ECE 117

Chapter 3

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Framework: Its

Implementation in the Basic Curriculum

Objectives:
 Explain the basic elements of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education
Curriculum framework
 Apply the concepts and processes of the MTB-MLE curriculum framework in
teaching-learning situations
 Identify some goals of MTB-MLE in the K to 12 Curriculum

The Curriculum Framework

Since the Lingua Franca Education Project (LFEP) in 1999, Mother tongue-Based
Multilingual Education Program is the most vital reform for the country’s basic education
and school system as a whole. The lessons from and findings of various international
and national studies on language use in education undertaken by the UNESCO, are
one in affirming the benefits and relevance of MTB-MLE which are in conformity with the
recommendations given by the basic Education Reform sector Agenda (BESRA) to
improve learning outcomes and promote education for all (EFA). From the researches
of many researchers, it showed the quality education occurs most effectively when the
mother tongue, the learner’s home language, is used for initial learning. The first
language is the language of learning. It is by far easiest way for children to interact with
the world. And when the language of learning and the language of instruction do not
match, learning difficulties are bound to follow.

MTB-MLE Curriculum Framework

Mother Tongue – Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) is the government’s
banner program for education as a salient part of the implementation of the K to 12
Basic Education Program. Its significance is underscored by the passing of Republic Act
10523, otherwise known as the “Enhanced Basic Educatiion Act of 2013.”

MTBMLE 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.
Research stresses the fact that children with a solid foundation in their mother tongue
develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. Their knowledge and skills
transfer across languages. This bridge enables the learners to use both or all their
languages for success in school and for lifelong learning. In terms of cognitive
development, the school activities will engage learners to move well beyond th basic
wh-questions to cover all higher order thinking skills in L1 which they can transfer to the
other languages once enough Filipino or English has been acquired to use these skills
in thinking and articulating thoughts.

With the end goal of making Filipino children lifelong learners in their Li (MT), L2
(Filipino, the national language), and L3 (English, the global language) the learners
are more than prepared to develop the competencies in the different learning areas.
This will serve as their passport to enter and achieve well in the mainstream educational
system and in the end, contribute productively to their community and to the larger
society as well as Multilingual, Multiliterate, and Multi-Cultural Citizens of the country.
For the effective implementation of the MTB-MLE, it is suggested that the two-track
method be used, that is the primer track to focus on accuracy and the story track
to focus on meaning. Learning via the two-track method to gain proficiency in leteracy
as well as comprehend academic content and gain curriculum mastery, creative and
critical thinking skills for decisive decision-making.

MTBMLE 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.
Research stresses the fact that children with a solid foundation in their mother tongue
develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. Their knowledge and skills
transfer across languages. This bridge enables the learners to use both or all their
languages for success in school and for lifelong learning. In terms of cognitive
development, the school activities will engage learners to move well beyond th basic
wh-questions to cover all higher order thinking skills in L1 which they can transfer to the
other languages once enough Filipino or English has been acquired to use these skills
in thinking and articulating thoughts.
With the nd goal of making Filipino children lifelong learners in their Li (MT), L2 (Filipino,
the national language), and L3 (English, the global language) the learners
are more thatn prepared to develop the competencies in the different learning areas.
This will serve as their passport to enter and achieve well in the mainstream educational
system and in the end, contribute productively to their community and to the larger
society as well as Multilingual, Multiliterate, and Multi-Cultural Citizens of the country.

For the effective implementation of the MTB-MLE, it is suggested that the two-track
method be used, that is the primer track to focus on accuracy and the story track
to focus on meaning. Learning via the two-track method to gain proficiency in leteracy
as well as comprehend academic content and gain curriculum mastery, creative and
critical thinking skills for decisive decision-making.
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.
o 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.

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. 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 .
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING IN MTBMLE
Principle 1. Known to the unknown
1.1 Learning requires meaning. We learn when we use what we already know to help
us understand what is new.

“The most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows.
Ascertain this and teach him/her accordingly.” Ausubel, D.P.(1968). Educational
Psychology. A Cognitive View. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Application: Start with what the learners already know about a topic and use that to
introduce the new concept. Beginning with the learners’ first language and culture will
better facilitate mastery of the curriculum content.
“Nowhere is the role of prior knowledge more important than in second language
educational contexts. Students who can access their prior knowledge through the
language
and culture most familiar to them can call on a rich array of schemata, whereas students
who believe they can only use that knowledge they have explicitly learned in the
second language are limited in their access.”(Chamot, 1998, p.197).

1.2 Second language learners use what they know in their own language to help
develop other languages. This positive transfer effect has been found to be significant
in reading.

Application: Develop an awareness of how the L1 works to support learning the L2, L3.
Claude Goldenberg. “Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does –
and Does Not – Say.” American Educator, Summer 2008: 8-23.

Principle 2. Language and Academic Development

Students with well-developed skills in their first language have been shown to acquire
additional languages more easily and fully and that, in turn, has a positive impact on
academic achievement.

Application: Continue the oral development of L1 and begin reading in L1 to

strengthen L2 and L3 learning as well as academic achievement across the curriculum.
Fred Genesee, Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, William Saunders, and Donna Christian.
Educating English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Reasearch Evidence. Cambridge
University Press, 2006.K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM
K to 12 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide December 2013
Page 7 of 154

Principle 3. Cognitive Development

3.1 Students who use their multilingual skills have been shown to develop both
cognitive flexibility and divergent thinking.

Application: Continue developing critical thinking in the L1 as well as in L2 and L3.

