Educators and philanthropists alike are getting the word out to underprivileged children in Malaysia that being able to read English is not just important, but fun.. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Over the years, Malaysia has shown a poor track record In reading, although more than 90 per cent of its population are literate. A 2010 government survey conducted every five years showed that Malaysians read half as much as people in developed countries such as Britain and Japan that read an average of 20 books a year.
According to the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment- a global education benchmark for 15-year-olds from 34 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries including Singapore, Malaysian students, already below average in reading, plummeted further to 398. The average score was 496.
These statistics are shocking, but theyâre no longer surprising the Malaysian public. I agree that our reading problem is still an under-addressed issue here. But itâs admirable to see how volunteer works shifted to a more educational-based help, as reported in the article, it tells the story of The Reading Bus Club efforts. Founded by Mr Cheli Nadarajah and his wife, the project is a mobile library that aims to teach underprivileged children to read in English. By reaching out to low-income housing areas, it provides simple access for the young children to English books (which otherwise, it is rather expensive for purchase).
I wanted to reflect on the accessibility of knowledge, a question that has been probing my mind throughout this course. It is something that we take for granted, yet there are still others who arenât privileged enough to get the same. I strongly believe that knowledge, skills are meant to be shared and passed on. Reflecting on all the knowledge I gained throughout this course and the current scenario of Malaysian education, it motivates me to help those in need. I would very much like to, if I get the chance.
To encourage critical reading, teachers should ask students questions about the text before, during, and after they read. This method is useful for most subjects, from reading to social studies, and is an excellent way to structure literature homework.
In class, weâve learned about reading strategies - how we can develop questions to ensure a more wholesome reading process. These questions can be formed pre-reading, while reading and post-reading questions, as explained in the website link. That article is particularly helpful for classroom use - I believe this approach should be more common in Malaysian classrooms.
Pre-reading questions
From what I understood, pre-reading questions can be mainly about setting the reading focus first - what do we want to gain from the passage? So pre-reading questions can be focusing which definitions, examples to draw out from the text - mainly detecting our gap of knowledge, in order to gain the input to fill in the gap. For example, before reading a passage on the prevalent use of drones in warfare, Iâd ask questions like this, because I donât have knowledge about the issue. These questions arise from my curiosity.
What are drones?
Which countries are most affected by drone warfares?
Do the use of drones bring much damage than the standard, land warfare? To what extent does the damage may cost?
If this is such a worrying issue, why isnât this issue made public?
While reading questions
While-reading questions is reading according to the intended focus - while we have questions we wanted to ask before reading, so during reading, we aim to find the answers in the passage. It can be done through skimming and scanning the text. So, during reading, itâs important to highlight, annotate and take down relevant notes. It is also crucial to write down your own thoughts and feedbacks about the passage. So with the questions set above - now I need to reassess my understanding of the passage, and try to answer my pre-reading questions.
Drones are unmanned aircrafts, in the case of warfare, they are long-distance rocket missiles.
The countries in the Middle East are most affected by drones.
Drones bring much damage to civilians and infrastructure. The number of civilians being called as âcollateral damageâ due to drone attacks is worrying figure.
This issue hadnât made in public in Malaysia, maybe because of our lack of.. enthusiasm (?).
Post-reading questions
Once the reading is done, then it comes down to formulating post-reading questions, Here, it mainly involves the process of questioning and forming our own opinions. We can either question the authorâs standpoint, or question the implications arise from the text. We can also form our own opinion regarding the passage, and evaluate if it fits to be used in our own research or work. So, as the ending notes about the drone warfare passage, I would like to summarize a few points.
Drones arenât necessarily a bad technological invention. When itâs used right, drones can deliver emergency aid relief, and help in environmental surveillance. However, when drones are used as weapons for warfare, its capability is destructive.
It seems like America is in the frontlines when it comes to drone warfare, how it is becoming a staple in the American military when in combat with the Middle East. This is something to be critique about. The use of drones in warfare has to be reevaluated in terms of its lawfulness in human rights.
