My Life as Postgraduate Student
Just imagine, you are at an English class. Everybody is doing an exercise. People are all talking about the exercise; there is a lot of noise. You finished two minutes ago, and now there are people around you asking questions. "What does extemporaneous mean?", "What's the answer in point 2?". You know the correct answers and you help them. You know why they asked your help and definitely because they know you are good. You feel respected and admired. The teacher has noticed your skills, too. He looks at you with admiration. That feels great. So here, in this Journal 1, I will reflect my opinion explicitly on learners and learning, classroom and contexts, as well as communicative classroom.
I still remember when and how I first learnt English. I rarely used the language during my kindergarten because I was sent to religious type of school. So, I could hardly hear my ‘ustazah’ conversed with us in that particular language. However, I did not miss the boat. My parents particularly my mother used the language at home especially when giving instructions. I do confess that my family background does affect my language learning performance. By looking at my family economic resources, my father managed to send me to Erican Language Centre to improve my language during my school days. Generally, the pattern is pretty clear that family background, geographical background, motivation level, exposure and a lot more, affect children’s education performance.
There are many factors that might affect one’s English language learning. Some of them are role modelling, the teaching styles, personality factors, or even facilities of the school. The importance of school facilities has been increasingly recognized nowadays. School facility factors such as building age and condition, quality of maintenance, temperature, lighting, noise, colour, and air quality can affect student health, safety, sense of self and psychological states of the learners. I remember when I was in primary school, the one and only my beloved English teacher Ms Shirley. Whenever she entered the class, she brought joy, laughter and creativity in the classroom. She hummed beautifully while writing on the board and she developed our reading, writing, speaking, and listening abilities by creating a cohesive classroom community. We role – played a lot. She used drama as a teaching tool for academic enrichment. As far as I can remember, only in her class I could build my self-esteem, raise my confident level, and improve my social skills.
There are many types of roles as learners in ESL classroom. They come from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds and have had a wide variety of life experiences. Some of my friends were Chinese with hard-core dialect of Mandarin or Cantonese. Learning English to some of them really a challenge and my language teacher as well must be well prepared to adopt mental challenges, physical challenges and behavioural difficulties of the learners. Learners who have a limited command of standard English require a period of adjustment. A sense of dislocation can cause some ESL learners to appear withdrawn, fatigued, or uninterested. I, myself was an active listener. I never interrupt while my teacher was teaching. Usually I would pay my attention, focus, and acknowledged my teacher by developing eye contact. I observed, and then only I would make any necessary responses. Besides that, I was and am till now is a visual learner. I needed visual aid when studying, and I like a colourful outline to be written on my notes. By doing so, I retain more information. I strongly belief that, visual tools improve my ability to recall information more completely.
Besides that, I loved reading English books. I do have till now a collection of Nancy Drew. Still fresh in my mind I was on a bus to school, just like every day and I decided to spend the time reading a few pages out of a book (Nancy Drew of course). I took it out. The book was in English obviously. As I started reading, the person sitting next to me looked at the book's cover and notices the English title. He gave me a long look and nod of admiration. Later, I noticed some other people in the bus started staring. During that age I did not really realized how important that language is. I admit that I learn a lot by reading especially from books that I have collected, magazines and newspapers.
In terms of communicative classroom, I found out that (during my teaching years), students fail to engage in even basic conversations. How is this possible? As far I can remember, my language teacher had a communicative approach in mind by prompting us, asking for our responses while teaching. From my observation, in most language classes nowadays, the teacher comes to class and says or writes things on the board on a long list of grammar patterns and rules need to be followed. Later, after talking about those rules and going into details, students are then given many exercises to master that tense and in a relatively short period of time. It looks like the job has been done, and it is perfect from every point of view. In reality, the students remember nothing, say very little, and frustration takes over. This scenario takes place every single day in language classrooms where language is presented as patterns and structures without a real communicative purpose. In my opinion, the students should be given new and lots of opportunities to put their ideas into practice and make lots of mistakes. This is perfectly right! I have been teaching Chinese students for almost seven years in my teaching career. I found something intolerable in them that they are too reluctant to take chances in their study. I need to be passion with them. A communicative method in teaching would work well if only the learners were passionate to learn the language and aimed to use it in real life.
