Category Archives: Teacher-Student Communication
The Role of Teacher-Student Rapport in English Learning
The findings of the study the English Café committee of our university conducted prompted me to revisit the topic of “rapport between teachers and students” and reexamine how it affects English learning. The study’s main objectives were: to examine the effects of English lounges on the development of the speaking ability of students and their attitude towards foreign teachers teaching them English and to determine which of the two modes of delivering conversation lounges is more effective – face-to-face or online. The paper also evaluated the significant relationships between the study variables, namely, students’ speaking ability, attitudes towards foreign teachers, educational qualification of teachers, and teachers’ length of service. The first two variables are student-related factors, and the other two are obviously teacher-related.
Results have shown that the lounges improved the students’ speaking ability and attitude toward foreign teachers. As perceived by both groups of respondents – teachers and students – both in-person and virtual methods of delivering this out-of-class learning activity are effective.
What could be considered surprising were the results for measuring the significant relationships between the study variables. Teachers’ Educational qualifications and length of service were hypothesized to significantly affect students’ speaking ability and attitude toward foreign teachers. It is natural to presume that the more education a teacher gets, the longer they have been teaching, the better they become, which translates to better student learning. But as it turned out, teachers’ educational qualification is not correlated to the aforementioned student-related variables. On the other hand, teachers’ length of service is negatively correlated to the said variables. What came out to be significantly positively correlated to students’ speaking ability is their attitude toward foreign teachers. This means that students are more likely to improve their speaking ability when they have a positive attitude toward their teachers.
After estimating for correlation, a regression analysis was subsequently performed to further evaluate the relationship between those student-related variables. Results have shown that students’ attitude toward foreign teachers significantly influences their speaking ability.
Undoubtedly, a healthy student-teacher relationship is one of the foundations of effective learning not only in English but also in any subject area. Students are motivated (and very likely) to learn if they view their teachers as approachable, friendly, and caring. This positive connection between students and their teachers is encapsulated in the educational construct called “rapport between students and teachers.” But despite its significance, only a handful of studies were conducted on the topic. Researchers claim that the reason for this is rapport, as an instructional variable, may have tremendous face validity for management education, yet from a research perspective, is somewhat “tricky to understand.”1
The Collins dictionary explains, “If two people or groups have rapport, they have a good relationship in which they can understand each other’s ideas or feelings very well.” In the educational setting, teachers and students may affect each other either positively or negatively. Teacher-student rapport indicates a positive relationship, the absence of which results in a stressful academic environment. “Rapport is a harmonious teacher-student relationship which encompasses enjoyment, connection, respect, and mutual trust.”2 “Establishing friendly relations with pupils enables teachers to enhance students’ willingness to engage in the learning process.3
The positive correlation between the students’ speaking ability and their attitude toward foreign teachers in the study performed by the English Café committee of our university indicates that the more the students demonstrate a positive attitude toward their teachers, the more they improve their speaking ability. As previously mentioned, this was supported by the regression analysis, where the values reveal that the student’s attitude toward foreign teachers positively influences their speaking ability.
When rapport is present in the classroom, a level of affinity or sincere interpersonal relationship exists between teachers and their students.4 Establishing rapport is a difficult challenge for English teachers when teaching in other countries.
Foreign teachers teaching in countries where English is either a second or a foreign language should not be focused solely on delivering their course contents. Like farmers, they need to plow the farmland before sowing the seed first. Winning the trust and confidence of the students is equivalent to tilling the soil. Teaching content without establishing a positive relationship with the students first is like sowing seeds on untilled soil.
It is possible that students would feel hesitant to engage with their English teachers for a variety of reasons. One of those is the student’s level of English. While the advanced students may feel excited to engage with their foreign teacher so they can practice their English, the beginners or lower intermediate students may feel uncomfortable or worried. A teacher’s friendly demeanor could help alleviate such discomfort and worry.
Another possible reason is the fact that their teachers are foreigners. A cultural barrier wall immediately rises when a foreign teacher enters the classroom. The student, no matter what level of English they are at, would be anxious not knowing what to expect from their foreign teachers. It is, therefore, a must for the teachers to set the tone right during the first meeting. It is imperative for them to ensure that their students feel not only comfortable but confident to interact with them.
