English Proficiency (Find Creative Ways to Teach Students)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life
a wonderful journey.

       One of the most common excuses my students give when asked to use English during lessons is: “Why should I speak English when I was born Malay?” And, everyone else in the class would agree with their friend in no time. That is the power of peer influence. They don't foresee the challenge awaiting them in the future.

      Lately, the issue of English proficiency has been taken more seriously, and new changes have been made in the education system to enhance the level of proficiency in students and teachers alike.

Previously, it was announced that starting from 2016, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia candidates need to pass English in order to get their certificate. Just recently, it was announced that English would be made a must-pass subject for students in public universities and that they must be able to communicate effectively in English.

        All these policies are carried out for a long-term objective of making Malaysia a developed country with a high quality workforce. It is deemed essential for us to have good communication skills to go further and higher. To make these plans work well, we should not just sit back, relax and play the wait-and-see game. Instead, we should put every effort and help in any way we can.

            I have several suggestions that may be useful for English lessons.

            Before we get the students to read, write and think in English, we need to get them out of their fear of using English words. Students need to repeat after their teachers for correct pronunciation and enunciation. This drilling process will help learners get familiar with English words before they proceed with a harder task. From a psychological point of view, psychologist B.F. Skinner supports this idea of learners learning through imitation and practice

For weak learners, teaching English through songs is effective. I used to teach Form 1 students to sing My Favourite Things from the movie Sounds of Music. The song was catchy so I took this chance to teach them some body movements based on the lyrics. The activity lifted their mood and interest to learn the subject.

Teachers also need to provide extrinsic rewards. I remember buying my student Jeff Kinney's book Diary of a Wimpy Kid for his achievement in maintaining good grades in English tests. He finally managed to obtain an almost perfect score in his final exams and I couldn’t be any prouder. 

Teachers should also give compliments and positive feedback for students' effort.  When learning a second language, extrinsic motivation is important to create a stress-free learning environment. They will develop their intrinsic motivation when the pleasure of learning takes over. At this stage, they will start seeking knowledge out of curiosity for self-improvement.

Choral Speaking Team of 2013

Another effective way is through English competitions. Students who participate in English programs are more likely to perform better in oral communication and written tests.

Speech Choir Team of 2011

My experience training students from different levels of proficiency for various English competitions has proven that participants manage to gain new vocabulary and improve their articulation skills. Above all, they begin to build confidence conversing in English with their classmates. Here, it is important for teachers not to correct too many grammatical mistakes the students make in their speech. Otherwise, students will become de-motivated and lose their confidence.

English Drama Team of 2014

For weaker learners, teachers should provide scaffolding to help the students expand their idea. This is supported by psychologist Lev Vygotsky who introduced the concept of Zone of proximal development (ZPD). This concept explains that children need guidance and assistance from more-skilled adults to master a difficult task.

We need to get students ready for the new requirement to pass English before they leave school and university. 

22 September 2014

Don't Let Prejudice Cloud Our Judgment

           

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life
a wonderful journey.

The investigation into the leak of Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah (UPSR) papers has become breaking news in many newspapers and tabloids. As the probe widens, more teachers have been arrested to help police with the investigation. Consequently, people start being judgmental and stop believing in teachers, not only the ones involved, but also those who are not. This over-generalization should not occur and the definition of the noble profession should remain positive. It is not fair to judge the quality of other apples in the basket based solely on the bad one on top. It is also necessary for us to filter everything we hear so that we will not jump to conclusions. After all, we should think before we leap, shouldn’t we?

            To treat teachers who have nothing to do with the offence as badly as the ones who have tarnished the good name of the profession, is unjust and unprofessional. It might be hard to forget a person’s mistake but to recollect his good deeds may help the forgiving process.

Let’s look at the bright side of the continuum. Teaching is, figuratively speaking, a profession that covers many other professions, too. Teachers are “doctors” who inject pace and purpose into lessons. They are “pilots” who fly the students high to achieve their dreams. They are “comedians” who crack jokes to give their students a break from studies. They are “chefs” who serve students food for thought. They are “photographers” who capture their audience’s attention in the classroom. They are “scientists” who experiment different strategies of learning. They are “designers” who design creative activities during lessons. They are “dancers” who ensure that students take the right steps and moves in life. They are “police officers” who help discipline the children at school. Their contributions to the world of education are countless and priceless, and they deserve our appreciation.

