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LAC Session: Teachers new strategy

Sun.Star Baguio1 Aug 2016

SCHOOL-BASED Learning Action Cells (LACs) are consistent with the procedures of School Based Management
(SBM), and School Improvement Plans (SIP), but are more focused on the teaching-learning process. It is the
venue to continuous and cost-effective inservice training and teacher development. LACs are alternatives to the
cascade model of teachertraining. Instead of a top-down process of problem solving and initiative-building, LACs
capacitate practitioners to solve school-based problems in school. This is grounded on the idea that problems in
school must be solved at the school level.

The objective of LAC is to improve the teaching-learning process that will lead to improved learning among the
students (DepEd Order No. 12, s. 2015). It is also to nurture successful teachers; to enable teachers to support
each other to continuously improve their content and pedagogical knowledge, practice, skill and attitudes and to
foster a professional and pedagogical collaborative spirit among school heads, teachers and the community as a
whole (DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016.

Some regions and divisions include LAC sessions as an intervention under staff development in their School Based
Management (SBM), the school priority improvement areas. The School Improvement Plan (SIP) is a roadmap that
lays down specific interventions that a school, with the help of the community and other stakeholders, will
undertake within a period of three consecutive school years. The implementation of development activities
integral to it are in the school such as projects under the Continuous Improvement Program (CIP), the creation
and mobilization of Learning Action Cells (LACs), and the preparation of the School Report Card (CRC). SIP seeks to
provide those involved in school planning an evidenced-based, systematic approach with the point of view of the
learners as the starting point. Ultimately, it is envisioned to help schools reach the goal of providing access to
quality education (DepED Order No. 44, s. 2015).

Different methods of teacher professional development are implemented throughout the DepEd to improve
teaching-learning processes. However, most of these are top-down process wherein expert knowledge is shared
or transferred. Though existing in some schools or divisions in the DepEd, there are fewer instances of bottom-up
teacher professional development programs where colleagues study content and pedagogies together, plan
lessons collaboratively, and conduct research as a group. Examples of these are school-based learning action cells,
teaching circles, communities and practice, and lesson study (DepEd order No. 35, s. 2016).

LAC session was introduced more than a decade ago though its implementation is not widely observed. Today it
was institutionalized by DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016 with the aim to develop and support successful teachers by
nurturing their knowledge, attitudes and competencies in terms of curriculum, instruction and assessment in their
work stations. Commonly, it was a half-day session done in the school once or twice in a month. Problems
attached to the non-observance of LAC falls down on the fact that according to Durban (2012), constant
implementation of programs in education was not properly monitored and added to that is the non-evaluation of
programs implemented.

Learning Action Cells (LACs) session involves sharing of experiences and reflections pertaining to new materials,
new activities, and new approaches teachers have tried. There is also discussion on introduced topic by the school
head or teacher who have undergone training or seminar since not all teachers are accommodated to seminars
and trainings. Each teacher then looks at his/her lesson plan or teacher guides and selects lesson and or activities
where he/she will try or apply what has been introduced and discuss in this months LAC meeting. This can be
done in pairs, in small groups or individually. In the sharing session, each teacher shares what he/she is planning
to do and together in small grade groups, they discussed and help each other identify what they will collect as
evidence of the outcome. At the following session in a months time, they will share their experiences, collected
data or evidence and reflections on what they have tried ad how it went. During LAC session teachers also talks
about the value of LAC to his/her practice (DepED Order No. 12, s. 2015).

The School-based Learning Action Cell program is imperative in the development of efficient and effective
teachers. So much had been said about the deterioration of education in the country. The LAC was designed to
help alleviate this plight. Hence, this strategy should be given due attention so that, it could really attain its
laudable aims in improving the quality of education in the elementary grades.

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