It may be true that teacher-student rapport is two-way traffic, but the teachers, whether they like it or not, carry the burden of establishing it. “Building a positive relationship is a shared responsibility of the teacher and the students, but the teacher is in a leadership position when leading in-class learning or out-of-class learning and assumes a greater part of that responsibility. English teachers have a bit more challenge because they are foreigners (to the native student population) and must win the trust and confidence of their students.”5
How teachers perform and treat their students is the primary means of cultivating the students’ positive attitude towards their foreign teachers.”5 What makes establishing rapport with the students more complicated for foreign teachers is the cultural barrier that exists between them and their students. They need to plow the soil a little bit harder than their local counterparts before sowing their seeds. They cannot afford to focus only on delivering their course content without attempting to break through that cultural barrier simultaneously, if not first.
“The attitudes of teachers towards the students are important variables that can affect the attitude of learners as well as the quality and quantity of the learning which takes place and the linguistic outcomes for the learner.”6 In studies where students were asked to identify what they think are the qualities of an effective teacher, competence and their correlates were not the ones that came out on top. One of the said studies had the ability to develop relationships with their students and patient, caring, and kind personality ranking 1st and 2nd, respectively.7 Both had nothing to do with pedagogy but rather the teacher’s attitude.
Competence and its correlates are the ones that teachers develop through their educational qualifications and length of service. As our English Café committee study found out, the educational qualifications of teachers are not correlated to the student’s speaking ability and attitude toward foreign teachers. Note that the negative correlation between teachers’ length of service and the student-related variables that were previously stated is significant. “This inverse relationship implies that the longer the teachers have been teaching, the lesser is the possibility of students improving their speaking ability.”5 Further studies may be needed to confirm these findings. But let me add that in my Ph.D. dissertation, where teacher’s length of service and students’ performance in English were among the variables, the said constructs had the same inverse relationship.
One question teachers (of English and other subjects) need to answer at this point is – How much effort are they putting into establishing a good rapport between them and their students?. “A learner who has better interaction with his teacher may develop a positive attitude toward the target language than those who have less interaction.”8
__________
REFERENCES
1. Buskist, W. & Saville, B. (2001). Creating positive emotional contexts for enhancing teaching and learning. APS Observer, 12-13.
2. Wilson, J. H., Ryan, R. G., and Pugh, J. L. (2010). Professor–student rapport scale predicts student outcomes. Teach. Psychol. 37, 246–251. doi: 10.1080/00986283.2010.510976
3. Ibarra, S. (2014). The Effect of Student-Teacher Rapport on Classroom Participation (Master’s Thesis). Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
4. Jorgenson, J. (1992). Social approaches: Communication, rapport, and the interview: A social perspective. Communication Theory, 2, 148-156.
5. Ligaya, et al. (2021) Comparing the Effects of Face-to-Face and Online English Lounges on Students’ Speaking Ability and Attitude Toward Foreign Teachers. DOI 10.1109/CITC54365.2021.00011
6. F. D. Larsen, M. H. Long, “An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition”, New York: Pearson Education Limited, 1991.
7. https://www.pearsoned.com/top-five-qualities-effective-teachers
8. A.S. Getie, M. Popescu, (2020). Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English. Cogent Education, [Online] 7(1). Available: from https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1738184.
The Day One Of My Students Cried
Whenever invited to conduct teacher-training seminars, I emphasize the importance of developing a passion for teaching and compassion for the learners. I remind the attendees of the importance of building a rapport between them and their students. To achieve that, the students must see how much you love what you’re doing and feel that you care for them.
One day, I was tested if I could walk my talk.
While my students were working on a graded exercise I gave after discussing a grammar point, I noticed that one of them was crying. It was apparent that the seatwork I gave was the reason.
The task was simple – from a set of paired sentences, they will write new sentences using the comparative form of adjectives (followed by than). In each pair of sentences, the same adjective is used to describe two different things.
I know I discussed the topic sufficiently. In addition, shown on screen while they were doing the exercise was the slide on my PPT that explained in detail what to do. There were examples too.
I wanted to approach her, but I realized that it might unnecessarily draw the whole class’s attention to her, which might make her uncomfortable. So, I asked them to stop writing and allow me to give one more example. I noticed that the student seated nearest to her was trying to help her understand what I was explaining. Despite all those, she was unable to finish the exercise.
Knowing her level (A2), I was not surprised that she found that exercise difficult. What was surprising were those tears. It bothered me, to say the least.
Why?
I love teaching. I use humor in the classroom, but I take my profession seriously. Teaching, for me, is more than just a means of livelihood. I have been doing this for the past 30 years. It has become an integral part of my life.
