|
|
 Home  Latest News VOA Interview: Bangladesh EFL teachers
|
VOA Interview: Bangladesh EFL teachers |
|
|
|
Teachers from Bangladesh and India participated in a five week intensive English Language Institute conducted at Hamline University and neighboring middle schools in Minnesota, USA. During the final week of their trip, they visited Washington and discussed their experience with the Bangla Service of the Voice of America. This is the transcript of interviews with teachers from Bangladesh. The interviews are also available online in Real Audio and MP3 formats.
Masuda: We have been here on 21 April, and this is a six week long training and cultural exchange program. We are thirty teachers in total: fourteen from Bangladesh and sixteen from India. In the first week we got theoretical knowledge at the Hamline University on teaching English as a foreign language. Then we have visited some schools. We also were working under the shadow teachers. In schools, we have been to classes, seen their learning environment: how they are teaching, the class situation and the differences. Then we came back to Hamline University to discuss about our findings. When we were working under the work shadow teachers, we were staying with the host families. While with the host families, we shared many things including cultures.
Interviewer: Rajaram Pal Chowdhury, you are also participating in this same program. Can you please tell us how you have been benefited through this program?
Rajaram: In a word, we have benefited a lot. We can use the methods of language teaching that we have learned here in my country. Though our classroom situation is different, but we have learned how to apply these principles without the teaching aids.
Interviewer: Can you please give us an example?
Rajaram: Yes, I can. We have learned the use of authentic material. Application of authentic material is very easy. Teachers and students get benefits through the use of authentic material.
Interviewer: What do you mean "authentic material"?
Rajaram: Appropriate indicator of learning/teaching methodology that must be related with the text book. For example, if we take the news about environmental pollution, deforestation from the newspaper or magazine, then they will be more enthusiastic and they can study it again and again and in that way, language learning will be more effective.
Interviewer: Lutfanessa, you are teaching at a Madrassa in Bangladesh -- where is it located?
 Lutfanessa: It is the Kalayanpur Hakimia Dhakhil Madrassa, seven kilometers from Rajbari.
Interviewer: What do you think how this program you are on will benefit your profession as a teacher in the madrasa?
Lutfunessa: Definitely I'll be benefited, because there is not much difference between the teachings of communicative English in middle schools versus madrassas. The objective of the communicative English is to gain mastery in fours areas - speaking, listening, writing, and reading. Through this training we have acquired skills in these areas, especially in speaking and listening. I think that if I use these methodologies that I have learned here, I'm sure that I will make a good contribution in language learning for students in my class. To do this, I think my madrassa situation is very good, because the madrassa education is being modernized. Apart from teaching and learning Arabic, we also have science, English and math classes, the same as in a high school. Therefore, I think that this training is as effective as for teachers in high schools.
Interviewer: Among students in Bangladesh, especially in Bengali medium schools, there is a common problem in speaking in English. They can read, but they have difficulty in speaking. Masuda Khatun, can you tell us how you can address this challenge?
Masuda: Actually, the problem is with our assessment system. We just assess their writing and reading skills.
Interviewer: We just stress on reading and writing?
Masuda: We don't have any assessment for speaking.
Interviewer: For speaking?
 Masuda: Yes, in classes, we can't motivate them because they don't get any mark in speaking in examination. I feel like we should add speaking [in the assessment]. Listening is very important. Because when we listen, we learn -- especially in language learning. Another thing is that we have been using communicative approach for ten years, but our teachers are the product of the [tradiational] translation/grammar method... We don't have enough training/idea how to make the class learner-centered. However, I have learned how to make the class learner-centered, and how to make students more responsible, how to give tasks to students, how to interact with them. I think if I can apply these methods, my students can do better [in language learning].
Interviewer: Mr. Chowdhury, would you like to add something to Masuda's...
Rajaram: I just wanted to add that in my country, we have few opportunities to speak English outside the classroom. The teachers and the parents will have to take the lead in this case. I mean we have to give up grammar/translation method and turn to situational English method. For example: you are buying a train ticket -- what kind of English do you need to use, what kind of conversation do you use in this case? In that way, speaking English will be improved. Outside the classroom, if we ask students to practices English outside the classrooms and also if we ask the parents to practice English speaking with their kids, the students will be benefited. Because there is little chance to speak in English in the classroom situation. Our text book on communicative English is very good, but in Bangladesh there are few teachers who know how to apply this communicative English. I think that if the teachers are trained on effective teaching using the text book on the communicative English, by turns, the students will be benefited.
Interviewer: Lutfanessa, you have been staying in the US for six weeks, and have observed and learned the types, techniques and style of teaching. Have you seen anything that you could use in your class on retuning home?
Lutfunessa: Yes, I have seen some techniques and methods that you can use in classes by yourselves even without any use of technology if you do it carefully and honestly.
Interviewer: For example?
Lutfanessa: For example, KWL [Know-Want-Learn Method]. If you want to apply this method, you need to appreciate what the kids already know and then what they want to know -- you can find out through their questions. Then, they can learn through my answers. Based on their questions and knowledge, I will teach them. I can use my lectures, authentic materials, even sometimes I can use gestures, after that, I will evaluate how much they have learned through my activities. That is, we have to learn about the knowledge kids already have, then we have to explore what they want to learn. After that, I can assist the kids to learn. There are other activities such as the jig-saw activity which students can share with each other. In this method, one child knows something about a topic, and another child knows another aspect of the same topic, and they can combine their knowledge and learn by exchanging their knowledge. We can use these techniques, I believe, without aid of any material.
Interviewer: Lutfanessa, thanks very much. Masuda Khatun, Rajamram Pal Chowdhury thank you for coming to our studio. Thanks very much...
|
|
|