Creative Writing Lessons: Bestselling, award winning author Neil Gaiman on writing For more help with your own writing, join my latest Udemy course for bette...
âWriters get awful when answering the question âWhere do we get our ideas from?â And the reason we do that, is because we donât really know.â
Iâve always interested in understanding how to great writing comes from great writers, for me, stories are great writing. Neil Gaiman is no stranger to this, his âAmerican Godsâ is a landmark novel, a testament to how psychedelic and imaginative writing can get. He explains this is such an interesting, humorous manner, that writers donât really have a specific method to generate ideas. It comes in an impulse, some sort of epiphany. Instead, ideas can come from arising questions, like he explained in the video, one could be thinking about werewolves then what happens if a werewolf bites a goldfish.. a story premise can arise from there.
Generating ideas is a fundamental part of writing, itâs where everything starts.
âFor me, inspiration comes from a bunch of places - desperation, deadlines..â
Thereâs no denying that social media has transformed the way we interact with each other. But has this actually affected the way we speak and write English?
Language is an evolving thing. Itâs naive to think that the language of social media isnât having an effect on the way we use English in day-to-day life. Itâs more appropriate to consider just how much of an effect itâs having on the way we communicate.Â
I recalled on the multi-directional model of reading and writing, which what I understand from it is how speech and writing both have influenced each other. It is different from the unidirectional mode, where writing is influenced by speech.
With the digital age dawned upon us, I think social media has become a discourse in itself, and this discourse affects us everyday users.
Itâs an unconscious process, for example, how weâd accidentally say âI want to post a storyâ while we aim our phones to record our (appetizing) lunch of the day. Our friends know instantly what we mean - that we wanted to post a story in Instagram, they are users too (and most probably our most loyal Instagram followers). Thatâs how we are affected by social media discourse in our everyday communication. To defamiliarize it and let the conversation happen in pre-independence 1950s Malaya for example, âI want to post a storyâ - people wouldâve thought that maybe we want to send patriotic, anti-Malayan Union articles to the local newspaper. So time and context plays a major role in communication, and how our communication changes over time. Speech and writing have both influenced each other, it is present in everyday communicative acts be it verbal or in social media.
To recap, I have learned that there are 3 approaches to writing, which are product, process and genre approach. I have discussed on the product approach and how common it is in Malaysian classrooms, also the process approach and how it is more common in university studies. Now, I will move on to the genre approach, and how itâs interesting for me.
So, what is the genre approach?
A genre-based approach to writing instruction looks beyond subject content, composing processes and linguistic forms to see a text as attempts to communicate with readers. This approach is concerned with teaching learners how to use language patterns to accomplish coherent, purposeful prose writing.
Pardon me for the wordy visual there, but Iâd like to point out that the genre approach focuses more on how the writing is presented. Itâs different from the product approach (focuses on grammar accuracy) and the process approach (focuses on writing stages). The genre approach takes into account what the other two approaches didnât - the targeted audience. Who is this text written for? Does this text have a social function? So, the genre approach works in a way that it keeps in mind who are the potential readers for the writing product. This is where the imitation of style comes in - students are given a number sample texts to imitate, however these texts differ in writing style. One can be presented with newspaper clipping, then an academic essay in the text. Whatâs the purpose of showing the sample texts? Itâs to demonstrate the fact that different texts written for different purposes, have its distinctive features and formats.
These are the steps in the genre approach.
From the example above, it can be seen that the language features was paid close attention to. This genre is about discussion, so the language features present is what we would normally encounter in a discussion essay, such as the use of discourse markers and the clear sequencing of ideas. So these important details is what the genre approach pays attention to, by differentiating language features in different writing styles. And to understand the social purpose of writing, that different writing styles serves different purposes. Below are some of the examples of genre, and the characteristics present in the writings.
