How did I get into English?

When I first enrolled in college I was clueless as to what course would fit me. I tried a general course that could lead to anything that came up during the schoolyear.

After the second year I knew that I wanted to learn more about the English language so I finally decided to have it as my major.

Since we were only around 6 English majors at that time we had to campaign for more enrollees in our majors for the subjects to be offered. This made me decide to take up most of my major subjects at another university as a cross-enrollee.

The interesting reads required of us convinced me that I was on the right track. In short, I was at that time finding my passion and I found it in WORDS-----reading them, writing, speaking, listening to them.

This passion has since become my "bread and butter" which has opened up other opportunities related to this passion for words.

vowel problems among Visayans and Tagalog speakers

Filipinos from the Visayan part of the country give themselves away when they speak Pilipino or Tagalog because unlike the national language which has five vowel sounds /a/, /E/, /i/, /o/, & /u/, the Visayan dialect has only three of these vowel sounds and they are /a/, /i/ & /u/ so that explains the funny way some Visayans say certain words like "pira" for "pera" or "ati" for "ate" or instead of saying "opo" one hears "upu" which similarly sounds incorrect.

However, I have this to say. I am a Visayan but I never make such regional speech blunders because I know these vowel nuances and I practice the proper way of producing these sounds. I know of many other Visayans who do the same. Unfortunately, a great majority of Visayans do need more time to unlearn wrong speech habits acquired in earlier years.

Pilipino or Tagalog speakers are neither perfect for they too have their own problems. You notice that the original Pilipino alphabet (alpabeto) does not contain the sound /f/, /th/, and /v/. That is why Pilipino speakers speaking English usually have to grapple with words having those problem sounds. For instance, the word Philippines. Instead of saying it correctly, we might hear the word being said in many wrong ways like Pilifins or Filifins. Words with /th/ like three may be pronounced like tree.

English as supplemental subject

English as a subject should be made relevant to the learners' needs, taking into account their course and how the subject may be used or applied in the workplace.

Teachers of English seem to be engrossed in teaching the subject only, neglecting to see the relevance of the subject in the context of the learners' course. For instance business students, so different from nursing students, would need more exposure to business jargon and the whole business commmunication process. Engineering as well as computer students will be more empowered and more hireable if they know how English works in their own fields.

It is about time that English teachers need to refocus their strategies toward the strengthening of their English program by making it more responsive to the needs of the workplace.

lesson guide for English for Koreans Part 11

Koreans who come to the country to learn English only have a month or two to learn the language. The teacher should use all her creative power inorder to make lessons achievable within the targetted time frame.

Based on a personal experience I had with Koreans, most of them either have little or zero knowledge of the English language. This being the case, the teacher must work on where they are:

1. Start with the English alphabet making sure that the sounds of each letter is said correctly. Do the same with numbers. Then start every lesson with this until the learner has mastered the correct production of sounds.

2. Vocabulary building. Build his vocabulary every single day. Start with simple words then move on to more complicated ones. Start with words that he encounters everyday.

3. Start teaching him simple sentences. Always make him say orally the sentences he writes.

4. Have reading time every session. Make him read a paragraph every meeting and see to it that you give feedback and corrections when necessary.

teaching English to Koreans Part 1

I have tutored English to around 7 Koreans at different times and in all these I have noted some observations regarding their difficulties and the difficulties teachers or tutors face while trying to teach English to them as a foreign language.

Koreans who come to learn English either have no or little background of the language. Either way, the teacher has to use her imagination and creativity to make each session fruitful, with the learner learning something after every meeting.

Even if they tell me that they already learned some English in their country, I usually start them with the alphabet. You will be surprised to know that some have not even mastered this and have great difficulty saying correctly many of the letters. So how can one proceed with higher goals if this very basic thing is omitted? I would also ask them to say numbers correctly for much of the time they will be saying numbers when they tell time, or talk about prices.

There are many sounds in the English language that Korean learners have a hard time saying so the tutor should give drills and practice on these problem areas before heading off to bigtime grammar lessons. Sounds can be a big stumbling block to communication. Teachers should spend half of the time in oral drills, practicing, correcting and also doing repeat-after-me drills.

That is why it is necessary for the language teacher to have no language issues herself so that the learner will be learning the language correctly. One big obstacle to the proper learning of the English language is when the teacher has problems of the language herself. If this is the case, the language learner will be picking up the wrong lessons and will thus hamper the goal of achieving maximum learning within a given time frame.

