The way I think about language learning is heavily shaped by my experience of working with two Marathi Medium school students. As one would generally expect, both of them were good at Marathi as they were Marathi medium students and probably spoke Marathi as a mother tongue as well but their English language skills is where it gets interesting. One of them was brilliant at English — he spoke fluently and wrote well. The other was average at both speaking and writing English. Normally, if one hears someone went to a Marathi-medium school, one would assume their English wouldn’t be great but one of them proved that idea to be wrong. On the other side, one would expect someone from an English-medium school to be strong in English. But I know schoolmates who struggle to stitch together a sentence in English, even though they have had the advantage of English instruction. What’s my point? Language skills aren’t as tied to the school’s language of instruction as we might think. A student from a regional language school can master English with enough effort, just like a student from an English-medium school can struggle if they don’t put in the work.
Muaaz Qadri’s Post
More Relevant Posts
-
Technical Specialist-ECW | Accelerated Learning & Early Childhood Education Expert | Empowering Rohingya Response through Myanmar Curriculum, Project Management & Teacher Training
🌟 Enhancing Burmese Language Skills: A Step Towards Effective Education 🌟 SWOT Analysis for Learning Burmese Language The implementation of the Myanmar New Curriculum in the Rohingya response in Cox's Bazar since 2022 has been a vital step in providing quality education to over-age, out-of-school children and youth. Save the Children, through the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP), supports this initiative by ensuring access to education aligned with the Myanmar curriculum. Under this curriculum, Burmese is the primary language of instruction for all subjects except English. However, one critical challenge is the limited Burmese language proficiency among Bangladeshi facilitators and technical education personnel, impacting classroom effectiveness. With 44 organizations operating under the Cox’s Bazar Education Sector, addressing this gap is key to improving education delivery. Recognizing the linguistic overlap between Bengali and Burmese, there’s a unique opportunity for Bangladeshi personnel to acquire Burmese language skills with relative ease. By leveraging a SWOT analysis, we aim to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of fostering Burmese language expertise among education personnel. This strategic approach can guide us in developing targeted solutions for enhancing the teaching and learning process, ultimately benefiting both facilitators and students. I am sharing my SWOT analysis to gather more insights and ideas Together, let's bridge this language gap and create a stronger, more inclusive education program! 🌏📘 #Education #RohingyaResponse #SaveTheChildren #BurmeseLanguage #MyanmarCurriculum
-
-
The standard of English among most Malaysians is indeed worrying. How do I know this? When I teach English online, I can observe how most Malaysians (students and adults) struggle to even understand Basic English. It is even more worrying when I find out that most students are NOT TAUGHT grammar in school. Can Malaysians become proficient in spoken and written English, the Transmission Skills, without the vital knowledge called grammar? Just a few days ago during an online session, a learner, who is a secondary school student, posed this question to me: “What is the difference between ARE and WERE?” I was shocked to hear that. How could this learner not know this simple present and past tense of the verb TO BE? He is a secondary school student. What is he being taught in school during his English lessons? This example shows glaringly that the teachers who teach English are not really teaching their students how the English language really works. This example also shows glaringly that those teachers may not even know how the English language really works. Can one explain the atrocious standard of English among most Malaysians today? It is the result of using the wrong approach to teach and learn English and it is the result of hiring the wrong people to teach English. When Malaysians still use the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach, which places a lot of emphasis on Communicative English, to teach English, the results will be negative. Malaysians must not only change the approach to teach and learn English. They must also demand that teachers who teach the English language in schools (public, private and international) are really competent to teach English. It is high time that the policymakers in charge of education change the approach to teach and learn English in Malaysia altogether. In addition, the policymakers must make it mandatory for all schools in Malaysia (public, private and international) to hire only Malaysians who are really competent to teach the English language. In the field of teaching and learning English, Malaysians have been running around in circles since 1970. Most Malaysians struggle to speak and write English correctly today as they lack the vital knowledge of grammar to be proficient in spoken and written English. #Malaysia #writing #english #education #grammar #English #englishgrammar #englishtutor #learnenglish #learningenglishonline #standardenglish #englishteacher #structuralapproach #writtenenglish
-
The standard of English among most Malaysians is indeed worrying. How do I know this? When I teach English online, I can observe how most Malaysians (students and adults) struggle to even understand Basic English. It is even more worrying when I find out that most students are NOT TAUGHT grammar in school. Can Malaysians become proficient in spoken and written English, the Transmission Skills, without the vital knowledge called grammar? Just a few days ago during an online session, a learner, who is a secondary school student, posed this question to me: “What is the difference between ARE and WERE?” I was shocked to hear that. How could this learner not know this simple present and past tense of the verb TO BE? He is a secondary school student. What is he being taught in school during his English lessons? This example shows glaringly that the teachers who teach English are not really teaching their students how the English language really works. This example also shows glaringly that those teachers may not even know how the English language really works. Can one explain the atrocious standard of English among most