Chatty Tolentino, Researcher

Your child is likely already learning Filipino in school, and the leveled structure of WIKA’Y GALING! might lead you to think that they’ll be studying the same lessons here. This won’t entirely be the case. The program bases a given student’s WIKA’Y GALING! Level not on their age or grade level but mainly on their skills in reading, writing, and speaking in Filipino.

Schools follow a certain curriculum and standard per grade level. The student’s proficiency in the different aspects of the language may not always be considered, as students are often allowed to pass the grade level if they’re seen exerting enough effort to learn.

DepEd’s Approach and Standards

DepEd has been continuously revising its curriculum to fit its learning objective for each subject, especially after the implementation of the K-12 program. There is an assumption that students speak Filipino as their first language, whether at home or to communicate with other people outside of the classroom. Consider the standard for kindergarteners: 

Naipamamalas ng mag-aaral ang kakayahan sa pagpapahayag ng iniiisip at damdamin sa wikang katutubo at ang kahandaan sa pagbasa at pagsulat upang makilala ang sarili at matutong makisalamuha sa kapwa.

This is achievable if the child already has a background in the language, but it would be difficult for someone who has never spoken or heard Filipino before. The standards are set high, especially when it comes to reading and writing, for students learning Filipino. Each student is also expected to simultaneously develop their skills in the language in all of its aspects, as seen in the standard for first graders:

Pagkatapos ng Unang Baitang, inaasahang nauunawaan ng mga mag-aaral ang mga pasalita at di-pasalitang paraan ng pagpapahayag at nakatutugon nang naaayon. Nakakamit ang mga kasanayan sa mabuting pagbasa at pagsulat upang maipahayag at maiugnay ang sariling ideya, damdamin at karanasan sa mga narinig at nabasang mga teksto ayon sa kanilang antas o nibel at kaugnay ng kanilang kultura.

Given that the student spends a year to catch up to the standards set for first graders, it’s still not easy to fully grasp how to express oneself in another language without the proper foundation. Lacking the skill in one aspect can slow them down from further progress.

The WIKA’Y GALING! Way

In contrast, WIKA’Y GALING! teaches Filipino as a second language. According to THE LEARNING LIBRARY’s Filipino Curriculum Head, Niki Calma, and one of the original members of the curriculum team, Arlene Reyes, the levels were created based on DepEd’s set order for grammar lessons for each grade level. As Teacher Arlene explains it, the program bases the topics according to DepEd’s curriculum, but it doesn’t necessarily use the recommended texts for each grade level because it follows its own theme.

WIKA’Y GALING! has a total of 40 levels, which Teacher Arlene explains as “umiikot sa kung anong kakayahan at kahandaan ng bata”, and the levels are grouped and categorized together based on a specific learning objective, like words and phrases, writing sentences, reading comprehension, and so on. Because each learning objective has three or more levels that touch on it, students are still able to feel and see their progress even when they’re going through similar Tagalog lessons for kids. You can find out more about the specific details of the levels here. 

Just like DepEd, WIKA’Y GALING! has its own reading and writing standards for each level. The program considers these standards, along with standards for speaking and comprehension, as the main basis to determine which level a student should begin in. While the process may consider a student’s age and grade level in school, their placement will not be based solely on this because the focus is on strengthening foundations and starting from things they need to learn to speak Filipino. 

The Importance of The Leveled Structure

Teacher Niki emphasizes the importance of the structure, highlighting the fact that it allows teachers to meet the students at their current skill level. As she puts it, “WIKA’Y GALING! is not a program where everyone starts at Level 1 because that wouldn’t be fair.” There are students who are complete beginners and have little to no knowledge of the language, while there are others who may already be speaking or using it at home, and it’s important to make a distinction between these types of students.

Placing WIKA’Y GALING! students in the right levels allow teachers to meet the students where they’re at in their language-learning journey. A test determines the students’ capabilities in listening and reading comprehension, in expressing thoughts, in word choice, sentence construction, and more. Students who have similar skills and language backgrounds are then grouped together, regardless of their grade level in school. Having classmates with similar struggles and skill levels will motivate children to engage in the learning activities, as well as with each other, a lot more. As students advance through the Filipino online tutorial, they will recognize their own progress and become more driven to reach higher levels.

WIKA’Y GALING!

Why should your child be in WIKA’Y GALING! when they’re already learning Filipino in school?

The program maintains an understanding that there exists a gap between the students’ language skills and the grade-level standards at school. WIKA’Y GALING! aims to bridge this gap. It is not meant to be a tutoring program for your child’s current school lessons in Filipino: it addresses more fundamental skills to support school learning instead. Students benefit from the Filipino enrichment program because it begins where they are at, and follows their learning pace. 

WIKA’Y GALING! teaches Filipino as a second language through a Filipino comprehension tutor. Students progress faster once the proper language foundations -- listening, speaking, reading, and writing -- are built and strengthened. After some time in the program, the child’s Filipino skills should match their grade-level standards. 

How do you know if there’s a gap? Find out how to do a quick assessment of your child’s Filipino language skills in comparison to their grade level in school here.

Measure of Success

There are two distinct signs of improvement that can tell you if your child’s Filipino language skills already match what is expected in their grade level: if they can do their homework alone without asking for assistance, and if they’ve had a significant increase in their grades in school, then you can be certain your child’s made progress. You can also check if they’re able to understand their lessons better now than they could before. Students can choose to stay in WIKA’Y GALING for further improvement of their skills.

THE LEARNING LIBRARY has been helping children improve their skills in the Filipino language while also guiding them as they exceed in their Filipino classes in school since 2009 through its WIKA’Y GALING! program. The leveled language program builds fundamental language skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. To know more about our Filipino as a Second Language program, send us a message via www.learninglibraries.com