Sunday, June 28, 2015

Sharing a few thoughts on the book - "Think in English"

During a UGC sponsored National Conference in Kozhikode on English Language teaching one of the teachers from a reputed B.Ed college in Andhra Pradesh was heard saying in front of a big audience that there is no such thing called logic in making English sentences. And he also said that he has been teaching English for the last twenty years. So that's it. Don't try to question the traditional method of teaching English. Or in other words, don't try to free yourself from the clutches of the educational system designed by the colonial masters. Stick to Lord Macaulay's minutes. This is what we have been doing to our children. Imposing our traditional mindset on the next generation.
Why do we discriminate between English and other subjects? For eg. in case of Mathematics we teach our children the logic of Mathematics. We teach them 1+2=3, 2x3=6 etc. We teach them how to think in Mathematics. We empower them with the power of Maths. But what do we do in the case of English. We start teaching with English grammar and further confuse the child who is interested in learning how to communicate his/her thoughts in English.Why? 
Is it not a child's right to learn the logic of making sentences in English from primary classes itself? Forget primary classes, even in secondary classes we don't quench a student's thirst when he/she tries to know anything related to the "formula of a simple English sentence". This is like saying that since WE don't know so nobody should know or nobody should try to know. What kind of an argument is this?

Why don't we have the courage/the spine to tell our students to "Think in English" and communicate their thoughts about their own issues, dreams, aims, fears and desires/culture and society, emotions and ambitions in the most modern, updated, used, versatile, rich, developed language in the world? Why can't we "Think Locally and stay Globally"? To put it clearly and most simplistically "Why can't we use the power of EC(English Communication) to unite our thoughts, empathise with our fellow beings and move forward as a society, as a nation, as human race? Who/What is stopping us? Is it our own ignorance? Or is it our fear of the unknown even if that is going make us stronger, more empowered and more enlightened and the people ruling us weaker, less powerful and vulnerable?  


10+2+3+2.....How many more years do we need to make a child Sentence-Literate?
How many more classes do we need to make one understand the Logic of making a simple sentence in English?
How many more books should a person read to learn the basics of English Communication? How many?

The battle has just begun...The war has just started....This ILLITERACY will end ONE DAY.

This blog/book is just a small candle to keep the hope ALIVE. Let the British hangover on our policy makers continue. But the truth will appear one day for all to see and realise. This blog/book is just a small step in seeing the obvious which our traditional educational system and institutions just don't want to admit. And the truth is "It is very easy to THINK IN ENGLISH"

TO BE CONTINUED...

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