Republic of the Philippines

TARLAC STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
CENTER OF DEVELOPMENT
Graduate School

Introspect Language Experience: Reflective Essay

Michael D. Mallari

ELE 605: Language Learning and Pedagogy

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Introspect Language Experience

In the realm of collective efforts, man has been dedicated to uncovering innovations for

enhanced living, conducting experiments with various chemical elements to find cures for illnesses, and

developing technology to safeguard against climate change and potential extraterrestrial threats. On the

other side of life, man has also faced the fruit of hardship, subjective success, experienced luxury, and

living different philosophies and beliefs. Man became free from the oppression of his image, and man

explored the possibilities of life. Despite encountering challenges along the way, how can man navigate

through these hardships in his life? How can a man unlock possibilities and opportunities in this

inevitable world? In this reflection, I will discuss how I discerned learning the language from different

perspectives and the impact of this on my pedagogy. This reflection paper will emphasize the principles I

believe in, the problems I encountered, and my journey as an English educator.

In the beginning, it was not my choice to choose this profession. Life became tough back then, I

had no option but to surrender everything to God. During my initial two years as an English student, I

encountered numerous challenges in keeping pace primarily due to my novice fluency in the English

language. Despite the challenges, I managed to maintain my resolve and cling to my aspirations. I

explored new avenues such as writing poetry, and essays, and delving into broadcasting, through these I

cultivated the essence of grit. After completing my undergraduate studies, I became an ESL teacher -

exposing myself to different nationalities and the English world. Afterward, I transitioned into the image

of an elementary teacher. I used this opportunity to refine more fluency and proficiency in the English

language while nurturing the students’ critical thinking and communication skills. Embarking on the

journey of becoming a successful English educator has been a greatly splendid and transformative

experience.

In the birth of humanity, God gave man a “language” (Yule, 2022) to unveil knowledge and to

understand this world. Nevertheless, man became blind and foolish to their faith, the intention of

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dethroning God by attempting to build the tower of Babel was a crime they committed. The Holy Spirit

came down from heaven and “confounded the language of all the earth” as described in the book of

Genesis (11:9). Humanity experienced a great dilemma in communication. Language was not only a tool

but also resembled a torn tapestry for humanity. Communication had become difficult to achieve.

Different cultures and beliefs arose and they had to create a system of language (language is arbitrary) to

understand themselves until the days of innovation occurred. On the other hand, as we observe the nature

of communication, animals can communicate through sounds and actions that are exclusively designed

for them. Meanwhile, humans possess the ability to communicate linguistically, both verbally and non-

verbally across different times and locations. Thus, studying the human language leads us to the

realization of why the human mind is unique whereas Noam Chomsky believed that this “human essence”

is distinct only to humans.

Noam Chomsky explained in his study that the human mind has a Language Acquisition Device

(LAD), which is a hypothetical tool in the human brain that allows human beings to acquire and learn

language. In addition, this LAD is inherent to the human brain, that contains a predetermined grammatical

structure that is universal across all languages. This makes me believe that children acquire language

rapidly with minimal formal instruction. For instance, I wasn’t formally taught about the grammar of my

first language, Kapampangan. Instead, my relatives who speak Kapampangan fluently provided me a

minimal formal instruction, such as correcting pronunciation and explaining the proper usage of a specific

word. Concurrently, I acquired also the Tagalog language as another first language, because I grew up

with friends and relatives who speak Tagalog fluently. My proficiency in the Tagalog language was

developed when I entered formal schooling where Tagalog served as one of the mediums of instruction

and taught in various Filipino courses. I have learned that to develop a language proficiently and fluently,

it must be nurtured. The behaviorists support, that children learn language by imitating adults around

them. Throughout the years, the role of adults who are proficient and fluent speakers of a particular

language is crucial in the development of another language.

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Specifically, many linguists have studied the English language due to its “linguistic imperialism”.

The English language has become the most dominant and powerful language, prompting the authorities to

call the English language an “international language”. In the Philippines, the English language became

the official second language of most Filipinos, accepted as the medium of instruction in academic

institutions, government offices, private sectors, and businesses. The dominance of the English language

is particularly evident to today’s youth, who perceive it as crucial for their career. In many cases, students

feel inferior when asked to answer questions in the English language. “I often use the English language

because I am afraid to be judged by my classmates,” said my students. “I am afraid to make mistakes

because I don’t have enough vocabulary” she added. As we delved deeper, my students expressed their

emotions, stating, “We feel insecure about the English language because I think most Filipino people see

it as a status symbol”. Indeed, the English language is often seen by some Filipinos as a symbol of higher

education and socioeconomic status. Learning the language can be challenging for some students due to

different factors that affect the learning process such as colonial influences, code-switching, standard

issues to the native people of the Philippines, social hierarchies, media influence, etc.

The necessity of language instruction has become more urgent than before since globalization

continues to expand alongside rapid technological advancement. In the educational realm, teaching

language has become part of the curriculum since knowledge begins with the mastery of the first

language. Language educators aim primarily to cultivate proficiency and fluency in their learners,

fostering critical and creative thinking abilities to effectively communicate their ideas, beliefs, and other

essential information. When I was teaching primary school learners, I was assigned the responsibility of

developing lesson plans for mother-tongue education. At the same time, it was mandated that the

Kapampangan language be utilized in all private and public schools in Angeles City. This posed a

challenge on my part because my students were English speakers, and some of them hardly spoke the

Tagalog language. But in the end, I was able to come up with various strategies for teaching the

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Kapampangan language. However, instead of strictly adhering to the mandate of using Kapampangan, I

integrated Kapampangan words into each lesson.

