Making money on field trips

Above: The Rube Goldberg-like Digestive System Exhibit at the PSC

The problem with “educational” field trips is that they’ve become excuses for the students and teachers (mostly teachers) to go sightseeing. What is supposed to be an enhancement of the educational process becomes an excursion, a break from the monotony of the classroom. And while that, indeed, is a perk, a lot of them forget that they need to teach the kids first before they hie off to watch “Eat Bulaga.”

With this “pasyal” mentality what suffers is the time allotted per leg of the tour. The school focuses on the number of places they can hit in a single day more than the quality of the visits to those places. Instead of visiting, say, a zoo in the morning and the Science Centrum after lunch, the tours end up passing through two museums, a zoo, a park, and a TV show. The kids barely experience, much less learn, anything.

This checklist mentality has a lot to do with how these tours are organized. Unlike the good old days when the teachers themselves would plan the outings, field trips today are organized by tour operators who handle everything, from reservations to transportation.

This means the more they cram into the tour, the more they can charge. The teachers, in turn, get larger commissions from the tour organizer while the parents are under the impression that they are getting their money’s worth because the buses are air-conditioned and their kids get to see so many places in one day.

Everyone ends up kidding themselves and compromising the kids’ education.

During our Science Centrum tour, Executive Director May Pagsinohin lamented that their facility’s PhP90 entrance fee, instead of encouraging visits, becomes a turn-off for tour operators, who receive only a PhP20 rebate. Odd but true.

But even for those who do get to visit the Science Centrum, rushing them through the exhibits misses the point. The science museum was designed to be interactive, meaning the kids have to fool around with the exhibits to get something out of them. Being told what the paired parabolic dishes do won’t stick in their heads as much as actually conversing with someone on the other side while the Rube Goldberg digestive system demo won’t be worth much if there are no teachers around to explain the process*.

Ideally an educational field trip should allow enough time for teachers to process the information for the kids. A tour guide (if one is present) imparts only the information that the facility’s planners intend. The teacher should be around to relate what the guide is saying to their actual lesson.

This means visiting only two, at most three, places, with enough time at each stop for the classes to sit down and discuss what they saw.

The problem is not with the tour operators; they’re only doing their jobs. The problem is with the teachers and school administrators who authorize these trips without evaluating their worth.

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* Kids (like my 29 year old brother) might conclude “eating metal balls = not good,” which is valid, but misses the point of the contraption.

Hairspray this Saturday; don't get lost

For everyone watching Hairspray this Saturday, please note that the Star Theater is different from the Aliw Theater, although they're both at the Star City complex. Star Theater is the one inside. You pass through the parking lot and walk to the end where the people are lining up. 

Here's the map from the Ticketworld website and their instructions for getting there. Try to come early to be on the safe side (parking might be difficult) and call or text me if you do get lost. 

    

A whole new level of geometric superiority

It's not a cynical way of re-packaging an old product. Heck, you can't even compare it to the textbook Arm & Hammer baking-soda-marketed-as-refrigerator-deodorant campaign. The "Diamond Shreddies" campaign exists just to get people talking about the product. Even the article about it is written tongue-in-cheek. 

And that's too many hyphens for a post. 

Holy childhood memories, Batman!

After the, well, dark "The Dark Knight" film comes a Batman version that harks closer to Dick Sprang and the "Superfriends" cartoon. "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" features the DC Universe's lesser-known heroes and teams them up with the Caped Crusader (this is no dark knight detective). The writing is tight and the action is so over the top that anyone who remembers "Saturday Fun Machine" on channel 9 Saturday mornings will have a grin plastered on his face for half an hour. 

In the first episode Batman pulls a sword out of his utility belt! A few scenes later he talks the Blue Beetle (the new, hispanic Guyver-ish one, not Ted Kord) into accompanying him on a mission. Beetle flies off and Bats presses a button on his belt to turn his cape into a jetpack(!), reaching escape velocity while still in his blue and gray underoos.

Diedrich Bader (Oswald from "The Drew Carey Show") is an unlikely choice but his voice works as a well-adjusted Batman. Will Friedle (Terry McGinnis, "Batman Beyond") does Beetle while Tom Kenny (Spongebob Squarepants) is Plastic Man. Future guest heroes include Firestorm, Guy Gardner and Hal Jordan, Katana, Metamorpho, and other guys we rarely see animated. 

