Lab Notes – Page 2 – Habi Education Lab

6 min read

Teaching and Relearning

I arrived at Philippine Science High School a little before seven am. I thought I was going to be tardy after sleeping through my…

6 min read

Merrygalo Kami! Worksheets for Teachers

Bilang pasasalamat sa mga guro, nais naming ibahagi ngayong Pasko ang lima sa paborito naming worksheet na maaari ninyong gamitin sa loob o labas ng klasrum. Maligayang Pasko mula sa Habi!

3 min read

PRISM Teacher Feature: Arniel Ping

Empathy came naturally to Media and Information Literacy (MIL) teacher Arniel Ping, who immediately realized that being a part of the Yellow Mission was the push he needed to address a long-standing challenge that was close to his heart and craft: the lack of quality and accessible MIL materials for Filipino teachers nationwide.

8 min read

Looking at Action Research Through Design Thinking

“Action research is rather simple,” was what one teacher said after learning about how action research could be applied to her own classroom in…

12 min read

Reimagining Education

How can schools be redesigned in order to nurture a new generation of changemakers? We have been invited by Ashoka to lead their ChangemakerXChange public event that focused on Reimagining Education.

1 min read

The Good Movement

Habi is the Filipino act of weaving indigenous fabrics, valued for their intricate patterns and sturdy craftsmanship. Likewise, I see the lab as weaving…

7 min read

Let's Talk About Education Inequity

Since coming back to the Philippines in 2015, I’ve worked hand in hand with different organizations addressing real issues in the Philippine educational landscape. Some organizations are more well-known than others, but they’re all united to fight a wicked problem: education inequity.

8 min read

A Lesson on Empathy

With what’s going on now–political tensions, war on drugs, terrorism– I am pushed to explore ways on how to arm our students with a proper understanding of our world. The dark times we face should empower us to teach beyond content and encourage our students to make things better; be aware yet stay optimistic.

9 min read

Going Regional

Working with the ebullient children, whose ideas were as colorful as the diverse national clothing they respectively wore that day, was definitely a breath of fresh air. Now we can proudly say that Habi had a hand in strengthening our country’s ties with our ASEAN neighbors.

3 min read

The Ripple Effect

“Imagine that your problem has been solved,” we prompted, “what do you think will be the positive and/or negative effects on the people closest to the stakeholders you’ve chosen?” After identifying these effects, we asked the participants to think bigger: what will the effects be on the school community? On the neighborhood? On the town?

1 min read

HANDs Project 2016

The immersion taught the fellows to be open, to take a beginner’s perspective in project development, and to really take into consideration what communities…

1 min read

Design Thinking with HANDs Project

We designed and facilitated a 5-day Design Thinking intensive for the HANDs Project Fellows, a project by Japan Foundation that aims to bring together…

1 min read

Harvard Alumni for Education Podcast

How can we leverage design thinking to enhance education quality in resource-starved, developing communities such as those in the Philippines? In this episode, Habi Education Lab Founder Gerson Abesamis talks about how the start-up uses small design thinking workshops and collaborative lesson prototyping in a professional development program for teachers, resulting in innovative learning experiences in classrooms across the Philippines.

1 min read

Design Thinking with Museo Pambata

In celebration of National Teachers Month 2016, we partnered with Museo Pambata to hold a free Design Thinking workshop for teachers. Our participants learned…

14 min read

Creative Confidence for Teachers

A workshop on creativity! You could say it was bound to happen. Katty is a social scientist who has ongoing pursuits in music, urban farming and alternative medicine. Gerson champions for the inclusion of design and technology in education. Delphine works countless hours as a professional theatre actor and dancer. The three tapped into their experiences and delivered a workshop on the creative applications of teaching to the faculty of Philippine Science High School — Ilocos Region Campus (Pisay-IRC).

13 min read

Tips for Testing Prototypes

Essentially, we’re transforming the participants’ role into co-designers. User testing sessions, prototype showcase, gallery walks, feedback sessions, whatever you call them–are very powerful tools to engage communities and share with them the ownership of a solution.

12 min read

Plataporma: From Self-Awareness to Action

“Let’s begin by checking in”, facilitator Meila Romero-Payawal says as she smiles and gently taps on her belly. Around unfamiliar faces and a seemingly strange venue for an educational workshop (a ballet studio), the participants slowly eased into the group, forming a circle. She introduces herself and candidly speaks about her 4-month old baby bump as she checks in. This is a familiar way to begin meetings, workshops and classes, so I’m not surprised that the participants, mostly teachers, comfortably followed suit

9 min read

Teacher-made Prototypes

Two-day workshops allow teachers to use the HABI process in solving real problems in their schools, producing ideas and prototypes at the end of the workshop. It makes the learning experience meaningful and productive, giving participants a feeling of achievement.

12 min read

BustED! A Workshop on Critical Thinking and Neuroeducation

From the Open Lab, we learned that as the brain doesn’t function in silos, so should our perspectives on research. As we deal with students that are highly individualised, we must avoid resorting to hasty generalizations, sacrificing accuracy for convenience.

10 min read

A Roadtrip with Kinderhabi

Kinderhabi is the official arm built to take on Habi’s projects in early childhood education and development. In collaboration with MovEd Foundation and the local government unit, the team facilitated a training program for the day care workers selected from the different barangays.

10 min read

Discovery Science Camp: Design Thinking Beyond Habi

The best part about Design Thinking is that, like the scientific method, it’s an endless cycle of searching, trying, and sharing. There’s no settling.

14 min read

DIY / Design it Yourself

Our workshop objective started out simple: to give the teachers confidence in making their own materials. Whether to produce posters to decorate classrooms, or to enhance the look of their lecture slides, teachers are always looking for new ways to design their tools and environments to improve their teaching.

6 min read

Teachers Teaching Teachers

In most classrooms, teachers are accustomed to assuming the role of the leader. They teach what they know to those who do not. In educational workshops, including Habi’s, they generally adopt the position of the learner, and we the role of the facilitators. This particular Habi Open Lab, however, was an attempt at organic community learning that forced both our participants and ourselves out of the molds that we’re used to.

9 min read

Designing for Powerful Learning

The principles of collaboration, democratic communication, and creativity are not new. Common sense should tell you that they form the foundations of progress and problem solving in virtually every context. But in many school settings, these concepts often risk being buried under old habits, top-down management, and red tape.