SHS faculty wins best presenter in int’l confab; reveals misconceptions on envt’l problems
Asst. Prof. Joshua Soldivillo, Silliman University Senior High School (SHS) faculty member, bagged a Best Presenter award for his paper on students’ misconceptions of environmental problems, in an international conference held June 7 to 8, 2023 at Prince of Songkla University, Thailand.
Soldivillo, who is also the host of HashtagSilliman, a magazine program of the university, represented the University during the National and International Conference on Education (NICE) 2023 with the theme “Cultivating Sustainable and Equitable Education for All.”
Soldivillo’s paper titled “Students’ alternative conceptions on atmosphere-related environmental problems: Basis for teaching- learning sequence development,” was judged according to benefits, results, presentation, language, and among others.
He said that his paper identified several misconceptions among SHS Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics students on climate change, global warming, greenhouse effects, and acid rain.
“The paper was done to inform science teachers in the design of their instructional materials. [I joined] the conference for networking purposes and sharing new findings in this body of knowledge. It’s also for my continuing professional development,” he said.
The conference aims to provide a platform for scholars to present and publish academic work, to encourage educators and researchers to develop their potential to drive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in line with the United Nations initiative, and to provide opportunities to expand educational networks.
NICE 2023, which only happens every two years, was attended by other researchers, academicians, teachers, and school administrators in Southeast Asia.
The conference also included workshops on pedagogy of education and learning; paper presentations on curriculum and instruction, and leadership and higher education; and a cultural excursion in Hat Yai, Thailand.
Among the keynote speakers were H.E. Jyri Järviaho, ambassador of Finland to Thailand who talked on “Equitable Education for All – Lessons from Finland”; Dr. Akihito Kamata, director of Ph.D. Program at Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Southern Methodist University, USA, on “Oral Reading Fluency Assessment for Identifying Students At-Risk in Reading Ability”; and Asst. Prof. Dr. Victoria Mondelli, director of Teaching for Learning Center, University of Missouri, USA on “Skillful Teaching for Equitable Learning: Flexible and Creative Designs.”
The paper of Soldivillo was published in the NICE 2023 proceedings with ISBN 978-616-271-726-0.
Soldivillo also bagged the Best Oral Presentation Award for presenting his paper on basic education science teachers’ level of job satisfaction as a basis for strategic plan development at the 4th Societas Ethica Philosophica Incorporated Multidisciplinary National Hybrid Conference 2022 in South Cotabato.
(Story by Francis Basa Pabiania, SU Office of Information and Publications intern)
