LEARNING AND TEACHING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN THE

PHILIPPINES IN DIGITAL WORLD

By: Marygay M. Sayson, MAED ELT

Abstract: English is one of the official languages in the Philippines. The use of the
English language greatly impacted the growth and profitability of businesses in the
country, thus making the proficiency in English a high level advantage. With this,
educators aim to teach the language in a more effective way. This study provides
insights on the classifications of English in different countries, learning the language
in the Mother Tongue, and how the English language is very important in the
Philippines. This study also explores the techniques, methods and modern
approaches in teaching the English language, their application in the education
system in the Philippines, and the roles of teachers in the success of these teaching
methods.

Keywords: methods of teaching, mother-tongue-based education, learning process,

lingua franca, English, Philippines

Introduction

Today, a lot of things -- businesses, economics, tourism, etc. -- heavily rely in

the English language. Globalization, the process by which businesses or other
organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international
scale, has greatly affected nations around the world. English, being the lingua franca
among nations, became the rope that ties the nations, the medium of instruction that
mainly spread globalization. As a result, countries increased the integration of the
English language in their educational system in hopes of giving the linguistic
advantage to the youth of their nations.

Several English surveys in the past years reported how the use of English
language positively impacted the economic growth of the Philippines as well as other
surrounding countries. These surveys inspired studies that highlighted how the
proficiency in the English language has become more and more important in the
Philippines. Despite the diversity of languages and dialects in the country, the
English language still leads the growth and development of the Philippines’ global
and economic competitiveness.

Braj Kachru's Three Circles of English

A lot of linguists and educators provided perspectives and insights on the

spread of the English language across the world. One of the most popular models of
the spread of English would be the Three Circles of English by Braj Kachru.

The world renowned Indian linguist Braj Bihari Kachru is a Jubilee Professor
of Linguistics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who coined the term
Word English, the concept of the English language as a global means of
communication in numerous dialects, and also the movement towards an
international standard for the language. World English is also referred to as Global
English, International English, Common English, Continental English, General
English, Engas (English as associate language), or Globish. In connection to World
English, Professor Kachru classified English into Three Circles based on its function,
teaching and learning around the world.

According to Professor Kachru, the Inner Circle is made up of countries

where English is the native language (ENL) of almost all of the speakers. This circle
represents the traditional, historical and sociolinguistic bases of English in regions.
The United States of America, England and Australia are examples of countries in
this circle. As a group, these countries are known to have English as their native
language or mother tongue.

The Outer Circle is composed of countries where English is used as a lingua

franca. This circle shows how the English language was spread through imperial
expansion by Great Britain in Asia and Africa. In these regions, English is not the
native tongue, but serves as a useful common language between ethnic and
language groups; a language that is mainly used as the medium of instruction for
professional and academic purposes. The Philippines, Nigeria, India and Singapore
are examples of countries in this circle. English was used to linguistically unify the
people in these countries as it was used in political instructions during the
colonization in the past. People in these countries basically inherited the practice of
using the English language from the imperial countries that once colonized them.
English has become a second language (ESL) among most of the people in the
countries in this circle.

The last circle is the Expanding Circle which is made of countries where
English plays no historical or governmental role. Nevertheless, these countries still
use English as a foreign language (EFL) used almost exclusively for international
communication. China, Russia, Japan, non-Anglophone Europe (especially the
Netherlands and Nordic countries), South Korea, Egypt and Indonesia are examples
of countries in this circle. At this time, it’s hard to hear people speak the English
language in the local streets of these countries but these countries are now
introducing English in their systems because of globalization.

Learning in the Mother Tongue

Basically, effective teaching must include two key components: sending and
receiving information. Researches show that people learn better in their mother
tongue thus emphasizing that people send and receive information better in their
mother tongue. This means that educators in the Outer Circle may face challenges in
teaching English using their mother tongue.

It is proven that students who study in their mother tongue are fast in learning
words and vocabulary. Additionally, comprehension and cognitive development is
best observed in students who study in their mother tongue. This is probably why the
quality of effective learning is observed in the education systems of countries like
South Korea, China, Japan and the United States of America, where the students
primary learn in their mother tongue. These countries are examples of countries in
the Inner and Expanding Circles, with established and stable economy that do not
have that urgent need to integrate English to ride the wave of modernization and
globalization.