The genre approach is very uncommon and alien in Malaysian classrooms, similarly to the process approach. To find these writing approaches present in school workbooks, is not yet.. possible. Based on my experience, Iâve learned through the genre approach when I was in my university foundation course - it is in university only then I know that writing has its social purpose, and audience. To learn in the genre approach is particularly interesting, because it reflects speech as well - you have to take into account whoâs your audience, and use a certain approach to convey a certain meaning.
The genre approach makes writing purposeful again.
Collaboration. Communication. Critical thinking. Creativity. - Should be present in all classrooms. Joe Ruhl received his bachelors and masters degrees at Pu...
What I find most interesting in this TEDTalk is that he advocated for a classroom to be from teacher-centred, to a more student-centred environment. Also, a teacher acts as a guide, a coach. I think this is a particularly beneficial idea, similarly to how the process approach enables a writer-centric point of view. Meaning, they are not merely replicating a sample essay, but they are putting forth their own thoughts into their writing, all done in a series of stages. Itâs something to think about, teachers to be writing coaches.
In my previous post, Iâve written about how the product approach is used mainly in the Malaysian education system. Now Iâll move on to share my thoughts on the process approach in writing. I have to say, out of the 3 approaches taught in class, the process approach is the most ideal and versatile, in my opinion.
So what is the process approach to writing?
As the name implies, itâs the notion of writing as a process, going through several stages. These stages are often perceived as linear, however these stages are also dynamic - one can move from one stage to another, and go back to one - depends individually. With the notion of writing is rewriting, I think students can appreciate the work of writing itself, producing it is not easy. Also, in using the approach, they can discover what they want to say and add clarity to their writing, as they rewrite more.
Compared to the product approach, the process approach is unpopular in Malaysian classrooms. As a language major, I first begin to learn writing in the process approach when I started my university foundation course. I think it gets the unpopular reputation because of how time-consuming it is, teachers wouldnât have time to mark 4 drafts of 40 students in a single class (Malaysian classrooms are that big). I do think teachers missed a big opportunity to teach students in this way, it is more beneficial than merely replicating. By teaching students how to draft from scratch, theyâll be able to write in any context and setting.
In class, we have learned 3 different approaches in writing: we have the product, process and genre approach. These approaches are entirely different from each other, and I think the context which it is used for teaching, is also different depending on the learnerâs background. In this situation, I think the product approach is applicable to an intermediate, large sized class.
Basically, the product approach calls for replicating, not remaking. I think it evaluates to how the studentsâ product able to closely mimic the model - how closely did they get to mimic. It is the use of model sentences and texts for students to copy. Within the model composition, the teacher may ask the student to pay attention to the different parts of speech (tenses, discourse markers, conjunctions, etc). The main focus of the product approach is of course, grammatical accuracy.
I think this method of teaching writing is fairly common in the Malaysian education system. Students are given sample essays, which then the teacher may conduct extensive reading and controlled writing based on the text. Of course, this teaching method is mainly use to prepare students for national examination, like this case of an SPM writing module.
Since the product approach presents a model text, it can be seen that the model text here is clearly written - presented as a sample answer on how to tackle the question. When reading the sample essay, students are able to familiarize themselves to the question requirement and the passage context (i.e. terms used in environmental issues, which tense to use when writing a factual essay). With the teacher pointing out to those specific language features, it is after a few drills then they are asked to produce a composition to be of level to that sample essay.Â
In my opinion, this teaching method can be challenging to students who havenât got a good grasp in the language. However, this method can be proven useful to intermediate language users.
It is very important that the language in your novel reflects the time and place in which the story is set.
For example, my story is set in Italy. My characters would never âride shotgunâ, a term coined in US in the early 1900s referring to riding alongside the driver with a shotgun to gun bandits.Â
Do your research! A free tool that I found to be very useful is Ngram Viewer.Â
You can type any word and see when it started appearing in books. For exampleâŠone of my characters was going to say âgazillionâ (I write YA) in 1994. Was âgazillionâ used back then?