As a teacher, everything I do in the class is guided by one of the philosophies I subscribe to – “The student is the reason I am a teacher.” Thus, I care about what the students say about how I teach. I care whether my students learn or not. I care about how my students feel.
I was sure I did not say or do anything to offend the student who cried. One of the things I tried so hard to avoid was to make my students feel disrespected. To ensure that, I studied their culture whenever I had the opportunity. I kept in mind the tips given to me by my compatriots who have been teaching here longer than I do. I don’t like to offend my students either directly or indirectly. I’m particularly careful with my language and the humor I use in class. As a teacher, I know how important it is to establish a good rapport with my students, and that begins with me acknowledging that they deserve respect.
So, I was wondering what triggered her to cry. It made me contemplate about my overall performance in the class. It made me wonder if I was performing as a teacher the way I should.
I asked myself – Am I an effective teacher? Am I doing the right things in the class? Am I using the proper strategies to motivate my students and help them learn?
Have I become a “mercenary expat teacher” who cares for nothing but running to the ATM during paydays?
The only consolation I had was the thought that the student seemed to care about whether she learned, so much so that when she couldn’t do the exercise, it frustrated her, prompting those tears to well out of her eyes.
When the class ended, I sent that student a text message asking her, only if she was comfortable doing so, to visit me in my office anytime both of us were available so I could explain to her further the grammar point I discussed that day. I also promised to give her a chance to redo the exercise.
That’s why the university requires us to serve 3 hours of office a week. We use that in case students need help or want to practice conversation.
The following day, the student came with that classmate seated nearest to her, who happened to be her best friend (whose language level was B2). She asked her friend to accompany her in case she needed a translator.
When they settled in my office, I asked my student why she cried. She explained in Korean, and her classmate translated it into English.
She cried because she felt so stupid that she could hardly understand English. She thinks her IQ is low because she cannot speak English well.
I told her what she said was actually a fallacy in language learning. A language learner should not be considered stupid because she can hardly understand the new language she is trying to learn. I pointed this out not because I wanted her to feel better but because it was true. The ability to speak in English is not a metric used in measuring intelligence.
I explained to her (and her friend) that people who speak multiple languages could do so because they dedicated their time and resources to studying the languages they know. Another possible reason they attained speaking and writing proficiency in a language or several languages is that they were exposed to those languages since birth.
I cited myself as an example. I could speak three dialects in my country (Tagalog, Ibanag, and Ilocano) because those are the languages of my parents. And how did I learn English? My parents used the language, too, when communicating. In my country (the Philippines), English is the medium of instruction in our schools (from Basic Education to Tertiary, even in Graduate School). All of our textbooks (except the ones we used for the subjects in Filipino) were written in English. In addition, I told them I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and completed the academic requirements for a Master of Arts in English. (The Master’s degree I completed is in Educational Management.)
As a clincher for my monologue, I asked my two visitors, “Am I stupid because I don’t speak Korean well?” I was happy they both said “no.”
Then I asked my student who cried how long has she been studying English and how serious her efforts were to learn the language. She responded, “Not too long, and she was not serious with her efforts.”
I told her that that was the problem. I added that that is also why I could not speak Korean well – I was not serious about learning the language. After hearing that, she said something in Korean to her friend. I asked her friend what it was. My student said, “I will teach sir Korean, and he’ll teach me English.” Then we had a laugh.
Then I took the opportunity to share the findings of one of my studies on English language learning published in an indexed journal. I told them that one group of students in my study was more proficient in English because, as the data I gathered have shown, they spent more time learning English than the other group of students with whom they were compared. I told them that they could not find anywhere a magic pill that would make them proficient in the English language overnight. The secret to becoming proficient in any language is spending time studying it. The more hours you allot to learning the language, the better.
After the pep talk, we went down to work. I spent around 10 minutes explaining to her the comparative form of adjectives and how to rewrite two sentences with the same adjective into one sentence using the comparative form of the said adjective. Then I gave her as much time she needed to finish the exercise – the exercise that made her cry. She finished the exercise with no tears but smiles.
Before they left, I explained the other fallacy that my student who cried said – that her IQ was very low because she could not speak English well. I told her that the English language has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence quotient. IQ tests in a country are written in that country’s native language. Verbal comprehension is only one of the aspects tested in IQ tests, and verbal comprehension is not verbal comprehension in English but in the language in which the IQ test is written.
I told my students that when people can speak English fluently, it does not mean their intelligence quotient is high. Proficiency in English has never been and will never be used as the sole basis for measuring a person’s intelligence. That people who could speak English are more intelligent than those who could not is a fallacy.
