The Main Features of the MATATAG Curriculum

Summary

The Matatag curriculum focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy skills, reducing the number of learning areas from seven to five in early grades. It emphasizes 21st-century competencies like digital literacy, problem-solving, and resilience. The curriculum integrates new subjects such as Makabansa, which fosters national identity and civic responsibility. Values education, including Good Manners and Right Conduct, is intensified across all levels. The streamlined approach provides deeper learning experiences by decongesting content and aligning with international standards, preparing Filipino learners to thrive in a digital, global world.

Takeaways

• 📚 Focus on foundational skills such as literacy and numeracy in the K-3 curriculum.
• ✂️ Decongested curriculum by reducing the number of learning competencies.
• 🧠 Balanced cognitive demands by shifting from lower-order to higher-order thinking skills.
• 🌍 Emphasis on 21st-century skills like media, technology, communication, and life skills.
• 📉 Reduced learning areas from seven to five in Key Stage 1 to focus on core skills.
• 🙏 Intensified Values Education and introduced peace education concepts.
• 📝 New learning areas introduced, such as 'Language, Reading, and Literacy' and 'Makabansa'.
• 👨‍🏫 Mathematics remains central, focusing on problem-solving, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking.
• 🇵🇭 'Makabansa' promotes civic engagement, national identity, and cultural awareness.
• 🌱 GMRC (Good Manners and Right Conduct) is emphasized to teach social responsibility and emotional skills.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Matatag curriculum?

The main focus of the Matatag curriculum is on foundational skills, especially literacy and numeracy, in grades K to 3. The curriculum is also decongested to reduce the number of learning competencies and streamline content.

How has the number of learning areas changed in the Matatag curriculum for early grades?

For grades 1 and 2, the number of learning areas has been reduced from seven to five, focusing on foundational subjects like literacy, numeracy, and new learning areas such as language, reading, and Makabansa.

What is the purpose of the new learning area, 'Makabansa'?

Makabansa is designed to foster a deeper understanding of Filipino identity and nationalism. It integrates content from civics, arts and culture, history, physical education, and health to cultivate a strong sense of patriotism and civic responsibility in students.

How does the Matatag curriculum incorporate 21st-century skills?

The curriculum emphasizes 21st-century skills such as information, media, and technology skills, along with learning and innovation skills, communication skills, and life and career skills. It aims to prepare learners for the digital and global world.

What role does Values Education play in the Matatag curriculum?

Values Education is intensified throughout all grade levels, focusing on the formation of good manners, right conduct, empathy, resilience, and character development. It is taught from kindergarten through grade 10.

How does the Matatag curriculum approach peace education?

Peace education is integrated into various subjects such as GMRC, Values Education, Araling Panlipunan, and Makabansa. It promotes values and behaviors that stand against violence, encouraging dialogue, negotiation, and community resilience.

Why was it necessary to decongest the curriculum, and how much was it decongested?

The curriculum was decongested to reduce overcrowding and give students more time to focus on foundational learning elements. It was decongested by 70%, focusing on English, Filipino, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Livelihood Education (TLE).

What is the significance of introducing a separate language curriculum in the early grades?

The separate language curriculum emphasizes oral language development in the learner’s first language, which is crucial for building strong foundational skills in literacy and communication.

How does the Matatag curriculum aim to transform the teaching of mathematics?

The curriculum shifts from rote learning to making mathematics more engaging, focusing on problem-solving, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking to equip students with critical skills for future challenges.

How does the Matatag curriculum ensure alignment with international standards?

The curriculum has been streamlined to meet international standards by focusing on essential learning areas, incorporating 21st-century skills, and aligning with global educational practices to ensure that Filipino learners are globally competitive.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Foundational Skills and Curriculum Decongestion

The Matatag curriculum focuses on strengthening foundational literacy and numeracy skills for K-3 students. It reduces the number of learning competencies and shifts cognitive demands to higher-order thinking as students progress. The curriculum emphasizes 21st-century skills, such as information and technology literacy, communication, and life skills. It also reduces learning areas from 7 to 5 in the early grades, intensifies values education, and strengthens peace education. Additionally, it aligns with international standards, focusing on literacy, numeracy, and new areas such as language, reading, and literacy. The aim is to develop oral language skills and a strong foundation for future learning.

