OUMH2103

CONTENTS

PAGE

1. Introduction 1

2. Issue on the Teaching and Learning of English for Science and Technology 3

3. Report on interview

3.1 Teacher 5

3.2 Student 1 7

3.3 Student 2 8

4. Strategies to deal with the issue 9

5. Conclusion ` 14

6. Appendix 15

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Introduction

English is the 'Lingua Franca' of the world. With the IT Revolution and most of software and operating system being in English Language, a new utility for written and oral communication in English Language has emerged. English is said to be the world's most important language having communicative and educative value. English is used all over the world not out of any imposition but because of the realization that it has certain advantages. A very important reason for regarding English as a world language is that the world's knowledge is enshrined in English. It is a progressive language. It is dynamic and flexible. Over and above English is universally renowned for its power of expression and its rich literature. As everyone knows English for Science and Technology was introduced in 2003 in the Malaysian School Syllabus for Form Four and Form Five students. The subject was introduced in the Curriculum as it was found that there was a common future need for students to read and understand academic and technical materials in English apart from being able to write short notes and technical instructions in English. We are going to have children besides England, speaking and use English every day. But the gap still remains like those of the haves and havenots, developed and developing, urban and the rural. Much is required to be done by the linguists, the polyglots, the scholars and the teachers to bridge the gap between the English literate and the English illiterate population of the world. We have to go into the intricacies of the English language and simplify the methodology.

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Whatever English now represents or has represented over centuries of colonization, it belongs to everyone. It is a global language, the first of its kind. The Australian poet Peter Porter emphasized the point in a World Conference Welcome Poem, published in the Times Literary Supplement (28th February 1992) to the effect that: 'Everything will be exposed in English so delegates and lovers understand'

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1. Issue on the Teaching and Learning of English for Science and Technology

In my opinion, time factor is one of the main issues since students need more time and attention from their teachers.

In my observation, majority of the students with low proficiency level in English language would have a hard time during English for Science and Technology lesson. Some of them might not even understand simple English words and surprisingly, these students have to go through every examination without even understanding English in the first place!

One of my friends even could still recall the information that she received in one of the methodology classes that she attended, which stressed that teachers should try in every possible way to make students understand English without translating them into students' native language.

One of the examples is by using actions to show a certain movement or by conducting a demonstration. She has tried it in class and it is achievable because students can understand better.

However, such approach is time consuming compared to the grammar translation method, hence teachers are struggling really hard to complete the whole syllabus in a given time.

Moreover, it also depends on the effectiveness of classroom management because it is obvious that classroom management and teaching cannot be totally separated because both are present in the whole process.

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English is an important language. Why, its the principal language of the world! The world is getting smaller, and English is playing a very significant role in bridging the gaps. As such, teaching English to those who do not know the language is an almost philanthropic task. More and more people today are expressing an interest in learning the language. But is teaching English to a bunch of people who have never spoken the language simple? No! Not by a long shot!

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2. Interviews

2.1 Teacher

During last school holiday on __________(letak tarikh) , I have interview one of the teacher in SMK Sebuyau that teach EST in this school, Mr/Mrs_________________(nama cikgu yang ditemuramah). From the interview that I have conduct, Mr ________ told me that students of the rural school face a number of problems especially when referring to teaching of EST.

She/He even mention that learning a second language means acquiring a system of rules, but just as a very little is known about these rules, even less is known about how such rule systems are acquired.

Most of the Students find themselves unable to express in English. They have no idea of proper sentence structure. They do not know proper pronunciation, spellings and grammatical rules. When this happen, these student normally dislike English as a subject.

For every student that takes EST as their subject in form 4 and form 5 their sole objective is to clear the examination with flying colour. Even for teacher, Mr/Mrs ___________said that the sole objective of the teacher is to helps the learner to clear the exams. The students never realize the importance of learning English as a language.

The emphasis on passing the exams lies so heavy on the students that they opt for the cramming method. Such an approach helps unscrupulous elements to flourish. They help the students in achieving their goals of passing the exams.

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The inter-disciplinary relation of teaching and learning process brings home the fact that the problems of the teachers can be solved if we concentrate on the causes of the problem of the students.

She/He agree with me when I told that time factor is one of the main issue since students need more time and attention from their teachers. These students have to learn this new subject for only 2 years or not nearly 2 years.

