Sacred Heart Academy Advances Instructional Quality with Dual Faculty Seminars on Learner-Centered Methodologies and AI Integration

Sacred Heart Academy hosted a comprehensive day of professional growth for its entire academic community on 4 June 2026, launching a dual-seminar series that bridged traditional student engagement with modern technological integration.

The institutional training deployment brought together all school administrators, faculty, and staff at the campus venue. The full-day event focused on establishing highly responsive, interactive classrooms while equipping educators with the tools to navigate digital advancements ethically and effectively.

Fostering Student Agency through Active Learning

The training kicked off in the morning with an intensive seminar titled "Learner-Centered Instruction: Promoting Active Engagement and Participation." This session focused on instructional approaches that place students at the absolute heart of the learning process, exploring various classroom practices designed to move away from passive lecturing toward fully interactive environments.

Facilitating the morning session was Mr. Dinnes A. Masubay, PhD, a Master Teacher I at San Juan City Integrated School with over a decade of instructional leadership experience. Under his guidance, the academy's staff explored methods to encourage students to actively construct knowledge, collaborate with peers, and apply their learning to real-life situations, laying down the groundwork for highly student-responsive classrooms.

Navigating Ethical and Practical AI in the Classroom

The professional development series transitioned in the afternoon to the digital frontier with a seminar titled "AI-Assisted Teaching: Ethical and Practical Applications for Teachers." The workshop explored how artificial intelligence can be leveraged to optimize lesson planning, content creation, and classroom management without compromising academic integrity or replacing the irreplaceable human touch of an educator.

The session was led by Mr. Steven R. Bacalso, a UNESCO international workshop delegate, Manila innovation awardee, and University of the Philippines Diliman sociology master's candidate who serves as a public school Research Coordinator and university faculty member. Mr. Bacalso delivered a high-energy session demonstrating practical prompting techniques using Gemini, guiding teachers through hands-on group activities focused on identifying 21st-century skills and integrating AI into instructional resources while strictly upholding data privacy and professional judgment.

A Joined Initiative for 21st-Century Schools

The successful implementation of this dual-topic learning initiative at Sacred Heart Academy was made possible through the continuous coordination and support of Diwa Learning Systems Inc. and Bato Balani Foundation Inc. Both organizations remain committed to standing side-by-side with local educational networks, providing timely resources, expert speakers, and training modules that empower Filipino educators to lead modern classrooms confidently.