During my time of study, our language teacher did a lot of group and classroom games in order to promote communications skills. Recently, I regularly use language games in my classroom with my students because I think games are great way to help groups of teen to learn skills in order for them to work together. The skills can be learnt and practised in a fun, non-threatening way. I frequently carry out group work as well which I think gives freedom in their choice of language and provide the security of their friend’s identity whom might be too shy to venture her own opinion in public. Their responses that I gain become rewards in themselves as learners and find they are not only using English in real situations but also gaining some insights into their own feelings in the process.
Besides that, in order to have the students to become communicatively competent, I must ensure I have created a learning environment in my language class. Sometimes, before I start the lesson of the day, I observe my surrounding. Few questions revolve around my mind. Whether the physical space of the classroom is managed as I prepare the classroom for the students. Is the space warm and inviting? Do the students have access to necessary materials? Are the distracting features of a room eliminated? In my opinion, the most essential part of encouraging communicatively competent is the teachers who encourage students to do their best and to be excited about what they are going to learn. To be motivated, students must see the worth of the work that they are doing and the work others do. I demonstrate the value and show my students how their work is worthwhile and is connected to things that are important for them, including other learning and interests. One way that I use to encourage effort is through specific praise, telling my students specifically what it is that they are doing that is worthwhile and good. In my language class, there are lots of movable chairs, frequently, during my lesson, I ask students to sit in a semicircle so that they can see one another. Research reported by Beard and Hartley (1984) shows that people tend to talk to the person sitting opposite them rather than the people sitting next to each other and tend not to talk to one another.
However, there are also some of the factors that could hinder communicative classroom. Changes such as introducing to new syllabuses and new teaching method or to new peer groups and surroundings may leave the learners feeling emotionally insecure and vulnerable. For example, early this year, KBSM has introduced new syllabus of English Literature for Form 1. It is not only limiting the communicative environment in the classroom among the learners but sometimes the teachers as well. For example myself, I have undergone the course for English Literature new Cycle and need to teach the students the new syllabus. Surprisingly, the course was only conducted for two days and we have to come back to school and teach all literature elements of the new poems, short story, and graphic novel. I felt like I did not have enough exposure towards literature aspects and yet need to teach my students. Other factor that could hinder communicative classroom is high distractibility. For example in my school, the students are loaded with abundant of stuff. They might face this with difficulties and find it’s extra hard to settle the work. Other factor might be something on the background of the students. These include a poor or depressed background in which the child has no encouragement to read or to use language , in which there are no facilities for home work or private study , and in which the values the school are rejected and perhaps even held up to ridicule . In my school there are many cases of actual physical rejection, brought about by a broken home or by any other family problem. Some of the learners are lack of motivation. Motivation is one of the basic factors of participation. Motivation in simply language means interest. Learning is directly proportional to our interest in learning. Some students, they might have the feeling of fears. Sometimes, fear limits us even before we get startled. We do not try our best, because we are afraid of failure and perhaps ridicule.
There are many ways to overcome lack of communication among the learners in the classroom. Like what I have implemented in my classroom, I identify those students who have lack of lacking participation in the class due to their weaknesses. I always give extra and proper attention towards those students and involve them in different types of activities with peers. Besides, I encourage parents to give proper attention towards their children by having regular contact with me. The class should properly be cleaned and well decorated especially with English materials. In my opinion, proper sitting arrangement in the classroom can boost up students' participation so that students may have no difficulty in viewing the whiteboard, or listening to what I said. As a form teacher, I always ensure the smaller students will be seating at the front rows. Besides, by putting them seating next to different races might encourage them not to use their mother tongue all the time. Students who are facing language problems I gradually use with them a lot of activities involving listening and speaking such as presentations, dialogues, develop peer to peer relationship among students and other activities should be conducted in the classroom for increasing confidence.
In a nutshell, how sensible is it then, that as English teachers, I have devoted less amounts of classroom time to the theory, because what the students really need is practise. In my opinion, it is time to take a step back and stop dedicating an inordinate amount of time to written exercises, drilling, blackboard presentations, perfecting grammar and a host of other considerations. They all have their importance and due applications, but what could be more important than setting up activities which allow my students to practise speaking. I always invest and sacrifice my teaching time in improving my techniques that allow me to optimise the effect of the 80 to 90% of the student's talking practise classroom, as well as achieving that all important aim of making my students communicatively competent. It's the wood. Don't just see the trees.
