MOLASIS

Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region X
DIVISION OF BUKIDNON
Malaybalay City


MODELING LANGUGAGE THROUGH SCIENCE IN SCHOOLS
(MOLASIS)

CONCEPT PAPER

Identifying Information

Project Title:

Strengthening the Implementation of Modeling Language through Science in Schools (MOLASIS) in the Public Elementary Schools in the Division of Bukidnon through Partnership.

Site/Coverage

Division of Bukidnon
Bukidnon, Philippines

Project Beneficiaries

167, 830 Elementary Pupils
4,354 Elementary School Teachers
203 Elementary School Heads
41 Supervisors

4. Project Duration

Five (5) Years

5.Project Implementer

Gloria D. Benigno, Ph.D., CESO IV
Schools Division Superintendent
Division of Bukidnon
Sumpong, Malaybalay City

6.Project Partners

Parents-Teachers and Community Association
Local Government Units
Teacher Education Institutions/ Universities



Background of MOLASIS

Performance of pupils in the Division of Bukidnon is low specially in Science. Results of the National Achievement Test indicate that the average percentage score of the elementary school pupils in Science is only 44.32%, a 31% shy from the expected proficiency level of 75%. Accordingly the low performance of pupils are attributed to congested classrooms, lack of teachers, incompetence of teachers, and insufficient in-service trainings.

Language barrier can also be considered as one of the causes of the poor performance of pupils in Science test. It is believed that pupils have low comprehension in the English language resulting to poor performance . This is substantiated by the fact that tests in Science and Math are actually language tests. Pupils may know the content but are poor in reading comprehension and analysis resulting to poor test scores.

The underlying factor for this reading inadequacies of the Filipino children is the fact that the country has multiple ethnic groups. Each ethnic group has its own mother tongue. This fact is being aggravated by the use of bi-lingualism. In the Philippine curriculum only English, Science and Mathematics use English as the medium of instruction. Other subjects use Filipino ( a Tagalog based language) as the medium of instruction. . Tagalog is a regional language used in Metro Manila , the capital of the country, which is also used by the national media both in television and in print. Hence in a typical classroom setting while teachers are teaching English in the three subjects ( English, Science and Math) the children are communicating in their own native tongue. In the Division of Bukidnon alone, children are speaking various mother tongue (e.g. Cebuano, Ilocano, Waray, Ilonggo, and several ethnic dialect of the Indigenous People (IPs).

These multi-cultural differences of children in one classroom makes it difficult for the teachers to teach English as a second language. And because English is the medium used in the subjects English, Science and Math , the students performed very poorly in national as well as international tests.


The situation discussed above is the basis for conducting an intervention program that incorporates two underlying factors that may improve the performance of pupils in Science : 1) Teaching -learning Process in teaching Science through Scientific Inquiry and 2) English Language development in teaching Science - English as a Second Language (ESL). The program is called Modeling Language through Science in Schools ( MOLASIS). This has been tried out in two (2) schools of the Division for two (2) school years with an encouraging result as shown in result #6 below..

Results of the implementation of MOLASIS showed that:

1)teachers are not integrating English language development in their Science classes;
2) teachers do not have the skills in developing English language in Science activities;
3) teachers are not using scientific inquiry process in teaching science;
4) pupils are not exposed to the English language both in schools and in their immediate
environment;
5) teachers are testing the children in the English language although the teaching-learning
processes employed do not maximize the use of the English language.
6) TEACHERS FOUND OUT THAT DEVELOPING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE WHILE TEACHING SCIENCE IS EFFECTIVE IN DEVELOPING SCIENCE CONCEPTS.

C. Project Objectives

General Objective

In as much as the intervention introduced in the teaching of science by modeling the
English Language there is a need for the Division of Bukidnon to link with Teacher Education Institutions and Universities in strengthening the capacities of teachers and school heads in integrating English as a Second Language in teaching Science through workshops and development of support instructional materials.

Specific Objectives

1. To develop a core of trainors who are skilled in integrating English as a Second Language (ESL) in teaching Science.
2. To enhance teachers’ skills in providing learning opportunities in developing English as a Second Language through Scientific Inquiry Processes.
3. To develop multi-media materials that model the techniques and strategies in integrating English as a Second Language in teaching Science.
4. To visit and observe implementation of ESL in institutions of higher learning as a benchmark.

C. Strategies

1. Benchmarking and exposing key officials , supervisors and core trainers of the
strategies and practices employed by the experts (partner institutions) in
integrating English as a Second Language in their curriculum.
a. Observe model schools using English as a Second Language (ESL) in their curriculum
b. Review of Modeling Language through Science in Schools (MOLASIS)
framework by experts (partner institutions).
c. Refine MOLASIS model based on recommendations by the experts.
2. Exposing the experts (partner institutions) to conditions of schools in the Division of Bukidnon (Philippines) through visits, dialogues and interactions with the school heads, teachers and students
3. Training of teachers and school heads by the experts (partner institutions) either in the Philippines or the campus of the partner institutions in the use of English as a Second Language (ESL) and the development of support instructional materials such as:
3.1. Expression Book that contains commonly used expressions of pupils
in various places in their first language translated in the English
Language.
3.2. Video CDs demonstrating the various techniques of MOLASIS to be

distributed to teachers as their reference materials.
4. Monitoring project implementation through Education and District Supervisors and through comprehensive testing using traditional and non-traditional mode of assessment.




Time Line of Project Implementation



2007
2008
2008-2010
2010

Reviewing Framework by Experts

Exposing Key Officials, supervisors and Core of Trainers to ESL Models
(Philippines and Partner Instittutions)
Training of Teachers and School Heads

Developing of Expression Book and Video materials
Project Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation

Budgetary Requirement

Major Budget Items

Strategy/Activities
FUNDING SOURCE


Division of Bukidnon
Partner Institutions
MOLASIS Framework Review by Consultants
Modeling Language through Science in Schools (MOLASIS) an intervention using English as a Second Language in teaching Science will be reviewed by experts from partner institutions . The framework can either be sent to partner institutions or consultants from partners institutions will come to the Division of Bukidnon, Philippines.

2. Exposing Core of Trainers and Supervisors
Three key officials from the Division of
Bukidnon will visit model schools using
ESL as recommended by partner
institutions .




Prepared by:
AGUSTINES E. CEPE
Education Supervisor I
Science

Reviewed and Approved:

GLORIA D. BENIGNO, Ph.D. CESO IV
Schools Division Superintendent