05:00

🌍 Nationalism and Holistic Learning Through Makabansa

The Makabansa curriculum aims to instill a deep understanding of Filipino identity through civics, arts, culture, history, and physical education. It encourages students to develop a sense of nationalism and civic responsibility from an early age. This learning area is reinforced in higher grades by exploring Filipino identity within Southeast Asian and global contexts. The decongested curriculum for grades 1 to 10 focuses on essential skills such as literacy and numeracy, with fewer learning areas, allowing for more in-depth learning. The goal is to foster a love for the Philippines, promote national pride, and encourage active citizenship.

10:02

🧠 21st Century Skills and Curriculum Enhancement

The curriculum decongestion provides students with more time to focus on foundational elements of learning, leading to deeper comprehension and retention. The Matatag curriculum incorporates 21st-century skills such as digital literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It aims to prepare learners for a rapidly evolving digital world by enhancing their ability to use, create, and understand digital media. The curriculum fosters resilience, future orientation, and problem-solving capabilities, ensuring students are equipped with essential skills for personal and professional growth in the modern world.

🕊️ Values Education and Peace Education Integration

Values education is emphasized across all grade levels, beginning with Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) in Kindergarten through grade 6 and Values Education from grades 7 to 10. The curriculum focuses on developing socio-emotional skills such as empathy and resilience to build strong character. It also promotes love for God, self, family, and community, aiming to create socially responsible and morally upright individuals. Peace education concepts, including community engagement, human security, and intercultural relations, are integrated into various subjects, helping students understand and address conflict and build peaceful societies.

Keywords

💡Foundational Skills

Foundational skills refer to the basic educational competencies that the curriculum emphasizes, particularly literacy and numeracy. These skills are critical in early education (K-3) and form the foundation for further learning. The curriculum prioritizes these skills to ensure students develop strong reading, writing, and mathematical abilities early on.

💡Decongested Curriculum

A decongested curriculum means the content has been streamlined by reducing the number of learning competencies. This allows for deeper understanding and retention of knowledge. In the context of the Matatag Curriculum, the number of learning areas has been reduced to give students more time to focus on key subjects like literacy and numeracy.

💡21st Century Skills

21st-century skills are modern competencies such as information, media, and technology skills, along with learning and innovation abilities like communication and life skills. The curriculum focuses on preparing students to be adaptable in today's digital and global world. For example, critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy are emphasized to help learners navigate the complexities of contemporary society.

💡Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC)

GMRC, or Good Manners and Right Conduct, is a core part of the Values Education framework in the curriculum. It aims to instill socio-emotional skills, empathy, and respect among learners. By teaching proper behavior and moral values, the curriculum supports character development and responsible citizenship from Kindergarten to Grade 6.

💡Makabansa

Makabansa is a newly introduced learning area in the Matatag Curriculum that focuses on instilling a deep understanding of Filipino identity, culture, and patriotism. It integrates content from civics, arts, history, and physical education to help students understand their role in the community and nation, fostering a sense of nationalism and civic responsibility.

💡Peace Education

Peace education in the curriculum emphasizes teaching values and attitudes that prevent conflict and promote harmony. It includes concepts like community engagement, human security, and disaster risk reduction. Peace education is woven into various subjects like Makabansa, Araling Panlipunan, and Values Education, aiming to develop socially responsible and peace-oriented citizens.

💡Mathematics

In the Matatag Curriculum, mathematics is not just about numbers; it also focuses on developing problem-solving, logical reasoning, and analytical thinking. The curriculum shifts from rote learning to making math an engaging and enriching subject that equips students with critical skills for their future endeavors, starting as early as Grade 1.

💡Resilience and Adversity Management

Resilience and adversity management is a key skill the curriculum aims to instill in learners. It refers to the ability to recover from challenges, adapt to change, and persist in the face of difficulties. This skill is crucial for personal development and is integrated into various subjects to help students navigate a rapidly changing world.

💡Global Standards

The Matatag Curriculum is designed to be on par with international educational standards. This ensures that Filipino students are equipped with globally competitive skills and knowledge, especially in areas like English, Science, Mathematics, and Technical Livelihood Education (TLE). The curriculum’s alignment with international benchmarks is aimed at producing well-rounded, future-ready learners.

💡Values Education

Values Education is a key component of the Matatag Curriculum, aiming to develop the character and moral compass of students. It is taught from Kindergarten through Grade 10 and covers essential socio-emotional skills such as empathy, social responsibility, and love for country, family, and the environment. The curriculum aligns with Republic Act 11476, which mandates the inclusion of GMRC and Values Education.

Highlights

The Matatag Curriculum focuses on foundational skills like literacy and numeracy, especially in K-3.

