CURRICULUM INTEGRATION IN MAKABAYAN

INTRODUCTION

Makabayan is a learning area of the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) which is a
restructuring of the New Elementary School Curriculum (NESC) and the New Secondary School
Curriculum (NSEC). The BEC aims to raise the quality of Filipino learners and graduates and
empower them for lifelong learning which requires the attainment of functional literacy.
(Department of Education, BEC Primer.)

Makabayan, the fifth learning area in basic education, has learning components that are
interdisciplinary in nature. Social studies draw content from the social sciences, humanities, and
related disciplines. Values Education draws content from religions, beliefs, norms, and work
ethics. Technology and Livelihood Education addresses lessons in home economics, industrial
arts, agriculture, fisheries, and entrepreneurship. MAPEH draws content from music, art,
physical education, and health. The interdisciplinary nature of Makabayan makes it the
touchstone for integration in basic education.

LESSON PROPER

NATURE AND STRUCTURE OF MAKABAYAN

What is said of Makabayan as a learning area?

 Makabayan is said to be a "laboratory of life" or a practice environment.

 It is a learning area that is experiential, interactive, interdisciplinary and value
laden.
 It is the learning area that provides the Filipino learner the quality time to
demonstrate practical knowledge and skills of empathy, vocational efficiency and
problem solving in daily life.
 Love of country serves as the unifying principle for the diverse values in this
learning rea, thus it is called pagkamakabayan or makabayan for short.
 As a practice environment, Makabayan will cultivate in the learner a healthy,
personal, and national self-concept which includes an adequate understanding of
Philippine history and a genuine appreciation of our local culture, crafts, arts,
music and games.
 Makabayan will promote a constructive or healthy patriotism which is neither
hostile nor isolationist toward other nations but appreciative of global
interdependence.
 The core competencies in the elementary level come from varied disciplines such
as Social Studies, Home Economics, Physical Education, Health, Music and Arts.
 In the secondary level competencies come from Araling Panlipunan, Technology
and Livelihood Education Music Arts, Physical Education and Health Citizenship
Training, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga
  These competencies will be developed through integrated units of leaning task
whenever such integrated units are possible and appropriate.
 Each of the five learning areas addresses both the individual and social needs of
the learners.

MAKABAYAN LEARNING COMPONENTS

Makabayan provides many opportunities for integrative and interactive learning Presented
below and in the succeeding pages are the course descriptions of elementary and secondary
Makabayan (DepEd, 2002).

Elementary Makabayan

 Civics and Culture 1 to 3. The competencies of Civics and Culture are clustered around
three major values. (1) national identity and self-esteem, (2) national unity, and 3) loyalty
to the nation Civics and Culture 3 address the development of work ethics.
 Geography, History, and Civics 4 to 6
In Grade 4. Geography. History, and Civics focus on the following the geographic
features of the Philippines as a part of Southeast Asia and the world the utilization of our
natural resources, and the relationship of physical geography to local culture.

In Grade 5. Geography. History, and Civics address the history of the Philippines from
the pre-historic period down to our contemporary times. The learners examine how
people, practices, ideas, and events in the past helped shape the present and how
people manage the present to attain a desired future.

In Grade 6, Geography, History, and Civics focus on our democratic system of

government and on the rights, duties and responsibilities of citizens in the Philippine
society.

 Home Economics and Livelihood Education. This component of Makabayan from

Grades 4 to 6 focuses on the development of desirable work attitudes and basic work
skills and habits through learning situations relevant to everyday chores at home, in
school, and in the community, Likewise, this learning component covers phases of work
in elementary agriculture, home economics, industrial arts, retail trade, computer
education, and other livelihood and entrepreneurship skills designed to develop
awareness of and interest in productive work.
 Music, Art, and Physical Education (MAPE). This component of Makabayan in
Grades I to 6 will enable the child to express his feeling imagination, and ideas through
music, art, and physical activities. The children will learn basic body movements, games,
musical skills, and art concepts As children proceed to higher grades, there is further
development in their study of physical fitness, competencies in lead up games, musical
concepts, creative design and craft construction.
 In Grades 1 to 3. Music, Art, and Physical Education competencies are integrated in
Civics and Culture. These competencies may be used as introduction of the lesson, but
if there is a need to formally teach the elements of music, art, and physical education,
the teachers may do so.

