LESSON 2

Teaching English in the Philippines

PHILOSOPHY AND RATIONALE

Language is the basis of all communication and the primary
instrument of thought. Thinking, learning, and language are
interrelated. Language is governed by rules and systems
(language conventions) which are used to explore and
communicate meaning. It defines culture which is essential in
understanding oneself (personal identity), forming interpersonal
relationships (socialization), extending experiences, reflecting on
thought and action, and contributing to a better society. Language,
therefore, is central to the peoples’ intellectual, social and
emotional development and has an essential role in all key
learning areas.
Language is the foundation of all human relationships. All
human relationships are established on the ability of people to
communicate effectively with each other. Our thoughts, values and
understandings are developed and expressed through language.
This process allows students to understand better the world in
which they live and contributes to the development of their
personal perspectives of the global community. People use
language to make sense of and bring order to their world.
Therefore, proficiency in the language enables people to access,
process and keep abreast of information, to engage with the wider
and more diverse communities, and to learn about the role of
language in their own lives, and in their own and other cultures.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The K-12 Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum is
anchored on the following language acquisition, learning, teaching
and assessing principles.

All languages are interrelated and interdependent. Facility in

the first language (L1) strengthens and supports the learning of
other languages (L2). Acquisition of sets of skills and implicit
metalinguistic knowledge in one language (common underlying
proficiency or CUP) provides the base for the development of both
the first language (L1) and the second language (L2)2. It follows
that any expansion of CUP that takes place in one language will
have a
beneficial effect on the other language(s). This principle serves to
explain why it becomes easier and easier to learn additional
languages.

Language acquisition and learning is an active process that

begins at birth and continues throughout life. It is continuous and
recursive throughout students’ lives. Students enhance their
language abilities by using what they know in new and more
complex contexts and with increasing sophistication (spiral
progression). They reflect on and use prior knowledge to extend
and enhance their language and understanding. By learning and
incorporating new language structures into their repertoire and
using them in a variety of contexts, students develop language
fluency and proficiency. Positive learning experiences in
language-rich environments enable students to leave school
with a desire to continue to extend their knowledge, skills and
interests.

Learning requires meaning. We learn when we use what we

know to understand what is new. Start with what the students
know; use that to introduce new concepts. They use language to
examine new experiences and knowledge in relation to their prior
knowledge, experiences, and beliefs. They make connections,
anticipate possibilities, reflect upon ideas, and determine courses
of action.

Learners learn about language and how to use it effectively

through their engagement with and study of texts. The term
‘text’ refers to any form of written (reading and writing), oral
(listening and speaking) and visual communication involving
language. The texts through which students learn about
language are wide-ranging and varied, from brief conversations
to lengthy and complex forms of writing. The study of specific texts
is the means by which learners achieve the desired outcomes of
language, rather than an end in itself. Learners learn to create
texts of their own and to engage with texts produced by other
people.

Successful language learning involves viewing, listening,

speaking, reading and writing activities. Language learning
should include a plethora of strategies and activities that helps
students focus on both meaning and accuracy.

Language learning involves recognizing, accepting, valuing

and building on students’ existing language competence, including
the use of non-standard forms of the language, and extending
the range of language available to students. Through language
learning, learners develop functional and critical literacy skills.
They learn to control and understand the conventions of the
target language that are valued and rewarded by society and to
reflect on and critically analyze their own use of language and the
language of others.
An effective language arts and multiliteracies curriculum
satisfies the
following principles.
1. develops thinking and language through interactive learning;
2. develops communicative competence and critical literacy;
3. draws on literature in order to develop students’
understanding of their literary heritage;
4. draws on informational texts and multimedia in order to build
academic vocabulary and strong content knowledge;
5. develops students’ oral language and literacy through
appropriately challenging learning;
6. emphasizes writing arguments, explanatory/informative
texts and narratives;
7. provides explicit skill instruction in reading and writing;
8. builds on the language, experiences, knowledge and
interests that students bring to school;
9. nurtures students’ sense of their common ground in using
language/s for communication as present or future global
citizens to prepare them to participate in school and in civic
life, and;
10. assesses and reflects the students’ ability to
interpret and/or communicate in the target language.

