TEACHING STUDENTS TO LOVE THE FILIPINO LANGUAGE

LOLITA B. LAPUZ

It is a fact now that speaking Filipino has taken a backseat for most of the time, in the advent of English as a foreign language.

No wonder students struggle with Filipino words and grammar concepts. Subjects like Araling Panlipunan, Sibika and Filipino prove to be their biggest challenge in school. Whether it’s keeping up with their subject in school or just simply being able to understand the language, most students have a difficult time learning Filipino with most parents not knowing exactly how to go about teaching them.

The good news is that changes are ongoing in the school system. Private groups are also working at making learning Filipino an enjoyable experience for children and making them learn Filipino at home and in school.

Starting them young, build students vocabulary by teaching them three Filipino words a day. Ask them to write the words in a journal so that they can review them on a regular basis.

Read age-appropriate Filipino stories with students. Discuss them in Filipino. Ask them to write a short summary, paying attention to his grammar and word use.

In high school, help them see the relevance of the Filipino literature they are discussing in school by relating it to his own personal experience. For example: “If Rizal were alive today, what social problems do you think he would write about?”

Bambi Encomienda-Lazaro, a coordinator and consultant, suggests further ways to help a student take an interest in — and eventually speak — the Filipino language.

These include, in a capsule, learning it. Experts say a great deal of a child’s acquisition of linguistic structure occurs during the first five years of life. It is amazing how, at a very young age, a child is capable of abstracting meaning from ordinary conversations. Hence, early childhood is the best time to introduce a language your child can use in practical situations.

Finally, speaking it. The most effective way to learn a new language is to hear it in actual everyday conversation. Let them experience Filipino culture. Give Filipino the advantage of first contact— let them learn the Filipino names of things first.

Teach and learn the Filipino language with excitement. Developing a love for our language begins in knowing and accepting who we are and where we come from. Be proud of your own language and heritage as a Filipino!

— oOo—

The author is Teacher III (Junior High School) at Diosdado Macapagal High School, Mexico, Pampanga