Module 1: Content And Pedagogy for the

MOTHER-TONGUE based Multilingual Education

LEARNING GUIDE FOR COLLEGIATE STUDENTS

Overview

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) refers to

“first-language-first” education in school which begins in the mother tongue
(L1)or native language and transitions to the national language (L2) or Filipino
and foreign language (3) or English. It is the Philippine government’s banner
program for education as part of the nationwide implementation of the K to 12
based on the Republic Act 10533 otherwise known as the “Enhanced Basic
Education Act of 2013.

Learning Outcomes

After studying this lesson, you should be able to:

a. Define and differentiate terms and concepts related to Mother
Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE).

b. Gather facts about MTB-MLE in the Philippines.

c. Acquaint oneself with the legal basis for the implementation of

MTB-MLE in the Basic Education in the Philippines.

Let Us Explore

” MTB-MLE is education, formal or non - formal, in which the learner’s mother

tongue and

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 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.
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 the 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 (K to 12 Mother Tongue Curriculum Guide May
2016).
Philippines’ Twelve Major Languages
Currently, there are twelve (12) major languages or lingua franca that the
Department of Education approved to use as the language of instruction in
teaching Kindergarten to Grade 3 pupils in some schools nationwide. These are
Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Bikol, Waray,
Hiligaynon, Tausug , Maguindanaoan, Maranao and Chabacano. Last 2013,
the department added seven (7) more dialects from the current 12 major local
languages of instruction in the primary level. These are Ybanag for pupils in
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, and Isabela; Ivatan for the Batanes Group; Sambal
in Zambales; Aklanon in Aklan, Capiz; Kinaray-a in Capiz, Aklan; Yakan in
Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao and Surigaonon covering Surigao City
and provinces. Former Secretary Armin Luistro reiterated that the use of the
same language spoken at home, in the early grades, helps improve the pupils’
language and cognitive development in addition to strengthening their socio-
cultural awareness.

Definition of Terms

Learning MTB-MLE requires understanding of the basic concepts and terms

related to it. One must know how these concepts and terms are interconnected
to each other. As collegiate students who will have direct use of this knowledge
in the field, the earlier exposure to this area the better. These terms will help
them grasp the importance of the Philippine dialects and languages which
uniqueness are beyond compare. Familiarity with the basics of MTB-MLE will
dissolve barriers in language between the teachers and their students. Study
the different concepts and terms related to MTB-MLE below:
Language refers to the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds
combined into words. It is a system of communication spoken by most of the
population in a particular community, region, or country.

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 Dialect refers to a social variety of language spoken by a group or groups
of individuals in a particular tribe or ethnic group, province or region which is
distinguished by pronunciation, grammar, and/or vocabulary.

Mother Tongue refers to the native language or first Language (L1) a

person uses at home.

National Language refers to the second language (L2) a person learns

later in school or in the community where s/he belongs. Filipino is the national
language commonly used by Filipinos in the country.

Foreign Language refers to the third language (L3) a person learns.

English is the foreign language use in teaching core subjects like English,
Mathematics, Science, and Philippine History in the Basic Education.

Bilingual refers to the use of two languages like L1 and L3 or L2 to L3.

Multilingual refers to the use of three or more languages like L1, and L2
to any other foreign languages like English, Spanish, or Mandarin.

Medium of Teaching and Learning (MOTL) refers to the Language of

Instruction (LOI) or Medium of Instruction (MOI) use by the teachers where
Mother Tongue of the learners or Language of Learning (LOL) shall be the
primary language used in teaching and learning in Kindergarten to Grades 1 to
3(D.O. No. 47, s. 2016)
4

Let Us Wrap Up

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

This material has been prepared and communicated to you by or on behalf of

Palawan State University - CCRD Narra for educational purposes only.
DO NOT REPRODUCE OR COMMUNICATE.

Prepared by JENNILYN P. CASTILLO PSU – CCRD Narra| 3/6

 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.

Let Us Assess

Activiy 1. Read and understand each situation. Write the correct term
on the blanks provided below.
_____________1. Teacher Poy uses English as language of instruction in the
presentation of higher Mathematics lessons and uses Kapampangan in
discussing them.
_____________2. Sandra, a grade school pupil at Mabuhay Elementary school
learns basic Korean greetings and conversation through watching Korean
movies during her vacant time.
_____________3. Lito, who belongs to Maeng tribe in the province of Abra,
became fluent in speaking Tagalog when he transferred and continued his
schooling at Quezon City National High School.
_____________4. Mr. Denis Aguilar is a well-known linguist who speaks
effortlessly in Ilokano, Filipino, English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish,
Russian and Arabic.
_____________5. An Ibaloy young boy who lives in La Trinidad, Benguet plays
and chats with his friends every Saturday afternoon.
_____________6. Mrs. Divina Cruz one of the public school teachers in

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 Zamboanga explains well her lesson about the pandemic NCOV 19 to her
Grade 2 pupils.
_____________7. Mr. Banez a multi-awarded researcher in ethno linguistic is
very fascinated with the different tribes in Apayao who speak Guinaang,
Lubuangan, Pinukpuk, Tabuk, Tinglayan and Tanudan.
_____________8. According to an article posted by George Julian that Mandarin
Chinese has almost 1.1 billion speakers around the world.
_____________9. Bert and his groupmates answered the guided questions in
their group activity with the language they commonly use in the classroom.
____________10. Aling Myrna needs to translate Tagalog to English because her
granddaughter stayed in the United States for almost 5 years after birth.
7
Activity 2. Tell a story that explains the following terms based on your
personal experience about MTB-MLE.
1. native language-
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2. bilingual-
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.
3. second language-_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
.
4. multilingual-_____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

This material has been prepared and communicated to you by or on behalf of

Palawan State University - CCRD Narra for educational purposes only.
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 _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
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5. language of instruction-____________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

Activity 3. Discuss one related problem that student like you might
enocuter in the field in the future for each of the terms above. Suggest
one possible solution in overcoming these problems.
MTB-MLE terms related problems possible solutions
1. native language
2. bilingual
3. second language
4. multilingual
5. language of instruction

References

K-12 CURRICULUM GUIDE

deped,gov,ph
pdfcoffee.com_content-and-pedagogy-in-mtbmle-week-1-pdf-free (1)

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Palawan State University - CCRD Narra for educational purposes only.
DO NOT REPRODUCE OR COMMUNICATE.

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