The curriculum has been decongested, with significantly fewer learning competencies to enhance focus.

A shift from lower-level to higher-order thinking skills occurs as learners progress through grade levels.

The Matatag Curriculum emphasizes 21st-century skills, such as digital literacy, communication, innovation, and life skills.

In Grades 1 and 2, the number of learning areas has been reduced from seven to five, focusing on core competencies.

Values education has been intensified, with the integration of Good Manners and Right Conduct (GMRC) and peace education concepts.

The curriculum aims to align with international standards, ensuring learners are prepared for global challenges.

A new learning area called 'Makabansa' is introduced to instill national identity, civics, and culture among learners.

Mathematics is taught with an emphasis on problem-solving, logical reasoning, and analytical skills from an early age.

The decongested curriculum allows learners more time to master foundational skills and achieve deeper comprehension.

The focus on literacy and reading includes developing strong reading comprehension and critical thinking abilities.

A major goal of the Matatag Curriculum is to foster holistic development by nurturing socio-emotional skills such as empathy and resilience.

Digital literacy and media skills are emphasized to prepare learners for an increasingly digital world.

The curriculum encourages future-oriented thinking, helping students anticipate trends and plan strategically.

Peace education is integrated into subjects to promote conflict resolution, dialogue, and a peaceful global outlook.

Transcripts

What are the main features of the

matatag curriculum the main features are

focus on foundational skills so we focus

on literacy and numeracy skills in

k3 decongested curriculum We

significantly reduced the number of

Learning competencies

balanced cognitive demands as the grade

level progresses there is a shift from

the on the low levels to higher order

thinking

skills clearer articulation of 21st

century skills so there is an emphasis

on the 21st century skills such as

information media and technology skills

Learning and innovation skills

communication skills and life and career

skills reduce learning areas reduce

learning areas from 7 to 5 in key stage

one intensified Values Education and

strengthened peace

education intensification of values

formation of learners through Good

manners and right conduct and Values

Education in adherance to Republic Act

11 476 and integration of peace concepts

into the curriculum and we made sure

that that our curriculum is on a par

with international

standards our major concern was the

congestion of the curriculum which

necessitated streamlining its intent and

content as seen on this slide the

matatag curriculum for grade one has

shifted from offering seven learning

areas to only five that focus on

strengthening literacy and numeracy new

learning areas language reading and

literacy and makabansa are

introduced these learning areas have

been deliberately crafted rather than

simply merging or integrating the

existing learning

areas the creation of a 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 reading and literacy equips