And the answer isâŠYES! It started trending in 1988 and was quite popular in 1994.
This is really important, especially because language can change in very unexpected ways.Â
For example, did you know that before 1986 people never said âI need toâ?Instead, they were far more likely to say âI ought toâ, âI have toâ, âI mustâ, or âI shouldâ.
Donât believe me?
Anyway, most people wonât notice subtle changes like that. But your reader will notice and be confused when characters in your medieval world use metaphors involving railroads and rockets.
One of the things you can do besides use Google Ngrams is to read books or watch movies written in the time period you want to set your story. The key here is that they canât just be set in that time period, they have to have been made in that time period.
Also, thereâs a Lexicon Valley episode on this very topic which I highly recommend. Itâs called Capturing the Past.Â
SEE ALSO Etymonline.  Word origins and when theyâre first recorded. So, say I wanted to find out when a âcoffee breakâ became a thing â around the 1950s, as seen in magazine adverts â or characters might talk about more genrallly âtaking a breakâ from the 1860sâŠ
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On an unrelated note, I find this video to be the most useful yet in learning how to read/recognize Hangul characters - something that has to be done first before understanding words and sentences - the way to use the bottom-up approach in reading Korean.
Who would best benefit from the bottom-up approach to reading?
In the previous post, Iâve discussed how the top-down approach is much suitable for university students when facing a tough journal article to crack. Now, Iâll get on to the bottom-up approach to reading, and how I think it will help foreign language learners.
Basically, the bottom-up approach (like how the name implies) starts from the bottom-up! It gets down to the most basic units in a sentence - which is the letters, creating the phoneme or sound, forming the word, then comprehending the sentence as a whole. Yes, it is much work - but thatâs how we first learn to read. We learn how to spell, pronounce, phrasing and understanding. Itâs a process thatâs long automated within us, which we didnât realize we do it everytime reading happens.
Getting back to my point, I think the bottom-up approach is the most useful for foreign language learners. To first recognize letters is especially important when it comes to tough languages such as Korean, Chinese, Russian - these languages have their own characters and phonemes, entirely different from English. I will take Korean to explain this case, as Iâve learned (a little bit of) Korean. Understanding a full sentence in Korean is hard because of two factors: (1) Giving the right sounds to the syllables, (2) The Korean sentence structure is subject-object-verb.
With that being said, can you imagine how to read Korean, without first recognizing the letters? It will be very hard, thatâs why it is especially important for foreign language learners. In class, Dr Ikhlas had simulated this situation by challenging us to read a Spanish storybook in class - I find the words to be hard to pronounce, this is because I havenât recognized the Spanish letters.
So, similarly, this case is applicable in trying to read Korean. This is where the bottom-up approach to reading will be most useful.
Which type of reading would be useful to university students?
Recalling the ways of reading learned in class - thereâs the Bottom-up and the Top-down Approach to reading. Both methods are very different, and I think itâs suitability also differs to the target learners.Â
If itâs the case of university students, I think the Top-down Approach to Reading is a much suitable method to apply during reading.
There are prominent features in top-down reading which I find applicable to university students (us):
Apply real-life, background knowledge
Make assumptions, draw questions
Find evidences to back up the assumptions
I also take into consideration that university students should have a proficient grasp in the language, so we should be able to be more active with the text - all the steps prescribed by the top-down reading approach. I think active, really means to interact with the text - even to the point of criticizing the authority of the text. To what extent is this text true, and not formed by external, inevitable biases?
Another way that helps us to engage with the text is by relating it with our background knowledge, something that we have experienced before. I think I would be able to understand a paper on syariah law regarding divorces, because on a personal level, it is a real-life experience with my family. It also keeps a text interesting, when I can relate to it in a sense of âOh, Iâve been through this before.â and it keeps us grounded in our identity and reality.
