MY EXPERIENCE TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE

I taught in SM Ayer Hitam for two and a half years ,then in 1983, I asked for a transfer to SM Tunku Bendahara Kodiang. I was thinking that I might see different problems handling students in Kodiang ,thinking that they were better than students in my previous school. Day by day....things were the same.....My english was deteriorating....I myself couldn't speak fluently,I lost much of my vocabulary....Why not....I had to lower my standard of English using simple words...constructing simple English...using short sentences...and dare not attempt to use bombastic words at all..It seemed that we teachers could only speak English with teachers teaching the language..In the staffroom...we seldom have the chance to   use the language thinking that others might say we  do not want to join them. So...we use English in our classroom...little did we get the response back in English even though we tried very hard.

In 1980s an 90s, the PMR students would have to undergo their oral examination, and the oral examiners were from other schools. In 1985,I was sent to SM Ayer Hitam again as an oral examiner. My partner was from Alor Setar. For the examination,students were asked to read a passage...then answer comprehension questions.After that the examiner would ask a question and the candidate had to response to it. The examination would take two or three days depending on the number of candidates in that particular school.Usually only fifty candidates would face the exam each day...

On the first day...we were given 5 questions on a selected topic. The sixth candidate would be answering the same question as the first candidate...One of the question I remembered was:-


Examiner: What do you always do in the afternoon?....
Candidate:- I play football this afternoon...

The the next day there were another five questions that we should ask the candidates.The first candidate confidently entered the room ,smiling away...greeting us the examiners. We asked him to sit and asked him to read, then asked  comprehension questions. Then we asked him a personal question.....

Examiner:- What would you do if you are give 10,000 dollars?
Candidate:- I play football this afternoon....

We, the examiners were wondering whether he was going to use the money buying everything that he needed to play football....but when we asked him again...twisting the question, making it simpler.....

Examiner:- Ok.....someone gives you 10,000 dollars...what are you going to do with the money ?
Candidate:- I play football this afternoon...

Then  we thanked him and he walked out smiling...We discussed the answer and  felt that we should award some marks for his attempt.....On the way back,we met a few of them and they were happily dsicussing the questions that the got,and I overheard a student saying in Malay.." Aku dapat soalan hang kemarin"...( I got the question you told me yesterday).


So,from there I knew that they misunderstood the question and when they answered ,they did the same thing as their friend did the day before. It means that they answered questions by memorizing,and not understanding the questions.

Nowadays.....the oral examination is done school-based...so we know our students' knowledge of English...