Why Pax Et Lumen Gives Double Sessions in Sciences and Mathematics

At the outset, Pax Et Lumen decided to make the sciences and mathematics the core of its curriculum. It follows the curriculum based on that prescribed by the Philippines’ Department of Education, but adds an additional 200 minutes per week class sessions in both the sciences and mathematics. This translates into 130 hours more for each science and math subject for the whole school year.

This may not mean much to an individual who may think that these extra hours do not really mean much especially if one is just interested in getting the minimum requirement to get a basic education certificate.

But this is just the way Pax Et Lumen is trying to level up its students so that even if the Philippine school calendar is shorter in the number of school days than a country like Japan has, its students get at least the same amount of contact hours and skill formation in the crucial subjects of science and mathematics. Moreover, as former Secretary of Science and Technology and now President of the National Academy of Science and Technology, Dr. William Padolina said: The amount of knowledge and information generated these days is greater in terms of “velocity, variety, and volume”

Pax Et Lumen also follows the spiraling method of sequencing its science topics. This means that a science topic or area is covered almost every year but this topic is enlarged and deepened as the child goes up in the academic years. And once the Pax Et Lumen student reaches Grade 7, the student gets exposed to special science topics so that the student will gain a wider knowledge and a deeper appreciation of the wonders of the creation. Pax Et Lumen’s spiritual philosophy follows the belief that God speaks to us through the wonders of nature and of the universe as a whole. And so the students get to see the wonderful works of the Creator through their studies in the sciences and mathematics. And in the process, the school hopes that the seeds of spirituality and awareness are planted in the students’ hearts and minds.

For parents’ reference, the school hereby presents the scope and sequence of the science subjects (including the special science courses) and of mathematics: