Edelweiss
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« Reply #14 on: August 06, 2006, 04:29:40 AM » |
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Hi all, This is the spouse of Edeiweiss, I'm currently teaching General Paper and Knowledge and Inquiry in a Junior College. The students coming in usually come from the top secondary schools in the 'neighbourhood' secondary schools. By right, they should do well, if they have been well schooled in the O level syllabus. In fact, most of them come to us with an average English score of B3. The real picture is however more telling. General Paper is a subject that test not only their use of English in the argumentative mode but also their ability to come up with logical arguments and current affairs. In fact, since 2001, the syllabus has really changed. For example, comprehension papers today not only comprises 2 passages of a philosophical/argumentative mode, they test also writers' use of ideas, inferential skills and critique of concepts. The last question, for example is called an Application Question where the student has to provide a well thought out response to the writers' ideas. This is very unlike the GP of before where we only need to paraphrase a writer's ideas. My students B3 in O leve English really does not matter in this context because they have been drilled in a narrative mode and probably made to memorise strings of descriptions or even possible essay titles. B3, when placed in the context of General Paper is a very elastic measurement.
This is on top of the Essay writing component where spotting is no longer possible because the questions they engender have a combination of knowledge areas, not just one. THis is where the student who come in to my college have a tremendous amount of hurdles to overcome. Trust me, the average student who come from more privileged backgrounds in the more renowned colleges have a significant advantage because their backgrounds have allowed them the exposure to how the world works and how the English language has given them a significant advantage over my students. Because these students come from a more advantaged background, they will ace their interviews for better places in the universities.
My worry for those who think that if the tried and tested, for e.g., assessment books, more tuition sessions with tutors of dubious standards, are used excessively, we are doing a disservice to them in the long run. One may think that it's a long time off but we should think about how getting to know about the machinery of how society and the world (business/politics and such like included) works in a more exposed environment of interaction with ideas and debate is vital. Otherwise, the student whose parent can afford their children a place in one the up and coming International Schools will have that advantage over the students I am teaching. Do I have the chance to teach in a better environment? Yes, but like my own dad who was a union leader before, I believe in working for the underdog. That's why I'm sticking around but it's getting harder every year.
Yes, flash cards has its place in the education milieu but in the world today, shouldn't we be at least receptive to educational strategies that look at a broader range of attitudes and skills than just recognising words. The point in learning is that the child makes meaning in a larger context, not the words in themselves. This has been borne out by more recent research. Also, making meaning of the world creates the one thing that our education system has not done - self-motivation in learning. Just think about it. Trust me, story-telling, being an example by reading more often, engaging the world of the child through musuem visits, Chek Jawa hiking treks to engage their natural curiosity should seriously be considered. rgds and God bless
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