New Law Gives DepEd Flexibility in Teaching Methods

A new law gives the Department of Education (DepEd) more flexibility in deciding how subjects should be taught based on what works best for Filipino learners. Republic Act No. 12332 removes the legal requirement for public schools to use the “spiral progression” approach in teaching.

RA 12332 states: “The curriculum shall employ the approach deemed most effective by the DepEd to ensure mastery of knowledge and skills after each level.” It amends Section 5 of Republic Act 10533, or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which prescribes the standards and principles for curriculum development. The law also requires comprehensive curriculum review every five years to ensure its relevance and effectiveness, following DepEd’s systematic curriculum development process.

RA 12332 consolidates Senate Bill No.1899 and House Bill No. 5939, which were approved by their respective chambers on May 5 and 6. The enrolled bill  was submitted to Malacañang on June 30 and lapsed into law on August 2.

The core idea of spiral progression is that topics are taught repeatedly across grade levels, with lessons starting simple and growing harder each year. Learners revisit core subjects like science and math in increasing depth and complexity instead of studying one distinct branch at a time.

The approach was originally introduced when the K-12 law was passed in 2013. Senator Bam Aquino explained during his sponsorship speech: “Spiral progression was instituted to address discontinuity and fragmentation in the pre-K-12 curriculum. This model was meant to ensure long-term retention by repeatedly engaging learners with core concepts with increasing complexity over time."

For example, imagine teaching your child how to ride a bike. To ride a bike, a child must learn three key skills: balancing, steering, and braking. You teach all three skills a little at a time every session, making each lesson more challenging as your child grows, instead of allowing your child to master balancing first. This is the basic idea behind spiral progression.

Instead of studying one discipline completely before moving to another, students revisit and study the same concepts repeatedly throughout the years, with increasing complexity.

In Science, students under spiral progression study the four major disciplines—Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science—every year, revisiting each with increasing depth and complexity. This differs from a linear approach, where students study one discipline per year, such as Biology in Grade 7, Chemistry in Grade 8, and so on. The same principle also applies to Math, where algebra, geometry, statistics, and other concepts are revisited across grade levels.

Spiral progression was designed to:

• Reinforce learning through repetition

• Connect ideas across subjects

• Improve long-term retention

• Help students build on previous knowledge instead of learning topics only once

Spiral progression was not necessarily considered a failure. Rather, educators raised concerns about how it worked actual classroom settings.

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM2), years of classroom experience and nationwide consultations revealed significant implementation challenges. Among the findings were:

“The spiral progression approach has resulted in severe gaps in foundational knowledge and poor retention among learners, as competencies are repeatedly taught across grade levels without meaningful progression.”

And: It “failed to ensure the intended cumulative learning across grade levels.”

Senator Aquino also said that lawmakers heard the same concerns from teachers:

“According to EDCOM2 and our own consultations with teachers…This rigidity of the legislated curriculum sequencing has been challenging to our students and teachers.”

“In short, naging batas ang paggamit ng methodology na ito sa ating bansa.”

This means that schools were required by law to use spiral progression even if another teaching approach might have worked better in certain contexts.

The new law does not prohibit schools from using spiral progression. Instead, it removes the legal requirement that all schools must use it. Senator Aquino clarified:

“Hindi po natin ibig sabihin na hindi na gagamitin ang spiral progression…it can still be used by our schools and by our teachers. Instead, the bill removes the legal requirement to adhere to this certain method of teaching.”

RA 12332 gives DepEd to have greater flexibility to determine which pedagogical approach best fits different subjects, learners, and school contexts. Ultimately, instead of one “national teaching method,” the goal is to allow educators to choose evidence-based approaches. Senator Aquino explained: “The bill empowers DepEd, our educators, and local implementors to adopt context-sensitive and evidence-based teaching methods.”

Following the enactment of RA 12332, DepEd will need to revise curriculum guidelines, update teaching materials, train teachers, and issue implementation guidelines. Moreover, curriculum changes in public schools typically happen gradually rather than overnight. As a result, learners and parents may not see changes immediately.

However, if DepEd adopts different teaching methods for certain subjects, students may eventually experience:

Stronger foundations: Teachers may spend more time ensuring children master basic concepts before moving on.

More teacher flexibility: Schools may be able to organize lessons based on students’ learning needs instead of following one mandated approach.

Better subject specialization: EDCOM2 noted that one challenge with spiral progression was that it often required teachers to function as generalists instead of focusing on their areas of expertise.

Ultimately, parents should focus less on the name of the teaching approach and more on whether their child truly understands what they’re learning. Regardless of the curriculum, children learn best when they have strong foundations and consistent support both at home and in school.

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