I'm not sure when they'll show this locally but try to get your hands on episodes soon. This is kids animation done right.  

The problem with a presidential debate

A COMELEC commissioner wants compulsory debates for candidates. I’m with him. I want one. But I’m not sure it’ll do what he or I hope it’ll do.

We wanted one last 2004 but GMA didn’t want anyone questioning her achievements, FPJ didn’t want anyone questioning his credentials, and Lacson only wanted to debate with either of the top two in surveys (refusing to be lumped with the “laggards”), leaving only Roco and Villanueva – a debate which would have settled the question: kaninong pagkatalo tayo mas manghihinayang? and little else.

But will it help people make better choices?

The sad truth is people don’t make decisions based on questions of policy, preferring instead to side with those candidates that they “feel” for. (A study in 2004 used the term napupusuan.) Erap Estrada, who was neither mabait nor matalino (nor part of the masa for that matter) managed to capture the hearts of the poor despite a distinct lack of eloquence. People want someone they can relate to instead of someone smarter than they are.

A debate might only fuel the anti-intellectualism that manifests whenever someone smart verbally beats an idiot. Nevermind if they’re actually supposed to be educated, we feel for the poor idiot almost every time.

Ernie Maceda once wiped the Senate floor with Ramon Revilla when he asked him about the rankings of government officials.* And while my father and I applauded Maceda then (perhaps the only time we did), the general consensus was one of pity (awa) for Revilla Sr.

In a sane society we would’ve been outraged at Revilla’s ignorance of something taught at the grade school level. But no.

The problem with debate is that it’s appreciated mostly by people who use good reasoning and rhetoric and are proud to be associated with smart people. Idiots who can barely speak much less explain themselves will identify more with the one getting trounced, unless he’s mayabang, in which case they’ll say buti nga.

A presidential debate in the Philippines in this post-modern age means none of us know what the ultimate goal is.

Is it to “win” the debate, meaning be the best speaker and present the most logical arguments? Or is it to score sympathy points with the audiences, which doesn’t necessarily mean coming off smart, just adorable (the Palin strategy)? Or maybe it’s just to look good on TV?

My fear is that it might affect some of the better candidates’ chances. But that shouldn’t be too big a problem. If they’re good enough they can find time to prepare. Else let’s get ready to let the pretty idiots keep this country.

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* Alin ang mas mataas, Governor or Congressman? To which Revilla answered something like: Napapapunta ng Governor ang Congressman sa opisina niya kaya sa palagay ko mas mataas ang Governor. 

  

Science Centrum tour this Saturday

The Science Centrum blogger tour is a go.

If you still want to participate in this Saturday’s free tour you can email me at cognitioncreative(at) gmail (dot) com or text 0917-3590459; there are still slots left. Registration will be at the Science Centrum lobby at 2:00 pm. The tour starts right after.

Oh, and I’ll be hanging out at the Figaro near the centrum around 1:00pm in case any of you come in early and have nothing better to do. :)

See you Saturday.

Hairspray Manila review

“Hairspray” is one of those musicals that you can take anyone to. Unlike, say, “Kiss of the Spiderwoman” or Sondheim's stuff, this show has a relatively light story and accessible songs with pop sensibilities. Exactly the kind of musical that Filipino theater performers will excel at. And excel they do.

Great pop songs

Notable performances from Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo as Velma Von Tussle, Dulce as Motormouth Maybelle, and Nyoy Volante as Seaweed J. Stubbs (man, the guy can dance). But naturally the most impressive turn is Madel Ching's Tracy Turnblad, who is in all but two scenes. And while she can't dance as well as Nikki Blonsky does in the movie remake, her voice and comic timing (not to mention her energy) more than make up for it.

Show-stopping numbers

The songs lend themselves to a lot of embellishments, and birit is something any Pinoy can appreciate. Watch out for Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo's “Miss Baltimore Crabs” and Dulce's “I Know Where I've Been” for impressive vocal acrobatics while “Mama I'm a Big Girl Now” and “I Can Hear The Bells” are great concepts. My personal favorite is a lovely duet between Leo Rialp and Michael de Mesa as Mr and Mrs Turnblad (“You're Timeless to Me”). Two mustachioed veteran actors sharing an “awwww” moment on stage is odd but fits entirely with the show's tone.