Malaysians today? It is the result of using the wrong approach to teach and learn English and it is the result of hiring the wrong people to teach English. When Malaysians still use the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach, which places a lot of emphasis on Communicative English, to teach English, the results will be negative. Malaysians must not only change the approach to teach and learn English. They must also demand that teachers who teach the English language in schools (public, private and international) are really competent to teach English. It is high time that the policymakers in charge of education change the approach to teach and learn English in Malaysia altogether. In addition, the policymakers must make it mandatory for all schools in Malaysia (public, private and international) to hire only Malaysians who are really competent to teach the English language. In the field of teaching and learning English, Malaysians have been running around in circles since 1970. Most Malaysians struggle to speak and write English correctly today as they lack the vital knowledge of grammar to be proficient in spoken and written English. #Malaysia #writing #english #education #grammar #English #englishgrammar #englishtutor #learnenglish #learningenglishonline #standardenglish #englishteacher #structuralapproach #writtenenglish
-
A PATHETIC SITUATION CONCERNING THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH AMONG MOST MALAYSIANS TODAY Are the students alone not proficient in spoken and written English? What about the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools in Malaysia? Are all of them really proficient in spoken and written English? Just last week on FB Messenger, I received an inquiry from an adult, AN EDUCATOR, who would like to improve her knowledge of the English language. These were some of her queries on FB Messenger: “I’m educator, but poor in English, especially for spoken English” “I’m not confident to teach English in class” “I’m poor in grammar too” Isn’t it shocking that an English language teacher said all the above? Didn’t she attend any sort of training to brush up on her English language proficiency? Didn’t the trainers, who are native speakers and non-native speakers, train these so-called “educators” to become proficient in spoken and written English? It only confirms the views held by most ordinary Malaysians who know the actual situation concerning the kind of incompetent educators on the Malaysian ground. Most Malaysians know that some of the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools in Malaysia are incompetents. It also confirms why most Malaysian parents seek the help of tutors who can teach their children the English language. It also confirms that most of these Malaysian students don’t even know Basic English as even some of the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools don’t even know Basic English. It is a vicious circle that gets bigger every year. It also confirms my views that most Malaysian adults don’t even know Basic English. As such, most of my training programmes are geared towards fulfilling the needs of Malaysian adults who require such training. When adults know the 8 Parts of Speech, they are in a better position to know how the English language really works. As a result, they can learn the English language independently after the training as they know what to do and how to go about it. “Learning a language requires patient study.” Therefore, Malaysian adults must study the English language patiently and independently after attending my training to use the English language confidently at their workplaces. #English #englishgrammar #CorporateTraining #traininganddevelopment #learningenglishonline #standardenglish #grammar #trainingprovider #trainingcourse #knowledge #softskills
-
A PATHETIC SITUATION CONCERNING THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH AMONG MOST MALAYSIANS TODAY Are the students alone not proficient in spoken and written English? What about the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools in Malaysia? Are all of them really proficient in spoken and written English? Just last week on FB Messenger, I received an inquiry from an adult, AN EDUCATOR, who would like to improve her knowledge of the English language. These were some of her queries on FB Messenger: “I’m educator, but poor in English, especially for spoken English” “I’m not confident to teach English in class” “I’m poor in grammar too” Isn’t it shocking that an English language teacher said all the above? Didn’t she attend any sort of training to brush up on her English language proficiency? Didn’t the trainers, who are native speakers and non-native speakers, train these so-called “educators” to become proficient in spoken and written English? It only confirms the views held by most ordinary Malaysians who know the actual situation concerning the kind of incompetent educators on the Malaysian ground. Most Malaysians know that some of the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools in Malaysia are incompetents. It also confirms why most Malaysian parents seek the help of tutors who can teach their children the English language. It also confirms that most of these Malaysian students don’t even know Basic English as even some of the English language teachers in the public and in the international schools don’t even know Basic English. It is a vicious circle that gets bigger every year. It also confirms my views that most Malaysian adults don’t even know Basic English. As such, most of my training programmes are geared towards fulfilling the needs of Malaysian adults who require such training. When adults know the 8 Parts of Speech, they are in a better position to know how the English language really works. As a result, they can learn the English language independently after the training as they know what to do and how to go about it. “Learning a language requires patient study.” Therefore, Malaysian adults must study the English language patiently and independently after attending my training to use the English language confidently at their workplaces. #English #englishgrammar #CorporateTraining #traininganddevelopment #learningenglishonline #standardenglish #grammar #trainingprovider #trainingcourse #knowledge #softskills
-
Semiconductors Program Manager | Technology Transfer | Product/Test Engineer | Career Coach
