 Over 200 teachers from various schools in Zamboanga City filled the HRDC multi-purpose hall for a whole-day seminar entitled “Tu Voz, Mi Futuro (Your Voice, My Future): A Voice Care Seminar/Workshop for Teachers”. Organized by the DepEd Zamboanga City Division in partnership with Junior Chamber International Zamboanga La Bella, the workshop aimed to equip the teachers with the knowledge and tools to protect and care for their most essential tool for teaching – their VOICE. The workshop began with a motivational talk from Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales, who not only entertained the audience with his wit, humor and voice acting talent, but also talked about the Generation Z – the young people who are the students of the modern-day classroom. He shared how these young people think, compared to the previous generations, and how their lives have been greatly influenced by touchscreens and the World Wide Web. He posed a challenge to the teachers to understand the mindset of this generation, if they were to be effective in fulfilling their role as children’s second parents.  The VoiceMaster also motivated the teachers and gave them a boost regarding the importance of their vocation in building a better nation. He talked about our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, who was and will always be the epitome of greatness and excellence in every Filipino. He once again challenged the teachers to not only mold today’s youth as the “hope of the nation,” but rather to mold them as the FULFILLMENT of the hope of the nation.
After lunch, Voice Care Philippines Executive Director Ada Cuaresma took the stage to do a mini-workshop on voice care. She shared valuable information about why teachers are at high risk of developing voice problems, and empowered the teachers not only with knowledge, but more importantly, tools and exercises that they can use to prevent vocal strain. She also shared tips on how to take care of the voice. The workshop was concluded with a speech from DepEd Region 9’s OIC – School Division Superintendent Pete Natividad, who challenged the teachers to share the knowledge they learned to their colleagues. He also expressed his gratitude to Voice Care Philippines for having developed the first and only workshop that teaches teachers how to take care of the voice, and expressed that the workshop is only the beginning of the partnership to reach all teachers in the region.  The training team of Voice Care Philippines flew to the beautiful province of Malaybalay, Bukidnon for the Voice Care for Teachers workshop, on October 22-23, 2015. Over 100 full-time faculty members of Bukidnon State University gathered for a 2-day workshop, expecting to learn about how to take care of the voice. They, however, learned about that and so much more. Day 1 started with Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales giving a motivational talk, and introducing “Generation Z” to the teachers, who are the young people filling the classrooms of today. He shared their behaviors and mindset that influence how they treat their learning experience in the classroom.  In the afternoon, Voice Care Philippines Executive Director, Ada Cuaresma, opened the workshop proper. She discussed the importance of voice for the teachers, how voice is produced, and also gave numerous exercises to warm up the voice. She gave the teachers a self-assessment, and also tips on how to take care of the voice.
Ada’s session was followed “Voice Acting for Effective Teaching,” discussed by Andrew San Fernando, one of Voice Care Philippines’ trainers. Andrew shared his experiences on voice acting, gave the teachers exercises to explore their vocal range and experiment with making character voices. He also ended with a group assignment, where the teachers were grouped to perform a storytelling session to integrate what they learned about voice acting. The second day of the workshop started with the group performance, where Ada and Andrew shared more tips on how to use voice acting for effective teaching in the classroom. After which, the VoiceMaster has yet again shared more meaningful and motivational insights to the participants not only on how to understand Generation Z, but more importantly, on how to empower them to believe that they can reach their full potential. Towards lunch, Ada shared classroom strategies on how to engage students inside the class, through activities that involve active participation. The workshop was culminated with the teachers writing down their action plans to take care of their voice moving forward. Indeed, it was a fruitful, fun-filled and memorable 2-day workshop for the teachers of Bukidnon State University.  On October 18, Pocholo “The VoiceMaster” Gonzales flew to Iloilo together with the AIB Training group to speak at the Teacher Induction Program for the teachers at DepEd’s Iloilo Division. Over 500 teachers gathered at the Sarabia Manor Hotel to hear some of the best speakers in the country to help them cope up with the demands of the 21st century classroom – from leadership to their image and, of course, voice care. Pocholo spoke for almost 2 hours about how teachers can take care of their voices. He started by talking about how voice is the most essential but most often overlooked instrument of teachers in fulfilling their vocation. He also shared his experience as a voice professional, and even showcased his talent of making character voices!  Pocholo also taught the teachers various exercises that they can use on a daily basis to prevent strain on their vocal folds. He then shared tips on what habits to develop in order to take care of the voice – such as drinking plenty of water, taking “voice naps” and avoiding caffeinated drinks.
The teachers were also asked to share their most common voice problems in writing, which is essential in helping Pocholo and his team in strengthening their advocacy for teachers’ vocal health. |
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