Back to Basics

“Go back the book.”

This was the answer of a first year public college studentwhen asked to give one step in the process of borrowing and returning books from the library.

What’s wrong with his answer?

Apparently, the student knew what he wanted to express but didn’t find the right word (“return”) to clearly and properly convey his thoughts (“go back” and “return” may mean the same if used in a different context). The easiest way for him was to string the basic words he knows.

Not everyone speaks and writes in perfect in English. An eloquent English speaker can still commit grammatical errors while presenting. The same manner goes for a professional writer. But what sets an eloquent speaker and professional writer from that student is that they’re knowledgeable of the basic principles and use of the language (in-depth familiarity of the English vocabulary).

In principle however, a college-level student is expected to have further knowledge and familiarity than what the student in my story has revealed through their classroom activity. We’ve had a lot of English subjects during our primary and secondary studies. Logically, as years pass, we are expected to have more understanding of the language vis-à-vis the ability to use the language properly. Expressing ourselves in English (both oral and written) shouldn’t be a hard thing. Alas, we’re confronted of the reality that there are a lot of college students (even college graduates) who aren’t capable of expressing themselves in English. Two possible reasons would be: (1) they are simply afraid of criticisms or (2) they simply don’t know how to express themselves using the language.

The first is a bit easy to deal with. If it’s just about confidence, there are several ways to boost a person’s confidence. If you’ve the money, you can easily enroll in an English enhancement course or a public speaking course. You can also practice through communicating with your friends in English. Aside from that, you can use your spare time to scribble your thoughts and observations in English (maintaining a journal or blog could help). But of course, while building confidence, one should also exert an effort in learning more about the language (rules and extending one’s vocabulary). There’s the Internet where you can acquire useful readings. Confidence per se isn’t enough.

Meanwhile, the second reason is a crucial problem. It reflects the kind of learning foundation that a student had. If I were to be asked who’s to blame with the deteriorating capacity to communicate using proper English, the bulk should be attributed to the teachers in the primary level (esp. in the public school).

It’s unavoidable to encounter quite slow students. These students need more attention for them to understand the lessons in class. But given the situation in the public schools in the country (where there are simply lots of students in a class), it’s quite impossible for a teacher to focus on these students. As most of the students from the public schools are really poor, inappropriate compassion happens. Students who didn’t fare well in class were given passing grades even if they way far from passing the course. The common viewpoint is that they are already poor and not passing them would mean lesser chance for them to finish studies. There’s a common thinking that once an impoverish student fails, the parents would lose interest in sending their kids to school.

Teachers with this kind of perspective fail to see its prospective adversity. Would you rather see your students earn a degree but aren’t able to thrive as they are inept (because they didn’t have proper learning)? Ironically, instead of contributing to their success, you’re actually an immense cause for their failure.

So what are the possible antidotes to this problem? (IMHO)

First, primary teachers must realize what education is really all about. It’s about imparting right knowledge and pondering if your students have actually learned the necessary points and principles. Second, since we can’t send these students back to grade school, college teachers must be sensitive to the capacities of their students in coping up with the lessons. It may be too much to actually set-up a special class (or an extra session) but this will help a lot (esp. if you’re teaching in a public school where there are financial constraints, initiative matters).

It’s just sad that while there’s a booming call center and ESL industries, where fluency in English matters, we have an evident trouble in our English Proficiency.

Disclaimer:

I often commit grammatical errors, too. I’m guilty of not answering in complete sentence, awfully constructing sentences, failing to form sentence that fits SVA, committing comma splice, and not properly using preposition and prepositional phrase. However, I try my best to improve and be more proficient (through reading English books, watching English movies, communicating in English and reviewing the language’s basic rules from time to time).