booringg.....yawn

I have to admit that the niche I have chosen for this blog here lacks the "flava" and coolah that characterize personal blogs. Ho-hum--I get sleepy myself talking about almost the same thing----communication---day in and day out. But this is the path I have chosen this blog to follow---it's a blog about all aspects of communication---there are different areas there, right?

And about the title "Everydaywear"----please don't take it literally and start looking for clothes or garments. This is the story. This blog is my first blog. I wanted it to be the catch-all of everyday happenings in my life---a sort of personal journey. I wanted it to contain a record of the most mundane events in life. However, just lately, I have heard about making niches and so I have created other blogs to contain different items about life. I have decided to make this a blog on anything having to do with COMMUNICATION. For my personal gripes, I have Offbeatmom, for any money concerns I got Speak4money, for party ideas there's Coolkidsparty, and for other sites I got Clix4pay and finally for pet concerns I got Petloverscafe---a total of 6 blogs. Just recently I became a member of Helium and had written 11 articles. Need a life? But this is my life! Need I ask for more? Oh, I've done that and seen them all. When one reaches a certain age, one can choose to sit on a rocking chair to knit, crochet, or read a nice book. I have chosen to have some online presence and so far am not regretting it.

Life? This is it.

on reading reports

Teachers who assign the regular submission of reading reports to her students risk being secretly cursed and receiving dishonest work. It is a known fact that reading, especially when it is forced upon them on a regular basis, is no fun to many students. Result? They use all silly tricks to be able to "comply" for the purpose of passing the subject. The only way to ensure that they actually read and understand the story or selection is to ask them to give or share with the whole class its summary or synopsis.

I believe that the good old method of assigning reading tasks to students and asking them to give written reports of the readings is still one of the most reliable ways of improving student learning of the English language.

We should make our students read regularly whether they like it or not and it is only us teachers who can make this happen.

English tests

One of the best speakers I've listened to recently spoke in almost flawless English and he was only in his early twenties. Fresh from college he went on to work as a language training officer conducting seminars to those who aim to improve their command of the English language. What amazed me was the fact that his field of study was not even English. He finished a BA in political science but was tapped to be an English language trainer because of the excellence he exhibited in using the English language.

In that seminar among English teachers of the country my theory that giving oral exams is the best method of improving the language facility of students was affirmed. "We were never given any written exam in English in that school where I studied from Kindergarten and we all are doing great in the field of communication," said the young trainer.

This is not to undermine written tests, but they are not the only measurement to a student's capability. The best way to find out how much a student has learned about the language is to make her use it in actual setting.

The written type of tests still have their own function but they do not accomplish much. Tests in English should be centered on the student's capability to use the language with ease and spontaneity.

formal vs. everyday language

Do you dare wear a sequined gown while shopping at Walmart or wear your hottest shorts with matching hanging top at a Luciano Pavarotti concert?

Like clothes, language too differs according to function or use. You wear your very best at formal functions and switch to casual or conversational style when in less formal situations. Donning your tuxedo while in a ballgame is inappropriate and you don't expect people to be at their very best all the time. The best of language---flawless in style, grammar, and diction---could not always be expected of everyone all the time.


Language purists may do better if they adjust to trends of the time. As kids now need a lot of coaxing to make them read, requiring them to read highly scholastic materials may instead discourage rather than make them appreciate reading.

What I am saying is, kids prefer to be addressed to in their own easy language if we have to get their attention. Nothing of the buttoned up typed of language will entice them to take reading seriously. They want the more updated, upbeat, rappy kinda lingo which never happens in formal language.

What should be the stance of English language teachers? Resistant? Pliant? or Blending?

do you love Harry Potter?

Many are crazy over the book series by Rowling. Are you one of them? This post is open to all those who want to express or share their views regarding these phenomenal book. People, young or old, are into this mania. Are you scrambling to look for the latest H.P. series or are you one of those who haven't yet touched a single copy of the books.

