Early Language Literacy and Numeracy

1. 1.0 What is ELLN Digital?
ELLN Digital is a blended course on early literacy and numeracy instruction for Kindergarten
to Grade 3 (K-3) teachers. It is a teacher professional development (TPD) initiative in support
of the Department of Education’s Early Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (ELLN) program
under the Every Child a Reader Program (ECARP).
After completing the course, the K-3 teachers are expected to be able to:
• Explain the principles of early language, literacy, and numeracy development and instruction
• Discuss the components of balanced literacy and numeracy instruction
• Plan and implement balanced literacy and numeracy instruction for K-3 learners
Achieving these course objectives should enable the K-3 teachers to develop reading and
writing skills, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills in K-3 learners.
The course has two main components:
1) Self-study of an interactive multimedia courseware
2) Collaborative learning in school-based Learning Action Cells (LACs)

2. 1.1 The ELLN Digital courseware
The ELLN Digital interactive multimedia courseware consists of 15 lessons grouped into 5
modules, based on the DepED's 10-day live-in training course for K-3 teachers covering early
language, literacy, and numeracy instruction.
Each lesson in the courseware has the following features:
• A structured discussion of key concepts, principles, and teaching approaches and strategies
• Video and audio demonstrations and examples
• Exercises to develop mastery of the key concepts
• Handouts, templates, and worksheets
• Activities and assignments for skills practice, and the application of the principles and strategies taught
The courseware is designed for teacher-participants to study on their own. Each lesson is self-contained
and can be completed in 1-2 hours of study time. A teacher-participant may study a
lesson in one sitting, or in several short sessions over the week (studying the lesson one topic
at a time). He/she may also go through the lesson or parts of the lesson more than once, or as
often as necessary for him/her to master the lesson.

3. The courseware comes with a course guide which provides the teacher-participants with an
overview of the ELLN Digital course objectives, mode of delivery, schedule of learning
activities, and requirements for program completion.
1.2 Collaborative learning in LACs
While the lessons in the courseware are intended for independent study, the teacher
participants are given an opportunity to engage in collaborative learning through school
based Learning Action Cells (LACs). In each of the participating schools, the K-3 teachers
who are part of the ELLN Digital program will form 1 or more LACs (each LAC should have a
maximum of 15 teachers). Each LAC will be supported by a LAC facilitator (that’s you!). In
turn, LAC facilitators, or LacFs (pronounced as Lac-eFs), will be supported by their School
Heads.
Further details about the LAC and your role in it are provided in section 2 of this guide.

4. 1.3 Assessment of learning and program monitoring and evaluation
To help teachers learn better from the courseware, activities and assignments are built into the
course. All participants are expected to perform all the activities and assignments, as well as
assess their learning and the LAC sessions via:
• guided self-assessment of the assignments
• accomplishing the Teacher Engagement Report
These assessment and evaluation activities are intended to collect information that will guide
the teachers, the LacFs, and their School Heads to better direct and support the teachers’
professional development in early literacy instruction. The results will not affect your teaching
performance rating.
1.4 ELLN Digital course schedule
The ELLN Digital course is expected to run for a total of 18 weeks, provided that the LACs
meet at least once a week. Table 1 below presents the proposed schedule of LAC sessions.
This schedule is also spelled out in both the course guide for the participating teachers and the
LAC Facilitators’ Guide.

5. 2.0 What are LACs?
DepEd Order (DO) No. 35, s. 2016 defines a LAC as “a group of teachers who engage in
collaborative learning sessions to solve shared challenges encountered in the school,
facilitated by the school head or a designated LAC Leader. LACs [are] school-based
communities of practice that are positive, caring, and safe spaces.”
DO 35, s. 2016 lists the following objectives for conducting LAC sessions:
• To improve the teaching-learning process to improve learning among students
• To nurture successful teachers
• To enable teachers to support each other to continuously improve their content and
pedagogical knowledge, practice, skills, and attitudes
• To foster a professional collaborative spirit among School Heads, teachers, and the
community as a whole

6. 2.1 How are LACs formed?
LACs can be formed based on learning area, grade level, key stage, teaching experience, or
other considerations. In the ELLN Digital LACs, the LAC members include all of the
Kindergarten to Grade 3 teachers who are participating in the ELLN Digital course. To make
the LACs manageable, it is recommended that each LAC have 5-15 members only. If there are
more than 15 K-3 teachers in the school, then the LAC head can split the group into 2 or more
LACs.
Typically a LAC is composed of:
• A LAC leader who is usually the School Head
• A LAC facilitator (LacF) who may be the school head or someone designated by the
school head
• LAC members
• A LAC documenter