Secondary Makabayan

 Social Studies. This learning component of Makabayan covers the study of Philippine
History and Government in First Year, Anan Studies in Second Year, World History in
Third Year, and Economie in Fourth Year. The approach is thematic chronological in the
case of history-oriented disciplines and thematic topical in the case of economics.
 Values Education. This component of Makabayan aims at the formation of self-identity
and develops in the learner the knowledge and skills necessary for adequate
discernment, analysis, discussion and selection of values in real life situations Values
education shall be taught in every learning area through an experiential learning
approach and integrative teaching. The teacher server at a facilitator by guiding the
learner in the discovery, analysis, selection, and adoption of values based on concrete
life situations and discussed in an atmosphere of dialogue, freedom and openness.
 Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE). This component of Makabayan in First
Year to Fourth Year comprises home economics, agriculture and fisheries, industrial
arts, computer education and entrepreneurship.

 Music, Art, Physical Education, and Health (MAPEH).

Music and Art. These learning components of Makabayan in First Year to Fourth Year
aim at developing the learners' personal, social, and aesthetic skills and values. MAPEH
covers the study of the elements and styles of music learned experientially through
listening singing, playing, reading, and creating Philippine music and visual art materials
as well as those of other countries. These are used for deepening and understanding
musical and artistic ideas and values. The visual art involves such activities as drawing,
painting, and making two-three dimensional artistic pieces.

Physical Education. This component of Makabayan in First to Fourth Year aims for the
physical and aesthetic development of the learner through selected physical exercises,
games, sports, and dance.

Health. This component of Makabayan in First to Fourth Year develops the learner's
ability to attain and maintain holistic health (physical, mental, and interpersonal) and
includes education on population, drugs, and safety.

Makabayan Teaching Teams

School principals both in the elementary and secondary schools are tasked to organize
Makabayan teaching teams to handle the following learning areas (subjects):

Elementary Makabayan
  Civics and Culture 1-3 (Sibika at Kultura SK)
 Geography, History, and Civics 4-6 (Heograpiya, Kasaysayan at Sibika)
 Home Economics and Livelihood Education 4-6 (Edukasyong Pantahanan at
Pangkabuhayan, EPP)
 Music, Art, and Physical Education (MAPE) 1-6
 Character Education 1-6

Secondary Makabayan

 Social Studies I-IV (Araling Panlipunan)

 Values Education I-IV (Edukayong Pagpapahalaga)
 Technology and Livelihood Education (TLE)- I-IV
 Music, Art, Physical Education, and Health (HEALTH) I-IV

MAKABAYAN LEARNING COMPETENCIES

Each one the learning components of Makabayan in the elementary and secondary
schools (Social Studies; Values Education; Technology and Livelihood Education; Music, Art,
Physical Education, and Health) has its own learning competencies. These provide the sources
of content and processes in the unfolding of lessons in the classroom.

Week 2

Modes of Integrative Teaching

Four modes of integrative teaching are stated in the Basic Education Curriculum (BEC), namely,
content-based instruction (CBI), focusing inquiry, generic competency model, and thematic
teaching (DepEd, 2002).

1. Content-Based Instruction (CBI). The refers to the integration of content learning with
language teaching aims. It refers to the concurrent study of language and subject matter
with the form and sequence of language presentation dictated by the content material.
The language curriculum centered
on the academic needs and interest
of the learners and crosses the
barrier between language and
subject matter courses. This
approach aims at developing the
learners’ academic language skills.

Content-Based Instruction (CBI) is

“an approach to second language
teaching in which teaching is organized around the content or information that students
will acquire, rather than around a linguistic or other type of syllabus” (Richards &
Rodgers, 2001, p.204). In other words, CBI involves integrating the learning of language
with the learning of content simultaneously; here, content typically means academic
subject matter such as math, science, or social studies. In CBI, the language is utilized
as the medium for teaching subject content (Mohan, 1986). The language learning
 objectives are achieved through content learning. The syllabi in most CBI courses are
derived from content areas and vary widely in detail and format. In a word, CBI is a
method of teaching language and content in tandem.

Examples:

a) Filipino and Social Studies

A lesson in Filipino designed to develop skills in ‘identifying keywords
in a given text’ uses Social Studies content (essay/article) such as “Batas
Militar sa Pilipinas” or a related topic under the unit on “Pamahalaan at
Batas”. The Social Studies content is used to develop the language skills.
b) English and Science
A lesson in English designed to ‘develop the ability to locate and
synthesize information’ may use content in Science (essay/article) such
as ‘The Ecological System,’ which is a topic in the First Year of Science
under ‘Living Things and their Environment’ (Chapter Four).
Characteristics
 The focus of a CBI is on the topic or subject matter.
 During the lesson students are focused on learning about something by the
use of the content of another subject. An example is when Filipino as a subject
integrates lesson content in HKS to teach Filipino grammar.
A. Content Learning
 Students learn about what interest them using the language they are trying to
learn, rather than their native language.
 They develop linguistic ability in the target language.
 It is a natural way of developing language ability that corresponds to the way
the first language was earned.
B. Process Learning
Preparation
 In the preparation, teacher chooses a subject of interest to students.
 He/She finds three or four suitable sources that deal with the different aspects
of the subject.
During the lesson
 Teacher divides the class into small groups and assigns each group a small
research task and a source of information to use.
 Once research is done, students form new groups with those that used other
information sources and share and compare their information.
 There should be some products as the end result of the sharing of information.

2. Focusing Inquiry. Inquiry teaching is an interdisciplinary approach thar uses questions

to organize learning. Like most interdisciplinary teaching, it crosses conventional
knowledge boundaries. The teacher guides learners to discover answers to questions,
whether or not answers pre-exist. The inquiry approach is more focused on using and
learning content to develop information-processing and problem-solving skills. This
system I more student-centered, with the teacher as the facilitator of learning. Learners
become creators of knowledge rather than recipients. Concepts and content are less
important than the governing process of conducting an investigation and communicating
 what was learned to others. The process of inquiry is the organizer of the instructional
design while content is relegated to an ancillary place.

Inquiry learning can be a self-renewing cycle of questions and answers. Using what
learners already know as a starting-point, learners generate questions about the things
they do not know yet. They design a method of investigation and gather information on
their own. As they interpret the information and generate answers, new questions
emerge. The cycle is continuous.

Characteristics
 Focusing means the center of interest or activity is the focus of attention and
concentration.
 Inquiry is sometimes termed "discovery", "heuristic" and "problem solving”. It is
defined simply as a teaching method which is "modeled after the investigative
processes of scientists."
 It puts premium on obtaining information through direct experience.
A. Content Learning
 It is focused on using learning content as a means to develop information-
processing and problem-solving skills.
 It puts more emphasis on "how we come to know" and less on "what we know”
 It is student-centered with the teacher as facilitator of learning.
 Students are more involved in the construction of knowledge.
 Students ask questions that are more open and reflective in nature.
 Assessment is focused on determining the progress of skills development in
addition to content understanding.
 It stresses skill development and nurtures the development of good habits of
mind.
B. Process Learning Here are the steps:
 Getting started, by identifying preliminary questions and information
 Planning, by specific unknown and formulating hypotheses
 Focusing by refining the preliminary question
 Identifying and mapping possible resources
 Evaluating resources
 Tracking what fits and what doesn't
 Assessing preliminary answers
 Making sense of multiple pieces of information
 Telling a particular audience the personal story of the "learning journey"

3. Generic Competency Model. In this model, learners are enrolled in three to four linked
courses. The links between the courses rest essentially on general competencies. The
course assists learners in developing competencies that will transfer readily from one
discipline to another. In Makabayan, for instance, competencies can be clustered into
three: personal development, social competence, and work/special skills. These three
skills are integrated in teaching 2 or more subjects. Also, an output or culminating
performance is expected.
 For example, a certain objective in Makabayan can go like this: “Identify material and
non-material culture and to affirm their importance through preparing an exhibit about
the culture of the Philippines”

In the above-mentioned objective, the teacher can decide which competency he/she
wi9ll make students develop. If the teacher wants the 3, the better. For personal skills,
students can develop their love and appreciation of their own culture. For social
competence, the students can work in groups especially in preparing their culminating
performance which is an exhibit. Lastly, for the work/special skills, the students can
utilize their creative and artistic skills to make their exhibit appealing. Their work attitudes
can also be reflected especially given a deadline and/or a criterion. The objective might
be related to Social Science, however, the skills in making the exhibit can be drawn from
MAPEH subjects, as well as the proper work attitudes learned from Values Education.

Characteristics
 In this approach, learners are enrolled in three to four linked courses.
 These links between the courses rest essentially on generic competencies.
A. Content Learning
 Learners are enrolled in three to four limited courses link among the sources
essential on "generic competencies".
 Learners are assisted in developing competencies that will transfer readily
from one discipline to another.
 Competencies are clustered into personal development, social competence,
and work/special skills.
 The subject specialist teaches his or her subject.
 Instructional integrity of the discipline is maintained.
 Activities draw on the processes and skills important to each discipline.
B. Process Learning.
 Describe a generic competency (social, personal, productivity work/special
skills) that allows related competencies from many subjects to enter the
integration process.
 Identify the culminating performance (what, why, and how).
 Brainstorm the specific skills that you would expect the learners to derive from
the project.
 Examine if the specific skills will lead to the culminating performance.
 Examine if the specific skills will lead to the culminating performance.
 Design the scoring guide (criteria and standard) to assess the performance.

4. Thematic Teaching. Thematic themes organize learning around ideas. It is an

instructional method of teaching in which emphasis is given on choosing a specific
theme for teaching one or many concepts. Pedagogy of thematic learning is based on its
exploration of broad areas in one theme. It is based on integrating various It provides a
broad framework for linking content and process from a number of disciplines. The
theme provides coherence. It gives a focus to the activities that accompany the unit.
Likewise, the theme helps the learners see the meaningful connections across
 disciplines or skill areas. It conveys a clear compelling purpose to learners, teachers,
and parents linking ideas to action and life-long learning.

Characteristics
 It recognizes learning around ideas.
 It provides a framework for linking content and process from variety of
discipline.
 The theme provides coherence of activities.
 It gives a focus to the activities that accompany the unit.
 It also helps the learners see the meaningful connection across the discipline
or skill areas. (DepEd Manual, BEC Primer)
 It conveys clear, compelling purpose to learners, teacher, and parents. It links
ideas to action.
 Topics are relevant and are of interest to children.
 An array of lessons is built around central ideas.
 It enhances children's concept development.
 It provides a means for integrating content learning and process learning in
ways that are meaningful to them.
A. Content Learning
 It uses such mental abilities as attending, listening, observing, remembering
and recalling.
 It consists of socio-conventional knowledge around which the theme is
designed.
 It gathers data about people in the community and their work through field
trips, observation, interviews, and the like
 In the classroom, it engages in hands-on activities, replicates, simulates the
work of the people from the community.
 It provides stories, books and other sources of information such as videos or
demonstrations by resource persons.
B. Process Learning
 It is comprised of the cognitive, social, emotional and physical elements that
form the basis for all experiences in the classroom.
 It encompasses the whole child.
 The processes involved range from mental abilities such as grouping,
differentiating, inferring and concluding, to such physical skills as developing
strength or endurance, to the social skills of learning; how to delay
gratification or how initiate an interaction.
 Learners gain factual insight into the life of workers and can also test their
ideas.
 Learners gain opportunities to reach compromises.
 It creates symbols.
 Learners draw conclusions.

Source The 2002 Basic Education Curriculum (BEC) Handbook

Summary
Makabayan, the fifth learning area (subject) in basic education, has rich sources for its content
materials considering that its learning components (Social Studies; Values Education;
technology and Livelihood Education; Music, Art, Physical Education, and Health) draw content
knowledge from the social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, and other related fields of
learning. Indeed, Makabayan provides experiences for integrative and interactive learning.