Page 21 - ELG1804 Apr Issue 456

IATEFL special .
SPECIAL FEATURE

ou might not believe it, but my early
childhood ambition was to be a bus
conductor, and then in secondary
Yschool I wanted to be a police officer. Myth: ‘The earlier the better’ is the
But both ambitions melted away as I grew
older and was inspired by a few amazing key to second language learning
teachers who made me love the profession.
Of course, I also encountered a number of The myth that comes Associated with this is
teachers whom I wish I had never met. But to mind, because of my the misconception that
both the positive and negative encounters interest in young learners using only the target
with teachers were essential in defining what and my experience foreign language in class
kind of teacher I would become. of growing up in will make students develop
After graduating from high school, I sat multilingual context, is the proficiency quickly.
the entrance examination for the university misconception that when It is possible to make
college of education to train as a bilingual children are exposed to a people speak in one
(English/French) secondary teacher. foreign language early in language, but just because
I passed the written examination but their schooling, they learn it they are producing words
failed at final interview and had no other better than adults. in doesn’t mean they are
option than to enrol into the only National As you my know, the communicating.
University at the time in Yaoundé, the capital English language has Besides, in multilingual
of Cameroon. become a hot commodity environments, foreign
I graduated in 1994 and was lucky enough now and perceptions about language-only policies tend
to be selected to train as a teacher trainer its socioeconomic value to to prevent students from
for primary school teachers. In Cameroon, individuals and communities making use of their huge
teacher trainers at this level do not need to are very strong. range of linguistic ability to
have gone through a professional track to This is particularly true in develop foreign language
qualify; direct training is offered, although a Harry Kuchah teaching countries in the developing proficiency.
majority of candidates who make it through in Cameroon world where the provision There is very little
come with years of experience plus a degree. of quality education is still a evidence that English-
I was amongst those who came straight ‘Your students are challenge. only policies have made
from the university with no formal teaching So, more and more students any more
experience apart from one-off remedial classes children are being taught proficient than a bilingual/
Upon graduation, I was sent to work in the your biggest resource’
I had taught younger peers in school and English as a second multilingual approach to
university. language and in many language teaching and

As a multilingual myself,
subjects through the
far north, in a village which was nothing like cases, being taught other learning.
my home in the south. My students in the If you are working in an under-resourced classroom medium of English. I sometimes find English
local teacher training college were all older But they are being taught limited for expressing my
than me but they were very respectful and with very large classes, the key is to draw on the varied in conditions that already emotions.
encouraging. talents of your pupils, writes Harry Kuchah do not meet the minimum In conversations with
The college had never had a trained global requirements for friends, I tend to draw from
English teacher and trainer before, so there large under-resourced classrooms, I also Or assess 200+ essays while planning and quality teaching and other languages to express
were huge expectations. During my time became interested in researching large delivering lessons? The list of questions is learning. profound feelings; you may
there, I had the opportunity not only to classes and ‘difficult’ learning circumstances long, but so too are the pragmatic responses State schools, in my home call that translanguaging,
teach English and methodology, but also to more broadly because of the lack of voices of resilient and creative teachers around the country of Cameroon for but for me, it is just
accompany my trainees on their practicums. from contexts like mine. What is meant by globe. example, rely on teachers a natural process of
So, I was also able to immerse myself in the large classes, or under-resourced ones is not I believe that where resources are few with limited (in some cases, communication.
classroom, teaching kindergarten and primary and learners are many, there is no better no) proficiency in the As second language
school kids English and learning along with I was responsible way of getting round the challenges than to English language to teach teachers, we need to
my trainees as part of a reflective process. draw on the variety of talent in the student children English in French remember that the
The most significant and life changing for teaching four different population. medium schools. languages we teach may be
experience I had was working part time in a classes, the smallest of Students are capable of being creative, This additional enablers or barriers to the
secondary school and having to teach 235 resourceful and – as researchers like strain on teachers can educational evolution of
teenagers English in a classroom built for which had 117 students Annamaria Pinter have shown – of be demotivating and young multilingual children.
sixty. Overall, I was responsible for teaching researching what might make teaching and consequently damaging to We must be sensitive
four different classes, the smallest of which with an average age of learning effective. young children. in how we approach the
had 117 students with an average age of twelve We stand to learn a lot from our students. Even where teachers are teaching of these languages
twelve. To do this we need to empower them, to proficient in the second in relation to their existing
As I recounted in my 2011 article with teach them how to learn and help them language, success is not a language backgrounds.
Richard Smith, this seemingly large classroom straightforward. What we might consider explore their potential. given.
with fewer than 19 textbooks was, and still a large under-resourced class might be Students can simply blossom when we If the foreign language
is, the most resourced classroom I have ever considered small and quite well resourced by a know that they can attempt different things is not part of the daily Harry Kuchah is
a lecturer in the
taught in. teacher in a different context. and make mistakes without being ridiculed or medium of communication department of
I learned from these students that the Voices from the field tell us that large punished. in the children’s education at the
learner is king of learning nut if only we classes pose a significant number of challenges They come into their own when they environment, it is difficult University of Bath
give them the royal status they deserve, if for classroom behaviour and activity develop learning through the provision of for early exposure to have and a speaker at Iatefl
you permit me the metaphor. They were my management. materials and other resources which they find any positive impact on their 2018. He previously
biggest ever motivation. How to ensure that all students are relevant to them and when they know they long term second language trained teachers in
his home country of
As a researcher I was inspired by my own performing a task? How to organise group can suggest topics for discussion and learning development. Cameroon.
experience as a students and a teacher in work with no space to move seats around? activities.
20 April 2018 editorial@elgazette.com 21