Why so poor at English? 2572015

Why so poor at English?  2572015

Nowadays, most students are too busy to read widely in the BM or Chinese language, not so say English, which is so alien to them.   Limited English vocabulary and little knowledge of grammar lead them to the “dead avenue”. (死胡同)。

Guess how many students / graduates have the mind-map of the complete picture of English grammar.  In short, how many of them have the complete ideas how the English language works to know how to use the language accurately.  This concerns your language accuracy . 

Guess how many teachers believe that they have to drill each grammatical item in isolation to get them familiar with the forms and functions.  To teach English grammar in contexts is to reinforce the learning of the structures.  To me, it is not the right way to get them to know how the language works holistically.

Reading and listening activities are the input that will help students acquire the language naturally/spontaneously and so they will have the fluency.  The constant exposure will enable them to use the language intuitively. 

Teaching and learning each grammatical item in isolation can ensure there is enough drill of all of the items.  This knowledge of grammar will make students competent and proficient in the course of time.  With a  good grasp of grammar will also enable them to edit their own speech and writing at ease and at will when they have enough vocabulary at their disposal.

So grammar is the foundation.  Please drill each item seriously in isolation and in context to prepare students to explore the language which is so extensive on their own all through their life.  Teachers can’t help much assist them to build up the rich stock of vocabulary.  This they have to do on their own through reading extensively.

To acquire as rich a stock of vocabulary means that they must know how to pronounce every word in sight.  That means they must know Phonics and have the whole view of the vowel and consonant speech sounds at their disposal.  In this way, they can check the speech sounds of any word which they are in doubt.  Knowing the pronunciation means that they can remember the sounds of the words and their forms to keep them in the long term memory.

So, teaching grammar and pronunciation are the must thing to do to prepare students for independent learning all through their life. 

Check how schools in Malaysia take grammar and pronunciation seriously.   How many schools allocate at least one period solely for grammar?   For pronunciation, as long as there are reading aloud of English passages in each period, it is sufficient. 

Always remember the theory of input and output /exposure to acquire a language.  We are only born with the faculty to learn languages but to acquire a language, especially the second language that really require some deliberate efforts to achieve the goals.

Teaching and learning English as a second language successfully means that we have to take all these 4 factors into consideration, ie,

1.  How to inspire students to become interested in the language

2.  Teaching and learning materials must be well-planned/structured to 
     help students  to acquire the knowledge of grammar and 
     pronunciation 

3.  Teachers must be proficient enough.  That means they are 

      well-versed in grammar and pronunciation as well as having a really 
      rich stock of vocabulary.

4.  The examination contents must have the Grammar which should carry 

      as high as 30% to make everyone take it seriously. 

 If you are still in doubt, I recommend you to refer to Singapore, our Bakun dam-sized neighbour, who has a really well-developed/structured English teaching and learning syllabuses for both the primary and secondary schools as far as I know.  

 Or ask around those English tuition schools here in Malaysia, they know best and reap the profit, too to upgrade the language skills of the students.  It is win-win for the English language schools and the students when the ministry of education fails all the way through in implementing English language teaching and learning properly and successfully.

Here I would like to stress how important grammar is:  no matter how bright your ideas are if they are presented with a lot of grammatical mistakes, do you feel comfortable as a reader with the report/ article?  Or if your speech is full of grammatical errors / you speak the variations of English far from the standardised one, be it UK, USA or Australian.  It is not your own created ones based on your non-English mother tongue.

All-around support for English as teaching medium (copypaste)

All-around support for English as teaching medium (copypaste)

KUCHING: English as a teaching medium in schools is a topic that has gone around the block several times in this country.
The failure of using English to teach science and mathematics remains a burning frustration among parents and students who had to live through that period.

In a recent interview, Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) president Prof Dr S Ganakumaran said the way forward is to use English for non-critical subjects such as civics, sport science and physical education.

But this is merely another facet of the lengthy debate on the poor standard of English among graduates.
UiTM Academy of Language Studies associate professor Dr Bromeley Philip said the obvious implication of having Bahasa Malaysia (BM) as the medium of instruction for more than four decades is the fact that many teachers are not proficient in English.

