The Philippine Science High School-Central Luzon Campus scholars Jade Derrick Quizon, Rafael Angelo Taracatac, and Adrian Nicolo Zapata along with around 100 delegates from 15 countries participated in the Asia-Pacific Forum for the Science Talented held in National Taiwan Normal University last 01-06 July 2017. With the theme Problem Solving of Future Scientists, participants were asked to conceptualize a project with the theme Through Time and Space. They were given a series of seminars with various topics to aid them in the creation of their project. Quizon’s team conceptualized a water treatment facility to extract water from Mars. Meanwhile, Taracatac’s group was able to create a model sewage water treatment innovation model while Zapata’s group created a machine that creates a juice that contains all the needed nourishment for the body that can be used in space travel.
The projects were presented by the students in front of a panel of judges composed of members of the Asia Pacific Federation for Giftedness (APFG) and Taiwan Ministry of Education officials. Projects presented by Quizon’s and Taracatac’s groups were awarded Best in Oral Presentation while Zapata’s group was given Participation Award.
A Teacher’s Forum was also organized where current trends and researches in gifted education were discussed by some of the leading researchers in the said area of study. Each country was also given the opportunity to present some of their best practices in teaching the science talented. Rex Forteza and William Laride presented some of the best practices in infusing creativity in Science classes through the presentation entitled The Creative Scientist which has received some positive feedback from the audience.
The activity was a great opportunity for PSHS scholars to interact with their peers abroad and experts in the fields of study as well. The participants greatly benefitted from the interaction with their group mates. They were also enriched with the wide array of learning experiences provided to them by the organizers.
Furthermore, by listening to the presentation of the other countries, teachers were able to use the event as a venue to benchmark best practices as well as exchange ideas on how to teach gifted students more effectively. Presentations and round table discussions were able to underline the importance of developing the creativity of the students using challenges and other effective strategies to keep students on their toes and develop their creativity
