Capacitating Educators for the Revised K–10 Curriculum

The 2025 COCOPEA–REX Regional Run

From classrooms to communities, across institutions and islands—the COCOPEA–REX regional run gathers stakeholders and educators anew to lead, learn, and shape a better future for the Filipino learners.

As a new school year begins, educators are presented with an important opportunity to improve their teaching practices, serve their students more effectively, and ultimately, contribute to elevating the quality of education in our country. This year, with the Revised K–10 Curriculum taking root in our classrooms, that opportunity has never felt more urgent and meaningful.

This is the spirit behind the 2025 COCOPEA–REX regional run.

Organized by the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA), the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), and Rex Education, in partnership with the Department of Education, this initiative aims to equip educators with the tools and knowledge needed to effectively implement the Revised K–10 Curriculum, particularly for Grades 2, 3, 5, and 8.

A Transformative 2-Day Learning Journey Across the Archipelago

This year’s regional run, themed “Capacitating the Private Education Sector for the Effective Implementation of the Revised K–10 Curriculum,” aims to ensure that every Filipino learner has access to quality, relevant, and responsive education. The run began in Davao City on February 27–28, hosted by the University of the Immaculate Conception, Bajada Campus, welcoming educators from Regions 11, 12, SOCCSKSARGEN, and parts of BARMM. From there, the initiative traveled across the country through five more major legs: Baguio City – St. Louis University for Regions I, II, CAR, and parts of Region III,  Cebu City – Cebu Institute of Technology for Regions VII, VIII, and parts of Region IX, Iloilo City – Angelicum College for Region VI,  Cagayan de Oro – Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan for Region X, parts of BARMM and Region IX and  Muntinlupa City – San Beda College Alabang for Regions NCR, IV-A, and IV-B

Over the 2-day program, participants were provided with the tools and platform to unpack the revised curriculum—not just in theory, but in practical, tangible ways. The first day opened with a plenary session that set the tone for the training—bringing together educators, administrators, and stakeholders to align on the goals and significance of the Revised K–10 Curriculum.

Following this, the second plenary session titled “General Updates on the Revised K–10 Curriculum” provided participants with an overview of the recent changes and developments, focusing on curriculum content and structural updates for the priority grade levels.

From there, participants moved into concurrent breakout sessions, grouped per learning area, for a curriculum walkthrough, where they engaged in two core activities:

●       An In-depth Exploration of Learning Standards for Grades 2, 3, 5, and 8, clarifying what students are expected to know and do at each grade level

●       Curriculum Unpacking of Learning Competencies for Grades 2, 3, 5, and 8, which involved breaking down each competency into practical, actionable teaching objectives

As the run transitioned into the second day, the focus shifted from understanding the curriculum to implementing it effectively in the classroom. It began with the third plenary session, titled “Evidence-Based Intervention: Focus on Pedagogical Practices and the Importance of Assessment,” highlighting how research-based teaching methods and meaningful assessments can drive better student learning outcomes.

This was followed by morning breakout sessions, again organized per learning area, that explored the Pedagogical Practices that Integrate and Develop Literacy and 21st-Century Skills through theoretical discussions and strategy-sharing. Educators shared strategies and discussed how to incorporate these essential skills into their teaching methods.

In the afternoon, educators participated in a series of hands-on workshops, still within their respective learning areas. These included:

●       A workshop on pedagogical practices to further strengthen instruction that fosters literacy and 21st-century competencies

●       A theoretical discussion and a workshop on effective assessment and feedback strategies, guiding educators in using assessment not only for grading but also for supporting student growth and reflective teaching.

Anchored in Purpose, Rooted in Legacy

This year’s run is especially meaningful as it coincides with REX’s 75th anniversary—a milestone that honors decades of commitment to supporting Filipino learners, educators, and institutions.

For 75 years, REX has stood not only as a learning solutions provider, but as a katuwang sa buhay—a partner for life, in learning, growth, and transformation. The regional run serves as a continuation of this legacy, reaching out to private schools, listening to their needs, and assisting them in navigating the evolving educational landscape through collaboration and shared learning.

Moving Forward, Together

With COCOPEA, CEAP, REX, DepEd, and countless Edukampyons at the forefront, this movement proves that progress is possible when we lead with collaboration, compassion, and courage. Even in the face of shifting systems and emerging challenges, we can always rise—grounded in legacy, driven by purpose—Para sa bata. Para sa mamamayan. Para sa bayan.

