Malaysian Ministry Of Education Introducing The Literature Component Education Essay

Malaysian Ministry Of Education Introducing The Literature Component Education Essay In the case of second or foreign language teaching and learning, literature has been widely accepted as a motivating material, a medium of accessing other cultural background, a resource for language acquisition and a medium to expand learners language awareness (Abdullah Et al, 2007). According to Elliot (1991) over the last few years there are positive feedbacks to using literature in a language context or at least has been a medium to expose language learners to a new world.. It is different from previous perceptions towards literature whereby literature was thought to embody archaic language which had no place in the world of audiolingualism where linguists believed in the primacy of speech, thus considering the written form somewhat static, (Elliot, 1991) In Malaysia, the Ministry of Education had decided to introduce Literature Component as a part of English syllabus in schools in the year of 2000. Hence, students from primary and secondary schools are required to learn literature together with other existing subjects in schools. The Ministry of Education has come out with a list of literary texts which cover Malaysian, British, European, Australian, American and African works. After ten years using the same texts, the government has changed the list of literary text with a complete new list for KBSM in 2010. 1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY. Teachers play important role in assuring all the objectives that are stated in the Curriculum Specification can be achieved by all students. The learning outcomes provided by the Ministry of Education to be the guidelines in teaching. However, it would be difficult to suddenly expose students to literary studies without any form of prior preparation (Talif, 1992). The success of this implementation is very much depending on how the lessons are carried out. Teachers play an important role in the teaching process of developing students ability to learn literature. Therefore, teachers have to be wise in selecting the suitable approaches to be used in classrooms, according to students background as well as the literary texts. There are a number of approaches which are believed to help teachers in delivering the messages conveyed in each literature piece. According to Bottino, the teaching of literature is often seen in the framework of the three models which are the Cultural Model, Language Model, and the Personal Growth Model. As for trainee teachers, these approaches assist them in preparing their lessons. Before going to the real teaching world during the practicum session, they have been exposed to micro and macro-teaching which are part of their methodology courses. This mock-teaching includes their lesson plan preparation and expectations in teaching literature. The problem here is, the audience for their micro or macro teaching are not real school students. Their audiences are their classmates and friends, who have studied and analyzed the literary texts, therefore, there is a big different between teaching school students who might not read the literary texts before hand and people who have prior knowledge on the texts taught.. In fact, their behaviour/attitude in class is completely different from the real school kids. Hence, trainee teachers feel that they have a lot of inadequacy in teaching literature in ESL classroom as the objectives set were not achieved. 1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM Since Literature component has been implemented as a part of English subject in schools, certain issues arise. Based on my own experience and that of my friends, we faced a lot of difficulties in carrying out literature lessons when we were sent to school to teach. We were equipped with all the theoretical, content, and pedagogical knowledge from our Methodology of Teaching Literature class. However, we found out that it was difficult to apply the knowledge to real classroom teaching and how our expectations differ before and after teaching literature in the real classroom. Hence, these difficulties we encountered during our practicum have created the interest in conducting this research. This study, therefore, would be looking at the problematic aspects with regard to the teaching of literature as experienced by trainee teachers. The first one is trainee teachers readiness and expectations in teaching literature before entering classrooms. The second aspect would be the experience of teaching gained during the practicum session, and the third aspect would be other important trainings or exposure they might need in order to improve their literature teaching in the future. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives for this study are crucial in determining its success. Through the objectives, researcher is able to classify explicitly what to examine for the research. The objectives of this study are: To identify trainee teachers readiness and expectations of teaching Literature in ESL classroom before leaving for practicum. To identify issues faced in teaching literature during their practicum To find out trainee teachers memorable/good experience in teaching literature. To identify trainee teachers needs and demands in order to improve their literature teaching in ESL classroom RESEARCH QUESTION This study attempts to answer four main questions on the perception of TESL students with regard to the teaching literature. 1.5.1 What are the TESL trainee teachers expectations in teaching literature before leaving for practicum? Are they prepared and equipped with relevant knowledge? 1.5.2 While doing the practicum did they experience difficulties in teaching literature components? What kind of experiences that trainees faced during literature lessons? 1.5.3 What are the memorable or good experiences that they gained from teaching literature in ESL classroom? 1.5.4 What do trainee teachers feel that they need in order to improve literature teaching? DEFINITION OF TERMS The following terms will be used throughout this future research: 1.5.1 Teacher: The definition of a teacher is someone who embodies all those qualities that exude the ability to transfer knowledge and skills from master to student, (Larzelere). In this context it refers to the TESL students who are going to be a future teacher. 1.5.2 Trainee: is someone who is being trained for a job. In this context it refers to the TESL students who had gone trough the learning and practicum process while they were students in UiTM. The meaning is taken from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English: The Living Dictionary. 1.5.3 TESL: a term which referring to a course of Teaching English as Second Language. 1.5.4 Practicum: The practical part of a study or course, as opposed to the theoretical parts. 1.5.5 Literature: The collective body of literary of productions, embracing the entire results of knowledge and fancy preserved in writing; also the whole body of literary productions or writings upon a given subject or in reference to a particular science or branch of knowledge, or of knowledge, or of a given country or period. LIMITATIONS There are a few limitations which is inherent in the present study. The first limitation is time constraint. Due to limited time, this study will only involve twenty percent of Semester 7 and 8 students whom I can get easy access to gather the data. The second limitation is budget constraint. As a student, I have limited financial support in completing this study. Therefore, I could not carry out a large scale study, but had to be content with a small scale study instead. 1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY This is a small scale study whereby the data collected would involve TESL students from UiTM Shah Alam who had undergone their teaching practicum, as the requirement to complete their bachelor in education course. Therefore, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to other situations. However, it is sufficient as an exploratory research by a novice researcher. 1.8 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The result of this study can be utilized by various parties who are involved in deciding the course contents of literature subjects in Faculty of Education, UiTM Seksyen 17. The study would create changes in literature course contents/syllabus in the faculty in producing better quality English teachers especially in teaching literature in ESL classroom. 1.9 CONCLUSION

