Derain, Allan Alberto N. teaches at Ateneo de Manila University. Across 84 comments from students, they hold a rating of 3.8 out of 5. Of those comments, 47 read positive, 18 read mixed, 10 read neutral and 9 read negative.
Derain, Allan Alberto N.
Ateneo de Manila University · 84 comments
What students said
positive 47
neutral 10
mixed 18
negative 9
Derain, Allan Alberto N.3.8
Background
Education · Career · Courses · PublicationsShowHide
PhD · Assistant Professor
Creative Writing (narratology, short story, novel)
Education
PhD
Career
Assistant Professor, Ateneo de Manila University · Department of Filipino · current
Director, Ateneo Institute of Literary Arts and Practices, Ateneo de Manila University · School of Humanities
Recent courses
CRWR 180.04
FILI 11
Selected work
The Boy with the Pet Dog (2024, eTropic: Electronic Journal of Studies in the Tropics 23, no. 1, 25–33)
May Tiktik sa Bubong (2021, Reading the Regions 2: Philippine Folk and Oral Traditions (National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and National Committee on Literary Arts), 26–39)
Gulay at Pabahay (2020, Likhaan: The Journal of Contemporary Philippine Literature 14, no. 1)
Comments
Others(1)(2)
Top comments
Icy Viper
Things you should DO for his subject - Make sure to study/search/read all the
mixed
CourseFILI 12
Things you should DO for his subject
- Make sure to study/search/read all the readings before attending the synch sessions, trust me, it would definitely help you out a lot
- Recite recite recite! This really pulled up my grade, even better if you got extra points for recitations (e.g. 9/7). Make sure you say something new or with substance
- Learn how to close read (or else 😳)! This is what his quizzes are all about, even the very first one! Do try to research more about it to understand how to do close reading better
- Turn on your cam and attend syncs! He would definitely ask every time for you to show your face lol
Things you should NOT DO
- Ask for extensions for quizzes (like as a class), he def doesn't like it lol
- Say you don't know the answer (trust me, he will make you feel so bad) kaya it's a must to know the readings!!
- Abuse "symbolism" (if possible, avoid!!) in your quizzes, he kinda thinks it's a high school or elementary thing idk (like saying light symbolizes hope kind of thing)
- Try to avoid relating your quiz reading to something "far-fetched" (like finding another story or myth to compare it to) cus we never really learned his taste regarding that—he might just say it's "pilit na interpretasyon". Kaya I recommend that when doing the quizzes, just try to really read into the given reading mismo and try to give another twist/meaning into it within the story or author's context (if this makes sense). It's kind of like reading between the lines!
Other Tips
- You can try to ask for bonus projects/papers/DBs if you need to pull up your grades (he MIGHT give some)
- Make sure he KNOWS you, kaya if possible, be pabibo talaga in class participations HAHAHA
- It really helped me out a lot when I try to research about the given reading - e.g. background, author, unfamiliar words talaga
Fili 12 with him is A-able with super duper extra hard effort HSHSJDJKDS he's really a good Filipino prof but please make sure you don't annoy him lol it's just gonna take a toll at you 🥲
Lastly, goodluck 10000x 🙏 Feel free to pm me if you have any questions abt him or his class 👁👄👁more
Lucky Otter
Recite and close-read before every sync
CourseFILI 12
WorkloadHeavy
Things you should DO for his subject
- Make sure to study/search/read all the readings before attending the synch sessions, trust me, it would definitely help you out a lot
- Recite recite recite! This really pulled up my grade, even better if you got extra points for recitations (e.g. 9/7). Make sure you say something new or with substance
- Learn how to close read (or else 😳)! This is what his quizzes are all about, even the very first one! Do try to research more about it to understand how to do close reading better
- Turn on your cam and attend syncs! He would definitely ask every time for you to show your face lol
Things you should NOT DO
- Ask for extensions for quizzes (like as a class), he def doesn't like it lol
- Say you don't know the answer (trust me, he will make you feel so bad) kaya it's a must to know the readings!!
- Abuse "symbolism" (if possible, avoid!!) in your quizzes, he kinda thinks it's a high school or elementary thing idk (like saying light symbolizes hope kind of thing)
- Try to avoid relating your quiz reading to something "far-fetched" (like finding another story or myth to compare it to) cus we never really learned his taste regarding that—he might just say it's "pilit na interpretasyon". Kaya I recommend that when doing the quizzes, just try to really read into the given reading mismo and try to give another twist/meaning into it within the story or author's context (if this makes sense). It's kind of like reading between the lines!
