Learning Grammar

Learning Grammar was not easy! I think I only managed to write grammatically correct sentences smoothly in F.2! Looking back to Primary school, I struggled a lot to get the prepositions, pronouns, tenses and irregular superlatives and comparatives right. There were several reasons. Firstly, I think that the teachers’ instructions were not detailed and elaborated enough. Most of the time, I had to do exercises and apply what had been taught before I had fully understood the Grammar structure I was expected to know. I remember that in P.4, I was asked to do composition using past tense, however, I was still not sure when to use was and when to use were. I can’t remember how I finished that piece of writing today, but that helpless feeling is still very vivid.

Secondly, I was too shy to ask for help and clarification. Therefore, I adopted the method of “trial and error” which of course left me with unsatisfying grades in homework. Moreover, I was too lazy to memorize and test myself on some Grammar rules, such as the differences between a little, little, few, a few and a plenty of.

My Grammar started to improve in P.5. In P.6, I was still one of those who came last in English tests but in F.3 I came second in a writing exam. I can’t remember using any methods to catch up in those years. But I believe that there were two important factors which might have contributed to my progress.

The first one is encouragement from adults. I was very lucky to have some caring English teachers whose encouragement raised my confidence. Even my father praised me. He said, “I never knew that your English is so well,” after I wrote him an email in English in P.6.

The second one is doing leisure activities in English. The dominant activities include watching TV programmes and playing ICQ. I usually watched cartoons on Pearl/ATV/Cartoon Networks after school. Listening to the characters’ conversations could in fact remind me of Grammar structures. For playing ICQ, it was a good platform for me to apply Grammar. Moreover, most of my friends had good command of English. Therefore, I would think thrice before replying them to prevent losing face due to wrong Grammar.

My English teachers in Primary School

When I was in Primary school, my English teachers followed the textbook section by section. We learnt a lot of vocabularies and expressions from the textbook. Besides, each year's teacher taught us grammar through chalk and talk. They also guided us to produce 1 or 2 notebooks each year, to keep record of what we had learnt. For example, in P.2 I was asked to draw a table with opposite words.

However, although the in-class activities were similar, different teachers' personality and approach produced different effect.

There was a teacher who had bad temper. One day, a classmate of mine made a careless mistake - missing out a full stop in his homework. Can you guess what was the reaction of the teacher? She shouted at the student and she said, in Cantonese, "You already have a mole on your left cheek. Do you want me to draw another mole on your right cheek to remind you of writing full stops?" I didnt understand why my teacher was so angry. I only knew that what she said had hurt my classmate's feeling. As a teacher, her behavior was a bad example to the pupils who were always encouraged to be considerate and respectful. Moreover, learning in a fearful environment, the students might associate the subject with anxiety, which definetely would hinder the progress of learning.

There was another teacher, who could speak like a native. Although she did not lead any communicative activity, her dramatic speech attracted the class's attention successfully. Moreover, she was always encouraging which increased my interest in learning English.

Students' motivation and a happy environment is essential for learning. When I teach, I would try my best to create an atmosphere that makes my students feel secured.

Why am I doing PGDP?

School has started, finally, after a 4 months holiday. My passion towards children education seems to be cooled down a little bit by a series of holiday activities which tired me out. So, now I shall set aside some time and remind myself of what led me apply for the programme 9 months ago.

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I want to work with children because they are cute and good in nature. They usually make me smile when I see their innocent faces and hear their interesting and bright conversations. All children deserve a happy life! However, not all of them enjoy a fulfilling life due to various reasons, e.g. adults' selfishness and weaknesses. I would like to play a part in equipping them with life skills, which hoepfully could shape them into glamourous stars on the stage of life.

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Teachers are the adults other than parents whom kids meet every day. Being a primary school teacher, I could influence my pupils positively. But why do I choose to major in English instead of Chinese, Maths etc?

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I like English but learning English was a disaster for me! I remember that I failed the first English test in P.1 and I can still recall how nervous I was when I took "G.E. tests" in P.4 - I left many spaces blank! Thankfully, my English was better in sec. school and the opportunity to study in U.K. for A Level increased my confidence in using English. Although my English today is still far from perfect, I am sure my experience allows me to understand the students. I would try my best to help them acquire English language enjoyably!



In the next entry, I will share about my primary English teachers!