?
Kasi for example, you're expecting that your students understand the lesson or kumbaga you feel that how they're expressing themselves is that they understand, but then you see, for example, the results of the exam, or you see the results of their projects. And then you don't... Based on your expectation na naintindihan nila, hindi pala... So it's like depressing din na, sayang naman, di pala nila naintidihan. There are times where you feel that you could've done something more. Pero, well, those are just probably the special cases... It's not all the time naman. I guess, most of the time it's just... It's ok.
Sir, do you find teaching pay economically good?
It depends on what and where you're comparing it to. I guess, relatively to the kind of job, I think La Salle's one of those w/ the best compensations. But if you're gonna compare it w/ industry, for example, I guess it really tend to be a lot smaller compared to what you get in theindustry. Siguro sa simula it might be almost even, maybe. Pero the longer you are, I guess, there tends to be a big difference.
Exactly how many units are you allowed or how many units usually of subjects do you teach?
Usually pag full time, that's 12 units. So that's around 4 subjects per term, but it's also possible for you to have... It depends on what you're doing like, for example, if you're doing some research, minsan nagde-deload sila so like instead of getting the full 12 units, you can have like 9 units of teaching and 3 units for research. Pwedeng ganun. It can't be a mix of the 2, but sa akin, it was... Most of the time it's 12 units. So in a year, that would be around 12 times 3, so 36 units.
Sir, have you ever been video recorded while teaching?
No... Ay wait, yeah. Yung isang group.
What is the feeling of being recorded? Were you uncomfortable?
I guess sa simula it's a bit uncomfortable knowing that video is being taken. But i guess eventually, while you're doing it... Again, you get back to what you're doing. You're teaching so andun naman ung focus mo. You tend to forget about it and then after, finding that ay oo nga pala, may video nga pala. Usually it's before and after, I guess, it's a bit uncomfortable.
Sir, what would you consider your greatest strengths w/ regards to teaching?
Strength is trying to spend as much time as i can to help a student, specially ung mga di masyado nakaka-follow sa discussion. I try my best to be as patient as I can so that I can at least help out in some way like kunwari, you repeat this again or the student's been asked for consultation so you spend time repeating the lesson or giving other examples. And then, I also try to find ways to motivate the students more. Like kunwari, you think of projects, you think of activities that are more relevant, maybe, to what they're doing. Like, for example, dati sa Facebook na application. Like, there was a project I gave before wherein I modified existing Facebook chat application and then allowed students to actually use that as their machine project. So kumbaga, parang, it's like, using something that's hopefully going to motivate the students more in trying to learn the subject.
How about your weaknesses?
My weaknesses... Sometimes I try to juggle ung attention and focus on students who are very fast in picking up the lesson to students who tend to need more guidance in trying to understand the lesson. So usually kasi, I either spend too much time with the students na mabilis or sometimes naman I spend too much time w/ those students who are having trouble understanding. It tends to be a problem specially if there's a lot of students in the subject. I guess compared before, it's a bit easier because you have, like, around 20 students for programming classes. Before it was 40... So ung style ng to adjust to the students... So ung mga students na mabilis maglearn, it doesn't mean that you apply just one approach. I mean, may ibang students na mabilis na hayaan mo lang talaga kasi they find ways on their own so it becomes irritating for them if you keep on coaching them. May iba naman na mabilis, but they wanna keep on asking questions. So it's really hard for me to adjust there. Kahit man lang medyo ung personalizing the class, like, it takes long for me to memorize minsan ung mga pangalan ng tao. Yung ganun. Which I wanted to work on. But it's, I guess, one of the challenges that I have.
Sir, in relation to what you said earlier about being personal to students, do you think your students like you? In what way?
Well, I guess, doing that, it helps. I mean, they get the feeling the concerned ka and all. Specially when they keep on asking you about it and you keep on repeating. I guess, they get the feeling naman na you're there. So I guess in that sense, yeah.
Sir, what would you consider as your best teaching strategies? When you're delivering a lecture, how do you deliver that lecture? How do you show them how to code certain... Or how to apply certain parts? Example, sir, power lecture, surprise quiz, incentive points...
I try my best to make it something that they can relate to. Those techniques will probably come out if I already know the lesson. The challenge was also knowing how to deliver a subject.
One of your strategies is you more focus on individual performance. Since when did you start using that strategy?