7. Annex 2 of D.O. 35, s. 2016. lists the Terms of Reference for each of the LAC participants.
As LAC Facilitator for an ELLN Digital LAC, your duties and responsibilities are as follows:
• Convene the LAC team meetings
• Check and monitor the attendance of the members, and the submission of assignments
and reports
• See to it that team meetings start and end on time, and that the agendas for the meeting
are covered

8. Encourage active engagement and participation of members
• Report regularly to the LAC leader on LAC progress
• Study the session plan (found in this LAC Facilitator’s Guide)
• Ensure that the venue and equipment are available, and prepare the necessary learning
materials such as reading materials and videos
• Announce the LAC session, including the topic, time, venue, and other matters that the
group should know
• Run and facilitate the session based on the plan, and ensure that the agreed norms of
behavior are observed and that the objectives of the session are achieved

9. 2.2 What happens during a LAC session?
You and the members of your LAC are expected to have LAC sessions at least twice a
month,
during which you will share your insights on the ELLN Digital lesson for the week.
2.2.1 Components of the LAC session
Each ELLN Digital LAC session consists of four components or segments:
(1) getting started
(2) sharing of assignments
(3) big-group discussion
(4) looking forward to the next session
Details about each component are presented in Table 1 below.

10. Table 1. Components of the LAC session
Component Time Allotment What happens
Getting started 5 minutes •The LacF will lead a quick review of the topic discussed
and action steps agreed upon in the previous LAC
session.
•The LacF will introduce the topic for the current LAC
session.
Sharing and
discussion of
assignments (in small
groups)
25-30 minutes •In pairs or triads, the LAC members will share their
assignment outputs.
The LacF will pose guide questions for the small-group
discussion.
•Each pair or triad will select one assignment to share
during the biggroup/ plenary discussion.
NOTE: If the LAC group is small (i.e.,with five members
or less), you can proceed immediately to the big-group
or plenary discussion where all LAC members can share
their assignment outputs.

11. Table 2. What to do before, during, and after each LAC session
LAC Facilitator LAC Members
BEFORE the LAC Session
Study the lesson in the courseware and the LAC Facilitator’s Guide. Study the lesson in the courseware.
Complete the lesson activities and assignment. Complete the lesson activities and assignment.
Prepare the necessary materials and resources (LAC session venue, snacks, materials for
plenary discussion, forms, etc.).
DURING the LAC Session
Facilitate the sharing of assignments and the discussion of the lesson of the
week.
Share assignments, listen to colleagues, and actively participate in the
discussion.
Encourage everyone to participate actively.
Summarize and note down key discussion points, as well as points for
clarification or further discussion.
Reflect on the ideas discussed and insights shared, and how these can be
applied in your classroom.
Make sure the LAC members accomplish the Teacher Engagement Report
form, and submit this to you.
Note down personal and group action points that arise from the discussion.
Remind the LAC members to prepare for the next LAC session. Complete the Teacher Engagement Report and submit these to the LacF.
AFTER the LAC Session
Read the Teacher Engagement Reports and accomplish the LAC Session
Report.
Implement personal and group action plans, and be ready to share insights
gained in the next LAC session.
Submit the completed Teacher Engagement
Reports and the LAC Session Report to the School Head.

12. Big-group / Plenary
discussion
45-50 minutes • Small-group representatives will take turns to briefly to present the selected
assignment based on the guide questions.
NOTE: If there are more than three small groups, the LacF can select two to
three groups to share their selected assignment. The LacF should make sure that
the rest of the groups get a chance to share or present in later sessions.
• After the presentation of selected assignments, the LacF will invite LAC
members to share their insights on the lesson and sharing of assignments,
including insights into how to apply the knowledge gained in their classroom.
•Working by grade level or in pairs, LAC members will come up with resolutions
or action points based on what they learned from the lesson (e.g., they can
resolve to integrate what they learned in their lesson plans, modify activity
sheets, or plan a lesson together).
Looking forward to
the next session
5 minutes The LacF will introduce the next lesson and clarify assignments.
Accomplish forms 10-15 minutes The LAC members will complete the Teacher Engagement Report and submit
these to the LacF. The LacF should compile the LAC Session Report.
Total Time 90-105 minutes

