Adibah Noor Tags | Motherhood Malaysia

It was a great move for the Ministry of Education to launch the DidikTV in an effort to close the education gap for those who are restrained with online learning for various reasons. However, less than 24 hours after its launch, social media were making a fuss about it. Credit: soyacincau.com It was the case of a presenter, who is a Science teacher, using the terms ‘infant’ to describe the development of a zygote, embryo, and fetus in a mum’s womb. I could empathise with the teacher. She’s a teacher, not a presenter, and not being trained to be in front of the camera. She just wanted to explain science in English for Year 2 students. Do you really believe an eight-year-old kid would care what zygote turns into? I’m not interested to summarise the syllabus, grammar and all. Despite her mocking, it’s good to know that Adibah Noor, a celebrity who was an ex-teacher, offered her service to become a presenter for the DidikTV. On the other hand, I’m still disheartened by the netizen's reaction including Adibah Noor. Credit: rojakdaily.com Perhaps, we could learn to understand that whole situation as per Teacher Sam’s insight before we want to make any comments on social media. Feedback is good, but public criticism is destructive. To some extent, it is an act of cyberbullying. The incident made me ponder about the overall scenario we are seeing nowadays. According to Jobstreet.com, one of the top 5 reasons that we are seeing fresh graduates are unemployed is a poor command in English and communication skills. Credit: Jobstreet Malaysia So, do we really need to start polishing our toddlers’ English to match the Queen English? Na-ah! Hold your horses, mummies! The issue is poor COMMAND of English. Furthermore, poor communication skills also contribute to the unemployment rate. The keywords are command and communication. Yes, English is the most spoken international language globally. Yet, you do not have to memorize the whole dictionary by heart so that you could communicate well. Nevertheless, you do not have to have perfect English grammar to give the command. So how could parents help their children with good command in English and better communication? Tips To Help Your Children To Communicate In English First and foremost, you should instil the idea that we are not native speakers. Lower your expectation and believe in your children’s capability. Speaking English fluently is achievable if you understand the concept that every learner is different. Try out the following tips to help your little ones to boost up their English: 1. Let them make mistakes Never mock a kid or make cynical remarks when your kids make mistakes. Mistakes have always been the best teacher to anyone. Correct their mistakes and encourage them to speak. They do not have to use perfect grammar as long as the messages are delivered and understood. 2. Practice, practice, practice Practice makes perfect is not just hearsay. It’s proven over time. Remember how we start with ‘A is Apple’, ‘ B is Ball’, and so on. We were so young back then. And we are still unsure of some grammar and vocabulary until today. Just keep on practising. Communicate with the children in English and encourage them to respond in English. Teach them the vocab they didn’t know. Credit: PR Newswire 3. Yes, the gadgets do help No doubts, the clips from the YouTubes and the favourite cartoons on the TV do help. Children learn from things that they are interested in. Listening to their favourite cartoons or even Youtubers will attract children’s attention and they will focus on the content. Encourage them to watch those clips in English, and those with subtitles help a lot for children who can read. 4. Play games Make learning fun is one thing that won’t fail. Indulge the kids with lots of English-speaking games. Roleplay is one of the games that you could try with the kids. Make a story with your child’s favourite cartoon character or a superhero and act it out. Speak out the dialogues and involve the child in the storyline to practice speaking English. 5. Sing songs There are several video songs available online. Most of the songs, use actions that demonstrate the meaning of the song/rhyme. Such videos are extremely helpful in teaching kids English as they learn the actions which help them understand better. Children will learn new vocabs and with lots of vocabs in them will make them more confident speaking in English. Credit: Chalk Academy Most adults hesitate while speaking English as they are not confident of themselves. Teach the children when they are young so that they do not hesitate when they grow older. However, do bear in mind that every child learns at a different pace. Do not worry if your child is taking some time to speak English. Be patient and do not rush. You won’t regret all the small efforts that you do today for their better tomorrow. I hope the tips are helpful and yes, worth reminding, stay safe, mummies!

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Adibah Noor

Perfecting English: How Parents Could Help Kids To Speak In English Confidently