KAUNTING TUWÂ,

MARAMING LUHÀ:
SAVING OUR INDIGENOUS
LANGUAGES IN SCHOOLS
RICARDO MA. DURAN NOLASCO
UP DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS
rnolascoupdiliman@gmail.com
 SAVING OUR
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES
IN SCHOOLS,
SAVING PHILIPPINE
EDUCATION
RICARDO MA. DURAN NOLASCO
UP DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS
rnolascoupdiliman@gmail.com
 What is a strong MTB-MLE
program?
A genuine MTB-MLE policy, applied to
Philippine conditions, develops L1
proficiency among learners, adds the two
L2s (Filipino and English), and promotes
the learner’s L1 and L2s throughout
basic and higher education. It is
therefore an additive L1/L2 system, not a
subtractive L1 to L2 system.
UNESCO, 2007
Sec 4, paragraph 5, RA 10533
Basic education shall be
delivered in languages
understood by (the) leaners
as (the) language plays a
strategic role in the
formative years of learners.
 Sec. 4, paragraph 6, RA 10533
For kindergarten and the first
three (3) years of elementary
education, instruction,
learning materials and
assessment shall be in the
regional or native language of
the learners.
Sec. 4, paragraph 6, RA 10533
The Department of Education shall
formulate a mother language
transition program from Grade 4 to
Grade 6 so that Filipino and English
shall be gradually introduced as
languages of instruction until such
time when these two (2) languages
can become the primary languages
of instruction at the secondary level.
 Section 5 (f) on Curriculum
Development, RA 10533
n  The curriculum shall adhere to the
principles and framework of MTB-MLE
which starts from where the learners are
and from what they already know
proceeding from the known to the
unknown; instructional materials and
capable teachers to implement the MTB-
MLE curriculum shall be available.
 Section 5, (h) on Curriculum
development
The curriculum shall be flexible
enough to enable and allow
schools to localize, indigenize and
enhance the same based on their
respective educational and social
contexts.
 Section 5, (h) on Curriculum
Development

The production and development of

locally produced teaching
materials shall be encouraged and
approval of these materials shall
devolve to the regional and
division education units.
 L1 Based Multilingual Education as
an Additive L1/L2 system

Chart concept by Dennis Malone Source: SIL International

DO 31, series of 2012 and
reiterated in DO 31, series of 2013
DO no. 21, s. 2019, no. 13
Learning Areas, G1-3, DO 21
Learning Areas Gr. 4-6, DO 21
What does international research
say on “early exit” programs?

(a) Children need at least 12 years to

learn their L1;

(b) Older children (10-12 yrs. old)

are better L2 learners than younger
children;
 What does the international research
say on “early exit” programs?
(c) It takes 6-8 years of strong L2
teaching before the L2 can successfully
be used as MOI; and

(d) Premature L2 use can lead to low

achievement in literacy, science and
math.
 L1 Based Multilingual Education as
an Additive L1/L2 system

Chart concept by Dennis Malone Source: SIL International

USAID PhilEd Data: EGRA Results 2013
 USAID PhilEd Data: EGRA
Results 2013
n  The 2013 results showed that Filipino and
English reading performance were nearly
equivalent (close to 70%) in terms of
fluency, decoding and accuracy of reading
words in isolation. Comprehension scores,
however, differed widely. Eighty percent
(80%) of comprehension queries (attempted)
were answered correctly by 67% of children
reading in Filipino, compared to only 18% of
children reading in English.
 USAID PhilEd Data: EGRA
Results 2013
n  “A key question at the grade 3 level is
whether, in either language, children
are ready to read to learn in the more
cognitively complex forms of the
language used in subject areas like
science and mathematics, and whether
they are prepared to do so through
independent study as well as classroom
instruction”
 USAID PhilEd Data: EGRA
Results 2013
n  . The results of this study raise important
doubts about whether the reading skills of
grade 3 students are strong enough to “read
to learn” in grade 4 and beyond. What is clear
is that multilingual education goals of the
curriculum are very ambitious and will require
a great deal of highly contextualized language
input, in a language-rich environment,
supported by trained teachers throughout the
primary grades.” (Underscoring supplied)
 2015 USAID “Follow-On”
Report
n  “Overall, the 2015 survey shows that for the
most part, slow progress is being made, both
in implementing MTB-MLE and in improving
student performance in their mother tongues.
Much progress is still needed. Teachers must
have and use MTB-MLE materials and they
must use classroom time more productively by
focusing more on the instructional practices
that engage students in reading and reading-
related exercises.”
BASA PILIPINAS: 2013-2018
BASA PILIPINAS:2013-2018
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
1. What were the actual patterns of
n 

student literacy acquisition across MT,

Filipino and English from Grades 1 to 3?

