IT was just another day for some pupils of SJK (T) Chembong, Rembau, just before the recent school holidays.
The pupils from different classes were engrossed in their English lessons and activities, unperturbed by the groups of people observing them from the back of their respective classrooms.
They have become quite used to the attention, as their school is one of many rural schools in Negri Sembilan involved in a programme to improve the standard of English.
Run by the Brighton Education Group (Brighton), whose goal is to enhance English language teaching and learning in rural areas, the programme involves 29 primary schools in Rembau and 15 secondary schools in the Kuala Pilah district.
Mohan explaining a class activity that requires the use of index cards.
The Primary English Language Enhancement and Activities Project (PRELEAP) is funded by the Yayasan Negri Sembilan, while the Secondary English Language Enrichment and Communication Teaching (SELECT) is funded by three royal trusts - the Tuanku Ja’afar Education Trust, the Tunku Najihah Foundation and the Yayasan Tunku Naquiyuddin.
Brighton’s executive chairman Christopher Bell said the programme’s objective was to raise English proficiency among students through teachers.
“This means improving the way they teach. Traditional methods where students are spoon-fed and then tested are not good enough.
'Task or activity-based learning is the way to go.
“The classroom environment is being transformed. There’s drama, public speaking, and even Tom and Jerry cartoons or Michael Jackson songs make appearances, to help students learn more effectively,” he said.
Bell added that the students themselves did not seem to be complaining, judging from their delighted expressions and eager participation in classroom activities, even in front of a group of ten or so visitors.Another pleasantly surprising fact was that the English lessons were conducted entirely in English in all three schools the writer visited.Although most rural students are thought to have little grasp of the language, the students observed were definitely trying their best to practise their English.
“We encouraged the teachers to conduct their lessons entirely in English - to not be afraid of making mistakes as these can be corrected.
“We have trainers who visit periodically to ensure the programme runs smoothly and to help the teachers with problems they might encounter.
“Although its too early to measure results, the improvement is astounding in both the teachers and the students.
“And to think they have only been exposed to this method of teaching for about three months,” commented Bell.
B. Mohan, who teaches English at SJK (T) Chembong, was equally enthusiastic about the programme’s benefits.
“I often spoke in Tamil during my English lessons before, to help students understand the instructions, but now that’s changed and the students have adapted well.
“I am more confident and the students have also improved. English is fun now with the student-centred activities and everyone is eager to participate in dramas or story-telling sessions,” he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Elis Rosliza Yahya who teaches English to students at the nearby SK Pedas.
“I’ve been teaching for 20 years, but I still learnt new things from Brighton’s trainers. The techniques I learnt have helped me tremendously and the students have benefited as a result.
“They enjoy their English lessons now and I believe they will slowly learn to converse in English more confidently,” she said.
Sixty-three teachers from Rembau were trained for the primary school project and another 50 were picked from secondary schools in Kuala Pilah.Reaching out to improve English proficiency in rural areas is however, not entirely new to schools in the state as the Project to Improve English in Rural Schools (Piers) – which involved primary schools in Negri Sembilan - was conducted from 2006 to 2008, before Brighton came in......
(SOURCES:THE STAR By C.S. NATHAN)
MY COMMENT:
Emm teaching in English is the best way to improve our english.Eventhough it is the difficult thing for student especially in the rural area.Actually,I though that learning in English is difficult but after day to day I began to realise that learning in English is fun.It also make us be more confident to talk in English.
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