How come you can’t speak English like everyone else? Didn’t you learn English in school from standard 1 to Form 5? What a shame, but I wasn't alone. I’d like to share my journey learning English. It has been a long and winding journey, but I try to make it short. I started my early education in rural settlement called FELDA where the medium of teaching was 100% Malay including English. English was taught like any other subject, i.e. for passing the exams not for skill. There were two occasions where English was taught by Chinese and Indian teachers respectively using Malay as a medium. Like my other classmates, I didn’t see English as useful. Why did I need English to be working in oil palm plantation? The very best, I was aiming to be a teacher. As luck was on my side, I was accepted to continue my tertiary education in the US via 2+2 twinning program between ITM and SUNY at Buffalo. Knowing my English proficiency was super low, I was forced to go thru English Intensive Program (EIP). It was supposed to be a 3-month program, but I took almost a year to pass the TEOFL. I made it, but still couldn’t speak other than very embarrassing simple sentences. Again, I was forced to be in the environment that I could not speak anything but English. That was the time when I stepped foot in LA, heading towards Washington DC. I was still struggling on the on the first semester until I started working part time. Since there were big Malaysian community in DC, Malay was still the language of preference. That job didn’t only generate money to support my family back home, but also provided the safe environment for me to practice my English. My office mates and manager helped me a lot. It took me 3 months to gain the confidence to speak with the natives and professors in my department. The rest is history. #English
-
A PATHETIC SITUATION CONCERNING THE STANDARD OF ENGLISH AMONG MOST MALAYSIANS TODAY Some of the incompetent English language teachers in the public and in the international schools are one of the causes of the atrocious standard of English among most Malaysians today. The second cause is the approach used by these incompetent English language teachers in their respective schools, the Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Approach. The CLT Approach places a lot of emphasis on Communicative English. Most of all, the CLT Approach is not based on the study of grammar and it is not suitable for non-native speakers at all. What is the proof? Look at the atrocious standard of English among most Malaysians today as they have been learning English using the CLT Approach since 1970. Today, most Malaysians are not proficient in spoken and written English as they don’t have knowledge of grammar. Malaysian parents who are really concerned about their children’s future in the knowledge-based economy should test the Written English skills of the English language teachers who teach their children in the public and in the international schools. In that way, those concerned Malaysian parents can prevent their children from becoming incompetents in spoken and written English. #English #englishgrammar #CorporateTraining #traininganddevelopment #learningenglishonline #standardenglish #grammar #trainingprovider #trainingcourse #knowledge #softskills #writebetterenglish #onlineenglishclasses #learnenglish #structuralapproach #englishforadults #LearnWithUs
-
I believe that witnessing my students' progress brings me the greatest delight, even while teaching a non-native Sinhala kiddo here. Irrespective of the language, there are several methodologies to teach any language. Why is it that most Sri Lankans still find it challenging to learn English? Perhaps because our teachers failed to provide us the opportunity to learn the language by assuming or picking it up when it came to teaching English. I hope that this method and the entire system of learning will gradually change. 👏🏻🌸 #LanguageTeaching #Education #LearningJourney
-
Public Speaker | Entrepreneur | Philanthropist | CEO of Bollant Industries | Supporting #Inclusivity #Sustainability #MakeInIndia
“I think the first thing we must do is to stop chasing English language education in primary schooling, and go back to the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. Every study shows that children do better when taught in their mother tongue. At a policy level, all regional languages should be given 'national language' status just like Hindi, which is after all also a regional language. The second thing is that we need to teach children work ethic, as well as respecting dignity of labor, early in life so that they imbibe it into their very DNA. One can only learn when he respects the art and the artists of any specific work. The third thing is that I believe we need to establish a national service program just like Singapore, that brings together the youth of the country by cutting across caste, religious and linguistic divides, and these youth can have two years where they are taught civic sense, cleanliness and hygiene habits, soft skills, and also to promote national integration. The last and most important lessons might come from travelling. As part of this, the students should spend some of the time traveling the length and breadth of our country, as well as spend time in both rural and urban settings.” What are your opinions. Let Srikanth know in the comments below! #Srikanth #SrikanthAnswers #Bollant
-
-
A few days ago, I was surprised to see an English learner booking a class with me through #italki. I teach Nepali there, and I help English learners on #Preply. When I informed him that I teach Nepali, his response was, "Any problem talking in English?" Sure enough, I replied with a no, and we had a great conversation. He shared with me his English journey. Essentially, he started learning English eight months ago. He watched YouTube videos and listened to podcasts a lot in English. Then he began speaking two months ago. He randomly books conversation classes with different tutors. And he finds English easy now. He admitted that he was a complete beginner when he started to learn English. Nonetheless, he can now converse and comprehend fairly well. Yes, sometimes he messes up with pronunciation and grammar, but he's comprehensible. When I couldn't get something he said, he promptly wrote it in the chat, which helped the smooth flow of our conversation. In a nutshell, he mastered English in eight months. Let me know, how long did it take you to learn and master English? 🗣️📚 P.S: We should emphasize practicing speaking skills to enhance fluency. If you're looking for a speaking partner, could you consider booking a class with me? Here are the links: https://lnkd.in/duN_2hpP (For English learners) https://lnkd.in/egDQHmkT... (For Nepali learners) #LanguageLearning #EnglishJourney #Nepalitutor #eslteacher #privatetutor
-