Just enough cheese

Director Bobby Garcia squeezes enough cheese from the performers to give a little extra wink to the audience. Noel Rayos as Corny Collins plays him like a hipper Kuya Germs and the chorus dances and sings with a healthy dose of overacting to remind us that this isn't a 60s musical but really a hip 21st century show nearer in tone to “Avenue Q” than “West Side Story.”

Upbeat and Fun

It's a “starter musical,” a great introduction to theater for kids and adults who aren't used to seeing people sing while acting onstage. The Manila production is a fun romp showcasing some of the best voice talents in the local theater scene.

* * * * *

For tickets to the November 29 (Saturday) 8:00 pm performance, email me at apsalamat (at) yahoo (dot) com or text 0917-3590459. The show runs from November 14 to December 7 at the Star Theater (at Star City) CCP complex, Pasay City. Tickets at 1200, 1000, 800, and 600.

Time is on our side

Manolo Quezon predicts that the Reproductive Health Bill will not pass, or, failing that, be watered down so much as to be insignificant. Nick at the Filipino Voices blog says that the RH Bill is redundant and serves only to spark discussions on population management, contraception, and the separation of church and state – an opinion that MLQ3 agrees with. I am cautiously optimistic but I think they may be right.

It doesn't really matter.

I don't care about the nitty gritty of the bill at all (I've had more than my fair share of helping craft IRRs* for newly-passed laws) or its chances of passing; what concerns me is what people take home from the debates. A bigger war is being waged and this RH debate is just the latest battlefront. Losing this one will be fine as long as kids in high school and college have been subjected to (I hope) sound arguments from both sides.

Of course the RH side IS winning the debate; the question of the bill's passage is more a matter of politics than reason. All the anti-reproductive health advocates can do is spout off nonsense about demographic winters, claim that a bigger population leads to more productivity (just look at China**), and generally lie. Oh, and they claim that it's wrong because “God said so” without considering that the state (not to mention other people) does not subscribe to their particular concept of god (ehem, Kit Tatad, ehem).

I'm hopeful because as one commenter on MLQ3's site said: time is on our side. Which brings to mind a quote from Max Planck on innovation:

“An important scientific innovation rarely makes its way by gradually winning over and converting its opponents: it rarely happens that Saul becomes Paul. What does happen is that its opponents gradually die out and that the growing generation is familiar with the idea from the beginning.”

We can wait for Kit Tatad and Bernie Villegas to die.

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* Implementing Rules and Regulations
** The irony, of course, escapes them.

An invitation to bloggers

Some of you may remember the Philippine Science Centrum, the first interactive science museum in the country. We went there when I was in high school back when it was still at Padre Faura. I remember a big number of us buying their ready-to-assemble physics experiments to pass as science projects. (Yes, it was cheating. We were lazy. I'm atoning for my sin against science eduation now.)

The Science Centrum has since moved to bigger digs at Riverbanks Mall in Marikina and while this is a much better set-up, with more exhibits and wider space, it still needs a bit more promotion. Which is why we're organizing a free tour for bloggers. 

Anyone who writes a regular blog (sige na nga, kahit hindi regular) may join us for a free tour on November 22, Saturday at 2:00 pm. There will be a question and answer session afterwards with the people in charge of the centrum. Bloggers who write about places to visit, science, parenting, and education will  be most welcome. 

Please send an email expressing your interest to cognitioncreative (at) gmail (dot) com with a link to your blog/s  to get on the guest list or text/email me if you know me personally. I'll confirm with an email containing details. 

  

Please don't hesitate to pass the information along or post in your blogs. 

Fly

"Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King can walk. Martin walked so Obama can run. Obama is running so we can all fly." -- Jay-Z

You can argue all you want about foreign relations, economic policies, and adminsitrative experience but presidential elections often boil down to who you want representing you more -- the face, if you will, of your country. The reason I chose Raul Roco in, '98 and '04 for Philippine president was not just because he was generally clean and had a good platform, but also because I wanted a smart, articulate dreamer representing my country. He can address the United Nations and meet with heads of state and I'd be confident that he won't commit any major faux pas and maybe even end up impressing them. 

I was old enough to be thrilled seeing footage of Cory Aquino addressing the UN, the same thrill going up my spine when (yes, mababaw ako) two years ago Rivermaya sang at the MTV Asia awards. That feeling that people from other countries actually in awe of your representative never gets old. 

I guess that's the reason Barack Obama is leading in the polls. America, heck the whole world, wants someone they can look up to.