Monday, October 31, 2005

Relearning English in public schools

DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco, The Philippine Star

It is no secret that we are no longer as proficient in speaking and writing in English because over the last 20 years or so, public education has downgraded English instruction. There was this theory that using Pilipino as the medium of instruction would increase comprehension among other things and deliver better educated Pinoys.

Well, that didn’t happen. The crazy thing is, most of our regional neighbors were going the other way – emphasizing English instruction to better equip their people to compete in today’s globalized world. Even China and Vietnam, whose current regimes couldn’t be faulted for lacking a sense of nationalism, are investing on teaching their people how to speak and write in English. They often hire Filipino English teachers.

In China, there is a feverish effort to make even taxi drivers able to communicate in English. I was told during my recent visit to Shanghai, ability to communicate in English is necessary for taxi drivers to renew their driver’s license. This is probably in preparation for the Olympics. It is also because China is now visited by a large number of foreigners, tourists and investors, something made obvious by the nearly hour-long wait behind long immigration lines at the airport.

The waning of our English-speaking and writing skills couldn’t have come at the worst possible time. Thousands of our graduates remain unemployed and many are unemployable here or abroad because of, among others, inadequate English language skills. Thousands of good jobs requiring ability to communicate in English are unfilled, even as our unemployment rate remains high.

Last I heard, only three out of 10 applicants for call center and other back office jobs are hired because of this problem. Henry Schumacher of the European Chamber of Commerce was telling me of a project wherein they provide English language training for some of those rejects and manage to get a good number of them hired after.

As even our DepEd now admits, our problem is also rooted in lack of teachers. A high percentage of current teachers have poor English skills. That’s because the younger teachers are products of the Pilipino curriculum we have had until recently. The older Filipino English teachers have left to work in China, Thailand, US, Vietnam.

The need to train teachers is obvious. The American Chamber of Commerce, working together with the Makati Business Club and the Philippine Normal University had a pilot group of teachers trained by DynaEd, a computer based interactive language course. Now, I am told by Bambina Buenaventura that they have gone beyond training teachers and have actually gone into the classrooms in selected public schools.

Two of the actual classroom applications of the DynaEd system are sponsored by Philip Morris Philippines in Batangas and by Pilipinas Shell Foundation at the Zamora Elementary School in Pandacan, Manila. Beneficiaries of the Philip Morris project are their scholars and college students from Lyceum of Batangas, Lipa City Colleges & Christian College of Tanauan.

The one from Pilipinas Shell Foundation benefits the Teachers‚ SPEECH (Specialized English Enhancement Course for High School and Elementary Teachers) Program. The beauty of the DynaEd system is that our public school teachers and students get trained not just in English proficiency but also in the use of computers as a multi-media teaching tool.

Incidentally, the DynaEd system also works in the workplace environment. Some corporations have actually started training programs for their employees to gain English proficiency as a tool to improve productivity. Solid Cement Philippines and PHINMA are examples of companies that used the DynaEd system for training their employees.

I imagine there are other systems that can be used to quickly upgrade the English language skills of our young people. There are those who say that preparing students for future jobs shouldn’t be the main concern of education. But then, we don’t have the luxury of educating our people for education’s sake. After going through our educational system, they have to already possess the skills needed for them to land jobs here or abroad.

Even those who seek employment as nurses, or even those who want to work as sailors, need to have better English language skills than the typical high school or college graduate now have. The time may soon come when China, Vietnam and other Asean countries would have better English language proficiency than us. We need to work overtime to regain our historical head start in this area.

The problem now seems too daunting. But if individual companies or groups adopt schools or classes the way Philip Morris and Shell did, the combined effort would yield a better result than if we just waited for government to get its act together in the public schools. Special programs for the currently unemployed would also help them improve their chances of landing a job. Language training is an area ripe for companies to take on as part of their corporate social responsibility projects.

Of course language skills are but one of the skills we need to invest on. But it is a very good place to start.
=======================
A real 8th Grade test from 1895
GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc
The Philippine Star 10/31/2005

Remember how our grandparents said they only had up to 8th Grade education from the Americans before the War? Yet they always seemed a lot smarter than us when we were in high school or college. Know why?

This is a real 8th Grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, Kansas, picked up from files at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library. The Thomasites – American teachers whose first batch of 48 arrived in Manila in Aug. 1901 aboard the U.S. transport ship Thomas – must have used similar exams on our grandparents. Except for the U.S. history part of the test, you might remember your lolo and lola mentioning these items learned from public schools that the U.S. Army set up during the Occupation. No wonder they were qualified to teach after graduating from 8th Grade. And wonder too how today’s college grads would score on this:

Grammar (Time: 1 hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of capital letters.

2. Name the parts of speech and define those that have no modifications.

3. Define verse, stanza and paragraph.

4. What are the principal parts of a verb? Give principal parts of "lie", "play", and "run".

5. Define case; illustrate each case.

6. What is punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of punctuation.

7-10. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time: 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft. deep, 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts per bushel, deducting 1050 lbs. for tare?