For feedback or other concerns, you may e-mail them to g_fabillar@yahoo.com

Kids exhibit public speaking skills in grand debate

Eight kids between the ages 8 to 15 exhibited exemplary skills in the art of public speaking and debate in the evening of June 9 at the Felipa Garden El Oriente Hotel, Dumaguete City held . Using the modified Oregon-Oxford format, the kids debated on the truth or falsity of the issue resolving that poverty hinders people from achieving success. The debaters who composed the affirmative side were Rassel Mercado (1st speaker), Dianne Uymatiao (2nd), Michaela Malabed (3rd) and Bien Llanes as rebuttal speaker. The negative team was composed of Rio Llanes (1st speaker), Angel Ordonez (2nd), Jea Perez (3rd), and Charla Co (rebuttal speaker). HOst of the show was Mark Xander Fabillar, also the asst. coach/trainer. The kids were trained by Ms. Glenda Fabillar, English/Speech teacher and talent coach/trainer.

The panel of judges was headed by Dr. Batchiba Lacdo-o, chairman; Letzah Jo Sienes-Duran and Rodel Deloria, members. The judges chose the negative side as winner.

The kids were amazing! Kudos to the parents for having such great kids!

Campus journalists chosen

Congratulations to the following who made it to the screening for this year's Paulinian corp of writers held yesterday at SPUD campus. The following have been chosen to act as editor, Ryan Jay Riconalla; associate editor, Sheena Armentano; news editor, Bovir Ada; Features Editor, Elma Gayo; Columnists, Gregorio Lanaja (NOthing Personal); Christopher Crisostomo( Campus Romance ) Cristina Rivera (Pointblank); Louella Chiu (Over a can of Soda); Bovir Ada (Online); Reporters/contributors: Regina Elmaco, Jirah Sumada, Aubrey Somoza.

Please e-mail all your articles to g_fabillar@yahoo.com and leave your concerns, comments, whatever in this blog by leaving it under comment.

Duties and responsibilities:

The Editor sees to it that all the articles are in before deadline which is on June 21. He therefore makes the follow-up with all writers. He will take charge of writing the editorial and the headline story every issue. He also does the lay-out in hard copy and hands the same to the adviser on the deadline. He sees to it that photos are with appropriate/relevant captions which can be in hard copy or e-mailed to the same address above. In short, he takes responsibility of seeing to it that articles submitted are well-written. He therefore needs to work closely with other staff members to make this happen. He may set a regular meeting with them to ensure that work is in progress and getting completed.

The Associate Editor will take the place of the editor in case he is not around. She assists him in all the work. She goes after reporters and news writers to see to it that articles submitted are of good quality. She will also take charge of writing a sub-editorial per issue and one feature story (about anything). She will coordinate with the editor in matters concerning the progress of the paper. Remember, the goal is to be able to release the 1st issue on July 1. Can we make this happen? Based on past experience, yes, we can.

Columnists will submit their columns with photo to the editor or associate editor. the columns should vary in themes: Nothing Personal will deal on everyday happenings on campus but make sure that you make the presentation interesting. Pointblank will tackle local issues of the community and how these issues affect schools or students. Over a Can or Bottle of Soda is something like a chitchat over a cup of coffee---it deals with small talk but not really because in a way these trivial things also affect the general flow of events. Campus Romance talks about that but please do not use any language of adult nature. Online talks about what's in and out in the internet world. Keep the readers updated on the latest online tidbits. REporters or contributors are expected to submit one news and one feature story per issue.

Note: Please don't forget your bylines written this way---- by Lydia Lapus (example only)

Dewey's first speech

Dewey, my grandkid who is not exactly five yet will deliver her first speech in front of her classmates. It is a "show and tell" class activity wherein kids are asked to bring any object or picture of an object that starts with letter Aa. I bought her an apple and her speech goes this way:

This is an apple.

It is color red. (For this second sentence I wanted her to say "Its color is red" but she insists on saying this) I like to eat this apple. Thank you very much. (then she makes a bow)

Isn't that sweet? How about you? Can you remember your first public speaking experience? How was it?

teacher's pet

This article hopefully explains why teachers seem to favor some students and thus, those not favored accuse teachers as having "favoritism". I've been teaching for 25 years and I know that teachers do have favorite students in the class. Is this unfair? Why do teachers practice favoritism?

In order to answer this, let me first give you the type of students who are most likely in the teachers' list of favorites. Who are these students?

1. They are students who are always present in the class and always on time.

2. They are attentive. They know how to respect others and know how to listen. (Personally, I dislike students who are inattentive or do not know how to listen---students who distract others' attention by talking while the teacher is talking---grrrr!)

