Sunday 30 September 2012

Teaching the Parts of Speech (3)- Using a Song

How about using a song to reinforce the parts of speech? I chose this song as it's once of my favourites plus the fact that I'd like my students to listen to some meaningful songs of old compared to the head-banging tunes of today. Seriously...can you understand some of the songs youngsters listen to nowadays? Well, I grew up with The Carpenters, Stevie Wonder, Earth,Wind and Fire and the likes.  I know my students will disagree. Well, I listen to Dido and Adele too, to quote some of the more modern singers...but for this lesson, start off with:
1. Seasons in the Sun (the worksheet) 
2. Seasons in the Sun (the song)

Let students listen to the song twice and circle and correct the mistakes they listen to. Highlight those mistakes and get them to identify the parts of speech (assuming that you have pre taught them). This would be suitable at the beginning of the lesson as a set induction or at the end for reinforcement. The choice is dependent on you as the teacher.


Happy Teaching :)




The Thinking Teacher


Teaching Parts of Speech (2)

Sunday! My favourite day to blog although I still have piles of papers to grade :) Well, my life isn't complete if I  don't share what I do in the classroom. Remember! You're at your own risk when you visit my blog..take what's good and leave what's bad...Here's an 'ordinary' lesson on parts of speech too with 1 Qayyim. I made them come to the board and circle the different parts of speech and immediately discuss any mistakes.Give it a try and see how it goes.









The Thinking Teacher


Raising Awareness on the Parts of Speech

I'd like to share a way of giving assignments to students. Once in a while I will give a 'different' task to my students when dealing with grammar. In the following, I got them to choose a newspaper article of their own liking which is of reasonable length. They then complete the following tasks:

  • underline 10 nouns using red
  • circle 10 verbs using blue
  • box 10 adjectives using green

This is to raise their awareness on the parts of speech in sentences. Once you have assessed the students' work, discuss some examples in the classroom. Students usually get their verbs wrong. They tend to think of verbs as single words so for instance, they will not circle "to run" but they rather "run". This can be used as discussion points to discuss verbs in the classroom. The same can be said of the other parts of speech in the task above. It's an alternative way of giving assignments your students. It takes them away from coursebook and workbook tasks and try something different. Students will have to read the text and analyse what functions the words play in the text. 

Happy teaching :)



 


 




The Thinking Teacher


Wednesday 26 September 2012

Wake up call for graduates!


(credit The STAR, 26 September 2012)

Sunday September 23, 2012

English — the way to go!

By AMINUDDIN MOHSIN, TAN EE LOO and KANG SOON CHEN

All parties at a recent forum organised by The Star, were unanimous that young graduates who joined the workforce needed to engage and communicate in English if they wanted to move up in their careers.

EVER wondered why we put so much emphasis on English when countries like Japan and Germany seem to progress just fine without focusing on the language? That mystery was unravelled at The Star’s free public forum on the importance of English in the workplace after lively talks by forum speakers and the Q&A session that followed. The forum held in conjunction with The Star’s English For More Opportunities initiative, featured experts in English and those in the employment markets, and was moderated by former Education Ministry deputy director-general Datuk Noor Rezan Bapoo Hashim.

<b>Registration:</b> Early birds all excited as they sign up for the forum at Menara Star. 
Registration: Early birds all excited as they sign up for
 the forum at Menara Star.

Forum speaker, Albukhary International University (AiU) deputy vice-chancellor Prof Emeritus Dr Omar Farouk Sheikh highlighted the peripheral role of English in certain progressive nations.
“I’ll begin my talk with a short story of a Malay College Kuala Kangsar boy who went to Japan for a month-long cultural exchange programme.
“The student was having an acute dilemma, he wondered why the Japanese knew so little English and yet could still be one of the most scientifically- and technologically-advanced countries on earth.
“So while he was there he posed this question to me, ‘Why do we have to learn Science and Mathematics in English back home?’,” he said.
Prof Omar, who had served at Hiroshima City University for 18 years, went on to describe how he had been travelling a lot and was not up-to-date with Malaysia’s education situation.
“So the only answer I could give him was, ‘that’s the Malaysian way’. In this instance the importance of English is contextual.
“English is not as vital in Japan as it is in Malaysia and even here we can argue that in certain situations, English is critical while in others, it may be trivial or even irrelevant.

