Platform
Overview:
When I went through Literature course 10 years ago, my American lecturer told me about Omniscient points of view or God’s eyes. This requires us to see/read literature text from the characters points of views. This includes understanding their thoughts, feelings, problems, needs and etc though the characters in the literature text/story though the characters themselves do not know what others feeling or think. This actually can be put into our practice as teacher. This apply to our CLD students. Our students are the real characters that we deal with everyday unlike characters in the Literature text or short stories. We just cannot merely read them. There are things beyond reading that must be taken in order to fully grasp the essence of teaching. What I mean is teacher must be not just an excellent reader but go beyond that by obtaining Omniscient points of views. Our students’ views are important so that teacher will understand what they really needs. This is empathy; being able to put ourselves into their own shoes. This is so true for CLD students as they are unique. Whatever it is, I sense that understanding CLD students involving a process more or less the same like understanding short stories or literature texts and most of them were not related to my schematic experiences at all. We read Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare and Robert Frost. It goes the same with my CLD students that I am going to teach soon in ELP. They come from different background from mine, thus having different kind of experiences and perspectives. They are the characters inside Ernest Hemingway’s short stories. This is interesting as it can enrich my experiences interacting with diversity.
I realize this ability to see from God’s perspectives actually is crucial to develop understanding. It will be better if we can see more vivid from their perspective as this will create path to empathy. The vivid the image/perspectives are, the understanding will be more heightened. I realize about it now when reflecting upon the Prism Model. The four aspects are interconnected. I cannot neglect any aspects from them. They are spider web; home, societal interactions, neighborhood, self esteem, anxiety, affective filters, motivation, bias, prejudice, first language acquisition, second language, CALP and etc are all related.
Anyway, I think the main obstacle is to see our students from their cultural perspectives. It is difficult but not impossible. Understanding Hemingway’s works were not easy. He is American, and his writings are surrounded/ emphasized on his worldviews as American. I am thinking it goes the same with my students. Their beings, works, dressing, their cognitive thoughts will portray who they are. Everything is so beautiful and transferred automatically without they realize about the process unless they are made aware of. Now I realize, Kieran F. Johnston made us understand his culture through his own lenses by gave us ample chances to explore the story by asking questions, explaining the context of the story from historical and social perspective of an American. The best thing he did for us was not translating the language but finding contextual evidences that actually reflect the same event but mostly focus on meaning derives from the event. For example, Kieran addressed 4th of July through the struggle of our ancestors fighting British during 1957. This is what I should do. Association and meaningful connections.
Totalitarian vs Lassez-Faire: Method
I guess my episode of teaching ELP students starts as I jotting down my thoughts try to plan and reflect upon my previous experiences and make connections between them. I am going to spend my time teaching CLD students at ELP in the next few 45 hours for this fall. Intentionally I use ‘few’, because once the passion sets in, one hour lesson is not enough anymore. I can make sense now why Dr. Herrera said this regarding our platform and practicum, “I don’t need theories, what I need and want to see is your passion.” I could not agree more as teaching is actually creating crème de la crème.
Reflecting upon the appearance of 1st day teaching is important. That was told by my Math teacher when I was 17th. I did that for my first year of teaching in college or whenever new batch of students came to register. She emphasized dominance over everything else, telling me to show the control and power I have over my students. This is basically related to cultural perspectives. There might be some students who have this belief and those who might not have. Every culture is distinct and unique. Whatever the cultures perspectives towards teacher are, the main intention is to focus classroom interaction to be solely focus on students’ learning. It must be students centered rather than teacher centered. I cannot let everything loose by applying laissez faire style of teaching though I am against classroom management/control. I will be there as a guidance.
However, for my students who come from a culture that needs conformity, teacher can help them by putting them together in extroverted group so that assimilation can occur. This will help them to become independent enough to voice out their opinions rather than waiting for teacher instruction or order to participate in classroom. Interaction between peers or peers tutoring perhaps can help them to communicate and use their speaking skills in classroom setting. I am thinking as well, students will interact more in their speaking session if the subject/materials is related or meaningful to them.
Linguistic and Teaching: Pull and Push between Acquisitionist and Traditionalist
Reading and studying debates and facts on two prominent theories on how language originated, taught and acquired by human putting me on the fence though nowadays most research/studies not mistakenly in favor of cognitive. I know it’s crucial for teachers to decide because his/her philosophical outlook on language teaching will mould into his/her pedagogy. Anyway, in my context, blending my teaching into these two, namely traditionalist and acquisitionist are not wrong; perhaps it is best to do so due to these reasons.