Although this students have learn English starting from Year 1 or maybe some already learn English in pre-school, but the hackneyed, stereotyped and traditional pattern of exams aims at clearing English not as a language but as a subject remain.

Mr/Ms ___________said that the students, therefore, are guided to practice pick and chose method from the sub-standard material available in the market. So that students merely pass the subject far from learning any level of the Language. It is more shocking to learn that even the questions that students are supposed to answer are told to learn through translation from English to their own vernacular.

Poor performance in translation, lack of proper vocabulary, no knowledge proverbs all are results of a casual approach. Even after reading English for 14 or 15 years the level of the students remains poor.

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2.2 Student 1

My first interview with a student begins with a form four student. ______________________(Nama pelajar) from SMK ______________ . This interview have been done on ________________________(tarikh dan hari) at ______________(tempat)

From this interview, students normally take this subject because they have to. He said that he dont like English even when he starting schooling. He said it is quite difficult to use English as a daily language.

English for Science and Technology, for him even harder to master as it required even greater hours of time to find good translation for him to understand the subject itself. You cannot master a language overnight but it is take time and it a process that required patient and determination.

He suggest that for students to excel in EST, they have to master English first therefore is wise enough for Malaysian Education to introduce special translation book as a textbook. However, it should be revised every 2 years because every year new English word appear especially in world of IT.

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2.3 Student 2

My second interview take place on _____________ at _________________ with a form five student, _________________________(nama pelajar). The same problem happen to this student as she dont have the time to master EST as a whole. The emphasis on passing the exams lies so heavy on the students.

Teacher only helps the students in achieving their goals of passing the exams. Learning other language than your mother tongue is quite tough.

Lack of confidence in using English as a language makes this subject one of the boring subject. It is only the teacher that keep on talking in front of the class meanwhile the whole student of the class just listen or maybe not.

Perhaps she said the use of ICT during teaching this subject will help or maybe using the native user of this language to teach them will be fun and helps them likes this subject very much.

She even give suggestion that this subject should be taught starting even from form one.

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3. Strategies to deal with the issue Language learning is a natural process for the natives. The approach to this learning process is called the behavioristic approach. But for the students of other languages, deliberate efforts are required to learn a foreign language which requires a mentalistic approach'.

The students of rural and semi-urban areas in Malaysia face such problems because English is not their mother-tongue. It is neither instinctive nor intuitive. Language acquisition seems to be a process of both of analogy and application, nature and nurture.

Teachers of language have adopted and invented a variety of methods to teach English. Edward M. Anthony says in 'Approach, method and Technique-Teaching English as a Second language', "Method is an overall plan for the orderly presentation of language material no part of which contradicts and all of which is based upon, the selected approach. Approach is axiomatic and a method is procedural.(2)

The orderly presentation of language to students is influenced by several factors. The teacher has to keep in mind the age of the student, his native language, his cultural background and his previous experience with English.

The experience of the teacher and his level of English mastery are equally important. To achieve the desired effects, the goal of a course much be kept in mind-whether it is aimed at reading, fluency in speech, inculcating translation skill. All these objects shape methodology.

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According to Miss Lucy Chuo Mee Hong in the book of Prosiding Seminar Penyelidikan Tindakan 2005, She has use the TPS technique to make passive students become active learners in EST lessons. As we all know that an active learners can achieve more knowledge compare to the passive students. This all come back to self confidence in ever y student. When they eager to learn and feel the guts to use English, EST subject will be easier to be teach and learn.

Neil Valentine D'Silva in Buzzle.com suggest this tips how to teach English:

Building a rapport with your class: When you enter the class for the first time, it is very important that you give a welcoming smile to your students and greet them saying, 'Good morning, class! How are you feeling today?' or something like that. This is a very significant first step. There are many levels at which this works. First, your class is probably intimidated about the very fact that they are learning the most important language of the world, and half of them are probably thinking they will not be able to master even ten words of English. Your assuring smile and greeting them in a familiar manner helps them bond with you instantly. When they bond with you, they will find learning the language easier.