<b>Full attention:</b> Members of the audience listen intently to panelist Sam Ayton as she presents her views. 
Full attention: Members of the audience listen
intently to panelist Sam Ayton as she presents her views.
 
“But since I’ve been out of the loop for awhile, I’m looking forward to learning a thing or two about the situation of English here in as much as I’m looking forward to contributing to discussion,” he added.
Prof Omar said it was not unreasonable to expect the importance of English to be debated upon continually in a variety of contexts.

“I think this is healthy because at best, the importance of English can only be relative. It’s difficult if not impossible to argue that the importance of English is absolute.

“More often than not, the argument for English is not just about English. We need to be aware of the political, psychological, social and cultural perspectives that influence our attitude towards the language,” he added.
Sharing the story of what he called “the AiU experiment” where a large number of international students were successful in mastering English through an intensive programme, Prof Omar proposed that there were five factors which affected language learning.

“Eighty percent of our students are foreigners and most of them struggle with English. Within months, those who were not able to speak even a few words of English became confident speakers thanks to our intensive programme,” he said.

He explained that the five factors behind the programme’s success include detailing the incentives of learning English to students, providing them with motivation to learn, having the proper facilities for language learning, properly planning and strategising the programme to have clear goals and offer positive recognition to those who excel. The revelation of why English was key to our progress instead of following in the footsteps of the Japanese paradigm came from TalentCorp Malaysia CEO Johan Mahmood Merican.

<b>Digital assistance:</b> Young employees often seek online help when they are assigned to projects that require reportwriting in English. —Photo posed by model. 
Digital assistance: Young employees often seek 
online help when they are assigned to projects
 that require reportwriting in English. —Photo posed by model.
 
“I often hear arguments that Japan and South Korea have managed to become developed nations without English, this is a very dangerous line of thought because it doesn’t look at the situation historically. “Countries like Japan have always been developing their own indigenous technologies, so they do not rely as much as we do on foreign direct investment and innovation from outside. “It would be easier for us to get our English sorted out than become a country that develops indigenous technonologies,” he said.

The four C’s
He added that with our reliance on trade and foreign investment, and historical ties with English, we should leverage on the language as a source of competitiveness. Johan elaborated that apart from competitiveness, there are three other C’s related to the importance of English in the workplace and beyond.

“Convergence is another C. It’s cliche to say the world is flat, but it’s true. The world is coming together and its lingua franca is English. It is the language of trade and learning.
“It’s like Microsoft’s programs, they are so widespread that almost every computer uses them. Our education system will have to move beyond just teaching knowledge of English to teaching English for communication, which is the other C in the equation,” he said.

He questioned the nation’s readiness to teach its children the soft skill they will need in a globalised world.

<b>Language concerns:</b> Prof Omar says that English is not as vital in Japan as it is in Malaysia. Language concerns: Prof Omar says that English is not as vital in Japan as it is in Malaysia.
 
“Do we necessarily have the platform to teach communication? Are we really doing that in schools?” he asked.
The final C is about the community, said Johan.
“If young Malaysians do not use English regularly, they will only have a limited proficiency in the langauge and cannot reap its full benefits.
“It is common for children in rural areas to be belittled and ridiculed for trying to speak English.
“This is counterproductive and has to change, the community must encourage the use of English and it must be promoted as a means of advancement in life,” he said.
He added that one of the key strengths of Malaysia is its ability to influence its wider society to accept new ideas through education.

A British applied linguist said proficiency in the English language would eventually become a generic learning skill acquired in all schools. British Council (BC) language services director Sam Ayton cited this research finding at the start of her talk. The research commissioned by BC and published in 2006 by British linguist David Graddol, revealed that there was already a massive increase in the number of people learning global English, said Ayton. Graddol projected that it was likely to reach a peak of around two billion in the next 10 to 15 years, added Ayton.