Jim Cummins. Multilingual Matters, 2001.
3.2 Higher Order Thinking Skills
When we truly learn something, we can explain it, apply it, analyze it, evaluate it, and
use it to create new ideas and information.

Application: In all subjects, focus on activities that build understanding and that
encourage students to apply, analyze, and evaluate what they have learned to create
new knowledge.
CF Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.

Principle 4. Discovery Learning

4.1 We learn when someone who already understands the new idea or task helps us to
“discover” the new idea and then use it meaningfully.
Application: Find out what the students already know about a topic. Then provide
activities that let them use their knowledge to learn the new concept or task.
Bruner, J.S. (1967). On knowing: Essays for the left hand. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard
University Press. Also at http://www.learning-theories.com/discovery-learningbruner.

Principle 5. Active Learning

5.1 Peer interaction. Children learn best through peer interactions in which they work
together creatively to solve problems.
Application: Do most class activities in teams or pairs. Encourage students to talk with
each other and compare ideas in order to solve problems.
5.2 Second language active learning. Young children gain confidence in learning a
new language when they begin with “hear-see-do” (Total Physical Response ) activities.
Application: Begin the L2 language learning time by focusing on listening and
responding to oral language. Children listen to a command, observe someone respond
to the
command and then respond in action (no talking at first).
5.3 Purposeful Talk. Talking helps us make sense of new ideas and information.
Application: 1) Ask a lot of “higher level” questions and give students time to think and
then respond. 2) Provide plenty of opportunities for students to work in teams,
sharing and comparing their ideas.

Principle 6. Meaning and Accuracy

Successful language learning involves hearing, speaking, reading and writing activities
that focus on both meaning and accuracy.
Application: Include plenty of activities that focus on both MEANING and ACCURACY.

Principle 7. Language Learning/Language Transfer

7.1 We learn a new language best when the learning process is non-threatening and
meaningful and when we can take “small steps” that help us gain confidence in our
ability to use the language meaningfully.
Application: Begin the L2 language learning time by focusing on “hear-see-do”
activities than enable students to build up their “listening vocabulary” before they are
expected to talk. Introduce reading and writing in L2 only when they have built up a
good hearing and speaking vocabulary.

7.2 Research in second-language acquisition indicates that it takes a minimum of 2

years to learn basic communicative skills in a second language when society supports
that learning.It takes five years or more to learn enough L2 for learning complex
academic concepts. (Thomas & Collier; 2003, Cummins, 2006)

7.3 “Errors” are a normal part of second-language learning. Second language learners
benefit from opportunities to receive feedback in a respectful and encouraging way. It
is helpful when teachers respond first to the content of what the student is saying or
writing… focusing on one or two errors at a time. (Patsy M. Lightbown and Nina Spada.
How Languages Are Learned, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2006.K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION
CURRICULUM K to 12 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide December 2013 Page 9 of 154 ).

Principle 8. Affective component: Valuing the home language/culture

8.1 Valuing students with talents in their home language more powerfully enables
learning than just valuing learners of English whose home language is irrelevant to
academic success.
Application: Learners are encouraged when they know they are valued in the
classroom and their language and heritage are seen as resources.
Jim Cummins, Promoting Literacy in Multilingual Contexts, Research Monograph #5, The Literacy and
Numeracy Secretariat, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007, p. 3
8.2 The classroom environment
Children from ethno-linguistic language groups thrive in a welcoming environment in
which teachers and peers value them as a positive presence in the classroom and the
school; encourage their use of their L1; provide books, visual representations, and
concrete objects that reflect their backgrounds and interests.

Filipino Sign Language as Mother Tongue

Filipino Sign Language (FSL) refers to the sign language used by the Deaf community
in the Philippines. It is distinct from spoken Filipino. Sign languages, such as FSL, are
visual-spatial while spoken languages, such as spoken Filipino, are auditory-vocal
languages. In sign language, information is conveyed through the shape, placement,
movement and orientation of the hands as well as movement of the face and the body.
Linguistic information is received through the eyes.
FSL is rule-governed, having its own linguistic structure -- phonology, morphology,
syntax, and discourse. It belongs to the branch of visual languages with influence from
American Sign Language (ASL). The structure of FSL has significantly changed over
the years and is considered a language distinct from ASL.

FSL, as with all other sign languages in the world, does not have a written form. Deaf
people do not read and write in sign language, rather they become literate in a second
language. Using Filipino Sign Language as the mother language, Deaf children will
learn to read and write in other languages such as Filipino and English. It is expected
that
Filipino deaf children will develop metalinguistic awareness and transfer knowledge,
concepts and thinking skills about language from FSL to written Filipino or written
English.

The K-3 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide specifies content and performance standards
and learning competencies for all Filipino children – deaf and hearing alike. Since the
focus of the curriculum is language and literacy development, the learning outcomes
apply to sign language users as well. In this guide, listening and speaking will be
operationalized as viewing (visually attending) and signing; spoken language as sign
language and so on. Teachers are enjoined to follow the curriculum as closely as
possible, cognizant of learning and communication differences among deaf and hearing
children.

To do: Down load the Curriculum Guide of Mother Tongue. For those who can
download it, please share to your classmates who can’t down load. Read from pages
2-10. The CG includes the following topics:
 Guiding Principle for teaching and learning MTB-MLE in ECE
 Goals of MTB-MLE in the K to 12 Curriculum
 The Kindergarten Curriculum Domains

Integrating Macro Skills in MT lessons

The macro-skills are found in the Curriculum Guide(CG) of Mother Tongue. However,
you may read other references regarding the four macro skills (Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing).