The Fulbright – Foreign Language Teaching Assistants Alumni Association (FLTAAA), in collaboration with the Department of English and Humanities of College of Arts and Social Sciences, held a two-part enrichment webinar on April 16 and April 30, 2021, dubbed as "Teach and Reach: Transcending Boundaries." The webinar was funded by US-PH Exchange Alumni of the US Embassy-Manila.
The Fulbright – Foreign Language Teaching Assistants Alumni Association (FLTAAA), in collaboration with the Department of English and Humanities of College of Arts and Social Sciences, held a two-part enrichment webinar on April 16 and April 30, 2021, dubbed as "Teach and Reach: Transcending Boundaries." The webinar was funded by US-PH Exchange Alumni of the US Embassy-Manila.
The two-part webinar aimed to discuss how to broaden innovative ideas in language and literature teaching to the community and how to sustain students' engagement in these fields of study. The theme for the Literature segment (April 16) was "Poetics of a Teacher: Innovations and Creative Methods in Teaching Literature," while the Language segment (April 30) focused on "Ascend English: Empowering Teachers in Reaching New Heights in English Language Teaching." The session began at 8:30 AM with the formal lecture, while the afternoon session featured an offline workshop.
Prof. Louyzza Maria Victoria Vasquez, Dr. Mercedita Reyes, and Atty. Nicholas Pichay were the speakers for the April 16 webinar. Prof. Vasquez is a faculty of creative writing at the University of the Philippines and she shared on "Exploring Creative Pedagogies in Literature: Towards Sustaining Student Engagement in the E-Classroom." Dr. Mercedita Reyes, an associate professor, is the head of the Department of English and Humanities. Her presentation centered on "Crafting Poetry Modules: Pursuing Higher Level Thinking, Critical Reading, and Analysis of Text." Atty. Nicholas B. Pichay, a published poet, acclaimed playwright, lawyer, and Director of the Philippine Senate's Legislative Research Service, was the final speaker for the April 16 webinar. He is a Hall of Fame awardee into the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. His discussion focused on "The Textual Multiverse and the Pandemic World."
The second segment of the enrichment webinar, held on April 30, concentrated on language dimension. Prof. Paksiri Tongsen, Dr. Jan Rich Guira, Dr. Joan C. Ravago, and Dr. Daisy O. Casipit served as the speakers. Prof. Paksiri Tongsen is an English lecturer on a full-time basis at Maejo University in Chiang Mai, Thailand. His presentation delved on "English Language Teaching in a Borderless World." Dr. Jan Rich Guira, on the other hand, is an assistant professor at Mariano Marcos State University and he previously served at Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant. His presentation was on "Humanizing Language Teaching and Learning." Dr. Joan C. Ravago and Dr. Daisy O. Casipit are both faculty members of the Department of English and Humanities, CASS. They discussed “Sustaining Students' Engagement in the New Normal: Online Teaching Strategies.”
Participants in the Teach and Reach Webinar were asked to submit their works for the offline workshop. Five winners were chosen for the Best Literature Module and the Best Motivation in English Language Class. The three leading winners in each category received cash prizes, while the fourth and fifth placers received e-certificates.
The Department of English and Humanities, CASS hopes to continue hosting webinars that benefit its students and are aligned with the university's internationalization efforts.