The above reminds me of what one of my fellow expat teachers remarked in the English Cafe where we were both serving time that same day when my student cried. There were no students to serve then, so he checked some papers. He said, “How stupid this student is. He doesn’t know the comparative form of expensive.” That’s the stupidest comment I have ever heard from a language teacher. It made me wonder if he has training in pedagogy… if indeed he was a real teacher.
The Role of Teacher-Student Rapport in English Learning
The findings of the study the English Café committee of our university conducted prompted me to revisit the topic “rapport between teachers and students” and reexamine how it affects English learning. The main objectives of the study were: to examine the effects of English lounges on the development of the speaking ability of students and their attitude towards foreign teachers teaching them English; and to determine which of the two modes of delivering conversation lounges is more effective – face-to-face or online. Additionally, the paper also evaluated the significant relationships between the variables of the study, namely, students’ speaking ability, students’ attitude towards foreign teachers, educational qualification of teachers, and teachers’ length of service. The first two variables are student-related factors, the other two are obviously teacher-related.
Results have shown that the said lounges improved both the students’ speaking ability and their attitude toward foreign teachers. And as perceived by both groups of respondents – teachers and students – both in-person and virtual methods of delivering this out-of-class learning activity are effective.
What could be considered surprising were the results for the measurement of the significant relationships between the variables of the study. Educational qualifications of teachers and their length of service were hypothesized to significantly affect both the development of students’ speaking ability and their attitude toward foreign teachers. It is but natural to presume that the more education a teacher gets and the longer they have been teaching the better they become and that translates to better learning on the part of their students. But as it turned out, teachers’ educational qualification is not correlated to the student-related variables aforementioned. Teacher’s length of service, on the other hand, is negatively correlated to the said variables. What came out to be significantly positively correlated to students’ speaking ability is their attitude toward foreign teachers. This means that when students have a positive attitude towards their teachers, the more likely that their speaking ability improves.
After estimating for correlation, a regression analysis was subsequently performed to further evaluate the relationship between those student-related variables. Results have shown that students’ attitude toward foreign teachers has a significant positive influence on their speaking ability.
Undoubtedly, a healthy student-teacher relationship is one of the foundations of effective learning not only in English but also in any subject area. Students are motivated (and very likely) to learn if they view their teachers as approachable, friendly, and caring. This positive connection between students and their teachers is encapsulated in the educational construct called “rapport between students and teachers.” But despite its significance, only a handful of studies were conducted on the topic. Researchers claim that the reason for this is rapport, as an instructional variable, may have tremendous face validity for management education, yet from a research perspective is somewhat “tricky to understand.”1
The Collins dictionary explains that “if two people or groups have rapport, they have a good relationship in which they are able to understand each other’s ideas or feelings very well.” In the educational setting, teachers and students may affect each other either in a positive or a negative way. Teacher-student rapport indicates a positive relationship the absence of which results in a stressful academic environment. “Rapport is a harmonious teacher-student relationship which encompasses enjoyment, connection, respect, and mutual trust.”2 “Establishing friendly relations with pupils enables teachers to enhance students’ willingness to engage in the learning process.3
The positive correlation between the students’ speaking ability and their attitude towards foreign teachers in the study performed by the English Café committee of our university indicates that the more the students demonstrate a positive attitude toward their teachers, the more they improve in their speaking ability. This, as previously mentioned, was supported by the regression analysis where the values reveal that the students’ attitude towards foreign teachers positively influences their speaking ability.
When rapport is present in the classroom, it means that existing is a level of affinity or sincere interpersonal relationship between a teacher and their students.4 Establishing rapport is one of the difficult challenges that English teachers face when teaching in other countries.
Foreign teachers teaching in countries where English is either a second or a foreign language should not be focused solely on delivering their course contents. Like farmers, before sowing the seed, they need to plow the farmland first. Winning the trust and confidence of the students is equivalent to tilling the soil. Teaching content without establishing a positive relationship with the students first is like sowing seeds on untilled soil.
It is possible that students would feel hesitant to engage with their English teachers for a variety of reasons. One of those is students’ level of English. While the advanced students may feel excited to engage with their foreign teacher so they could practice their English, the beginners or lower intermediate students may feel uncomfortable or worried. A teacher’s friendly demeanor could help alleviate such discomfort and worry.
