The Learning Physics as One Nation Initiative:
Bypassing the National STEM Teacher Shortage
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Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido, Christopher C. Bernido
Ramon Magsaysay Foundation Awardees for 2010
Carolina C. Porio
FAPE Executive Director
Learning Physics as One Nation (LPON) is an initiative of the Fund for Assistance to Private Education, funded by the Department of Education of the Philippines, and designed to bypass the nation’s severe STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) teacher shortage. Project components include a specially designed Physics Essentials Portfolio of 239 learning activities to be independently accomplished by students during one school year, and associated 18 DVD volumes of video lectures by national educators. The materials are designed such that a command team can monitor student progress, and address questions from the field through e-mail, mobile phone text messages, Skype, and fast courier services. Initial assessment of student performance shows a positive trend. Thus, after field studies in over 200 schools, plans are to produce Learning as One Nation materials for all other STEM subjects following the LPON model.
Keywords: STEM, Teacher shortage, Physics learning activities, LPON
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