Localized teaching materials

Jaimie Franco Castillo

THERE are actually a number of advantages of having localized materials implemented or adopted in our educational system. This can be done in all learning areas. Localization maximizes materials, activities, events, and issues that are readily available in the local environment. To contextualize, teachers must use authentic materials, and anchor teaching in the context of learners’ l i ves.

Teachers should encourage students to pose problems and issues and use strategies to address these. The localized or contextualized curriculum is based on local needs and relevance for the learners; thus allowing for its flexibility and creativity in the lessons.

Teachers must also build on what resources the school has and must accommodate and respect cultural, linguistic and racial diversity.

Students' engagement in their schoolwork increases significantly when they are taught, why they are learning the concepts and how those concepts can be used in real-world contexts. This motivates students to know more about their cultural heritage in order to appreciate and understand other cultural heritage.

The localization of the curriculum can allow learning to become more meaningful and relevant. Localization will involve the use of local materials both as the subject and object of instruction. Localization will also involve making the local culture an integral part of the curriculum.

While there are advantages, there are also constraints which include lack of local technical expertise and material resources, fear of the unknown and resistance to change among teachers and local educators.

But these can be managed through developing a curriculum framework, including a clear set of curriculum standards, at the central level;

ensuring compliance with these standards in local and school developed curriculum, either through paper-based accreditation or endorsement processes or through supervision and monitoring processes (or both); providing training of local and school based curriculum developers; and

ensuring clear and open communication exists between central and localized authorities.

Under the implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA NO. 10533 or Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (D.O. No. 43 s. 2013), the curriculum shall be contextualized and global; and • the curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize, and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts.

Under Rule II, Curriculum Section 10, 10.3: Production and Development of Materials: The production and development of locally produced teaching and learning materials shall be encouraged. The approval of these materials shall be developed by the regional and division education unit in accordance with national policies and standards

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The author is Teacher III at Angeles Elementary School