Another possible reason is the fact that their teachers are foreigners. A wall called cultural barrier immediately rises as soon as the foreign teacher enters the classroom. The student, no matter what level of English they are at, would be anxious not knowing what to expect from their foreign teachers. It is therefore a must for the teachers to set the tone right during the first meeting. It is imperative for them to ensure that their students would feel not only comfortable but confident also to interact with them.
It may be true that teacher-student rapport is two-way traffic but the teachers, whether they like it or not, carry the burden of establishing it. “Building a positive relationship is a shared responsibility of the teacher and the students, but the teacher is in a leadership position when leading in-class learning or out-of-class learning, and assumes a greater part of that responsibility. English teachers have a bit more challenge because they are foreigners (to the native student population) and must win the trust and confidence of their students.”5
How teachers perform and treat their students is the primary means of cultivating the students’ positive attitude towards their foreign teachers.”5 What makes establishing rapport with the students more complicated for foreign teachers is the cultural barrier that exists between them and their students. They need to plow the soil a little bit harder than their local counterparts before sowing their seeds. They cannot afford to just focus on delivering their course contents without attempting to break through that cultural barrier at the same time, if not first.
“The attitudes of teachers towards the students are important variables that can affect the attitude of learners as well as the quality and quantity of the learning which takes place and the linguistic outcomes for the learner.”6 In studies where students were asked to identify what they think are the qualities of an effective teacher, competence and their correlates were not the ones that came out on top. One of the said studies had the ability to develop relationships with their students and patient, caring, and kind personality ranking 1st and 2nd, respectively.7 Both had nothing to do with pedagogy but rather the attitude of the teacher.
Competence and its correlates are the ones that teachers develop through their educational qualifications and length of service. And as our English Café committee study found out, the educational qualifications of teachers are not correlated to both the students’ speaking ability and their attitude towards foreign teachers. Note that the negative correlation between teachers’ length of service and the student-related variables that was previously stated is significant. “This inverse relationship implies that the longer the teachers have been teaching the lesser is the possibility of students improving their speaking ability.”5 Further studies may be needed to confirm these findings. But let me just add that in my Ph.D. dissertation where teacher’s length of service and students’ performance in English were among the variables, the said constructs had the same inverse relationship.
One question teachers (of English and other subjects) need to answer at this point is – How much effort are they putting into establishing a good rapport between them and their students?. “A learner who has better interaction with his teacher may develop a positive attitude toward the target language than those who have less interaction.”8
REFERENCES
1. Buskist, W. & Saville, B. (2001). Creating positive emotional contexts for enhancing teaching and learning. APS Observer, 12-13.
2. Wilson, J. H., Ryan, R. G., and Pugh, J. L. (2010). Professor–student rapport scale predicts student outcomes. Teach. Psychol. 37, 246–251. doi: 10.1080/00986283.2010.510976
3. Ibarra, S. (2014). The Effect of Student-Teacher Rapport on Classroom Participation (Master’s Thesis). Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
4. Jorgenson, J. (1992). Social approaches: Communication, rapport, and the interview: A social perspective. Communication Theory, 2, 148-156.
5. Ligaya, et al. (2021) Comparing the Effects of Face-to-Face and Online English Lounges on Students’ Speaking Ability and Attitude Toward Foreign Teachers. DOI 10.1109/CITC54365.2021.00011
6. F. D. Larsen, M. H. Long, “An Introduction to Second Language Acquisition”, New York: Pearson Education Limited, 1991.
7. https://www.pearsoned.com/top-five-qualities-effective-teachers
8. A.S. Getie, M. Popescu, (2020). Factors affecting the attitudes of students towards learning English. Cogent Education, [Online] 7(1). Available: from https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2020.1738184.
The Day One of My Students Cried
While my students were working on a graded exercise I gave after discussing a grammar point, I noticed that one of them was crying. It was apparent that the seatwork I gave was the reason.
The task was simple – from a set of paired sentences, they will write new sentences using the comparative form of adjectives (followed by than). In each pair of sentences, the same adjective is used to describe two different things.
I know I discussed the topic sufficiently. In addition, shown on screen while they were doing the exercise was the slide on my PPT that explains in detail what to do. There were examples too.
I wanted to approach her but I realized that it might unnecessarily draw the attention of the whole class to her which might make her uncomfortable. So, I asked them to stop writing for a while and allow me to give one more example. I noticed that the student seated nearest to her was trying to help her understand what I was explaining. Despite all those, she was unable to finish the exercise.
Knowing her level (A2), I was not surprised that she found that exercise difficult. What was surprising were those tears. It bothered me to say the least.
