MODULE TEACHING ENGLISH IN ELEMENTARY GRADES

CHAPTER 6: ENGLISH IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES

Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
a.) explain the current state of English in the Philippines;
b.) explore the English in the rural areas in the Philippines;
c.) design activities that will help the learners learning English in
elementary grades.

STATE OF ENGLISH IN THE PHILIPPINES

Philippines is recognized globally as one of the largest English-speaking nations

with majority of its population having at least some degree of fluency in the language.
English has always been one of the official languages of the Philippines and is spoken
by more than 14 million Filipinos. It is the language of commerce and law, as well as the
primary medium of instruction in education. Proficiency in the language is also one of
the country’s strengths that has helped drive the economy and even made the
Philippines the top voice outsourcing destination in the world, surpassing India in 2012.
The influx of foreign learners of English is also on the rise due to the relatively more
affordable but quality English as a Second Language (ESL) programs being offered
locally.

However, in a recent roundtable discussion organized by the British Council, key

stakeholders from the government, academe, private, and non-government sectors
acknowledged that even if the Philippines is doing fine in terms of English competency,
concerns on how much of a competitive advantage it still is for the country were raised.
The stakeholders agreed that the country needs to step up its efforts in improving the
teaching and learning of English, developing it as a vital skill of the workforce. This is an
initiative that could potentially strengthen the Philippines' distinct advantage in this part
of the world, particularly with the upcoming ASEAN economic integration.

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GAPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Enhancing the teaching of English in the Philippines presents opportunities for

the country in the area of tourism.

"...We need to address the gap in qualified ESL teachers and the issues around
ensuring the quality of ESL schools."

“To maintain the Philippines’ strength as a major ESL destination, we need to address
the gap in qualified ESL teachers and the issues around ensuring the quality of ESL
schools. This also includes exploring how we can extend incentives to ESL schools and
teachers,” shares Renee Marie Reyes, the Chief of the ESL Market Development Group
under the Department of Tourism (DOT). DOT is encouraging local ESL schools to offer
structured tour packages to ESL learners, the majority of whom come from South
Korea, China, Russia, and Japan, by incorporating English learning activities into the
travel experience.

Other participants from the government sector underscored the need for an interagency
government body to regulate and support ESL provision in the country in order to further
capitalize on its economic potential. Representatives from the academe focused on
teacher training and professional development, highlighting the need for skills in
differentiated instruction, materials development, and knowledge sharing.

Dr. Rosario Alonzo, Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Education, says
that the College ensures this by emphasizing to its students that English is a skill to be
used for communication. Education students focus on learner-centered teaching, and
are taught to ask learners to do meaningful tasks using English.

“Our future teachers should ensure that English is a means of communication, rather
than a set of facts to be learned,” says Dr. Alonzo.

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“Our future teachers should ensure that English is a means of communication, rather
than a set of facts to be learned,” says Dr. Alonzo. In the same way, the Department of
Education focuses on the needs of learners and ensures that they learn the English
language holistically, as specified under the K to 12 basic education framework. There
is also a greater imperative to further build on the English skills of the labour force,
particularly of those in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. “The demand
for BPO services from the Philippines requires more than 1.3 million employees by
2016, which means that 300,000 more new employees need to be hired by next year,”
says Zoe Diaz de Rivera, the QCCI Manager and Master Trainer of the IT and Business
Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP).

Representatives from the private sector also suggested corporate social responsibility
programs to support teacher development, particularly in English language proficiency
in teaching other subjects. They also recommend collaboration between the
government and the private sector to address teacher and student language proficiency
in the outlying communities. The international and development organizations recognize
the same gaps and agree with the recommendations of the other sectors. In addition,
they propose to have a platform for information sharing and communication among
stakeholders to avoid duplicating initiatives. These statements were made amid the
decline of the quality of English in the Philippines while jobs in various industries that
require certain levels of English communication skills are left unfilled. Statistics from the
IBPAP show that today, only eight to 10 individuals are hired for every 100 applicants in
the IT-BPO sector.

Nicholas Thomas, Country Director of the British Council Philippines, says that
developing a wider knowledge of the English language is one of the British Council’s
founding purposes. “Part of our work is to share best practice in the teaching and
learning of English with partner countries all over the world. English has a distinctive
place in the Philippine education system, and retaining high standards of English is
critically important for the country’s economy and future development. We look forward

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to working with partners on more initiatives to support the teaching and learning of
English here,” says Mr. Thomas.

ENGLISH IN THE RURAL AREAS IN THE PHILIPPINES

There is a strong national emphasis on the importance of being able to speak, read and
write English as all good jobs require the proficiency in English. Learning English is
incredibly important and getting off to a good start in elementary school is critical.
Unfortunately, many rural elementary schools even in cities are overcrowded and lack
sufficient textbooks and teaching material. Often, the only classroom equipment
available is a blackboard. Children are often squeezed into small classrooms, and most
schools do not have a library. The teachers at these rural schools by and large are
capable and are incredibly dedicated. Like teachers elsewhere, they often have to use
personal funds to purchase classroom supplies. However, teachers in the Philippines
like those in most other developing countries are not well paid and can ill-afford to use
their own funds. The low salaries and poor working conditions have led many
experienced teachers to quit and work abroad, where salaries are much higher. Some
of the teachers you will work with may not be fully proficient in English, even though
they have good teaching skills; professional development opportunities are very limited
for them. A native English speaking volunteer, who lacks teaching experience, could
team up with that teacher to serve as a language tutor.

HOW CAN STUDENTS LEARN ENGLISH FOR ELEMENTARY LEVEL?

