Proficiency hurdle

Arni Abdul Razak
New Straits Times
02-06-2005
Proficiency hurdle
Byline: Arni Abdul Razak
Edition: 2*

MALAYSIA is not the only country to implement a policy to teach Science and Mathematics in English. Many other non-English speaking countries have taken a similar approach and are showing encouraging results, writes ARNI ABDUL RAZAK.

SCIENCE and Mathematics teachers must be prepared to be language instructors as well, says British language education consultant Keith Kelly.
"The issue is not so much whether the policy to teach Science and Mathematics in English is right or wrong.

"Rather, it's for the teachers to realise that they have to take on more responsibilities including giving English lessons while teaching Science and Mathematics," says Kelly, who works for Science Across the World (SAW), a platform for teachers and students around the world to discuss topics on science.

Kelly, who is also an associate trainer at Norwich Institute for Language Education, was in Kuala Lumpur recently at the invitation of British Council Malaysia.

He concedes that teaching Science and Mathematics in a "foreign language" can be chaotic but it is not an impossible task.

Kelly explains that many non-English speaking countries have been conducting bilingual (sometimes multilingual) lessons in schools in an effort to get students to be more proficient in other languages including English.

Bulgaria, for instance, has been doing this for more than 50 years now.

Secondary students in Bulgaria learn Science not only in Bulgarian but also in French, Spanish and English. They are also required to take on preparatory lessons in different languages while learning Science.

"Some students there study 20 hours of English per week for one whole year. In fact, there is a policy in the European Union that students should have knowledge of three languages by the time they leave secondary school," says Kelly, who has a Bachelor's degree in French and Russian.

Kelly taught French and German in the United Kingdom in 1990 before moving on to Bulgaria. He has been there for the last 10 years.

The language education consultant also has a Master's degree in Education in English Language Teaching from the University of Manchester, Britain.

He is mainly interested in integrating content and language as a means of language education and co-founded FACTWorld (Forum for Across the Curriculum Teaching - www.factworld.info) to support teachers involved in this work.

While some Bulgarian school teachers are not proficient in the languages they use in class, they are propped by a strong support group.

Kelly says: "Admittedly, there are some teachers who teach in the mother tongue and they assist students by giving them a list of the vocabulary used. Sometimes, materials translated into English are provided.

"Teachers also help one another in Bulgaria. They have a strong network. There is a 'Teachers' Club' where members meet every Saturday afternoon to discuss a range of issues such as lesson materials and funding opportunities. It's a great way to improve their English.

A similar activity can be held in Malaysia, Kelly suggests.

Apart from networking with other local teachers, they can also take advantage of the Internet and join international support groups such as SAW (www.scienceacross.org) to participate in discussions with teachers and learners across the globe.

"I understand that there are Malaysian teachers who are struggling to teach Science and Mathematics in English. As much as I would like to suggest that they take a course in English, I know it's not realistic to get them to go for evening classes after a hectic day in class.

"Maybe they can get help from other teachers. Work with an English teacher to help produce materials for students. In Nothern Italy, this kind of buddy system is very popular. Occasionally, Science and English teachers would also have sessions with students together," he says.

In the Malaysian context, Kelly notes that teaching scripts prepared by the Education Ministry for Science lessons are "sufficient" for teachers to get by.

For now, only Form One teachers are provided with the scripts.

The Government can also start preparing scripts for the other secondary levels, he says.

"The Malaysian government wants its people to be proficient in English, especially since the language of Science, Mathematics and industry is predominantly English. Hence the idea to give lessons in English is good. We've just got to find ways to make it viable here," says Kelly.

The Education Ministry announced in July 2002 that Year One, Form One and Lower Six students in national schools are to learn the two subjects in English from 2003.

Last September, it was reported that students achieved better results in Science and Mathematics after switching to English.

Education Ministry parliamentary secretary P. Komala Devi told Parliament that Year One pupils on average scored 69.3 per cent for Science, 77.4 per cent for Mathematics and 77.7 per cent for English (based on a study conducted by the Ministry).

For Form One students, the average score for Science was 59.2 per cent, Mathematics (58.2 per cent) and English (61 per cent).

(Copyright 2005)