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1 | R e v e a l i n g t h e I n c o n s i s t e n c i e s

CASTRO, Kevin Cedrick R. 2010-06974

Bachelor of Secondary Education (CA-English/SPED) Prof. Romylyn Metila

Revealing the Inconsistencies

A research-reflection paper on MTB-MLE’s implementation

While on my way to my hometown, Malolos, my attention was stolen by a tarpaulin

hanging between two long posts. It was an advertisement of a known private school in Bulacan,

as evident by the school’s emblem at the upper-left corner. The tarpaulin’s background was

blue, with large white text printed at the middle of it proudly stating: AN ENGLISH-SPEAKING

SCHOOL. By the way this statement was printed, a passerby may deduce that the school is

proud of its English-only policy inside its classrooms. While looking at this tarpaulin, I asked

myself: does extensive exposure to one’s target language ensures high proficiency for the

learners? Is it necessary for a school to adopt an English-only policy for its students to be

competent, both in terms of academic and communicative aspect, in speaking the school’s

target language and the learners’ later second language? As my mind drifted away from the

crowded halls of the bus that I was in, I started recalling the past lectures that I had with my

EDL, EDR and English professors.

A child’s first language (L1) facilitates on his/her learning of a second language (L2).

This statement reverberated in my mind during that time. Most of my professors agreed (and

are still agreeing) to the above statement. I reached home with these things still in mind.

While watching the daily news, a report about the Department of Education’s (DepEd)

implementation of K+12 on Academic Year 2012-2013 caught my interest. As a future teacher,

it is essential for me to learn what I must know on the learning environment that I will be

exposed to in the near future. What really piqued my interest as a future English teacher was

the Mother-tongue Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE). This reiterated the notion that

mother tongue should be used in “all areas” during the early grades for learners to fully grasp

the concepts being taught. To further understand K+12 and MTB-MLE, I visited Google to get a

copy of DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012. I found a copy of the “Implementing Guidelines of Grades

1 to 10 to Enhanced Basic Education Curriculum,” a document enclosed in the aforementioned

order. What struck me upon reading the document was the section on medium of instruction

(MOI). Below is a duplicated copy of the table found in that section.


Nomenclature /

Learning Area

Medium of Instruction Per Grade Level

G1 G2 G3 G4 G5 G6 G7-G10

Language Arts

Filipino Filipino

English English

Mother Tongue MT - - - -

Science - - MT English

Mathematics MT English

AP MT Filipino

EPP/TLE - - - Filipino English

MAPEH MT Filipino English

EsP MT Filipino

The highlighted part of the table shows that Filipino and English will be taught as it is. As

I received a copy of DepEd Order No. 74, s. 2009 from my current professor, I noticed one

conflicting implementation guideline between DO No. 74 and DO No. 31 with regards the MOI in

teaching English and Filipino. DO No. 74 states that “L1 shall be the main vehicle to teach

understanding and mastery of all subject areas like Math, Science, Makabayan, and language

subjects like Filipino and English” (2009). However, DO No. 31 provides us with this table

explicitly declaring that the MOI in teaching Filipino and English will not be the learner’s mother

tongue, it will still be taught using Filipino and English. It seems that DepEd officials were half-

asleep while constructing the implementation guidelines of DO No. 31 that they fail to consult

DO No. 74, a significant component of MTB-MLE.

Firth McEachern, an educational consultant and multilingualism expert in La Union, also

questioned DepEd’s move of neglecting the significant role of one’s L1 in leaning an L2 and L3.

He reported that “after coming back from the mass Grade 1 regional training a week ago, the

teachers informed [him] that they were told to teach English and Filipino "as is", that is, not to

use the mother tongue.” However, he also noticed that the PowerPoint presentations used by

the DepEd officials to introduce the English curriculum to teachers noted that the mother tongue

will be used for all domains across all quarters of Grade 1 English (McEachern, 2012). The

inconsistencies between written documents and oral presentations made by DepEd are clear

indications that the implementation of MTB-MLE is just half-baked.

Realizing these discrepancies on the materials provided by DepEd, I understood why

Mr. McEachern made a big deal out of this slight alteration. From what I learned from my EDL


and EDR professors, a learner’s L1 may facilitate his/her learning of L2, and the results,

according to different researches, are more desirable than engaging the learner to an English-

only policy in schools.

The use of mother tongue in learning a foreign language was an idea conceived during

the latter part of the 21st century. Before, the use of L1 in learning a foreign language was

considered one of the many myths of language learning. Majority of the linguists and teachers

believed back then that a child’s L1 hindered his/her learning of L2. Because of this, language

teachers will be using the Direct Method in teaching a new language, that is, immersing the

learners to the target language to attain comprehension through demonstrations and visuals

(Krajka, 2004). Language learning during this period was considered, in my own words, one-

dimensional since classrooms were filled only with the teacher’s intimidating and peculiar voice.

