Mother Tongue Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

MOTHER TONGUE BASED-
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION
(MTB-MLE)
Special Topics – Group 9 Presentation

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.

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.
o L1 – 1st Language
o L2 – 2nd Language
 Bilingual – the use of two languages.
 Multilingual – the use of two or more languages.
 Diversity – the inclusion of different types of
people in a group.
 Literacy – the ability to read and write.

What is Language?
A system of conventional spoken,
manual, or written symbols by means of
which human beings, as members of
a social group and participants in
its culture, express themselves.
Language is the foundation of every
culture.
It is an abstract system of word meaning
and symbols for all aspects of culture.

What is Language?
 Language includes:
 Speech
 Symbols
 Written characters
 Gestures
 Numerals
 Expressions of non-
verbal communication

According to Sapir-
Whorf Hypothesis
language does more
than simply describe
reality, it also serves to
shape the reality of a
culture.
What is Language?

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)

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 understanding
between different population
groups and ensure respect to
fundamental rights.

MOTHER TONGUE BASED-
MULTILINGUAL EDUCATION
 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.

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.

The languages considered by DepEd
in its MTB-MLE implementation
1. Iloko
2. Pangasinan
3. Kapampangan
4. Tagalog
5. Bikol
6. Waray
7. Hiligaynon
8. Cebuano
9. Meranao
10. Chavacano
11. Maguindanaon
12. Tausug

Why teaching mother tongue as a
subject in school important?
 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.

Benefits of MTBMLE
 Reduced drop-out
 Reduced repetition
 Children are attending school.
 Children are learning.
 Parents and community are involved

If MTB-MLE is not used:
 Loss of confidence of students in
themselves as 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.

TYPICAL MLE PROGRAMS
“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).

TYPICAL MLE PROGRAMS
“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.

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

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.

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.

Continue building fluency and confidence in using
L1, L2 and L3 for everyday communication and for
learning new concepts. Introduce reading and
writing L3.
Continue building oral and written L1 and L2 .
Introduce oral L3 .
Continue building oral and written L1 and L2 .
Introduce reading and writing in L2.
Continue building oral and written L1 . Introduce oral
L2.Continue building oral L1 . Introduce reading and writing in
L1.Build small children's fluency and confidence in oral
L1.
Source: 5. Malone Planning for mother tongue-based MLE

The most important features of this
process are that:
1. 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.
2. Learners gradually gain confidence in
using the new (official) language, before
it becomes the only language for
teaching academic subjects; and

3. 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:

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

MLE is an innovative approach to
learning.
Apart from programming the use of several
languages, it also involves the following:
MLE will not work when one simply changes the language by translating
existing materials into the local language.
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.

What kind of
learners does MLE
intend to produce?

MLE aims to produce learners who are:
a)Multi-literate
They can read and
write competently in
the local language, the
national language, and
one or more languages
of wider
communication such as
English.

b) Multilingual
They can use these
languages in various
situations and
interactions for
learning in school.

c) Multi-cultural
They can live and
work harmoniously
with people of cultural backgrounds that are
different from their own, they are
comfortable living and working with people
from outside their community while
maintaining their love and respect for their
home culture and community.

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.

Survey based on the 2003 Functional Literacy,
Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS)
Out of 57.59M Filipino aged 10 to 64
years old, there were:
 5.24M Filipinos who could not read
and write.
 7.83M Filipinos who could not read,
write and compute.
 18.37M Filipinos who could not read,
write, compute and comprehend.

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.

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.

Are local languages capable of being
used as languages of instruction?
 Definitely yes. As far back as 1925, during the
American colonial period, the Monroe Commission
already recommended the use of the local
languages in the education.
Subject
Area
Tested
Experimental Group Control Group
Cebuan
o
N=183
Ilocano
N=115
Tagalo
g
N=264
Cebuan
o
N=186
Ilocan
o
N=109
Tagalog
N=253
Mathemati
cs
16.26 15.26 19.32 14.62 12.96 14.74
Science 16.56 17.02 20.90 12.74 12.94 14.75
Wika at
Pagbasa
25.57 25.21 31.53 26.07 26.00 27.83
Sibika 22.01 21.69 28.78 22.76 21.53 24.80

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).

