Case Study Writing In The Discipline

Republic of the Philippines
Taguig City University
Gen. Santos Ave., Central Bicutan, Taguig City
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Case Study Analysis

“The Effects of the Implementation of Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education at Upper Bicutan Elementary School”

Submitted by:
Cada, Benrick M.
Gecolea, Kristine A.
Tayo, Raissa
Beed A21 (am)

Submitted to:
Prof. Cheryl Mesina

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study
The Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education 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.
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.”
Currently, there are twelve (12) major languages or lingua franca that shall be language of instruction. The major languages are a) Tagalog b) Kapampangan c) Pangasinense d) Iloko e) Bikol f) Cebuano g) Hiligaynon h) Waray i) Tausug j) Maguindanaoan k) Maranao; l) Chabacano.

Many Filipino learners face barriers in education. One of these barriers is that our learners often begin their education in a language they do not understand. Because they do not understand the language of education, many learners become discouraged and tend to drop-out from school. Content of material is often culturally distant or unfamiliar to the learners. The limited education that learners receive does not prepare them for lifelong learning.
Mother tongue-based multilingual education (MLE) is a formal or nonformal education, in which the children’s mother tongue is used in the classroom as a bridge in learning Filipino and English. Children begin their education in a language they understand, their mother tongue, and develop a strong foundation in their mother language.
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 with transition to Filipino and then English. It is a structured program of language learning and cognitive development which provides learners with a strong educational foundation in the first language.
If the mother tongue is not used, we create people who are illiterate in two languages. Children do not become sufficiently fluent in their mother tongue (L1) in both oracy and literacy if their vocabulary in L1 is limited, thus restricting their ability to learn a second language (L2).
A strong foundation in L1 is required for learning L2. Children’s understanding of concepts is limited or confused if leaning is only L2.

Discussions relating to MT-Based MLE in Asia tend to use the term in one of two ways. In some contexts, MT-based MLE refers to the use of students’ mother tongue and two or more additional languages as Languages of Instruction (LoI) in school. In other contexts, the term is used to describe bilingual education across multiple language communities—each community using their own mother tongue plus the official school language for instruction.
In the non-dominant language communities of South Asia, multilingual education usually follows the first definition: learning and using multiple languages in school. In some South Asian countries, MT-based MLE includes four languages—the students’ mother tongue or first language, a regional language, the national language and an international language.

The benefits of MLE include the following:
 Reduced drop-out
 Reduced repetition
 Children are attending school.
 Children are learning.
 Parents and community are involved.
 It is more cost - effective to implement mother tongue programs. A region wide training was conducted last summer in preparation for this school year’s pilot implementation. A Regional association of supervisors, school heads and teachers was organized during that training.
Feedback gathered from the pilot implementers revealed that teachers find the use of the MTB-MLE very useful. Pupils are very participative and most of them have learned to read by this time. Although some teachers find it tiresome, especially in the preparation of materials, but they feel rewarded by seeing the enjoyment among the pupils in their learning experiences.
For some students, developing mother tongue proficiency is easier because they have lessons each week in their native language. For students who are not in this fortunate position, there is still much that can be done to maintain the mother tongue. For example, parents can make sure that they have good reference books or textbooks at home - in the native language. Students should be encouraged to read good literature and to discuss school work. Some of the long summer vacation could be devoted to mother-tongue learning and reading.

B. Purpose of the Study
To develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning skills enabling children to operate equally in different languages—starting in the Mother Tongue with transition to Filipino and then English and to preserve the Philippine cultural treasure as well.

C. Definition of Terms
Mother Tongue A first language (also native language, mother tongue, arterial language, or L1) is the language(s) a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity (citation needed). In some countries, the terms native language or mother tongue refer to the language of one's ethnic group rather than one's first language. Children brought up speaking more than one language can have more than one native language, and be bilingual.

