Gender in the Classroom
March 18, 2014
A few students had recently brought up the topic of boys’ underachievement in education, particularly the role of feminism in contributing to the issue. Many studies have found that other factors, such as ethnicity and social class, have a more significant impact on educational attainment than gender, and while the debate about this is very …
Can studying in a second language be an advantage?
March 10, 2014
The most recent episode of the Freakonomics podcast was about language learning, and featured an interview with Chicago psychology Professor, Boaz Keysar. He recently published a paper with some surprising results. Keysar and his team tested students for decision making bias, in the students’ first and second language, and found that when students are using …
Pushing the envelope
February 25, 2014
In Michael Rosen‘s recent book, he talks about how he was taught to address envelopes when he was a schoolboy in the 50s and 60s. He describes in great deal the care that had to be taken with the placement of commas, the alignment of the text, and the fact that it was obligatory to end a man’s (not …
CEFR on Malaysian shores
February 13, 2014
The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) is widely used in Europe to describe language proficiency. CELE tutor, Salomy Krishna, recently attended a symposium to discuss whether it should be implemented in Malaysia. Below are her thoughts. In its ongoing efforts to transform language education in Malaysia, the Ministry of Education has over the years implemented many changes, some controversial …
The Essentiality of Reading
February 3, 2014
CELE Tutor Yan Lai Peen reflects on the value, importance and enjoyment of extensive reading The mention of books and reading evokes one of these emotions – excitement, dread, or nonchalance – depending on who we are and how we grew up. As I grew up in a house where the television set was dominated …
Critical Thinking: State of the Union (Malaysia)
January 9, 2014
One of the CELE tutors, Wong Yao Hing, examines the teaching of critical thinking, and its place in education. Inculcating the ability of students to think critically has always been a weak link in the system of education that is practised in Malaysia. In the recently released Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025, the Ministry of Education …
A Vicious Cycle (Part Two)
December 3, 2013
Yan Lai Peen continues her discussion of the Human Capital that a sound knowledge of English can provide In the last blog post, I wrote about the necessity of knowing when to use standard grammar as an educator and asserted that an educational institution is where students acquire linguistic capital, especially if it is a …
A Vicious Cycle
November 13, 2013
One of the CELE staff teaching , Yan Lai Peen reflects on the teaching of English in Malaysia, and the human capital it can provide…….. In the previous blog entry, the writer considers the gaps in the recent EF English Proficiency Index, in which Malaysia ranks 11th in the world. However, merely two months ago, …
Reading Between the Headlines and Getting the Plot (Part 2)
October 18, 2013
In my previous blog post, I had emphasised that being effective readers requires more than merely understanding words – the ability to identify the writer’s implicit beliefs and bias is also very important. I once read an article in the “women’s section” of a local newspaper where the writer stated as fact that women “always …
Taking part in discussions
October 9, 2013
Some students find it difficult to take part in discussions, especially in English, and especially about complicated subjects. However, discussion is like many things, the more you put in, the more you get out. Below are some tips from the CELE senior tutor, Melissa Yoong, about what to do if this applies to you 1. …