n  2. Was there a difference in Filipino

fluency in Grade 3 among students with
different Mother Tongues?
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
n  3. Was MT performance in Grade I
predictive of Filipino and English
perfomance in higher grades?
4. Is the MTB-MLE policy’s mandated
transition from MT to Filipino and English as
languages of instruction in higher grades
appropriately timed, given students' relative
skills in each language?
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015

n  A sample of 245 students was tracked from

Grades 1 through 3 in 15 schools in Cebu
(Sinugbuanong Binisaya MT), Ilocos Norte
and Ilocos Sur (Ilokano MT) and Laguna
(Tagalog MT, which is linguistically similar
to Filipino). Students' oral reading fluency
in their MT, Filipino and English was
assessed annually using EGRA_
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
n Key Findings:
(1) Most students were not proficient by Grade
3. Reading proficiency was defined as being
able to read a text at a language-specific rate
(50 words correct per minute [wcpm] for the
MTs, 40 wcpm for Filipino, 60 wcpm for
English and with 80% comprehension).
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
(2) Results revealed that the rate at which
students acquired reading proficiency in
Filipino was much slower than in MT, and
most were not reading proficiently Filipino by
Grade 3. English reading proficiency
increased considerably from Grades 2 to 3 for
students in all study regions, but remained
below proficiency for most students.
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
(3) Tagalog MT students increasingly
outperformed non-Tagalog MT students in
Filipino. The Filipino Linguistic similarity
between Tagalog and Filipino seems to
give Tagalog MT speakers a sustained
advantage over speakers of other MTs.
Further analysis showed a strong literacy
foundation in a student's MT was
associated with higher Filipino and English
proficiency.
 BASA PILIPINAS: MTB-MLE
POLICY RESEARCH STUDY, 2015
n  Overall, students may not yet be ready for the
language instruction shift by Grade 4. Findings
suggest that expectations for learners to develop
trilingual fluency by Grade 3 are high and students
would likely benefit from continuing in their MT.
Strategies are needed to help prepare non-Tagalog
MT learners improve their Filipino reading
proficiency so they can transition to Filipino-based
instruction at a pace comparable to their Tagalog
MT peers.
Where have all the
good teachers
gone? (or were
they ever there?
2012 TEPT and PST
USAID PhilEd Data: EGRA Results 2013
“The results of this study raise important
doubts about whether the reading skills of
grade 3 students are strong enough to “read
to learn” in grade 4 and beyond. What is
clear is that multilingual education goals of
the curriculum are very ambitious and will
require a great deal of highly contextualized
language input, in a language-rich
environment, supported by trained teachers
throughout the primary grades.”
Teacher’s Mean Peformance
in the TEPT (Total Country)
TEACHERS’ MEAN PERFORMANCE
IN THE PST (Total Country)
 TEPT, PST: 2013 AND 2015
n  In 2013, it was the Grade 3 and 4 teachers’ turn to
take the tests. The performance of this batch
(totaling 99,963) showed little qualitative
improvement from that of Grade 1 and 2 teachers
the previous year. Over-all scores of Grade 3 and 4
teachers averaged a moderate 54.69 for TEPT while
those for PST stood at a low 49.87. In 2015, some
120,000 Grade 5 and 6 teachers took the tests and
scored 58.23% in English and 54.05% in Science
and Math.
PETS-QSDS, 2016
Teacher Development Needs
Study (TDNS), 2017
Teacher Development Needs
Study (TDNS), 2017
 Will increasing the time for English
or making it the exclusive MOI
improve our English?

