A one day seminar- workshop conducted by the Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.

held last March

16, 2019 at Phoenix Development Center was full of learning and wisdom. The theme of the
workshop was “Interfacing Brain- Based Learning with Transformative Teaching for NextGen
Learners” was participated by different schools Nationwide.

During the morning session of the workshop, the staffs of the publishing company assisted each
participant for registration. Each of us proceeded to our respective Subject area. The speaker of
the Science group was Ms. Susana Dela Cruz, a professor and an author of one of the books
published by the company. The workshop started with a prayer followed by an action song and
an activity entitled “Finding You”. This activity can be adopted especially during the first day of
classes. It has different questions in an activity sheet where each of the participant will find who
among us has the interest fits each question. After which, the speaker started her talk about the
Brain- based Learning and Transformational Teaching.

The word BRAIN- BASED has an acronym which stands for Brain’s Time Clock, Repetition,
Active Learning, Images, Novelty, Be Colorful, Automatic Learning, Social Brain, Elicit
Emotions and Develop Thinking Skills. Each word showed its importance for learning. She also
emphasized that learners have ways on how to learn things effectively. Learners have different
learning styles. Some prefers to learn by doing, repeating the content in many ways, vary
instructional activities for 12- 15 minutes, respond best to visual content, and see something new
in their eyes that increase dopamine levels of their brains. There are also learners who remember
colors better than verbal or textual cues that can improve learning, inherently social in nature and
notices content with high emotional values. While discussing each word, she also used the
“Think- Pair- Share Strategy”. The morning session was ended with a video presentation entitled
“Tedds Talk” which focuses on how powerful communication is for both verbal and non- verbal.
It is also a good reminder for teachers to be careful with words and gestures especially in dealing
to our learners and others at all times.

Two video clips were presented for the first topic in the afternoon session. Clips are all about the
Brain- based Learning Principles which consists of six principles:
1. Active Engagement= Active Brains
2. Neurons that fire together, wire together
3. Vision trumphs all other senses.
4. Social learning fires mirror neurons
5. No pain. No gain
6. Practice makes permanent

Then she also discussed and described the 21st Century Learners now a days and the
different 21st Century Skills. These topics led in defining how and what transformational
teaching is. Different theories underpinned transformational teaching such us
Constructivism, Social Constructivism, Social Cognitive Theory, Transformative
Learning Theory and Transformational Leadership. There are also processes to follow on
how is transformative teaching done. And to become one of the transformative teachers,
we must:
1. Let ourselves be inspired.
2. Put theory into pratice.
3. Always show that you care.
4. Talk openly about pedagogy.
5. Give feedback that counts.