Building confidence for the language in the students: At the first meeting itself, train your students to ask some simple English questions, and give their answers. Examples are 'What is your name?', 'Which country are you from?', 'Who is your best friend?' etc. Many teachers of English as a second language make the mistake of beginning with the alphabet. This is wrong. When you train them to ask questions on the first day itself, your students will definitely show off

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these questions to their folks. And their interest in the language will be built. They will come with higher hopes of learning more things the next day. Starting out with the alphabet cannot achieve this 'English is fun' feeling in the minds of your students.

Starting a thought process in the students' minds: Make it a very firm rule, but subtly implied, that there will be no other language spoken in your class other than English. This will be very difficult at first, especially when the students are hell-bent on translating new English words they learn into their own language. Do not encourage this. But also remember that the students are trying their best. Be gentle with them when they attempt to translate English into their language. Exhort them to think in English. This is a mammoth task, and can be achieved only after some weeks, or probably months, of teaching.

Building basic communication skills in the students: Never teach your students. Always speak with them. Converse with the students about day-to-day things. Keep talking with them in simple English. They will talk when the initial icebreakers are done with. And when they will talk, they will learn. Encourage your students to talk. A simple question like, 'Why are you late for class today?' will be very useful. The student will try to explain the reason in English. You might not actually want to know the reason, but keep talking just the same. As long as the student attempts to talk in English, make it a point to listen.

Handling faux pases and booboos: Do not convert your English class into a caricature of Mind Your Language. Mistakes will happen in the class, and you have to learn how to handle them deftly. If you laugh at the students, they will be too embarrassed to make any further attempts at speaking the language. If you do not laugh, students will feel you are only being too kind to them, and might always think they have said something wrong, but you are hiding your amusement. What I do is, I laugh with the student. Yes, this is possible. I give a very polite laugh,

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and then explain the student why what he or she said was funny. This makes the student laugh too. Invariably! In time, some of the students in your class will point out the mistakes of others. When this happens, follow a subtle approach at correcting the mistakes, laughing with them wherever appropriate.

Carrying on the process: Be patient. I cannot stress this enough. You are a teacher. You know your language, and might have got international accolades for it. But your students cannot even frame three sentences in English properly. Only your perseverance will help them do it. Remember that your students are not native English speakers they will not be able to even ask you their doubts. Be patient with them and encourage them to express themselves.

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Conclusion

Teaching is not an easy task. It requires patience, insistence and sincere communication. Experience I think is the most effective factor which can solve almost all kinds of problems a teacher may face.

If we take into consideration the role of teacher and learner in acquiring the knowledge of a language; the problems can be solved effectively. Only then the students will realize the practical use of English language.

English will be used by them as a medium of expression. They will be able to use English as a language of communication. Fluency in the speech, proper knowledge of sentence structure, confidence of speaking in the public will make them able to keep their pace with the developing world. It will also help in raising the standards of English as a language at the college level.

On the basis of suggestions given above, the critical situations in the teaching of English can be checked from further deteriorations. Decidedly one or two persons can't do anything solid.

Let everyone concerned with it take the responsibility. Only then we can create a congenial environmental & we can be able to achieve better results in the teaching and learning of English for Science and Technology.

'Never forget, my, boy that the English teacher's business is with the imagination' (4).

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References
1) Edward M. Anthony's 'Approach, Method & Technique English as a Second Language' by Allen & Campbell. T.M.H. Edition.

2) Collins co builds English Dictionary for Advanced Learners Published by Harper Collins 3rd edition 2001. 3)Lucy Chuo Mee Hong,Using T-P-S Technique to Make Passive Students Become Active Learners in EST Lessons, Pejabat Pelajaran Gabungan Sri Aman dan MPBL, 2005.

4) P.6. 'Teaching of English As a second language by J.A. Bright and G.P. McGregory, Published by English Language Books Society and Longman Group Limited.

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Appendix

Interview questions with Teacher

Question 1 Tell me about yourself?

Question 2 Do have any problem to teach EST subject in your school?

Question 3 Do you think time factor is one of the issue that keep EST students to achieve better result?

Question 4 Do you have any suggestion to improve teacher teaching method or students performance in EST subject?

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Interview questions with Student

Question 1 Tell me about yourself?

Question 2 Do you take EST as your subject in class?

Question 3 Do like or dislike EST? Why?

Question 4 What is the main problem for you to learn EST?

Question 5 Do you have any suggestions to make this subject, student interesting subject?

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