The Philippines, on the other hand, for example, has a diverse plethora of
languages and dialects that makes teaching English challenging. As part of the
countries in the Outer Circle, Filipinos are using this lingua franca to mainly support
the global demands for the country’s economic growth.

General Trends in Teaching English

Teaching the English language has undergone a lot of changes over the
years, especially in the last ten years. Students used to be burdened with studying,
learning and grasping information from reading materials and lectures. Teachers
who practiced Grammar Translation method during the previous decade solely rely
on black boards and pens and papers to impart communication skills and apply what
is learned about the English language. Basically, the teacher used to control the in
instructional process, the knowledge is shared to the entire class while the class
listens as the teacher emphasizes factual knowledge. In other words, the teacher
delivers the lecture content while students just listen to the lecture. Thus, the
learning mode tends to be passive and there were little to none participation from
students. This method indeed focused on the by-the-book learning but there were
also setbacks in this method of teaching.

Amazingly, globalization and modernization brought the advancement to the

digital world which translated to positive changes in systems all over the world. With
this, the innovations in technology paved way to improvement in the educational
systems of nations across the globe.

Modern Trends of Teaching English

There are two key changes in the purpose of teaching English. First, the goal
is to create fully equipped and knowledgeable bilinguals rather than mere imitations
of native speakers. The goal is not to aspire to be native speakers because learners
are already native speakers of their own mother tongue; rather, everyone needs to
focus on properly learning English as a main means of communication. Secondly,
English should not be viewed as just a language; the language is actually a
beginning to learning other fields like Sciences and Mathematics. As discussed, the
English language is the global lingua franca tying nations across the globe in a
common language that shares knowledge and information internationally.
 With the key changes in the purpose of teaching the English language,
modern techniques, methods and modern approaches were formulated to improve
teaching English. Modern trends aim to make process of English learning be more
student-centered but less time-consuming. Therefore, these techniques, methods
and modern approaches promise that the quality of teaching will be improved and
students’ applied English communication will be effectively cultivated to show their
communicative development and advancement.

Content And Language Integrate Learning (CLIL)

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has become the umbrella
term describing both learning another (content) subject such as physics or
geography through the medium of a foreign language and learning a foreign
language by studying a content-based subject.

With the expansion of the European Union, diversity of language and the
need for communication are seen as central issues. Even with English as the main
language, other languages are unlikely to disappear. Some countries have strong
views regarding the use of other languages within their borders. With increased
contact between countries, there will be an increase in the need for communicative
skills in a second or third language. Attention needs to be given to the training of
teachers and the development of frameworks and methods which will improve the
quality of language education. The European Commission has been looking into the
state of bilingualism and language education since the 1990s, and has a clear vision
of a multilingual Europe in which people can function in two or three languages.
Thus, the CLIL was developed as a method of learning to assist in mother-tongue-
based learning. The methodology has been applied in a business context in many
countries and widely accepted as an effective approach. In Italy for example, it is
being used as an accelerated method to teach management concepts in English to
business people.

New Age Devices

 With the advancement of technology to the digital world, education also
became more modern. With the proliferation of tablets and smart phones, it is
believed that textbooks will disappear in a few years. Furthermore, the access to
knowledge in terms of flexibility and mobility has changed drastically.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which was held at Las Vegas, gave a
glimpse of ground breaking devices purely meant for students. These showpieces
ranged from 3D printers to smart watches. The youth’s requirements are matched by
a new age device, be it studies or social media, travel or portability. The media
streaming devices make group studies become interactive. Another blessing is the e-
reader for the on-the-move generation. The all new-kindle paper white is a boon.
Students can easily download the e-books for easy reference. The portable
document scanner like the Doxie Flip Cordles Flatbet Photo and notebook scanner
are used to get notes sorted. Other devices like copy and Olympus which have come
with voice recorders can be utilized to record all the English lectures and be played
as and when time permits.

A web-based learning, also called technology-based learning/distance

learning/on line education/e-learning, is one of the fastest developing areas. It
provides opportunities to create well–designed, learner–centered, affordable,
officiate, flexible and interactive e-learning environment.

