Frequently Asked Questions:

 

Why are BA students called Life-Learners?

 

Barcelona Academy’s Vision is to LEARN LIFE HERE. Hence, we consider our students Life Learners to ensure that the school’s vision is at the forefront of everyone entering our halls.

 

What is the teaching method and medium of instruction in BA?

 

For Preschool to Grade 3, we use the Direct Instructional System for Teaching Reading  (DISTAR) approach. This scientifically proven approach addresses the needs of learners in the early grades to succeed in school. We can have your three-year-old child reading in three months using this approach.

 

For Grades 4 – 12, we use student-centered learning where teachers are facilitators, and Life Learners take responsibility for their education. Across grades, we integrate fun learning and social and emotional learning (SEL) with leanings toward entrepreneurship and financial literacy. Our core curriculum, however, is values formation as we advocate for peace education in our systems and policies.

 

Our medium of instruction is English from Preschool to Senior High School, except for Filipino and Araling Panlipunan subjects and the Filipino-based subjects in Senior High School.

 

What is the teaching modality in BA?

 

We employ a blended-learning approach where Life Learners spend half the day in face-to-face classes and the rest of the day is on asynchronous activities they access in their PAL Rooms or PAL Notebook.

 

What does PAL stand for?

 

PAL stands for Parents and Life Learners. Before the pandemic, parents consulted a notebook for information on upcoming assessments, posted reminders, and school communications. After the pandemic, we have a Google Classroom we call the PAL Room, which has the same information as the PAL Notebook. Since BA uses a blended approach, a PAL Notebook and a PAL Room communicate information effectively to parents and Life Learners.

 

Does BA offer alternative delivery modes of learning?

 

For Preschool to Grade 10, the school offers (a) BA Online classes in collaboration with our homeschooling partner Catholic Filipino Academy and (b) Special Study Program.

 

For Senior High School, we offer the Special Study Program (SSP).

 

What is the Special Study Program (SSP)?

 

The BA SSP is a modular approach to learning for independent learners. We assess the Life Learner's independent learning capacity and their home support system. The teachers place learning tasks, resources, and assessments in the PAL Google Classroom, setting a deadline for submission. The Life Learner accomplishes these tasks at their own pace and may request synchronous online learning with their teachers when they have any difficulty. They also have periodic Online Support Sessions (OSS) where they reach out and have their kamustahan.

We encourage them to participate in face-to-face social events, like parties, sports fests, and celebrations, when possible.

 

What is OSS?

 

The Online Support Session (OSS) takes between 15 to 30 minutes when advisers check on their progress via Google Meet or Zoom. Advisers offer this voluntary opportunity to connect with their BA community, particularly during bad weather or unexpected class cancellations.

 

What is BA Online?

 

BA Online delivers instruction via Google Meet or Zoom sessions. Teachers conduct scheduled synchronous online learning sessions. For example, in the grade school and junior high school, they have two hours in the afternoon from Monday to Thursday. Each week, the teacher instructs students for one hour on the subject; students dedicate the remaining time to independent learning tasks or asynchronous online learning. They also have LEAP, Masses, and other activities.

 

What is LEAP?

 

LEAP stands for Life Enrichment Action Program. Teachers moderate the different interests and sports in the face-to-face modality. This program aims to provide the learner with a platform to explore new interests, develop new skills, gain confidence, and socialize. LEAP classes are as varied as the learners like origami, Larong Pinoy, badminton, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, dance, tower of Hanoi, chess, and music.

 

For BA Online, LEAP sessions are the hours spent by Life Learners to showcase their talents and skills. If a BA Online Life Learner is skilled in cooking for example, they can spend the hours for LEAP cooking a dish at the same time or the learner can demonstrate their skill in cooking to his/her classmates. They could also have jam sessions, singing and playing instruments at the same time.

 

What is the Class Schedule for BA?

 

For the preschool, the Life Learner spends between one and half to two and a half hours in school. They are staggered within the day.

 

For the grade school, they come to school at 7:15 AM and go home at 11:45 AM (Grades 1 – 3) or at 12:15 (Grades 4 – 6).

 

For the High School, they come to school at 12:30 PM and go home at 5:30 PM.

 

Class advisers communicate changes to arrival or departure times via the PAL Room at least two days in advance.

 

What happens during a sudden suspension of classes?

 

We have several responses, depending on the kind of class suspension:

 

If classes are suspended when TCWS #1 is raised, we have SOL or synchronous online learning via Google Meet or Zoom.

If classes are suspended when TCWS#2 is raised, we have AOL or Asynchronous online learning or OSS.

If classes are suspended due to the rising Heat Index, we have SOL. This means the learners stay in the comfort of their homes for their classes.

As much as possible, we refrain from using Saturdays for make-up classes.

 

Why are Achievement Tests online?

 

Online assessments enable us to train our learners to navigate online resources and to develop their discipline in its use. This also trains them to be critical of what they read online and use AI-powered sites in the right way.