INTRODUCTION

Education tends to raise productivity and creativity, as well as stimulate entrepreneurship and
technological breakthroughs. All of these factors lead to greater output and economic growth.
Improving the quality and relevance of education relates to improving educational management,
facilities, equipment, teacher/tutor competencies and professional development, curricular and
resource development, and strengthening capacity in learner-centered and adult learning
methodologies.

The K to 12 system aims to improve Filipino students' skills in mathematics, science, and
linguistics to further exhibit competence in the global job market. With the new curriculum, the
Department of Education promises to offer higher quality education through the strands. These include
the need to improve student learning and the relevance of the curriculum, increase access to education,
apply new understandings of human learning, and adapt to new technologies and an ever-increasing
body of knowledge.

Mother tongue early in school helps reduce dropout rates and makes education more engaging
for marginalized groups. Children who benefit from mother tongue-based-multilingual education (MTB-
MLE) also perform better in their second language. The biggest benefit of MTB-MLE is that learners
increased their understanding of classroom content (increased comprehension) that in mother tongue
they can learn all the words and they can understand.

Note:

L1 - Tagalog/Filipino
L2 - English
 L1 is usually acquired in the process of growing up with the people who speak the same
language. L2 refers to two things; first, the study of individuals or groups who are learning a
language ensuing their L1 which they have learned as children and second, the process of
learning that particular language.
 the use of learners' home language (L1) in the classroom promotes a smooth transition between
home and school. It means learners get more involved in the learning process and speeds up the
development of basic literacy skills. It also enables more flexibility, innovation and creativity in
teacher preparation.
 teaching through first language will allows learners to make suggestions, ask questions, answer
questions and create and communicate new knowledge with enthusiasm. It gives learners
confidence and helps to affirm their cultural identity. This in turn has a positive impact on the
way learners see the relevance of school to their lives.
 Many studies indicate that students first taught to read in their L1, and then later in an L2,
outperform those taught to read exclusively in an L2. Learning to read in one's own language
provides learners with a solid foundation for learning to read in any L2.
Continue oral and literacy in L1as subject. L1 refers to a person's first language. It's the language
most prevalent in the home as learners are growing up and the first language used for
communication. There are several stages in the development of L1 that virtually all children will
go through as they learn to use the language.
Continue oral L2 as subject. Learning a new language(L2) pushes your brain to get familiar with
new grammar and vocabulary rules. It allows you to train your memory to remember new
words, make connections between them, and use them in contextual situations.
Introduce L2 as subject. Second-language acquisition (L2) assumes knowledge in a first language
and encompasses the process an individual goes through as he or she learns the elements of a
new language, such as vocabulary, phonological components, grammatical structures, and
writing systems.
Use L1-L2-L1 for teaching and learning. That is when translation can make a difference; teachers
can resort to translation in an attempt to make students feel more comfortable about following
the lessons, facilitating the learning process and the transition from L1 to L2 and then L1.
Translation may also help learners to memorize words and ex- pressions.
  Continue oral and literacy L1 and L2 as subject. L1 literacy promotes L2 reading development.
Being fluent in more than one language contributes to academic success. In fact, supporting the
home language builds an important foundation for learning English and for all later learning.
Use L1 and L2 for teaching and learning to the end of elementary school according to domains
as illustrated in the table above.

WHAT DO I NEED TO REMEMBER?

1. Learning to speak in the mother tongue is very important for a child's overall development.
Being fluent in the mother tongue, which is also known as the native language, benefits the child
in many ways. It connects him to his culture, ensures better cognitive development, and aids in
the learning of other languages.
2. Using the learners' mother tongue provides a strong foundation by developing cognitive skills
and comprehension of the academic content from day one. Learning a new language pushes
your brain to get familiar with new grammar and vocabulary rules. It allows you to train your
memory to remember new words, make connections between them, and use them in
contextual situations.
3. Learners begin their education in the language they understand best—their mother tongue—
and need to develop a strong foundation in their mother language before effectively learning
additional languages. Learning other languages to develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning
skills, enabling children to operate equally in different languages – starting with the first
language of the child.
4. That is when translation can make a difference; teachers can resort to translation in an attempt
to make students feel more comfortable about following the lessons, facilitating the learning
process and the transition from L1 to L2. Translation may also help learners to memorize words
and ex- pressions.
5. The goal of strong MTB MLE programs is that students will become fully bilingual, biliterate and
bicultural and achieve a quality education. MTB MLE-specific curriculum. Curriculum developed
specifically for children who do not understand or speak the official school language when they
begin school.
6. Acquisition is the way we learn our first language, i.e. through being involved in real
communication, and without formal teaching. As we learn, we hypotheses rules, and use these
to communicate until we notice that the rule is different, or has exceptions.
7. Language is needed for all aspects of their education in the classroom as they connect with
peers and teachers, and throughout their lives as they grow into adulthood. So, developing
language skills is of absolute significance for every child’s progress in later life span both as
social beings and in pursuing an education.

WHAT DOES RESEARCHER SAY ABOUT THIS?

On the importance of Oral Language:

 Oral language is often called a "bedrock" of reading and writing. Students' comprehension of
spoken language is a defining factor for their reading comprehension — the ultimate purpose of
reading — as well as for writing ability. Oral language has numerous dimensions; two that are
particularly important for the development of literacy are vocabulary and syntax. There is no
one set time in the literacy block for working on language. Development of language occurs
throughout all three components of the literacy block and throughout the school day. Language
develops through high-quality interactions between students and teachers as well as through
explicit instruction.

Planning a strong foundation and a "Good Bridge". What Theorists and Researcher Say?

Building a strong foundation in the L1.

 One cannot fully discover a child’s full potential if one only emphasizes on completing the set
curriculum and content. What is key is nurturing essential life skills. When children are given
sufficient time and space to build strong foundations with respect to skill development, it paves
 the way a future where they can make decisions and continue to be critical, creative thinkers
and doers. Educationists need to emphasize on building strong foundations in terms of activities
such as playing, singing, running, painting. The importance of unstructured learning too cannot
be emphasized, enough. These activities may be said to be simple activities but their role in a
child’s learning foundation is indispensable. They play a crucial role in building important
cognitive, social and emotional skills. They also help build visual skills, listening skills, speaking
skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills and enhance cognitive ability and decision-
making.
 The replication of rules from our first language (L1) to the second language (L2) is called
language transfer. Our knowledge and understanding of L1 impact our understanding of L2. We
can transfer grammar, vocabulary, syntax, semantics, spelling, morphology, pronunciation,
structure, and culture to the L2 language.

Introducing the L2 through listening and responding (no speaking at first):

 One of the most important goals of learning English in a second or foreign learning (L2) context
is to be able to speak the language for a variety of communicative purposes. However, in many
L2 learning contexts, students often find it challenging to express themselves fluently in the
target language (TL). They may be able to listen or read with a fair degree of comprehension and
they may even be able to communicate in writing, but communicating orally in the language
poses a special challenge. They often report experiencing a wide range of speaking-related
problems such as lack of vocabulary and grammar knowledge, poor pronunciation skills, lack of
knowledge about how to start, maintain and end a conversation politely and lack of confidence
when speaking with more competent speakers of English.