“He was talking about global English, English spoken by non-native speakers, that is ousting the language of Shakespeare and becoming as the world’s lingua franca.
In 2006, non-native speakers outnumbered native speakers by three to one,” she said.
She illustrated the changes through graphs which showed the projected proficiency age for education entry requirements will drop from 20 to 14 years (see charts).

The global norm
“Education systems worldwide are emphasising English and as a consequence, children are becoming proficient at a younger age, English proficiency will eventually become a global norm,” she said.
“To give future generations a competitive edge, it would require individuals to be proficient in English plus one or two more languages.”

She also spoke about work skills and mentioned the McKinsey report published on June 12 which, based on current trends, projects gaps in skills to drive 21st century economies. She said that there was a need to address the imbalance in both advanced and developing economies through education and training. She added that based on the interviews with more than 100 organisations, employers said many Malaysians lacked business English skills.

“About 57% of employers felt that English proficiency was important for employees, and 67% for the service industry,” she said.

This number is aligned with Jobstreet.com (a job portal) surveys that show 56% of employers viewed poor command of English as a reason for not hiring. Surprisingly, only 23% of fresh graduates shared that view. The Jobstreet.com findings was presented by Malaysian Employers Federation executive director Shamsuddin Bardan who said employers not only wanted staff who understood English but also communicated well in the universal language too.

“Knowledge of English is insufficient, the employee needs to be able to communicate well in both written and spoken English. Companies are reluctant to train for fear of their employees being poached by competitors.
“So they expect secondary schools and higher learning institutes to produce fresh graduates who are already proficient in communicative English and ready for the labour market,” he said.

He added that even if 90% of students score a minimum credit in SPM English (against Cambridge 1119 standards), as aimed by the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, it still would not meet the manpower needs of the workforce.

“A credit in SPM English doesn’t mean you can communicate well. Even if you increase the number of students who pass with a credit, only 30-40% of them would be able to communicate well and thus be employable,” Shamsuddin said.

He added that the perception among youth that English is unimportant in landing them a job needs to change because communicative English is one of the most sought after skills by employers.

“Fresh graduates need to know this fact and bridge the perception gap, so they can take up the initiative and build their English proficiency through retraining and other means,” he said.

At the end of his talk, Shamsuddin quoted Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi who said that: “It was agreed upon by education ministries of 54 Commonwealth countries at a recent conference in Mauritius that English should be the medium of communication not instruction.”

In her welcoming speech, The Star deputy group chief editor (II) Leanne Goh said the newspaper had always been at the forefront of championing English language learning.

“Over the years, we have publications such as Newspaper-in-Education, Stuff@School and the education pullout on Sunday which support English language learning,” she said.
Ayton said it was interesting to find out that, in recruitment processes, very few employers conducted any form of formal assessment of language skills.

“Assessment of language skills was generally based on one-to-one conversations with a good speaker within the company who is not necessarily a language specialist,” Ayton said.

She added that oral and written communication were the most sought-after skills in English language proficiency training. Ayton added that 92% of Malaysian employers who provide English language courses conducted in-house training.

“Addressing proficiency issues in English require deep and wide innovation in teaching the language not just in education systems, but also in individual learning programmes and corporate recruitment and training,” she said.

English For More Opportunities

English is more than just the universal language of diplomacy, business, science and technology. It opens the door to more job opportunities, good universities, career advancements and increased earning power. English for More Opportuni-ties is part of The Star’s on-going efforts to highlight the importance of the language in helping people get ahead in life.



The Thinking Teacher


Sunday 23 September 2012

Reading Club (15): Never Work Harder Than Your Students, Robyn R. Jackson


The book I'm currently reading although progress is painfully slow. At the snail's pace am going, wonder when I will ever finish this book :)  Don't I wish that I have a long break just to read all the books I want! You have to believe me when I say that teachers don't have time to read. I've been trying to read this one for the past three months and haven't even got past the first chapter. No. Am not making excuses but I just cannot find the time to read. It's been a battle all the way. And you know what? I'm actually dying to know the secrets to never working harder than my students as claimed by Dr Robyn (many overworked teachers will!!!) but I guess I will never know until I finish the book sob sob sob...And people say teachers have a lot of time in their hands...nuts!







