Last September 1 to 3, the UP College of Education hosted the 9th International Conference on Teacher Education (ICTED). The ICTED is a biennial event sponsored by the College of Education of the University of the Philippines – Diliman.

This year’s conference foregrounds the theme of teacher agency, defined as the exercise of individual and collective power of teachers in the midst of challenging situations. It aims to create a forum for educationists, social scientists, policy-makers, and students to discuss the central question: In what ways can educational reforms support or constrain teacher agency, for what purpose, under what conditions, and with what consequences? It seeks to foster interdisciplinary conversations among participants of diverse persuasions about policy and practice; capacity building; and curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment.

The keynote speaker for this year’s ICTED was Judy Durrant, the Faculty Director of Education Graduate Studies at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, where she leads a research group focused on professional, organizational and leadership development. Judy is an internationally acclaimed scholar whose work on Teacher Leadership has had significant impact around the world.

The distinguished lectures were delivered by DepEd Undersecretary Dina Joana S. Ocampo and CHED Commissioner Maria Cynthia Rose Banzon Bautista.

Four plenary themes were also presented in the conference. The first theme was Teacher Agency in Governance which was discussed by Emma E Porio, Professor of sociology at the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Edicio Dela Torre, one of the founders of Education for Life Foundation.

This was followed by a plenary session on Teacher Agency in Curriculum and Instruction. This session was facilitated by Ma. Luisa T. Camagay, professor in the Department of History, University of the Philippines Diliman; Gerson Abesamis, founder of HABI Education Lab; and Efleda Preclaro Tolentino, professor of Early Childhood Education in Long Island University, New York.

The third plenary session was about Teacher Agency in Asia where John Pegg, professor and Director of the SiMERR National Research Centre; and Peter Grimes, Senior Specialist for Teacher Development of the Basic Education Sector Transformation Program’s (BEST) shared their insights and experiences in the region.

The final theme, Teacher Agency in Situ, was discussed by Carol Bumanglag, executive director of Lilik Foundation; Sister Aristea R. Bautista, FMM, founder of the PAMANA KA foundation; and Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph, founder of the Khadija Center for Muslim Women Studies.

The Art Education area of the UP College of Education (UPCEd) held its first Music, Arts, P.E., and Health (MAPEH) seminar at the UP NISMED on July 16, 2016, Saturday, entitled “Creative Teaching Strategies in MAPEH.” About 400 participants attended the event. There was a diverse range of delegates in attendance, composed of MAPEH teachers, administrators, students, and representatives from the UPCEd Art Education Area. There were also attendees coming from other provinces, such as Bulacan, Laguna, Pampanga, and even as far as Zamboanga and Aurora. The major sponsors for the event include Rex Bookstore, Adarna House, and Quezon City Sikap Buhay.

The perspectives of expert MAPEH professionals highlighted the work that can be done to provide an interesting and fun learning atmosphere for students who are taking the subject across the K-12 program. Prof. Jama M. Ramos gave a presentation about the important theories and drawing strategies for art education. Prof. Grace Duka-Pante, and Prof. Maria Cecilia V. Zamora, the speakers for Health Education, gave tips and techniques on how to teach the the various sub-topics of the subject. Prof. James Diaz, gave fun strategies, and enjoined the participants to sing with him during his presentation for Music Education. Prof. Ernida A. Tolentino, the speaker for Physical Education, discussed about how to involve the students’ imagination, and integrate gymnastic movements in PE lessons.

The launch of the annual seminar for MAPEH received positive feedback about the event from the delegates with regards to the speakers and overall program, with majority of delegates at the seminar stating their intent to be part of the future projects, the area is now projected to improve and grow rapidly in the coming weeks and months. With this, we now look forward to welcoming new endeavors, as the UPCEd Art Education Area is now set to further increase its presence in delivering the needs of educators in the different regions of the country. The Area is already underway in preparing for another project, the details of which will be announced as soon as they are available. Meanwhile, the core group encourages everyone to check updates about future seminars and activities in their facebook page: https://web.facebook.com/UPCEArtEdArea/.