Culture Based Education and Its Application to K+12 Curriculum

by: Jeanelei L. Carolino

GDCE Level 1 2013

As the study of cultural education was introduced, I felt the challenges it brings. Not

because I am a teacher, but because I know deep in my heart that I am a Filipino. Thus, it urges

me to crave for my own cultural identity. For to me, it seems that I have lost it. Or if not entirely

lost it but it made me feel like a stranger to the place where I am born and raised. It is through

this NCCA program that my sense of being a Filipino was awaken, that made me sense the

need to dig deeper of my being, my being a Filipino.

It subsequently came to my mind to think of ways in order to help refurbish our very

own cultural identity. But, “What am I to do? Where will I start? How will I start? When will

I start?”, and several questions came rushing up as I ponder on. Those questions are challenges

that awaits an answer, as we know for a fact that it is indeed not that easy, and it will never be

easy. There’ll be too many things to do to be able to give a respond to the questions raised by

my thoughts. Hundreds of years ago our country has undergone several times of being

colonized, captives and slaves in our very own land by those Spaniards, Americans, Japanese

and even other countries who had made their way to influence every Filipino whether they are

aware or not. As personal experiences shows that fact is true.

Has our culture long been gone? Has it truly been forgotten by us Filipinos. A lot has

happened and countless things have come and pass by, nevertheless, I say that it has not gone

astray. I strongly believe that we are still practicing a few, very few which we hold on to.

However, it is very sad to say that sooner or later it will be vanished from our hearts and our

minds, making those heritages only a story that we once knew. I felt the pain in my heart

realizing that I am one of those who have almost lost it. An identity that is always mine, yet

someday will just be part of history written in books.

 Let us not put into oblivion our cultural heritage, the heritage that will create in us the

beauty of being a Filipino. The heritage that helps us value who we truly are. Understanding of

its immense importance to our lives as Filipinos will empower us, gives us the confidence of

facing live wherever we go and whatever we do. The knowledge of our heritage and by

practicing it in our lives helps us to gain our strengths and know our weakness. Knowing our

strengths, we will be able to utilize it in a very valuable way, we will be able to establish a firm

identity and stand tall and be proud of who we are. In the other hand, knowing our weakness

will facilitate ways to strengthen it.

Our country the Philippines is in dire need to improve on the educational process,

because we need to cope up with the challenges that we will be facing and be able to compete

and stand out among others. With the previous curriculum that our educational system has

undergone, it seems to be enough for most of us, not only until the government realized that

although we Filipinos are competitive and skilled, yet other countries consider us inadequate

just because of having only 10 years of basic education. Just as what Fr. Joel E. Tabora, SJ

stated in one of his presentations “There is insufficient mastery of basic competencies because

of congested curriculum, where the 12 year curriculum is being delivered in 10 years. And that

high school graduates are younger than 18 years old and lack basic competencies and maturity,

where they cannot legally enter into contracts and are not emotionally mature for

entrepreneurship or employment. Thus other countries view the 10 year education cycle as

insufficient.” It actually is true. When our learners graduated high school, they are still too

young and too immature. Not even responsible enough to take care of their own. They could

not even land on a job when they cannot proceed with a college education. It certainly shows

the reality of the matter that there is a great and urgent need to renew our way of educating our

younger generation.
 Here is a comparative example of a Science conceptual framework (Fr. Joel E. Tabora,

SJ):

OLD RSEC for Science Grades 7-10

Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grades 11 and 12
Scientific Method Balance of nature Chemical Systems Newtonian Mechanics
Sun-Moon-Earth System Cell Composition of the Atom Electromagnetism
pushed down to pushed down to
Grade 6 Grade 8
States of Matter Life Energy Elements in the Periodic Electronics
Table
Nature of Force Structure and Life Chemical bonds Wave motion
Functions of Organisms
Motion Genetics Chemical Reactions Acoustics
pushed up to
Grade 9
Transfer of Energy Evolution Behavior of Gases Optics
pushed up to
Grade 9
Changes on Earth Biodiversity Solutions Thermodynamics
Relationships between Colloids Nuclear Energy
living and non-living pushed down to Grade 9
things

