NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
Based on the education issues in Malaysia, relate your understanding on the effects
of language and culture in enhancing the quality of teachers' professionalism.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Every language has rules of decency in the relationships between members
of its community. Politeness can be seen both through a language speaker's
behavior and from the aspect of the language they speak. The culture of language is
vital in maintaining the professionalism of the teachers in their careers (Nihan, 2010).
It can be characterised as how language is used in conversation to display respect
for one's speakers' feelings, build and maintain interpersonal relationships with the
students, and comply with the rules for what acceptable language is considered by
society or culture. The cultural connection between language and teacher
professionalism is the medium used for communication.
2.0 LANGUAGE ISSUES IN THE CLASSROOM
2.1 LACK OF CONFIDENT IN SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE
Learning a foreign language is one of the hardest things a brain can
do (Justearn, 2020) For example, in Malaysia, the students will be learning
the English language. Many students hesitate to talk to people especially to
NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
their teachers, so that if they make any errors, they do not end up feeling
embarrassed. The effort they have to make to move between linguistically
complex structures is what makes a foreign language so hard for students.
Learning how to think in another language is also difficult. The students tend
to translate words in their head right away, which, of course, takes time but,
every language speaks for itself, no matter how similar the student think their
mother tongue is with the language they are learning. This will be leading the
student to be having fear of speaking.
2.2 LANGUAGE BARRIER
A language barrier in the classroom has become a major problem due
to the growing number of minority students which is non-Malay student who
do not speak Malay (Raj, 2019). Giving every student a chance to practise
languages
is
one
of
the
greatest
challenges
faced
by
teachers
(NewStraitsTimes, 2019). Language is important in successful education,
whether in textbooks or in lectures. Many students would be left behind
without a standard means of communication. Though Malaysian education
has primarily used Malay, the official language of the country, in its
classrooms, more English, Chinese and Tamil cultures are also included in
their curricula in some Malaysian schools (Allie, 2017) There are few
opportunities for students who face language barriers in their education to
achieve their full potential. If students fall behind in understanding their
studies, while facing an increasingly technical-based economy, they will also
fall behind.
2.3 USAGE OF HARSH LANGUAGE
NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
Harsh language has found its way into today's culture, no doubt. It is
very accessible and appears on radio and television, in movies, and on the
currently famous internet. This can be viewed in the (Berita Harian, 2019) that
stated the Rude Culture of Youth. Parents are more freely using foul
language in front of their children. Due to this, the students are efficiently
using the foul language in the classroom to communicate with the other
students or maybe to the teachers (Curwin, 2015). Even some of the teachers
also say things that they later regretted. For example, "I am disappointed in
you." or "Your sister and brother were better than you." Students are less
forgiving when they feel insulted or wronged so the teacher need to think first
before saying something to their students.
3.0 STEPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS
3.1 ALWAYS COMMUNICATE THE LANGUAGE WITH STUDENTS
Communication of a teacher is the bridge between students and their
capability for learning. Comprehension is correlated with how clearly the
students understand what is being spoken. To aid in learning, teachers must
use direct and simple words, and speak clearly and slowly when approaching
the students (Olivia, 2018). As this can be frustrating for students learning the
language, stop using idioms and metaphors. By checking in with students
intermittently to see if they need support, teachers will encourage students to
ask any questions they have. The teacher also need to ask question to each
student so that they have the opportunity to try and speaks the language. Due
to this, the fear to talk and hesitation in speaking the language of the students
will be wiped out. The mastery of the teacher to approach and communicate
the language with the students can make them more professional.
3.2 MULTILINGUAL TEACHER
NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
A classroom that welcomes a multilingual environment is more likely
to generate students who understand that they do not have to be the same as
the other student to be equal to someone. By teaching in a multilingual
environment and offering classes in more than one language, teachers
encourage the growth of multilingual skills among their learners (Dairco,
2018). Teachers should not always restrict themselves to a common
language when teaching students. They will not only be able to better
understand their students, but also obtain a few academic advantages for
themselves and their students by diversifying their linguistic skills. Due to this,
the language barrier in the classroom will reduce and the professionalism of
the teacher will be higher.
3.3 USE A GOOD LANGUAGE
Creating a dialogue between the students can be a challenging yet
fundamental part of teaching. Good communication of the language can help
create and promote a healthy learning environment where students can
succeed, prosper and learn (Ferlazzo, 2020) Teachers should use the right
language and avoid the reflexive language of anger or frustration. For
example, if the students do not understand the instruction given and do it
wrongly, they need to avoid sarcasm and teach them again. A better way is to
say something like, "I see you have a problem. Let's try to find a solution
together." Good use of language in communicating can create an atmosphere
where the student can ask the question freely to the teacher with the right
language too. Have good use of language while teaching can enhance the
professionalism of the teacher.
5.0 CONCLUSION
NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
In conclusion, every teacher must train themselves first to normalize good
etiquette before train their students. It is not enough to mastering only knowledge in
teaching the student. The teacher needs to stay updated about the issues in the
education of Malaysia. This can also help the teacher walk on the same path with the
students and help them do better at school. Moreover, having the ability to deal with
the issues, especially about the language's culture, can make the teacher more
efficient in alignment with the condition in Malaysia that full of challenges. With all
these experienced teachers, national education issues will be reduced and the
teachers with high levels of professionalism will be raised.
5.0 REFERENCES
ARTICLES
1. NihanDemirkasımoğlu (2010), Defining Teacher Professionalism from
Different Views,
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810025498
2. Olivia
Hanifan
(2019),
How
to
handle
noise
in
the
classroom,
https://www.mentimeter.com/blog/interactive-classrooms/how-to-handlenoise-in-the-classroom
3. Allie Knofczynski, (2017), Overcoming Language Barriers For Education In
Malaysia https://borgenproject.org/language-and-education-in-malaysia/
4. Dairco (2018), Educators Facilitate The Development Of Multilingual Skills
Among
Their
Students
https://www.worldairco.org/fostering-intellectual-
improvement-through-multilingual-education/
5. Olivia (2018), Avoid Using Idioms, Metaphors, And Sarcasm As This May Be
Confusing
For
Students
Learning
The
Language.
https://k12teacherstaffdevelopment.com/tlb/helping-students-overcomelanguage-barriers-in-the-classroom/
NURDINI AFRINA BINTI MUHAMMAD AZMAN (010301030430)
6. Richard Curwin (2015), https://www.edutopia.org/blog/13-common-sayingsto-avoid-richard-curwin
7. Raj (2019), How Is The English Language Education In Malaysia?
https://www.sols247.org/blog/how-is-the-english-language-education-inmalaysia/
NEWSPAPER
1. Choo Abdullah, (July 2019) Rude Culture Of Young People,
https://www.bharian.com.my/kolumnis/2019/07/584376/budaya-biadabresapi-anak-muda
2. Fadzleen Sa’don, (Oct 2019), Challenges In Students' Mastery of English,
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2019/10/531486/challenges-studentsmastery-english
3. Larry Ferlazzo, (Oct 2020), The Do's & Don'ts of Hybrid Teaching,
https://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2020/10
/the_dos_donts_of_hybrid_teaching.html