East of Eden published in 1952

In his 1952 novel, East of Eden, author John Steinbeck used this word, timshel- a Hebrew word that means the ‘power to choose’ between what is right and what is wrong. According to the literary work, humans have the right to make a choice in life but they have to bear with the outcomes. In the case of the leak, those involved with the crime have chosen to take the risk as they are aware of the repercussions of their actions. However, we should not punish other teachers who stay ethical and loyal to their profession. In fact, we need to be proud of them for sustaining the beauty and quality of the teaching profession.

Do not let prejudice control us and prevent us from being able to differentiate between right and wrong, innocence and guilt, and good and bad. 

It costs our teachers blood, sweat and tears to help us achieve our successes today, and we owe them for that.

18 September 2014

Children May Lose Faith in Us (following the UPSR Leak)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

If this were 1994, Year 6 pupils might have just re-sat their UPSR papers without much thought to the reason behind the changes. But, this is 2014 and their first introduction to ABC is not ‘Apple’, ‘Bear’ and ‘Cherry’ any more, but ‘Android’, ‘Blackberry’ and ‘Computer’. They are smart children and their minds are governed by curiosity, and this time, it doesn’t kill the cat. It kills us, the adults.

            News that UPSR candidates need to re-sit the examination due to a leak has left more than 470,000 candidates feeling disappointed and de-motivated. Unsurprisingly, people start to point fingers and cause chaos on social media. It is clearly our concern to bring the perpetrators to justice but shouldn’t we also worry about how the children perceive us now?

            At home, these children are constantly reminded by their parents about the dos and don’ts. Their teachers teach them discipline, morality and attitude at school. They visit their grandparents just to receive more advice about the importance of education and good values. The community also motivates them to keep dreaming big for their future.

            Sadly, the damage has been done and these innocent children have to suffer from it. Power has been abused. The privacy and confidentiality of the exam questions too has been broken. Children may think that we don’t practice what we preach, and they will lose faith in us.

Your front-page headline, "Preserve Exam Integrity" (New Sunday Times, September 14) showed a 12-year-old girl who felt victimized following the leaked UPSR English and Science exam papers, and who thus lodged a police report. She represents other 12-year-olds who find it hard to feign their emotion, knowing that their future is not taken seriously by some irresponsible people. It is upsetting that some of us fail to maintain our accountability and integrity, and that is a point to ponder. 

New Sunday Times, Sept 14

If this issue is repeated, chances are our eloquent speech on instilling positive values will not work that well any more. By all means, we should all adhere to the ethical principles and standards of our profession.

15 September 2014

Respect is the Key Word

            It is hard to believe but good values are dying. We are living in an era of materialism that deteriorates life values our ancestors had upheld for ages. Young people have lost their sense of appreciation of everyone and everything around them and for some, respect is a forgotten word.

The following are scenarios that happen in schools every day that show students’ insensitivity and immaturity.

            In the classroom, it is common to see educational books lying on the floor. Outside, exercise books and workbooks are discarded in the dustbin with other waste. Is that the value of books? These students throw them away without a second thought or sense of guilt. This is actually a reason why students have hard times comprehending new topics in the syllabus. The respect for knowledge is not there. This is upsetting.

            To make it worse, they disrespect not only the knowledge but also the knowledge giver. Many students treat their teachers badly and nonchalantly. For them, teachers are puppets. They lose their temper easily especially after they are taken actions for breaking the school rules. These rude students call their teachers bad names straight to the face. The teachers’ vehicles are always on target too. Just recently, a few Form 1 boys wished me, “May your house be on fire when you get home.” The words hurt but I tried not to take it personally.

            On another note, some students are caught chatting when the national anthem is sung. They should observe the moment of patriotism as a sign of respect. The special feeling to be Malaysian is clearly not instilled in them. This is certainly not the way we thank our heroes who fought to earn the freedom we enjoy today. These unpatriotic students fail to understand the value of the meaningful Negaraku.

Students also lack civic consciousness that results in a dirty environment. Rubbish on the floor and leftover food block people’s way when they walk along the corridor and the staircase. This causes discomfort and danger as they could slip or stumble on the rubbish scattered everywhere.

In his poem, “Heir Conditioning”, M SHANmughalingam expresses his disappointment towards the new generation who shows little respect for the environment. The poet reminisces the old days when pollution was not an issue and people embraced nature. Now, things are not the way they were and money is all they care about.

