BRIDGING LANGUAGE GAPS

The Bureau of Elementary Education has thought of giving much value on the Mother Tongue Based-Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) in the primary level as per Roxas Bill to use the native language of a child in the first key stage of the K to 12 Program. This aims to fully arm the learners with relevant cognitive and analytical skills and enable them to display understanding as they experience transition from first language (L1) to second language (L2), from second language (L2) to third language (L3),or from first language (L1) to third language (L3).

To appropriately bridge the gaps among the three (3) languages that a child must learn, teachers are urged to have a smooth transition of learning from primary to intermediate level. MTB-MLE classes purposely ensure that standards and competencies required for beginning learners are acquired using mother tongue as the medium of instruction. This is a tested tool to link L1 with L2, L2 with L3 and L1 with L3. On top of this, teachers are directed to consider content and performance standards in the key stage of K to 3 from the curriculum guide. The teachers are expected to exude awareness that content standards are non-negotiable in nature and that performance standards may vary depending on the activities that teachers have outlined in a specific lesson or topic.

Being able to learn the three (3) languages in the primary level, the learners become multilingual as they move up to the intermediate level. The acquisition of L1 actually connects the learners to the community, L2 connects them to the country and L3 connects them to the world. If these languages are not acquired in the primary level, the teachers are compelled to bridge the gap through intervention activities or special instruction in order to attain an effective transition of learners to the next key stage of learning.Teachers should provide appropriate assessments to address the least mastered skills of the learners. It is in this process that learners are given all out attention in order to intensify their performance. This method is called bridging.

Bridging has been an effective approach to make sure that learners who arepromoted in the intermediate level are already multilingual. Lessons in the intermediate level increase in complexity to conform with the spiral progression feature of the K to 12 Curriculum. If learners are unable to demonstrate the needed competencies, bridging is actually suggested since it isa scaffolding technique to gradually equip the learners the prescribed language aptitude and proficiency.In this manner, teachers seemingly walk with the learners as they move up to the next key learning stage.

As such, teachers are prompted to provide suitable interventions in order to appropriately bridge the gaps in language learning and accelerate the level of performance of learners in languages. Learners are actually taught in this aspect both the spoken and written language. Correlating this perception simply proves that strong foundation of the native language leads to better understanding of L2 and L3.Therefore, MTB-MLEin both early and late-exit transitions of the learners from primary to intermediate level is prerequisite and fundamental in language learning.

--oOo— The author is Teacher III at Salu Elementary School, Division of Pampanga