From the perspective of an English educator, teaching the English language may seem easy when

all students have acquired the basic rules of a particular language system. In my experience, teaching the

rules or grammar in private school was straightforward, but building comprehension from the stories read

posed challenges. Some students were trying their best to understand and had a hard time communicating

with the author; identifying the context clues was a real challenge. It took them two weeks to complete

the reading comprehension activities. In public schools, students have limited access to the materials

needed for learning the English language. They rely only on the modules and activities given by the

teacher. The Department of Education has been working diligently to minimize the number of illiterate

readers. During the enrollment period, applicants were required to undergo a reading assessment before

participating in enrollment. As a language educator, I have observed that there are still students who

struggle to read basic sight words. This categorized them as either “frustrated readers” or "non-readers." It

is, indeed, a sad reality in the education sector. Teachers find themselves grappling with providing extra

time to teach these students instead of focusing on the required competencies. The teachers in public

schools continue to strive for the betterment and welfare of the students.

In teaching the English language, always keep in mind to begin your lesson with the basics by

considering the definitions, properties, and characteristics of language. It is the teacher’s strategy to

introduce the nature of the word or topic that is being presented for the students to gradually build their

understanding. For instance, I taught about "inquiry,” which is a topic in Practical Research 1. Since

research is a new concept, I made sure that my students acquired the basic information about the

mentioned word by providing the root word, engaging in different synonyms and antonyms, identifying

the stress of the given word, using the word in different contexts, and linking the given word to other

words. Through these, we are a hundred percent sure that learning the English language can be achieved.

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During my first year of primary school, I recall encountering difficulties differentiating between

the vowels “a” and “u”. For instance, when the teacher presented words like “bus” and “bug” on the

board for us to copy into our notebook, I often found myself mistakenly substituting the vowel “u” with

“a”, resulting in words like “bas” and “bag”. Furthermore, when tasked with delivering a lecture, I

consistently replaced all instances of the vowel “u” with “a”. Looking into this problem in language

acquisition on phonological awareness, evidently that the younger “me” had struggled to recognize sound

structure language like recognizing individual sounds (phonemes). The Phonological Deficit Hypothesis

suggests that some individuals may have underlying deficits in phonological processing, which can

manifest as difficulties in accurately perceiving vowels including sound speech. During the assessment,

the teacher addressed the difficulty in differentiating vowel sounds. As a result, I underwent remedial and

tutoring sessions to reintroduce vowel sounds that were applied to bridge the gap in language acquisition.

Furthermore, as an English educator, I firmly believe in the importance of being observant of the mistakes

made by our learners, necessitating immediate correction of language errors in their performance.

Assessment in language learning stands as pivotal in my academic development. Had my teacher not

promptly intervened in my case, it would have significantly affected my academic progress and my

emotional and mental well-being.

In December 2022, there was a boy named John who had been my student during my initial year

as a public school teacher. At that time, he was already in the 11th grade. Throughout the second semester

of the academic year, I noticed that he was not making any progress in his academic performance. He

frequently missed classes and exhibited poor communication skills whenever we encouraged him to

participate verbally and in written activities. After days of observation, I called the parents' attention to

hear John's assessment. In my investigation, I discussed that John is classified as a "non-reader." I

explained to his parents that he lacks the skills of a fluent reader. It means that he struggled with

comprehension, phonics, and vocabulary (Literacy Strategies by Karen Tankerley). I explained to them

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the reason why John misbehaved in his classes and avoided teacher contact. John’s case was severe not

just due to his poor proficiency in language but also his lack of motivation towards learning the language.

The fact that John was living his life as a youth. He opted out of further remedial assessment and left his

education behind. I found it deeply challenging to accept this experience, prompting me to question my

suitability for this profession. The impact was significant, as I felt I had failed him in his educational

journey. Reflecting on these encounters, I endeavored to enhance my understanding and capabilities to

better address the issues and concerns of my students.

During my tenure as a facilitator in a public senior high school, I have been taught that the given

courses or subjects are not always in our favor; we can’t choose what subjects to handle. Aside from

teaching practical research, I handle subjects like business ethics and empowerment technology, which

are not my forte. However, I always remind myself to incorporate into the lessons the basic skills they

have to master: listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills. For instance, in business ethics, I provide

reading materials that talk about the cases of employees and employers in a corporate business. Then, I

give them ten to fifteen minutes to do some skimming and scanning on the reading materials provided.

Then I ask one student to retell the story to the class or make a summary in front of the class. Afterward, I

guide my students with the use of the Socratic method to understand the case. In this strategy, students

engage in meaning-making, which helps them construct ideas. This strategy does not only improve their

comprehension but also their language production.

In line with these cases, the cognitive approach was employed by the teacher to pinpoint errors in

phonological deficit and offer alternative interventions for correcting the misuse of the vowels “u” and

“a”. Additionally, a behaviorist approach was utilized, emphasized drilling and repetition to aid in the

relearning process vowels. In John’s case, there was a significant emphasis on the importance of language

assessment for identifying and acknowledging language barriers. Particularly noteworthy was the

environment in which John resided, characterized by a social group where relatives and friends served as

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poor models for language acquisition. Consequently, John harbored a negative attitude and perception

towards learning a language, leading to demotivation and eventually dropping out of school.

In conclusion, the journey of humanity encompasses the pursuit of innovation. As we grapple

with challenges, celebrate success, and explore the diverse nature of man along the way. As we unlock

opportunities, the transformative power of language emerges in the life of humanity. It is not just a tool

for communication but an innate power of humanity to discover, explore, and love the very essence of

being human. In my reflection, I have to appreciate the profound impact of language from learning and

teaching the language as long as we have the passion to embody the love of learning.

ELE 605: Language Learning and Pedagogy