English as a second language must be in stages of learning. Begin with English for
Elementary level and progressing to Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate
and Advanced levels. No other resource does this better than English Club TV or better
known as ECTV. The site is part of the English Club TV group, which is a group of
education, production and distribution companies operating in tandem across the world
specializing in teaching English as a second language. ECTV is a now very popular
educational channel that specializes in teaching English to students of all levels and
ethnicities.

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The site features many programs all of which are tailor-made to meet the requirements
of students of all levels of English comprehension. The site’s uniqueness lies in its two-
fold approach. The first-time visitors are encouraged to take an online self-evaluation
test that determines their current level of English knowledge. Once the assessed
students are categorized and instantly into levels of Elementary, Pre-Intermediate,
Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate and Advanced levels based on the results of this
online test, the site offers a multitude of programs categorized according to these levels
and aimed at improving student’s English comprehension along each of the levels.

The entry level to the site is the Elementary level, also known as A1. It covers four
primary modules; Listening Skills, Speaking Skills, Vocabulary Expansion and
Grammar. Each level has a series of English video lessons specially designed as “TV
shows” and are episodic in nature, centering on current affairs and day to day
interactions.

Students interested in improving their Listening Skills and Vocabulary enhancement can
do so by watching the famous ECTV programs. These English programs offered as a
series of post episode tasks and glossaries make sure students have fully understood
each episode. For anyone who want to improve their grammar and skills of speaking
and listening, and address the issues faced in Speaking Skills and Grammar there are a
range of programs. It includes the famous “E-lab” series, “Say it Right” and “Perfect
English”. Each of these episodes is designed specifically to teach pronunciation,
phraseology, lexicology and vocabulary.

The presentation of these programs on the site is always in the news or documentary
format. It makes these English video lessons unique, enjoyable and easily
understandable, thereby making them the perfect learning tool for English for
Elementary level students.

E-LAB- SURVIVAL ENGLISH

In this program Chris Shaw, the presenter of «Survival English», focuses on the type of
English you would need during emergencies. To make his point, he pretends to be ill
and explains to the viewers’ how to act in a situation when someone needs help. Apart

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from that, Chris invites an English teacher and a group of students. Standing in a circle
around a huge screen, the young people watch educational videos related to
emergency situations. All the difficult words are displayed on the screen. After the
lesson students answer the questions related to the topic.

Watching this program, you will improve your grammar and learn medical terms.
Moreover, you will get to know, how to act during an unexpected event.

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For more knowledge about E-lab Series please check the link provided:
https://tv-english.club/upper-intermediate-b2-en/e-lab-survival-english-b2-en/

SAY IT RIGHT

The Ultimate ESL Board Game

Say it Right teaches students to speak English Properly and to learn from their
mistakes.

How to play is simple:

-Two Teams X vs. O

-Students choose a verb

-Students draw a sentence card( +, -, y/n?, Wh-?)

-Students speak a sentence out loud with the proper subject, verb, tense, and time
expression.

-Teachers judge whether or not the sentence is correct or incorrect by saying "Good
English!" or "Incorrect."

-If the sentence is correct Team X or O may place their card on the verb square.

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-Connect 4 X's or O's in a row and win!

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For more knowledge about E-lab Series please check the link provided:
https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/say-it-right

FIVE EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

Teaching English is no easy feat. With a variety of different skill levels in every
classroom, teachers must employ effective strategies that allow each student to learn
the material. Whether the class focuses on literature, grammar, or language skills, these
teaching strategies will come in handy for many English teachers.

VOCABULARY BUILDING –This is an important component of any English class. This

strategy focuses a portion of each classroom session on building a better vocabulary.
Teachers can ask students to point out unfamiliar words and go over the meanings in
class or use interactive vocabulary-building exercises that relate to the class’s reading
material.

WRITER’S WORKSHOP –Have students participate in a writer’s workshop several

times each year. The writing workshop model created by Lucy Calkins, founder of the
Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, allows students to learn about and
participate in all aspects of the writing process: drafting, revision, editing and publishing.

PEER RESPONSE AND EDITING –This can be a very valuable teaching strategy for
both the teacher and the student, and there are many peer response strategies to try in
class. Students get a chance to think critically about others’ writing and see the results
their classmates got from a writing assignment. In addition, teachers can observe how
different students learn and what strategies might work better in the future.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING –This learning strategy is useful for English teachers who
incorporate literature into their classroom. Cooperative learning requires students to
discuss a piece of literature in small groups. By allowing the students to engage in
meaningful discussion, they begin to learn to analyze literature and participate in an

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educational process that they will find more interesting than a general lecture on a
chapter in a book.

STUDENT-CHOSEN TEXTS –Allowing students to choose their own reading materials

is a strategy that literacy specialists recommend as a way to develop lifelong readers.
Students are given a choice of literature from an age- and reading level-appropriate
book collection. After a period of independent reading, students break into groups and
discuss what they’ve read, book club-style, followed by journaling. When this strategy is
successful, students are able to delve deeply into the meaning of the literature, develop
critiquing skills, and have a valuable discussion with their classmates about the book
that they chose. Teachers who use this strategy finds that it can lead to a classroom
that is engaged with literature.

Depending on the grade level taught and the type of material assigned based on the
curriculum plan; English teachers will have to try one or more of the above strategies to
make their classroom work. The same strategy may not work from year to year, and
teachers may find that while one strategy works for one teacher, it does not work in their
classroom. English teachers who are flexible and willing to experiment with teaching
strategies are sure to find a winning formula.

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