Developing a Curriculum Model for the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education in a Local Government of the Philippines (Case Study of Lucero Elementary School)

Abstract

In 2009, the Department of Education of the Philippines issued Memorandum Order No. 74 stating the use of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MLE). The issuance of this memorandum aimed to promote the cognitive development of the learners. This study was conducted in order to develop a model for the institutionalization of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education. Specifically, this study attempted to answer the following questions: 1) what language is being used by the learners in-school and off-school settings­? 2) How do teachers select the language used in teaching the different subject areas to suit the need of the learners? 3) What curriculum model did the teachers use in teaching the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education? The designed model is envisioned to guide teachers and administrators in promoting lesson study in various subject areas. This study made use of mixed method of educational research, and was conducted in Lucero Elementary School, Bolinao Pangasinan, Philippines for the school year 2011-2012. The researchers observed classes from Kindergarten to Grade 3. The study is limited to class observation and document analysis. The teachers made use of the spiral and concentric curriculum models to help the learners understand the concepts. Teachers developed their lesson using the cooperative lesson planning approach. It was found out in the study that most of the kindergartens and the early graders are using Bolinao and Filipino languages in their formal and informal activities. The teachers utilized the Bolinao, Filipino and English languages as media of instruction. This paper is an area study in the field of comparative education.