There are thousands of English web based classes that offer trainings for a
variety of basic language skills such as Learning, Speaking, Reading and Writing
and are made interactive in a variety of ways. Some of the common technologies
available for promotion of education are as follows:

E-mail: The students can correspond with native speakers of the target
language using e-mail by creating a personal email account (G-mail, Yahoo, Hotmail,
etc.) which is free. The students can mail their home work to the teachers concerned
and get it corrected in turn. The teacher can also provide revisions, feedback,
suggestions for the betterment of every work and send them back.

Blogs: A blog is a personal or professional journal frequently updated for

public consumption. The blogs enable uploading and linking the files which is very
much suited to serve as on line personal journals for students. Blogging becomes
communicative and interactive when participants assume multiple roles in the writing
process, as readers or reviewers who respond to other writers’ posts, and as writers-
readers who, returning to their own posts, react to criticism of their own posts. The
readers in turn can comment on what they read, although blogs can be placed in
secured environments as well.

Skype: Every internet service has audio functions, and technological

instruments like laptops with cameras. The students could communicate with their
teachers and friends who are far away. Likewise, they could very well communicate
with the speakers of native language and get their pronunciation checked so as to
improve their speaking.

Mobile Phones: Learners can search for new words using dictionary option in
the mobile phones and enrich their vocabulary. They may verify the spelling,
pronunciation and usage of the specific word they searched for. Moreover, they can
use Short Message Service (SMS) to send queries to their instructors and get their
doubts cleared.

Ipods: Ipods, one of the multimedia devices, enhance the users to generate,
deliver, exchange texts, image, audio and video scripts as per the requirement. The
teachers send text messages and the students can read and answer to them. In
addition to this, the students can record and listen to their speeches, poems, news,
short stories etc. Thus, ipods give a chance to the learners of English to improve
their listening, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar and also writing.

The Scenario in the Philippines: Strengths

Research participants are optimistic about the quality of English teaching and
learning in the Philippines. English is used as both an official language and a
medium of instruction, two functions that require a high level of command of the
language.

A recent study showed the Philippines as the best in Business English in the
world, apart from native speaking English nations. Additionally, they indicated that
more than 90% of people in the Philippines now speak English; a considerable
percentage of English speakers compared to other surrounding nations. Based on
the same organization, the Philippines is considered the third country with the largest
number of English speakers in the world, just after the United States of America and
India. Considering the percentage of English speakers in each of the 10 top nations
with the largest number of English speakers, the Philippines comes again at the third
place right after the United States and the United Kingdom, while India falls at the
end of the list.

The high graduation rate of English majors and the fact that an increasing
number of people are coming to the Philippines to learn English are relevant
evidences of the improvement of teaching the English language in the Philippines.
As long as English departments in higher education institutions continue to produce
English majors, it is evident that English will continue to be taught at school. That is
somehow an important sign of sustainability of English instruction in the Philippines.
As for foreigners who are currently traveling to the Philippines for English, it is
evidence that the world is considering the Philippines as a good place to learn
English. English language institutes are mushrooming in the Philippines. They are
drawing students from different continents. English learning tourism is also growing.
People are entering the Philippines just to enjoy tourism while learning and practicing
English.

The Philippines is also training English teachers for the neighboring countries,
in addition to sending Filipino teachers to teach English in those same countries and
beyond. The country also provides access to large amount of English print materials,
television and radio programs, and considerable amount of Internet access in
English, where the language is perceived and portrayed positively through the
media.

The Filipino people have a positive attitude towards the United States, the
country that passed English on to them. This positive attitude is in line with
Krashen’s Affective Filter Hypothesis and even some pragmatics literature that
shows that such an attitude is conducive to effective learning of a second language.
This positive attitude was evident in other themes that emerged. For instance,
someone who speaks English well in the Philippines is considered highly educated.
Additionally, English speaking is encouraged at home.
 The Scenario in the Philippines: Weaknesses

There are three major sets of weaknesses that have negative ramifications on
English language teaching and learning in the Philippines. These include the limited
teaching materials and curriculum for the solid foundation of K-12 education, the
interference of many linguistic backgrounds, and the limited number of experts.
These weaknesses have negatively affected the teaching and learning of English in
the Philippines.

English of Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) materials and curriculum.