Representations of China in the Movie the Forbidden Kingdom Essay

The Forbidden Kingdom (Rob Minkoff, 2008)[1] is an American martial arts adventure film co-starred by Jackie Chan and Jet Li. The film tells the story of a Boston boy Jason, who is a big kung fu fan, is given the mission, as a traveler, of returning the staff to the Monkey King so as to free him from the statue in which he has been trapped by the Jade Warlord. With the help of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, Jason not only fulfills his mission in the end by defeating the Jade Warlord, but also masters kung fu and develops to a brave and responsible man. The movie was successful and popular, attracting large audience[2], due to the reason, as far as I see it, that it meets the Western audience’s expectation of China. The movie is full of stereotypes of China and Chinese, reflecting the orientalism’s attitudes from the West, especially from America (both written and directed by Americans) in this case. Orientalism, as studied in Edward Said’s book Orientalism (1978), is an academic term used to â€Å"describe a pervasive Western tradition, both academic and artistic, of prejudiced outsider interpretations of the East, shaped by the attitudes of European imperialism in the 18th and 19th centuries†[3], later adopted by America after the WWâ… ¡.In such a man-made theory, East is depicted as a less-civilized, exotic, brutal and inferior entity to the West, and â€Å"†¦the West is not only deï ¬ ned as the diametrical opposite of the East, but also as its protector and its carer† (Khatib, 2006: 64). What’s more, to the West that the â€Å"†¦Orient is something to be feared or controlled†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Khatib, 2006: 65). All these ideas of Orientalism can be sensed or found in the movie The Forbidden Kingdom, which makes this movie a advocator of American Orientalism towards China. The movie begins with a dim, disorganized pawn shop owned by a shaky, weak and old Chinese man Hop, who clings tightly to his money and sells kung fu DVDs to Jason, the boy who is treated and bullied like an alien by his peers because of his enthusiasm towards kung fu. Hop is later attacked by the bullies who forces Jason to lead them to steal money from him. This opening of the story sets the main attitude about China by showing the typical stereotype that white people hold towards Chinese: a totally different Other, whose living style (the messy shop) and traditions (kung fu) are far beyond the understandings of the West, also with the characteristics of being sickly weak and easy to attack or take advantage of, often become the target of violence. When Jason is sent to the ancient China to fulfill his mission, what he experiences also applies to the theory of Orientalism: exotic Chinese water-mountain sceneries, extraordinary and dazzling kung fu skills, brutal killing by the army, vicious women (White-haired Witch), wicked Jade Warlord with darkened eye shadow, submissive women (concubines of Jade Warlord) etc. All of these images give audience an impression that China is an exotic yet less civilized territory, waiting to have her destiny changed by this American boy. As a result, the dominant power over the East (China) of America is subsequently delivered by the screenwriter, i.e. the chaos brought by the Jade Warlord is going to be ceased by the Traveler Jason, rather than someone from China herself, for example, the supreme power of the Heaven, the Emperor. Such plot indicates the attitude that the East (China) is unable to be independent; she needs the West (America) to dominate and have authority over her. The fear of the East from the West can also be easily detected in this movie. The Heaven is temporarily given by the Emperor to the Jade Warlord to govern, which means the whole china is under his control. But his power grows so fast and powerful that, according the American screenwriter, someone from the West needs to suppress this evil rise, and this time, Jason again, the ultimate messenger in this movie to carry out the American’s will in Orientalism. Being far away from China, western people get images of China mainly from what is available in the media. However, what is presented is only small or even misleading information about China. Although Orientalism is viewed as â€Å"false assumptions underlying Western attitudes toward the (Middle) East†[4], it is still applied in media and proved by Western governments nowadays in order to remain the power over the East in spheres of politics, economy and culture. We should hold an alert and critical attitude towards such information, trying to go beyond what is presented, so as to get to know the real image of the East.

