Fulbright scholars flay exam pressure

KOLKATA: Fulbright scholars from the US, currently in Kolkata on a nine-month English Teaching Assistance programme, feel children's creativity is being smothered by schools' insistence on curriculum-based teaching and high scores in exams. They also found city students easier to discipline than those back home.Unlike the US, where teachers have to earn students' respect, it is taken for granted in India.
“The focus on examinations in schools here may be a reason why children don't explore beyond books. Perhaps, their creativity gets supressed by the pressure to score high in exams,“ remarked Lyndsea Arikian, a high school teacher in North Carolina who has been teaching at a school in Kolkata for the past six months.
Five other Fulbright scholars -Nathalie Figueron, Nimah Gobir, Savon Jackson, Pauline Adams and Hita Ahmed -are teaching in various English-medium schools in Kolkata at present.Hita had to alter her style for better response from students.“Students here are used to the ormal curriculum-based teaching. Perhaps they found my teaching method a bit informal,“ said Ahmed.
The US scholars are also partnering with six Indian school teachers for #BoloAmericanEng ish, a project by the US Consulate Kolkata to help 25 youth leaders from underserved communities to hone their communication and leadership skills. The once-a-week module, comprising two sessions each of Know Yourself, CV and Resume, Personal Statement, Group Discussion and Public Speaking, has been developed by the two sets of teachers.
“The programme aims to provide young people with some skills to pursue future aspirations,“ said Andrew Posner, public affairs officer at the US Consulate in Kolkata.
The 25 youths are among 130 that had applied for the programme online. Though selected on the basis of a competitive essay , their English writing skills were poor. “All of them are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and some are first-generation learners. They are eager to learn English and keen to explain their strengths and skillsets at job interviews,“ said Subhalakshmi Nandi, an English teacher at a city school who partnered with Gobir for the two `Know Yourself ' ice-breaking sessions.
While the period is too brief to correct the errors in syntax, the teachers are sure that when the participants complete the programme, they will be confident.
“They were a little shy but ea ger to learn. We are employing different teaching styles that encourages them to listen, speak, read and write in the language. If they can learn how to write a personal statement while applying for a job and speak about their weakness and still be positive at an interview, we would consider the programme a success,“ said assistant professor Tania Chakravertty .
Midway through the programme that will conclude in January 2016, #Bolo American English participants Akif Asim from Vivekananda College and Guria Sharma from Sonarpur Mahavidyalaya are already more self-assured than they were when a month ago. Not because they can speak English better but because they now have the tools to think clearly and speak fluently.