Large scale research during the last 30 years

has provided compelling evidence that the
critical variable in L2 development in
children is not the amount of exposure,
but the timing and the manner of
exposure.
 The Thomas and Collier Study
(1997)
n  Six school districts scattered around US
n  Optimal versions of six (6) models of BE
n  42,000 students tracked for 11 years
n  Standardized test scores
n  Comparison population – native English
speakers
Summary of findings of
the T and C study (1997)
 Thomas, Wayne P. & Virginia Collier (1997).
School Effectiveness for Language Minority
Students

(a) The first predictor of long-term school

success is the inclusion of cognitively
complex on-grade-level academic instruction
through the student’s first language for as
long as possible (at least through grade 5 or
6). There should also be cognitively
complex on-grade-level academic instruction
through the second language (English) for
part of the school day.
Thomas, Wayne P. & Virginia Collier (1997).
School Effectiveness for Language Minority
Students

(b) The second predictor of long-term

school success is the use of current
approaches to teaching the academic
curriculum through two languages.
(c) The third predictor is a transformed
socio-cultural context for language minority
students’ schooling.
 Are local languages capable of
being used as MOI?
The late Rolando S. Tinio once spoke of a
basic fear among us that our languages
have not yet been developed enough
for use by various “thinkers.” We
forget that the advanced state of the
language of the English language was
reached and created through the efforts
of its users.
 What is to be done?
n  Effective and sustainable MTB-MLE
programs require teachers who are fluent
in speaking, reading and writing in both
their students’ mother tongue and the
official school language.
n  They must learn how to read and write the
local language fluently and serve as good
models to students who must also do the
same.
 What is to be done?
n  MTB-MLE teachers must learn effective
second language acquisition (2LA)
theories, how to apply the theories in the
classroom, and how to use the local
language effectively as the language of
instruction. But these linguistic abilities
must be accompanied by sustained
academic development and mastery of the
subject matter on the part of the teachers.
 What must teachers know about
Philippine type languages?

a) syllable-timed speech rhythm

b) pre-categoriality and affix
dependent word formation
c) predicate-initial word order
d) ergative morpho-syntax
 How has Philippine
morphosyntax been analyzed?
a) Nominative accusative “subject-object”
and “active-passive” constructs are
applicable.
b) Ergative-absolutive - subject is not
meaningful because of patient primacy; what
is important is the most affected entity;
c) None of the above (the "focus" analysis)
NOM-ACC vs. ERG-ABS
English as a nominative-
accusative language
English transitive
(1) Juan loves Maria. (He loves her.)
A P O A P O
English intransitive
(2) Juan/he sleeps.
S P
 Tagalog as an ergative-
absolutive language
(3a.) Sinampal [ni Maria] [si Juan].
P A O
`Maria slapped Juan.’
(4a.) Umiyak [si Juan].
P S
`Juan cried.’
 Earlier studies
Earlier studies used to describe the
Philippine voice system in terms of
categories applicable to English (e.g.
active-passive, subject-object)
Recent studies have shown that the two
systems are incommensurable to each
other, and that the “subject” relation
does not exist in Philippine languages.
 The most affected entity
relation
(6) a. Sinalpok ng álon ang bangkâ. (Tag)
b. Sumalpok ang álon sa bangkâ.
`The wave struck the boat.’ (?The boat
was struck by the wave.)

(7) a. Ginbása ko an libro. (Hil)