Famous Chinese Horse Proverb Sai Weng Lost His Horse

Chinese proverbs (è « ºÃ¨ ªÅ¾, yà  nyÃ… ­) are an important aspect of Chinese culture and language. But what makes Chinese proverbs all the more extraordinary is that so much is communicated in so few characters. Proverbs generally carry multiple layers of meaning despite the fact that they are commonly only comprised of four characters. These short sayings and idioms each sum up a larger, well-known cultural story or myth, the moral of which is meant to convey some greater truth or provide guidance in everyday life. There are hundreds of famous Chinese proverbs from Chinese literature, history, art, and ​famous figures and philosophers. Some of our favorites are horse proverbs.​ The Significance of the Horse in Chinese Culture The horse is an important motif in Chinese culture and, in particular, Chinese mythology. In addition to the very real contributions made to China by the horse as a means of transportation to military power, the horse holds great symbolism to the Chinese. Of the twelve cycles of the Chinese zodiac, the seventh is associated with the horse. The horse is also a famous symbol within mythological composite creatures like the longma or dragon-horse, which was associated with one of the legendary sage rulers. The Most Famous Chinese Horse Proverb One of the most famous horse proverbs is Ã¥ ¡Å¾Ã§ ¿ Ã¥ ¤ ±Ã© ¦ ¬ (SÄ i WÄ“ng ShÄ « MÇŽ) or SÄ i WÄ“ng lost his horse. The meaning of the proverb is only apparent when one is familiar with the accompanying story of SÄ i WÄ“ng, which begins with an old man who lived on the frontier: SÄ i WÄ“ng lived on the border and he raised horses for a living. One day, he lost one of his prized horses. After hearing of the misfortune, his neighbor felt sorry for him and came to comfort him. But SÄ i WÄ“ng simply asked, â€Å"How could we know it is not a good thing for me?†After a while, the lost horse returned and with another beautiful horse. The neighbor came over again and congratulated  SÄ i WÄ“ng on his good fortune. But SÄ i WÄ“ng simply asked, â€Å"How could we know it is not a bad thing for me?†One day, his son went out for a ride with the new horse. He was violently thrown from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors once again expressed their condolences to SÄ i WÄ“ng, but SÄ i WÄ“ng simply said, â€Å"How could we know it is not a good thing for me?† One year later, the Emperor’s army arrived at the village to recruit all able-bodied men to fight in the war. Because of his injury, SÄ i WÄ“ngâ₠¬â„¢s son could not go off to war, and was spared from certain death. The Meaning of SÄ i WÄ“ng ShÄ « MÇŽ The proverb can be read to have multiple implications when it comes to the concept of luck and fortune. The end of the story seems to suggest that every misfortune comes with a silver lining, or as we might put it in English—a blessing in disguise. But within the story is also the sense that with what at first appears to be good luck can come misfortune. Given its dual meaning, this proverb is commonly said when bad luck turns to good or when good luck turns to bad.

Bipolar Disorder Is Defined By Whitbourne And Halgin Essay

Bipolar Disorder, or BD, is defined by Whitbourne and Halgin (2013) as a disorder wherein individuals experience â€Å"intense and very disruptive† euphoric moods, and sometimes episodes of major depression (p. 179). Individuals with Bipolar are often highly creative and intelligent, but lack self esteem and often exhibit behavioral problems and problems in their personal relationships (Benti, Manicavasagar, Proudfoot, and Parker, 2013). In addition, those with Bipolar can often experience high levels of irritability, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, even when not in the throws of a depressive or manic episode (Benti et al., 2013). In order to be diagnosed with BD, at least three of the following manic criteria must be present for at least a week: â€Å"inflated self-esteem or grandiosity, decreased need for sleep, more talkative than normal, racing thoughts, distractibility, increase in goal-oriented activity or psychomotor agitation, or excessive involvement in high-risk be haviors or endeavors† (Whitbourne Halgin, 2013, p. 179). Sometimes, people are diagnosed with BD with only a history of manic episodes, but typically they experience both manic and depressive episodes. Depressive episodes are defined as 5 or more of the following symptoms present for at least 2 weeks: â€Å"depressed mood most of the day, markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all or most daily activities, significant weight loss or increase or decrease in appetite, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotorShow MoreRelatedThe Plague of Major Depression979 Words   |  4 Pagesthis disorder too frequently; is it a means to an end when no problem really exists? Or is there a clinical rise in prevalence as a result of genetic, physiological, social, stress, psychosocial or any other factor that may contribute to the manifestation of MD. In the following section we define MD, discuss the symptoms of MD, and review the aetiology (cause) of MD. Definition of MD Major depression falls in a category of psychological disorders that affect mood. Mood disorders can be defined asRead MoreDevelopmental Disability : A Diverse Group Of Chronic Conditions2023 Words   |  9 Pagesself-help, and independent living. Developmental disabilities are usually identified early in childhood and will probably persist throughout the individual’s lifespan. This paper will identify the various aspects of how developmental disability can be defined, how many people are estimated to experience DD, the long-term and short-term management of DD and a client with a developmental disability can receive affective counseling, treatment and different intervention approaches to assist in the enhancement