4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find the cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance of which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U.S. History (Time: 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U.S. History is divided.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus.

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time: 1 hour)

1. What is meant by the following: alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: trigraph, subvocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals.

4. Give four substitutes for caret ‘u’.

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final ‘e’. Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup.

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication. * * *
Incidentally, our Department of Education presently is under a secretary who has yet to be confirmed. Our Commission on Higher has a chairman who is but an officer-in-charge. Only 6 out of every 1,000 Grade 6 elementary graduates are prepared for high school. Only 2 of every 100 4th Year high school graduates are fit to enter college. Filipino students rank 41st in Science and 42nd in Math among 45 countries. Only 19 of every 100 public school teachers have confidence and competence to teach English. * * *
E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail.com

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

I definitely don't have all the answers Winsome, but I know that as long as people keep sharing ideas like this, the truth will eventually make a difference somewhere and hopefully make the world a better place to live in. I've been looking for independent immigration to canada info and news - yeah I know I should probably get a life, but there's just something about independent immigration to canada that gets me thinking of better times.

Your post about this post was a good read compared to a lot of the other stuff that's out there! Keep up the good work, I will definitely swing by again soon.

Anonymous said...

Hey Winsome,

Your blog "this post", leads me to believe you will find my information on CLEP to be very beneficial.

We have many hundreds of study prep guides and aids to help you pass your exams without weeks and months of endless studying. Come over now and have a look for yourself ... you have nothing to loose but everything to gain!

Best Wishes
Emily

Anonymous said...

I am actually grateful to the owner of this web
page who has shared this wonderful piece of writing at here.
Also see my page: best forex trading system

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.001casino.com/]casino online[/url] hinder the latest [url=http://www.realcazinoz.com/]online casinos[/url] manumitted no deposit bonus at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]baywatch casino
[/url].

Anonymous said...

Hello there, You have done a fantastic job. I'll definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am confident they will be benefited from this website.
Also see my page - online it jobs work from home

Anonymous said...

I thinκ this is one of the most significant infο for me.
And i'm glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers
Also see my website: loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

When I originally left a comment I appear to have clicked
the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on every time a comment
is added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment.
Perhaps there is a way you can remove me from that service?
Kudos!
My site > part time online jobs from home

Anonymous said...

WOW just what I was looking for. Came here by searching for online work from home
My web blog ; legitimate work from home online jobs

Anonymous said...

Hello! I know this is kinda off topic however I'd figured I'd ask.
Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe guest writing
a blog article or vice-versa? My blog addresses a lot of
the same topics as yours and I believe we could greatly benefit from
each other. If you happen to be interested feel free to send me an e-mail.
I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the
way!
Feel free to visit my web blog free online games casino slots no download

Anonymous said...

Fоr hottеst neωs yοu have to viѕit the ωeb
and on wогlԁ-ωide-web Ι founԁ this web ѕitе аs
a finest websіtе fоr moѕt
гecent upԁatеs.

my ωebpagе: Very Cheap Car Insurance

Anonymous said...

When I initially commented I appear to hаve clicked on thе -Notify me ωhen
new comments аre adԁeԁ- cheсkbox and from nοw on whenever
a comment is adԁed I get 4 emailѕ wіth thе sаme comment.
There has to be a means you are ablе to removе
me from that service? Thanks!

Here is my blog pоst :: Eternity rings

Anonymous said...

What's up to all, how is all, I think every one is getting more from this web site, and your views are pleasant in support of new visitors.

Here is my homepage: http://freespins.forumotion.com

Anonymous said...

Supeгb website you hаve here but I ωas wоndering іf
you kneω of any user discussion forums that соvеr the same toρics discusseԁ herе?
I'd really like to be a part of online community where I can get opinions from other knowledgeable individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Cheers!

Here is my web blog - household insurance

Anonymous said...

I think this is one of the most vital information for me.
And i am glad reading your article. But want to
remark on few general things, The web site style is wonderful,
the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers

Look at my web page :: online poker ocean
Also see my website - Onlinepokerbonuscenter.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Very good website you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any user discussion forums that cover the same topics talked about in this
article? I'd really like to be a part of online community where I can get comments from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Bless you!

Here is my page; HTTP://Freespins.Forumr.net

Anonymous said...

Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis.
It's always interesting to read through articles from other writers and use a little something from other web sites.

My blog - online casino ohne einzahlung

Anonymous said...

Hi, after reading this amazing piece of writing i am too happy to share my knowledge here with mates.


Feel free to visit my web site :: netent casino no deposit bonuses

Anonymous said...

Hi there everybody, here every person is sharing these
kinds of knowledge, thus it's good to read this webpage, and I used to pay a visit this blog daily.

Feel free to surf to my site no deposit casinos accepting us players

Anonymous said...

You асtuallу makе it sеem гeallу easy togеther with уоur preѕentation but Ι
find this tοpіc to be aсtually оne thing ωhich Ι thіnk I'd never understand. It sort of feels too complicated and very broad for me. I'm taking
a look forward in your next ρut uρ,
I will try to get thе grasр of it!


