Valenzuela school innovates to improve students' subject mastery

Giving learners more opportunities to enhance their academic performance is essential to help them succeed in the world of work. Corinthian School in Valenzuela City did just that by introducing Checkbox, a tool that elevates its students learning experience. Created by leading K-to-12 educational resources provider Diwa Learning Systems Inc (Diwa), it is a gamified online assessment portal that helps students develop mastery in core subjects.

Edellita Alacapa, high school vice principal of Corinthian School, is a champion of innovative education technologies like Checkbox.

“We are open to any changes that will help teachers deliver good services in terms of education,” Alacapa shares.

For Corinthian School, there are designated days in the week where Checkbox is used in their Science classes. Designed for grade school and junior high school students, the portal features ready-made drills and activities that are adaptive and aligned with the K-to-12 curriculum.

For each activity answered, students can earn stars that would give them the chance to compete with each other for the top spot in the leaderboard, which shows their standing per class and their ranking for the entire grade level. This feature has made the learning process more fun and engaging for students of Corinthian School.

Aside from this, Checkbox also made knowledge acquisition less of a chore. John Paul Hallasgo, a Grade 9 Science teacher, has observed how the learning tool improved his students’ knowledge of the subject matter.

“Some of the questions that students answer [in Checkbox] have not been tackled in class,” Hallasgo shares. “So students get more insights that prepare them for upcoming lessons and discussions.” When a student gets faced with a topic that is new to them they either ask about it in class or research about it.

Grade school teacher Jobert Villalon agrees, saying “Students become better at tests because they’ve encountered the questions in Checkbox, so they already know what to do.”

Corinthian School also encourages students to continue answering drills outside the classroom since Checkbox can be accessed anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

“Sometimes, when we need a reviewer, we go to Checkbox because the questions are already there,” says Maxinne Concepcion, a Grade 9 student. “Even when we’re just using it to pass time, we get a lot of information in Science so it enhances our knowledge in the field.”

Concepcion has found the whole experience of using Checkbox helpful in her studies. “This way of learning is a big improvement. It’s more interesting for us students because we’ve gotten used to just answering textbooks, and now the cellphones we use for entertainment can also be used to review through Checkbox.”

Meanwhile, teachers using the portal get real-time insights about their students’ performance. Aside from access to thousands of readily available questions classified per topic and competency, teachers can craft their own standard exams and drills that are tailored to their students’ learning abilities. These questions can even be shared with other faculty members within the school system. These features make for an effective and efficient blended learning environment that benefits students, teachers, and school administrators alike.

Corinthian School has taken a step towards ensuring that their learners’ needs for subject mastery are addressed. To learn how to bring Checkbox to your school, contact Diwa Learning Systems Inc. at (02) 8790 7800 or email info@diwamail.com.