[etni] Fwd: "Weak" Ethiopian students
- From: ETNI list <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: Etni <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:24:51 +0300
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From: byk <byk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: "Weak" Ethiopian students
Dear List,
I do wish everybody would stop talking about weak Ethiopian students.
When I was still working in the system, I taught marvellous classes of
Ethiopian immigrants, and now do some volunteer coaching. I know that
working one on one is not the same as working with a whole class, but
the problem seems to me to be always the same; the students don't know
the language. There is no point starting to build a house from the
3rd floor, when the basement hasn't been completed.
This, of course, is not the only problem; lack of general knowledge or
the sort of general knowledge that we all take for granted, is
lacking.
Let me give you an example. I am coaching students who are supposed
to be going for 4 point bagrut. They are entering 11th grade. Their
grammar is fantastic. Their study habits are great. Their vocabulary
is abysmal. I decided to take Window to the World (6th grade) and
work from that. There is so much unknown vocabulary, and the subject
matter - Marco Polo, the destruction of Pompei, Marie Curie, etc. is
also totally unknown, so I find myself killing two birds with one
stone.
The thing about education is that some steps are essential, and one
can't just leave them out and hope that the pupil will somehow fill in
the blanks.
This holds good for those who don't believe that the HOTS programme
will be a magic wand that will cover up all that is lacking in the
Israeli education system. Good teachers know that reduced hours,
crowded classes and the modular bagrut, forcing teachers to spend more
time teaching to the test, have only served to lower the level of
English.
Jennifer Byk
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