MTBMLE Rationale,

Principles &

Purposes

Define the goals/purposes of

education as you see them.

prepares students to be

responsible, mature, and

productive citizens who will

uphold the pride of the

nation and their parents.

What do parents say about the

purpose of schooling?

“I send my child to school to

learn English.”

How do teachers generally teach

English?

Through teaching reading of

English.

What is the number one stated

difficulty Filipino teachers find in

the classroom today?

Comprehension – lack of reading

comprehension.

Why do you think this is a difficulty?

Together read this paragraph

Melek aksara adalah kemampuan

untuk mengidentifikasi, mengerti,

menerjemahkan, membuat,

mengkomunikasikan dan mengolah

isi dari rangkaian teks yang

terdapat pada bahan-bahan cetak

dan tulisan yang berkaitan dengan

berbagai situasi.

Wikipedia

Learning a second language –

How long does it take?

It takes at least 2 years to learn basic

communicative skills in a second

language.

According to studies, it takes 5 – 7

years minimum to learn a new

language in order to use that

language for learning new content (ie

the curriculum).

What do you think happens if the

mother tongue is not used?

Children’s understanding of

concepts is limited or confused if

learning only in L2.

It is a fallacy to think that children

who are immersed in L2 from the

beginning learn L2 better. They

do not.

Thomas and Collier 2001

Thomas and Collier Study

School is an alien place…

“failure to engage young students in

meaningful ways results in classroom

experiences that are incomprehensible

and culturally invalidating. The result is

that young children often lose interest,

under-perform and drop out, and remain

trapped in conditions of deprivation.”

(ICEF, 2006:22)

Mother Tongue Based Multilingual

Education – what is it?

Mother tongue-based multilingual

education is education, formal or non-

formal, in which the children’s mother

tongue and the national language(s) are

used in the classroom. Children begin

their education in a language they

understand, their mother tongue, and

develop a strong foundation in their

mother language.

What is the purpose of MTBMLE?

The purpose of a multilingual

education program is 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 English.

MTBMLE

is a structured program of language learning and

cognitive development providing

a strong educational foundation in the first

language

successful bridging to one or more additional

languages

enabling the use of both/all languages for life-

long learning

is based in the child’s own known environment

and bridges to the wider world.

Multilingual Education

maintains local language and

culture while providing

state/national language acquisition

and instruction

promotes learners’ integration into

the national society without forcing

them to sacrifice their linguistic and

cultural heritage.

“Education in a Multilingual World”

UNESCO Position Paper (2003)

“UNESCO supports mother tongue instruction

as a means of improving educational quality

by building upon the knowledge and

experience of the learners and teachers.”

“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 of linguistically

diverse societies.”

“The development of the child’s first language with its related cognitive development is more important than the mere length of exposure to a second language; development of the mother tongue is critical for cognitive development and as a basis for learning the second language.” Tucker (1997)

Mother Tongue Based MLE – moving beyond the known

maintains local language and culture

while providing state/national language

acquisition and instruction

promotes learners’ integration into the

national society without forcing them to

sacrifice their linguistic and cultural

heritage.

Building Blocks for a Successful MLE

Program

KNOWN

UNKNOWN

KNOWN UNKNOWN

KK

LANGUAGE:

CONCEPT:

UK

KU

UU

Language Learning

Academic Learning

Access to education

Learners whose mother

tongue is the language of

instruction and the

language of literacy.

Minority language

learners who do not

speak the language

used when they enter

school or an

education program

Why do we need to begin with

the mother tongue?

“The level of development of

children's mother tongue is a

strong predictor of their second

language development…

Thomas and Collier, 2001

“Children…with a solid foundation in

their mother tongue develop stronger

literacy abilities in the school language.

“Children's knowledge and skills

transfer across languages from the

mother tongue…to the school

language”

Jim Cummins (2000).

KNOWN

UNKNOWN

Ch

ild’s

Kn

ow

led

ge

Str

uct

ure

s

Ch

ild’s

Wo

rld

Vie

w

Ch

ild’s

Fir

st L

ang

aug

e

Greg Dekker, 1998

Build small children’s fluency and confidence in oral L1

Continue to build oral L1

Introduce reading and writing in L1

Continue to build oral and written L1

Introduce Oral L2

Continue to build oral and written L1 and oral L2

Introduce reading and writing in L2

Continue to build oral and written L1 & L2

Introduce oral L3

Continue to build fluency & confidence

in using L1, L2 and L3 for everyday

communication & for learning new

concepts

Introduce reading and writing in L3

ADD other languages

A strong foundation in the

mother tongue is necessary to

learn L2

Never stop using the MT

Build a strong bridge to L2

Lubuagan, Kalinga MTBMLE

Program

Controls Experimentals

N Percentage N Percentage

Grade 1 73 53.47 69 75.87

Grade 2 94[1] 56.9 42 77.8

Grade 3 60 53.9 56 75.1

Grade 1

Controls Experimentals

N Percentage N Percentage

Reading 73 52.76 69 75.47

Math 73 48.94 70 82.12

Grade 2

Reading 94 54.9 42 78.3

Math 94 61.9[1] 42 80.3

Grade 3

Reading 60 53.4 56 79.2

Math 60 49.5 56 76.2

Grade 1

Controls Experimentals

N Percentage N Percentage

Filipino 73 57.08 70 68.42

English 73 52.76 70 72.41

Grade 2

Filipino 94 51.9 42 81.4

English 94 54.9 42 62.1

Grade 3

Filipino 60 62.9 56 70.6

English 60 53.4 56 77.1

Conclusion

As evidenced, using the Mother

Tongue will not hinder the

learning of second and third

languages. Rather, use of the

mother tongue strengthens the

acquisition of other languages

while respecting the learner.

6 Questions

MTBMLE – what is the primary premise?

What will MTBMLE do for the problems of low attendance, high drop out and low achievement? Why?

How can MTBMLE help schools be a child friendly environment?

What will it do to help the Filipino child’s learning processes?