Navigating the Classrooms in the Paradigm Shift: The Diary of Outstanding Teachers in Dinagat Islands Division

Abstract

In order to catch up with global standards in basic education, the Philippines launched its comprehensive educational reform – shifting from the old curriculum to the new framework known as the K to 12 Program. With this, teachers have learned to revolutionize their classroom from the old setting and innovated instructional practices necessary to meet the needs of the learners for employment, entrepreneurship, and college readiness. Hence, this study aimed at exploring the best practices of outstanding teachers in the Division of Dinagat Islands particularly on content knowledge and pedagogy, learning environment and diversity of learners, curriculum and planning, and assessment and reporting. Data collection was done through semi-structured interviews while codes and themes have been derived using Thematic Analysis. Codes and themes are used to generate theory as an integral process of Grounded Theory approach. Based on the data gathered, the Teaching Excellence Model Theory has emerged from eight essential themes: (1) Instructional Competence; (2) Partnership; (3) Value Laden; (4) Research and Innovation; (5) Student Centered; (6) Classroom Leadership; (7) Professional Development; and (8) Outstanding Achievements. The theory generated from the study stated that “teaching excellence is achieved when the teacher possesses professional competence and personal innate factors and which can be modelled through interpersonal strengths and exemplars” is anchored on four hypotheses. The generated theory will provide a framework and benchmark for all promising teachers in the field to gauge their performance towards achieving a competitive K-12 classroom.