 

PHOTO CAPTION: School leaders, stakeholders, and educators nationwide take part in the 2025 COCOPEA-REX Regional Run—deepening their understanding and strengthening their readiness for the effective implementation of the Revised K–10 Curriculum, particularly for Grades 2, 3, 5, and 8.

 

Building a Brighter Future with Canvas

The world is getting smaller and smaller every day. In the age of social media and rapid advancements in digital communications, a new generation of students is growing up conscious of their connection with everybody else in the world. Reaching across geographical borders through the internet is now the way of life for most of the world, and we are already seeing advantages and disadvantages of living in a digital age.

The people behind Instructure saw an opportunity to build a learning platform that would make teaching and learning easier in today’s global village. They made Canvas, an open-source software and the only true native cloud learning management system (LMS). To further demonstrate the ways Canvas could empower students all over the globe to “change the world,” Instructure launched the very first “K12 Buddy System.”

The K12 Buddy System is a cross border project that demonstrates what can be achieved in a truly global classroom and a collaborative learning environment. Forty-five students, aged 15-16 years old, from De La Salle Lipa in the Philippines and Callaghan College in NSW, Australia were given a problem to work on together for eight weeks, from August 20 to October 24, using Canvas under the supervision of selected teachers. The problem they needed to solve is “The Culture of Throwaway Plastics.”

Despite living in two different continents and time zones, plastic pollution is a shared concern. The students, working in groups of four — two students representing each school — came up with three solutions to persuade people, businesses or the council in their local area to reduce their reliance on single use plastic. These solutions must be actionable, practical, and solve a specific problem concerning single use plastics. All actions must be backed up by research and strong rationale.

The top 10 submissions proceeded to the final round on October 24 where the teams presented their strongest solution to the judges from both the Philippines and Australia using a Canvas classroom in real time through video conference. The judges include Troy Martin, General Manager, APAC; the principals and project lead teachers from both De La Salle Lipa and Callaghan College; and Raf Dionisio a social and environmental entrepreneur and co-founder of The Plastics Solution volunteer movement.

The third place winner is Team Wallsend DLSL 6 composed of Olivia Staub, Jose Miguel S. Villegas, Edward Augustine O Tullao, Danya Best, and Isha Prasad. The team proposed a stricter implementation of zero-plastic policies by creating a watch group called “Guardians of the Plastic Bag.” The group will encourage people to use alternatives to the single-use plastic bag such as “bayong” which is a durable reusable shopping bag, beeswax wraps, newspapers, and banana leaves. Incentives will be offered to encourage more people to join the program.

Team Wallsend DLSL 8 with Keely Harris, Kim D. Ditan, Josh Aldrich P. De Villa, Olivia Beck, and Chloe Speering won second place with their proposal for an alternate material to plastic: Seaweed Bioplastic. It is a bioplastic that is a completely and easily biodegradable plastic with an environmentally friendly production process. Seaweed bioplastic is versatile and is already being produced in Indonesia has been proven to be both sustainable and profitable.

The first place winner is Team Waratah DLSL 2 made up of Danielle Lei R. Araez and Jesse A. Candelario. Their presentation to create eco bricks with single-use plastic waste won over the judges and the competition. Eco-bricks are plastic bottles stuffed solid with non-biodegradable waste to create building blocks that utilizes the longevity and durability of plastic. They seek to inspire local communities and institutions to see their trash as something that could be literally constructive. Eco bricks have been proven to be cheaper and safer than hollow blocks. Team Waratah has even included in their presentation solid and actionable plans to get schools and communities mobilized to realize their goals.

“The K12 Buddy System opens up a whole new horizon for learning for both students and teachers,” said Troy Martin. “And this is just the beginning! We hope to do more projects like this that pushes the boundaries of conventional education and encourages learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.”

Cross-cultural, transnational collaboration takes getting used to, but the students, through the competition, learned that with a shared goal, they can come up with ways that they could change the world. Canvas easily bridges the divide between the students living in different sides of the world through technology. Students are learning, as one teacher had put it, to be “locally competent and globally competitive,” and the world is all the more better for it.