MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION AND ITS ROLES IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

Dr. Princess Maylene M. Maniacop

Language is very important in our daily life. It is our way of expressing our thought and ideas. When comes in school, if the teacher and the pupils do not have thus what we called medium of instruction, learning would be difficult to achieve. Having medium of instruction in teaching is very important. So that the teacher we be able to deliver or to explain the lesson that the pupils must learn throughout the school year. And after gaining a complete knowledge of the mother tongue, we must also learn foreign languages.to make our country stand on international platforms. None of the foreign languages is unacceptable to us, but one must prioritize learning the mother tongue, he concluded.

Language is the most important part of communication, teaching is an example of communication. It is very important to use this language in teaching because through this a teacher and pupils can communicate and share their thoughts. However, it is not easy to just use this but there are also ways of course to use this. Like methods and strategies that the teacher can use for this to be effective in terms of teaching. We know that primary grade pupils are still young but of course their mind is expose to new learning and they are will to be learn in different ways. By the use of language, you can easily communicate to them, but remember also language is between the teacher and the pupils. Even though we say that the medium of instruction is the language used by the teacher to teach let us not forget also that language is also the used of the pupils to express what they learned. Teaching the language increases the amount of exposure that the learners gets to communicate and share their feeling and thoughts.

Like for example. In teaching the teacher adopts their methodology and strategy in teaching the language to the pupils. Using visual information and non-verbal communication they can support the meaning of what they teach. It is very useful to consider how the language, is used to support the teaching in class. The importance also of using medium of instruction is that, the learners will easily understand and follow the instructions and how to get the correct answer. Instruction must be short, easily to understand and to the suites grade level of pupils. And, because of the medium of instruction is the language used by the teacher to teach. Teaching language, or educational content, through the target language build up the amount of exposure that the pupils receives, and the opportunities. They have to interact with it, and therefore to develop their control over it. Just for example the native language is used from the beginning of a study as the primary language in the class.

And the teacher appropriates their technique to support the meaning, by using a lot of visual and nonverbal communication information to support the meaning. For me mother tongue is one of the best ways for the emergence of the importance of using the medium of instruction to teach elementary pupils. With native language being the first language children learn, teachers will be able to effectively teach through mother tongue. And the challenge for teachers is how they can properly explain their lessons through mother tongue. On the other hand, the teaching of mother language revealed teaching benefit such as. Learners were able to express their thoughts and ideas resulting in high participation in class discussions. Learners become free in their choice of expression, and the use of the mother tongue.

The term used should be in English but teacher explanations should be in the mother tongue. The purpose of the mother tongue is to develop pupils with appropriate cognitive and reasoning skills.

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The author is Teacher III at Macabebe Elementary School , Macabebe East

District, Macabebe, Pampanga