HNU’S CURRENT CURRICULUM:

The perceived thrust for conformity to rigid standards

and its effects on student’s creativity.

A Research
Presented to the Advisers of
Grade 10 - Junior High School Department
Holy Name university, Tagbilaran City

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements of Subject
Science

RESEARCHERS:

Natasha Alaba
Don Carlos Binamira
Eugene Bulilan
Gabriel Hontanosas
Joseph Jadrague
Cris Arnel Mejasco
Janna Mondragon
Steff Ervol Paredes
Steve Soliven
Andrea Utara

JULY 2019
 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Holy Name University (HNU) in Tagbilaran City is one of the premier schools in
Bohol whose mission is the pursuit of the highest standard of innovative instruction,
research and community service. In fine, HNU is committed to realizing dreams.

However, each student is unique; with his or her own distinctive dreams. Yet, the
current curriculum instituted at HNU tends to compel its students to conform with certain
rigid standards where it would seem that it caters to the notion that “one size fits all.”

As Albert Einstein said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its
ability to climb a tree, it will live its own life believing that it is stupid.”

It feels like HNU’s current curriculum not only make the fish climb trees, but also
make them climb down and do a full marathon. Many students think that they are
swimming upstream in classes: never finding their gifts, thinking they are stupid, and
believing that they are inferior. In an era where technologies a year ago were already
deemed obsolete, HNU abides by a teaching method that had long lost its practicability.

During the Great Depression, students were put in straight rows, trained to fall in
line; to dress and look in a certain manner; forced to sit still; raise their hands before
they speak; given only a short break to eat; and, for eight hours a day, are being told
what to think, how to think. Back then, the focus of the US government was to grow its
industrial workforce, thus school curriculum were designed to churn out “good workers”.

This is eerily similar to what the students of HNU are experiencing at present.

An education system which endeavors to conform the way students think and
control all aspect of their learning and life causes more harm than good (Ross, 2015).
This system leaves little room for divergent thinking. Recently, there is a paradigm shift
towards the increased focus on creativity as espoused by Sir Ken Robinson (2003).

In this day where one customizes products to suit one’s needs: be it healthcare,
phone plans or even Facebook page; it behooves HNU to look again, assess and
enhance its curriculum to better hone the one thing its student’s truly needs - creativity.

We will therefore endeavor to establish whether or not HNU’s current curriculum

is skewed towards conformity to certain rigid standard and whether or not this adversely
affects the student’s creativity and well-being.

This paper is also designed to explore and find an alternative to the current
educational system in light of the fact that numerous studies have shown that such is
flawed and had in fact curtailed student’s unique growth and development.
 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In his book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” (1970), Paulo Freire has this to say
about education: “Education either functions as an instrument which is used to bring
about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and
women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the
transformation of their world.” We believe HNU falls within the former category.

As students of HNU Junior High School Department, we had experienced such

seeming inclination towards conformity to rigid standards. Consider the following:

1. In an era where the technologies that existed half a decade ago are already
passé, our educators find it suitable to still use the archaic multiple choice standardized
testing (National Achievement Test) to gauge how well students fare in Mathematics,
English, Science, and Filipino. This is the same testing method that its own inventor,
Frederick J. Kelly, labeled as “too crude to be used, and should be abandoned.”

2. Such proclivity to a standardized norm leads to rigid uniformed looks (yet one
can have proper grooming sans the required Barber’s Cut No. 3). Our grading system
also does not ascribe to measuring the creativity and individuality of the student.

3. Inessential and tedious assignments are prioritized over effective teaching

which only tends to overwork the students and teachers alike. Since when is staying up
late doing home works or school projects more valuable than having free time to explore
passions and learning life lessons through experience?

The demand of the education system for students to excel in scores and grades
causes most of us students to do our work solely to achieve such high scores and
grades, rather than with the honest intent to learn (like cheating on exams for example).

Students have different strengths, different needs, different gifts, and different
dreams. What do you think would happen if a doctor prescribed the same medicine to
all his patients? This educational malpractice is exactly what is happening in our school
where students are being taught the same thing and the same way with one teacher
standing in front of 50 students, and grading their performance solely on its output.

Students learn best with an illimitable soul, searching to grow in understanding

and discover new things. In his essay "Education", Ralph Waldo Emerson speaks of
how students need patience and freedom of opportunity and ideas to become educated.
"Now the correction of this quack practice is to import into Education the wisdom of life.
Leave this military hurry and adapt the pace of Nature. Her secret is patience."
 In our view, it is imperative that students be given the possibilities to explore their
areas of interest deeply, without being forced to follow an extremely structured course of
education. Ideas, even those that do not fit within the assignment guidelines, should be
encouraged. In other word, the school must not kill creativity but nurture it instead.

The other thing that we find problematic is how the teachers are being treated.
While they have one of the most important job on the planet, some teachers at HNU
believes that they are not properly compensated. This could result in the students being
ultimately short changed as teachers may not be fully motivated or the more competent
ones will leave for much greener pastures.

