Strengthening Teacher Formation: PNU Mindanao Student Interns at SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus

The activities of the Philippine Normal University Mindanao student interns deployed to Southern Leyte State University-Tomas Oppus Campus were formally presented and coordinated during a meeting held on March 4, 2026. The meeting, spearheaded by the Office of the Junior Laboratory High School (LHS), gathered Filipino Cooperating Teachers, Dr. Riza L. Lacerna and Mr. Raniel G. Aninapon, the IZN Coordinator, Dr. Leslie Elisa S. Cobilla, the LHS Principal, Dr. Sybill Krizzia G. Ledesma, the Filipino Teaching Internship Supervisor, Dr. Ginalyn B. Carbonilla, the Program Head of Filipino Education, Dr. Analiza M. Nares, and the PNU Mindanao student interns’ chaperone, Mr. Justin U. Santos.

Discussions centered on the academic, instructional, and co-curricular activities assigned to the PNU Mindanao student interns as part of their off-campus teaching internship. The planned activities were designed to balance pedagogical training, school immersion, cultural engagement, and values formation, ensuring a comprehensive and contextualized internship experience.

The internship engagement began on March 2 to 8, 2026, with courtesy calls, campus tours, deployment processes, and cultural immersion activities in Tacloban City. This phase aimed to orient the interns to the institutional environment of SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus and familiarize them with the local academic and community context.

Instructional preparation followed from March 9 to 10 through intensive lesson planning, leading to a field observation at San Isidro National High School on March 11. The interns conducted their initial teaching demonstration on March 12, providing them with an opportunity to translate instructional planning into classroom practice under supervision.

Cultural and spiritual formation were emphasized through a cultural immersion activity on Limasawa Island from March 13 to 14 and designated Church Days on March 15 and March 22. These activities complemented the interns’ academic responsibilities by reinforcing values education and community awareness.

From March 16 to 20, the PNU Mindanao student interns engaged in lesson plan preparation and examination proctoring duties. Preparations for the Grand Teaching Demonstration were conducted on March 21, followed by additional lesson planning on March 23 and another teaching demonstration on March 24.

A culminating highlight of the internship activities was held on March 25 with the Grand Teaching Demonstration, Student Forum on Wika, Panitikan, at Pananaliksik, and the joint Culmination Program participated in by PNU Mindanao and SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus interns. Teaching demonstrations continued on March 26 to 27 to further strengthen instructional competence.

The concluding phase of the internship involved portfolio preparation on March 28, organization of academic and personal requirements on March 29, and the departure of the PNU Mindanao student interns on March 30, traveling from Tacloban and Cebu en route to Butuan.

The successful conduct of these activities underscores the meaningful collaboration between PNU Mindanao and SLSU-Tomas Oppus Campus in advancing quality teacher education. Through shared mentorship, academic guidance, and community engagement, the partnership has provided student interns with a rich and transformative learning experience grounded in both theory and practice. Beyond the accomplishments of the current internship program, this collaboration marks only the beginning of a deeper and more sustained institutional partnership, with both universities hopeful for continued joint initiatives that will further nurture future educators and contribute to the strengthening of education across regions and, eventually, throughout the country.