Values Education through animè

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cagayan-de-oro/lifestyle/2015/09/24/values-education-through-anime-432206
• Friday, September 25, 2015 (Date Published)

By Riain Alfonso

IN its bid to promote values education in Philippine classrooms, Anak TV turned over several DVD sets of Animazing Tales to City Central Elementary School last September 23, 2015. This is a joint undertaking of Anak TV and its partners: Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a global Buddhist institution that promotes peace, culture, and education, ABS-CBN, and Department of Education Region 10.

The turnover was attended by 418 students and 15 teachers and principals of the school.

Mag Cruz Hatol, Anak TV secretary general, and Jose Marzon of SGI turned over the DVD sets and the companion teacher’s guide to representative students and teachers from Kinder to Grade 6.

Animazing Tales is a collection of 17 Asian tales written by Dr. Daisaku Ikeda, the current president of SGI, which tackles lessons about peace, respect for culture and the environment, and most especially moral values. The DVDs will help teachers catch the attention of the students, through interesting graphics and images, when discussing values and character education to them.

Hatol said, “The goal, really, is convince teachers that it makes sense to use technology rather than be an adversary of technology,” and added that many of the Filipino teachers now are angry that there’s too much television saturation in the minds of children and not seeing the opportunity there, that video and television can actually be used as an ally in teaching.”

Analiza Sabello, a Grade 5 teacher and member of the City Central Elementary School Reading Teachers Association, said the DVDs will be very helpful to them, “This promotes values education in our children.”

She furthered that children nowadays are visual learners. “It’s no longer applicable na magsige yaw-yaw ang teachers,” and that children learn better now by actually seeing examples.

The welcome remark was given by Melba Omandam, Grade 1 monitoring principal, after which, a message was given by Marzon.

This was followed by the screening of “Ang Princepe at ang Dagat na Coral,” one of the featured stories.

Jas Orbecino, a Grade 5 pupil of the school, said the activity is important to her as a student. “Importante siya kay aron naa pud mi ma-learn something sa mga stories na ipakita sa amo-a, mga moral lessons.”

Asked if it is easier for her to learn about values watching the Animazing Tales stories compared to traditional methods of teaching, she said it is easier and more interesting this way, “Kay tuloy-tuloy man siya and naa pa jud pictures aron masabtan pud siya sa mga bata.”

City Central has more than 8,000 students.

Anak TV plans to donate the Animazing Tales DVDs to elementary schools nationwide as part of their TV literacy efforts.