Principles of Language Learning and Teaching

Thinking in Education

In most countries, if not all, importance is always placed on the provision of education for its children, for it is these children who will provide the future leadership, and so it is in Malaysia. In Malaysia, the government has given top priority to education and educational facilities. In 1974, educational expenditure was in the region of 22% of total government expenditure, or about 5.6% of the GNP, and between then and now, the funds expended upon education has further increased.The literacy rate has also shown tremendous increase between 1957 and the present decade, rising from 51% in 1957 to 68% in 1970. This rate has further increased since then, and will continue to do so in the years to come in view of the ever increasing number of children going to school.Education in Malaysia has seen tremendous changes within the past 100 years, passing from the era of British colonialism from the 1890's till her independence in 1957, and the post-independence period. Various reforms have been made to the education system throughout this period, particularly so during the postindependence period since 1957; infact changes are still constantly being made to improve the system. This has to come about because of the change from the British system of education utilising the English Language as the main medium of instruction to a Malaysian one using Bahasa Malaysia. Towards this end, many of the Malaysian education officers have been sent, and are being sent, overseas to various countries to learn the best of their systems and to incorporate them into the Malaysian system wherever possible.It has to be understood, however, that Malaysia is not a mono-lingual nation, like Japan. The citizens are comprised of Malays, Chinese and Indians in the majority, and a lesser proportion of other races. This makes the work of educational planning and policy implementation more difficult, but the job is being done, slowly but surely.This essay tries in some way to highlight the development of education in Malaysia, the problems, and the present trends. It is hoped that it will provide some insight into, and an appreciation of, our difficulties.

https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/newgeo1952/26/2/26_2_26/_pdf

Education in malaysia

Education sector in Malaysia had put emphasis on the use of online learning or e-learning with technology and devices as a mediator of communication to replace face-to-face learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, with the improvement of learning technologies, English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers faced various challenges in language teaching. In this regard, this study aimed to investigate the challenges ESL teachers faced in implementing e-learning during COVID-19. Using a qualitative approach, this research was a case study which involved 20 primary ESL teachers. Data collection was done through an in-depth interview to explore teachersâ€™ e-learning experiences and challenges in teaching the English language. Based on the findings, the majority of teachers expressed that the use of e-learning was effective with various limitations such as teachersâ€™ readiness to adopt e-learning, accessibility to mobile phones and Internet connectivity, classroom management in term of low studentsâ€™ participation and assessment. Thus, the researcher recommended more studies to highlight teachersâ€™ insight regarding the significance of e-learning. ESL teachers, stakeholders, policy makers, and institutions can benefit from the results of the study and come out with practical strategies to utilize online sources for education in the pandemic situation. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.2.18

http://ijlter.org/index.php/ijlter/article/download/3362/pdf

ESL teachers’ challenges in implementing e-learning during COVID-19

In preparing for the 21 st century workforce, many education systems have integrated creative and critical thinking elements in the teaching and learning process by instilling higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in students. This research examines English language (L2) teachers’ awareness and practices in promoting HOTS in the English Language classrooms in Malaysia. Data were collected from practicing L2 teachers through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and structured observations. Findings of this research suggest that implementation of HOTS in the L2 classroom is very minimal and hindered by various factors, particularly those related to student, pedagogical and institutional factors. This implies the need for a more holistic and integrated approach involving L2 teachers, students and administrators in ensuring the successful implementation of HOTS in the L2 classrooms.

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Investigating the Implementation of Higher Order Thinking Skills in Malaysian Classrooms: Insights from L2 Teaching Practices

Of the four English language skills, speaking enjoys a superior status. Accordingly, it should be given high priority while teaching. In spite of its importance, teaching English speaking skill to Arab EFL learners has always been an exacting task for Arab teachers of English because it is considered a foreign language, i.e. not widely spoken or used in everyday interactions. For such a reason, Arab teachers of English are required to persistently implement new teaching strategies to tackle the problems regarding speaking skills in the classroom. Although a number of studies have been carried out to investigate the difficulties related to teaching English language skills to the Arab students in the Arab World, the current study is regarded the first study which highlights the problems in learning and teaching English speaking skill in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur where English is actively spoken as a second language. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the common problems which affect the teaching of English speaking skills to the Arab learners in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur. Additionally, it aims at exploring the areas of difficulty that prevent the Arab students from learning to speak in the English classes. This research also scrutinises the role of Kuala Lumpur ESL context on the Arab students’ English language speaking skills. The current study adheres to qualitative method, and its data were collected via classroom observations and face-to-face interviews with four teachers of English and four students selected purposively. Findings included areas like learning and teaching difficulties. The study suggested some techniques to improve the teaching quality and enable the students to overcome their lack of speaking ability such as implementing communicative approach in the English classes.

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Teaching English Speaking Skills to the Arab Students in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur: Problems and Solutions.

