Few days ago, I attended a briefing on PPSMI*. Even though PPSMI has been implemented for many years by now, the same few problems keep on recurring and remain unresolved. Among the issues are-- many PPSMI teachers are not fluent in the English language, many students are facing difficulty communicating using the English language, BISP (monetary incentive) was not used to improve one's standard of English and so on.While some people may not like to hear criticisms, the undeniable fact is that, there is no quick fix to all these problems. Have we been too simplistic** at the initial implementation stage of PPSMI? If so, we need to be very critical and take very positive, realistic and concrete steps to rectify and straighten whatever kinks, tangles or even challenging knots that have entrapped PPSMI situations for too long. And please, no further simplistic solutions or quick fixes will help. Before I end this article, let me offer my 5 cents worth of opinion to PPSMI coordinators or advisors --please use the English language as the first and most important step towards convincing others to do so.
*PPSMI - Teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English
Wiktionary:
**Simplistic - Overly simple. In a manner that simplifies the issue to a degree where many important details are lost
3 comments:
As a parent having children in primary school, I'm positive that PPSMI do play an mportant role in improving my children command of English. They learn science and maths at one go - with english as the medium. And for the teachers who are still not fluent in English, please use the BISP to improve yourself. Afterall, the incentive is meant to upgrade yourself. Take english tuition for instance. Don't put the children's future at stake.
In my view, some teachers were very self-conscious of their English proficiency. They were not comfortable with their pronunciation and their constant fear of using the wrong words. The inability of the teachers to converse in English with their pupils had adverse effects on the teacher-students relationship.
Siva, you are right. One reason why babies can learn faster than adults is that they do not know what is fear or shy or embarrassment.
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