OUTCOMES
The ultimate goal of the Language Arts and Multiliteracies
Curriculum is to produce graduates who apply the language
conventions, principles, strategies and skills in (1) interacting with
others, (2) understanding and learning other content areas, and (3)
fending for them in whatever field of endeavor they may engage
in.

1. Communicative Competence
Communicative Competence is a synthesis of knowledge of
basic grammatical principles, knowledge of how language is used
in social settings to perform communicative functions, and how
knowledge of utterances and communicative functions can be
combined according to the principles of discourse.
Communicative competence is classified into the following
competencies.
• Grammatical/Linguistic Competence means the
acquisition of phonological rules, morphological words,
syntactic rules, semantic rules and lexical items.
• Sociolinguistic Competence refers to the learning of
pragmatic aspect of various speech acts, namely, the cultural
values, norms, and other socio-cultural conventions in social
contexts. They are the context and
 topic of discourse, the participant’s social status, sex, age,
and other factors which influence styles and registers of
speech. Since different situations call for different types of
expressions as well as different beliefs, views, values, and
attitudes, the development of sociolinguistic competence is
essential for communicative social action.
• Discourse Competence is the knowledge of rules
regarding the cohesion (grammatical links) and coherence
(appropriate combination of communicative actions) of
various types of discourse (oral and written).
Sociolinguistic rules of use and rules of discourse are crucial
in interpreting utterances for social meaning, particularly
when the literal meaning of an utterance does not lead to
the speaker’s intention easily.
• Strategic Competence is to do with the knowledge of verbal
and non- verbal strategies to compensate for breakdown
such as self-correction and at the same time to enhance the
effectiveness of communication such as recognizing
discourse structure, activating background knowledge,
contextual guessing, and tolerating ambiguity.

2. Multiliteracies
Multiliteracies (multi literacy practices) recognize that there
are many kinds of literacy at work within our society. These include
traditional literacy practices using texts as well as new literacy
practices using texts of popular culture such as films. Social
literacy encompasses how we communicate and exchange
meaning in our society while professional literacy links with the
notion of literacy for school of the workplace.
The curriculum aims to help learners acquire highly-
developed literacy skills that enable them to understand that
English language is the most widely used medium of
communication in Trade and the Arts, Sciences, Mathematics, and
in world economy. Furthermore, the curriculum aims to help
learners understand that English language is a dynamic social
process which responds to and reflects changing social
conditions, and that English is inextricably involved with values,
beliefs and ways of thinking about ourselves and the world we
dwell in. Through multi-literacy skills, learners will be able to
appreciate and be sensitive to sociocultural diversity and
understand that the meaning of any form of communication
depends on context, purpose and audience.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
 The world is now in the “Knowledge age” where the challenge
of education is to prepare learners to deal with the challenges of
the changing world. Students in this age must be prepared to
compete in a global economy, understand and operate complex
communication and information systems, and apply higher
level thinking skills to make decisions and solve problems.
The Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC)
addresses these needs. This is the rationale why Mother Tongue,
Filipino and English follow a unified framework which allows easy
transition from acquiring and learning one language to another.
The curriculum has five (4) components. Each component is
essential to the learners’ ability to communicate effectively in a
language leading them to achieve communicative competence and
multiliteracies in the Mother Tongue, Filipino and English. The
diagram below shows that the heart and core of LAMC is making
meaning through language and aims to develop graduates who are
communicatively competent and multiliterates.