Teachers should earn just as much as other professionals giving critical services.
Doctors can do a heart surgery and save the life of a kid, while great teachers may
reach the heart of that kid and allow him to truly live.

What compounds the problem is that teachers are the de facto “shock absorbers”
who often endure the blames. Fact is, they work in a system without many options or
leeway because curriculums were created by policy makers, most of which taught a
long time ago or worse, had never ever in their entire lives.

Our task therefore should be to determine whether or not our current curriculum
best bring the spirit out of each and every student of HNU and give everyone an equal
chance to succeed in life. Sure math is important; however, it is noteworthy to bear in
mind that to some students, it is no more important than art or dance.

For sure, we can take a look at Finland where the students have no homework,
have shorter school hours, start going to school at the age of seven, and where the
teachers make a decent wage and are focused on collaboration instead of competition.

More notably, their educational system outperforms every country in the world.

We understand that there is no single solution. However, there are countries like
Singapore which has been growing rapidly and there are Montessori school and other
programs like Khan Academy which we can very well make as our case studies.

While the students are only 20 percent of our population, they are 100 percent of
our future. So we will do our utmost to come up with considered findings and come up
with practical solutions so that we can get moving towards the world where fishes are
no longer forced to climb trees.

.
 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is conducted to determine whether or not the current thrust of our
educational system is geared towards conformity to rigid standards. It also endeavors to
find out how such conformity to rigid standards affects the students sense of creativity.

Alternatively, it is intended to highlight the need to help the students hone their
creativity and critical thinking skills, an aspect which the researchers truly believe is
fundamental towards building a future filled with a sense of fulfillment and purpose.

In light of this, it is humbly submitted that this research will benefit the following:

Holy Name University. This study will improve the school in the development of the
Basic Education curriculum. This study will foster new ways of enhancing knowledge,
skills and attitude, thus preparing globally-competitive individuals in the future. This
will also help in the advancement of school management, administrative leadership and
teaching-evaluation approach.

Administrators and School Principal. Data given will provide the administrators and
the principal with information to help them craft an alternative curriculum which focuses
more on honing and enhancing the creativity of the students rather conforming to the
rigid standards currently being administered.

The results will enable them to initiate collaboration among the faculty members
to help plan the advancement of the students in relation to the new curriculum.

Teachers. The results of this research will aid the teachers formulate discussions
and activities which tends to encourage creativity and critical thinking in the students,
and evaluate the quality of teaching rendered towards the academic performance of
their students. The results would also develop the teaching-learning and evaluating
strategies in enhancing the knowledge, skills and attitude of the students.

Students. The direct recipient of the output of this research is the students who
will benefit in a better educational system. This study may also serve as a guide and
reference for the students to focus on honing their creativity and critical thinking which
would bode well for their successes in the future.

Future Researchers. This research will be a useful reference for those who
would deal or expound on the basics of our research.
 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY

In conducting this study the following assumptions were made:

1. The participants will answer the interview questions in an honest and candid
manner.

2. The questions propounded are appropriate and therefore, assures that the
participants have all experienced the same or similar situation in the study.

3. Participants have a sincere interest in participating in our research and do not

have any other motive, such as making a good impression on their teachers
or venting petty biases
 SCOPE AND LIMITATION

This research was conducted to determine the consequence of the

current education system being implemented in the Holy Name University
– Basic Education Department in Tagbilaran City, Province of Bohol, as
perceived by the teachers and students in the Junior High School
Department during the school year 2019-2020.

The aspects to be looked into are primarily the seeming thrust of

the school towards conformity to certain rigid standards, the teaching
methods of the teachers as a consequence of said education system
implemented, and how it affects the students and teachers alike.

General purpose: To establish whether or not there is a flaw in the

education system implemented by the school and to explore and find an
alternative to the current educational system. Based on numerous studies,
it has been found that such conformity to rigid standards is flawed as this
had in fact curtailed the student’s creativity and critical thinking.

Subject matter: The flawed education system and its alternatives.

Topics (aspects) studied: Effects of the education system that tends to

conform to rigid standards, the methods and strategies by which the
teachers implemented said system, and proposed solutions to the
problems.

Population or universe: Teachers and students of Grade 10, HNU-BED.

Locale of the study: Holy Name University, Tagbilaran City, Bohol.

Period of the study: School year 2019-2020.

 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Education system – pertains to the underlying principle with which the

school anchors its teaching methodology.

Flawed – blemished, damaged, or imperfect in some way.

Conformity - compliance with standards, rules, or laws.

Rigid standards – refers to strict and inflexible level of quality or

attainment.

Student – a person who is studying at a school or college.

Curriculum – the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or

college.

Creativity – the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the

production of an artistic work.

Critical thinking – the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in

order to form a judgment.