Actually kasi that kind of strategy was for me... If it's more of a hands on type of subject like COMPRO, a programming type. When you teach something like ung mga very theoretical, it's really hard to approach that kasi di ba parang more of lecture kasi. So in a lecture, you probably just look at their faces and see if kapag nakakunot, ibig sabihin hindi n'ya naiintindihan so you just repeat it. Parang ganun. So kumbaga, it's not as personal as when you're programming. So I think it depended on when I taught the subject. Kasi the 1st subject I taught was Theory on Programming Languages so i don't think I really was able to adapt to each student.
Sir, let's now talk about honesty. Have you ever encountered student cheating?
Usually I see it for ung mga machine project type, I think. Not much... Meron din mga cases in quizzes and exams, but not as much, I guess. Mostly ung sa mga projects kasi those could be where students actually are not really monitored.
How do you handle the situations when students cheat?
Well, first of all, I have to find out if they did cheat. Usually I just have to ask questions about the project. It's quite obvious. Kasi you ask and they can't answer. Period. You know right away. Kasi nga you're expecting na kung sila gumawa, kahit pano mo bali-baliktrin, they can answer, di ba?
Sir, how do you view a cheating student?
Yung parang sayang. specially na ano na sya, it's like a last resort, I think na kumbaga, you wonder why they couldn't have spent more time in doing the project and it's parang weird minsan na you see students who tried, who did their best, who did not cheat. Mababa sila but they get to pass. And then you get these students who, instead of trying, just copying. Then they end up the ones failing. Parang ganun. Parang nakakainis na... Minsan pa it's, like, it's students that you don't expect will do that. Yung mga ganun. It's not a good feeling. And then syempre as a teacher, you can't just let it go.Most of the time, though, those who resort to that are ung medyo hirap din talaga sa course. So if I give them a zero, for example, for the project, usually, it follows na kasi nga mababa naman ung other grades. Bumabagsak na rin usually ung mga ganun...Honesty is very very important. If you don't learn that here in school, where will you learn it, di ba? It's really something that has to be contributed while they're here in school.
Do you have any technique to know if they're cheating?
Yung mga sa demo, you ask them about it, if they understand or not. That's the way to find out, but preventing it, just reminders, I guess. "Nag-start na ba kayo? Kung di pa kayo nag-start, ibig sabihin ganito..." Well, at least parang kumbaga they know they should've started. If you get them to start earlier, you hopefully don't... They don't get to a situation na wala silang choice, but to cheat. Tools-wise, I personally have not used any tools used for detecting cheating, but i know there are. I think some faculty have already tried using it. They try to compare how similar codes are. Siguro sa'kin, it's more of manual. You've been looking at this code and you've seen it pretty much that it looks exactly the same and then you try to look at their code because it seem familiar and you find na oo nga pala, copy paste lang exactly. And it's not hard to identify.
Can we discuss, sir, about the life of St. La Salle. How much do you know about La Salle?
I guess, I know enough about him and where he started and then his goals.
Knowing the history of St. La Salle, you being a student, and now a teacher in La Salle. do you follow any of his teaching principles?
I guess... The fact that you spend time w/ the students, I guess, is also one of the principles of De La Salle. I think one of his goals is also to help those... The least, the neediest people. Like di ba yung, I think in his time, he helped yung mga students who didn't have the money to go into school. Parang ganun. Siguro it's not exactly in that context right now. Kasi syempre La Salle is financially, I
guess, students are capable. But those who need the most help in terms also of, yung sa, when learning. You spend. You don't just give something and expect students to do that. You also give extra help, extra push. Those special considerations are part of that.
What is the best experience you had as a teacher?
Well, usually it's, of course, when you get to see that your work pays off. You have student who are, who graduate and, you know, are able to do what is expected of them. Like, example, when you're doing some advising for the thesis and then the students, like, actually do what you wanted them to do. Yun. Siguro ung mga accomplishments ng students would probably be very rewarding. And then sometimes some students are very appreciative. Like, lalapit sila, papasalamat. Or like after they graduate, after a few months, mangangamusta. Yung mga ganun na types of things. I guess that's the joys of teaching.
Sir, how about the worst?
Worst, well of course syempre yung those people who, like ung mga cheating, I guess, is one of the worst. And then ung mga may high expectations ka na akala mo kaya pala... Pero they didn't spend the right amount of focus. Yung mga bumabagsak. It's always a bad feeling. No, I don't think there's a... I believe that there's no teacher who's happy to fail students. Di ba? I mean, the 1st time I failed students, specially nung COMPRO, I think I failed, like, half the class. Ok, di ka makatulog kaso... Yung parang you don't know what went wrong, is it me? Was it the students? Yung mga ganun na types of things. So I guess those things are very heavy.
Sir, thank you for the time.
Thank you for the time, sir.
THE BEST TEACHING PRACTICES