3. They actively participate in class discussions.

4. They submit their work/project on time.

5. They know how to follow instructions because they know how to listen.

6. They score high in quizzes and long exams.

7. They exhibit enthusiasm in all class activities.

There could be more but basically those are the characteristics of students in the teachers' list of favorites.

I am amazed at how anyone can even wonder why. We can't help it. Students who are always late, absent, talking while the class is going on, not submitting projects, and failing in exams just don't make it to the list. A student should work to earn it and we cannot blame teachers entirely for having the tendency to favor those with the above characteristcs.

Do you want to be your teacher's pet? Then go over the list above and start working.

the deterioration of the academe

Having taught English for more than half a century has given me a clearly good picture of students who I think would make the grade in my classes. I spell them out at the beginning of classes but I do not know why some insist in not knowing and not complying and therefore not making the grade. Is it a case of attention deficiency or just plain "I don't care" attitude? Whatever the reasons for I am sure they can come up with many, these students who do not make it often come to "beg" for me to raise their grades because the department head told them to, otherwise they couldn't be enrolled because their grades did not reach the required cut-off grade. Now isn't this heading towards academic degradation? Why force students who did not reach cut-off to "beg" their teachers to raise their grades? So what is the use of the cut-off grade? Isn't it used to determine who among the batch are qualified to pursue the course or who among them would need some special intervention?

It is unfortunate that in their effort to improve the quality of education, schools have failed in doing so because some heads in the academe misunderstand how the cut-off grade is supposed to be used to achieve quality education. I have not really encountered many such heads but I know of at least one who had been driving students to their teachers to "beg" that their grades be stretched for some extra work---which I found weird and hilarious. Someone is misusing or misinterpreting cut-off grades.

During our time back in college, you got the grade you deserved! It it was 70%, then it was 70! There was no begging around teachers to stretch it. If all we got was 75%, then it should show in our transcript of record that it was all we could get. No bluffing around and pleading teachers to give you some "extra work" to reach cut-off. But we got to enroll in the next subject because 75 was passing mark. Today, students have to reach 83 or 85 in order to finish their course. What the heck! Many students have difficulty reaching 75 so why force the issue? Let their REAL GRADES be reflected in their permanent records and not some dole-out grades forced from the teacher by some dean or head.

Another point---the cut-off grade has never done students any good because they only get to reach it by "begging" for it. We did not have any cut-off grades during our time but graduates were more skilled.

By the way, some schools do not give grades to their students. They simply accelerate their students whether they learned something or not, that is their own problem. They are the ones paying, so.

Practice, practice, practice

We Asians are trying to be globally relevant by racing to get more of the outsourcing industry which demands good English speakers. Unfortunately, out of thousands of applicants only two, three, or four are really considered employable by call centers. The rest are either chopped out as unqualified while a few may be considered for training. This scenario has made students more and more aware of the importance of knowing one's spoken English very well. The trouble with this is that students who are in school to hone this particular skill get little or no opportunities to do this because English is rarely spoken anywhere on campus, not even in the classroom which is supposed to be the best place to practice this skill of speaking good English.

If we must become good English speakers then we must speak the language all the time most especially when you're in school.

I remember when I was in grade school and high school when we took seriously this business of speaking English inside the campus. We had badges that we gave to those who spoke the native language and the last person to hold the badge at the end of the day got to pay a certain fine. It worked well for our batch became very good English speakers.

I notice that some schools initiate this "Speak English campaign" but do not pursue it seriously enough to see the desired results. Schools must have "Speak English policy" anywhere on campus in order to train students into using the target language much of the time. The canteen, billing section, offices, classrooms, libraries are places where students should be given opportunity to use the language. Make these areas as "Speak English only zones".

Practice makes perfect. If you think you are the only one who is doing your best to polish your English speaking skills, don't despair. Very soon they will be joining you. Never mind what they think. Never mind what they say. Just think of the benefits you gain by doing so.

after-school communication skills enhancement program

In classes using traditional methods of teaching, students seldom have the opportunity to practice or better their skills because instruction is teacher-centered. This means that it is the teacher who is the focus of attention, the teacher who does all the blah while the students sit, stare, and hopefully listen to the lesson of the day delivered by the teacher. Classes are started and ended one after the other and at the end of the day, what skills or lessons did the students learn?

It is on this fact that a need for an after-school communication skills enhancement program is deemed vital in order for students to have maximum use of their potentials. Such a program will serve as an enrichment course designed to hone the speaking, writing, reading, and listening skills of the students enrolled. Meeting only once a week, this two-hour project aims to make ALL the students exercise or use their skills MANY TIMES EVERY MEETING.

