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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

I. The What’s, Why’s and How’s of Mother Tongue

Introduction

One of the changes in Basic Education Curriculum brought about by the new K-12
program is the introduction of Mother Tongue- Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) specifically
in Kindergarten, Grades 1, 2 and 3 to support the goal of “Every Child- A- Reader and A –Writer” by
Grade 1.”
The K-12 Curriculum of Department of Education mandates that Mother-tongue or Hiligaynon
in the case of HIIGAYNON speaking province, be used as a medium of instruction from kindergarten
to at least grade 3 and this started on school year 2011-2012 as stated in DepEd order 74 s. 2009 and
DepEd Order 16 s. 2012. Likewise, pre-K teachers of children under the DSWD are also mandated to
use the mother tongue (L1) as the medium of instruction in day care centers (RA 8990).
MTB-MLE refers to “first-language-first” education that is, schooling which begins in the
mother tongue and transitions to additional languages particularly Filipino and English. It is meant to
address the high functional illiteracy of Filipinos where language plays a significant factor. Since the
child’s own language enables her/ him to express him/herself easily, then, there is no fear of making
mistakes. It encourages active participation by children in the learning process because they
understand what is being discussed and what is being asked of them. They can immediately use their
mother tongue to construct and explain their world, articulate their thoughts and add new concepts
to what they already know.

Objectives

 Relate the provision of RA 10533 in the teaching of the mother tongue language
 Cite the various reasons why it is a must to teach mother tongue in Kinder to Grade III in the
elementary levels
 Relate the result of studies conducted on the academic performance of the pupils, its cause
and projection in the introduction of the mother tongue language in teaching.
 Cite the expected result in the utilization of the mother tongue in teaching language and
numeracy in Kinder to Grade III levels
 Awareness of the Dep Ed Policies in the implementation of the K to 12 Curriculum
 Familiarization of the guiding principles in the Teaching of the mother tongue
 Identify the Local Dialects employed from the various areas in the Philippines along the
implementation of the teaching of the mother tongue

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

Engage

How do you say I LOVE YOU in different Philippine languages?

Identify the place where each

language belongs.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
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Explore

What is your idea in the implementation

of mother tongue based multilingual
education or MTB-MLE?

Explain

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

THE WHATS, WHYS AND HOWS OF MOTHER TONGUE-BASED MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION

WHAT IS MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION?

Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) is education, formal or non-formal, in which the
learner's mother tongue and additional languages are used in the classroom. Learners begin their education in
the language they understand best - their mother tongue- and develop a strong foundation in their mother
language before adding additional languages.

The What

Multilingual Education

 is a structured program of language learning and cognitive development providing

o a strong educational foundation in the first language
o successful bridging to one or more additional languages
o enabling the use of both/all languages for life-long learning
o is based in the child's own known environment and bridges to the wider world. "Known to
Unknown"
 maintains local language and culture while providing national/ international language acquisition and
instruction
 promotes learners' integration into the national society without forcing them to sacrifice their
linguistic and cultural heritage.
 Meaning based education enables students to learn well because they understand what the teacher is
saying
 using the culture, the child knows enables immediate comprehension from which new concepts can
be built- going from the known to the unknown.
 Reading in the mother tongue enables Immediate comprehension
 once we learn to read we never have to learn again-"We only learn to READ once"
 The purpose of a multilingual education program is to develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning
skills enabling children to operate equally in different languages starting in the mother-tongue

The Whys...

STATEMENT FROM PRES. NOYNOY AQUINO...

"My view on this is larger than just the classroom. We should become tri-lingual as a country;

 Learn English well and connect to the world.

 Learn Filipino well and connect to our country.
 Retain your mother tongue and connect to your heritage."

LEGAL BASES

DepED Order No. 74, s. 2009

 "Institutionalizing Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

 "1987 Constitution (Article XIV Sec 7)

For purposes of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official
languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.
 1987 Constitution (Article XXVII Sec 30)
The child has the right to an education and to learn and use the language of his family
 RA 898O ECCD Law (Sec 5a)
It shall use the child's first language as the medium of instruction.
 RA 9155 or EFA/MDG
Education for all should enable everyone to speak in the vernacular, Filipino and English.
 BESRA KRT3
All persons beyond school-age regardless of their level of schooling should acquire the essential
competence to be considered functionally literate in their mother tongue, in Filipino or in English.

FOUR Aspects of Development

1. Language development:

 Students will establish a strong educational foundation in the language they know best;
 they will build a good "bridge" to the school language(s), and
 they will be prepared to use both/ all of their languages for success in school and for life-long learning.

2 Cognitive Development

 Cognitive development begins at home at birth.

 School activities will engage learners to move well beyond the basic questions of who, what, when and
where to cover all higher order thinking skills in the learners L1, their language of thought.
 These higher order thinking skills will:
- transfer to the other languages once enough Filipino or English has been acquired to use these skills
in thinking and articulating thought, and
- be used in the process of acquiring English and Filipino more effectively.
3. Academic development

 Students will achieve academic competencies in each subject area and, at the end of the program;
 they will be prepared to enter and achieve well in the mainstream education system.

4. Socio-cultural development

 Students will be proud of their heritage language and culture, and respect the languages and cultures
of others;
 they will be prepared to contribute productively to their own community and to the larger society.

