Domuschola International School: A More Progressive Way of Learning

There is more to learning in school than just sitting behind a desk and listening to the teacher go on about lessons, formulas, and historical dates for hours at length. At Domuschola International School (DIS), students step out of the box and discover the world on their own. They are treated as inquirers and observers who learn by experience. The basic concepts of reading, writing, arithmetic, and language are learned in relation to real life situations experienced by the students at home and in their communities or natural environments.

Aptly named with a combination of the words domus meaning home and schola meaning school, this learning institution bring forth a progressive way of learning by integrating the home and the school. The student is able to fuse his learnings with real life applications. Parents, teachers, and the students all partake in a collaborative relationship that sustains the child’s growth and development as a responsible and well-balanced individual.

The IB Philosophy
Domuschola promotes the International Baccalaureate (IB) philosophy. Affiliating and earning certification from the prestigious International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) of Switzerland bolstered Domuschola’s educational orientation. It was in 2011 when DIS was classified as an IB World School authorized by the IBO to run the Primary Years Program or PYP. The school expanded its operations when it opened its High School department in the following year.

Today, this progressive school in Pasig maintains its student teacher ratio to about 15:1, continuously allowing teachers to give more attention to each student’s specific learning needs. The educational framework used in this institution involves six transdisciplinary themes that are explored through inquiry. Domuschola is one of only three schools with an active IB program starting from the primary level. This learning institution presents a more affordable option for those who would like to expose their children to the IB philosophy. Tuition fees at Domuschola cost only about 20% to 30% of the fees in other international schools, making them as the most affordable IB school in the Philippines!

A Glimpse of the PYP Exhibition
Bloggers from the city had the opportunity to observe the students of this progressive school up close during their PYP Exhibition event. In this important school event, students showed the results of their inquisitorial work completed over a span of about five months. This year’s theme focused on Eco-Sustainability. The exhibition was an interesting display of how these students gathered information about this issue and formulated their own solutions to real life issues concerning the theme that affect people today.

Out of the Classroom and Into the Real World
The goal of this type of progressive learning is to help learners in their process of: discovering themselves; fitting into and contributing to their communities; learning how to express themselves; understanding the world around them; and respecting other people in their environments.

The education given by Domuschola goes beyond traditional classroom instruction. The learners are given free rein on their learning experience in and out of the classroom. While academic learning is still part of this educational system, it is balanced by learning about the child’s social and emotional facets. These students are trained to be responsible for their own learning, feeding their inquisitive minds and encouraging independent discovery and realization. When the students are taught to understand the world around them, they are able to cope and function more effectively as productive members of society.

Being the Change
With their international perspective as well as their critical and creative thinking, graduates of Domuschola are poised to consciously steer their career paths. They welcome change, initiating change themselves if necessary rather than going with the flow. Domuschola directress Jenny Mapua Banal, also known as Teacher Mom, takes pride in how their students are able to grow into lifelong explorers eager to learn and adapt to their changing environment. Even parents are confident about their children’s development, knowing that they will be able to quickly learn and adapt to change and integrate themselves in whatever community or situation they find themselves in.

A Pleasant Discovery
For someone who was schooled the traditional way where information was spoon-fed by teachers to students, this new progressive approach to learning is refreshing. The freedom to discover and the nurturing environment provided by the collaboration between the home and the school sounds like the perfect set up for optimal learning. It was truly inspiring to see grade school students sharing what they have learned, hypothesizing about real world issues and concerns, and developing workable solutions to what they discovered. When you think about it, these students are most likely miles away from other kids their age who spend hours listening to their teachers’ lectures in class. Parents of Domuschola kids could not be any happier seeing their children facing the idea of learning and going to school with eager anticipation. As one parent said, students of Domuschola love going to school. They share the same characteristics of having an inquisitive mind, being caring and respectful, being confident, and not being afraid to state their opinion.

Domuschola International School
Website: www.dis.edu.ph
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/domuschola.international.school
Contact #s: 635-9743, 635-2002
Email: [email protected]
Address:
Molave Street, Barangay Ugong (Behind DepEd Compound, down the street from St. Paul’s Pasig, within the Philippine Sports Complex)