Sessions will be held Saturdays at 2:30 to 4:30 in the afternoon.

start them early

When does one start to train a child for public speaking? The earlier, the better. For as long as the child has already started to talk, the parents can condition the kid to like being on stage, that speaking in front of many people is a most pleasant experience. Onstage he will feel at home like fish is in water.

This was what happened to the kids who participated in the debate on June 9 when eight kids debated using Oregon-Oxford on whether poverty is a hindrance to success or not. Eight kids, ages 8 to 15, surprised the audience of parents with their impressive presentation of arguments and interpellation. It was one of a kind because kids as young as 8 already managed to stand up in front of an audience to debate. As the chairman of the board of judges Dr. Lacdo-o put it, it was a "breakthrough" because for the first time it was shown that children are also capable of showing their skills in public speaking.

It was a successful debate with the negative side winning over the affirmative.

the voice

When one talks about the voice it means volume and quality at the same time. Volume, just like your radio, cassette, or DVD can be controlled.

In public speaking the volume of the voice could spell the difference between a successful delivery and a failure. Needless to say a soft voice sounds weak and does not project the kind of conviction so vital in making your audience agree with you or believe in you.

Self-confidence is greatly expressed in the voice. Someone who is sure of himself speaks in a powerful voice. He only whispers in the bedroom with close members of the family. But onstage he is a dynamite. He keeps the audience awake with his power and enthusiasm.

The quality of the voice however is something that a speaker has no control over for it is built-in along with his other physical attributes like the color of his hair and eyes, his height, the shape of the nose, etc. Voice quality is a gift. It is something you're born with. But does the quality of the voice matter in public speaking? It does but this aspect can be overlooked if you work on the other aspects of effective communication like the content of your speech, volume of the voice, body language, audience rapport, etc.

There was one very effective radio personality whose voice sounded no different than the croaking of a frog. But how come people listen to his radio programs? How come he gets invitations to speak in several gatherings? It is because of what he has to say, what he has to share with his listeners that make him a much-admired speaker.

To sum it up, the volume of your voice reflects self-confidence while its quality does not really matter that much if you're good in all the other areas.

on facial expression

Facial expression is very much a part of gesture or body language. Some people though do not seem to show any whenever they speak privately with friends or in public. They have what they call "deadpan expression", or a face that never moves during speech. There is nothing more that could kill an otherwise promising speaker than a dead face. It is good to find out early whether you have one or not. How?

Your teacher in school should make this as part of the lesson in discussing communication. Enrolling in a public speaking class should also make you aware of the importance of facial expression as something that reinforces the meaning of what you are saying. Without it, there is really nothing there in the first place. Because when you know and feel every you're saying then it should on your face. How can you convince the audience or make the listeners believe in what you are saying if you sound like you yourself are not convinced of your own platform? Facial expression thus mirrors the truth or falsity of your speech.

Some speakers though do not know how to show their meaning on their faces. This is the purpose of this discussion. To help you make use of your "face" to project the right meaning. You will not only need it when you are up on stage delivering a speech but in all your day-to-day dealings with others. Whether you are convincing someone to hire you or to earn high marks in a class, a large dose of this will do the trick.

In all my many years of teaching, I noticed that all it takes for a "deadpan expression" to come alive is a simple raising of the eyebrows in getting to a point, in emphasizing and in putting across your message. Yes, raising your eyebrows from time to time will make the big difference. In public speaking facial expression does not require more than a raising of the eyebrows. It is different with acting in a play because an actor will have to utilize everything and not just the eyebrows.

Again let me reiterate the value of giving meaning to your speech through the use of facial expression. And this does not take much effort for it only needs the simple raising of the eyebrows.

Which is the better format of debate?

This issue should cause controversy among debate lovers---which is the better format? The traditional Oregon-Oxford or British Parliamentary type of debate? Basically, I love and enjoy debate regardless of form although I should say honestly that I am more inclined towards Oregon-Oxford because of the preparation allowed to debaters who have the chance to do extensive research and deliver their speeches read. On the other hand, BP, because the motion is given right there on the spot, gives only little time for the debaters to deliver a well-thought out speech. Thus, blunders and other errors occur. But let us walk through the details so we can truly see the merits of each.

Between the two the easiest to organize is BP. In fact, it can be done instantly with students relying only on stock knowledge. So debaters here are expected to be knowledgeable about controversial issues of the day. They have to read voraciously and vicariously. After the motion and the sides are given, debaters are only given 10 to 15 minutes to prepare 7-minute speeches delivered extemporaneously. The prime minister government side opens the debate, laying the grounds, defining terms and presenting his arguments. A minute after the delivery of his speech the opposing side can now make points of information. The same procedure is repeated all throughout the debate.

