Language

a collection of quotes and notes from the NmInTheSouthPacific project which relate to the role of Language in Education in the South Pacific. These were collected from the site by Shalen Gounden

Torote Kauongo, NmKiribati

• teaching done in English
• "most are ashamed to speak because they will make a mistake"
• "some Indian lecturers are hard to understand, especially when they talk really face, sometimes they speak too closely to the mic and here it is all waffle, and very hard to tell the lecturer that they cannot hear them, so they just sit and wait for the tutorial to be over"
• "it is culturally very hard to tell them they cannot hear them, sometimes I have to talk on their behalf"
• discussions are done in their own vernacular
• local tutors mostly do it in vernacular
• output is always English

Site visit to Kiribati, Emily Moala, NmKiribati

• Kiribati has been the country the most difficult to communicate with in English (language + "shy"), of the six USP centers I have visited (Nauru, Samoa, Solomon’s, Kiribati, Marshall’s, Fiji),

Wentapo Mackenzie, NmKiribati

• In study groups, they speak English
• Torote can answer their CS questions in Kiribati
• ad-hoc study groups are in Kiribati
• she would prefer English as the main teaching language, but Kiribati when confused

Torote, USPNet Operator, NmKiribati

• Sometimes there is no Kiribati term, so uses English term but explain in Kiribati
• For instance: RAM = memory or brain. describes the parallel in Kiribati

Binto, CS Tutor

• Kiribati and English at both TTI and USP
• difficulties expressing some technical terms in Kiribati: ram vs. ROM, bus, etc.
• uses local metaphors in these cases
• highways for bit rates, "here we have one lane, but get them to imagine we have several"

Dako, S.I. Staff in Kiribati, NmKiribati

• feels disconnected due to language issues
• "most students don't understand English very well"
• tries to use basic English in his classes: "they need someone who knows their local language very well"
• estimates that Kiribati English level is at 40%, while he would rate S.I. English level at %60
• Prefers to learn in Kiribati, though said this would make it harder to communicate with Suva coordinator, if learned everything in Kiribati

Mark Dennis, Phone interview, NmSolomons

• everything taught in English, but open to local pidgin
• outputs are all English
• discussion in pidgin

Site Visit, Solomon Islands, Nathaniel Tuiseke, NmSolomons Islands

• "It has to be a mixture (of pidgin and English)... English should be the dominating language"
• teach in English, but at times explain in Pidgin
• there are some concepts/ ideas better explained in pidgin than in English
• Electromagnetism: magnetic fields, direction in which forces act: these are concepts better explained in pidgin
• Heat: better explained in English
• "the expression of science sometimes limits the use of pidgin"
• "sometimes I use pidgin when i sense the students don't understand the English explanation"
• "Sometimes I have the feeling 'these are Solomon Islanders, I am from Solomon Islands, why should we speak English?'"
• "Students understand pidgin better than English, so why should not the medium of instruction be pidgin... a Japanese speaking English to a Japanese is..."

Shane Tutuwa, NmSolomons

• "it is hard to speak to them in English when they speak to me in Pidgin"
• "they are not comfortable asking questions in English"

Mark Dennis, NmSolomons

• teaching English (says teachers are mostly expiates)
• says Bislama/ Pidgin is discouraged

Admin Officer, NmSolomons

• written English is better than Spoken
• urban kids speak good English
• understand English better reading than hearing

A Fijian in an American University, NmStudents

In Fiji

• learned in English, discussed in Fijian, output in English

In US

• learning, output and discussion all in English
• he felt like he had to re-learn English, and now would have troubles describing what he learned in Fijian
• Thinking Filian
• He had to learn to "grasp the concept in English. To think in English" and now "it is much easier to explain the points learned in English" as it "saves time because there is no translation"
• he feels there are not Fijian terms for much of what he learned (DNA), nor even Fijian metaphors
• he has truly learned in English, to the extent that eh has to translate back to Fijian, his own Language (well second language after Kadavu dialect)

