Mother Tongue

Multilingual
Education
(MTB-MLE)
Ms. Quennie N.
Bandalaria
At the end of this module, the learner
should be able to:
● Explain the important insights and reasons of
multilingual education in making education more
responsive to cultural diversity.
● Appreciate the value of using his/her own mother tongue
in dealing with any classroom situations, and
● Simulate different classroom situation using their own
mother tongue.

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Basic Terminologies 
● Mother tongue – means one’s native language, the
language learned by children and passed from one
generation to the next.
● Language – is the expression of ideas by means of
speech-sounds combined into words.
●  L1 – 1st Language
● L2 – 2nd Language

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Basic Terminologies 
● Bilingualism – the ability to use two languages. 
● Multilingualism – the ability to use two or more
languages. 
● Diversity – the inclusion of different types of people in a
group.
● Literacy – the ability to read and write.

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What is Language?   Language includes:
● Speech
● Symbols
●  system of conventional spoken, manual, ● Written characters
or written symbols by means of which ● Gestures
human beings, as members of a social ● Numerals
group and participants in its culture, ● Expressions of non- verbal communication
express themselves. 
● Language is the foundation of every ● According to Sapir- Whorf Hypothesis
culture. language does more than simply describe
● It is an abstract system of word meaning reality, it also serves to shape the reality of a
and symbols for all aspects of culture. culture.

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UNESCO’s Principles on Language And
Education 
● Developing a writing system for a hitherto unwritten language often has an
educational purpose – whether to record and transmit local history and
knowledge to the next generation, to use the language in formal schooling,
or to facilitate adult literacy acquisition.
● The educational use of a language depends, except in the most informal
settings, on a written form which can be employed in learning. United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

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UNESCO’s Three (3)
Principles Of
Education In
Multilingual World
UNESCO’s Three (3) Principles Of
Education In Multilingual World 
● Principle 1: UNESCO supports mother tongue instruction as a
means of improving educational quality by building upon the
knowledge and experience of the learners and teachers.
● Principle 2: UNESCO supports bilingual and/or multilingual
education at all levels of education as a means of promoting both
social and gender equality and as a key element on linguistically
diverse societies. 
● Principle 3: UNESCO supports language as an essential
component of intercultural education in order to encourage
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Mother Tongue Based-
Multilingual Education 

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UNESCO’s Three (3) Principles Of
Education In Multilingual World 
● MLE refers to “first-language-first” education, that is schooling which
begins in the mother tongue and transitions to additional languages.
● MLE is the use of more than two languages for literacy and
instruction. It starts from where the learners are, and from what they
already know. This means learning to read and write in their first
language or L1, and also teaching subjects like mathematics,
science, health, and social studies in the L1.

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PURPOSE OF MTB-MLE
●   To develop appropriate cognitive and reasoning skills enabling
children to operate equally in different languages – starting in the
mother tongue with transition to Filipino and then English and to
preserve the Philippine cultural treasure as well.

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PURPOSE OF MTB-MLE
● The languages considered by DepEd in its MTB-MLE
implementation
1. Iloko 7. Hiligaynon
2. Pangasinan 8. Cebuano
3. Kapampangan 9. Meranao
4. Tagalog 10. Chavacano
5. Bikol 11. Maguindanaon
6. Waray 12. Tausug
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What is the importance of teaching
mother tongue as a subject in school?
● It will preserve our country’s cultural treasure.
● Provides learners with a strong educational foundation in the first
language in terms of instruction.
● It is a stepping stone in achieving the aims of education as well as
the goal of functional literacy.

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Benefits of MTB-MLE
● Reduced drop-out
● Reduced repetition
● Children are attending school.
● Children are learning.
● Parents and community are involved

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If MTB-MLE is not used, there will be:
● A loss of confidence of the learners.
● Inability to learn the official school language well.
● High repetition and drop-out rates.
● Alienation from heritage language and culture, from parents and
community.
● Loss of languages, cultures and of knowledge systems.

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Typical MLE Programs

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 “Strong Foundation”
Research shows that children
whose early education is in the
language of their home tend to
do better in the later years of
their education (Thomas and
Collier, 1997).

