PAG-INDO ‘SA LINAWNGAN NA SAMA: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY ON THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF TEACHERS OF SAMA LEARNERS

Abstract

In the heart of Davao Gulf in Southeastern Mindanao lies the pristine Island of Samal - the homeland of Sama indigenous group and have lived there since the beginning of time. The Island Garden City of Samal (IGaCoS) can be reached by ferry boat from Davao City. Learners of any indigenous group are highly influenced by their own distinct environments and experiences, the explicit exposure of Sama learners to their own Mother Tongue – Sama Language is beneficial in their pursuit of linguistic competence albeit furthers the maintenance of their cultural heritage. Hence, in 2016, the Department of Education implemented the IPED program that aims to teach children the history and the language of Sama. The Department of Education Island Garden City of Samal recognize the importance of providing culturally appropriate learning resources in the mother tongue for children of Indigenous Peoples such as the Sama. This will ensure that no Sama children are left behind as the K-12 Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) system is implemented nationwide. The Sama have an estimated population of 32,000 and live in Island Garden City of Samal. Teachers are facing problems in the implementation of IPEd Program like lack of learning resources and lack of knowledge on indigenous knowledge systems and practices (Olpindo, 2018). In this context, the core of this study is the experiences of teachers handling Sama Learners in terms of their pedagogy focusing on communication classes. Universities produce educators that fill positions in the various supply chains of the nation’s education systems. These educators over the last four decades have emerged from their universities with very little exposure to Indigenous insights and then they inadvertently replicate either or at worse illegitimate or illinformed Indigenous content in their disciplinary field. All children are on a continuum of learning. It is essential that teachers find out where each of their students is on the continuum by developing knowledge of individual students’ learning levels and needs. (Perso, Thelma. Teaching Indigenous students: Cultural awareness and classroom strategies for improving learning outcomes. Routledge, 2020.)