What do Philippine Stakeholders
say about MLE?
 Department of Education (DepEd)
 National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
 Philippine Business for Education (PBED)
 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and UNESCO
Philippines
 Linguistic Society of Philippines (LSP)
 Former DepEd Secretary de Jesus
 Former UP President Abueva
 Former Chairman of CHED Licuanan
 Chair of UP Diliman Department of Anthropology Dr.
Tan
 Convener of NAKEM International Dr. Agcaoili
 UP Centennial Lecture

 Department of Education (DepEd)
“We find the bill (the Gunigundo Bill) to be
consistent with the Basic Education Sector
Reform Agenda (BESRA)
recommendations and the bridging model
proposed by the Bureau of Elementary
Education where pupils were found to
comprehend better lessons in class.”
Philippine Stakeholders say about MLE:

 National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA)
“From the economic and financial vantage
points, we believe that adopting this education
policy (HB 3719), in the final analysis, is cost-
effective. The known learning inefficiencies in the
basic education in the Philippines (high repetition
rate, high drop-out rate, poor retention, and low
achievement rate, etc.) are largely attributed to
learning difficulties of children in the early grades
which are given rise among others, by the use of
a language of learning and teaching that is alien
to them.”

 Philippine Business for Education (PBED)
“English and Filipino are languages
‘foreign’ to most children and
legislating in either as medium of
instruction will do more harm to an
already existing ailing system of
education.”

 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and
UNESCO Philippines
Multilingualism is the order of the things in the
UN and in the world. The unique richness of the
world’s national identities draws on the many
traditions that make up different countries and
are expressed through local and indigenous
languages. UNESCO supports mother tongue
instruction as a means of improving educational
quality by building upon the knowledge and
experience of the learners and teachers.”

 Linguistic Society of Philippines (LSP)
The Philippines is a context for which multilingual
education cannot be more correct. There is
substantial information from the past research as
well as more recent studies in the Philippines and
around the world that prove that the use of the
mother tongue L1 is the best option for literacy and
education in multilingual societies such as
Philippines. These studies, including those of the
founder of LSP who are pioneers in Philippine
linguistic and languages-in-education research,
cannot be ignored.”

“Many countries around the world are
indeed investing heavily to promote the
learning of English, none of them
considers it necessary to adopt English as
the MOI. Instead, these countries ensure
that their children learn their mother tongue
well enough to be able to think in that
language. It is then easier for the children
to learn a second, third, and even a fourth
language.” – Former DepEd Secretary de Jesus

“We should use our regional languages as
official languages and make use of them
as the language of instruction at least in
grade school. ‘Imperial Manila’ should be
sensitive to our rich and proud linguistic
and cultural diversity and identities.” –
Former UP President Abueva

“English therefore, is nor the solution to
poverty in the country, but may actually be
part of the cause of poverty. The use of
mother tongue will not only improve the
quality of education but may actually be a
tool to learning and improving English.” –
Former Chairman of CHED Licuanan

“We should allow Filipinos to nurture their
own mother language and share this with
other Filipinos or even the world. As we begin
to appreciate the rhythms and cadences, the
humor and the wisdom, in each of our many
languages, we just might be able to overcome
our parochialism and regionalism and build a
nation strong in its multicultural foundations.”
– Chair of UP Diliman Department of
Anthropology Dr. Tan

“HB 3719 is a bold admission of a very
simply but emancipatory principle of
education that each educand learns better
and more productively if he learns what he
is supposed to learn in his own language,
and thus, in accord with the tools of his
own culture.” – Convener of NAKEM
International Dr. Agcaoili