I still remember when and how I first learnt English. I rarely used the language during my kindergarten because I was sent to religious type of school. So, I could hardly hear my ‘ustazah’ conversed with us in that particular language. However, I did not miss the boat. My parents particularly my mother used the language at home especially when giving instructions. I do confess that my family background does affect my language learning performance. By looking at my family economic resources, my father managed to send me to Erican Language Centre to improve my language during my school days. Generally, the pattern is pretty clear that family background, geographical background, motivation level, exposure and a lot more, affect children’s education performance.
There are many factors that might affect one’s English language learning. Some of them are role modelling, the teaching styles, personality factors, or even facilities of the school. The importance of school facilities has been increasingly recognized nowadays. School facility factors such as building age and condition, quality of maintenance, temperature, lighting, noise, colour, and air quality can affect student health, safety, sense of self and psychological states of the learners. I remember when I was in primary school, the one and only my beloved English teacher Ms Shirley. Whenever she entered the class, she brought joy, laughter and creativity in the classroom. She hummed beautifully while writing on the board and she developed our reading, writing, speaking, and listening abilities by creating a cohesive classroom community. We role – played a lot. She used drama as a teaching tool for academic enrichment. As far as I can remember, only in her class I could build my self-esteem, raise my confident level, and improve my social skills.
There are many types of roles as learners in ESL classroom. They come from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds and have had a wide variety of life experiences. Some of my friends were Chinese with hard-core dialect of Mandarin or Cantonese. Learning English to some of them really a challenge and my language teacher as well must be well prepared to adopt mental challenges, physical challenges and behavioural difficulties of the learners. Learners who have a limited command of standard English require a period of adjustment. A sense of dislocation can cause some ESL learners to appear withdrawn, fatigued, or uninterested. I, myself was an active listener. I never interrupt while my teacher was teaching. Usually I would pay my attention, focus, and acknowledged my teacher by developing eye contact. I observed, and then only I would make any necessary responses. Besides that, I was and am till now is a visual learner. I needed visual aid when studying, and I like a colourful outline to be written on my notes. By doing so, I retain more information. I strongly belief that, visual tools improve my ability to recall information more completely.
Besides that, I loved reading English books. I do have till now a collection of Nancy Drew. Still fresh in my mind I was on a bus to school, just like every day and I decided to spend the time reading a few pages out of a book (Nancy Drew of course). I took it out. The book was in English obviously. As I started reading, the person sitting next to me looked at the book's cover and notices the English title. He gave me a long look and nod of admiration. Later, I noticed some other people in the bus started staring. During that age I did not really realized how important that language is. I admit that I learn a lot by reading especially from books that I have collected, magazines and newspapers.
In terms of communicative classroom, I found out that (during my teaching years), students fail to engage in even basic conversations. How is this possible? As far I can remember, my language teacher had a communicative approach in mind by prompting us, asking for our responses while teaching. From my observation, in most language classes nowadays, the teacher comes to class and says or writes things on the board on a long list of grammar patterns and rules need to be followed. Later, after talking about those rules and going into details, students are then given many exercises to master that tense and in a relatively short period of time. It looks like the job has been done, and it is perfect from every point of view. In reality, the students remember nothing, say very little, and frustration takes over. This scenario takes place every single day in language classrooms where language is presented as patterns and structures without a real communicative purpose. In my opinion, the students should be given new and lots of opportunities to put their ideas into practice and make lots of mistakes. This is perfectly right! I have been teaching Chinese students for almost seven years in my teaching career. I found something intolerable in them that they are too reluctant to take chances in their study. I need to be passion with them. A communicative method in teaching would work well if only the learners were passionate to learn the language and aimed to use it in real life.
