After 10 Years of MTB-MLE Implementation: Narratives of First-Hand Implementers

In the current language in education policy in the Philippines, there is a minimal data on the experiences of first-hand implementers in MTB-MLE during its implementing years especially in the Davao City. This phenomenological research aimed to explore the experiences of the first-hand MTB-MLE implementers, and educational insights to sustain its implementation. Results revealed that the experiences of the first-hand implementers showed positivity and openness among them; considered MTB-MLE as a mandate, beneficial and fallible; adhered to training and development; helped prepare learning materials; and, implemented it in a multilingual setting. It has been proven that from the experiences, educational insights to sustain MTB-MLE were drawn such as: motivating factors to sustain; utilizing technology in multilingual classrooms; applying the strategies from trainings; and, actualizing the policy as a mandate. The first-hand implementers became familiar with government standards and understand that those standards are the foundation for the MTB-MLE curriculum; they understand that in following the MTB-MLE curriculum they will enable their students to achieve the government standards; hence, they would enable students to achieve the kind of learning the students deserve. On the part of the first-hand implementers, the occurrence of the identified experiences is a call for the policymakers and curriculum designers to monitor and evaluate the feedback coming from the grassroots in order to identify points crucial for the betterment of the language policy.