Log 005 - Grammar mistakes, when do they end?
- Oct 19, 2017
- 2 min read
(SCT Session #6)
Why do students continue to make grammatical mistakes despite (at least) six years of primary school education?
Geez, what are the primary school teachers doing?
As a secondary school teacher, it is easy to ask such a question. Just what have happened in our students' pre-secondary school years that can cause them to not even know how to order the 26 alphabets, let alone write a simple sentence in English?
It is so easy to ask, but it is also rather pointless to do so, as then, the primary school teachers would do the same, but to kindergarten teachers, and they to parents... and finally, the parents would ask that of the teachers, again. The cycle of questioning and blaming never ends.
Why do our students - heck, why do we continue to make grammatical mistakes - despite years and years of education?
This particular question is rather difficult for me to answer, especially when I learned English, and hence the rules that dictate the language formation, mainly through high exposure and a necessity to communicate and self-express with English. In a sense, I learned English through communicative means.
Grammar guides how sentences and thoughts are formed.
If students lacked opportunity to converse with other English-speakers so that they learn - through modeling and self-correction - how to use and finally improve in the language, it is no wonder that students are having trouble with managing even the most basic of English grammar.
Yet it is unavoidable that Hong Kong doesn't offer as much English in people's life even when it is an official language in comparison to Cantonese. In this sense, schools - and not just teachers of English - ought to create an environment where English is a friendly tool for communication, a language for self-expression. The environment must be inviting and safe - no one wants to fear being laughed at for making a silly mistake when learning.
It is more ideal if exposure and a need to use English is increased in a student's life and not just at school, but what does it take to create such an environment? How long before English again becomes a necessity or joy to learn?
After my studies, and as I began working in a more Chinese-speaking environment, there are moments when I too feared that I would "lose my touch" due to a lack of need in using English. Setting up a safe and English-friendly environment not only helps our students learn the language, it keeps us teachers on our toes too, to ensure that we continue improving and excelling the language that we claim mastery over.
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