Review my web рagе :: health insurance quotes online compare

Anonymous said...

What a informatiοn of un-ambiguity аnd pгeserveness of vаluable knoωledge
about unexpeсted feеlіngs.


Looκ into my page; Www.Smr.Don-Benjamin.Co.Uk

Anonymous said...

Hi theге, I believe уοur blog сould be having web bгowsеr compatibility issues.
Wheneνеr Ӏ loοk at your web sіtе
in Ѕafari, it loоkѕ fіne however, if opеning іn Internet Exρloгeг, it has some
overlapρing іssues. I merelу wantеd to provide you with a quick heads uρ!

Βesіdes thаt, great ωebsіte!


Feеl fгee to vіsit my wеb ρagе :: 1daycarinsurancecheap.soup.Io

Anonymous said...

Ι ԁelight in, result in I found just what I was tаking a look fοr.
You have enԁed mу 4 daу long hunt!
God Bless you man. Have a nice day. Bye

My page :: Click On this page

Anonymous said...

I will immediately seize your rss as I can't find your e-mail subscription link or newsletter service. Do you've any?
Please let me understand so that I may just subscribe.
Thanks.

Here is my blog post :: free bulk mail service

Anonymous said...

Does your blog have a contact page? I'm having problems locating it but, I'd like to send you
an email. I've got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it develop over time.

Here is my web page :: How to correctly detect an aimbot

Anonymous said...

I truly love your site.. Excellent colors & theme.
Did you develop this site yourself? Please reply back as I'm planning to create my own blog and would love to learn where you got this from or what the theme is called. Cheers!

Also visit my web blog ... Http://www.greenscoffeee.Com

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this. I'm a blogger coming from Consuma, Italia and what I just read here on blogger.com couldn't
be written any better. Reading through this information reminds me of my
past roomie, Candace. He persistently kept preaching about this.
I will definitely send this information to him. Pretty
sure he will have a good time reading this.
I appreciate you for revealing this.

Take a look at my website :: debra

Anonymous said...

Incredible information in this article. I'm Tobias from La Ciotat, France and I am so glad to have seen this blog. Actually, I'd love
to get in touch with you. Will you make sure you drop
me a e-mai?

Feel free to surf to my page: glastonbury

Anonymous said...

Hey I am so thrilled I found your weblog, I really
found you by error, while I was browsing on Bing for something else, Nonetheless I am here
now and would just like to say kudos for a fantastic post and a all round
entertaining blog (I also love the theme/design), I don't have time to read through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read a great deal more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.

my blog post - password hacking

Anonymous said...

PSN Cards 50$ free

Have a look at my blog post - PSN Code Card 100$

Anonymous said...

Hello! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a team of
volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same
niche. Your blog provided us useful information to work on.
You have done a wonderful job!

My weblog: castlevilee

Anonymous said...

Very nice article, just what I needed.

Here is my homepage - castle ville bot

Anonymous said...

This doesn't really have to do with the topic at hand, but I wanna ask if you might know where I could download a decent captcha plugin that I could use on my blog?? I'm implementing the same blog ѕyѕtem аѕ you and
I'm having trouble locating one?

Here is my website ... 6795

Anonymous said...

You are so awesome! I don't believe I have read something like this before. So good to discover somebody with a few genuine thoughts on this subject. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is something that is needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality!

my web blog psn code generator

Anonymous said...

Hеllο, ӏ enjoу гeаding thгough уour аrtісle pοst.
I wanted to wrіtе а littlе commеnt to support you.



Нere is mу web site; hcg diet

Anonymous said...

Ηence, Samsung aгe рreparing to plunge intо the shallow depthѕ οf Аndrοid with
the samsung galaxy Apollo.
Pop Uρ Note alloωs уοu to choose
either a pay as you go and Sim fгеe deal.
0 nicknamed" Ice Cream Sandwich platform so in terms of performance speed there is very little to choose between the 4. 7's numbers are too disparate for us to call this an encore performance, it's safe to assume Visa is talking about the samsung galaxy Tab, you're [.

Anonymous said...

Let me introduce you all to this wonderful product named http:
//www.sharecash-bypass.tk Ubers AIO Downloader.

You guys might be thinking that what this tool is doing on a Sharecash Downloader website and
that this is all different, well, but no. After successfully running Sharecash Downloader of mine for 2-3
months, I decided to make something more unique and useful to
you guys, so I came up with my AIO Downloader. The speciality of this downloader
is that it downloads almost from all file-hosters along with
Sharecash, Fileace and Dengee.

yanmaneee said...

russell westbrook shoes
kobe shoes
cheap jordans
kyrie irving shoes
nike sneakers for men
curry 6 shoes
louboutin shoes
yeezys
balenciaga triple s
nike air max

Anonymous said...

e6p90i9k37 j4h77q9l85 y5z61v0s76 j4c06p7c45 e0o85n3k21 b4l66p7v95