Reflection the Matatag Curriculum: Integrative Teaching in Grade 1

By Gemmalaine B. Pureza

The Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) unveiled their updated K10 curriculum, known as “MATATAG,” on August 10, 2023.Its goal is to improve and develop language, numeracy, reading and literacy, as well as good manners and appropriate behavior.”Make the curriculum relevant to produce jobready, active, and responsible citizens; Take steps to accelerate the delivery of basic education services and provision facilities; Take good care of learners by promoting learner wellbeing, inclusiveness learning, and positive learning environment; and Help teachers teach better” is what MATATAG stands for.According to the DepEd, lowering learning competencies could benefit both teachers and students. The curriculum’s main purpose is to reduce the overburdened and overloaded lessons, subjects, and other school tasks and activities that students and teachers need to accomplish in a short period of time. It can help teachers focus on designing specific lessons and assessments to teach individual students effectively, and it can provide students with life-long learning skills that enable them to be productive individuals, ready for the world of work.

In addition to the revised curriculum, the Department of Education reinstated the mabuhay and magalang bows for greetings. In accordance with DEPOrder 88S. 1991: Guidelines for the Implementation of “ANG MAGALANG, BOW.” To intensify efforts to restore excellent manners and correct conduct among our schoolchildren. It is done by slightly tilting the head downward in front of the person being greeted and clasping both hands below the breast.

Grade1 in the MATATAG Curriculum. The creation of the Language curriculum gives more emphasis to the development of oral language skills for communication in the learner’s first language, which is essential in developing foundational skills for literacy and learning other content areas. The development of the Languages curricula recognizes the role of the first language(L1) as the language and literacy resource that the child can use most effectively to establish a strong foundation for literacy development and further knowledge. Learners demonstrate basic literacy in their first language by decoding high frequency and basic content-specific words, understanding how words are used in simple sentences to convey meaning, and comprehending, responding to, and creating narrative and informational texts based on real-life experiences. The Reading and Literacy learning area aims to teach the core reading abilities required for early literacy. These objectives include increasing phonemic awareness, decoding skills, and recognizing sight words in order to promote fluent reading in the native language. Comprehension skills are provided to assist students understand and interact with texts, recognize important concepts, and make simple conclusions. Concurrently, the program strives to create a positive reading attitude by exposing students to age-appropriate and engaging materials. Reading and numeracy skills are required for success in both academic and professional environments. Unfortunately, Filipino students do not demonstrate the proficiency anticipated of their grade levels, as indicated by both national and international large-scale tests. In the most current PISA testing, taken in 2018, the Philippines rated 78th out of 79 participating countries and economies in reading and 77th in maths. The results revealed that Filipino learners’ average reading scores were much lower than those of learners from other nations. Similarly, in the 2019 SEA-PLM assessment, the Philippines finished seventh out of seven countries in both mathematics and reading, with a mean reading score of 312. The low performance of Filipino learners in these large-scale assessments suggests that many learners are not developing the necessary literacy and numeracy skills to succeed in school and in their future careers and that there is a need for the country, through the Department of Education, to improve the quality of the reading and numeracy curriculum and its delivery. In the first key stage, the curriculum was designed to ensure that literacy and numeracy are at the center of the teaching and learning experience. Literacy abilities are developed through standards that give prime attention to phonological awareness, phonics and word study, vocabulary and word knowledge, grammar awareness and grammatical structures, comprehension, and fluency. On the other hand, children become numerate as they explore mathematical ideas and engage in problem-solving. Children develop confidence as their parents, careers, families and friends help them to mathematically investigate space, structures and patterns, number, measurement, and different kinds of data and connections (SouthAustraliaDepartment for Education, 2021). In their foundational years, it is imperative that children achieve mastery of the foundational competencies required for reading literacy and numeracy, which, in turn, serve as the fundamental skills for success in life. In addition to the development of a curriculum that centers on reading literacy and numeracy formation, national programs on different literacies shall be implemented in the same school year. Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC)/ Values Education (VE) The Good Manners and Right Conduct/Values Education subject aims to produce Filipino youth who decide with responsibility and accountability, act with right conduct and the inclination to do good, and live their daily lives with love for God, people, environment, country, and the world, habitually mindful of the common good.

The MATATAG Curriculum, which stands for “Malasakit, Access, andTransitions: Towards Agenda 21 for Basic Education,” aims to address these challenges by focusing on values formation, accessible education, and smooth transitions between educational levels. This new approach places a strong emphasis on holistic development, supporting the social, emotional, and cognitive growth of learners. One notable aspect of the MATATAG Curriculum is its recognition of the importance of values formation. By integrating values education into the curriculum, DepEd hopes to nurture students’ ethical and moral compasses, while fostering empathy, respect, and social responsibility. Moreover, the MATATAG Curriculum acknowledges the need for accessible education, ensuring that every Filipino child, regardless of their socio-economic background or geographical location, has equal opportunities to quality education. By providing more inclusive educational practices, the potential to break the cycle of poverty and inequality becomes increasingly attainable. While the MATATAG Curriculum seems promising, it is important to note that its success will depend on proper implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. It calls for the collective efforts of educators, policymakers, school administrators, parents, and the community as a whole. It necessitates the provision of adequate resources, professional development opportunities for teachers, supportive learning environments, and active engagement with stakeholders.