Torote Kauongo, NmKiribati

• teaching done in English
• "most are ashamed to speak because they will make a mistake"
• "some Indian lecturers are hard to understand, especially when they talk really face, sometimes they speak too closely to the mic and here it is all waffle, and very hard to tell the lecturer that they cannot hear them, so they just sit and wait for the tutorial to be over"
• "it is culturally very hard to tell them they cannot hear them, sometimes I have to talk on their behalf"
• discussions are done in their own vernacular
• local tutors mostly do it in vernacular
• output is always English

Site visit to Kiribati, NmKiribati

_ Kiribati has been the country the most difficult to communicate with in English (language + "shy"), of the six USP centers I have visited (Nauru, Samoa, Solomon’s, Kiribati, Marshall’s, Fiji)

Math/Education Student, NmKiribati

• In study groups, they speak English

Computer Science Student, NmKiribati

• Torote can answer their CS questions in Kiribati
• ad-hoc study groups are in Kiribati
• she would prefer English as the main teaching language, but Kiribati when confused

Torote, USP Net Operator, NmKiribati

Sometimes there is no Kiribati term, so uses English term but explain in Kiribati

• For instance: RAM = memory or brain. describes the parallel in Kiribati

Binto, CS Tutor, NmKiribati

• Kiribati and English at both TTI and USP difficulties expressing some technical terms in Kiribati: ram vs. ROM, bus, and etc. uses local metaphors in these cases
• highways for bit rates, "here we have one lane, but get them to imagine we have several"

Dako, S.I. Staff in Kiribati

• feels disconnected due to language issues
• "most students don't understand English very well"
• tries to use basic English in his classes: "they need someone who knows their local language very well"
• estimates that Kiribati English level is at 40%, while he would rate S.I. English level at %60

Working Student, NmKiribati

• Prefers to learn in Kiribati, though said this would make it harder to communicate with Suva coordinator, if learned everything in Kiribati

Usability Concerns, Marijke Wilhemus, NmInternetfiji

• simple English
• Hindi and Fijian would be ideal, but rarely ever used
• French and Italian are more likely translations, as foreigners are the target web audience with $$$

Prem Sinha, Labasa Centre, NmFiji

• teaching in English, output in English
• Organised discussions in English
• Hindi and Fijian used for informal discussions
• grasp of English is good, as it was taught in Fijian school system
• 10% in low level of English

Fiaosi Aleamotua, Assistant USP Net Operator, NmTonga

• all taught in English
• output in English
• most discussions in home tongue, Tongan
• In class is English

Samoa Centre Site Visit, Loane Malaki, Agriculture Tutor, NmSamoa

• language is a big issue, need a lot of repetition, slow down English, use simple English
• "some people have problems with English, but that’s something they have to tackle" -IM
• "...its the official language pf the University" -Aca
• "one of the requirements is English; you have to pass a certain level or you are not allowed to enter the university"
• Dictionary would be useful on CD-ROM
• Discussion between students is in Samoan, but he encourages them to speak English unless there is a problem with understanding
• afterwards, when there are no other English-speaking students around, they ask me to explain in Samoan

Taiapo, Librarian, Savaii, NmSamoa

• students are not used to how Pailangi speak
• students study in Samoan, learn in English
• "I prefer in English, but it is better to have both Samoan and English. But I prefer English because it gives us samples, it makes us more benefit from speaking English"

Theories to discuss, Questions for Centers

• How is students' grasp of English?
• What lang is teaching done in?
• What lang is discussion doen in?
• What lang is output?
• Describe discussions (face to face, video, e, etc)

Nauru Site Visit, Learning Issues, NmNauru

• verbal English is fine but written is not so good -AK, 30 Sep, 2003
• English is the administrative language, Nauru is not a written language
• teaching is done in English, but discussion is done in Nauruan
• classes are mixed at USP, with many Tuvaluan and Kiribati -M 30 Sep 2003
• "I think in English, and have troubles explaining my studies in Naruan" -AK 30 Sep 2003
• Often language-use is split by context: "my husband, on a personal level uses Naruan, but for work uses English" - AK 30 Sep 2003

