Gatchalian: MATATAG curriculum should promote creative skills, critical thinking of learners

With the rollout of the MATATAG curriculum set to begin next school year, Senator Win Gatchalian hopes to see future improvements in learners' critical and creative thinking skills.

Gatchalian said this following the results of the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) on Creative Thinking, which placed the Philippines among the bottom four out of 64 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) countries. Fifteen-year-old Filipino learners scored an average of 14 points, while the OECD average was 33 points. The Creative Thinking Assessment was introduced for the first time in the 2022 PISA cycle.

"The PISA report, where we scored among the lowest in creative thinking, just tells us that the learners are being taught to memorize and not to think. They're being taught to learn the facts, without understanding them. That affects critical thinking, as well as the creative thinking skills of our students," said Gatchalian, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

"We're not teaching our basic education learners to think critically and creatively, and that needs a lot of reform. That's where the MATATAG curriculum will come in because it not only reduced the number of competencies but also focused on critical thinking," Gatchalian added.

Gatchalian reiterated the importance of making sure that the MATATAG curriculum is properly implemented to improve learners' performance. He reiterated the need for quality teacher education and training since it is ultimately up to teachers to instill critical and creative thinking skills among learners.

The PISA 2022 creative thinking assessment examines learners' capacity to generate diverse and original ideas across a range of contexts or domains. The assessment has four domains: written expression, visual expression, social problem solving, and scientific problem solving.

Based on initial analysis from the senator's office, 63% or six out of 10 Filipino learners are at proficiency level 1 or below when it comes to creative thinking. This means that in formulating their answers, they "rely on obvious themes" and "struggle to generate more than one appropriate idea even for very open and simple imagination tasks."

Gatchalian umaasang paiigitingin ng MATATAG curriculum ang creative at critical thinking skills ng mga mag-aaral

Sa gitna ng inaasahang pagpapatupad ng MATATAG curriculum simula sa susunod na school year, inaasahan ni Senador Win Gatchalian na magkakaroon ng pagtaas sa antas ng creative at critical thinking skills ng mga mag-aaral.

Ipinahayag ito ni Gatchalian kasunod ng naging resulta ng 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) sa Creative Thinking, kung saan lumabas na Pilipinas ang isa sa apat na may pinakamababang marka sa 64 bansang kasapi ng Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD). Lumalabas na nakakuha ng average score na 14 points ang mga 15-taong-gulang na mga mag-aaral ng bansa, habang 33 points naman ang average sa mga bansang kasapi ng OECD. Isinagawa ang Creative Thinking Assessment sa unang pagkakataon sa 2022 PISA.

Lumalabas sa PISA report, kung saan kasama tayo sa mga pinakamababa sa creative thinking, na tinuturuan natin ang mga mag-aaral na mag-saulo at hindi para mag-isip. Tinuturuan natin sila kung ano ang impormasyon ngunit hindi natin sila tinuturuang unawain ito. Naapektuhan nito ang critical thinking, pati ang creative thinking skills ng ating mga mag-aaral," ani Gatchalian, Chairperson ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

"Hindi natin tinuturuan ang ating mga mag-aaral na maging mapanuri at malikhain sa pag-iisip, at kailangan natin itong i-reporma. Dito papasok ang MATATAG curriculum dahil hindi lamang natin binawasan ang bilang ng mga competencies, tinutukan din natin ang critical thinking," pahayag ni Gatchalian.

Binigyang diin ni Gatchalian ang kahalagahan ng maayos na pagpapatupad ng MATATAG curriculum upang pataasin ang marka ng mga mag-aaral. Binigyang diin din niya ang pangangailangan ng dekalidad na pagsasanay at edukasyon para sa mga guro, lalo na't sila ang magtuturo ng critical at creative thinking skills sa mga mag-aaral.

Sinusukat ng PISA 2022 creative thinking assessment ang kakayahan ng mga mag-aaral na magkaroon ng malawak at orihinal na mga ideya sa iba't ibang mga konteksto. May apat na domain ang naturang assessment: written expression, visual expression, social problem solving, at scientific problem solving.

Batay sa pagsusuri ng tanggapan ng senador, 63% o anim sa 10 Pilipinong mag-aaral ang may proficiency level 1 o pababa pagdating sa creative thinking. Nangangahulugan ito na sa pagbuo ng mga sagot, umaasa sila sa mga halatang tema at nahihirapan silang magkaroon ng higit sa isang ideya para mga sitwasyong kinakailangan ng bukas at simpleng imahinasyon.