Raya oh Haji..

OWH RAYA...

Raya Haji last Wednesday had been a blast.A family gateway I would say..With all mouthwatering dishes, sisters gossiping, muddy kids, owh it was totally awesome...

Well, hangout with sisters,aunties,kiddos, nieces was extremely cool though..it was like having a broken blood vessel in your finger and it won't heal and it look so bruise and discolored (not using doctors' jargon) BUT its OKAY because you have all those lil' lovely creatures around you...

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.

LET'S TAKE DA QUIZ!!!!

Take the Pathways of Learning Quiz:
PRESCHOOLER
by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Lynn Cates, M.D., F.A.A.P.

After you answer the 21 questions below, you'll get a profile of your child's different intelligence pathways, along with specific suggestions for things you can do to enhance learning in the various areas. The following questions apply to children from three to five years old.

Although this quiz is based on sound principles of child development, it's essentially just a tool* to get you thinking about your child's aptitudes and abilities within amultiple intelligences framework. No quiz can possibly measure all the different aspects of your child's potential, and you know a great deal about your son or daughter that isn't reflected on the quiz. This insight also is very important when it comes to understanding-and appreciating-your child.

For each statement, click the circle that best describes your child:

*Please note that this quiz has not been subjected to scientific study to find out how well it agrees with a longer, more objective measure of multiple intelligences--in fact, to our knowledge, no such gold-standard test exists.

		never ever	sometimes	often	no response
1.	Loves to listen to children's songs or to sing along
2.	Paints with bright colors, filling page
3.	Spends hours stacking, building, with blocks
4.	Has a friend of same age, not just casual playmates; shows special sensitivity to that friend's feelings
5.	Is aware when other children are upset and tries to comfort them
6.	Has a long attention span regarding storybooks; fills in words left off ends of pages
7.	Moves body joyfully along with music, and often keeps on the beat
8.	Expresses ideas in sentences of several words; asks questions; is rarely quiet for long
9.	Runs with ease; hops on one foot; jumps with both feet off the ground; quickly picks up how to ride a tricycle
10.	Shows interest in counting objects or counting pictures of objects in books
11.	Has steady control of crayon or brush when drawing or painting
12.	Is aware of her body; rarely runs into things or other children
13.	Can recite a simple poem from memory
14.	Uses words for feelings: "sad," "happy," "scared," "mad"
15.	Sorts objects by different qualities--for example, size, shape, color, or use
16.	Organizes other children to play "family" or "house"; is a leader among peers
17.	Uses words to handle conflicts with other children, rather than just hitting or grabbing
18.	Can tell a story about a picture she has drawn
19.	Is fascinated with pouring and measuring water and sand, or with measuring things
20.	Throws and kicks with moderate accuracy
21.	Enjoys listening to music, whether pop, jazz, or classical
		never ever	sometimes	often	no response

Bilingual Baby

Giving your baby the gift of two or more languages is one that they will cherish and benefit from for the rest of their lives. Being bilingual opens so many doors, particular in a world that seems to grow smaller by the day. Babies and young children have an amazing capacity for learning to talk in one or more languages. Indeed, it is a task that parents usually find the most daunting!

‘Early Childhood’

Second Language Learning: How to do it right

Second language learning is defined as the process of learning an additional language besides the native language. Here second language or additional language refers to any language that is acquired or learnt after early childhood. Learning a foreign language or basically any second language might not be a very easy task but with some guidelines this task can be achieved.

Second language learning is like a lifelong journey that needs time and dedication. For this the following tips can be followed:

1. Keep the study sessions short: keeping study sessions short allowing time in consecutive sessions is an important way to maintain the interest in the language. A single two or three hour session is not effective than short sessions of twenty minutes. Regular contact with the language helps you to remember things and stick with it. Therefore your aim should be for short, reachable achievements. The positive results attained would further push you to continue.

2. Make some investments in the training tools: it is always helpful to invest in some tools that would aid in second language learning. You might not be able to hire a private tutor but it is not necessary that to learn a language you need a native speaker. For this tools like, self study kits, do-it-yourself kits, audio and visual aids like cassettes and CDs can be effectively used. As listening is an important requisite when learning a second language, make sure the self study kits include these audio aids. A good kit should also consist of grammatical explanations, organized vocabulary, set phrases for quick motivation boosting and speaking and listening exercises. You can also join night classes as they are more structured and there is a sense of obligation to attend.

3. Practice the language: if you are learning the second language through self-study kits, it is very important that you practice the language and that too aloud. This means that speaking aloud what you have learnt is a good way of learning the language fast. If you do not do this, it is like reading about a dance movement and trying to learn without practicing it. Each language has its own sounds and accents and pronunciations. Your muscles in the throat and face have to be trained in order to speak correctly. Therefore practicing a language aloud is the sure shot way of learning the second language fast.

