Ronald Lloren, a research assistant at UP Diliman who’s now earning a master's degree in Marine Science,credits the Dynamic Learning Program for instilling in him the concept of ‘learning by doing’.

MANILA, Philipines — As a high school student in Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF) in Bohol, Ronald Lloren developed the ability to learn independently, a skill that would later see him through life’s bigger tests.

Now 23 years old and on the way to earning a master’s degree in Marine Science from the University of the Philippines in Diliman where he also works as a research assistant, Ronald recalls how the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) employed by CVIF instilled in him and his schoolmates the concept of “learning by doing”.

Ronald was in his sophomore year when DLP was implemented, a brainchild of Ramon Magsaysay 2010 awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and wife Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido, president and principal of CVIF respectively. He admits it took some getting used to.

“Nakakapanibago kasi ikaw mismo magsusulat, ikaw pa mismo mag-iisip. We were each given a paper on which we write our name, the activity title, objective and the activity or problem to be solved individually. The teacher only lectures for 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the class to introduce the topic or lesson for the day,” he says.

The non-traditional teaching approach is 70 to 80 percent student activities and only 20 to 30 percent lecture. It was created by the Bernidos to address the current problems plaguing the academe, the same ones that CVIF struggled with — lack of qualified teachers, equipment and school facilities, few or error-filled textbooks and large number of students per classes.COMPLEMENTING DEPED’S CLASSROOM BUILDING PROGRAM

Since it was first implemented in CVIF, the DLP has been rolled out in private schools all over the country. In 2011, it was introduced in Bohol and Cagayan de Oro public schools, the latter through the help of Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) which hopes to expand the implementation of DLP to more public school divisions in 2012.

“The PLDT Smart Foundation hopes to make it a contribution to the Bayanihan Pampaaralan program of the Department of Education. We would like to bring in DLP to complement classroom building, focusing initially on the 40 lowest performing DepEd divisions nationwide,” says Stephanie V. Orlino, Smart Community Partnerships manager.

Hopefully, more students will benefit from DLP as Ronald did. “It is easier to understand and remember concepts that you learn on your own. You master the subject better. It taught me how to be independent, how to be critical-minded and to rationalize things before concluding.”

He also observed that DLP built his stamina for learning, a good thing for somebody like Ronald with unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

In college, he took up Chemistry at the UP Visayas. He had classmates who were graduates of Philippine Science High School and were more advanced in terms of the concepts they already know. But he and his schoolmates from CVIF — a modest school in Jagna, a 4th class municipality in Bohol, were not to be left behind.

They were equipped for the long run. The DLP gave them a strong foundation. In time, the CVIF graduates could compete with the other students. “Nakita ko na kaya namin makipagsabayan sa kanila. Habang tumatagal lalo kami nagiging agresibo sa pag-aaral,” says Ronald.HIS OWN RESEARCHCENTER

After completing his masteral studies, Ronald intends to pursue a doctorate in Physical Chemistry or Inorganic Chemistry. He is also keen on publishing a paper in international journals for coastal research on geology or applied chemistry.

When he has acquired as much knowledge and experience as he intends to, Ronald plans to teach in Bohol. His main goal is to build his own research institute in his home province. “I would like to invite foreign researchers, international scientists to a conference or to do research and share their knowledge. If they have the time, it would be great if they can also teach the young people,” he says.

His field of interest has taken Ronald to places — in Bolinao, Pangasinan to conduct a study of submarine groundwater discharge; Parao-ir in La Union to study coral drilling; and Currimao, Ilocos Norte for an elevation survey. For the coring of marine sediments, he went to Manila Bay, Laguna de Bay, Pujada Bay in Mati Davao, and Lake Pinamaloy in Bukidnon. He has also done river sediment sampling of major rivers in Southern Luzon and Visayas.

Ronald has also been to Shanghai at the Tongji University. “I was doing XRD or x-ray diffraction analysis of different clay samples from rivers in Visayas, Mindanao and Luzon to determine the types of clay.”

Last month, he went to travel to Perth in Australia for a carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of deep sea sediments taken from Sibuyan and Bohol seas to determine the influence of marine and terrestrial input.

The boy from Bohol has gone a long way but his journey is far from over. Ronald has set his goals high and with the same focus harnessed in high school he is determined to achieve what he has set out to do.