In Senior High School, the role of the General Academic Strand is teaching students classes on broader topics that can benefit them as they take on their collegiate-level studies. It’s one of the five academic strands you can take to prepare you for further education.
The other academic tracks include the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics strand, the Humanities and Social Sciences strand, the Accounting, Business, and Management strand, and the Technical-Vocational Livelihood strand.
All these tracks have specific benefits that will be advantageous to students as they pursue their careers. However, in this article, we will focus on how the GAS track affects students’ educational development.
So, What is the General Academic Strand?
The General Academic Strand is a track you can take in Senior High School that will provide you with the basic knowledge needed for further studies at the tertiary level.
There are a lot of different strands that offer more specialized classes. However, the GAS track is mainly for students who are undecided on what they want to pursue as their major in college. The classes offered in this track are general subjects that involve topics from all the other strands.
Looking at the glass half full, the GAS track is also for those who want to go into the general areas of study instead of specific majors. So, if you want to keep your options open and be a “Jack of all trades” kind of student, this track is perfect for you.
Before we go into what the role of GAS is in developing well-rounded students, let’s first define what a well-rounded student actually is.
A well-rounded student is someone who possesses both academic knowledge and essential life skills. This means having skills like:
- Critical Thinking
- Problem-Solving
- Communication
- Creativity
- Social Awareness
It’s someone who can apply these abilities in real-life situations and make meaningful contributions to society.
The General Academic Strand subjects are in place to help you be more versatile as you pursue further education and are exposed to various subjects. The variety of courses allows you to gauge which ones can best fit your educational needs for the career you’re planning to take.
You will be taught classes from the HUMSS, ABM, and STEM strands that can help you understand which type of courses encourages you more to thrive and excel.
Some of the courses you can take in college after graduating from the GAS track are:
- Multimedia Arts
- Digital Cinema
- Interior Design
- Physical Education
- Business
- Communications
- Education
Complementary to that, some of the careers you can pursue from these courses are:
- Teaching
- Entrepreneurship
- Law
- Medicine
- Journalism
- Arts and Design
- Research
As you may have noticed, these courses and careers are all from different fields and industries. This shows that taking the General Academic Strand is a great way to start at different forms of career paths.
It’s common knowledge that choosing a career is difficult and can be overwhelming. Some people even change courses even after spending years studying a specific course just because they realized they wanted to pursue something else.
Of course, these situations are totally understandable. And if you’re someone who doesn’t know what they want to do yet, then the GAS track might be ideal for you. Even though this strand is broader compared to the others, keeping your options open is still a good choice as you pursue your studies and can still help prepare you for future success.
How Does GAS Help Develop Well-Rounded Students?
So, now that you know what the General Academic Strand is, let’s talk about the ways GAS can develop well-rounded students.
As mentioned earlier, the GAS track tackles different subjects related to the other senior high school academic strands. Just to list the different classes you can expect the strand, here are some of OEd Senior High School’s class offerings:
- Oral Communication
- Technical Reading and Writing
- Culture, Society, and Politics
- Earth and Life Sciences
- General Mathematics
- General Sciences
- Social Sciences
- Organization and Management
- Entrepreneurship
- Economics
- Critical Thinking
- Media and Information Literacy
- Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction
- Contemporary Arts
- Komunikasyon and Pananaliksik sa Wika at Kulturang Pilipino
If you’ve noticed the listed subjects here, they are general classes that are applicable to various courses that you may want to take for college. And as we dive into discussing the subjects in-depth, you can grasp how the General Academic Strand can help you be more of a well-rounded student.
One of the strengths of the GAS curriculum is its emphasis on critical thinking and problem-solving.
Subjects like Philosophy, Logic, and Ethics can help you develop these skills. These classes will teach you how to analyze and evaluate information, identify problems, and think of solutions. With this, you can learn how to process situations and make informed decisions that will help you in most aspects of life.
Another strength of this track is its focus on communication be it through its English, Filipino, and Literature classes that can help develop your language proficiency.
The classes tackling Media and Information Literacy can help you speak effectively in different contexts. These skills are essential in interacting in globalized industries where effective communication is critical in building relationships and achieving success.
Other practical subjects like Organization and Management can help develop your entrepreneurial skills.
The topics under it will tackle Business Math, Ethics, and Introductory classes to Entrepreneurship. These are great tools to prepare you as you start your own business in the future or to manage companies.
Other than that, the GAS curriculum tackles subjects in social sciences, politics, and culture that can teach you social awareness and citizenship.
This can help you understand your role in the community and to be an upstanding citizen in your country. It can help you develop a sense of social responsibility and encourage you to contribute to society for its growth and development.
Various co-curricular activities like sports, clubs, and organizations are also available for you to develop leadership skills as you pursue your passions.
These activities can teach you to learn how to work collaboratively, manage your time, and build relationships with your peers.
Finally, the General Academic Strand can give you opportunities to engage in community service and outreach programs.
These will allow you to apply your academic knowledge in real-world situations and make meaningful contributions to society. Through these programs, you can learn more about societal issues and develop your empathy and compassion for others.
As you can see, the role of the General Academic Strand in nurturing well-rounded students is with its comprehensive curriculum which tackles topics from different fields of interest. While these topics may be considered broad, these are effective classes that can teach you multiple skills that can be essential as you go through life.
The balanced mix of academic classes and real-life skills will be an advantage that you can have as you pursue the next level of your studies.
Succeeding with OEd Senior High School
Now that you know how the GAS track can help you be a well-rounded student, consider OEd Senior High School to be your partner as you embark on this journey of learning!
Here at OEd SHS, our curriculum will teach you essential skills that will have lifelong benefits as you pursue your careers. Our teachers and our activities will help you realize the path you want to pursue and will encourage your growth and development as you embark on your journey to success.
We offer one of the best programs for online schools in the Philippines and we will nurture and hone your skills until you are ready to move on to the next stages of your education.
You can check out our website to learn more about our program offerings or you can contact us directly to find out how we can help you!
Jumpstart your career with OEd Senior High School and get the most from the learning opportunities we offer.