Other Tips
- You can try to ask for bonus projects/papers/DBs if you need to pull up your grades (he MIGHT give some)
- Make sure he KNOWS you, kaya if possible, be pabibo talaga in class participations HAHAHA
- It really helped me out a lot when I try to research about the given reading - e.g. background, author, unfamiliar words talaga
Fili 12 with him is A-able with super duper extra hard effort HSHSJDJKDS he's really a good Filipino prof but please make sure you don't annoy him lol it's just gonna take a toll at you 🥲
Lastly, goodluck 10000x 🙏 Feel free to pm me if you have any questions abt him or his class 👁👄👁more
Hidden Urchin
i was 1 of his fili 11 students for the first sem this school year & altho op’s
positive
CourseFILI 11
i was 1 of his fili 11 students for the first sem this school year & altho ’s post is already too late for me to reply and help, id still like to leave a comment here for anyone who got him in their class for the upcoming sem 😇 i got a B+ from him overall (which is absolutely crazy bcuz im an english speaker!!!) so here r my tips: 1. RECITEEEEEEEE!!!! he curves if u have high recitation points; hes pretty chill with taglish, but its definitely better to speak as much tagalog as u can (he wont shame u if u speak in english, hes a rlly decent and nice man pls dont be scared of him) - p.s. pls take advantage of his free-for-all recitations; there were times when he gave us a few exercises on close reading and we could recite as many times as we want 2. for the outputs given to us, it was rlly just “write 1 idea ab ur chosen texto from ur thesis paper” with close reading, analytical reading, and etc., so it’s easy to write them if u know how to do any of the readings explained in the lessons; overall just be straight to the point in ur paper and apply the lessons like close reading accurately (and uniquely! he likes new perspectives/takes) 3. he always leaves a comment if ur output score isnt perfect, so listen well and use that info wisely 4. my class didnt get to explore much readings w/ him due to his very long trip, but based on the only one we had with him, u should always make sure to read the readings beforehand!! we had a surprise quiz once about our first (and only) reading but it was rlly easy coz its just a 5-item identification i think these r the only ones i can give so far, but hes def an unforgettable prof! even tho he doesnt allow devices, his discussions r rlly investing and fun to listen to 😇more
All comments
Earnest Osprey
negative
fml he threw a marker at my face during our first ever meeting because he THOUGHT i was sleeping and then made me pick it up and give it back to him:))) at least he wont be able to do that in the online setting anymore HAHAHAHAmore
Gentle Llama
positive
CourseFILI 12
we had him for our fili 12 during our first year first sem-- so idk if this will help in an online setting! Although i do advice that you go to class prepared like read the readings kasi he asks questions related to the readings! Try to recite as much as possible pero hindi yung mema lang, try to recite something with your insight and understanding of the reading! His mood does change depending on what occurred before your class-- beware nalang! He can be funny at times and he likes to make kwento! i like his class too kasi he's passionate and really knows what he is talking about! Although i'm not really sure how he grades us back then pero for sure the recitation was plus points!more
Daring Badger
positive
+ our first ever LT was essay type and he asked only one question and i dont even remember what it was because it was so nakaka mind fuck fksjfnd but hes honestly brilliant and he has an anthology about aswangs. you just need to respect his class and hell eventually probably respect you toomore
Calm Llama
Hi op, we also had a surprise quiz last sem but iirc it was not worth 10
neutral
Hi op, we also had a surprise quiz last sem but iirc it was not worth 10 percent of our grade as there are still other quizzes that make up the overall 30 percent. He also had a bonus task for us to do to help pull up our grades. So as long as you recite well and pullup your grades, I feel that A should still be possiblemore
Dapper Egret
mixed
ngl his class was super interesting! he's very moody nga lang fhsjkdhf and he likes it when students are active so you have to be bibo and keep reciting! (tho don't recite if mema lang sksksks he CAN get a little condescending when you're not making sense) he's very knowledgeable and inspirational! tho i can't say much about grades bc our sem was cut short due to the lockdown lol more
Swift Urchin
Hi ate/kuya!
negative
Hi ate/kuya! We had a surprise quiz on our first reading (note that there is legit no announcement beforehand) and I got 1/10 because I didn’t read at all and was expecting him to discuss about it first—half of the class got low too. I don’t know if he’s just scaring us, but he told us that this quiz will already be worth 10% of our grade. Have your class experienced this as well? Do you think it’s still realistic to pull my grade up to A? Thank you so much 🥹more
Quiet Bison
CourseFILI 12
Had him for Fili 12 last sem... These observations are true, especially number 6... For number 5, it is hard to get an A because it is difficult to master the skills needed to make an A-worthy essays (e.g. logical reasoning and CLOSE READING). However, if you mastered them already, then an A is achievable with effort.more
Brave Panda
+1 because I was in the same class!
