Chapter 6

Journal Entry # 6
Recognizing the range and diversity of readers in a classroom, how do you think YAL can help a teacher to meet their needs?


Teaching English in Malaysia is a real challenge. There are so many different types of learners in a classroom, from a very low to a relatively high proficiency. Some like to read mystery and others prefer contemporary realistic fiction. Some love to read novels while others like poetry or short stories. Their proficiency levels depend a lot on their family background. Although I am not a teacher, I often share the frustration of my teaching colleagues about the problems they have with their students’ English proficiency. Students who grew up in a family where English is widely used as a means of communication definitely have a better command and understanding of the language. The area where they grew up also plays an important role in determining their English proficiency. For example, students who grew up in a big city such as Kuala Lumpur definitely have more exposure to English as compared to those who grew up in a remote FELDA settlement.

However, teachers can make full use of variety of genres and different levels of language difficulty in YAL which are available to them. As we all know one key to getting students to read is by providing access to the types of materials they want to read. Teachers must try their best to elicit their students’ interest through distribution of a questionnaire in their class. Once the teachers obtain this information they can make arrangement with the school or college librarian to order many different genres of books to satisfy the many different types of readers they have.