ESOL materials and curriculum are missing in the teaching and learning of English in
the Philippines. Instructional materials used in K-12 do not take into account that
Filipinos, as members of the Outer Circle, are not native speakers of English. They
go to school with their own linguistic backgrounds. They go there to learn English.
Therefore, from SLA theories and models, some accommodations are expected to
meet the English language needs of these students. English language learning is
weak at the foundational level (K-12). This weak foundation has a negative impact
on higher education. Tertiary education is expected to rely heavily on English as a
medium of instruction in the Philippines. Without solid foundation of English in K-12,
students may be expected to meet some challenges in their learning process.

Interference of different linguistic backgrounds. The Philippines currently has

more than 180 languages. Thus, groups of teachers and students of English come
from various linguistic backgrounds. They each come with some potential of their
own linguistic interference. Some teachers are reported to be mixing their mother
tongue with English while teaching. In fact, there are some college instructors that
cannot teach without using code-switching. In many cases, this is because code-
switching has been fossilized in their English. This code-switching is transferred to
the students and the vicious circle goes on. Negative informal habits like Filipinism
and transliteration are products of the code-switching that students adapted from
their teachers.

Limited trained experts. This weakness has also some devastating

consequences on the English teaching and learning in the Philippines. Because of
the weak foundation of English in K-12 and extremely limited number of colleges and
universities offering TESOL academic degrees, some English teachers are not well
prepared for their work and others have their own fossilized English errors. They can
easily transfer these to their students, thus perpetrating the errors over several
students and over the years. Some of these errors are also internalized through daily
communication. As errors are used frequently in daily communication, people begin
to use them as the normal linguistic rules. At a certain point, people are no longer
aware of the errors because they have become fossilized.

The Roles of a Modern Teacher

Researchers defined the term role as a technical term which originally comes
from sociology which refers to the shared expectation of how an individual should
behave. Several methodologies have evolved different roles for a language teacher.
Many conceptualized the role of the teacher as a facilitator of learning, an overseer,
a classroom manager, a consultant or an adviser and at times a co-communicator
with the learners. According to Jeremy Harmer, the writer of The Practice of English
Language Teaching, a teacher plays the role of controller, organizer, assessor,
promoter, participant, resource, tutor and observer.

Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT), the current paradigm is basically an

off shoot of Communicative Language Teaching. The TBLT breaks down the barriers
of the traditional classroom, because in the TBLT, the role of the learner is
significantly altered. The teacher becomes a true facilitator of learning for the
language learners, purely by means of dialogic communication. The teacher’s role is
not shunned altogether but is restricted; the teacher is expected to be a guide by the
side. With this, the role of the teacher will be described as follows:

1. Facilitator
2. Independent participant
3. Needs analyst
4. Counselor
5. Group processing manager
 Conclusion

The English language has become a huge asset in the economic growth and
advancement of countries so teaching English has become a major responsibility of
educators around the world in response to the modernization and globalization.
Because of the expected improvement of the education systems in teaching English,
techniques, methods and modern approaches were made.

By comparing the countries, as classified by the Three Circles of English, the

importance of learning English was emphasized. Comparing these countries also
gave insights on the differences between using English as a native language (ENL),
a secondary language (ESL) or a foreign language (EFL).

As one of the countries in the Outer Circle, this study was able to show how
English teaching is important to the Philippines. From this study, it is evident that
English experts believe that, in general, English teaching and learning has been
successful in the Philippines. It is, however, facing some new challenges that, if not
handled well, may rapidly negatively affect the success that has been visible.
Fortunately, there are methods of teaching, like CLIL and TBLT that can help
improve teaching the English language. As long as these modern methods are used
and each educator knows his roles in teaching, a positive increase in the quality of
education is expected.

This study also stated how modern devices are now used to improve the
learning and teaching experience. This truly proves the advancement of technology
not just in businesses but also in the educational systems.

REFERENCES

Safary Wa-Mbaleka, EdD, PhD (2014) International Journal of Academic Research in

Progressive Education and Development June 2014, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Special Issue)

Dr. Vitthal V. Parab, Innovative Techniques, Methods & Trends in English Language
Teaching, IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 20, Issue 6, Ver. I
(Jun. 2015),-901X

Prof. Dipak Prabhakar Baviskar,Modern Approaches and Methods in Teaching

English Language, International Journal Research & Innovation Vol2 Issue-03
(2016)eer Review referred Journal.