Component 1 illustrates learning processes that will effect

acquisition and learning of the language. It explains the HOW of
language learning and therefore serves as guiding principles for
language teaching.
Component 2 describes knowledge and skill areas which are
essential to effective language use (understanding of cultures,
understanding language, processes and strategies) which will be
developed through language arts (macro-skills).
Component 3 shows the interdependence and interrelationships
of the
macro-skills of the language (listening, speaking and viewing;
reading, viewing and responding; writing and representing) and the
development of thinking skills (critical thinking, creative thinking
and metacognition) allowing students to make meaning through
language.
Component 4 explains the holistic assessment of the
Language Arts and Literacy Curriculum which serves as feedback of
its effectiveness to students, teachers, school administrators, and
curriculum developers.

COMPONENT 1: Language Learning Process

For effective language acquisition and learning to take

place, language teachers must be guided by the six (6)
language teaching principles. These principles explain the natural
process of language development.

1. Spiral Progression
Skills, grammatical items, structures and various types of
texts will be taught, revised and revisited at increasing levels of
difficulty and sophistication. This will allow students to progress
from the foundational level to higher levels of language use.

2. Interaction
Language learning will be situated in the context of
communication (oral and written). Activities that simulate real-
life situations of varying language demands (purposes, topics,
and audiences) will be employed to help students interact with
others thereby improve their socialization skills.

3. Integration
The areas of language learning – the receptive skills, the
productive skills, and grammar and vocabulary will be taught in
an integrated way, together with the use of relevant print and
non-print resources, to provide multiple perspectives and
meaningful connections. Integration may come in different types
either implicitly or explicitly (skills, content, theme, topic, and
values integration).

4. Learner-centeredness
Learners are at the center of the teaching-learning process.
Teaching will be differentiated according to students’ needs,
abilities and interests. Effective pedagogies will be used to
engage them and to strengthen their language development.
5. Contextualization
Learning tasks and activities will be designed for learners to
acquire the language in authentic and meaningful contexts of use.
For example, lessons will be planned around learning outcomes,
a theme, or a type of text to
help learners use related language skills, grammatical
items/structures and vocabulary appropriately in spoken and
written language to suit the purpose, audience, context and
culture. Learning points will be reinforced through explicit
instruction and related follow-up practice.

6. Construction
Making meaning is the heart of language learning and use.
Learning tasks and activities will be designed for learners in such a
way that they will have time to reflect on and respond to ideas and
information. Learners will be provided with sufficient scaffolding so
that they will be able to reach their full cognitive, affective, and
psychomotor potentials and become independent learners who are
good consumers and constructors of meaning.

COMPONENT 2: Effective Language Use

There are three major applications of the macro-skills of the

language (Understanding of Cultures; Understanding Language;
and Processes and Strategies). They are described as the
knowledge and skill areas which are essential to effective
language use demonstrated through the language macro- skills.

1. Understanding Cultures. Learning language through text

types and literary appreciation exposes learners to different
cultures of the world, including one’s culture. Learners develop
sociolinguistic and sociocultural understandings and apply them
to their use of the language (Mother Tongue, Filipino, and English).
Sociolinguistic understanding refers to appropriate language
use. It is defined in this document as taking into account the social
significance of linguistic forms and the linguistic implications of
social facts. Language is a complex social practice that reflects
and reinforces shared understandings about appropriate
actions, values, beliefs and attitudes within a community. These
shared understandings determine not only what is communicated
and when and how it is communicated, but also who does the
communicating. These collectively constitute the sociolinguistic
features of language.
Sociocultural understanding refers to knowing about the
language speaking communities. It means taking into account the
non-linguistic features in the life of a society. Learners broaden
their frame of reference beyond their own social and cultural
experiences. They gain insights into different values and belief
systems and acknowledge the cultural contexts which underpin
them. They make sense of the social fabric of the target language
community. They understand that the natural and physical
environments – as well as the social, economic, historical and
political environments – influence the language speaking groups
and their cultural traditions.
 2. Understanding Language. Learners apply their knowledge
of the system of the language to assist them to make meaning and
to create meaning. They come to recognize the patterns and rules
of the language which emerge as they interact with a plethora of
texts (literary and informational) to make meaning. They apply
this knowledge and understanding to create their own spoken,
written and visual texts. Differences in language systems are
expressed in a variety of ways: for example, in grammatical
differentiations, variations in word order, word selection, or general
stylistic variations in texts. By comparing the system of the
language with the systems of other languages, students
understand that each language is different, but has identifiable
patterns within its own system.