Thinking skills are a popular topic of conversation nowadays among Malaysian educationists. These experts lament that Malaysian students are ill-equipped to face the challenges of life in the 21st Century. As a solution to this and other problems, a reform document was proposed by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) in 2012. The 'Malaysian educational blueprint' as it is called, has at last recognized the importance of critical thinking skills and seeks ways to include these into the national curriculum. Philosophy for Children (P4C) is a teaching method that develops critical thinking and analytical reasoning in children. The paper therefore recommends the use of P4C to achieve the goals of the Malaysian educational blueprint vis-a-vis critical thinking, since it has proven its effectiveness in various studies around the world. The main purpose of this paper, therefore, is to raise the following pertinent questions: how suitable is P4C for the Malaysian education system? Secondly, how will P4C be implemented, bearing in mind the challenges within the unique Malaysian context? These questions and others, need to be explored if P4C is to be implemented successfully, and Malaysia is to be transformed into a more 'thinking nation' through education.

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Philosophical Inquiry in the Malaysian Educational System – Reality or Fantasy?

The purpose of the study was to explore ways of making ESL classes more engaging for language learners at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). To this end, an instructional method known as ‘Community of Inquiry' (CI) where students sit in a circle and explain, challenge and justify one another’s opinions, arguments and assertions was combined with specially written ‘thinking stories' containing philosophical issues and elements of relevance to learners' culture. Two such stories were written and taught to a class of intermediate level, ESL learners at IIUM, over a five-week period, using CI method. Qualitative research methodology was utilized to evaluate learners' responses to the method and materials. Data collection instruments included: in-depth interviews, student-diaries, focused-group observation and teacher’s diary entries. The data was subsequently transcribed, analysed and arranged into themes and sub-themes using Nvivo - a qualitative research software. The results of the research showed that CI method, combined with thinking stories, holds great potential for improving all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) in a holistic way. For example, speaking and listening were practiced through CI discussions; grammar and vocabulary were learnt in-context using the thinking stories; pronunciation was practiced during read-aloud sessions of the stories and the philosophical issues and questions discussed provided an excellent stimulus for written work. In addition, students' confidence to speak-up in class grew, as did their ability to use critical thinking skills. It appears that combining CI method with thinking stories satisfied learners' cognitive, affective and cultural needs, and this, in turn, helped to increase their intrinsic motivation to study English - an important factor for effective language learning. The paper ends by suggesting ways to improve CI method for future implementations of this new approach to second language learning.

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Make it mean! Using a ‘community of inquiry’ to improve language skills in the esl classroom

Studies have shown that traditional chalk and talk teaching methods are common among teachers of Islamic Education. Such teacher-centered pedagogy fails to promote active learning or interaction between the teacher and students; and between students and students. The result is a lack of interest in learning because students are not stimulated or engaged by interesting classroom activity or pedagogy. Numerous studies conducted by a host of countries have proven that Philosophical Inquiry Method (PIM) is effective in promoting discussion and getting students to be actively involved in learning, as they discover new meanings. Having said this, little is known about the impact PIM on Malaysian Islamic Education students' engagement. Therefore, an exploratory case study was conducted to gauge students’ views and experiences of PIM to teach aqidah (creed). The study involved students aged 13 – 14 years old who were in Form 2 at an Islamic secondary school in Selangor, focusing particularly on the Islamic Education subject of aqidah. After completing six philosophical inquiry sessions, four students were interviewed to gauge their responses to the programme. The results of the study showed that students found the lessons easier to understand, as they explored beyond the content of the textbook and they enjoyed this new pedagogy. In the light of this, it can be said that PIM gave students a positive learning experience for the subject of aqidah.

http://edulearn.intelektual.org/index.php/EduLearn/article/download/9492/pdf_243

Students’ Experiences in Teaching and Learning Islamic Education Using Philosophical Inquiry Method

Malaysian University Examination Test (MUET) is one of the English proficiency tests required for students who want to pursue a degree at Malaysian public universities. This test consists of four skill tests, namely listening, reading, speaking, and writing. However, over the past several years, many students who sit for the exam achieved an incredibly low band, and the reasons are not clear. This study aims to investigate the perceptions and difficulties encountered by learners in English as a Second Language (ESL) students in the Malaysian University Examination Test (MUET). Three Malaysian Polytechnic degree-level students who had to re-sit for MUET to complete their degree programme were chosen as the informants. The study applied the qualitative research design, and data were gathered using semi-structured interviews. It was discovered that the students faced the challenges such as preparation, lack of knowledge in vocabulary, grammar, and time constraints in answering the question in MUET. The paper concludes by suggesting that the students are taking steps to overcome MUET-related challenges. Future research is required to investigate the type of teaching methodology that can assist these students prior to MUET. 

/pdf/a-study-on-difficulties-encountered-and-perception-by-38ezt44w.pdf

Abdul Shakour Duncan Preece

Papers

Teaching English Speaking Skills to the Arab Students in the Saudi School in Kuala Lumpur: Problems and Solutions.

Philosophical Inquiry in the Malaysian Educational System – Reality or Fantasy?

Make it mean! Using a ‘community of inquiry’ to improve language skills in the esl classroom

Students’ Experiences in Teaching and Learning Islamic Education Using Philosophical Inquiry Method

A Study on Difficulties Encountered and Perception by English as Second Language (ESL) Learners in Malaysian University Examination Test (MUET)