b. Nagbása ako sang libro.
`I read the/a book.’ (?The/A book was
read by me.)
 The most affected entity
relation
(8) a.Gikaguol nákò ang íyang paglakaw.
(Bis) `I was saddened by his/her
leaving./His leaving saddened me,’
b. Naguol ko sa íyang paglakaw.
`I felt sad when he left’
 Definition of Transitivity in the
Philippine context
a) An intransitive construction is one
where the source of the action is also
the most affected entity, the S.
Example: Sumikat ang araw.
b) The S is marked by the absolutive case
(ang/si)
c) The verb is marked by –um- or m-
 Transitive constructions
a) A transitive construction is one where the
source of the action (A) is distinct from the
most affected entitiy (O).
Ex. Hinawakan ko siya.
b) The A is marked by the ergative case (ng/
ni, han/hi), and the O is marked by the
absolutive case (ang/si, an/hi);
c) Verb is marked by –in/-en,/-on, -an or i-.
Transitivity High Low
Parameters
A. Arguments Distinct A and O Distinct S
B. Kinesis Action State
C. Aspect Telic Atelic
D. Punctuality Punctual Non-punctual
E. Intentionality Deliberate Volitional
F. Particularity Particular General
G. Directionality External Internal
H. Effort Effortful Effortless
I. Affectedness of Fully Affected Partially Affected
“O”
J. Exclusivity Exclusive O Non-Exclusive O
 Research Center for Teacher
Quality (RCTQ)
Philippine Professional Standards for Teachers:
n  This set of standards contains a small number
of indicators (37) in seven (7) domains across
four career stages (beginning, proficient,
highly proficient and distinguished teachers)
that links pre-service and in-service growth.
These standards, when approved by
government, can become the framework of
practice expected of all teachers across career
stages and the basis for hiring, promotion and
rewards;
 Research Center for Teacher
Quality (RCTQ)
n  Using results-based performance
assessment tools for pre-service and in-
service teachers at each career stage;
n  Developing a new pre-service curriculum
that is “outcomes based, compliant with the
K-12 curriculum and linked to teacher
standards”. Most teacher education
institutions are not preparing pre-service
teachers to meet the minimum quality
standard for a beginning teacher; and
 Research Center for Teacher
Quality (RCTQ)
n  Designing professional development
plans based on content test findings
that offer a balanced approach to
content and pedagogy. New practice-
based masters and professional
doctorate programs have to be
reconfigured according to the K-12
curriculum, career stages and teacher
standards.
 L1 Based Multilingual Education as
an Additive L1/L2 system

Chart concept by Dennis Malone Source: SIL International

Conclusion: The tale of the
poisonous frogs
 Selected References:
Action for Economic Reforms & E-Net Philippines (2008). Preliminary notes on
FLEMMS 2008. http://e-netphil.org/main/images/stories/
research_materials/Flemms_Notes _2008.pdf. Retrieved on August 14,
2011.
Alidou, Hassana, Aliou Boly, Birgit Brock-Utne, Yaya Satina Diallo, Kathleen
Heugh and H. Ekkehard Wolff. 2006. Optimizing learning and education in
Africa—the language factor. A stock-taking research on mother tongue and
bilingual education in sub-saharan Africa. Association for the Development
of Education in Africa.
Benito, Nelia. 2014. The 2014 National Conference on the Administration of
the NCAE. Powerpoint presentation.
Department of Education. 2012a. Department Order No. 16, series of 2012.
Guidelines on the implementation of the mother tongue-based multilingual
education (MTB-MLE). February 17, 2012.
Department of Education. 2012b. Department Order No. 31, series of 2012.
Policy guidelines on the implementation ofd Grades 1 to 10 of the K to 12
Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) effective school year 2012-2013. April
17, 2012.
 Selected References:
Department of Education 2013. Department Order No. 31, series of 2013.
Clarifications on the policy guidelines on the implementation of the
language learning areas and their time allotment in Grades 1 and 2 of
the K to 12 Basic Education program. July 16, 2013.
Dutcher, Nadine in collaboration with Richard Tucker. 1994. The use of first
and second languages in education. A review of international
experience. Pacfic Islands discussion paper series no. 1. Washington
D.C.: The World Bank.
Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey. 2008. Retrieved
from http:// www.census.gov.ph/people/education-mass-media.
Gonzales, Andrew, Allan B.I. Bernardo, Ma. Lourdes Bautista and Emy M.
Pascasio. 2000. The social sciences and policy making in language.
Philippine Journal of Linguistics, 31 (2): pp. 27-37.
Felipe, Abraham and Carolina Porio. 2010. Length of school cycle and “quality” of
education. Philippine Education Resarch Journal.
International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). 2005.
TIMSS 2003 Assessment. TIMSS & PIRLS International Study Center, Lynch
School of Education, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA and International
Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), IEA Secretariat,
Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Maayong hapon kaninyo tanan!
Dios ti agngina! Dios mabalos!
Magandang hapon sa inyong
lahat!