[etni] Re: The recent NBA debate yet again
- From: "Miriam Greif" <mgreif@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 28 Apr 2005 08:41:32 +0200
**** ETNI on the web http://www.etni.org.il http://www.etni.org ****
Dear coleagues,
Batya wrote: "Projects don't teach English; they utilize language skills and
are good practice for using them."
Isn't that our ultimate aim? We want kids to be able to utilize language
skills in an authentic way. If not, why are we bothering to teach them English?
I was privileged to grow up in a school (an experimental school) that enforced
extensive reading 25 - 30 years back. We also enforced performance based tasks
way back there and pupils did projects as well. I don't remember ever testing
kids at all until after Hanuka in Yud Bet. The kids scored way above the
average bagrut grades at the time. They knew English! Pupils enjoyed English
lessons and learned English as well.
Preparing for the different modules should not encourage "practicing unseens".
It should encourage reading and using the language. The more a pupil reads,
the richer his/her language will be. Isn't that true for first language as
well?! The same goes for writing. The more a pupil writes, the better his/her
writing will be. For that, we had a running diary journal with each pupil
where we did NOT correct the English but we just answered the letter. Believe
me, they corrected themselves (through my answers) and they developed a FLUENCY
in writing which helped them even with their speech (I am quoting feedback from
many many pupils.)
Batya wrote: "Projects don't teach English; they utilize language skills and
are good practice for using them."
Yes, that is precisely what they do. They help the pupils develop a fluency in
reading and writing on any topic from any source. That is precisely what they
are supposed to do.
Now, if the projects are not done properly, they obviously miss the point. If
the book reports are passed around, the reading misses its point too. So
maybe these are the major issues. How to really enforce extensive reading and
how to really do a proper project.
I can understand confusion and frustration. When we are used to doing things
one way for many years, it is hard to have to change. Changes take time. We
all tend to fall back on our own good old ways because that is where we feel
secure and that is where we were successful. But times have changed.
You can take three brilliant pupils: one surfs the internet five hours a day
in English; one does not read at all; one is an oleh who has to learn both
Hebrew and English and a whole new culture. They are all, as I said,
brilliant, thus in the same class. Can they do the same worksheet? NO. So
that is why we cannot teach them in the same way we taught all those years ago
when just about all of the pupils entered the class with more or less the same
knowledge of English.
Debating on ETNI is fine but I, too, have had the feeling that most of the
"debate" is one-sided - negative. Maybe it is time for others to voice their
opinions as well.
Miriam Greif
##### To send a message to the ETNI list email: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx #####
##### Send queries and questions to: ask@xxxxxxxx #####
Other related posts:
