Many undergraduate students in Nagaland still lack basic English writing skills, still practise rote learning (learning by repetition) and have accorded low priority to critical thinking , despite access to information at the palms of their hands and all of which have contributed to “SMS lingo” infiltrating even into formal communication.
These were some of the observations made at the “Workshop on Challenges and Issues of Teaching Writing at the Undergraduate Level in Nagaland” held at Unity College here on Saturday.
The workshop was organized by Cue Academy Centre of Writing Skills in collaboration with department of English, Unity College. Professors from several colleges attended the workshop.
Noted Naga educators and authors shared their observations and appealed to the college professors to reach a consensus, address the root causes and implement measures to help students write expressively and inculcate critical and analytical thinking.
The main highlight of the workshop was the addresses by the plenary speakers: assistant professor, department of English, Dimapur Government College, Shuiching Konyak Lasuh; vice principal, Tetseo College, Dimapur, Dr. Hewasa Lorin; and founder and chief instructor of Cue Academy Centre of Writing Skills at Kohima, Dr. Rukulu K. Puro.
In her address, Shuiching Konyak Lasuh lamented the poor foundation laid in the formative years. She said, as a consequence, “English even at the college level is appalling.” She pointed out there the culture of reading was hardly seen and students today were more interested in social media than reading a book. This has contributed to poor vocabulary and grammar, she added.
Lasuh rued the lack of interactive learning where students hardly ask any questions and teachers are also focussed mainly on completing the syllabus. She pointed out that college students still follow rote learning, adding that dependency on guide books has not encouraged independent or critical thinking.
The second plenary speaker, Dr. Hewasa Lorin, spoke on the tricky aspects of whether students should be assessed only on grammar and sentence construction or idea, analysis, and critical thinking.
She discussed various options and techniques teachers could apply to hone the writing skills of students.
Further, she stressed on the need for students to also regulate technology and use it to their advantage. She also spoke about different styles of writing, scholarly and academic, blogs writing, journalistic writing and even writing ads. She added that teachers and educators should encourage originality.
Chief instructor of Cue Academy Centre of Writing skills, Kohima, Dr. Rukulu K Puro, spoke about the need for a complete overhaul in the process of assessments of students.
In a slide show presentation, she showed how the traditional method of assessment was judgemental and puts students into categories and stamped a verdict on them.
In contrast, the alternative form of assessment does not sort out or classify students. It seeks to motivate and encourage them while ensuring that both the students and teachers are part of the learning process.
In the traditional system, students are treated as “empty vessels,” expected to memorize the knowledge dispensed by the teachers, whereas in the alternative form of assessment, both the students and teachers are collaborators.
Earlier at the programme, an introductory note was delivered by former head of department of English, Baptist College, Kohima, Dr. Vizovonuo Elizabeth and a keynote note address by principal, C-Edge College, Dimapur, Dr. Chubatola Aier.
In her introductory note, Dr. Vizovonuo, said though writing skills play a major role in securing a job or even business, it is absent in educational institutions. She lamented that students do not read and comprehend but simply complete a task. They are also not taught to scrutinize and argue because there is no space in the curriculum. She appealed to the professors/lecturers not to pin the blame on the school level but to come up with effective and practical solutions.
Dr. Chubatola spoke on the relationship between linguistic competence and academic achievement. She said writing skills are crucial are it determines both the grade and fate of students. Of all the four linguistic skills: listening, speaking reading and writing, she said speaking and writing had a direct bearing on the career and success of a person.
The workshop was chaired by assistant professor, department of English, Unity College, Tongpang Walling, who also delivered the concluding remarks. Panel discussions and workshop activity were moderated by head of department of English, Assistant professor, Esther Chonbeni.