One thing you will observe in a Philippine classroom is the teacher uses both Filipino and English as medium of communication. Filipinos are famous for being fluent English speakers compare to other Asians. The question, however, is when should English and Filipino be used at the local setting? For example, in schools, should it be English or Filipino.
In a classroom setting, Filipino is now being used as a medium of instruction. The 1935 constitution stipulated that Tagalog be used as the national language but English has been used for so long in the history as medium of instruction. Mother tongue is now being utilized in schools with the goals of ensuring that students understand what is taught to them.
This can be gleaned at the Department Order No. 52, series of 1987 which states the use of Filipino and English as the media of instruction at all levels. The use of the national language, Filipino, as the medium of instruction in Work Education, Health Education, Physical Education, and Social Studies was implemented. English was included in the curriculum as a subject and in teaching Science and Mathematics. This change was seen to help Filipino students learn English skills to meet the needs of the country in the global arena.
Because the Philippines is one tropical country mostly visited by tourists and that we go to various international events for many reasons, we cannot put aside the fact that we need to learn the language and be proficient in it. As educators, the need to pass the skill to our students is a must.
But how can we do this when Filipino is now being used as medium of instruction in all subject areas especially Mathematics. One solution is what Ongoco (1989) suggests, to have spiral curriculum content. He posited that because of this medium of instruction, students, if and when able to master skills necessary for them to learn such as obtaining information, processing data, effective discussion, and understanding surroundings, can learn the subject without difficulty. This is true. Now, what to do with the English language, teach them as you would while using Filipino, he suggested.
The challenge remains for us educators. To be able to preserve the popularity that we Filipinos are fluent English-speaking people and at the same time, keeping and using our own national language skillfully.
References:
August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.) (2006). Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Delacruz, E., Arnold, A., Kuo, A., & Parson, M. (2009).Globalism, art, and education. Reston, VA: National Art Education Association.
Philip H. Phenix (January 1963). “Educational Theory and Inspiration”.Educational Theory
By: Lovely D. Carlos