4. Make use of the films and music of the language: second language learning is aided by the use of music and films of the language. This not only ensures regular contact with the language but also ensures fun and you have a new culture to follow. It is normal that you would not understand things in the beginning but just keep on trying and pick a few words at a time. Listening to the music or films dialog would be greatly helpful later on when your vocabulary has been built and you can guess the right meaning of the word.

5. Regular practice helps in achieving goals: although second language learning might be a lot of work but it can be fun also. You would be watchful and try to form new structures with the language. Also setting small goals and achieving them would boost your confidence and motivate you to keep on learning. You could set goals like aiming for a new verb tense in a week, a new word in the next week and so on.

The most important part of second language learning is to enjoy the new knowledge and you should try to embrace entertainment in the second language.

http://iteslj.org/Articles/Rosenberg-Bilingual.html

I would like to quote the last paragraph of this article :

"Knowing two or more languages truly gives kids so many advantages in life. Bilingual kids have the advantage of knowing two cultures, of being able to communicate with a wider variety of people, and of possible economic advantages in their future. Research has even shown advantages in thinking skills among bilingual individuals. But deciding to raise bilingual kids is a decision that should be carefully considered as it affect children for the rest of their lives. Parents need to consider the child's self identity, self-esteem, schooling options, as well as social factors when planning for bilingualism. Becoming bilingual is a special gift parents can offer their children, but the gift must be planned and presented with care for it to be well used and appreciated."

When Can We Start??

http://www.lsadc.org/info/pdf_files/Bilingual_Child.pdf

This article is about raising a bilingual child. The matter of why do we need bilingual children, when can you start inculcating the second language towards your child is not a big matter anymore. Many parents nowadays converse with their kids in many kinds of languages or dialects. But how early? Many researchers believe that it should be Day One! The human brain is more receptive to language development during the years between birth and pre-adolescence.Before the age of ten, a child can learn languages easily and naturally, just like they learned to speak initially.This is undoubtedly the best way to make the children smarter and give him/her an unbelievable advantage!!

Bilingual Product by an Obsessed Bilingual-practice Mom

This interactive, bilingual activity table features songs, melodies, twinkling lights and real instrument sounds, plus lots of things to spin, roll, slide, open and close. The table plays over 40 songs and melodies so your baby stays entertained while exploring. When babies turn the center page, the activity table switches modes and transforms musical discoveries into learning activities where each instrument plays a learning song. The Learn and Groove Musical Table also helps your child develop the motor skills needed for learning to stand. With all of these activities, your child will exercise his or her memory and problem-solving skills with lots of things to push, pull, turn, open, and close. And with the flip of a switch, the songs and games switch from English to Spanish, offering a great introduction to foreign-language learning.

Should I force my daughters to say more in English or Malay?

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/9670-language-barrier-splits-malaysians-into-classes

Should I force my daughters to say more in English or Malay? I have to ask few things in my mind before i could actually answer this question..How often is my kids exposed to each of their languages? What need do they have to communicate in each language? In which language did they speak their first words? I think the kids have the greatest advantage of learning and using two languages, based on trial and error. They are actually able to answer me in English from time to time, which leads me to believe that they do have a certain control of English.However, I also need to remember is that English is their minority language, so they probably feel more comfortable speaking in Malay.Most children at their age are in the midst of the process of EXPRESSING their language. Until now it was more important for them to develop their ability to understand and analyze adult speech in order for them to begin to express their own ideas and needs in words. So, why should I force them??? Just go with the flo..

I have been reading about a new bilingual book, Tim and Kim / Tim y Kim, by Kay Linda Nord that i bought at BORDERS recently. The first thing I noticed when I got the book were the colorful and playful illustrations by Nicole Armitage. Even my 19 months old daughter (baby Copya) who has a hard time sitting still for more than 30 seconds sat still and looked at the pictures on each page as I read him the story.

The story ia about a brother and sister who are opposite in nearly every way. Tim is tall and Kim is short. Tim likes blue and Kim likes pink. When their pets are scared by a loud noise, Tim and Kim have to work together to bring their pets out of hiding. The lesson that I learned from Kim and Tim is that being different is good because it is our differences that allow us to help others. The story is written in both English and Mexican Spanish. I think its suitable if the family who practice bilingual English-Spanish. And good thing about this kind of book is..a lot being sell at the bookstores. I could not find one good book on bilingual English-Malay language yet!