What you do here is to tell us why.

why most students hate reading

It's been my observation for the past 26 years of teaching that students today hate the idea of reading. It is therefore a big mistake to assume that students actually read any assigned reading given by the teacher. In college,for instance, teachers would assign selections to be read at home in preparation for the discussion that will happen in the class the following meeting. This would often turn out into one futile exercise because in a class of say, 40, a teacher would be lucky to have two or three students who read and understood the assigned selection to be read. Chances are, no discussion involving majority of the students will happen because nobody bothered to read the assignment. The teacher then could not expect any class discussion to happen. Frustrated, she makes the students read the selection silently. This method of making the students read the articles silently can be tricky. Students who do not like to read will always find a way to avoid reading even when the teacher is around. Why? Why do some students just hate reading?

The onset of modern technology has made life faster and easier for us. Everything can happen so fast that any activity that requires much time and attention will be deemed boring and laborious. This is what is happening now with reading. It is therefore one challenge a teacher must face--- to make students appreciate reading. How do we do this? Aren't students in college hard to teach the habit of reading?

It is really hard to make students develop appreciation for reading, especially students in college who have already their own set of fixed habits in which reading is unfortunately not one of them. Is it too late then or do we have a hopeless situation? The answer depends on the teacher's initiative and creativity. A good teacher should be able to make this happen.

Speech is habit-forming

Students who enter college have already developed speech habits which English teachers in college will need to correct. However, the habits are so fossilized that there is very little that the college English professors can do to perform something like "magic" to turn these college students into excellent speakers. It is assuming too much that a 3-unit course in Speech would effect such magic. Speech is habit-forming and habits formed from a very early age are those that stick and are hard or impossible to eliminate. But of course, with an effective Speech teacher there should be some improvement especially in the production of problem sounds. The most that college teachers can do at this stage is to encourage students to communicate in English or boost their confidence is using the language. It is futile to expect wonders in so short a time---one semester against many years of wrong usage? That's expecting the impossible to happen.

I am not saying that a 3-unit subject in Speech is useless. It does help but not much. The most that teachers of this subject can do is to develop students' confidence in communicating with others, especially communicating with a big crowd like in public speaking. After all, correct pronunciation is just one tiny aspect of communication. I've known a number of great public speakers whose way of pronouncing words will make native speakers squirm in their seats but have succeeded in winning the hearts of people through their charm, wit, humor, and spontaneity.

English as a foreign subject

Teaching English to adults who never had any exposure to the language may be the most arduous task for English teachers. Take the case of Koreans who never had any background of the subject. It takes a real good English teacher to make these foreign students who do not know any English speak the language after two months. The teacher has to deal with many problem areas such as correct production of sounds, grammar, reading, and handwriting. A teacher will be missing the whole point if she thinks her only concern is grammar which is just one small aspect of the game. Making the learner communicate in the target language does seem impossible but it can be done by a good, creative, and well-meaning mentor who acts out concepts, draws objects, writes down words, spells out everything, and spends some extra time making the learner say words, phrases, and sentences. She takes time to explain one thing in many different ways and should not assume anything. In this way the student will gain maximum knowledge of the language and be able to use it around the world.

The challenges of being an English teacher

If you finished a degree in teaching with English as your major you will be faced with a number of challenges which your school had never prepared you for.

Any English teacher is expected to be able to handle any or all of the following subjects:

Speech, Public speaking, debate

Grammar

Literature

Term paper writing

JOurnalism

Creative writing

Composition, etc.

The reality is, any school's curriculum for English majors is never sufficient enough to give those majoring the subject the right preparation and training to enable them to teach all of those subjects given above. This being the case, the quality of our educational system will thus continue to degenerate if nothing is done to revise or upgrade the present curriculum. Schools should look long and hard at the subjects that these English majors are expected to teach and start building a more robust curriculum on this field of study.

debate in grade school

Grade school would be the best training ground for effecting good communication skills among students and one of the best methods of doing this is by making students argue and talk about issues that concern them and the world.