3. Process and Strategies. Learners select from a repertoire of

processes and strategies by reflecting on their understanding of the
way language works for a variety of purposes in a range of
contexts. They deliberate on how they use language and apply
different language strategies, depending on their purpose,
context and audience. They use language as a way of coming to
grips with new ideas, resolving difficulties or solving problems.
They use strategies such as brainstorming and discussion as a
way of developing ideas. They experiment, take risks and make
approximations with language as a way of developing their
language skills. They clarify what they need to know when
seeking information for particular purposes. They use key-word
searches and their understanding of the conventions of
informational texts such as tables of contents, headings,
indexes, forewords and glossaries as aids in locating information.
They assess the usefulness of information for particular purposes.
They treat information and ideas critically and evaluate information
in terms of its reliability and currency. They make notes and
graphic representations of information and combine information
from different sources into a coherent whole by summarizing,
comparing and synthesizing.
Learners reflect on ethical considerations in the use of
ideas and
information. They recognize the importance of attributing
sources of ideas and information, and of presenting or
representing ideas and information in ways which are not
misleading. They use quotation and sourcing conventions
appropriately. They take into account the possible effects of and
responses to the presentation of ideas and information.

COMPONENT 3: Making Meaning through Language

 Language is the major instrument in communication (oral and
written) and the heart of which is the exchange of meaning.
Language learning should focus on guiding students make meaning
through language for different purposes on a range of topics and
with a variety of audiences. Students must be able to adapt to
various situations where communication demands greatly vary.
 The skills, grammatical items, structures and various types of
texts will be taught, and revisited at increasing levels of difficulty
and sophistication. This design allows students to progress from the
foundational level to higher levels of language use.
The Language Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC) is
composed of five (5) intricately intertwined and integrated sub-
strands (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and viewing) that
serve as building blocks for understanding and creation of
meaning and for effective communication across curricula
(Matrix 1).
The revised curriculum re-organizes the Integrated
Language Arts Curriculum according to the content standards that
must be met by all students at the end of basic education. This is
not inconsistent with the proposed 5 sub- strands of the Language
Arts and Multiliteracies Curriculum (LAMC) but fleshes out the
areas that children need to learn and that teachers need to
teach in greater detail. Below is the matrix that presents the
spread and alignment of the language and literacy domains with
the 5 sub-strands.

COMPONENT 4: Holistic
Assessment
 Assessment is an important aspect of learning and teaching.
It should be effectively used to support the holistic development
of our pupils. Our assessment practices should go beyond
summative evaluation and move towards a more holistic
approach.
Holistic assessment refers to the ongoing gathering of
information on different facets of a child from various sources,
with the aim of providing qualitative and quantitative feedback
to support and guide the child’s development. Holistic
assessment informs our teachers of their teaching practices and
guides them in the design and delivery of student learning. It will
also enable parents to support their children’s development and
growth.

Characteristics of Assessment

1. Proximity to actual language use and performance

Assessment procedures should be based on activities that
have authentic communicative function rather than ones with
little or no intrinsic communicative value. These activities are
based on actual performance in authentic situations which the
learner is likely to encounter in his or her daily life.

2. A holistic view of language

Assessment procedures are based on the notion that the
interrelationships among the various aspects of language, such
as phonology, grammar, and vocabulary, among others cannot be
ignored. Also the four skills of language- listening, speaking,
reading, and writing-are seen to be parts of a structurally
integrated whole. Assessment approaches should be used for
communication and self-expression. Assessment also takes into
account the whole learner and his or her social, academic, and
physical context.