Bilingual Using or able to use two languages especially with equal fluency.
Multilingual
Multilingual (Multilingualism) is the use of two or more languages, either by an individual speaker or by a community of speakers. Multilingual speakers out number monolingual speakers in the world's population. Multilingualism is becoming a social phenomenon governed by the needs of globalization and cultural openness. Owing to the ease of access to information facilitated by the Internet, individuals' exposure to multiple languages is becoming increasingly frequent thereby promoting a need to acquire additional languages.
Education
Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which the knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, or research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of others, but may also be autodidactic. Any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. Education is commonly divided into stages such as preschool, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship.
K-12 Curriculum Program
The K to 12 Program covers Kindergarten and 12 years of basic education (six years of primary education, four years of Junior High School, and two years of Senior High School [SHS]) to provide sufficient time for mastery of concepts and skills, develop lifelong learners, and prepare graduates for tertiary education, middle-level skills development, employment, and entrepreneurship.

II. PRESENTATION OF THE STUDY

A. Related to Literature The Language of Learning: Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education in the Philippines
–Dr. Yolanda S. Quijano
Director of the DepEd Bureau of Elementary Education
Over twelve years ago, Lubuagan was just another cultural community nestled in the northern end of the Cordilleras in Kalinga Province. Then, in 1998, the Lubuagan First Language Component (FLC) multilingual education (MLE) pilot project was initiated through a partnership of educators from the Lubuagan community, the local government, the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Summer Institute of Linguistics, Inc. (SIL) International Philippines. The FLC program promoted the use of the children’s first language in their basic education experience, complementing the ongoing education in Filipino and English, the two major languages of education as mandated by the country’s Bilingual Education Policy (BEP). Children in the first to third grades of Lubuagan public schools were taught the subject matter in their first language, Lilubuagan, and were then taught to handle the same subject matter using the two major languages.
The results were striking. Teachers observed high levels of participation among the students, and the teachers themselves began to use the first language orally to foster a more dynamic learning environment. In the 2006 National Achievement Tests for Third Grade Reading, Lubuagan students outperformed all other schools in the province by up to 30 percent for both Filipino and English. In 2007, first to third grade students from Lubuagan consistently outperformed the other schools in all subjects, including Math, Filipino, and English, by over 20 percent.

Mother Tongue by Amy Tan Purpose
By jerushakutty1414 | November 2012

Amy Tan's short story, “Mother Tongue” is an admirable tale that discusses the implied meaning of languages and how language is not only a device of communication, but a social tool of measuring an individuals’ worth. Tan’s purpose was to show us how language separates, unites, or isolates those who don’t speak the common way as well as others. The differences between us and others do not make anyone less of a person. She tells us the different circumstances and struggles when her mother had been denied time and care for her broken English. When Amy was younger, she recalls speaking on the phone, pretending to be her mother so that people would take her mother more seriously. At one point Amy called a stockbroker for her mother and demanded money for an overdue claim only for her mother to go to New York and have him be astonished at the difference of the languages. To everyone else her mother’s broken language was considered useless and wouldn’t get her anywhere. More recent in the story Tan states: her mother had been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and when she went to the doctor's office, the CAT scan was lost and no one seemed concerned with her need to understand her prognosis—having lost a husband and son, both to brain tumors (14). When her daughter came to translate her mother’s broken English everyone was much more amiable with Amy than they had been with her mother: promises were made and apologies were graciously bestowed. In both cases, the perception based on her mother's "limited" English gave people the idea that Amy's mother wasn't very bright, or worse, was not worth their time. This is the sociological aspect of language meaning how people judge others by the way they speak. In contrast, the author notes that the language her mother speaks is very different than American English, but that it is deceiving in that her mother understands more than one might think: “You should know that my mother's expressive command of English belies how much...

