The University of the Philippines National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development (UP NISMED) is working with Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) to strengthen KaSaMa Teachers Online Community.
KaSaMa Teachers is a professional online community for K-12 science and mathematics teachers. It was initially launched in 2011 to help science and mathematics educators keep up with the then newly implemented K to 12 curriculum.
This partnership aims to build the largest community of Filipino science and mathematics teachers and provide a platform to scale the reach and quality of teaching resources, engage teachers in quality conversations, improve their skills, and uplift the teaching profession.
KaSaMa Teachers has an organized repository of K-12 resources and content, provides just-in-time coaching through a discussion platform for knowledge sharing and mentoring, and conducts webinar series.
GBF primarily provides technology support through website development and webinar production, as well as online and offline promotions. Meanwhile, UP NISMED develops content and provides quality assurance.
Coined from “Ka-Science” and “Ka-Mathematics,” KaSaMa Teachers hopes to represent the Filipino value of bayanihan or, in this case, the collaboration among Filipino science and mathematics educators.
By rebuilding and sustaining support for KaSaMa Teachers, GBF and UP NISMED hope to expand the online community’s current membership to 40,000 in five years’ time – that is 20% of the estimated 211,000 population of K-12 science and mathematics teachers.
The target launch is set for November 2019, in time for the 55th anniversary of UP NISMED.
As an education-oriented foundation, GBF was founded on the belief that the future is built through education. Its thrust is promoting STEM education in the Philippines. With its support to KaSaMa Teachers, GBF works to empower Filipino teachers through a scalable, innovative professional development initiative.