1. Professor, Isabela State University
USING ILOKANO IN TEACHING BASIC NUMBER CONCEPTS AND OPERATIONS IN ARITHMETIC
Ernesto C. Toquero, Ed.D.
Professor, Isabela State University
Echague, Isabela
CP #:

2. INTRODUCTION
The current educational system submerges learners in not just one, but two foreign languages, postponing strong achievement in school until those languages are well enough developed to support learning.
This situation favors a relatively small percentage of intellectually gifted children beyond those who don’t speak either Filipino or English as a mother tongue.
Multilingual Education (MLE) offers an alternative approach to education where children begin their education in a language they understand and develop a strong foundation of cognitive development in this language (Dekker, 2009)

3. This paper attempts to show how the mother tongue can be used as a bridge, not only to learn the language of mathematics, but to build a strong mathematical foundation that can be used for life long learning in mathematics.
It demonstrates how cognitive development in mathematics is based on the language the child understands best – his/her mother tongue.
This is done by making use of the mother tongue as a medium in building useful mathematical concepts that run through from arithmetic to algebra.
It shows how concepts such as grouping by tens, place value, exponents, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, combination of similar terms and other mathematical concepts and operations are derived from the way children count in their mother tongue.

4. LISTENING AND COUNTING IN ILOKANO
The teacher can start counting using Ilokano words, connecting each number word to the idea/concept which the word represents, while the pupils listen, if they still do not know.
The counting can be done with the use of concrete objects which the child can readily manipulate to indicate a number concept
At this point it might be good to also start introducing the number symbols as shown in the table.

5. Umuna nga Simbolo ti Panagbilang
Consepto
Bilang
Simbolo
awan
maysa 1 00
dua 2
000
tallo 3
0000
uppat 4
00000
lima 5
000000
innem 6
pito 7
walo 8
siyam 9

6. Panagbilang manipud iti Sangapulo
consepto
Bilang
Simbolo o Numero
Sangapulo
Maysa nga pulo 10
Duapulo ket
dua 22
Tallo pulo ket lima 35
Etc.

7. Deriving meaning from the Ilokano counting
Numero
Basa
kaipapanan 3
tallo
3(1) 10
(May)sangapulo
1(10) 26
Duapulo ket lima
2(10)+5
327
Tallo gasut duapulo ket pito
3(100)+2(10)+7
5289
Lima ribu dua gasut walo pulo ket siyam
5(1000)+2(100)
+8(10)+9

8. Formalizing the meaning of Place values…
ribu
gasut
pulo
maysa
1000
100 10 1 8 7 9 5 6 3 2 4

9. Addition
324 3(100) + 2(10) + 4
(10) + 2
203 2(100) + 0(10) + 3
(100) + 5(10) + 9
Combination of Similar Terms & CPA
[3(100)+(2(10)+4]+[3(10)+2]+[2(100)+0(10)+3]
{3(100)+2(100)}+{2(10)+3(10)+0(10)}+{4+2+3}
5(100) + 5(10) + 9

10. Subtraction
324 3(100) + 2(10) + 4
(100) – 0(10) – 3
121 1(100) + 2(10) + 1
Combination of similar terms
[3(100)+2(10)+4] – [2(100)+0(10)+3]
3(100)+2(10)+4 – 2(100)-0(10)-3
{3(100)-2(100)}+{2(10)-0(10)}+{4-3}
1(100) + 2(10) + 1

11. Multiplication Example 1 2341 2(1000)+3(100)+4(10)+1 x 2 x 2
(1000)+3(100)+4(10)+1
x x 2
(1000)+6 (100)+8(10)+2
Distributive Property of Multiplication & Combination of similar terms
2{2(1000)+3(100)+4(10)+1}
2{2(1000)} + 2{3(100)} + 2{4(10)} + 2{1}
= 4(1000) + 6(100) + 8(10) + 2

12. [2(103)+4(102)+6(10)+2]+[1(104)+2(103)+3(102)+1(10)]
Example 2
(103))+2(102)+3(10)+1
x x 1(10)+2
(103)+4(102)+6(10)+2
(104 )+2(103)+3(102)+1(10)
(104)+4(103)+7(102)+7(10)+2
Distribution Property of Multiplication and Combination of similar terms
{1(10)+2}x{1(103)+2(102)+3(10)+1}
[2{1(103)+2(102)+3(10)+1}]+[1(10){1(103)+2(102)+3(10)+1}]
[2{1(103)}+2{2(102)}+2{3(10)}+2{1}]+[1(10){1(103)}+1(10){2(102)+1(10){3(10)}+1(10){2}]
[2(103)+4(102)+6(10)+2]+[1(104)+2(103)+3(102)+1(10)]
[1(104)]+[2(103]+[2(103)]+[4(102)+3(102)]+[6(10)+1(10)]+[2] = 1(104) + 4(103) + 7(102) + 7(10) + 2