learners with a strong Foundation in

reading skills comprehension and

critical thinking and

concurrently fosters a love for reading

and helps learners develop the necessary

skills to become confident and

proficient readers

mathematics remains a significant part

of the matatag curriculum Mathematics is

not just about numbers and equations but

equips students with problem solving

abilities logical reasoning skills and

the capacity to think

analytically all critical for their

future endeavors in the matatag

curriculum our go is to move beyond root

Learning and make mathematics an

engaging and enriching learning area for

our students as early as grade

one We also introduced a new learning

area called makabansa that seamlessly

weaves vital content and skills from

civics arts and culture history and

physical education and health

layunin ng makabansa na maikintal sa

murang kaisipan ng mga mag-aaral ang

malalim na pag-unawa sa sarili at

kolektibong

pagkakakilanlan bilang isang Pilipino na

nakaugat sa kanyang pagiging bahagi ng

komunidad bayan lungsod lalawigan at

maging

rehiyon payayabungin ng araling

panlipunan sa mga susunod na baitang ang

nasyonalismo patriotismo at at

kagalingang pansibiko bilang isang

Pilipino Asyano at mamamayan ng

daigdig finally the fifth curriculum

content we streamlined is GMRC or Good

manners and right conduct which we

believe needs more emphasis in a world

that is increasingly without borders

Where we need to teach learners how to

respectfully engage various relational

dynamics in a changing world and be

inclusive citizens of their communities

and the

world in some We reduced the learning

areas with only five for grade one and

grade two six for Grade 3 and eight for

grades 4 to

10 ang makabansa ay naglalayong

makahubog ng isang aktibong mag-aaral sa

pamamagitan ng paglinang ng mahahalagang

kasanayang nagpapamalas ng

pagkakakilanlan pagkamalikhain

pagkalusong at pakipag-ugnayan sa kapwa

at sa iba pang aspeto ng lipunan tungo

sa pagiging holistikong Pilipinong

taglay ang ika Dal is siglong

kasanayan layunin din nitong mapaunlad

ng Mam mag-aaral ang pag-unawa sa sarili

at kultural na kamalayan kasanayan upang

maging malusog at malikhain at may

kakayahang makikipag-ugnayan sa kapwa at

pamayanan makabansa will be reinforced

in grades 4 to 10 as learners examine

and understand nationalism in the

context of the national narratives South

East Asian context and global dynamics

and processes in Araling

Panlipunan sa murang isipan pa lamang ng

mga bata ay naikintal na sa kanila na

alamin ang Pilipinas at sa mga susunod

na baitang maipamulat na mahalin ito at

pagsisilbihan nila ito know the

Philippines love the Philippines and

serve the Philippines is heavily

inculcated in makabansa and Araling

Panlipunan learning areas and widens

their understanding as they tackle

Southeast Asia context and global

dynamics and processes

We decongested the curriculum by

70% while ensuring that the heavier

weight of the learning areas would be on

English Filipino Science Mathematics and

EPP TLE or technical livelihood

Education all of which supports our

focus on the essential skills of

literacy and numeracy

the act of decongesting our curriculum

reducing overcrowding and focusing on

the essential elements of Learning has

profound implications for our learners

educational

experiences first this approach now

provides learners with the time needed

to truly understand and assimilate the

foundational elements of Learning rather

than simply doubling in a vas array of

topics second a less crowded curriculum

allows learner

to Focus more intently on each learning

area leading to a deeper comprehension

and retention of knowledge ultimately

The Net effect of this transformation is

a more targeted effective and meaningful

learning

experience we ensured that all

components under each 21st century skill

are clearly defined with specific

examples that manifest in various

learning areas we recognized the

importance of reinforcing the 21st

century skills of our Filipino learners

aiming to equip them beyond just the

traditional learning domains the focus

is on developing competencies that are

vital in today's digital and global

world these include digital literacy

as we inhabit an increasingly digital

World The curriculum aims to enhance

learners ability to use create and

understand Digital Media ensuring they

can navigate this digital age

effectively critical thinking and

problem solving these skills are

Paramount in a complex world we aim to

enhance learners capacity

to analyze situations make decisions and

solve problems creatively and

efficiently future orientation or

thinking this refers to the ability to

anticipate future Trends and

consequences demonstrating forward

thinking and strategic planning skills

crucial in a rapidly evolving world

resilience and adversity Management this

skill set empowers students to face

challenges recover from setbacks adapt

to change and keep going in the face of

adversity by strengthening these key

areas the matatag curriculum aims to

ensure that our learners are not only

knowledgeable but also adaptable forward

thinking resilient and well equipped for

the 21st century

Values Education is now intensified to

ensure We inculcate the right values

across all levels from Kindergarten to

grade 10 we have done this by

introducing Good manners and right

conduct in Kindergarten to grade 6 and

Values Education in grade 7 to 10 This

is also in keeping with the GMRC and

Values Education law the focus here is

on nurturing the learn essential socio

emotional skills such as empathy and

resilience contributing to their

emotional wellbeing and interpersonal

relationships and ultimately building a

strong Character o Ang tapang humarap sa

anumang hamon foster social

responsibility and encourage active

community participation

ang pagsasabuhay ng pagmamahal sa Diyos

sarili pamilya at kapwa kalikasan bansa

at daigdig tungo sa kabutihang panlahat

ay itinuturo dito sapagkat ang tunguhin

ng asignaturang ito ay makapag ng

kabataang Filipino na nagpapasya ng

mapanagutan kumikilos ng may wastong

pag-uugali at pagkiling sa

kabutihan Accord to United Nations in

strengthening peace Education learners

are provided with a set of values

attitudes mors of behavior and ways of

life that stand against violence and

prevent conflicts by tackling their root

causes to solve problems through

principle dialogue and negotiation among

individuals groups and

Nations peace Education concepts such as

self-awareness community engagement

rights and responsibilities community

resilience human security Disaster Risk

reduction and mitigation and peace

security among others are systematically

integrated in the different learning

areas across grade levels addition

concepts such as culture and

intercultural relations environmental

steward

and local national and global systems

and processes which are found in

makabansa Araling Panlipunan GMRC and

Values Education Science and even MAPE

advanced peace Education in the

curriculum these are to be thought

following an expanding environment model

which starts at the personal level

followed by relational local national

finally these are articulated not only

inni dims but more importantly in

socioemotional aspects and behavioral

terms which ensure holistic development

among Filipino learners