The Thinking Teacher



Module for 'Catch Us if You Can'

In the process of writing a module for my students to use next year. They will be the first batch taking SPM and that means a lot to SASEM! I hope I can finish in time so that all fifth formers will be able to use it from January. However, I have been under the weather the whole of last week- low blood pressure (I probably over exerted myself playing badminton with the students in Khalifah Hall...) dizziness (thanks to Azhar for sending me home on Thursday. All I did was sleep sleep and sleep..) and now an itchy throat! With my lappy now trying to work on that module. Pray that I can finish my job :)


The Thinking Teacher

Monday 17 September 2012

Memorising essays?

I was slightly bothered by my students' comments on a suggestion that they memorise essays for the SPM. I've heard of such an idea for some time now but I have never asked my students to memorise essays for the SPM. Memorising chunks or interesting phrases and expressions is still palatable but memoring full essays? The idea was to learn the essay (one of two) by heart and to 'adjust' the content for open-topics or the narrative. We are all familiar with topics such as 'Friends' (open topic) and a story ending with say, "...If only I had listened." The advice my students got was to memorise an essay and to make the necessary editing to fit the title. This is because, according to my students, who had listened to the talk,  in the SPM assessment, the content does not matter. What matters is the language...

Here's my two-cents on the matter:

i)  This 'method' is probably best suited for weak to very weak students who can hardly write but there is a danger in that the student's real language is easily traced to Directed Writing.Through this method, teachers hope that these students will at least gain some marks.

ii) Yes, the main concern in Paper 1 is language. But if your Directed Writing is a 'C' band and your Continuous Writing is 'A' due to memorising, it will still cost you dearly. Experienced examiners will be able to trace this easily. 

Exams do cause teachers to look for desperate measures to make sure students pass English.  But if everyone follows this method, what will happen to the standard of English in the country? Isn't it already low? Meanwhile I have some damage control to do with my classes :)




The Thinking Teacher



Friday 14 September 2012

TRO cervical spondylosis?

This is not some mellifluous term...or some cryptic puzzle to crack- this is a medical condition. Last week the MRI and x-ray scan showed that I have TRO cervical spondylosis. Small wonder I've been experiencing the symptoms lately: dizziness and lost of balance when walking (and sometimes driving), headaches, numbness on the fingers and pain in the upper right back and neck. "It comes with age," said Dr Neo, the Consultant Otthopaedic Surgeon in Utama specialist hospital. There is no cure. I just have to learn to ease the pain. After a jab and some medication, I reached home at Mahgrib in time for breaking fast that day. Thanks to Dr Zainudin (Poliklinik Intan) for suspecting it first and advising me to do MRI. Well, am glad that I finally know what the problem is. It's been nagging me for a year. Now at least I can move ahead and find out the best ways to handle the matter. Insya Allah am positive I will be fine :)

A much welcome break...thank you God. I need this time and space to think, think and think...wow that's a lot of thinking to do :) 

Selamat Hari Malaysia!

 


The Thinking Teacher


Saturday 8 September 2012

Teacher Talk (28)

From:
To: Rahmah Sayuti <rahmahs@yahoo.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 1, 2012 8:51 AM
Subject: Reading stance among students

Salam Rahmah, I used to follow your blogs.  I believed your teaching experiences will answer my questions that always spin in my head.   I read  a numbers of journals and I found that students when it comes to English literary text, they don't adopt the aesthetic reading stance which is necessary in order to understand the poem or novels.  I think most of them with technology at the finger tips especially blogs make them demotivated to read or depends on blog in terms of reading. It is not that I'm against the blogs, but more to confirm my findings with the current trends of malaysian students.  What do you think about this?

Thanks,
***



The Thinking Teacher