What is the meaning and importance of contextualization and localization in teaching

and learning process? specifically in this educational system? Explain your answers.

Contextualization and Localization

  One of the characteristics and nature of education is being dynamic. Education

is not a static but a dynamic process  which develops learners according to changing
situations and times, and this can be also seen in the new K-12 curriculum. In this
program, and in our education today, there are new approaches and highlighted in the
learning and teaching process, and examples of these are the contextualization and
localization contextualization and localization that makes the learning and teaching
highly effective.

Contextualization refers to the educational process of relating the curriculum to a

particular setting, situation or area of application to make the competencies relevant,
meaningful, and useful to all learners. It helps in developing new skills, knowledge,
abilities and attitudes in students representing the subject matter in meaningful and
relevant context. In our everyday lives, we appreciate the effects of contextualization –
behaving in one way in one situation, while using another set of behaviors in a different
context – although we may not be actively conscious of it. The use of contextualization
of content is supported by the three principles. For the first principle, prior knowledge, it
has been shown that instruction with contextualized content can activate learners' prior
knowledge and promote more effective problem solving. For the second principle,
promoting conceptual change, contextualization of content in interactive classroom
engagement activities that motivates students with a concept's relevance can improve
learning. For the third principle, promoting meta cognition, contextualization of content
helps students reflect on their learning to bridge ideas from a familiar concrete context
of an abstract concept so they can recognize their own personal relationship to these
concepts. In the part of teachers and learners, this is also important because as stated,
we can say that it helps the two sides to improve. Learning takes place here when the
teachers are able to present information in such a way that students are able to
construct meaning based on their own experiences. By also creating assessments in
context can help to guide teachers to replicate real world experiences and make
necessary inclusive design decisions, and can give them a stronger profile on how the
intended learning goals, standards and benchmarks fit the curriculum. On the part of
students, it help them relate to the world they live in improve their motivation, learning,
and persistence. Some of the reasons why it should be used in classroom because it
makes learning relevant, it engages and motivates hard-to-reach students, increases
learner confidence and enthusiasm, and enhances interest in long-term goals and
education.

Localization meanwhile involves adapting the curriculum to local conditions and

relating learning content specified in the curriculum to local information and materials in
the learners' community. It can also refers to the process of taking educational
resources developed for one context and adapting them for other contexts. These
contexts can, for example, be geographical, pedagogical, political, or technical. The
practice of localization encompasses more than the translation of materials into a local
language or swapping a photo to reflect a culture. It allows learning to become more
meaningful and relevant. It supports policy formulation and standard setting for reform
of the curriculum and the impact of this on teacher skills and knowledge. Localization
involves the use of local materials both as the subject and object of instruction. That is
why no matter where teachers live or what they teach, when they modify open and
freely shared materials for own use, they are localizing the materials. The reasons why
educators and learners localize materials, is to address a particular teaching style or
learning style, to adapt for a different grade level, to adapt for a different discipline, to
adjust for a different learning environment, to address diversity needs, to address a
cultural preference, to support a specific pedagogical need, and to address either a
school or a district’s standardized curriculum. Contextualization and localization in
teaching also involves graphic organizers which links language and content concept
mapping which help students visualize how ideas are connected load charge which
graphically depict the series of events actions or decisions and idea builders which
create a concept for introduction and clarifying contextualization and localization in
teaching also calls for a strategy in brainstorming for students to become active learners
the think-pair-share model of group discussion game strategy for learning new
vocabulary interviews and surveys model making and interactive engagements using
hand on learning activities and experiences that this is essential the teachers utilize the
strategies in the contextualization and localization of teaching.

The concept of these two falls on the idea that students learned best when
experienced in the classroom have meanings and relevance in their lives. Things
students do and associated with them are the learning that lasts forever. Applying the
rule for learning by doing, applied to learn, and manipulative learning is also a must in
executing localization and contextualization in teaching. If students were put in an actual
learning environment letting them manipulate, relate, and adapt to various learning
opportunities and resources available within the locality or community, profound
learning will be assured and realized. It helps teachers and students comprehend
concepts by relating and presenting a lesson in the context of the prevailing local
environment, culture, and resources. Hence, lessons are becoming more real-life,
customized, and appropriate. That is why teachers should be adaptive and creative in
using localization and contextualization in teaching. Such principles were made and
adapted in the academe to make the curriculum responds, conforms, reflects, and be
flexible to the needs of the learners, especially the 21st-century learners who need to be
holistically and skillfully developed. Yes, it is true that sometimes we understand more
the concepts by relating them to ideas that we can easily comprehend, appreciate, and
relate in our lives, but the standards of quality and relevant education should always be
considered all the times and should not be compromised just for the sake of the
localized and contextualized lesson.
De Lara, K. A. (2017). Contextualization and localization: acceptability of the developed activity sheets in
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Pinoliad, E. (2021). Contextualization in Teaching Short Stories: Students’ Interest and

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