Start small. Start with topics that they can tackle even without any research. Just allow them to express themselves in simple English. Take the activity one step at a time until they get used to the language using it in presenting their views, and in asking and answering questions. As the pupils get more and more at home with the language and the method, they will be gaining more and more self-confidence and by the time they go to high school your students will be well-versed and language competent.

The problem here is this. Not all teachers can teach debate. Ergo, there is a need to train grade and high school English teachers into knowing the mechanics of debate as a teaching methodology. By doing so, students as well as teachers will be able to optimize teaching-learning situation.

a misconception

Students studying literature usually think of the subject as a study of the past, period. It needs some amount of explanation for them to see that literature not only embodies or reflects the sentiments and soul of the past but also those of the present as well as the future. It is a subject that knows no time nor boundaries because it is a study of life. To say that it will not profit you in the future is pure ignorance. For there is no other subject that tackles universal issues on love, gender, kindness, sensitivity, pride, etc. than the subject of literature. Math, Philosophy, Psychology, Accounting, Bookkeeping are nothing without the basic human values learned in literature subjects.



Literature softens the rough edges of human nature. It humanizes the merchant when he learns that money is just money and that life and relationship weigh greater in the hierarchy of values. One is missing the whole point in saying that it is of lesser value compared with other sciences and fields of study.

Life is all-encompassing. It embraces man's reasons for being. It is the most universal topic that incorporates with it man's struggles with numbers, money, love, philosophy of life, psychological phenomena, scientific breakthroughs and what-have-you. No other subject tackles such gigantic subject as life than literature. To say that it is of lesser importance compared to any major subject in school is simply missing the beat. And there is only one way of changing this misconception---through a deeper and more meaningful study of literature.

Strategies used by teachers in teaching Literature

At the outset, there is only one way to study or teach literature and it is through reading. Students should know what to expect in such a subject so that they will be able to adapt to the teaching method that the teacher will use during the entire year or semester.

Let's face it. Not all students like to read. In fact, in a class of 40, a teacher will be lucky to have 10 students who will appreciate a reading class. So a literature teacher who faces her class for the first time may be facing students who look at the teacher and the subject as enemies. To break this wall and make the students open up to the idea of reading is therefore the first task that the teacher will have to tackle. The rest of the time would be motivating students to like or appreciate each selection so that at the end of the semester or year, the students will have a more positive attitude toward reading and literature.

So how does a teacher approach such a situation? What are the different methods of making the subject as interesting as possible to learners who hate the subject at the very least?

Below are some suggestions of how best to handle students who hate the subject long before you have started your first meeting:

1. Start the class with a very good motivation for reading. Why should they read? What do they get from reading? Discuss all the benefits.
2. Give them a bird's eyeview of what to expect every meeting and a sample of the selections you will be reading.
3. Make sure that the first literary piece that your class will take up is one that will surely arrest their attention. There are many interesting selections to choose from. Choose one that is of interest to you first of all.
4. See to it that each student has his or her own copy of every selection you will be reading. Students should be holding their own copies while you are discussing and analyzing the selections with them.
5. In reading the selections, the teacher should vary her methods. She may--
a. read the selection to her students---doing this successfully needs extra effort on the part of the teacher for she has to give life to the characters in the selection.
b. ask the students to read silently and to be ready to discuss the story or poem with her in the class---but there is a lot of time wasted in doing this for not all the students will do the task as assigned
c. assign students to read the parts one at a time and stop to discuss important areas
d. dramatization or role play---students are grouped to perform certain parts of the story
e. interpretative reading----can be done individually or in groups
f. term paper--analysis sort of at the end of the course
g. narration/storytelling of one story or essay assigned

There could be other ways that the literature can use to make any literature class an interesting subject. Feel free to share your techniques here.

Literature as a reading class

We know the value of reading and the huge role it plays in the development of students' communication skills in English. However, when you look into the curriculum of most courses in college, you will be brought to the fact that courses in business, IT, nursing, and even education require only one literature subject throughout their 4-year stay in college. In one course, students enrol in Philippine literature without any background or introductory course to the subject. Students miss out on how the world's great classics came to be known as such and how the great thinkers and writers of ancient Greece have shaped the standards of today's works of art.