Dagdag na lang, if ever you have groupwork, try consulting about it with sir through Zoom call para mas thorough niya kayo ma-guide about it. Also, sir’s actually nice kapag small group, and masaya siyang chikahin hehe. The consultation helped a lot with our groupwork and we got a good grade out of it din naman!:^)
Marami talaga siyang alam, so don’t waste that chance to learn from him! Just discern which questions are sensible and which aren’t kasi he can be condescending about them. 😅more
Clever Newt
here’s the guy you’ve been looking for Michael Gerochi
Clever Badger
JUST GET IN HIS GOOD SIDE OR ELSE...
JUST GET IN HIS GOOD SIDE OR ELSE...
Earnest Puffin
just dont make him hate you or the class and ure good to go
LeniencyNo
just dont make him hate you or the class and ure good to go 😃 id also recommend you do NOT use pop psychology as reference when u write an essay for his quiz (his exact words not mine) cuz he threw a fit in our class and was kinda rude abt it pa ://
oh and last na,,, make sure if ure submitting gdrive/gdocs for ur project, you set the privacy as anyone with link cuz he gave us hell when he couldnt access ours 🙃 overall hes okay as a prof i guess but medj may attitude HAHAHHAHAHAmore
Icy Otter
“uy may quiz daw” 🙂
Lucky Hare
take him at ur own risk lol
Retake?No
LeniencyNo
WorkloadHeavy
lolz HAHAHAH
take him at ur own risk lol he's good and discusses well during synch sessions but he's not very considerate when it comes to reqs and deadlines yayy (hi also:PPPP) HAHAHHAHAmore
Anonymous
good teacher, he just has very high standards
mixed
had him last sem and honestly i had many breakdowns because of it lmao but he is a good teacher. he just has very high standards!
some tips:
- recite and show up to class on time. he grades recitation and it can help pull up your grade, he grades over the perfect score too.
- read the modules in advance, he will ask questions during sync sessions and you'll need to use critical thinking to answer his questions. he can be a bit mean when he doesn't like your answer, which is sadly demotivating 🙁
- close reading is SUPER important. close read before you analyze, it's his number 1 pet peeve if you don't do it. "lay out the facts before you interpret it"
- DON'T USE THE WORD SYMBOLISM. PLZ. I FAILED A TEST BECAUSE OF THIS 😭
- he values originality. as long as you can prove your point, he will appreciate it.
- prefers it when you focus on specific parts then expound, rather than going for a broader perspective
- using english from time to time is okay, he understands if you aren't that fluent. he also isn't strict with word count, most ppl i know exceeded or had less.
- it's really difficult to get an A (he won't grade
high if your essay has even a bit of something he doesn't like), but if you keep trying even if u feel like giving up it can be doable (he also gives optional assessments to help pull up your grade)more
Keen Gecko
show him effort and he will reciprocate!! legendary prof
positive
Retake?Yes
show him effort and he will reciprocate!! always pay attention to his lectures as in kahit yung nitty bitty details, mention it sa recit! and try to process his lectures on your own kasi nung time namin maraming surprise activities abt past lectures. sadly nacut sem namin lol. if you're in for the learning, take him!! legendary profmore
Lively Moth
Sir Allan is a wise man, but pls pls pls don’t get on his bad side
mixed
Sir Allan is a wise man, but pls pls pls don’t get on his bad side
Kind Lynx
Had him for ArtAp and he's not as bad as people make him out
positive
Retake?Yes
4.0 attainableYes
LeniencyYes
Had him for ArtAp & he’s not as bad as people make him out to be in physical classes AHAHAHA. Honestly learned a lot from him!!! I came in super scared knowing he was my prof but he was actually super considerate??? + curved our group finals everyone got perfect lmaoo B/B+ able but A with effort!more
Swift Alpaca
negative
As long as it's not Ma'am Carlota Francisco, you'll be fine.
cc:
