I.

Greetings (adj, members of the other side of the house)

II. Refute all the points given by the opponent (about a min and a half) (pero the speech below kay taas2 man.. I suggest nga ayaw lang kaau tas.a imong counter arguments)

III. Present your arguments (use bullets for organization) When curriculum content is presented in an unfamiliar language, an enormous amount of time must be spent first teaching children to understand, speak, read, and write it. Moreover, children, who cannot understand the language used in the classroom, are unable to demonstrate what they know, ask questions, and participate. Using a language they understand, during their formative years, confers significant advantages for the educational system, teachers, parents, and students. Some of the key benefits of using the mother tongue as medium of instruction in Grades 1 3 are as follows: (read the bulleted points first then after go back to point 1 and read explanation then point 2 so on.) Learning the mother tongue serves a facilitating role in learning a second language. (main point. explanation below) [NECESSITY, not yours haha I just realized nga im not man diay writing for the whole team. lol] It is not easy to encourage young children to speak or listen in a foreign language for a whole lesson, as some can be quieter or less confident than others. Teachers, therefore, need to provide a comfortable environment where the children may be motivated in making efforts to listen or communicate in a foreign language. In order to feel motivated, young children may need to be exposed to their mother tongue, for a long time before they feel confident enough, because ignoring the native language may not yield motivation and can lead to low self-esteem, hence leading to the refusal of learning another language. Furthermore, it is the best way in which the teacher can ensure the correct comprehension of the students. [BENEFICIALITY this ones yours] Using the mother tongue as a medium of instruction helps the pupil to immediately master curriculum content because the mother tongue is a language that the child understands. Furthermore, learning skills that are built using the childs mother

tongue may be applied in the acquisition of another language, like Filipino and English which are incorporated in our educational system.

Improves access to education Children who understand the language of instruction are more likely to enter school at ageappropriate times and attend school regularly. Moreover, they are less likely to drop out than those who receive instruction in a foreign language. An analysis of data from 22 developing countries, including the Philippines, and 160 language groups revealed that children who had access to instruction in their mother tongue were significantly more likely to be enrolled and attending school, while a lack of education in a first language was a significant reason for children dropping out (Smits et al., 2008). Improves learning outcomes Children learn to read faster if they speak the language of instruction, because they already have a reserve of vocabulary, knowledge of the linguistic construction of the language, and the ability to pronounce the sounds of the language. This prior knowledge facilitates learning to read, as well as comprehending text. Being able to read and understand the language in turn facilitates academic learning. In the Philippines, the Lubuagan Kalinga First experiment showed the L1 experimental classes (uses mother tongue as medium) scoring nearly 80 percent in the Grade 1, 2 and 3 tests compared to just over 50 percent scores by the L2 control classes (foreign language as medium). In Vietnam, 68% of grade one students in a mother tongue program achieved the level of excellent compared to only 28% of students not learning in their mother tongue (UNICEF, 2011).

Improves childrens self-concept and identity. By learning in the mother tongue, childrens home culture and traditional knowledge are validated and

reinforced. Children gain a better self-concept and have a strong sense of their own identity. Such children usually achieve better in school and life than children who are forced to learn in an unknown, strange language (Ball, 2010). Supports local culture and parental involvement. Its true that English links us with the rest of the world. The Filipino language helps us to reach out to our Filipino brothers. It is an indispensable fact, however, that Cebuano, our mother tongue, is our connection to our heritage. The use of a familiar language for instruction validates local culture and knowledge, creating a bridge between the formal school system and childrens home and community environment. This, in turn, facilitates parental involvement and strengthens community support for education, since language is not a barrier to participating in childrens schooling.

Ultimately, it is very much beneficial for a government to invest more in a system that works and promises a better future for everyone than to spend less in an educational system that doesnt work or is ineffective and does not serve the purpose of it being educational. Thus, on the motion that this house would use mother tongue as a medium of instruction for Grades 1 -3, WE CONTINUE TO AFFIRM.