13. Division _____1(103)+2(102)+3(10)+1
1(10)+2/1(104)+4(103)+7(102)+7(10)+2
-1(104)-2(103)
0 + 2(103)+7(102)
-2(103)-4(102)
0 + 3(102)+7(10)
-3(102)-6(10)
0 + 1(10)+2
-1(10)- 2

14. Dua a ribu tallo gasut uppat a pulo ket lima
Transferring knowledge from the mother tongue to second and third language
Dua a ribu tallo gasut uppat a pulo ket lima
Dalawang libo tatlong daan apatnapu’t lima
Two thousand three hundred forty five
All means 2(1000) + 3(100) + 4(10) + 5
All Written in the same way as: 2,345

15. Implications for Life Long learning
Transforming Arithmetic to Algebra …
ribu
gasut
pulo
maysa
libu
daan
sampu
isa
thousands
hundreds
tens
ones
1000
100 10 1
103
102 x3 x2 x1 x0 2 4 3 5

16. From the foregoing table 2435 can otherwise be written as:
2(1000) + 4(100) + 3(10) + 5;
2(103) + 4(102) + 3(10) + 5;
2x3 + 4x2 + 3x + 5.
This transformation clearly shows that the polynomial 2x3+4x2+3x+5 represents the number 2345, where x = 10 (base 10).
Giving several examples of this kind will finally convince the pupils that algebraic expressions represents actual numbers and therefore behaves or follows the properties of numbers.

17. Monomials and Polynomials
Arithmetic-Algebra connection
Hence monomials, binomials, polynomials are number resentations such as:
20 = 2(10) = 2x is a monomial;
35 = 3(10) + 5 = 2x + 5 is a binomial;
346 = 3(102)+4(10)+6 = 3x2 + 4x + 6 which is a polynomial (trinomial);
2,579 = 2(103) + 5(102) + 7(10) + 9 = x3 + 5x2 + 7x + 9 which is a polynomial
etc

18. Addition of Polynomials is actually the same as Combination of Similar Terms
Since polynomials are representation of numbers their addition follow the properties of addition with numbers. This is shown below:
324 3(102)+2(10) x2 + 2x + 4
(10) x + 2
213 2(102)+1(10) x2+ x + 3
569 5(102)+6(10) x2 + 6x+ 9

19. The examples shown in the previous slide can be written as follows:
3(102)+2(10)+4+ 3(10)+2+ 2(102)+1(10)+3 which can be rearranged (commutative) and grouped (associative) as follows: [3(102)+2(102)]+[2(10)+3(10)+1(10)]+[4+2+3] = 5(102)+6(10)+9 by addition or combination of similar terms.
Hence: 3x2+2x+4+3x+2+2x2+x+3 by the same principle can be rearranged and regrouped as follows: [3x2+2x2]+[2x+3x+x]+[4+2+3] =5x2+6x+9 showing the commutative & associative properties of addition or of combination of similar terms.

20. Multiplication
Numeric Form Expanded Form Algebraic Form
(103)+4(102)+3(10) x3+4x2+3x+1
(10) x+2
(103)+ 8(102)+ 6(10) x3+ 8x2+6x+2
(104)+ 4(103)+ 3(102)+1(10)___ x4+ 4x3+ 3x2 + x__
(104)+10(103)+11(102)+7(10) x4+10x3+11x2+7x+2 =
41172
Distributive property of multiplication and combination of similar terms
2[3(103)+4(102)+3(10)+1] + 1(10)[3(103)+4(102)+3(10)+1]
6(103) + 8(102) + 6(10) (104) + 4(103) + 3(102) + 1(10)
3(104) + 10(103) + 11(102) + 7(10) + 2 =
= = 41172
[x+2][3x3+4x2+3x+1] = x[3x3+4x2+3x+1] + 2[3x3+4x2+3x+1]
x[3x3]+x[4x2]+x[3x]+x[1] + 2[3x3]+2[4x2]+2[3x]+2[1]
3x4 + 4x3 + 3x2 + x + 6x3 + 8x2 + 6x + 2
3x4 + 4x3 + 6x3 +3x2 + 8x2 +x +6x +2 = 3x4+10x3+11x2+7x+2

21. Summary
In summary, this writer showed that using the mother tongue (Ilokano) to teach the basic concepts of numbers and operations helps build a strong foundation for the understanding and learning of higher mathematics.
Meaningful teaching reveals the concept and the rationale of the process and the relationship of the processes to each other.
Students learn most when new lessons are taught in a language which they understand and when lessons are logically connected with processes which they already know, and/or to situations and/or experiences that are familiar and interesting to them.
The approach is effective not only in getting the interest of students in the lesson but as a springboard in teaching new mathematical concepts and principles and in deepening student understanding on why mathematical operations or processes work.