School rant!
Growing up I always saw myself becoming a teacher. I'd play "school-school" with my cook's children (Tiru, Ambu - my best friend, & the youngest one Yespari), my neighbour's daughter (Corrine), and sometimes my brother - if he wasn't busy beating me up!
I'd write with chalk on our bedroom wall, and I'd imitate my teachers giving instructions and homework and tests! Seemed to come so naturally back then! Of course most of it was rubbish!!! I've just completed setting two 25 mark tests for my "real" school students! And it wasn't easy. I used templates from the web, which helped a great deal, but I just hope they understand the instructions. There's so much we take for granted, and I almost forgot how difficult it is for my students to understand the English language. My first instinct was to make it as easy and simple as possible. Then I realised that in September when it's time for the BIG TEST, they'll be pretty lost with the difficult words in the question-paper.
I gave some of my students a practice test this morning, and though some of them knew the answers, they had problems understanding the questions. Unfortunately, during the real test, I won't be able to explain the words in the questions to them. It's weird how their text books have been "designed" (awfully, and so are the question-papers) - using (and often misusing) big, complicated words. Considering the students are learning English as a second language, one would imagine the plan would be to keep it simple! Just the opposite happens here - they're learning about health, occupations, maths for the very first time - and that too in the most random English words possible!!! WHY??!
Here's a picture of them! Can't help loving them!!!
I'd write with chalk on our bedroom wall, and I'd imitate my teachers giving instructions and homework and tests! Seemed to come so naturally back then! Of course most of it was rubbish!!! I've just completed setting two 25 mark tests for my "real" school students! And it wasn't easy. I used templates from the web, which helped a great deal, but I just hope they understand the instructions. There's so much we take for granted, and I almost forgot how difficult it is for my students to understand the English language. My first instinct was to make it as easy and simple as possible. Then I realised that in September when it's time for the BIG TEST, they'll be pretty lost with the difficult words in the question-paper.
I gave some of my students a practice test this morning, and though some of them knew the answers, they had problems understanding the questions. Unfortunately, during the real test, I won't be able to explain the words in the questions to them. It's weird how their text books have been "designed" (awfully, and so are the question-papers) - using (and often misusing) big, complicated words. Considering the students are learning English as a second language, one would imagine the plan would be to keep it simple! Just the opposite happens here - they're learning about health, occupations, maths for the very first time - and that too in the most random English words possible!!! WHY??!
Here's a picture of them! Can't help loving them!!!
posted by Tartrazina at 11:10 am
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