13. 2.2.2 Norms for LAC sessions
To ensure that your sessions are efficient and fruitful, here are tasks for you to undertake before, during, and
after each LAC session (see Table 2 below):
Activity 2. Introductory LAC Session (LAC Session 1)
Hold an introductory LAC session with your LAC members. The objective of this first LAC
session is to establish general rules of conduct for your LAC. These “rules” or norms can be
implemented more easily if they are formulated by all group members.
LAC Session 1: Getting Organized
LAC Component Tasks
Getting Started 1. Welcome everyone to the session and introduce yourselves to each other.
2. Briefly introduce the ELLN Digital program, its objectives, features, and the course
package. This information can be found in the course guide.
Sharing and discussion (in
small groups)
1. Ask the teachers to form pairs or triads and answer the following questions together:
a. What outcomes do we expect from our ELLN Digital LAC sessions?
b. What do you think are the key characteristics of strong and effective LAC sessions?
c. What forms of support will teachers need in order to participate effectively in LACs?
2. Ask each pair or triad to prepare a consolidated output (i.e., their group’s answers to
the questions) to share with the big group. ELLN

14. Big-group/plenary
discussion
1. Have the small-group representatives present their consolidated outputs.
2. After listening to the small-group presentations, pose the following questions for discussion:
a. What was the value added by discussing the questions with others?
b. What might be the value of regularly working with a group of teachers to improve
instructional practices
3. Synthesize the key points highlighted during the discussion.
4. Discuss and agree on the following about the conduct of your ELLN Digital LAC sessions:
a. Time and venue: What days and where do we meet for LACs?
b. Participation: Will there be an attendance policy?
What will we do if a member constantly misses meetings?
c. Groupings: Since the group will be divided into smaller groups during sharing sessions, will the
small groups be permanent (the same for every LAC session), or flexible?
d. Sharing: How will “sharers” or presenters for the plenary discussion be chosen?
e. Listening: How will we listen to our peers to ensure that we learn from each other?
f. Feedback: How will the LAC facilitator and peers provide feedback on the assignments or
sharing sessions?
g. Discussion: How do we keep communication lines open? How do we ensure openness and
critical feedback among LAC members?
h. Submission of assignments and other forms: When should assignments be completed?
Emphasize that assignments must be done prior to the LAC session, as the LAC sessions are for
discussing what has been learned from the lesson and from doing the assignments. You may also
mention that assignment outputs will be presented and shared at each LAC session.

15. 2.3 How will we gather feedback on the LAC sessions?
Continuous monitoring will be done by collecting feedback on each session from the LAC members. The Teacher Engagement
Reports will be collected from each LAC member, and a LAC Session Report will be collected from the LacF to find out whether
the LAC sessions are conducted regularly and efficiently as planned; and that there is an open sharing of ideas, experiences, and
reflections on the lessons during the LAC sessions. Successes and challenges in the conduct of the LAC sessions should be
reported in the LAC Session Reports.
LacFs are required to submit LAC Session Reports to the School Head, after each session is completed. The School Heads will use
the feedback gathered from these reports to identify issues and concerns encountered in the conduct of LAC sessions, so that
they can provide support and assistance as needed. School Heads are also instructed (via the School Head’s Guide) to synthesize
LAC Session Reports, using the ELLN Digital School Report template. They will in turn, submit the School Report to the assigned
Division-based Education Supervisors.
The activities, assignments, and assignment self-assessments are in order for the LAC members to better understand the course
content and provide opportunities to apply and show what they have been learning from the course. These also determine the
impact of the course on the teachers’ knowledge and skills in early literacy and numeracy instruction, as well as their
independent and collaborative learning skills.
i. Materials and resources: What will LAC members bring to each session? Who will be in charge of preparing
snacks and refreshments? What about other materials needed by the LAC members (e.g., paper, pen, materials
for creating instructional materials) during the sessions?
5. Have the LAC group work together to create a poster where the agreements are listed. The poster can be
displayed in the LAC session venue for easy reference.
Looking forward to the next session Remind the teachers to study Lesson 1 of Module 1 and do the lesson assignment before the next LAC session.
Complete forms Complete your LAC Session Report, and submit the completed report and a copy of your LAC group norms to your
School Head.