(More helpful graphics, cause my blog is very.. visual)
Here, Iâll try to recall again how we learned the top-down reading approach in reading a journal article, Campbell (1999). So, from here, I have no background knowledge in this field at all nor previous experiences. But I still can be actively interacting with this text by forming pre-reading and post-reading questions or assumptions. By looking at the title, I assumed it has to do with female survival, how females use aggression to survive - then Iâm getting somewhere.
Some of my assumptions are: (1) Women frequently use low-level violence like verbal ones, differ from men who have tendencies for high-level violence,
(2) How and when women use violence could differ in terms of society and culture, women are also victims of violence
"Freakonomics" author Steven Levitt presents new data on the finances of drug dealing. Contrary to popular myth, he says, being a street-corner crack dealer isn't lucrative: It pays below minimum wage. And your boss can kill you.
Recalling on my previous post, Prof. Levitt is a contemporary scholar with a flair of words. For me, he makes academia interesting again, and isnât such a heavy read or listen. He manages to convey in-depth knowledge using everyday language, thatâs just something to admire and even to practice in my writings.
In the first week of class, we were asked a simple question of âWho do you like?â, in terms of academia, of course. Is there any scholars that we find their writing to be particularly intriguing and engaging? I have to say, yes. And the answer will definitely be unexpected.
Since Iâm studying in the field of literature, so it would be expected to choose a scholar in the literature field. But as a personal opinion, I found a scholar from the field of Economics who caught my interest - a total deviation from my field. As I know nothing about economics, but âFreakonomicsâ (2005) is an entertaining read, the joined work of a journalist and an economist, Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt.
What makes this work really interesting is the language used, itâs economic analysis in laymanâs terms. Dubner recalled that first meeting Prof. Levitt in University of Chicago, that he spoke in plain, simple English - in contrast to any other economist he ever met. Levitt also claimed that he was hopeless in mathematics and uninterested in macroeconomics - he was particularly interested in the economics concept of âincentivesâ to be the cause of corruption, crime and cheating. This is the main idea conveyed in âFreakonomicsâ.
If I could quote from the book, it first starts with the simple premise of people cheat because of an incentive behind it. Then it draws in the question of: Why would a teacher cheat on a school testing standard?
Due to âhigh-stakes testingâ, it is an educational initiative in which if a school tests poorly, federal funding can be stopped and teachers can be fired. If a teacherâs students do well enough, the teacher is praised and may be promoted or rewarded with cash. At one point, California handed bonuses of $25,000Â to teachers producing high test-score gains. Thereâs just one problem: there was no system in place for detecting teacher cheating. A cheating teacher may tell herself that she is helping her students, but the fact is that she would appear far more concerned with helping herself. It was the teachers with low-scoring classrooms who were most likely to cheat. Eventually, the big cash bonuses were scrapped, classrooms with identified cheaters scored worse, that tells us something about the power of incentives.
It is then Freakonomics brings the question of incentives to a much, grander issue such as incentives affecting crime rates. Every now and then, I find it interesting that the book often uses simple examples to define an economic concept. Like the excerpt I chose above, itâs something new to know that an economic phenomenon is present in schools. There are a few more interesting anecdotes used, like how stealing bagels at the office is a form of cheating to get incentive. As someone with no background in economics, Stephen Dubner and Prof. Levitt makes an interesting read which relates economic phenomenon to human nature - and written in the simplest language.
 âMorality represents the way that people would like the world to work, economics represents how it actually does work.â
This reflects a lot on what I learned in class, the Process Approach to Writing. Writing goes through several stages, beginning from the gathering of ideas and ending with editing, revising. I remembered Alice Walkerâs short story that I learned, âEveryday Useâ. That short story left a memorable impact to me, on what I could remember how a tapestry could hold such significant, cultural meaning.
Getting back to the point, I think it is inspiring that great fiction writers, like Walker herself, thinks writing is a process. An enduring, long-term process. It is not only about correcting grammar, flow of ideas and spelling. It is much more of a self-discovery process. Our writing changes in time the way we do, itâs a process.
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