K to 12 Curriculum for Science Grades 7-12

Grade 7 Grade 8 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grades 11 and 12
Scientific method Human system Genetics Fluiddynamics ST Subjects for Medical
and Allied Profession

Humans as stewards of the Reproduction Evolution Thermodynamics ST Subjects for Food

earth Industries

Matter: measurement, Cell Chemical reactions Electrodynamics ST Subjects for Energy and
classification, changes Environment Related
Industries

Motion Atoms - structure, Thermal behavior Waves: sounds and optics

functions, periodicity

The Earth Chemical bonds Radioactivity If 6 units for GE courses in

Science:

Effects of soil related Causes of motion and laws Effects of human activities SPECIALIZATION: 1 ST Subject
problems and how they are of conservation of to climate change added biotechnology and
managed (lithosphere) mechanical energy and bioethics added
added momentum

Effects of human activities Genetics 1 Research

to atmosphere added

Electrodynamics

Thermodynamics If 12 units for GE courses

in Science:

2 STS (Choice of 2)

2 Research
 Here is a rationale for The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program:

International tests results like 2003 TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and

Science Study) rank the Philippines 34th out of 38 countries in HS II Math and 43rd out of 46

countries in HS II Science; for grade 4, the Philippines ranked 23rd out of 25 participating
i
countries in both Math and Science. In 2008, even with only the science high schools

participating in the Advanced Mathematics category, the Philippines was ranked lowest (Table

1) (DepEd Discussion Paper 05 October 2010).

High school graduates also do not possess the basic competencies or emotional maturity

essential for the world of work. About 70.9% of the unemployed are at least high school

graduates and 80% of the unemployed are 15-34 years old (Table 2). Further, most graduates

are too young to enter the labor force. This implies that those who do not pursue higher

education would be unproductive or be vulnerable to exploitative labor practices. Those who

may be interested to set up business cannot legally enter into contracts (DepEd Discussion

Paper 05 October 2010).

 The short duration of the basic education program also puts the millions of overseas

Filipino workers (OFWs)1, especially the professionals, and those who intend to study abroad

at a disadvantage (Table 3). Our graduates are not automatically recognized as

professionals abroad. Filipinos face mutual recognition problem in other countries that view

the 10-year education program as insufficient. The Philippines is the only country in Asia and

among the three remaining countries in the world that has a 10-year basic education program.
2
The Washington Accord ii prescribes 12-years basic education as an entry to recognition of

engineering professionals. The Bologna Accord iii requires 12 years of education for university

admission and practice of profession in European countries.

1 POEA estimates just over a million OFWs. However, there is also a large number of unregistered overseas workers.
2 From UNESCO’s 155 member countries, Djibouti and Angola are the other two countries that retain a 10-year pre-university education system.
 Now learning from that fact awakens every Filipino whose minds are slumbering from

development. It’s time to transform ideas and accept the challenges that the K to 12 Curriculum

brings. Each one has to realize that we need to do something to work things out the way it

should be. What needs to be done? Let us take a profound understanding of this circumstance.

According to Celia D. Nacpil, “Hand in hand with vigorous efforts to address the input

shortages, DepED intends to raise the quality of basic education through the enhancement of

the curriculum and the expansion of the basic education cycle.” There must be something then

that needs to be done. It is a task where only those in authority would perform? No, it is not.

Relatively every Filipino has to act on it, work things out for it, for the reason that it does not

benefit one person alone but every person, every Filipino is a part of that struggle. This is

consistent with Article XIV, Section 2(1) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which states that

“The State shall establish, maintain, and support a complete, adequate, and integrated system

of education relevant to the needs of the people and society.” The society is us; it does not refer

to only one, but us. Therefore let us all start taking our responsibilities in our hands. And

together we will make it a successful one.