Mother Tongue: The Language of Heart and Mind
Hurisa Guvercin

Today we are all witnessing an aspect of globalization which is the increasing movement of people from one country to another for different purposes, such as education, desire for a better life, the need for employment, escape from conflicts between groups including oppression of one group by another, or natural disasters. Whatever the reason, while such phenomenon may have a lot of benefits, living in another country affects one’s mother tongue. In my article I want to discuss why parents and educators should support children learning and retaining their native language. As a parent living far from my native country I have often experienced the fear that my children would not learn their mother language well. As an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher I have strongly encouraged my ESL students to develop literacy in their mother tongue and to take pride in their culture and the country they originated.
Every language spoken in the world represents a special culture, melody, color, and asset and to everyone the mother language is certainly one of the most precious treasures in our lives. It’s a duty and responsibility to preserve it and pass it down from generation to generation. Whether we are urged by necessity or because of other reasons, learning another language brings a lot of advantages in our life. A new language opens a new window in our world view and makes us more aware, open-minded, and respectful to other cultures, lifestyles, customs and beliefs. Moreover, knowing another language has been proven to contribute to helping us understand our mother tongue better. However, much research indicates that most children eventually learn a second, or even more, languages to a native-like fluency level, what immigrant families are not often aware of is that many of their children are at risk of losing their mother tongue.

The Philippines institutionalizes mother tongue-based multilingual education
The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) issued Order No.74 on 14 July 2009, institutionalizing mother tongue-based multilingual education in formal education.
The integration of multilingual education (MLE) will extend to pre-school and to the Alternative Learning System.

“Education that begins in the language of the learners has far more positive effects in our school children,” said Education Secretary Jesli Lapus.

According to information issued by the country’s DepEd, studies show that children learn best when instruction at the primary level is in their first language, or mother tongue. Research also reveals that a child is more comfortable learning in the primary language. This allows for better conceptualization and deeper thinking.
The DepEd will continue teacher training in mother tongue-based multilingual education, so that teachers will acquire a clearer understanding of the principles, practices, roles and responsibilities needed for the successful implementation of mother tongue-based multilingual education.

Mother Tongue And Communication
Salami, 2002
“The quality of spoken and written English language among school children need to be polished because it improving the communication.”

Mother Tongue And Culture
Akibanto and Ogusanwo, 2003
“The use of Mother Tongue in teaching and learning process in the early stage can preserve the value of culture.”

A. Related Studies

Use of mother tongue vital, studies show
By Premyuda Boonroj
The Nation
Published on November 15, 2010
Ethnic minority children enjoy greater educational success and cultural benefits from early native language instruction, researchers tell conference
The use of mother tongues native languages in early childhood education has boosted youngsters’ confidence and academic performance, according to studies presented at an international conference last week in Bangkok.

It has also helped conserve ethnic languages, and restored pride and identity for minority people, while helping to boost their access to the fruits of development, the studies found.

The importance of mother tongues was emphasized at a forum on Language, Education and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as they are a key factor for education and the success of other development efforts.

A professor at the School of Child and Youth Care at Canada’s University of Victoria, Dr Jessica Ball, said that up to 50 per cent of 6,000 languages currently spoken around the world would be gone by 2100.

“One way to achieve equity in education, opportunities and [the goal of] Education For All, as well as to counter linguistic and cultural loss is to deliver early childhood education and primary education through mother tongues,” she said.

Mother tongue-based multilingual education is the provision of education in a child’s mother tongue, or a home language familiar to them, as well as providing them with an opportunity to learn a second (or third) language of wider communication. In MTB MLE programs, students’ gain initial literacy in their first language (L1) and the L1 is the only language of instruction in the early grades. At the same time, students begin learning oral and then written second language (L2). Once they have gained confidence in using the L2 for “everyday” communication, teachers begin introducing them to the more academic L2 terms they will need in higher primary grades. Both L1 and L2 are then used together for instruction to the end of primary school. In an environment where MTB-MLE is used, the education system will typically use a language other than a student's mother tongue as the language of instruction at some point in the primary or secondary cycle. The language is often a national or a colonial language that many children may have limited knowledge of or ability to use, and generally not to the same level of proficiency as with their mother tongue.

