Unit 2: LANGUAGE-IN-EDUCATION POLICY
Lesson 1: Understanding Language-in-Education Policy.
LEARNING GOALS
At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
1. Analyze How Language Policy Components Affect Education
2. Activity ni diri
3. Appreciate the Role of Language Diversity in Education.
A. Language Policy
A language policy is a body of ideas, laws, regulations, rules, and practices intended to achieve
the planned language change in the societies, group, or system.
5 Components of Language Policy:
[Link]
2. Regulations
3. Rule
4. Practices
5. Laws
3 "Interrelated, but Interdependent" components of Language Policy
1. Language Practices/Ecology nakasanayan na natin at pinipili natin gamitin (we have choice)
2. Language Beliefs/ Ideology kung ano yung paniniwala na mg ana dapat gamitin sa isang
lugar yun yung gagamitin na language
3. Language Management/ Planning sila yung may control required rules of their participants
(wala tayong choice)
Language Policy is the legislation on the practices pertaining to the use of languages in a
society.
Many countries have language policy designed to protect and promote regional ethnic
languages which viability is threaten. Any nation has legal basis/legal mandates on the
implementation of rules in using a language
It is important that we have legal basis when we implement to use a specific language.
Example: Wikang Pambansa - It has legal basis before it was implemented
B. Language Policy in Education.
The roles of language policy and language practice and use in education have been regarded to
influence the efficacy of teaching and learning in the school setting.
Language is a critical tool that is used for the purposes of communication. Through it, we probe
and elucidate various situations that we come across in our daily interactions. At the center of
the education system is the language policy in education which dictates the language used in
disseminating knowledge at varied levels,
The legislation on the practices pertaining to the languages or medium of instruction and
languages of literacy used in basic education.
Language Policy as it relates to education cannot be examined in isolation from the
community and the broader social, economic, and political contexts that impact the
provision.
The language policy will affect the language policy of education. Language policy is
always connected to education, it cannot be isolated from each other.
The language policy of the Department of Education (1974, 1987) required the use of two
languages of instruction: Filipino and English
C. Language Policy and Planning
National governments and regional agencies such as ASEAN or the European Union, determine
language policies, determine which languages will be used for what purposes, including
deciding on the language in education policy.
How we are going to improve our education system in terms of medium of instruction.
Philippines is not living alone and not isolated from other countries. We have this
association where Philippines is part of it. When they talk about policy in language, we
are part of it. We make decision together with other ASEAN countries.
We are part of their decision in terms of the language policy in education.
D. Types of Language Planning
Corpus Planning - activities such as coining new terms, reforming spelling and adopting a new
script.
The creation of new forms
The modification of old ones, or
The selection from alternative forms in a spoken or written code
Status Planning - the recognition by a national government of the importance or position of one
language in relation to others.
The allocation of languages or language varieties to given functions
Medium of instruction
Official language
Vehicle of mass communication
Language of international communication
etc.
Acquisition Planning - planning directed toward increasing the number of users speakers,
writers, listeners, readers of a language.
Literacy education
Second & foreign language education efforts.
The Fundamental Goal of Language Policy in Education? Why is language policy
important when it comes to education?
Learners will be able to learn in a very effective manner.
Learners will become more competent and skilled
Defining the language or the medium of instruction is the fundamental goal of any
language in education policy
Language is an important tool for communication, we use it to investigate and explain
various situation that arise in our daily interactions
The language policy dictates the language use in disseminating knowledge at various
level is at the heart of educational system
“The Language policy is at the heart of education system”
Filipino and English shall be use as Media/Medium of Instruction
The use allocated the specific subjects in curriculum as indicated in DECS order number
25
Department of Education Culture and Sports (DECS)
The policy was first implemented in 1974 when DECS issued Dept. Order No. 25, s.
1974 tided, "Implementing Guidelines for the Policy on Bilingual Education."
Bilingual Education in the Philippines is defined operationally as the separate use of
Filipino and English as the media of instruction in specific subject areas.
As embodied in the DECS Order No. 25, Pilipino (changed to Filipino in 1987) shall be
used as medium of instruction in social studies/social sciences, music, arts, physical
education, home economics, practical arts, and character education.
Filipino –
o social studies/social sciences (Araling Panlipunan)
o music
o arts
o physical education
o home economics
o practical arts
o character education
English –
o science
o mathematics
o technology subjects
Linguistic Diversity results to a long list of problems. Vital questions like “in what language will
the instruction be delivered”
Language in education policies primary concerned is to decide on the medium of instruction that
will be use in school. Specifically, language in education policies addresses these issues.
1. What languages should be use in schools?
2. When do we start teaching these languages to the children?
3. How long these languages should be taught? How many years?
4. Who are qualified to teach these languages?
5. Who should learn these languages?
6. How will it be taught?
What do you think are the main challenges in dealing with linguistically diverse or multilingual
class and what to teachers do to overcome these challenges?
Address the need of every student.
Always be ready to adjust in order to address the needs of every student.
The first move that you will do if the students do not understand the language?
Rephrase your questions into a simpler form. Do not use hifalutin words (deep words)
Use simple words
Always remember that as a teacher always be kind and supportive.
Take every learner as he/she is unique complex multi facade individual who brings their
knowledge, skills, and cultural understanding to the learning situation
Value all the learners. You have to value their languages equally; no languages should be left
out. You
have to propose clear and realistic goals to ensure that learners will understand it.
REFERENCES
Department of Education (DepEd). (1987). Order No. 25, s. 1974: Implementing Guidelines
for the Policy on Bilingual Education. Department of Education, Philippines.
Gonzalez, A. (1998). The Language Planning Situation in the Philippines. Journal of
Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 19(5), 487–525.
[Link]
Nolasco, R. M. (2008). Training Teachers on Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education
(MTB-MLE): Lessons from Lubuagan. Department of Education & Summer Institute of
Linguistics.
SEAMEO INNOTECH. (2012). Language-in-Education Policies and Their Implementation
in Southeast Asia: Case Studies from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.
SEAMEO Regional Center for Educational Innovation and Technology.
UNESCO. (2003). Education in a Multilingual World. Paris: UNESCO. Retrieved from
[Link]
Tupas, T. R. F. (2015). Inequalities of multilingualism: Challenges to mother tongue-
based multilingual education. Language and Education, 29(2), 112–124.
[Link]
MEMBERS
Fiona Rochelle M. Buday
Heron Gordolan
Ricca Joy Tambalangon