“When reforms do not transform, reflections
on the Philippine education. The DepEd, is
the teacher of the nation. The hierarchical
obeisance within DepEd has hindered it from
performing this role to the fullest. Like all
teachers, it must advocate for its students’
best interests. The political motives of those
promoting the sole use of English as medium
of instruction must be thwarted by the DepEd
to protect the Filipino child’s right to quality
and relevant education.” – UP Centennial
Lecture

Important task in formulating a community-
based MLE program includes the ff:
1. Conduct preliminary research
2. Mobilize resources and develop linkages
3. Recruit and train staff
4. Develop a writing system
5. Develop curriculum and
instructional materials
6. Develop literature
7. Evaluate the program and document
progress
8. Coordinate the program

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
 The learner must be exposed to
meaningful use of the L2 outside the
classroom situations. The meaningful
exposure which comes from:
1. Meaningful reading in a variety of genres
2. Focusing on the language itself – how it
works, how it is used
3. Using the language orally and in writing
However, the problem in most school situations (L1, L2,
L3), there is not enough time given for comprehensible
input (oral and written).

 The use of MTB-MLE should result to
children who are multilingual,
multicultural, and multi literate and
children who are confident and
capable in the languages to maintain
their love and respect for their
linguistic and cultural heritage,

What do you need to remember?
 Cummin writes “Use of the target
language for significant purposed is
capable of amplifying students’ sense of
self and this constitutes a powerful
motivation for language acquisition. This is
particularly the case for linguistic minority
students whose L1 often occupies a lower
rung in the social status hierarchy than the
socially dominant language of the country
and or the language of wider
communication.”

 International and local research
studies on the use of language in
education are conclusive. When the
mother tongue is the medium of
primary instruction, learners end up
being better thinkers and better
learners in both their first and second
languages.

Essential Features of a Strong and Sustained
MLE Program (Susan Malone. SIL)
a) Preliminary research to collect
information for planning the
programme.
b) Awareness-raising and mobilization
at local, state, national and
international levels.
c) Orthographies/writing systems that
are acceptable to the speakers and
to the appropriate government
agencies.

Essential Features of a Strong and Sustained MLE
Program
d) Teaching and learning materials that build
on the learners’ language and culture and
ensure that they achieve grade level
competencies in each subject.
e) Graded reading materials in the learners’
home language and in the official
language
f) MLE staff with the training and support
needed for long-term success

e) Evaluation and documentation of each
component of the programme, including
learners’ academic progress
f) Cooperation among supporting agencies
g) Supportive political environment
Essential Features of a Strong and Sustained MLE
Program

It is obvious yet not
truism that learning in a
language that is not
one’s own provides a
double set of
challenges not only of
learning a new language
but also of learning new
knowledge contained in
that language.

 According to Cummins
(2000)
The level of development of
children’s mother tongue is
a strong predictor of their
second language
development, children with
a solid foundation in their
mother tongue develop
stronger literacy abilities in
the school languages.

Furthermore,
additional research
finds that
comprehensible
output, as an adjunct
to comprehensible
input, helps students
become aware of the
structure of the
language and helps
them become more
competent in its use
(Cummins 2001).

Is using mother tongue language
instruction hinders the learning of a L2
like English?
 No, many studies indicate that students
first taught to read in their L1, and then
later in an L2 outperform those taught in an
L2. Learning to read in one’s own
language provides learners with solid
foundation for learning to read in any L2.

“We should become
tri-lingual as a
country. Learn
English well and
connect to the
World.
Learn Filipino well
and connect to our
country.
Retain your dialect
and connect to your
heritage."
- Former Philippine
President Benigno

Mother Tongue Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

Prepared by:
BSED MATH
Group 9
Members:
Ibe, John Emmanuel
Japa, Iveen Apple
Llagas, Elma M.
Lumbang, Leny B.
Morcillo, Paulo U.
Yago, Kimberly Ann A.

Mother Tongue Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE)

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