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 ““Strong Bridge”
An essential difference
between MLE programs and
rural “mother tongue
education” programs is the
inclusion of a guided transition
from learning through the
mother tongue to learning
through another tongue.
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Stages of anMLE
Program

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 A widespread understanding of MLE Programs
suggests that instruction takes place in the
following stages.
● Stage I – Learning takes place entirely in the child’s home language.
● Stage II – Building fluency in the mother tongue. Introduction of oral
L2.
● Stage III – Building oral fluency in L2.
Introduction of literacy in L2.
● Stage IV – Using both L1 and L2 for life long learning.

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● MLE proponents stress that the L2 acquisition component is seen as
a “two-way” bridge, such that learners gain the ability to move back
and forth between their mother tongue and the other tongue(s),
rather than simply a transitional literacy program where reading
through the mother tongue is abandoned at some stage in the
education.

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When will children start learning Filipino and
English?

As they develop a strong foundation in their L1, children are gradually

introduced to the official languages, Filipino and English, as a separate
subjects, first orally, then in the written form.

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When will children start learning Filipino and
English?

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The most important features of this process
are :
● Education begins with what the learners already know, building on
the language and culture, language and experience that they bring
with them when they start school.
● Learners gradually gain confidence in using the new (official)
language, before it becomes the only language for teaching
academic subjects; and
● Learners achieve grade level competence in each subject because
teachers use their own language, along with the official school
language to help them understand the academic concepts. The most
important features of this process are that:

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Does MLE only involve
changing the language of
instruction and translating the
materials into the local
languages?

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MLE is an innovative approach to learning. Apart from
programming the use of several languages, it also involves
the following:
a. The development of good curricula.
b. The training of good teachers in the required languages, content
and methodology.
c. The production of good teaching materials.
d. The empowerment of the community.

MLE will not work when one simply changes the language by
translating existing materials into the local language.

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 What kind of learners does MLE intend to
produce?
Multi-literate Multilingual Multi-cultural
They can live and work
They can read and write They can use these harmoniously with people of
competently in the local languages in various cultural backgrounds that are
language, the national situations and different from their own, they
language, and one or more interactions for learning are comfortable living and
languages of wider in school. working with people from
communication such as outside their community while
English. maintaining their love and
respect for their home culture
and community.

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What specific weaknesses in the Philippine
educational system does MLE seek to
address?
MLE seeks to specifically address
the high functional illiteracy of
Filipinos where language plays a
significant factor.

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Why use the other tongue or the L1 in
school?
●  One’s own language enables a child to express him/herself
easily, as there is no fear of making mistakes.
● MLE encourages active participation by children in the
learning process because they understand what is being
discussed and what is being asked of them.
● Children can immediately use the L1 to construct and explain
their world, articulate their thoughts and add new concepts to
what they already know.

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But our children already know their
language. Why still learn it in school? 
● What we and our children know is the conversational language in
their everyday variety used for daily interaction. Success in school
depends on the academic and intellectualized language needed to
discuss more abstract concepts. According to studies, it takes one to
three years to learn the institutional language, but four to seven
years to master the academic language under well resourced
conditions.

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Is it costly to practice MLE?
● Contrary to popular belief, L1-based education may actually cost
less than a system that is based on L2.
● If we consider the money wasted on drop- outs, repeaters, and
failures, as well as the added costs, studies show that L2-based
education systems are more costly than L1 systems.
● A Guatemalan study, for instance, showed that it is more
expensive to produce a grade level passer (in Grades 1 to 6) in a
Spanish medium school ($6,013) than in a Mayan school
($4,496).

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Educationa
l
Implication
s
● The learner must be exposed to meaningful use of the
L2 outside the classroom situations. The meaningful
exposure which comes from:
○ Meaningful reading in a variety of genres
○ Focusing on the language itself – how it works, how
it is used
○ Using the language orally and in writing

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● The learner must be exposed to meaningful use of the
L2 outside the classroom situations. The meaningful
exposure which comes from:
○ Meaningful reading in a variety of genres
○ Focusing on the language itself – how it works, how
it is used
○ Using the language orally and in writing

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