I therefore relate this major transformation of the educational system to give emphasis

on the Cultural Heritage of the country as well as be able to recognize the Cultural Identity of

every Filipino, whatever language they speak, whatever color they have, and wherever they

are. What’s the relationship? What is the use of knowing who we are? Can’t we just focus on

our educational process which we are already familiar with? Just add two years more to the

existing 10 year curriculum, decongest the lessons so that learners would be taught slowly but

surely, thus improving on their learning. Nevertheless that is not all that it takes. According to

Secretary of Education Br. Armin A. Luistro, FSC “The central feature of the K to 12 Program

is the upgrading of the basic education curriculum to ensure that learners acquire the relevant

knowledge and skills they will need to become productive members of society.” Yes indeed, it
is definitely true. But, there is more to acquiring skills that makes it ever effective. There is

more to learning how to dance, sing, and read to be productive members of our country. The K

to 12 Curriculum was establish because it aims to not just push every learner to study the basic

lessons, furthermore, every Filipino must remember that there is more to learning skills that

matters in the formation of the whole being. Knowing who the person is brings about

confidence so as to be able to deal with every situation he is into and wherever he is.

Our President Benigno S. Aquino III stated, “Pertinacious to my promise of

improvement in our education: let us make it the central strategy in the investment intended for

our most important treasure: our very own Filipino Citizens. In the K to 12 Curriculum, we

believe that it will give us strength to develop – not only ones self and his family, but the whole

country as well.” So then, to every teacher in the Department of Education family must do their

very best to cope up with the challenges this new curriculum brings. Perform their duties to the

best of their abilities. And with their dedication to help one another to succeed must utilize our

cultural heritage into teaching the lessons content to every learner.

Let’s make the recognition or our cultural heritage an integral part of our teaching and

learning process. Why is there a need to integrate cultural heritage into our lessons? Why is it

important to every Filipino? Learning with the integration of cultural heritage is fundamental

to the identity of every learner and is an integral part of their being so as to be able to develop

oneself and be able to work things out accordingly. Wherever we teach, our lessons’ content,

it must be taught in a way that should work with local and Indigenous communities so as to

protect our cultural heritage. We do this because it is the right thing to do and because there is

a strong influence for doing so. We recognize that protecting our culture and heritage is

important to our communities and, therefore, it is important to us. This is why there is really a

need for us to engage so thoroughly with our communities to build strong relationships,

understand cultural heritage values and relate with the local and regional impacts in order to
develop our learners. There is a need to fully integrate this into our teaching across all learning

areas to achieve the best outcomes. Because there is a wide variety of cultural heritage in which

we can make use of. There are tangible, such as buildings, landscapes, and artifacts; and

intangible, such as language, music and customary practice. It is not just old things, pretty

things, or physical things but it often involves powerful human emotions. That it is therefore

why, by inculcating into the learners mind with the lessons we teach supplied with the

knowledge of the cultural heritage makes one Filipino empowered as a whole being.

Cultural heritage is about far more than ‘stones and bones’ from the past. It is all the

aspects of a community’s past and present that it considers valuable and desires to pass on to

future generations. Cultural heritage incorporates places, objects and practices of cultural

significance. It thus includes ‘tangible heritage’, such as buildings, industrial structures and

technology, landscapes and artifacts and non-visible cultural heritage features such as buried

archaeological sites, and ‘intangible heritage’, such as language, visual art, music,

performance, religion, beliefs and customary practices like hunting and gathering. Cultural

heritage is not just about old things. New or newly altered objects, places and practices are just

as much a part of cultural heritage where we hold cultural value for today’s generations. That

is why as teachers we should utilize cultural heritage in our lessons especially now with the K

to 12 curriculum. Because by teaching cultural heritage our learners will involve actions to

identify, assess, decide and enact decisions regarding life with the foundation of its cultural

identity. As such, teachers should teach lessons integrating cultural heritage by engaging with

relevant community materials and activities. This further means that in the teaching and

learning process we will be working with the community to identify, assess and manage places,

objects and practices of cultural significance.

