Blackbright_March 2013_Copy of October 2012 3/14/2013 12:30 AM Page 7
Please Add A Speaking & Listening Component to the CSEC Dear Editor (of Jamaican Gleaner) I am strongly proposing that the Caribbean Examinations Council add a speaking and listening component to its English language examination at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level.
MULTI-CUTURAL PLAY
True ‘multi-cultural’ play only occurs in a society free from racism. This is not the case at present. We live in a society which is made up of people from many different cultures, but in which a different value is placed on each culture, white AngloSaxon being the most highly valued. We must begin to take positive action to counterbalance the harm that is continually being done to all children, but especially those from the less-valued culturesnamely black children. We need to take a positive stand against racism through play, valuing all cultures equally through the resources used with young children.
There are numerous students who are leaving high school with an academic distinction in CSEC English, but are unable to speak the language well, or to actively listen to and understand communications in standard English. Language primarily involves reading, speaking, writing and listening. The English examination administered to our students must, therefore, be strategically designed to test students’ language skills in all the aforementioned areas.
One’s identity is like the foundation stone of a building. If you don’t have a solid foundation you don’t have a building.
In light of this, English language instruction must seek to foster students’ skills in all the primary modes of language so that they can develop as holistic and functional communicators in English.
Steve Stephenson Senior Social Worker
We cannot expect to simply teach our students how to read and write and later expect them to be eloquent speakers and efferent listeners. Remember that language is an active and dynamic tool, and so English language instruction must reflect the myriad of contexts in which this tool will, or may, be utilised in the real world. Let us desist from rote and passive language instruction and assessment, and be active and comprehensive in our approach to the teaching and learning of English as a second language. SHAWNA KAY WILLIAMS Shawna201@gmail.com The Mico University College Are you shocked that CSEC passes in English language have plummeted from 63.9% in 2011 to 46% in 2012?
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