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Sunday, January 8, 2012

Hickty Pickty


Hickty Pickty My black hen
She lays eggs for gentlemen
Sometimes nine and sometimes ten

 No! it isn’t the color of the hen nor the number of eggs I am concerned about here though such issues might be of concern to  anti- racism activists, animal husbandry specialists and even the farmer on the chicken farm!
And no!  it wasn’t in a nursery or a KG where I learned the above lines(easy to learn as they may be). It all came from a half –educated man, my father (May he rest in peace).The issue I am raising is well into the question of the affective domain in teaching and learning.
I remember my dad chanting that rhyme for two or three times only and being a young boy looking up to his dad ( or at his dad), I caught the tune and learned it in no time. Was it because I got enchanted by the tune, the admiration of my father or a love of a special kind, I could never explain. It was years and years ago (English being a foreign language for me and my Dad) . How did I learn it so fast? and Why? I have dreamt in English for three or four times so far. Have you colleagues dreamt in a foreign language. The dreams I cannot recollect now but for the life of me it was all native speech with meticulous pronunciation and perfect accent.
            –just eggs –sorry- food for thought!
Osama
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9 comments:

  1. ghadaJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:39 AM

    Wow Osama, you never cease to astonish me!
    May your father rest in peace, and may Allah (swt) bless his soul.
    You have raised one of the issues that have intrigued me over the years. You know what, this might sound very strange but whenever I am thinking I talk to myself in English. I DO THINK IN ENGLISH AND HARDLY IN ARABIC. I noticed this thing very recently and I cannot tell when it has started or why. I find it very strange as my mother tongue is Arabic, and if “language is our homeland” as Michael’s favorite poet once said, then I am dislocated on all levels.
    I do DREAM in English!!!!!!! Do I need some help????
    I loved the chicken and the eggs tasted delicious.
    Will have to talk about this soon.

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  2. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 3:36 AM

    wow osama
    i really liked what u said about dreaming
    in fact it's never happen to me but it's interesting thing and i believe that such cases have scientific explanaitions

    and to u Ghada
    really thinking in english is really inerssting and i think this springs from ur internal love for ur work
    i sometimes do so and sometimes i act in english

    u really raised a very interseting issue which i really liked

    Tahani S.

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  3. Fatima RamadanJanuary 8, 2012 at 7:03 AM

    Very interesting Osama & Ghada.I dream (daily) but in Arabic!!!!!!I've never dreamt in English!!I will try the next days.((May your father rest in peace, and may Allah (swt) bless his soul)). I want to say very important thing about our parents.I am very grateful to them, although they had difficult circumstances as refugees, they encouraged us to learn & learn... and shaped a better future for their kids ( better than theirs), they were simple but have the power to inspire us to challenge .Thanks alot (simple words to every dedicated mum & dad)
    That includes you Michael ,Osama, Ghada & me as well!

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  4. MichaelJanuary 8, 2012 at 10:19 AM

    From Fatima in the Jerash Camp:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7XJYzjMVHc

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  5. Fatima RamadanJanuary 8, 2012 at 10:24 AM

    Thanks Michael. It's the video of the Nursery Rhyme - Hickety, Pickety.It's really nice & I will play it 4 my kids.

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  6. RachelJanuary 8, 2012 at 10:29 AM

    Very interesting, Osama! Several years ago, I lived in Italy with my husband and son for a year. During that time, my son attended school where he had to learn to speak in Italian. Since he was only six years old, he learned the language quickly. He wouldn't speak in Italian to us that much, so I didn't realize how much he really knew. One night, while he was sleeping, he was dreaming. He started talking in his sleep in Italian fluently! It was amazing to me! I had no idea he could speak so well.

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  7. Alaa AmouraJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:41 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Alaa AmouraJanuary 8, 2012 at 2:57 PM

    How wonderful!

    You are lucky for having the chance to learn English songs at this early age ! It is not that my father was not interested in English but he doesn't like songs!! That's why I still memorize my Arabic ones :) But my question is, and Thanks Rachel for sharing your story, Is it about the new language or the rhyme?? A teacher in my school has taught her 8-year student English, French and Italian songs!!
    Imagine! This little student memorized " Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? (Sonnet 18) by William Shakespeare!

    I think she is the luckiest here :)

    and about the dreams: My professor at university kept telling us" Language is practice and practice and practice" but the big question was "where, when?" So I started talking to (me). I used to ask myself " what would I say if......? How can I ask for.....", I know it sounds funny now, but I really started having these in my dreams. That worked like magic But I learnt then that our subconscious mind keeps working and never sleeps, so he keeps "singing" even if we are sleeping ! This was the real practice, and the easiest as well :)

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  9. ibrahim aloulJanuary 9, 2012 at 9:03 AM

    Do you know the limits of our dreams? It was my dream to be a carpenter. When I studied at the university told my father that I do not like to study and I want to be a carpenter, but he refused, however, I will fulfill my dream of this when I grow up

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