TNHS implemented SPJ
by Blessedy M. Cervantes, MA.Ed.
Journalism has been facing challenges worldwide due
to the development of technologies, financial and economic crisis. Since then,
media institutions, particularly in developed countries, have come under
pressure to adjust to the new realities. More importantly, however, this new
global reality poses important challenges for journalism education and how it
can take such challenges on board.
Thus, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) responded through
the piloting of the model curricula for Journalism education by some seventy
journalism training institutions in over sixty countries. The Model Curricula were
launched in 2007 at the first World Journalism Education Congress (WJEC-1)
convened in Singapore. By the end of 2012, they had been adapted by at least
seventy journalism schools in sixty countries in diverse linguistic, social and
cultural contexts. UNESCO attempted to set standards based on good practice internationally,
as a resource on which stakeholders around the world can draw in order to
improve the quality of journalism education in different countries (Banda, 2013).
As
a response to this call, the Department of Education, Philippines has been
implementing the Special Program in Journalism (SPJ), which is a four-year
course in high school, since 2009. It was also done to support the Declaration
of Policy, as stated on the Section 1 of the Republic Act No. 7079, which is
known as the “Campus Journalism Act of 1991”, and on its Section 2 entitled as
“Campus Journalism in the Curriculum” which explained that the DECS must train
the students who are good in writing about campus journalism in the elementary,
secondary, and tertiary; and to strengthen the regional performance of
secondary schools in the annual National School Paper Conference (NSPC).
According
to Mariano (2009) on “The DepEd Campus Journalism Program”, SPJ is designed to
develop the skills which are required for mass communication. This includes
journalism and broadcast media which provided activities that will develop the
journalistic, as well as the broadcasting skills of the students. Furthermore,
SPJ aims to have “capable and responsible student-writers and teacher-advisers committed to quality
campus journalism and broadcast media”.
This
program has been implemented on a pilot basis in identified Regional Pilot
Schools with the given time table: S.Y. 2009-2010 (First Year), S.Y. 2010-2011
(Second Year), S.Y. 2011-2012 (Third
Year), and S.Y. 2012-2013 (First Year).
As this given table has ended, so as the beginning of a new
curriculum-the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) that will strengthen
the goals and objectives of the SPJ program.
Based on DepEd Order No. 31, series of 2012, the K to 12 Basic Education
Curriculum (BEC) shall be implemented starting with Grade 1 and 7 in all public
elementary and secondary schools nationwide effective S.Y. 2012-2013.
The K-12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) in
the secondary level is divided into two: Junior high school (Grade7-10) and
Senior high school (Grade 11-12). The Senior high school is the level where the
students take not more than seven compulsory subjects and a required
specialization chosen from any of the following: entrepreneurship, technical-vocational,
and academics. The specialization in academics includes course offerings in
Science, Math, Languages – foreign and Philippine languages, Journalism,
Sports, and the Arts. Thus, the Special Program in Journalism (SPJ) serves as the
preparatory step for the fulfilment of the K-12 Basic Education Curriculum’s
targets at the end of Grade 12.
Desiring to support the aspirations
of the DepEd in achieving the full implementation of the curriculum, Tarlac
National High School (TNHS) has began to implement the SPJ for qualified Grade
7 students this school year 2013-2014. However, the DepEd provided only the
general course framework of the SPJ without the detailed discussion of the
scope and contents of each special subject (Journalism and Advanced English). Thus,
a development of a course design intended for Basic Journalism learners must be
done to guide the teachers of a syllabus which includes the organized sequence
of the course, as well as the methodologies and assessment to be employed.
Moreover, this course design must be
based on the needs of the Journalism learners which include their objective and
subjective needs (Brown, 1995). Needs analysis serve as the primary step in
planning and improving any curriculum and educational programs (Brown, 1995;
and Richards, 2001). In fact, experts (Munby, 1978; Brindly, 1984; and Nunan,
1990) mentioned that learners’ beliefs (including their preferences) about the
learning process can affect the success of the students in learning. Therefore,
effectiveness of the teaching and learning Basic Journalism can only be
achieved when teachers are aware of their learners’ needs, capabilities,
potentials, and preferences in addressing these needs.
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