THE END RESULT: CHILDREN WHO ARE…

Multilingual
Multi-literate
Multi-cultural

INITIATIVES IN MLE

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

A. Experiments:
a. First Iloilo Experiment (1948-1954): Hiligaynon as MOl in Grades I and II
b. Second lloilo Language Experiment (1961 1964) Hiligaynon is used in first two grades
c. Rizal Experiment (1960-1966)- Tagalog as MOl in Grade
d. First Language Component-Bridging Program (FLC-BP) on "transitional" education (1986-1993)-Children's L1
in Grades 1& 2 and transition to Filipino and English

B. The Lingua Franca Education (LFE) Pilot Study-1999-2002

 Define and implement national bridging program from mother tongue to Filipino and English to
develop initial literacy
 Use 4 of largest lingua franca as MOl in grades 1 and 2: Tagalog, Hiligaynon, Cebuano and llocano
 Attempt to bridge learned concept from MT to Filipino and English

C. Lubuagan Kalinga MLE Program

 Implemented by Summer Institute of Linguistics for 10 years

 3 experimental classes implementing MTB-MLE approach
 3 control classes using traditional method of immersion in English and Filipino
 Schools are of same SES (Social Economic Status)

RESULTS OF DIFFERENT INITIATIVES

Children who began school in first language with bridging to two second languages

 were significantly more competent in all areas of study than their counterparts
 outperformed English-taught students in reading, math and social studies
 learn to read more quickly and learn better in Math and Science
 were observed to be actively participating in different classroom activities
 Drop-out and repetition rates decreased

The HOWS…

VISION: MTB MLE for Relevant and Quality Education for All Children

Desired impact:

Learners are enjoying relevant and quality education which supports their home languages and
cultures; learning outcomes are improved countrywide; and the Philippine is succeeding in its goal for
Education for All.

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

MTBMLE provides:
 Literacy. We only learn to read once. Learning to read in the L1 develops skills that transfer to reading any
other languages. Comprehension in reading other languages only occurs after oral proficiency has developed
such that vocabulary of the written L2 text is already part of the learners’ spoken vocabulary.
 Prior knowledge. Engaging learners in a discussion of what is already familiar to them using the home
language and culture enables better
 learning of the curriculum through integration and application of that knowledge into current knowledge
schemes.
 Cognitive development and higher order thinking skills (HOTS). Using the learners’ mother tongue provides
a strong foundation by developing cognitive skills and comprehension of the academic content from day one.
The knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values gained through the mother tongue better support learning of other
languages and learning through other languages later. As learners articulate their thoughts and expand ideas,
both language and critical thinking are strengthened. MTBMLE cultivates critical thinking through talking about
ideas in the familiar language. When teaching only in the L2, critical thinking is postponed until L2 is sufficiently
developed to support such analysis. K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM K to 12 Mother Tongue
Curriculum Guide May 2016 Page 3 of 155
 Strong Bridge. MTBMLE provides a good bridge to listening, speaking, reading, and writing the L2s (L2, L3) of
the classroom using sound educational principles for building fluency and confidence in using the other
languages for lifelong learning. Reading in the L2 is only introduced after basic L1 reading fluency and L2 oral
proficiency are developed. Comprehension in reading the L2 occurs after the development of that spoken L2.

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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

Once sufficient oral and written proficiency in the L2 are developed, a gradual transition to using the L2 as
medium of instruction can progress without the L1 support.
 Scaffolding. In L2 teaching, the L1 is used to support learning when the L2 is not sufficiently developed to be
used alone. The L1 is used for expression and the teacher facilitates the development of the L2 to enable
learners to adequately express ideas in the L2. In this way, the L1 strengthens the learning of the L2 by
supporting the L2 development for communication.
 Teaching for meaning and accuracy. Decoding text requires accuracy, while comprehending texts requires
decoding skills within a meaningful context. Both meaning and accuracy are important, but in classrooms that
teach only L2 , there is often primary focus on accuracy until the L2 is sufficiently learned. This delays actual
meaningful learning until the L2 can support that learning.
 Confidence building and proficiency development for two or more languages along the following macro-
skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing) for both meaning and accuracy.

Currently, there are twelve (12) major languages or lingua franca that shall be language of instruction.
The major languages are:
a) Tagalog g) Hiligaynon
b) Kapampangan h) Waray
c) Pangasinense i) Tausug
d) Iloko j) Maguindanaoan
e) Bikol k) Maranao
f) Cebuano l) Chabacano

The seven new mother tongue subjects are:

1. Ybanag for Cagayan and Isabela provinces and Tuguegarao City
2. Ivatan for the Batanes group of islands
3. Sambal for Zambales
4. Akianon and 5. Kinaray-a for Aklan and Capiz provinces
6. Yakan for Basilan province
7. Surigaonon in the Surigao provinces and Surigao City.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/440205/7-more-dialects-added-to-mother-tongue-instruction-in-public-schools#ixzz6Ylt3D7p3

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Elaborate

Answer each question in three to five sentences only. (5 points each)

1. Why is MTB-MLE important?
2. What are the benefits of MTB-MLE Curriculum?
3. How can mother tongue bridge learning?
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Topic 1: The What’s, Why’s and How of Mother Tongue

Evaluate

What makes MTB-MLE curriculum relevant to the present need of our educational system?

Rubric for the Evaluation

Criteria 5 3 1
Main Idea or Response rephrases the Response declare write’s Writer’s main
Opinion question while idea or opinion idea or opinion is
declaring the writer’s not clear
main idea or opinion
Details and Writers shares at least Writers shares at least 1 Writers shares no
evidence 2 examples to support example to support example to
his/her idea or opinion his/her idea or opinion support his/her
idea or opinion
Organization, Writer’s response has a Writer’s response flows, Response needs
grammar, clear beginning, middle but the beginning, stronger
usage and and end. Grammar, middle or end is not transitions.
punctuation usage and punctuation clear. Grammar, usage Grammar, usage
makes the writing and punctuation slows and punctuation
readable. readability. make the text
difficult to
understand.
Total