Lobo's Lessons

When one mentions the R word (research), a lot of people get images of people in lab coats holding test-tubes, or a formal interview at a plush office, sipping tea or coffee made by the secretary of the CEO being interviewed. Well, there is that... Yes... but there is also much, much more. Today's research session can attest to that. Let me explain. Today was a tough day. Deadlines galore. I had a teaching session that I had to prepare for. I had to actual teaching session itself. Then I had a meeting about a book that I was copy-editing (to be published in Bangladesh by the way) which was the followup to the 4 hour meeting that I had yesterday. And then there was a going-away party for a few friends who were leaving the country to do research in more exotic shores. Which was really enjoyable by the way. Good food good company. Good singing. A good time. But it was good to be able to drive home and think about spending the night with the family. I reached ho...

I step into the classroom. I see four students looking up at me, a little puzzled, and perhaps a little apprehensive. I wouldn't blame them of course because that was the first time they saw me, and they would have had no idea what to expect. But I took it all in stride, as an experienced teacher should. I smiled and greeted everyone. It was nice to see them smiling back. I knew that I was going to like them immediately. For me, the first lesson is always the most important to build unit cohesion. Simply put, this is the ideal time to make them like you and trust you with their learning. And it is also the best time you get to know them as individuals. There were four in the class. Bronwyn mentioned that winter was a hard season for the centre, because the enrolment numbers usually dropped. The first student was a Japanese man in his late 30s or early 40s. His name was Norifumi, and he was a full-time guardian to his daughter in NZ. I wasn't quite sure what he was...

I don't know whether it was meant to be, or if it was fate, or divine intervention. Initially, I thought that I could focus a hundred percent on my PhD and not having to do anything anything else, but it soon became clearer and clearer that I was running out of options. My bank account was bleeding to death, and I knew I would soon follow if the situation were not remedied. I tried a few things - tried to get marking jobs for lecturers, or to teach part-time in any university subjects.. any job at the university would have done.. but it just wasn't meant to be. I was like a fish out of water. They didn't have TESL-related disciplines here, otherwise I could have done well.. In the College of Education they had art-related disciplines, of which I barely have any experience. Even the Drama in Education that I taught in UTM were language-based, and not arts-based. I couldn't teach English.. well.. because it's an English speaking-country! Or so I thought... Answ...

Sir.. That's what my students would call me. A strange title in an English speaking country as it would mean I would be nobility, but in Malaysia, it is a title usually reserved for male English teachers. I recently saw something which put a lump in my throat a few days ago - it was a song from Glee. Yes, I watch Glee, and no, it is not pathetic. Those of you who don't or better yet haven't, I suggest giving it a try and see what happens. Anyway, the song was a remake of an old song sung by Lulu - 'To Sir with Love'. I saw that movie when I was a small kid, and I even though I could understand what the movie was about, I could not fully appreciate it. Add twenty years and a teaching career down the line, and try revisit the movie.. Or just happen to watch the song on Glee... and you remember what teaching is all about. It's not about you. It's about the students. Because in the end, they make you. As I watched the video, a huge lump started...

The semester has drawn to a close, and as always the students feel a need to celebrate after completing their final paper. It is a time of joy and happiness. A time where they get to know that their sleepless nights studying and completing assignments has paid off. Here I am, at the KFC in Jusco here in Taman Universiti, with a group of my First Year TESL students, having the time of my life talking with them about how the semester had been for them. We all joke about and tell funny stories, recollecting the good and the not so good times we had during the semester... And then to wrap things up, they ask me to make a formal speech. Everyone pipes down and focuses their attention to me. I look around the table, focus on each smiling face, and suddenly feel myself transported to the times when I was in class with them... They were a mixed bunch, some very good, some good, some not so, and some quite bad in terms of language proficiency and ability to analyse literature. I rem...

Image credit here It's funny how during the semester there's never enough time. It's classes, then consultations, then meetings, then vetting, then preparations for the upcoming LSP Conference in KL, then preparations for NZ... The list just goes on and on... Throughout this whole time you're thinking to yourself I'm just so busy, and I can't take this anymore, and I wish it would stop. And then it does. Suddenly before you know it, you're saying your farewell speech, and wishing the students good luck for their final examinations. The students hug you and with tears in their eyes, telling you how much they have enjoyed studying under you... They give you cards and presents, and stuff you with food... And then it hits you that you are going to miss them... A lot... No more joking with them... No more ordering them to sing when they come late for class... No more slagging them when they slack off... Even though it happens every semester, the cycle rarely chan...

Picture credit here A lot of my readers may be wondering why the past two months have been extremely quiet here in Lobo's Lessons. Well folks, truth is so much has gone down the past two months I can barely recall anything. It's all one big blur. Next thing I know, the semester has just started again, and I'm left with the question: ..."Where'd my holidays go?"... Let me fill you in on some of what I can remember from these past two months: 1) End of term - marking frenzy to submit marks on time. 2) Once marking was done, got 2 SPACE UTM classes for part-time students - 1 in Kuching and 1 in JB (thank God...last year it was Kuching and KL). 3) Fly off to Kuching every other weekend, and go straight back to work the following Monday. 4) Teach weekend classes in JB every other weekend, and go straight to work on Monday. 5) Attend MELTA conference while still actively doing what needs to be done back at the faculty. 6) Was awarded post of Head of Committee for le...

Photo credit here . I just spent the last 2 hours getting a certain student to leave my room. He had failed the course due to a few reasons: 1) His English was very weak 2) He regularly skipped classes, and did not even bother coming up with an explanation 3) He missed a consultation assessment, worth 10% of his total marks 4) He missed his final presentation assessment, worth 15% of his total marks 5) He lacked the initiative to even do anything about it until I put out his total marks in the system. Of course by then, the marks would have been finalised Worst of all, he spent two hours in my room pleading, crying, snivelling, just for me to push up his marks. Two hours of my extremely precious time gone... two hours of my life, snatched away from me... Some people just can't accept the universal fact - You eat, you pay... It's just no use crying over spilt milk. And it's no use crying over two wasted hours of your life listening to sob stories...

Every journey has a beginning, and an ending... And thus, my wonderful journey that I embarked on as a lecturer to my first Drama in Education cohort is almost coming to an end... I remember seeing them all, one by one, their faces eager to learn, but shying away in the beginning, all reserved in the small cocoons of their own little worlds... And when they opened up, one by one, I saw in them different, beautiful personalities, each unique in their own way... each finding a place in my affections...and eventually each finding a place in my heart. Yesterday night was a special night that marked the ending of this journey with them, on the one hand a sense of overwhelming pride that I had directly played a part in their journeys as teachers, building the very foundation of our nation, and even more so, as human beings, being the very essence of who they were and what they became... To commemorate this night, I sang for them... A tune that they all knew and loved... A tune that we shared...

Life as a cadet in the Royal Malaysian Navy is a simple one. You wake up at 4am. You iron your uniform. You polish your shoes. You start Early Morning Activity (EMA) at 5am. This can include an intense combination of the Base Run (a run around the base of nearly 6km), sit-ups, push ups, jumping jacks, and a myriad of other activities that equal to getting your ass kicked. Of course, you will be guided through this tough time by extremely kind people who are known as drill sergeants, or drill instructors as they are known in the Navy. These kind people will be there, step-by-step to show you how everything is done. And of course, we all know how though all this stress can be for the mind, and even the human spirit. Never fret, because you can request for a counseling session where the drill sergeants will use all their expert knowledge to give you the much needed words of encouragement. Sometimes it is difficult to just hear advice that is given. We all know how rebellious some young ...

Picture credit here "Atteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen-shun!" 31 bodies in immaculate white uniforms snapped smartly to attention, sitting rigidly in their seats. 29 cadets with faces unsure of how this person standing in front of them would be - strict, rigid, disciplined?... or relaxed, easy-going, and a slacker for the rules? The 2 officers among them looked cool and unaffected. I walked briskly but surely to the table at the front of the room, put my things down, and faced the class. The cadet-in-charge for the day got up from her seat and walked smartly in my direction. Upon reaching the spot exactly half a metre from me she halted and snapped to attention. "Assalamualaikum sir!" She said in a clear, clipped voice. "29 cadets and 2 officers reporting for duty, requesting permission to carry on, sir!" As if by imprinted on a cellular level, my body responded almost automatically through half-remembered gestures and nuances.I was transported to a...

Photo credit here It is that time of year again, where the students feel exhausted, light-headed... but relieved... Their tour of duty is over... Soon they would be home with their loved ones, leaving the battlefield behind... No more operation manuals! No more midnight patrols!... At least for a month and a half, they would be free...The airlift back to civilisation awaiting them at the base. Leaving us here... Time to take out our torches and burn the midnight oil. Time to get out the blood-red ink, ready to stain the piles and piles of lined papers, where they left their scrawny handwriting behind. Time to start marking those exams papers, lads... We'll hold the fort until they return.

This is it. It's finally happened. The stuff of bad dreams for many language teachers has today materialised for me, rearing its ugly head, scoffing at my abilities as a language professional. This is an actual letter from one of my students as part of their coursework. Final year student. Soon to graduate and meet the workforce of the nation. Read it and weep...

If there is one thing that I have observed about student teachers (trainee teachers on teaching practice), it is that many become a nervous wreck when we the supervisors drop in on them to observe them teaching. Why is that? Is it because they are afraid they will mess up? Is it because they are afraid they will not live up the standards and expectations of their supervisors? Is it because they are afraid of getting low marks, even in the initial stages of teaching practice? To be fair, I do remember the times when myself was a trainee teacher... Those were good days... The excitement of being a teacher, able to be in touch with the students, shaping their minds... It was really exciting... And then the supervisor decides to drop by... But the strange thing is, I don't think I was ever really that nervous of being observed... This was simply because I try to treat each and every lesson the same - make your students enjoy what they are learning, and make sure they learn something! A...

Words fail me as I look as the images of Language Camp 2008, beautifully planned and executed by my very own students... Each smiling face a bright splash of colour in the tapestry of my life... I remember the first time I ever set my eyes on each and every one of them...All so young and full of life...So full of hope... So full of ready smiles... And watched them grow throughout the semester, gaining strength upon strength, slowly but surely becoming the educators they are destined to be... Dedicated, knowledgeable, serious in their work but at the same time able to have fun, enjoying their work...In fact this element is central in what I teach my students - Know your stuff but never, ever forget to have fun...Remember that, and you will be teachers that your students will remember until end of their days... My gaze drifts from image to image...Some of my students...Some of their students... Each one with a such a strong sense of life in their eyes... My...

Barriers to learning English By : Shenton Thomas De Silva JOHOR BARU: Efforts to raise flagging English language proficiency levels in Malaysia are being hampered by children's poor reading habits as well as the cultural factor. That is according to an English Language lecturer from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, who cited the two stumbling blocks as sources of frustration for many English teachers in the country. Abdullah Mohd Nawi, from UTM's Faculty of Education, even went so far as to say that English books may soon be phased out in the country within the next ten years. "Students nowadays will not read any literature that does not directly feature in their exams. "If they do pick up a book, it is either a comic book or manga. "The sad truth is that students do not read any of the good and substantial reading materials available," said Abdullah. Asked whether the poor reading habit among Malaysians was a cultural phenomenon or a symptom of the education ...

KJ: It seems that a complaint was made about you by your TESL students. Me: Really? What was it about? KJ: The complaint was that you just let the class rep give the marks... What's that about? Me: Errr... I think they may have got it wrong... The class rep does not give the marks... I give the marks, but i refer the class rep because as the director he would be in the best position to know what goes on... KJ: You've really got to be careful... Students nowadays have no qualms about going up to the very top to voice their complaints... You're still new... It would be a shame if anything were to happen... Me: (nodding) I understand...