In Oregon-Oxford, students are given more time to prepare, say, one month at the very least. The proposition and sides are determined ahead of time so debaters know what to research on. The period of preparation is used in research and practice. All aspects of the issue are to be analyzed, questioned and answered. In preparing for this type of debate no stone is left unturned by the debaters who should anticipate the contentions of the opposing side. It is the affirmative side which opens the debate, laying the grounds, defining terms, and giving the assigned tasks. He tackles the necessity aspect of the proposition. After his speech of 7 minutes, the first negative speaker stands up to interpellate him for 5 minutes. The same procedure is followed all throughout.

Which is the better format? It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for one that you can easily put up because you have little time, then use British Parliamentary. But make sure that motions are within the knowledge of the students. If you have ample time for students to prepare, then you can have Oregon-Oxford. The BP method is ideal for classroom debates. Teachers of English, Political Science or Government, Science, Hele, Values Ed. can readily use this type of debate in their classes. It is a very good way of developing students' communication skills and awareness of issues that affect them and others. Teachers may incorporate debate as one of their teaching strategies and may assign a specific day for this activity, say, every Monday or Friday.

The role of teacher here should not only be limited to giving of grades to the students. First off, she has to make clear the rules of the game and how the grades are based. Then she should note down all the good and bad points she sees or hears during the debate and should make a feedback (very important) after the activity. She should tell them what they did best, the strong points and the things that needed improvement. The teacher should give specific or individual feedback to each debater. She should see to it that errors committed in matter and manner are corrected.

The better format of couse is one that brings out the best in debaters and this all depends on the organizer(s) or coach or facilitator who is there to see to it that students become better each time.

how to optimize learning in English and speech classes

Let us admit it. Much class time is wasted doing things that do not contribute to the improvement of our students' language skills. Mentors oftentimes overlook to see that they are wasting their students' time and money teaching them lessons that they already know. For instance in a Speech or English class, the teacher should give emphasis on lessons that students find most problems and difficulty.

Teachers should know where her students are by giving them a sort of diagnostic test, like a simple essay, or a simple self-introduction to know their weaknesses and work from there. In English language, is it grammar? Which area of grammar? Is it preposition or subject-verb agreement? If it is Speech it is very easy to isolate problem speech sounds and to start working on those. Teachers will be able to save a lot of class time as well as optimize student learning if he or she will only work on the students' problem areas.

In Speech for example, the teacher can first make a comparison of the sounds in our own dialect against the sounds of the English language. You will notice that there are many sounds in our Pilipino language that are also found in the English language. For example are sounds like /m/, /n/, /b/, /g/, /h/, /w/ and many more. However, there are also many sounds in English that are not found in our own native language like the sounds /f/, /sh/, /v/, /th/ etc.

Sounds that we have no problem producing may be reviewed but sounds that give us many problems should be given more time.

Always work on something that students have little or no know-how. This is the only way that schools can have relevance. Otherwise, there is no point in going to school when you already know what the teachers are talking about.

what do you do in a speech class?

You, as a teacher, are assigned to teach Speech this schoolyear. It is a new subject to you but you accept it anyway.

What activities can you use in order to optimize the students' time in learning speaking skills? There are quite a number of activities and I will mention those which I had tried and tested in my Speech classes for the past 23 years.

On the first day of meeting, after you have introduced yourself and given the course objectives as well as the importance of the subject, let your students introduce themselves one by one. Do not only require them to give their names and courses. You have to state in black and white what each student wants the whole class to know about her or him---goals, ambition, class expectations. This activity will help you identify this early those with potential and those who need help. While the students are at it, be sure to take note of mispronounced words and take them up with everybody 10 minutes before the class ends. After the self-intro you may now start giving a bird's eyeview of what they will be learning in that subject during the entire semester. This might take only 30 minutes to some and a whole hour to many. After all the blah, let us start going through the different activities Speech teachers can use in their classes:

1. newscasting (for radio or television)--encourage the students to observe professional newscasters and to try to imitate their favorites

2. phone call (irate customer and rep)---they will do this by pairs, one is a native English speaker while the other one is a customer service rep

3. talk show (for television)---done by groups

4. impromptu speaking (individually)---they pick topics to be discussed on the spot

5. debate (choose one method, preferrably Oregon-Oxford)

6. Speech choir (creative or interpretative)

7. jazz chanting (by groups)---with choreography, costume, music