            One of the solutions to curb this problem is by starting an awareness campaign. I used to carry out a Clean, Clear and Conducive Campaign (4C) for the hostel in my previous school. The students work cooperatively based on the task distribution. They are free to decorate their dormitories and beautify the hostel compound creatively. The activity has not just taught them to respect their surrounding, it also teaches them to preserve the environment for the next generation.

            To show some respect is not rocket science. The children just need some guidance from their parents to help them be on the right track. We do not want our grandchildren to lose their respect on us, do we? So, start instilling good values in our children today for they are our leaders of tomorrow.

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

 9 September 2014

The P.U.R.E Way to Living in Harmony by Muhamad Solahudin Ramli

THE POWER OF P.U.R.E

           

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

I have been caretaker to hundreds of hostel students for four years. It is a great challenge for me to make everyone understand and obey the long list of hostel rules, so I come up with P.U.R.E (Positivity, Unity, Respect, Endurance). These significant letters simplify the tedious list and are four key factors that will help occupants stay harmoniously as one happy family. After a few months, I began to notice good changes in the students’ behaviours to result in fewer disciplinary cases. The hostel is now a home and the friends are now siblings. The idea works just to make me a proud father of 200 children. For this reason, I believe that Malaysia needs to put the same effort to produce exemplary citizens whose love for the country will grow stronger each day.

            An optimist agrees that the glass is half-full. Living with positivity is living in harmony. A positive mind can turn a bad day into a breezy one. It can make a moody person smile. It can even change a person's life. Thus, we need to stay positive when we are tested with disasters, catastrophes and ordeals. They are inevitable circumstances that may be a blessing in disguise. We just need to stop playing the blame game and start reflecting on ourselves.

The second aspect is unity. Although people are racially, religiously and ethnically diverse, we should stay united as one. We should care about each other’s welfare especially that of the needy. We need to help orphans as they too deserve our attention. Our little contribution will lighten their burden and brighten their day. That is how it should be. When one cries, the other should wipe the tears. When one is lonely, the other should be the companion. When one is down, the other should cheer him up. The continuous support will eventually strengthen our bond as brothers and sisters.

            It’s undeniable that respect is an important ingredient for a harmonious community. One way to show our respect is to mind our manners. Wherever we go and whoever we deal with, we should always behave ourselves and keep our right attitude. Treat everyone nicely and avoid using vulgar words and ironic remarks to convey a message. Know our limits and respect others’ privacy. Crossing the boundaries will just cause quarrels and conflicts. We also should respect the opinions, rights, beliefs and decisions of others. People have different ideas to propose and they see things in different directions too.  

            Finally, we must learn to build mental and emotional endurance. Do not let our tantrum govern us. When there are issues, we need to respond appropriately by sharing our thoughts and giving recommendations for solutions. There’s no need for us to overreact as we will just make the situation worse. When there are changes or new policies to be implemented, we should not question its relevance and prejudge its effectiveness. If we choose to disagree, we need to go through proper channels to suggest new ideas. We have to be sensible and professional to avoid grave repercussions.

            It has been 57 years since Malaya achieved freedom. Despite all the trials, tribulations and afflictions that leave us clueless, we should continue being grateful for what we have today. Let us maintain our beautiful camaraderie while we pray for Malaysia to keep growing gloriously.

Every Child is Special

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

Children are born with different talents, abilities and skills to help them survive the world when they grow up. Their unique personalities make them special in their own ways. Thus, it is crucial to understand that when these children go to school, no one is actually better than anyone else. As good and sensible citizens, we should not belittle and discriminate students who do not excel in examinations. Parents and teachers too should stop comparing one child with another. If this happens, the child will develop inferiority complex and it will kill his or her self-confidence. Clearly, this doesn’t help the child to polish their hidden potential buried inside.

With national public examinations just around the corner, UPSR, PT3, SPM and STPM candidates are struggling hard to reach the target set by the school. Remedial classes and academic camps are making students’ schedule packed just to ensure that they will score the maximum number of As in the examinations. In consequence, the pressure takes place and the fun in learning is slowly washed away. This is the reality the students need to face to satisfy every hoper and well-wisher.