It is undertaken not only to actively protect culturally significant places, objects and

practices in relation to the threats they face from a wide range of cultural or natural causes but
also because it gives our learners their own cultural identity. In which case our learner could

have a foundation of their own being that could help them stand proud and be effective in

whatever area the learners will indulge into in the future. When learners were taught with good

foundation not only about a certain topic in a specific subject, but inspired with the significant

cultural heritage, threats and opportunities in the diverse areas in which they are exposed to,

could be easily overcome. This is often a complex and very challenging environment, somehow

with the firsthand experience and stories which the learners has undergone during their studies

will back them up with the foundation of the related capabilities and systems which cultural

heritage has provided them, which is the common and practical guide that they can depend on.

We teachers should therefore be committed in utilizing cultural heritage in class activities to

contribute to broader development of the learner.

A culture based education when applied to K to 12 curriculum would help every learner

to understand profoundly their sense of nationalism and consequently would enrich their

perceptive and in turn lead to more effective collaboration with others and particularly would

protect and perpetuate their cultural heritage. For we all know that culture is the basis of all

social identity and development, and cultural heritage is the endowment that each generation

receives and passes on. Learners would truly understand then that their cultural heritage

contributes to the quality of their relationships and helps them to be more effective in the

community engagement and enhances their legacy. Understanding the distinct cultural heritage

provides a foundation of confidence and trust, the foundation that enables them to work in

partnership with others. They will also learn to recognize the fundamental human right that all

places have to cultural life and heritage, and the ways in which these activities could affect

them. For the value of learning lessons with integration of cultural heritage holds for every

learner to demonstrate respect for a community’s values, help build sound community
relationships and achieve sustainable developments and benefit the community economically

and socially into the future.

In learning every lesson which is integrated with cultural heritage, a learner would

recognize that without appropriate knowledge of our cultural heritage, our presence and the

resulting economic and societal changes have the potential to devastate rich local cultures and

heritage, leading to escalating social stress and harm. That is the apparent reason why the

knowledge of cultural heritage contributes to economic development, social stability and

environmental protection. Furthermore, the effectiveness of learners’ broader understanding

would let them realize that they must not neglect their own community, realize the important

cultural heritage values, and furthermore, learners would be able to manage any potential

impacts. In addition to it, learners would improve on their decision making process. This will

help them progress towards a goal of making positive impact on the economic and social

development of every individual as well as the country as a whole.

Here is an approach which could be utilized in teaching learners with the aid of cultural

heritage which I was able to search that seems very appropriate in the K to 12 curriculum

classroom setting: “The Classroom to Community and Back approach which describes how

educators can use the knowledge and culture students bring to school a standards-based

curriculum that supports student success. This approach is called as culturally responsive,

standards-base (CRSB) teaching. CRSB teaching draws on the experiences, understanding,

views, concepts and ways of knowing of the students sitting in the classroom.”

“Culturally responsive, standards-based teaching is the integration of two important

aspects of education: culturally responsive teaching and standards-based teaching. Culturally

responsive teaching addresses the needs of students by improving motivation and engagement

(Ginsberg & Wlodkowski, 2000), and standards-based teaching provides all students with the

opportunity for rigorous, high-level learning. CRSB teaching means doing both, together.
CRSB teaching values students’ culture, draws on that culture as strength in their education,

and challenges them with rigorous, relevant curriculum. CRSB also succeeds, in part, because

it fosters deeper, stronger school-family-community partnerships, which have been shown to

improve academic achievement (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Boethel, 2003). CRSB teaching

strategies foster such partnerships because they bring family and community culture into the

classroom and school in meaningful ways. When curriculum content and methods incorporate

local norms, behaviors, objects, and practices, students and families feel there is a direct link

between home life and school life. When teachers value and use the strengths of local cultures,

they send a positive message that can improve the school’s relationships with family and

community members.”