However, different researches from linguists, such as Jims Cummins, the proponent of the

Interdependence Theory, provide us with empirical evidences that L1 really facilitates the

learning of L2. Basically, using the mother tongue in learning a foreign language enables the

learners to be involved in the process. What it creates is an interactive rapport between the

teacher and the learners, thus, providing a conducive environment which makes language

teaching and learning possible and less challenging. Throughout the years, researches have

been done in the academe to further reinforce our present notion that mother tongue helps in

learning a foreign language. Some of the significant results of these researches are the

following:

In 1993, Auerbuch stated that the mother tongue aids in “classroom

management, language analysis, presenting rules that govern grammar,

discussing cross-cultural issues, giving instructions or prompts, explaining

errors, and checking for comprehension” (Tang, 2002). It “allows for language

to be used as a meaning-making tool and for language learning to become a

means of communicating ideas rather than an end in itself” (Hoang, Jang &

Yang, 2010).

In 1998, Dörnyei and Kormos found that the L1 is used by L2 learners as a

communication strategy to compensate for deficiencies in the target language

(Tang, 2002).

According to Macias, the “use of code-switching [L1 and L2] enhanced

instruction not only by ensuring understanding and two-way communication


between teachers and students but also by building rapport with and self-

esteem on the part of students” (Hoang, Jang & Yang, 2010).

Many linguists deemed L1 translations as the most favorable among a variety

of methods in teaching foreign language since this is said to be “clear, short,

and familiar” (____).

Krashen discussed that using L1 in learning a foreign language “can be

endowed with comprehensible input” (Yigzaw & Beshir, 2012).

Miles also argued that the use of L1 compensates the teacher’s weaknesses

in using L2. As a non-native speaker, teachers are still susceptible to

committing errors using his/her L2 (____).

The use of mother tongue in teaching and learning second and third languages, in the

Philippines’ case, Filipino and English, is what I am yearning as a future English teacher. The

use of L1 in teaching L2 and L3 helps the students in understanding a concept or a word from

L2 or L3 easily. A teacher can easily convey a concept by relating it to the culture of the

learners. It reduces the learner’s anxiety and frustration due to linguistic barriers imposed by the

target language. What we desire are for these learners to be competent enough in using the

target language, and we can achieve this by using their mother tongue in teaching the basics of

the target language/s.

I started coming back to my senses, but the questions asked earlier were still boggling

my mind. An epiphany emerged as I came back to the real world: the English-only policy is

already a thing of the past. Its impact as an educational strategy has been questioned since

then. Exposure of a language is not enough for a typical Filipino learner to acquire a language.

What they need to see and to discover is the cultural significance of the foreign or second

language to their own life. Through MTB-MLE, Filipino children are given the chance to see the

language prism through their own eyes. I am just hoping that the authorities behind MTB-MLE

make sure that the system is well-planned and will work accordingly for the betterment of the

quality of Philippine education.


References and Works Cited

Scholarly Articles

Hoang, N. T., Jang, S. H., & Yang, Y. (2010). English-Only Classrooms: Ideology versus

Reality. Australian Association for Research in Education. Retrieved June 2012, from

http://www.aare.edu.au/10pap/1755HoangJangYang.pdf

Krajka, J. (2004). Your Mother Tongue does Matter! Translation in the Classroom and on the

Web. Journal of Teaching English with Technology, 4(4). Retrieved June 2012, from

http://www.tewtjournal.org/VOL%204/ISSUE%204/05_YOURMOTHETONGUE.pdf

Tang, J. (2002). Using L1 in the English Classroom. English Teaching Forum Magazine.

Retrieved June 2012, from

http://exchanges.state.gov/englishteaching/forum/archives/docs/02-40-1-h.pdf

Yigzaw, A., & Beshir, M. (2012). Frequency, Purpose and Application of Using Amharic in

Teaching English in Bahir Dar General Elementary Schools. Ethiopian Journal of

Education and Sciences, 6(2). Retrieved June 2012, from

http://www.ju.edu.et/ejes/sites/default/files/Frequency,%20purpose%20and%20Applicati

on.pdf

Online Forum

McEachern, F. (2012, June 8). Surprise elements of the MLE component in K12. Message

posted to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DILA/message/25002

Government Document

Department of Education. (2009). Institutionalizing Mother-Tongue Based Multilingual Education

(MLE) (DepEd Order No. 74, s. 2009). Pasig City: DepEd Complex.

Department of Education. (2009). Policy Guidelines on the Implementation of Grades 1 to 10 of

the K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Effective School Year 22012-2013

(DepEd Order No. 31, s. 2012). Pasig City: DepEd Complex.

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