Jonathan P. Derez’s journey in the field of chemical education started when he studied at Far Eastern University and earned his Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in Chemistry in 1994. He began teaching at the Manila Science High School from 1995 to 2010, following the footsteps of his mother who taught at the same school. During this period, he became a DepEd NEAP Tan Yan Kee Scholar and pursued his Master of Science degree in Chemical Education at De La Salle University-Manila. He then moved to Antonio J. Villegas Vocational High School where he served as the Science Department Head from 2011 to 2015. Currently, he serves as the Public Schools District Supervisor under the Department of Education (DepEd) in Manila.
While teaching in high school, Mr. Derez inspired students to be more active and engaged in learning Chemistry. He mentored them to developing quality research and investigatory projects. He also encouraged them to join national and international science fairs. Their success in these prestigious events earned him awards such as the Outstanding Research Adviser Award given by INTEL-ISEF in 2002, 2004 and 2005.
His desire to impart knowledge continued when he became a district supervisor. He conducted several seminars and training for public school teachers on the special science curriculum, and research curriculum developed by DepEd. He also conducted workshops on the use of the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) method to address challenges in learning Chemistry and other Science subjects.
Other than teaching and training, Mr. Derez serves as a National Writer with the Teaching and Learning Bureau of the Department of Education where he contributes to developing and updating the special science curriculum, and the research curriculum for public schools. He has also served as a Project Leader in DOST-SEI and DepEd-funded research projects which focused on the effects of the Spiral Progression learning model implemented in grade schools, and on the efficacy of POGIL in improving the performance of grade school learners in science.
Public Schools District Supervisor, Department of Education, Manila