There is only one way to study the literature of any country or any period and it is through reading. Literature, so far, is one of the most comprehensive subjects in the curriculum which aims to teach sensitivity at the most and communication skills as well. It is gravely pathetic that our students, who are paying much to get a well-rounded education, are only exposed much of their time to subjects that won't be of much help to them in the future. Why this seemingly lopsided focus on this matter? It is because the deans and heads themselves are products of the same curriculum and are not really qualified to assess and revise such outdated and weak curricular offerings.

Assessment and revision of the curriculum to include more literature subjects should be done immediately if we are to prevent the further deterioration of our educational system in this country.

benefits of reading aloud

Yesterday I opened a discussion on reading at Mylot and I was amazed to discover that only a few, one or two, find time to do loud reading. Majority of the members read silently and do not see the value of reading aloud.

Of course, if loud reading is to be done, it is either in public (with an audience) or alone in the cozy nook of your room where no one will be bothered by the noise you create.

Loud reading is one of the best ways of training for effective speaking. You get to practice you tongue to say words correctly or properly. Loud reading enables you to give life to the story, poem, essay, or what-have-you and could lead to better comprehension.

This is especially effective in literature classes. The best service a teacher can do to her students in teaching literature is to give life or drama to the literary pieces the students are reading and this can be done through interpretative loud reading wherein the teacher reads the selection aloud in the most dramatic fashion using the voice and a minimum of body language.

Literature is meant to be shared and enacted. It started out as something that needs to be heard rather than read. Today, much reading is done in silent mode.

To be better appreciated and understood, literature should be shared, heard, and understood through the use of a simple method called "reading aloud"----choral, solo, by pairs---it is all up to the literature teacher.

"Speak English Only" policy in schools

It is a fact that students' opportunities to use the global language in school have become very limited or even non-existent. Even in the classroom where English is supposed to be actively used by both students and teachers, one overhears them discussing lessons or issues in the dialect or native language.

Why? What's wrong with that? What's wrong with using our own native language? Those who ask these questions are those who do not help improve one's command of the target language. So what? It is hard to deal with those who are skeptical about using English as medium of instruction, especially if these skeptics are teachers who argue that students must be given freedom to express their answers in any language they are more comfortable to use.

I beg to disagree because these students are paying to learn in school and if they do not get proper training in effective communication skills then the school has failed these students. Schools, and this includes mentors, should have policies that support the efforts of English teachers to improve students' facility of the language. One way of doing this, and which is being done by many schools today, is by assigning "English Only Zones" wherein students automatically are required to use the language the moment they transact business or do any activity in these places. For example, places which will be best for such purpose are: the library, classrooms, offices, clinic, canteen. What happens if students do not follow such policies? The schools should craft their own ways of penalizing or punishing these students who break the rules. After all, these policies are made for their own good.

I'm a non-native speaker of English

How can a non-native speaker of English expect other non-native speakers to speak or write in perfect or flawless English? I don't. I am not a purist and I always believe that nobody is perfect, not even native speakers can claim perfect knowledge of the international language. We know that language is alive and it evolves everyday, so.

English, as is true with other fellow Filipinos, is only second language to me. I learned the language when I first went to school but it was so easy to learn it because by nature English is so built that it comes out handy like a laptop that you can carry or use anywhere.

Later in Grade V I discovered the beauty of reading and that was when my interest in the language reached its peak. I read voraciously and English became my favorite subject back then. It was so easy to get good grades in the subject and so I thought maybe this was where my future career lay. Pursuing a degree leading to the further study of my favorite subject became a matter of course.

As an English teacher now I know it is next to impossible to expect perfection from students. Minor problems in grammar and pronunciation may be overlooked in favor of communication which is the end-all of language learning. Developing the students' interest and confidence in using the language is one agendum that English teachers need to accomplish first and foremost.

Let our students speak and use the language naturally without being bogged down by technical difficulties. As soon as they have acquired this good habit of using it wherever they are inside the campus, then you can move higher. But first, help them get started.