Ronald Kun, Management Tutor, NmNauru

• If all Naruan students, I teach in Nauruan; if it is a mix, I teach in English. For definitions, specific specific questions, I answer in English, but explain concepts using examples in Nauruan -RK 1 Oct 2003

Phaedora, Secondary School Teacher, NmNauru

• she teaches in English, but if the students are still confused she'll go over to Nauruan 'miss can you please talk in Nauruan'
• Discussion is in Nauruan, "they are too shy to speak English. They'll start fidgeting if I ask them to speak in English. They know it but they're shy. If they have a Fijian of Filipino teacher they can speak English, but with a Nauruan teacher they prefer Nauruan"

Formosa, Management Student, NmNauru

"I think English is better, from preschool we are taught it, and Nauruan is not a written language"

Phone with Greg Ribauw, USP Net Operator, NmNauru

• Teaching: English
• Study-groups: Nauruan
• Study-groups: students set up their own
• Outputs: English

Discuss aspects of traditional learning, NmStudents Brainstorm

• What language is your input, output?
• What language do you discuss in?
• What language do you think in?

Laupeti Fihaki, NmTuvalu

• in both English and Tuvluan "but normally in Tuvaluan"
• "All students understand English, it's just when it comes to tutoring, or when a point needs to be understood subtly, the students and the tutors prefer to exchange in the local language."
• "during tutorials, the students respond better to the local tutors than the foreigners. Local tutors get more interaction from the tutors."
• output: assigNments done in English, no vernacular courses

Notes Taken by Alim, Vanuatu Education for the 21st Century, NmVanuatu

• Medium of instruction for Vanuatu under constitution is English and French, but Bislama turns to be only uniting factor in educational institutions
• Language to use should be based on language need of the community
• Present majority population needed vocational training in Bislama
• Since independence Vanuatu had no legal policy or policy directives
• No real educational policy after 17 years of independence

Fellow up points based on Alim notes, Further questions on Vanuatu Education paper, NmVanuatu

• Medium of instruction for Vanuatu under constitution is English and French, but Bislama turns to be only uniting factor in educational institutions
• Language to use should be based on language need of the community
• Present majority population needed vocational training in Bislama
• Let’s validate this with other resources: is Bislama truly the optimal language for training in Vanuatu?

Charles lone, USP Net Operator, NmNiue

• taught in English
• discussion in English
• output in English
• funny thing bc they are from another generation"

NmQuestionsForStudents

• What language are they taught in?
• What language is output (papers, tests, etc.)?
• What language is discussion?
  • In class
  • Out of class
• What language preferred for normal communication?
• What language(s) would you like to be taught in?

Frances Koya, NmFrancesKoya

• "The biggest constraint is English"

Notes from a conversation with School of Humanities' Akanisi Kedrayate, Unaisi Nabobo, Teweiariji Teaero, Stanley Houma, and Joseph Veramu

Spore 3 Brainstorm with SOH, ?NmSpore Brainstorm

• "ultimately some things have to be in Samoan" -U
• "you have the whole thing (in English) and then you say it in local language and suddenly they understand 'Oh, is that it?" -U

Tutai Parima, NmCooks

• taught: English
• output: English
• discussion: Some prefer their own language, she helps with language in some classes
• "most people here speak English"
• some staff speak Maori, but :"i think English alone is fine, everyone speaks English"

Rito Akilang, NmMarshalls

• taught:english
• output:english
• discussion:"when there are fijian or Indian students they speak in English; when everyone is marshals they speak in marshaelese"
• "some lecturer from Vanuatu, students have been asking me that they don't really understand what they are saying, that they are speaking faster, they don't really understand their way of speaking"
• "helpful in marshallese"

Site Visit to Marshall’s Islands, NmMarshalls

• Marshallese is important to students not only so they can understand, but for deep learning (see Tree Quote TOO!)

RMI – USP Collab, NmMarshalls

• English level in Fiji is higher...written English is poor -Patricia, English teacher
• "we have a hard time to get them to speak English" -T
• they speak Marshalese in their own study groups
• "only when they speak to us do they speak English" -T
• School is taught in Marshalese up to grade 6
• "often it takes 10 sentences (in Marshalese or Tongan, for example) to explain one technical term of English" -Tapu
• Giving course materials in Marshalese after prelim would be a disadvantage to students; better to give alternate in simple English - Acctg + P, to which T responded "I do not want it to be simplified; they need to learn it."

Geography Student, NmMarshalls

• Her teachers do not speak Marshallese, so she has to turn to fellow students for explanations in her own language

Rito Akilang, USP Net Operator

• Teaches Continuing Ed Courses on word, excel, Power Point, access. says "most of them don't have access to computers"
• if all the students are Marshallese, then he teaches in Marshalese
• when asked ''how did you explain computer terms in Marshalese, he said that he just showed the usage of the applications (excel, etc) and

Interviews conducted by Fili, Themes for Phone Interviews, ?NmThemes for Interviews

• What language are students taught in?
• What language do they write papers, etc?
• what language is used for discussion
• In-class?
• among students
• What language is preferable for teaching and learning?
• Why?

Landbeck and mugler, NmLandbeck

• "'What I do is read and the dictionary beside me --- and it takes me a long time to read the text. I can spend the whole night, until 3, 4...'Looking up every unknown word in the dictionary - which is what KF seems to do - is an inefficient way of reading. He admits having great difficulties with reading and, not surprisingly, dislikes it."(p. 29)
• "'Well, I try and paraphrase it in my own words.' Is that helpful? To write it in you’re own words? 'Yeah, I tend to remember it'"(p. 31)
• 'I know my limitation in the second language. Sometimes I feel that memorizing, this is the safest way.'(p 36)

Filimoni Saumaki, NmFiji

What language are students taught in?

• English (EVERYBODY

What language do they write papers, etc?

• English (EVERYBODY)

What language is used for discussion –?

• In class -
• English and Vernacular (EVERYBODY)
• Among students
• Vernacular (everybody)

What language is preferable for teaching and learning?

• English (EVERYBODY)

Why?

• Widely accepted and because its easier to communicate to students from different cultural backgrounds. AK,NS,AS,NC
• Because it is the language that students learn. The more English they practice in speaking and writing will ameliorate their understanding of the language ATJP,NB,DB
• International and common language JV,GS,RK
• Mostly used as a business language in the region TN,TM,TT,KB
• Because it is easier to also express when writing AA,MF,V,A
• Standard mode/medium BT,RV,TT

FierConference, 5-8 January 2004

Ana Taufeulungaki

Director of IOE, Keynote Address, 7 January, 2003: Learning to live together with all of our differences''

• "different languages create different world views"
• learning must be based on vernacular and children's prior knowledge
• language determines concepts
• language is an instrument of culture
• when we ask our children to learn a new language we are asking them to learn a new world view
• excluding, marginalising first language anniliates culture
• the development of the mother tongue is critical
• Tongan students do better in Maths when taught in Tongan (get ref)
• "If you use your first language as the medium of instruction you will have learning much more relevant to the student. If you don't do this, you will lose it."

Panel: Decolonizing our mind

FIER Conference Panel, Decolonizing our mind: rationale, challenges and coping strategies, 7 January, 2004

• "consider running more workshops in vernacular... more vernacular publications" - J. Veramu

L. Seru

Cultural Gap in teacher-student interactions in multicultural schools, 6 January, 2004

• "compulsory English creates learning gap"
• "fear of speaking because of english level"
• language affects learning, tasks