India oh India

http://www.lingref.com/isb/4/159ISB4.PDF

Yeap! I definitely agree that aside from family or the caretakers who regularly communicate with the children, the social environment also plays an important role in the development of language. This journal posted by Kalyani K. Sampath, saying that in India the people are monolingual. However, with a population of more than 1,027 million India is a colourful canvas portraying a unique assimilation of ethnic groups displaying varied cultures and religions. There are Malayalees, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Tamilians and other Indian communities who speak different kinds of Indian languages such as Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali, Urdu and Hindi, or Malayalam. So by hook or by crook they MUST learn the second language in order the communicate even among themselves. If we watch any of their Award on air we can see that the language use is English because 'yeevvveerryybboodyy could understandid!!'(*READ IN INDIAN SLANGA*)

Spongy Kids...

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~snapshots/snap40.pdf

Based on this article, I think its true that children in higher quality care had more advanced language development, especially age between 12 months - 6 yrs old. Children with lower communication care became further behind the children in higher quality care on all language measures. It shows through my kids & their language development.They are taken care by my mother who love TALKING. A lot..She communicates with my kids almost about everything! About Shah Rukh Khan's latest movies, or neighbours who quarrelled, perverts in the neighbourhood who stole ladies' undergarments, or about Paskistanis who selling non quality carpet. How I got to know these news when I came back from school and they told me versions of stories. Children are like sponge. They ingest everything, and when they found victims, its time to puke everything out. I think it goes the same with language. They heard people talking + install + apply!

My first so-called journal review..

Good Mom
Bringing up a bilingual baby
Written by Ginny Butler

1 baby + 2 languages = boundless advantages

It's no secret that a bilingual education is a valuable asset in today's global community, and because infants' brains are particularly absorbent, they can soak up new languages with amazing speed and retention. In fact, a child who picks up a second language before adolescence is often capable of speaking that language accent-free for life.

Giving the gift of language
Developing bilingualism from infancy carries lifetime benefits: communication with extended family or other foreign language speakers, a competitive edge in the job market, and a jump on foreign language studies in school. Besides these obvious pluses, research also suggests that bilingualism is linked to higher scores on intelligence tests, increased confidence and heightened creativity, as well as a greater understanding of linguistic concepts.

In the past, there was some concern that second language learning could affect English proficiency or slow down speech development, but research shows this is not the case. Dr. Alison Mackey, Professor of Linguistics at Georgetown University and co-author of The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language, says, "Even young children are able to understand that language is a code and more than one word can refer to the same thing. A child's 'first' language will not suffer through the introduction of an additional language."

Bilingual babies don't start talking any later than other children, but they usually experience some "mixing" of the two languages (even manifested as bilingual baby babble!) for a period of time. This does not mean baby can't distinguish between the two languages; mixing languages is a normal phase that naturally works itself out.

Planning for success
To bless your child with all the benefits of growing up bilingual, start with a plan. The most successful bilingual learning begins with both parents discussing their desires, aligning their expectations, and establishing a game plan early on.

So what constitutes a winning plan? "Many parents have had success with allocating one language to one parent," says Mackey. "This way each parent provides rich native input in each language." Decide beforehand that one parent will address baby in the first language while the other parent uses the second, and baby will be able to separate the two more effectively in the long run. In order to achieve simultaneous fluency, try to balance baby's exposure to the languages as much as possible. For example, if baby hears mostly English while you're out together in the community, focus on providing learning opportunities in the other language at home.

Also set clear goals: Do you want your child to simply understand a second language, or speak it just as well as the first? Will baby learn to read and write in both languages? As parents work together to achieve their goals, baby will feel more comfortable and secure.

Living in two tongues
Immersion, rather than translation, is the most effective way for anyone to learn a language, babies included. Make sure baby has separate but comparable interaction in both languages by reading books together, listening to music, singing songs and playing games. Learn about the foreign culture by occasionally dressing in the native garb and eating baby-friendly versions of traditional cuisine. Babies love to learn, and sharing these experiences can build great family togetherness. The key is personal contact; no one ever became fluent in a second language simply by watching a DVD! Mackey suggests that language videos should be thought of as supplementary (not primary) learning tools. They can be helpful "if they are watched together with a parent or caregiver, who provides plenty of human interaction that illustrates and echoes what's seen on the screen."

These second language learning activities are beneficial even if neither parent is bilingual—you can all learn together! Even small amounts of foreign language exposure will prepare your child to learn a second tongue. When your baby is past the basics (and beyond your knowledge), you may choose to enroll him in classes with other tots his age or even hire a foreign nanny or au pair to give him further tutelage.

" I think I wasn't wrong by giving Dr Aziah research topic on this matter because its closer to my heart..(cewah!!) This article interests me so much because I somehow 'suffer' the experiences with my children (teaching them various languages).. I started my first daughter with second language exposure, ended up she hardly to convey mother tongue ('grammatically correct Malay"hehe)with relatives,kindergarten friends. I learnt my lesson so I started with my second and third daughters with mother tongue first then slowly I practice with them the second language..So far I think it works for me.."