Faculty members and research representatives from the Saint Louis University School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts participated in the Teacher Education Research Summit 2026 on 15 to 16 October 2026 at Sequoia Hotel, Quezon City. The summit, themed “Leveraging Applied Research for Teacher Education in the Philippines,” brought together teacher-education stakeholders to advance research-informed policy, educational innovation, and improvements in teacher preparation.
SLU was represented by John A. Amtalao, PhD; Dennis M. Daw-as, PhD, Department Head of Physical Education; Keven John N. Allit, PhD, Undergraduate Research Coordinator; Ms. Ruth B. Payaket; and Ms. Maricel N. Pedral. Their participation affirmed the University’s commitment to professional learning, research engagement, and quality teacher education.
Sessions examined the National Teacher Education Research Agenda 2026–2030 and its alignment with the Teacher Education Roadmap 2035. Participants explored priority research areas, research gaps, and concept-paper development, with emphasis on producing evidence that responds to the needs of teacher education institutions and the Philippine education system.
In the keynote, “From Research to Foresight: Building an Evidence Ecosystem for the Future of Teacher Education,” Christopher P. Monterola, PhD, physicist and machine learning scientist, discussed how data analytics and artificial intelligence can strengthen research, guide educational decisions, and help institutions anticipate future challenges. Plenary and breakout sessions likewise addressed pathways for translating applied research into practical outcomes.
The TEC Fellows sessions featured studies on generative artificial intelligence, personalized learning, socio-culturally responsive social and emotional learning, mathematics pedagogy and teacher identity, graduate research utilization, inquiry-based teaching, licensure outcomes, computational thinking, classroom-based teacher training, and the well-being of early childhood practitioners. Collectively, the presentations underscored the value of context-sensitive, interdisciplinary, and evidence-based responses to challenges confronting Filipino learners, pre-service teachers, and educational institutions.
For SLU, the summit strengthens connections between national research priorities and institutional work in teacher preparation, curriculum, assessment, and professional learning. It also reinforces collaboration among higher education institutions, government agencies, researchers, and other stakeholders in building a stronger research culture.
The participation supports SDG 4: Quality Education through research-informed teacher preparation; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure through responsible use of data and educational technologies; and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals through cross-institutional cooperation. These commitments also reflect CICM educational advocacy. (Article and Photos by: Maricel N. Pedral, Faculty, Professional Education Department)
