(Continued from July 9, 2021)
THE LEARNING landscape has drastically changed. I’m afraid that you are still stuck in the past century where the book is the primary resource. Mas matanda po ako sa inyo (Gen X ako, Gen Y kayo), pero ang mindset ninyo, parang Baby Boomer.
But you know what? My loyalty is to our Gen Z learners. Sana po ilagay ninyo ang utak ninyo sa utak nila. Will they learn better sa textbook design na ito?
Sadly, only a few people can answer this question. Kahit na may PhD ka o doctor’s degree in Education, I can always challenge your position kasi obsolete ang standards ninyong pinag-aralan to get your degree; and the school reality is changing faster than ever.
(I’m telling you that the curriculum needs changing, and insider-friends in DepEd have confirmed this. By 2023, your other textbooks will be obsolete, but mine will still be relevant!)
You know why I think my book is effective? Kasi, pinabasa at na-test ko ang modules sa mga pamangkin kong Grades 10 and 11 dito sa America, at sa ilang teachers ng Grades 11 and 12 sa Pinas both in private and public schools. And my manuscript is a success. If you have done extensive research and prototyping as I did, sige, kayo na ang magmarunong.
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As for the illustrations, uulan ng illustrations. Just give me the number of pages to fill. In fact, please, ‘wag n’yo akong tipirin sa pages. I was originally told that I only had 240 pages for this book.
In my original plan, I also wanted a Glossary to include terms and concepts that learners should have already learned from the previous years and subjects like MAPEH, like the definition of ‘art’, ‘elements of art’, ‘form’, et cetera, which would be helpful in the use of this book.
But I was advised to stick to the curriculum because we should assume that K-12 education has already taught these concepts from Grades 7 to 9. And upon my review, covered nga ang mga ito ng curriculum nila. Have you studied the MAPEH curriculum before you evaluated my CAR manuscript? Because I did!
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As to lines/spaces for students to write in their answers, I have normally given 1 or 2 lines in my manuscript. But in the printed book, and if you try to answer my lead questions mentally, it could be 4 or 6 lines, maybe even 8 lines like your current CAR textbook has. (Yes, may copy ako! Did you read that version of CAR textbook from cover to cover before you evaluated my manuscript? Because I did, and I find it insufficient for the 2020s. Sorry, but true!)
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Please do not worry about my manuscript not having enough pages. If it didn’t cross your mind yet, I want much space, pictures, illustrations in this book. The Gen Z psychology demands less text, more visuals, more space. Ayaw nila ng books natin na cramped ang feeling. They want to breathe.
Inaral ko rin ang physical layout and design ng textbooks dito sa America. Gen Z don’t want to feel trapped! Notice mo ang Instagram, Twitter, Yahoo News? My books must operate on this level.
Hindi po ito Math or Science. This is a Language, Art, and Literature book.
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So yeah, after all the long wait for the result of the evaluation, I’m disappointed that this is what I got. Sana dumerecho na kayo sa Reviewer or Consultant at nang magkasubukan na.
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Anyway, I am having computer problems and especially in reading Microsoft files so I cannot read the changes tracking and comments feature. But I’ve seen the manuscript in TextEdit and the first correction I saw was the crossed out “Let’s begin.” Doon pa lang, nawalan na ako ng gana, but I still read everything.
Tanong: What is so wrong with “Let’s begin” that you had to edit it out?
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I’ll tell you what’s right with “Let’s begin” as I used it:
1. This is a module on ART, not a 20th century medical textbook. The tone should be conversational, a strength that is found in my Creative Writing textbook, and in both the manuscripts of CAR and 21st Century Lit.
2. The phrase is a psychological technique that reinforces “preparedness” in the readers if they haven’t yet taken seriously the first pages of the book.
3. The sentence is also an authorial style that doesn’t contradict or diminish the value of what’s being said. So, until you can convince me otherwise that you can write this book better than I have, then I’m sticking to my original manuscript.
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As requested, magdadagdag po ako ng materials — drawings, illustrations, artworks, fun facts to reach the required number of pages. Ayusin n’yo lang sa Production Department na magkakasya ang lahat ng idadagdag ko. Because kung gagawa ako ng changes and they will not be used, I will be very, very, VERY pissed, and I could decide to just withdraw the whole manuscript. So again, be careful what you wish for, dahil I know exactly what I’m doing. Thanks!
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P.S.
I am not your difficult author. I’m probably your best author who best understands my subject expertise, the DepEd curriculum and direction, and most importantly, the psychology of our Gen Z learners.
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I’m telling you right now, I can take this manuscript to another textbook company, and they will gladly have it.
To reiterate, and for the record, the Instructional Design, which is the basis for my book layout is MY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. For (future) legal purposes, let it be understood that this is not company material, but Peter Solis Nery’s. There is nothing like it in your other textbooks and instructional designs. You are not paying me for this design. You are only paying for my manuscript, and the number of pages. Let us be clear about it right now.
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Thank you again. And I hope we will all be really proactive and truthful to the 21st century learning that will serve human beings in the 2020s and beyond./PN
