Special Project from Beddewela Maha Vidyalaya

Teaching and learning English :

KC Kulathilaka In-service Adviser (English) Mawanella Education Zone

Education in its general sense is a form of learning in which knowledge, skills, and habits of a group of people are transferred from one generation to the next through teaching, training, research, or simply through autodidacticism. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels or acts.

Thus education is a mode of delivery of knowledge, skills, and information from teachers to students or through autodidact.

History of language learning goes as far back as prehistoric age. The language for oral communication paved the way for people in the history to achieve numerous goals, which lead to the betterment of mankind. Among the languages mostly used in the world, English undoubtedly occupies a prominent place. We, as a nation, can never deviate from the necessity of using English in every aspect of life. English language learning has been taking a number of positions in the school curriculum from time to time, thus a number of methodologies have been put into practice. Still, is English an asset of the elite, remains unanswered.

Government's steps

As the above remains an issue further, the special initiative taken by President, Mahinda Rajapaksa to “nationalize” English, was an eye-opener to the most of the parts of education sector in the context of English language learning and teaching. It indispensably addressed many from top to bottom in the system.

“Speak English Our Way” and “English As a Life Skill” are the names given to the initiative and a number of steps were taken and being taken to improve the English Speaking skill of the students in Sri Lanka.

This programme could inspire mainly the rural community and the need to language learning, which once had become an “untouchable” among rural students, started touching their heart strings. The need sprang from themselves and the teachers of English in Sri Lanka could not help of taking some measures to overcome this problem.

Project

English Speaking Improvement Project which is now underway at Beddewela Maha Vidyalaya, Mawanella is one such answer to quench the English language learning thirst of the innocent students in the suburbs of Beddewela, which is found on Mawanella-Rambukkana road, 6 kilometre away from Mawanella town.

The three English teachers Nimal Bandara, Jayantha Kumarasiri and Chandrika Nawaratne are the key figures in the initiative, who were totally inspired by the field visit to Ketawala Kanista Vidyalaya, Mawathagama, Kurunegala, where Wilbert Ranasinghe alias “Apuru Iskole Mahaththaya”is the teacher of English. The field trip was organized by this writer and the A.D.E.(English) in the Mawanella Education Zone and the primary purpose of they being taken on this visit was to give them a first hand experience as to how Wilbert Ranasinghe has broken the shackles of

English Language teaching and the wonder of the students’ handling language. These three figures of Beddewela MV designed the whole scenario post of the visit, in collaboration with the Principal, the Deputy Principal, Non-English teachers, parents of the grade 6,7,8 students (the target group) and the Zonal Educational Authorities.

The programme was launched on January 16, 2012 and since then they have been conducting the learning sessions every weekday from 5.30 am to 7.25 am.

English teaching and learning

The current allocation for English language learning and teaching in a school system is a 40 minute period a day and it will not help much was one factor we found out during the visit to Ketawela KV. However, it was found out that an extra time has to be reserved for a better improvement of speaking within the students.

Accordingly, it was decided and agreed, with a great sense of commitment and dedication, that the three key figures of the project, who are to operate in the most sensitive grass root level took up the challenge and the programme has been running for the last 10 month.

All the basic infrastructure facilities have been made available through the painstaking efforts of the Beddewela Maha Vidyalaya’s academic and non-academic staff. They ensure very collaboratively, that all the facilities are up to date and the morning duties that had been assigned to the students of the relevant grades have now been taken by the parents, who are very much keen on their loving children being seen among glittering objects in future sky.

The initial arrangements in the context of language teaching and learning were made according to a unique model of the teachers themselves introducing basic sentence patterns, one per day and the particular pattern was constantly drilled right throughout. The significance of the patterns initially selected for drilling were found to be very easy by the students and they, thereby, started losing stage-fright.

A wonderful confidence has been built within the students by now and it plays a vital role in expressing themselves using English language. It is evidently true that the confidence pushes them forward to use the language. The number of patterns is gradually increased and within the period of 10 months, their acquisition skill is in a very appreciative level.

In addition to the pattern drilling process, at the completion of about four months of the project, the methodology was slightly changed getting the students to assemble in three different places at 5.30 am till 6.00 am in three groups. One group consists of almost an equal number representing the three grades (grade 6,7,8,). Their task is to present some speeches on given topics and the rest has to comment on the speeches made by their colleagues. This method soon became very popular among the students and they seemed to come out as freely as possible.

The students have really been enjoying this method and it is utterly student-based. The three teachers observe the on-going class work and they intervene only when it is necessary to do so. The needs to explore the language spring up from the students themselves and it creates a condition where the student has to find some facts for their speeches even after school hours. The learners are, thereby, compelled to immerse in the language and it paves the way to expose themselves to a wide range of vocabulary.

At 6.00 am, the common class is taken up by the three teachers and currently what they do is to create as many situations as possible, where the students effortlessly come out. The students’ age factor is effectively made use by the teachers in the common class. At the age of 11,12,13 years, the students have a natural tendency to fight and argue with each other and they are more and more gender bias. Once the class is divided into two as boys and girls, even the weaker ones (slow learners) develop a tendency to say something.

A great opportunity to practice through this method is widely open to all and the students seem to reap the most during this session. Very sensitive and interesting topics are put in place by the teachers and it has been now found out that creating learning situations is a very effective way to improve a language skill within the learners of this age.

The most important factor to be reckoned in this regard is the untiring effort and the painstaking nature of the teacher and it is undoubtedly the secret behind success. And also, it is so much vital to deviate from the conventional attitude that the rural students do not possess a proper socio-economic background and thereby the students are rather backward in language acquisition. Almost all the students have a certain amount of acquiring skill which we do not sometimes, try to take out.

All the traditional ideologies like students’ parents do not back them up and they are not knowledgeable have now been made false. In this project, no student is of a parent who is believed to hold so-called top-ranking positions in the society. The students and the parents set off their places as early as 4.45 a.m.-5.00 a.m. and this is a commitment that will bring in a bright future for them. Any parent would love to see their children going at least a single step beyond they have ended up.

Effort of the teachers

Several matters are precise in this effort in Beddawela Maha Vidyalaya. The prominent among them is the untiring effort of the teachers who have changed themselves remarkably after the Ketawala K.V exposure. The other key factor is the most positive attitude and the fullest cooperation extended by the Principal, vice principal and the other staff members in the school.

The parents too still maintain a quite a strong grip in contributing to the process by doing the morning cleaning work on their children’s behalf and accompanying them to the school so early in the morning.

Zonal authorities are extending a vital assistance to smooth functioning of the project by visiting the school whenever possible. These three teachers are carrying out this while learning through their own activities. They always do, reflect, re-plan and re-do. Sometimes there are occasions where their flaws are felt by themselves but soon it could be repaired and the project wheels on. Therefore, this effort has already been produced results and the most strenuous part of the whole scenario is now over as the students have reasonably come forward avoiding the stage fright. It is highly confirmed that nothing but the teachers’ untiring effort mingled with a change in their attitudes from the most conventional to a more independent way of approach, is the key factor.

Wonders can be brought in with regard to English language teaching and learning, only if we are ready to change.

The Beddawela Maha Vidyalaya’s English language improvement project has set an undeniable example for the whole English teacher community as to how the students can be prepared to use the language in their authentic situations, which is still believed to be untouchable.