Speaking in tongues

by Rachel C. Barawid
(from Manila Bulletin)

This school year is historic for Philippine education as the new K-to-12 curriculum rolls out in public schools. Along with this new reform which adds two years in basic education, the use of an innovative approach to learning ­­— the Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education (MTBMLE) as a medium of instruction (MOI) for all subjects and as a subject area, has also kicked off.

The MTBMLE has long been espoused by linguists and several lawmakers for the tremendous research-backed benefits that it can bring to learners such as minimized drop-out rates and decrease in the swelling illiteracy rate problem. Based on the 2003 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), 5.24 million Filipinos could not read and write while 18.37 million could not read, write, compute, and comprehend.

After generating much discourse, authorities have finally seen the need for such a policy. The Department of Education, in July, 2009, finally shifted from the old bilingual education policy (using two second languages or L2) to the MTBMLE. And now, it is being used from Kindergarten to Grade 3.

However, staunch advocates of the policy led by University of the Philippines Department of Linguistics associate professor Dr. Ricardo Ma Duran Nolasco are not happy at all about what is happening. In fact, he is saying that the DepEd seems to be doing it the wrong way.


BETTER LEARNING IN THE MOTHER TONGUE

According to Dr. Nolasco, the MTBMLE is the use of more than two languages for literacy and instruction. It starts from where the learners are and from what they already know. This means students will learn to speak, read, write, and think in their first language or L1 (i.e. Cebuano, Tagalog, Ilocano or Waray). The teaching of mathematics, science, health, and social studies will also be in the L1.

The L1, as defined by UNESCO, is the language that a person has learned first, knows best, and uses most often. Any language which is not an L1 is the second language or L2 and subsequently an L3. The L1 in the country can be Tagalog or Filipino, English, or any of the more than 178 languages.

Dr. Nolasco says students should first develop a strong foundation in their L1 whether orally or in written form, before they can be gradually introduced to their L2. When the child has gained enough proficiency in the L2 and L3, that’s the time he can transfer knowledge encoded in the L1 to the L2 and L3.

“By learning their own language first, learners will immediately construct and explain their world without fear of making mistakes, articulate their thoughts and add new concepts to what they already know. In turn, their teachers can more accurately assess them and identify the areas where they need help,” he explains.

To do this, he says there should be the development of cognitively demanding curricula; training of good teachers in the required languages for content and methodology; production of error-free and culturally relevant teaching materials; and community empowerment.

WHAT WENT WRONG

But Nolasco laments that what students are getting now is a watered-down version of the MTBMLE program.

“Ang payo namin dapat graduated, dapat iintroduce ng 20 percent muna, then another 20 percent. Pero masyadong nagmamadali ang DepEd. The training of the teachers is inadequate. It’s a watered-down training, not even basic. The problem is teachers are used to teaching in English and Filipino so how can you expect them to teach the subjects in the L1 when many of them are not even literate in it. Eh di ahead lang sila ng isang paligo sa mga estudyante nila,” he reveals.

He adds there are also no materials written in the L1. According to him, the so-called big and small books being used by the DepEd have not even been pre-tested. But the materials, he stresses, should be original stories, based on the surroundings of the child, and written in the languages. They shouldn’t be translated because there are distinct sounds and features in other languages that are not present in others.

Dr. Nolasco also raised concern on the non-inclusion of the private schools and the limited number of languages included in the program.

“Ano ang basehan at paano pinili itong 12 languages? Kung dami lang ng speakers ang pag-uusapan, ang Chavacano may 500 speakers lang. Mas malaki pa yung Kinaray-a and Kinaray-a is not one of those languages. Hindi rin kasama yung Ifugao which has 200,000 speakers. What will become of them?” he asks.

Dr. Nolasco is also against the early exit program where the MTBMLE program ends in Grade 3. Research studies require students to undergo six to eight years of Mother Tongue education and a strong teaching of the second language to be most effective. When they become fluent, confident, and adept in both languages, that’s the only time they can move on to using English in the higher grades.

In an MTBMLE pioneering school in Lubuagan, Kalinga, he says, preparation for the program began in 1998 but they were only able to practice it in 2005.

The early exit program, he points out, even violates a promise of President Aquino in his 10-point agenda for Basic Education which states that “From pre-school to Grade 3, we will use the mother tongue as the MOI while teaching English and Filipino as subjects. From Grades 4 to 7, we will increasingly use English as MOI for Science and Math, Filipino, and Araling Panlipunan. For High School, English should be the MOI.”

Dr. Nolasco reveals that many people behind the MTBMLE program do not really understand what MTBMLE is about.

“I guess we will have to wait for three to five years before they start to listen and realize that what we are saying is right. Magkakagulo muna pero by then, we can turn the bad thing into a good thing,” he says.

GIVE IT A CHANCE

The DepEd, on the other hand, is calling on the people to bear with them in their implementation of the MTBMLE which is still in its initial stages.

“This is a work in progress. We are always open to suggestions. But the number one consideration here are the students who will these materials and the appropriateness of the terms and materials to their grade level,” says Rose Villaneza, head of DepEd's MTBMLE program.

She explains that the program has been piloted in 920 selected public schools in the 17 regions last year. The teachers have undergone 40 days training and one year preparation. The result is very positive as students who have undergone the program for only three months, have already become readers, active in class, and shown significant improvements.

She admits that there are still no books but there are daily activity sheets written in the 12 languages that are already being used. These materials take into account the places, unique culture inherent in their area, as well as modern words used by the community. Teachers are also provided with guided lesson plans for each subject, complete with activities. But they can also modify the lessons to make them more appropriate for their students.

“Yung pagbibilang sa Bisaya, in the conventional they call it “Napulog usa” pero sa present, they use onse or eleven. If you insist on using the old language na hindi na ginagamit sa community, then wala ka rin sa objectives ng mother tongue. We are educating six-year-olds here, not adults or those taking their masters in Linguistics. Language is dynamic. We can borrow. That’s how language grows,” she says.

Villaneza admits that the training they held for teachers this year on the MTBMLE was only five days but she assures that there will be continuous professional development for the teachers. Apart from the national team, there are regional and division trainors who will continuously conduct further training on the program throughout the year.

Moreoever, Villaneza says the selection for the 12 languages (Tagalog, Iloko, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, Bikol, Cebuano, Waray, Hiligaynon, Maguindanao, Maranao, Tausug, and Chavacano) was based on the number of its speakers and was done in coordination with the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino.

“We don’t intellectualize the language using the Grade 1. Conversational language is needed to develop critical thinking. But language alone is not enough. I believe it takes a good teacher to be able to make a difference in the child’s performance.”

Villaneza, meanwhile, clarified that the decision to end the MTBMLE program in Grade 3 is not final. DepEd is open to changes in the program which, she reiterates, is still a work in progress.

“Let's give this a chance. We have to look deeper into the materials, and in how DepEd is implementing this so we will understand the program better. This is not perfect but this is a quantum leap in achieving our goal. Let us not expect miracles to happen right away. Instead of criticizing us, help us improve the program. Education should be the business of everyone,” ends Villaneza.