SIL Philippines
Mother Tongue-based Multilingual Education
The languages of instruction and literacy in Philippine schools are foreign and incomprehensible to more than 70% of Philippine students. This is a phenomenon common to many other countries in Asia as well, and throughout the world. This situation predetermines that minority language students are unable to understand the content of teaching at school. However, this situation does not have to be...
Using the language the child understands – the child's first language, or mother tongue –for teaching lesson content in the first 6 years of school, not only enables the child to immediately master curriculum content, but in the process, it affirms the value of the child and her/his cultural and language heritage. Additionally, because Filipino and English are taught as subjects, learning skills that are built using the child's mother tongue are easily applied to the acquisition of Filipino and English.
First language education teaches children how to learn by using a familiar medium, and in the process builds critical thinking skills – cognition – so necessary in the learning process. As subject matter gets increasingly complex in later grades, studies show that children are able to transfer these cognitive skills to other media of instruction, and to the learning of more difficult subject matter, often taught in Filipino and English.
Although Tagalog, on which the national language is based, garners the highest percentage of households, one cannot deny that the other languages have a significant share of native speakers. Percentage is not really that important, but right to one's mother tongue is, so it really does not matter whether a language is spoken by the majority or not. In terms of percentages, there is really no native language in the Philippines that is spoken by more than half of the households:

Tagalog does have the highest number, but it falls short of fifty percent. And in terms of linguistic rights, even the smallest dot in the above figure has a say. One could promote a national language. One could make up a language and claim that it is a mixture of all the above languages. But no one should impose such language. It is bad enough that all students in the Philippines are forced to learn this made up national language through K+12. It is an attack on one's identity and culture to impose the same in higher education. The use of English as a medium of instruction in higher education should not be seen as an imposition of a colonial foreign language. This choice is not based on any ideological ground. It is purely academic and only practical. On the other hand, imposing a made up national language is based solely on a false sense of nationalism. It is based on a fantasy of having one language uniting all of Philippines. This is not the true Philippines. The Philippines is a very diverse country in terms of tongues. We must embrace that and not make up something artificial that places us against each other. Our only objective is to help children realize their part in this globe. Our only mission is to teach our children, not to brainwash them with something we have only imagined and created.

Our teachers need support. Our schools need support. Let us focus on what matters to learning. Let us emphasize what works. And we need to make sure that in doing so, we still respect each other's language, because language is part of our soul....

Second Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education Conference in the Philippines (February 2012) Local and international scholars, policy makers and educators gathered in Iloilo City16-18 February for the Second Philippine Conference-Workshop on Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). The theme for the event was “Education for All and Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education, 2015 and Beyond.” SIL was among the sponsoring organizations that cooperated to organize the event and SIL multilingual education and literacy personnel led several sessions.

Studies indicate that MTB-MLE contributes to student succes. In the Lubuagan community, researchers found that children in a mother tongue education program out-performed students in Filipino and English medium schools by a difference of 40 percentage points.
Participants in the conference-workshop discussed the gains seen in the Philippines through MTB-MLE pilot programs in different areas of the country which have been facilitated by NGOs and the Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd). They also explored how the principles can be incorporated into new K-12 and teacher education curricula in development. The event allowed participants to share research, best practices, lesson plans and teaching materials.
Multilingualism, rather than monolingualism or even bilingualism, is the reality in much of our world today. This is certainly true of the Philippines, a country with 171 living languages. Many of the world’s ethnolinguistic minority communities see value in educational opportunities that will provide a bridge to the national language and perhaps even an international language. SIL supports multilingual education as it enables ethnolinguistic minority communities to participate in broader linguistic circles while still functioning fully in the vitality of their own language

C. Related Cases

Interview with Mrs. Meladin Tapado (adviser of Grade 3 Section 4 at UBES)
Questions:
1. What can you say about the “MTB-MLE Program” from the new curriculum of DepEd?
Answer:
The MTB-MLE Program of DepEd makes the teaching-learning process more possible because some difficult subjects are Science, Math and Mapeh are taught in tagalog which is our dialect used. The children learn more because the skills are being taught in Tagalog. Regarding MTTS, as one of the subject in the K-12 Curriculum, contests/skills are similar to Filipino.