“Culturally responsive teaching infuses family customs—as well as community culture

and expectations—throughout the teaching and learning environment. By providing instruction

in a context meaningful to students and in a way that values their culture, knowledge, and

experiences, culturally responsive teaching fosters student motivation and engagement. In

certain project: students study statistics and probability, but instead of using generic charts

and graphs, students create timelines and graphs with data they collect from their family

members. This is an example of standards-based mathematics that is hands-on, includes the

students and their families, and connects them to meaningful learning.”

“Culturally responsive teaching is built on a foundation of knowledge and

understanding of your own and your students’ family and community culture, which is critical

to the process of teaching and learning. Learning about all the cultures represented in the

classroom can seem like a daunting challenge, but the success of many teachers shows that it

is worth the effort. Becoming culturally responsive is an ongoing process that evolves as we

learn more about ourselves, our world, and other cultures. To become culturally responsive,

first look at your own culture—especially if it is part of our country’s dominant culture—from
the worldview of others; have an open mind to what you don’t understand; and be ready to

learn new ways of looking at and doing things.”

“CRSB teaching promotes six essential elements that are embedded into and woven

throughout the teaching.

• It is always student centered

• It has the power to transform

• It is connected and integrated

• It fosters critical thinking

• It incorporates assessment and reflection

• It builds relationships and community

These elements are basically good teaching practices that can be used by all teachers.”

“CRSB curriculum draws on theories about curriculum that emphasize responsiveness

to particular people, in a particular place, at a particular time (Jones & Nimmo, 1994).

Teachers are encouraged to be careful observers of students’ interests and to develop concrete

learning experiences based on them. Teachers should continually revise their curriculum in

response to what is actually happening in the daily life of the student in the program.

These theories emphasize that teacher-child relationships and dialogue should be

focused on the work or learning that is occurring (rather than routines, rules, conduct, and

performance). Teachers recognize that individuals create or construct their own new

understandings through the interaction of their prior knowledge (which is culturally based)

and the new ideas they come into contact with (Brooks & Brooks, 1993). Thus, the teacher’s

role is to translate information into a format appropriate for the individual learner and her

state of understanding, encouraging students to direct their own explorations.”

I have taken much from the aforementioned topic which is written in Italics, because I

find it remarkable and a good approach which we could make use of in teaching our lessons
content while utilizing and valuing our cultural heritage. I highly recommend this guide for

teachers, although this is not based on Philippine setting, yet I sure find it very interesting and

useful.

With the Education Vision “Every graduate of the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education

Program is an empowered individual who has learned, through a program that is rooted on

sound educational principles and geared towards excellence, the foundations for learning

throughout life, the competence to engage in work and be productive, the ability to coexist in

fruitful harmony with local and global communities, the capability to engage in autonomous

critical thinking, and the capacity to transform others and one’s self.” Surely, every Filipino

will be successful in whatever field they would indulge themselves into that would benefit not

only oneself but all.

Sources:

- http://www.gov.ph/k-12/
- http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/163611/the-k-to-12-curriculum-our-first-step-to-recovery
- Classroom To Community And Back : Using Culturally Responsive,
Standards-Based Teaching To Strengthen Family and Community Partnerships and
Increase Student Achievement
By: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory
http://oregonpirc.org/webfm_send/19
- Discussion Paper On The Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program
DepEd Discussion Paper 05 October 2010
i
- National center for Education Statistics. Highlights from the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study 2003.December 2004
ii
- International Engineering Alliance. The Washington Accord.
http://www.washingtonaccord.org/Washington-Accord/FAQ.cfm (Accessed 11
September 2010)
iii
- Seamo-Innotech. Additional Years in Philippine Basic Education: Rationale and Legal
Bases. Presentation to the Department of Education on 25 August 2010.