Localization and contextualization in teaching

Localization in the educational perspective pertains to the process of relating and adapting the instructional contents of curriculum to local conditions, environment, community and resources. On the other h a n d , contextualization involves the efforts to deliver, present lessons and instructions in a meaningful, realistic and highly relevant knowledge, previous experiences and reallife circumstances. Relevantly, both localization and contextualization are driven towards the noble objective of making the lessons more meaningful, adaptive, flexible, creative, innovative and relevant especially in conjunctions with the learner’s level of understanding and academic needs. The concepts of localization and contextualization are indicative and reflective of the idea that meaningful and relevant learning experiences expose students to the best or most ideal type of learning. Pupils learn best when lessons are equipped with meanings relevant in their real lives. Lessons that are relevant to what the learners do and are associated with them are easily and effectively imbibed and adopted. .Integrating localization and contextualization in the teaching-learning process requires teachers to apply strategies and practices like learning by doing, manipulative and applied learning. It is a certainty that profound and more effective learning happens when pupils are placed in actual learning environment and situations where they can adapt to multiple learning resources and educational opportunities available within the local community. Instructional or teaching-learning tools are localized and contextualized to facilitate instructions on the context of the environment, culture and resources prevailing in the local community. Through this, teaching and learning processes becomes more realistic, practical, customized, accurate and relevant. To make the localization and contextualization more effective in teaching, teachers need to be more creative, flexible, resourceful, adaptive and innovative in facilitating instructions and initiating teachinglearning activities. By Marites S. Bugtong