Collections of Professor Dr David Ngin Sian Pau

4.5. Memorized Or Working On What They Should Learn?

Thinking depends upon our ability to generalize and merge new knowledge with older memories. Teaching must make use of this natural process or fail miserably in getting anyone to ever remember anything at all that has been taught. Getting by heart or memorized what you want to write or study for examination can lead you to passing examination but it’s without understanding. You may even get full mark in examination result but the problem here exists that no comprehension has been installed in your long time memory. As soon as you finish writing the examination, you will forget what you memorised. This phenomenon exists among children as well as adult English learners.

Memorization is not as effective as doing some activities to remember or fully learn the English language they are supposed to remember for a long time. Getting by heart some writing is good for a short time and if this is followed by an activity associated with the lesson children can commemorate what they learn in the classroom for a long time. By this way, the teacher will also feel successful in his or her teaching. If China is your teaching location, children may not be interested in memorizing English words. They like to work on what they learn in the classroom. But if your teaching location is in Myanmar, you may ask students whatever way you like them to learn the language either asking them to memorize or working on what they have to learn or both the ways one after another. Children in Myanmar are more flexible than Chinese kids in learning English in the classroom.

4.6. Who Is More Important-Teacher, Student Or School Administration?

Pupils are not always excited about what we do. They can be tired, nervous, or upset. In these situations it is very difficult to accomplish anything. Then I do my best to make an agreement with them, to finish at least something and then I allow them to play some games. Most of them like team games and competitions although I like to make them feel they are all winners. Some cutting and sticking activities are very useful at this stage, too. While the teacher maybe taking a lot of effort to satisfy students to make them learn the lesson, other observers or students can go to the administration to complain without notice. Misunderstanding, quarrels, sometimes fights and even worse things can happen among teachers, administrators and students. In this kind of situation, many people think the outcome of what the administrators do without the knowledge of what the causes are that often result in giving warning or expelling the teachers unnecessarily. Should the popularity of student-centered English classes drive the teachers away as students of 10% or 15% in the class want them to? What about the other 80% or 90% students who like learning English from the same teachers? This is essential to firstly consider before taking action against an issue or a complaint. Many a time, it’s strongly advisable that no action regarding such complains or issues should be taken. Free discussion among the English teachers, administrators and if necessary with students can also solve the problem.