ENGLISH and RUNNING

 ENGLISH and RUNNING

Does the title look bizarre? Sure, for, the topic [English] is such. Yes, the language has the bizarre ‘structuring’ that learners ‘fall’ under two categories – those who fall in love and those who fall by fear. Of late in our country, among learners of English, the second category- [falling by fear] outnumber the former. What do I suggest by ‘of late’? Till about 1970s, those falling in love with English were in significant number. Coming to the caption “English and Running”, the term ‘running ‘indicates the attitude of learner to the language. While some ‘run into’, many ‘run away’ from it. What brings about such a variation among the learners?

The honest answer to the question hinges on ‘how well the nuances of planning the structure’ of statements is taught in the formative days. If not, at least the ‘rudiments’ of the rules of ‘positioning’ the subject, predicate and the use of verb relevant to the tense must be clearly explained to dispel the scope of fear in learners’ mind.  A few teachers cater to the requirement by liberal use of examples and slowly infusing the rules of grammar-working. On the contrary, several teachers try to impose the ‘rule’ of say so or write so without making the learner minds clear of the ‘parts of speech’. Unless such components are laid bare, the language ‘looks bizarre and the learner bewildered’.

How does it work?

Teachers who wish to succeed teaching English at the lowest levels ought to acquire the patience to ‘persuasive’ approach by taking care to repeat words in a slow pace as to help the learner shed inhibition for outright unfamiliar terms. The strategy of imparting ‘knowledge skill’ requires slow input, repeat trials to ensure ‘familiarity’ to the learner. Basically, the element of fear / apprehension emerges from strange voice/ vocabulary steeply complex by pronunciation. Systematic repetition clears the ‘surprise element’ from unfamiliarity. Teachers who lack skills of perseverance try ‘bull -dozing’,  causing frustration for learners. Once the pattern in the alignment and the way of using verbs are learnt by verification with examples, the effect of expression is picked up.  Till such time, patience can help better than aggressive implementation of rules of grammar.

The very planning of nursery rhymes merely rests on the above principle of familiarizing the learner instead of imposing rules of grammar. Though such rhymes may not serve ‘knowledge-building’, they do cater to build rapport between teachers and the taught. Any effort for teaching must consider the feasibility of approach for all its intricacies. The most useful approach is to place self in the slot of ‘learner’ who begins.  It would help our emotional sympathy to learners while tuning our practice of ‘familiarizing’ the language for its words, usage and grammar. Those who have gathered the right nuances run into the core and those who fail to grasp these elements determining the structuring of language choose to run away from it. Either way English learning can make our kids run ← or→.

Prof. K. Raman