            I remember watching “Taare Zameen Par”, a 2007 movie directed by a true talent Aamir Khan. It was about a dyslexic eight-year-old boy whom parents felt embarrassed as he flunked every test unlike his top-scoring elder brother. The parents failed to identify their younger child’s cognitive problems. He was then transferred to a boarding school just to meet an art teacher who managed to apply effective strategies to activate the boy’s intelligences. The teacher discovered that the boy was gifted with visual intelligence that allowed him to develop his artistic skills brilliantly.

            According to the book “Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences” published in 1983, Howard Gardner proposed the idea of Multiple Intelligences with seven distinct intelligences to highlight; Visual, Linguistic, Logical, Musical, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal.  Children are believed to possess all the intelligences and they are likely to be prone to some intelligences that determine their learning styles and ways of thinking. In this case, I am proud of the teachers who vary their teaching methods as it shows that they are concerned about the students’ needs and learning preferences. This will make students enjoy the learning session even more.

            As an English teacher, I am usually assigned to teach last classes of both lower and secondary forms. Majority of the students are not well-off and their social background affects their view of education and their interest in learning. They are perceived as a bunch of rule breakers who would only tarnish the school reputation. Problematic learners always agree that rules are meant to be broken but they forget that determined teachers are always there to fix the broken pieces. The responsibilities are undoubtedly heavy and the tasks are challenging but it’s time for teachers to do some homework. This is the opportunity for teachers to take teaching to the next level by experimenting new tricks and techniques in the classroom. If there’s no pain, there’s no gain. Teachers might have to endure heartaches and headaches along the way but eventually, the passion the teachers build will result in the satisfaction money can’t buy.

In my humble opinion, obtaining good grades for primary and secondary education does not guarantee the students to maintain the outstanding achievement in their tertiary education. Failures are not losers. Thomas Edison, William Shakespeare and Bill Gates prove it all. They are perfect examples of successful people who didn’t make it during their school days.  

            Students should be encouraged to learn, not forced, to get straight As. Let them burn the midnight oil willingly. Motivate them the right way and the seeds of inspiration in them will grow naturally. Do not blame the gradual process, because Rome wasn’t built in one day.

Teaching is indeed a bittersweet journey. True teachers do not just teach. They learn from their students too, and the more they learn, the better they will become.

How HEALTHY Are Our Children? (An Article Made for New Straits Times)

The writer believes that a beautiful camaraderie makes life a wonderful journey.

Health is wealth. A healthy lifestyle is a contributing factor to students performing well in their studies. Thus, it is frustrating that many students in both primary and secondary schools are taking this matter lightly and that, they even enjoy leading an unhealthy lifestyle. I am currently serving my third school of my teaching career and this is what I observe every day.

The classroom environment is not motivating students to focus during the learning session and to build interest in subjects. Rubbish is everywhere. Tables and chairs are not neatly arranged, and the notice boards are not informative or properly utilized, let alone, decorated. Children will engage in the lesson less effectively to result in their low achievement in examinations. Filthy classrooms are not conducive to learning and invite boredom. In short, this is unhealthy.

When they go for a break, they tend to choose unhealthy food over balanced meals. Junk foods, crackers and carbonated drinks have become students’ daily fare in many schools. Even though they have been exposed with bad effects of consuming unhealthy food through motivational talks organized by schools, the useful information unfortunately falls on deaf ears. It is a guilty pleasure for them to indulge in those unhealthy snacks with artificial food additives and soft drinks that are high in sugar. Little do they know their frequent consumption of the unhealthy foods and beverages can cause more health problems that they ever realize.

 Apart from cleanliness and wrong food consumption, students are also unhealthy in their speech. The use of foul language becomes increasingly common among students when they share stories and discuss homework, and this is worrying. Teenagers are apparently more comfortable using swear words to their peers. If this continues, the next generation will grow up as people with bad manners and decency will become extinct. Worse comes to worst, Malaysia might be ranked lower when a research on politeness and courtesy is conducted.

This issue needs to be taken seriously to avoid having grown children following the trend. With the launch of Malaysia Education Development Plan (2013-2025) and the approaching 2020, we are responsible in helping our Malaysian students strive for excellence not just in their academic performance but also in terms of morality and attitudes. Parents need to practise smart parenting as they are the main educators of their sons and daughters. School authorities should brainstorm on effective strategies and plan special programs to decrease the number of students with unhealthy habits. The media also should attract students’ attention by promoting and encouraging healthy lifestyles on online platforms. Together, let’s do our part in producing quality individuals for the sake of our country’s future as that’s what a caring family member does.

        

 August 18, 2014