According to acquisitionist, the aim of language teaching is to ensure students can use it for different purposes, and that is what being implemented here but sadly, teaching English in Malaysia does not feat this purpose as what I experienced, it is solely for test taking. I have a good command of English but sadly, failed miserably in TOEFL. Speaking section pulled down my mark so bad. When looking at the exam analysis of my performance for TOEFL, it was my “thick Malaysian accent”. Simply to say, the examiners could not understand my English as it was so Malaysian. There are always times when I have to repeat my thoughts when I voice it because simply American will ask, “What?”, “Again, please”, “I can’t hear you” or it will be considered very subtle if they just nod their head but they eyebrows are frowning. I know that communication is not solely to achieve native-like but our ears usually grasp with the sound that they familiar with. Sadly, English sounds/syllables produce from my mouth do not have the same pattern of audio wavelength that could be grasped by the ears of Kennedy, Bush or any other Americans. This is why, English teacher could implement traditionalists’ learning goal to produce correct language forms. Only in my case, I prefer to add that notion on the context because my education system is exam oriented especially if the students aim is to go abroad or involve in international community. Also, I used to mark English paper and Oral Exam for college students when I was at Malaysia. The idea of marking scheme would emphasis on main points and language (grammar, sentence structure and etc). My students were diverse however my condolence to those who came from village areas as usually they got low scores on grammatical section. I did not have choice. I had to drill and gave them exercises on grammar, pronunciation and correcting their errors. I did not want them flunk. I put the blame on the system. I am here as language learner to as I am student, someway somehow I am thinking, does this kind of problem happens to ELP students too?
I like acquisitionists’ view on language learning too. It is very refreshing as language learner can be who they are. Unlike traditionist, it focuses on meaning rather than on pattern. It gives a realization that we differ so much from parrot. It is interesting that a teacher must link between the first and second language so that students can make meaning. I don’t think parrot can make an understandable link between the word love and romance, but I do believe now my student from Malaysia can make a link between the word “kasih” /kasih/( read English:love) and “sayang” /say?/ (read English: deeper love).English and Malay languages are not separated because they are meaning. Meaning can be best understood not just on the surface but translation between two languages will never be exact. It comes together with students’ worldviews. Basically, preventing them to speak their native languages in classroom is not a good approach based on the notion above. We come together as a whole not in pieces.
Culture and Language in Classroom Practice: Don’t Assume
Lots of time, we lost our dignity as a teacher if we perceive our CLD students just as addendum rather than a need. The questions are two: Why /how could we perceive them as addendum rather than a need? Well, this question does not help much except that we could identify where this evil roots come from. The most important question is how /what roles can we play as a teacher to make them a need in our daily teaching task?
Helping this cause needs teacher to use materials that have elements of multicultural content in every single subject or at least to address our CLD students as who they are. Color Blind Perspective is rejected as it diminishes our diverse students their right to be recognized and celebrated for being who they are. We just simply assume CLD students are just like the same normal American students which is fatal.
Unluckily, the textbooks themselves are written by White Anglo Saxon middle class and of course will bring their perspectives and beliefs. However, teacher is powerful to determine and decide what will be used in his/her classroom. I know not so many schools agree with the idea that teacher should be empowered however, is it not the gist of Dewey as a father for Modern Curriculum and Instructional leadership to highlight and emphasis on naturality, spontaneous and importantly to gain insight from their education.
Assessment: Student’s Dynamic
Assessment shows that our CLD students are dynamic. I don’t see assessment as a method to see how good the learning process taken place into their brain, but importantly to see them capable to be tested and measured accordingly and fairly if variation of assessments is used. For my practicum, my students’ assessment will evolve with more realistic (meaningful and reflect their current knowledge and schemata), fair and I will allow feedback as it is related to their growths. There will be not just paper and pencil assessments but I will provide as well oral assessments through observation and judgments.
Reminder: A prescription and checklist for myself.
“What’s the main goal of teaching? What’s the main goal of learning?” …myself,8/31/2009
I try to put myself into students’ shoes. I don’t bother to know the answer for the first question because I want to know the answer for second question which will be question that always pass through my students’ minds. I managed to conduct informal interview with few Arabic students from ELP as they are my friends too.
“We want to start soon our university classes. It has been a year I am in ELP.” A Saudi Arabia student.
“I really hope I can pass the EPT( English Proficiency Test) so that I don’t have to be in ELP. I want to start my study soon, my scholarship is only for three years. It has been a year in ELP.” A Libyan student.
“ I will be here for a year to study English, then I will apply University at Manhattan, New York, my auntie is there.” Uyghur student from China.
I notice the goal of learning is related to motive. Every student has their own motives and these motives are powered by their ambition/ motivation. It is crucial to know what my students’ motivations are so that teacher can use these as catalyst to enhance their learning. Anyway, I realize students themselves need to know what learning style that suits them best, again, as a guidance, I can provide the means to that goal. My teaching styles have to concentrate on meta-cognitive, cognitive and social strategies.
I have prepared a checklist in form of list of questions in order to activate and generate my teaching platform in teaching CLD student. This checklist is expandable over time as I am going to put more questions and answer them through my observation, reading, and discourse.
a) Do I know much about my students’ culture? Is it over 50%? If it is, are they based on facts or assumptions?
b) Who are they?
c) How am I similar to my students?
d) How am I different to them?
e) Do they receive relevant training prior coming here?
f) If yes, are the training made them communicatively adequate and academically outstanding?
g) If no, what should I do?
h) Are they here for solely English Program or intend for taking English for Specific Purposes? What bests for them?
i) What are my students’ major courses? How do I fit this info into my teaching tasks/materials?
j) What should I do in order to make my teaching alive, well reflected my students purposes of attending this ELP?
k) When can I design my instructional plan? How about if my mentor already outlined his/her plan for my practicum?
l) Do I work for him or Do I work for myself of Do I just reflect whatever happens to me regardless of my work, my way or his work his way?
m) What is appropriate and possible within the walls of the classrooms? How can I determine this?
n) What are the needs of my CLD students?
o) How can I document academic content knowledge that CLD students bring to the classroom?