During my time of study, our language teacher did a lot of group and classroom games in order to promote communications skills. Recently, I regularly use language games in my classroom with my students because I think games are great way to help groups of teen to learn skills in order for them to work together. The skills can be learnt and practised in a fun, non-threatening way. I frequently carry out group work as well which I think gives freedom in their choice of language and provide the security of their friend’s identity whom might be too shy to venture her own opinion in public. Their responses that I gain become rewards in themselves as learners and find they are not only using English in real situations but also gaining some insights into their own feelings in the process.
Besides that, in order to have the students to become communicatively competent, I must ensure I have created a learning environment in my language class. Sometimes, before I start the lesson of the day, I observe my surrounding. Few questions revolve around my mind. Whether the physical space of the classroom is managed as I prepare the classroom for the students. Is the space warm and inviting? Do the students have access to necessary materials? Are the distracting features of a room eliminated? In my opinion, the most essential part of encouraging communicatively competent is the teachers who encourage students to do their best and to be excited about what they are going to learn. To be motivated, students must see the worth of the work that they are doing and the work others do. I demonstrate the value and show my students how their work is worthwhile and is connected to things that are important for them, including other learning and interests. One way that I use to encourage effort is through specific praise, telling my students specifically what it is that they are doing that is worthwhile and good. In my language class, there are lots of movable chairs, frequently, during my lesson, I ask students to sit in a semicircle so that they can see one another. Research reported by Beard and Hartley (1984) shows that people tend to talk to the person sitting opposite them rather than the people sitting next to each other and tend not to talk to one another.
However, there are also some of the factors that could hinder communicative classroom. Changes such as introducing to new syllabuses and new teaching method or to new peer groups and surroundings may leave the learners feeling emotionally insecure and vulnerable. For example, early this year, KBSM has introduced new syllabus of English Literature for Form 1. It is not only limiting the communicative environment in the classroom among the learners but sometimes the teachers as well. For example myself, I have undergone the course for English Literature new Cycle and need to teach the students the new syllabus. Surprisingly, the course was only conducted for two days and we have to come back to school and teach all literature elements of the new poems, short story, and graphic novel. I felt like I did not have enough exposure towards literature aspects and yet need to teach my students. Other factor that could hinder communicative classroom is high distractibility. For example in my school, the students are loaded with abundant of stuff. They might face this with difficulties and find it’s extra hard to settle the work. Other factor might be something on the background of the students. These include a poor or depressed background in which the child has no encouragement to read or to use language , in which there are no facilities for home work or private study , and in which the values the school are rejected and perhaps even held up to ridicule . In my school there are many cases of actual physical rejection, brought about by a broken home or by any other family problem. Some of the learners are lack of motivation. Motivation is one of the basic factors of participation. Motivation in simply language means interest. Learning is directly proportional to our interest in learning. Some students, they might have the feeling of fears. Sometimes, fear limits us even before we get startled. We do not try our best, because we are afraid of failure and perhaps ridicule.
There are many ways to overcome lack of communication among the learners in the classroom. Like what I have implemented in my classroom, I identify those students who have lack of lacking participation in the class due to their weaknesses. I always give extra and proper attention towards those students and involve them in different types of activities with peers. Besides, I encourage parents to give proper attention towards their children by having regular contact with me. The class should properly be cleaned and well decorated especially with English materials. In my opinion, proper sitting arrangement in the classroom can boost up students' participation so that students may have no difficulty in viewing the whiteboard, or listening to what I said. As a form teacher, I always ensure the smaller students will be seating at the front rows. Besides, by putting them seating next to different races might encourage them not to use their mother tongue all the time. Students who are facing language problems I gradually use with them a lot of activities involving listening and speaking such as presentations, dialogues, develop peer to peer relationship among students and other activities should be conducted in the classroom for increasing confidence.
In a nutshell, how sensible is it then, that as English teachers, I have devoted less amounts of classroom time to the theory, because what the students really need is practise. In my opinion, it is time to take a step back and stop dedicating an inordinate amount of time to written exercises, drilling, blackboard presentations, perfecting grammar and a host of other considerations. They all have their importance and due applications, but what could be more important than setting up activities which allow my students to practise speaking. I always invest and sacrifice my teaching time in improving my techniques that allow me to optimise the effect of the 80 to 90% of the student's talking practise classroom, as well as achieving that all important aim of making my students communicatively competent. It's the wood. Don't just see the trees.