3. An integrative view of learning

Assessment attempts to capture the learner’s total array of
skills and abilities. It measures language proficiency in the
context of specific subject matter. Assessment procedures are
based on the idea that various aspects of a learner’s life, both
academic and personal, are integral to the development of
language proficiency and cannot be ignored. These dimensions
include not only processes such as acquiring and integrating
knowledge, extending and refining knowledge, and using
knowledge meaningfully, but also issues such as varying student
attitudes towards learning.

4. Developmental appropriateness
 Assessment procedures set expectations that are appropriate
within the cognitive, social, and academic development of the
learner. This characteristic of assessment makes it particularly
valuable for second language learners who come from culturally
diverse backgrounds and who may have atypical
educational experiences.

5. Multiple referencing
Assessment entails obtaining information about the learner
from numerous sources and through various means.
For students, assessment should allow them to see their
own accomplishments in terms that they understand and,
consequently, allows them to assume responsibility for their
learning. Assessment should allow parents to share in the
educational process, and offers them a clear insight into what their
children are doing in school. For teachers, the primary advantage
of assessment is that it provides data on their students and
their classroom for educational decision-making. In addition, it
reports the success of the curriculum and provides teachers
with a framework for organizing student’s works.

KEY STAGE STANDARD

Grade 3
Students should be able to demonstrate eagerness to explore and
experience oral and written texts and to communicate meanings
and feelings effectively.

Grade 6
Student should be able to construct meanings and communicate
them using creative, appropriate and grammatically correct oral
and written language.

Grade 10
Students should be able to interpret, evaluate and represent
information within and between learning area texts and discourses.

Grade 12
Students should be able to integrate communication and
language skills for creating meaning using oral and written texts,
various genres, and discursive contexts for personal and
professional purposes.
Language Arts Curriculum for the K to 12 Basic Education Program
Content Standards Performance Standards at the end of Grade 3
Oral Languages in Have sufficient facility in English to understand spoken
discourse and to talk and interact with others about
English personal experiences and text listened to or read
Be able to demonstrate phonological awareness at the
Phonological Skills
levels of the syllable and the phoneme
Book and Print Demonstrate and use concepts of print, such as
Knowledge directionality, spacing, punctuation and configuration
Recognize, name and sound out all the upper and
Alphabet knowledge
lower case letters of the alphabet.
Phonic and Word Use sight word recognition or phonic analysis to read
and under- stand words in English that contain complex
Recognition letter combinations, affixes and contractions
Read aloud grade level texts effortlessly and
Fluency
accurately, without hesitation and with proper
expression
Spell words with two or more syllables using phonic,
Spelling
semantic, and morphemic knowledge
Express their ideas effectively in formal and informal
Writing /Composition
composi- tions to fulfill their own purposes for writing
Handwriting Write legibly in manuscript or cursive writing
Demonstrate grammatical awareness by being able to
Grammar read, speak and write correctly
Awareness and Communicate effectively, in oral and written forms, using
Structure the correct grammatical structure of English

Acquire, study, and use English vocabulary words

Vocabulary
appropriately in relevant context

Reading Comprehension and Study Strategies

Content Standards Performance Standards at the end of Grade 3
Use of Content and Activate prior knowledge conceptually related to text
Prior Knowledge and estab- lish a purpose for reading
Comprehension Be self-aware as they discuss and analyze text to
Strategies create new meanings and modify old knowledge
Comprehending Respond to literary text through the appreciation of
Literary Text literary devic- es and an understanding of story
grammar
Comprehending Locate information from expository texts and use this
Informational Text informa- tion for discussion or written production
Demonstrate a love for reading stories and confidence in
Attitude
perform- ing literacy-related activities/task
Demonstrate critical understanding and interpretation of
Viewing
visual media
Study Strategies Organize, process and use information effectively