Why?
I love teaching. I do use humor in the classroom but I take my profession seriously. Teaching for me is more than just a means of livelihood. I have been doing this for the past 30 years. It has become an integral part of my life.
As a teacher, everything I do in the class is guided by one of the philosophies I subscribe to – “The student is the reason I am teacher.” Thus, I care about what the students say about the way I teach. I care whether my students learn or not. I care about how my students feel.
I was sure that I did not say or did anything to offend the student who cried. One of the things I tried so hard to avoid is to make my students feel disrespected. To ensure that, I studied their culture, especially during my first months here in South Korea. I kept in mind the tips given to me by my compatriots who have been teaching here longer than I do. I don’t like to offend my students either directly or indirectly. I’m particularly careful with my language and the kind of humor I use in the class. As a teacher, I know how important it is to establish a good rapport with my students and that begins with me acknowledging that they deserve respect.
So, I was wondering what triggered her to cry. It made me contemplate about my overall performance in the class. It made me think if I was performing as a teacher the way I ought to.
I asked myself – Am I an effective teacher? Am I doing the right things in the class? Am I using the proper strategies to motivate my students and help them learn? Are those tears caused by my inability to sufficiently differentiate instruction to cater to the different proficiency levels of my students?
Have I become a “mercenary expat teacher” who cares for nothing but run to the ATM during paydays?
The only consolation I had was the thought that the student seemed to care about whether she learns or not so much so that when she wasn’t able to do the exercise it made her so frustrated prompting those tears to well out of her eyes.
When the class ended, I sent that student a text message asking her, only if she was comfortable doing so, to visit me in my office anytime both of us are available so I could explain to her further the grammar point I discussed that day. I also promised to give her a chance to redo the exercise.
That’s the reason the university requires us to serve three hours of office a week. We use that in case students need help or they want to practice conversation.
The following day, the student came, with that classmate seated nearest to her and who happened to be her best friend (whose language level is B2). She asked her friend to accompany her just in case she needs a translator.
As soon as they got settled in my office, I ask my student why she cried. She explained in Korean and her classmate translated it to English.
She cried because she felt she was so stupid for she could hardly understand English. She thinks her IQ is very low because she could not speak English well.
I told her that the things she said are actually fallacies in language learning. A language learner should not be considered stupid just because she could hardly understand the new language that she is trying to learn. I pointed this out not because I wanted her to feel better but because it is what I believe.
I explained to her (and to her friend) that people who speak multiple languages could do so because they dedicated their time and resources to study the languages they know. Another possible reason they attained speaking and writing proficiency in a language or several languages is because since birth they were exposed to those languages.
I cited myself as an example. I could speak three dialects in my country (Tagalog, Ibanag, and Ilocano) because those are the languages of my parents. And how did I learn English? My parents used the language too when communicating and in my country (the Philippines), the medium of instruction in our schools (from Basic Education to Tertiary, even in Graduate School) is English. In addition, I told them I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
As a clincher for my monologue, I asked my two visitors a question, “Am I stupid because I don’t speak Korean well?” I was happy they both said “no.”
Then I asked my student who cried how long has she been studying English and how serious were her efforts to learn the language. Her response – “Not too long and she was not serious with her efforts.”
I told her that that is the problem. I added that that is also the reason I could not speak Korean well – I was not serious with my efforts to learn the language. After hearing that she said something in Korean to her friend. I asked her friend what was it. This was what my student said – “I will teach sir Korean and he’ll teach me English.” Then we had a laugh.
I spent around 10 minutes in explaining to her the comparative form of adjectives and how to rewrite two sentences with the same adjective into one sentence using the comparative form of the said adjective. Then I gave her as much time she needed to finish the exercise – the exercise that made her cry. She finished the exercise with no tears but smiles.
Before they left I explained the other fallacy that my student who cried said – that her IQ is very low because she could not speak English well. I told her that the English language has nothing to do with a person’s intelligence quotient. IQ tests in a country are written in that country’s native language. Verbal comprehension is only one of the several aspects tested in IQ tests and that verbal comprehension is not verbal comprehension in English but in the language in which the IQ test is written.
I told my students that when people could speak English fluently it does not mean that their intelligence quotient is high. Proficiency in English has never been and will never be used as the sole basis in measuring a person’s intelligence. That people who could speak English are more intelligent than those who could not is a fallacy.
M.A.D. LIGAYA
M.A.D. L I G A Y A 