2. In what way Mother Tongue implemented?
Answer:
It is implemented as an additional subject as an extension of Filipino and integrated to other subjects like Science and Math because these subjects are taught in our Mother Tongue dialect which is Filipino.

3. How will you describe Mother Tongue Program after two years of implementation?
Answer:
I can foresight that after two years of implementation, there are no productive way of learning because of some lectures are taught in other language like English.

4. What is the effect of this program for you as a teacher? And in what way, it vary in our education today?
Answer:
As a teacher, implementing MTTS in the curriculum, I could say that pupils learn where in our subject areas because we are using tagalog as medium of instruction.

5. In your observation, what do you think is the most relevant effect of the implementation of this program to the student?
Answer:
As I have said, teaching-learning process is more realized because of the medium of instruction used, pupils can articulate well because they understand the questions more effectively using our own language.

Interview with Mrs. Cristy Mendez (teacher of Grade 3 at UBES)
Question:
1. What can you say about the recently implemented program of DepEd for the new curriculum?
Answer:
For me, the newest program of DepEd regarding for the revised curriculum, is something really comprises some aspects of learning of the students. It helps the student to learn easily. It helps also the students to participate well in the class because of their own language at home.

2. Are you in favor for the implementation of that program?
Answer:
Yes, absolutely, because as I have said, it makes each students attentive and productive in the class. They enjoy participating to some activities like group works and other curricular. They really enjoy attending the class because of that changes in learning from the new curriculum.

III. ANALYSIS

Parents of

IV. CONCLUSION

Based on the analysis, the researchers therefore conclude that Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education of DepEd is very successful in academic and mental aspect of the learners. In MTB, the learners can able to express their ideas and opinions on certain topics. In addition to that, they can understand and comprehend the topics taught in the school.

If we review the objects of the k plus 12, the objective and goals are attainable and achieved. With the help of the government agencies, school administrator, teachers, parents and stable holders, the MTB will be used for the higher fulfillment of the learners.

Many pupils especially in Grade 3 Section 4, really participated actively in the class. The researchers witnessed their willingness to learn having one language. They have learned effectively and productively having those changes for the betterment of learning in the classroom.

V. RECOMMENDATION

The researchers recommend the following:
To the students
Always participate in the class discussion.
Attentively listen to the teacher.
Be confident enough.
Take a risk for the betterment.
To the parent/s
Always seek your child performance at school.
Patiently teach/help your child in terms of their education.
Always remind your child that “Education is the to Success.”
Be supportive always.

References http://esl.fis.edu/parents/advice/intro.htm http://www.studymode.com/essays/Mother-Tongue-By-Amy-Tan-Purpose-1226049.html http://www.cu.edu.ph/academics/colleges/coed/mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education-mtb-mle/ http://www.fountainmagazine.com/Issue/detail/Mother-Tongue-The-Language-of-Heart-and-Mind http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/11/15/national/Use-of-mother-tongue-vital-studies-show-30142230.html http://www.mlenetwork.org/faq http://philbasiceducation.blogspot.com/search/label/Mother%20Tongue%20Based%20-%20Multilingual%20Education http://www.sil.org/about/news/second-mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education-conference-philippines http://mlephil.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/the-language-of-learning-mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education-in-the-philippines/ http://www.unescobkk.org/education/efa/efanews/news-details/article/the-philippines-institutionalizes-mother-tongue-based-multilingual-education/

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