By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute will reveal in November the 450 successful applicants in the online mathematics and science teacher training program.

In an interview, DOST-SEI Director Ester Ogena said they received a little over 500 applications to the training program, which was more than what they expected since they only introduced the program two years ago.

Under the program, public elementary teachers in mathematics and science would be provided with additional information and techniques in teaching the two subjects to students. One unique feature of this training is that it will be delivered online, theoretically reducing the hassles teachers face in attending a classroom-type environment.

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By Queena Lee-Chua
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–After the 9/11 attacks in the United States, I visited a Muslim vendor at the Greenhills Shopping Center tiangge. I asked her if she had experienced any repercussions, but she assured me: “We are fine. We are all friends here.”

For many years, Muslim and Christian stall owners have been engaged in friendly competition, as they ply their trade side by side.

At an international conference, I asked a Singapore educator how their country had managed to remain peaceful despite the variety of ethnic groups and religions there.

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HERE’S an excerpt from Queena Lee-Chua’s latest column piece:

Randles often credits the Greek geometer Pythagoras for insisting on harmony in music. What role does Pythagoras play here? Recall the study of waves in basic physics. Those with the shortest wavelengths are for invisible light (such as X-rays, microwaves and ultraviolet rays), followed by relatively short color waves (such as the rainbow). Longer wavelengths are for sound waves.

According to Randles, the note “do” (from do re mi) has a particular frequency, measured in hertz. To ensure that music sounds good, the notes should follow a certain ratio, discovered by Pythagoras millennia ago. This ratio should be familiar to musicians: 1/1, 2/1, 3/2, 4/3, 5/4, 6/5, and so forth.