SMART LEARNING: The Education Ministry is allocating resources to improve standards of English.
PUT up your hand if you are a parent and you think that poor English is good enough for your child. Parents understand only too well how important English is for the future of their children, and I doubt if many parents will be raising their hands. As a nation, we have to raise our standards of English if we are to maintain or improve our international position in a world that demands high standards of global English. It is for that reason that the Ministry of Education is allocating resources to improve standards of English.
As I reported in my last article, we are adopting the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The basic idea of a common framework is that everybody works to a common goal. It is essential for textbooks to teach the things required by the national curriculum, and for exams to test things identified in the national curriculum as important. By adopting the CEFR, we will have an integrated English language programme.
English teachers and many other people are familiar with the four language skills, namely speaking and listening, and reading and writing. Our children need to develop these skills in order to interact in English, to take part in a conversation or discussion or to perform well in a job interview, or to receive and send messages and emails, or to read material in English and write it up in an essay. English learners also need interactive skills in order to use the language effectively.
In order to interact, learners must be able to do things in English.
Beginning learners need to be able to introduce themselves, and write a simple postcard in English; and more advanced learners need to read English textbooks and make presentations in English. At the heart of the CEFR is a set of "can do" statements, which describe what learners can reasonably be expected to do at different stages.
Associated with the "can do" statements is a proficiency scale which progresses from A1 to A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Beginners aim for A1, while C2 requires a level of proficiency almost equivalent to that of a native speaker. While most learners will reach A1 in primary school and undergraduates will be aiming for B2 or C1, there is in principle no connection with age.
Parents will understandably be concerned with exams and qualifications, and will be interested to know that exams start at A2 and continue up the scale. These are smart exams, and students cannot cram for them or swot up the night before, and question spotting is impossible. In order to pass at a certain level, candidates have to convince the examiners that they can do the things required at that level.
We know from international research that top performing education systems need top performing teachers in the classroom. That means that in the longer term we will have to make teaching the profession of choice. In the short term, we have to give substantial support to our existing English teachers. This role is mainly carried out by the English Language Teaching Centre (ELTC), the in-service teacher training arm of the Ministry of Education. All language teachers need proficiency levels at the top end of the CEFR scale, and cannot be expected to get there all by themselves. Like all language teachers, our English teachers need to be familiar with the best methods of language teaching which have emerged from research all over the world, and which are incorporated into the CEFR.
We also have to concentrate our efforts on providing beginning learners with a good start in English, because failure to do so is the source of problems that lead eventually to graduate unemployment. Some people might think that because the children are only small, they will be able to make up for a bad start later on.
They won't. In order to teach beginning learners properly, we need to understand how learning takes place in the brain, and how young children learn languages. Young learners need to be provided with appropriate models of the spoken language to enable them to develop speaking skills, and through constant practice become competent and confident in speaking the language.
The knowledge gained from the CEFR makes it possible for us to make great improvements in our English language programme. But to achieve the success that is within our grasp, we need determination and perseverance, and the willingness to work together as a nation in the interests of the children.
The writer is chairperson of the English Language Standards and Quality Council, Ministry of Education and professor of Linguistics and English Language University ofMalaya.Emailherateducation@nst.com.my
COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK OF REFERENCE FOR LANGUAGES COMMON REFERENCE LEVELS: GLOBAL SCALE
Proficient User
C2 Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations.
C1 Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devises.
Independent User
B2 Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions on his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
B1 Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst traveling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.
Basic User
A2 Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.
Al Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.