“To expect English to be used in other subjects like Physical Education would suggest that English teachers will have to teach the subject as well simply because there would not be that many teachers who are proficient in English.”
Continuing with BM as the medium of instruction will create a strong Malaysian identity but it doesn’t change the importance of mastering English.

“We must be receptive to the fact that English is an important global language that needs to be taught seriously in schools and universities, so that we can produce competent bilingual (BM & Eng) Malaysian speakers. English should be given special attention in schools; one way is to make it a mandatory pass in English for SPM candidates to pass the whole exam.”

Bromeley added that the status quo on English education in Malaysia is fine except that the Education Ministry perhaps should accord more teaching contact hours for English in schools.

“This is to immerse the students in English-based environment,” he said, adding that learning English or any other languages require positive and receptive attitudes, profound interest in English and high motivation to acquire English in all the four major skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking.

“There shouldn’t be any hesitation, reluctance or laziness in using English among students; they must seize every opportunity to practise English in their daily routine, school or home. In my opinion, right attitude, deep interest and hard work accompanied by high motivation can guarantee one to master English.”

To Sarawak Teachers Union (STU) president Jisin Nyud, the importance of English cannot be denied and ignored since it is the most common language spoken all over the world.

“Nowadays, with most of the subjects taught in Bahasa Malaysia, definitely students have less opportunities to speak English.”

He said English is only taught as a subject but not as a medium of instruction, with minimal opportunity to put it into practice during school hours.

For most Malaysians, English is considered a foreign language, especially when most have their own mother tongue to master, along with BM.

“Looking at the role that it plays internationally, I agree with the idea of schools reverting to English as the medium of instruction if we really want our generation to master the language. However, it needs a lot of planning and ground work. With the ministry’s effort to improve teachers’ proficiency in the language through workshops and courses, the students should be given more opportunity to use the language.”

The worry lies with students in the rural and interior areas, especially in Sarawak.

“For urban students, it is not so much a problem because they are exposed to the English speaking environment and some of them even speak English at home. Maybe it’s high time for us to look at the future of the younger generation and what would they become if we are no more in this globe. Can they compete with other players of the globe?”

He further pointed out that parents who are really concerned with the level of English seem to prefer schools using English in their daily communication and instruction.

“Even if it costs them more, they don’t really care. Another reason is parents want their children to excel in their studies when their children go for tertiary education or overseas.”

Cynthia Chin, Community Engagement and Education manager at WWF Malaysia, throws in her vote for English as a medium of instruction, but without neglecting other languages.

“The number of English-challenged graduates that I have had to deal with puts this country to shame. If we want to progress, we need to stop being insular and engage in the language that the rest of the world uses.”

Peggy Tan is a mother of two girls, aged four and eight.
Coming from a BM medium school, she told The Borneo Post that her English isn’t that good either, but she makes the effort to use it when speaking to her daughters.

“I bought storybooks in English for them and bring them to State Library every fortnight,” she said.

“I really hope to see English being used as the medium from primary school onwards. It is true that this needs to be done in stages as changing everything at the current syllabus now will be too heavy a burden for the education system, but subjects such as science, maths, history, and health are better in English.”

Not developing the English mastery of students will only hurt them when they get to institutions of higher learning.

“As you reach college and university, most references are in English. The current use of BM in most subjects can only further downgrade the quality of our graduates,” she said, adding that people probably cringe when interviewing local graduates.

As far as masters student Cheryl Frederick is concerned, this is all just talk.
Citing several recent articles on education reform and the use of English as a medium of instruction, she said the whole issue suffered from being used as a politicking tool.

Her brief but snappy response is a sentiment shared by the tired many.
“Whatever. You hear about this for ages and nothing happens.”

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/07/24/all-round-support-for-english-as-teaching-medium/#ixzz3gt6Sr9Sq

My comments: 

Having most subjects in English will expose students to the language.  This is perhaps the best way to get familiar with the structures and increase the stock of the vocabulary used in contexts in different subjects. 

Our students as far as I know are poor in grammar and have poor stock of vocabulary in hand.  Besides, they seldom engage themselves in the language use in speaking and writing.  They have too little input in listening and reading for the output in speaking and writing.

 

Official Vs Unofficial language 2572015

Official Vs Unofficial language  2572015

22July is a special day for remembrance for the brief independence of Sarawak before joining the Federal government and has fallen prey to the onslaught since.  Yes, it is another form of colonisation, even more terrible form of plundering, exploitation, abuse and raiding.

When the husband treats the wife abusively and cruelly, what wrong of the wife to seek for divorce?   For 52 years plus, Sarawak has faced different forms of plundering, exploitation, abuse and raiding, what wrong of us if we seek for secession in the referendum? 

Hands off the leaders of S4S, Khalid Abu Bakar, Inspector-general of police.  The leaders of S4S are as harmless as ants.  Please focus your mind on the termite-like leaders who may cause the collapse of the country.   Be a God-feared and just person for your own good.  Never be manipulated and let your image be tarnished.  Please uphold your yourself on that lofty position to earn your respect and dignity and self-esteem.  Don’t make a fool of yourself as people are watching you closely.

What the leaders of S4S said/say is after all the pieces of mind of 100%-0.001% people in general.  Any unnecessary treatment towards them will only cause rage and despise.  Please be mindful and don’t provoke people.  Be wise and have no fear of the threat of Najib and UMNO. 

What Adenan Satem and the clown-like leaders said about S4S was just rhetoric words to utter to please for their own interests and sake.  The words are empty/hollow and meaningless.  They are not representative and connected to the people’s minds and wishes.  They are just official language for the need of the situation and presentation.  That’s it!

Suppressing the leaders of S4S will get many folds of hitting back.  Think thrice before you act. Be wise and mindful.

‘More young bus drivers or we go bust’(copypaste)

‘More young bus drivers or we go bust’

May 18, 2015, Monday Peter Boon, reporters@theborneopost.com

SIBU: Public bus operators are appealing to the government to provide aid to enable more young people obtain bus driving licences.

Sarawak Bus Transport Companies Association chairman Lau Khing Seng said getting such licences involved exorbitant fees, and if nothing were to be done about this, the majority of bus drivers in the next five to 10 years would be ‘old’ ones.

This, he cautioned, would not augur well for public transportation, on which people from the lower to middle income groups still relied.
Lau told The Borneo Post yesterday that getting a bus driving licence cost between RM5,000 and RM6,000.

This is because anyone keen to get a bus driving licence would first need to get a lorry driving licence.

Getting each of these licences cost more than RM2,000, he said.
“It is very difficult to hire bus drivers these days. Those aged between 40 and 60 years make up the bulk of the current pool of drivers.

“In the next five to 10 years’ time, there may no longer be any new (young) drivers.

“Compounding to this, the older drivers are retiring, and this further depletes the already limited pool of bus drivers.”

Lau said without new drivers, it was difficult for bus companies to pick and choose good ones.

“Our fervent hope is for the government to provide some form of assistance to lighten the burden of prospective candidates wishing to obtain bus licences.”

Lau said their counterparts in the peninsula are facing the same problem. Recently, Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communication Dato Sri Michael Manyin Jawong suggested that driving institutes set up a loan system for those wanting to obtain bus and lorry driving licences due to the high fees involved.

Manyin believed this would solve the current shortage of bus and lorry drivers, which could affect the economy in the long-run if not resolved immediately.

Meanwhile, Lau said over the last 10 years, about 10 bus companies in the state had closed shop due to difficulties in hiring drivers and rampant ‘kereta sapu’ activities.

Business dropped by some 50 per cent, making it difficult to cover escalating operating costs.

The affected companies in Kuching, Sibu, Lawas, Mukah and Bintulu were mostly plying urban routes, he said.

On drivers’ pay, he revealed they were paid between RM1,500 and RM3,000 per month.

“The good ones are given target bonuses.”

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/05/18/more-young-bus-drivers-or-we-go-bust/#ixzz3gkfju0qY

My comments:
When asking for the government's assistance, what did Manyin do?  Push it back to the people.  Check if I am wrong to say that the taxes of different kinds and sorts can be easily collected and when it comes for people's requesting for government subsidies of any kind or sort, it is always so difficult to get consented.  The BN government has the habit to ask people to shoulder whatever burden they face.  So people still have to pay for the government after paying so many taxes.  Prove me wrong if you can!