Thursday, April 24, 2008
On my way to work, I was thinking. How would u determine whether one's level of English-good/bad/passable etc?
If we were to judge based on how many bombastic words used, it wont be accurate would it? I mean, sure it would make an essay look impressive, but anyone can start memorizing those words and dump them all into an essay.
Or do we judge on a person's way of thinking? Focusing on one's organizing of thoughts and ideas rather than the vocabulary used? But if we were to determine it like this, are we judging the person's flow of thoughts, critical thinking skills, maturity level, analytical skills or the level of English?
More often than not, we are reminded by our English teachers to keep our essays simple and straightforward. As long as we can be successful in putting our ideas across to readers, we are rewarded with high marks.
In primary school, we are tested for our grammer, vocabulary, understanding of passages etc. As we grow older and enter secondary school/JC, there's this focus on thought processes and general knowledge. You are awarded marks according to your train of thoughts and personal opinions more than according to the number of bombastic words into your essay. AQ and essay are good examples. You are only awarded a mere 5 marks out of about 90 marks for GP on vocab. And probably a few more marks(max 10 in total?) in the comprehension section.
My cousin in Hwa Chong Institution, reads 'The Straits Times' everyday, picking out 5 vocab words and memorising their definitions etc. However he is still unable to score for English because he can't pen it down. There is no coherent flow in his essay. So how would we rate his level of English?
In Primary and Secondary School, there are oral examinations where we are tested on conversational skills to determine if we have a good command of English. But we don't have such practices in JC. So does it mean that as long as we can write well and organise our thoughts on paper, we are considered to be good in English?
People living in countries like America and England-where English is their mother tongue speak the language every day . However, it can' t be argued that their English is good. Statistic has shown that 6% of Americans aged 16-18, 11% of Americans aged 19-24 and 28% of Americans aged 25-38 are illiterate. (
http://nces.ed.gov/NAAL/PDF/2006470_1.PDF)
Also see:
www.cie.org.uk/docs/dynamic/18894.pdf
My point is, are there lope holes in the education system? What is the best way to determine a person's command of the English language?
we're so super cute :D
>9:39 PM
