Teachers should have the time to read up on what research has to say about their teaching methodology after they have had all the facts of their teaching lessons at their finger tips.
Action research should be encouraged among teachers so that they can improve their methodology of teaching.
Personally, as a freelance tutor, and no more working for the government, I find that I have improved my methods of teaching over the years. From merely resorting to filling the time by doing workbook exercises, today I challenge myself to prepare lessons where the students challenge themselves.
Today, for example, I got my Upper Primary students to write a one-paragraph book report.
Introspection
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Worthwhile Meetings
Teachers are always complaining about a heavy workload. Being a teacher does not involve only teaching and the marking of books, but also attending meetings and keeping a record of what transpired at meetings.
I remember once the Senior Assistant of the school I was teaching at insisted that we have a small briefing session every morning. The rest of the teachers could not understand the necessity of taking away valuable time from our classroom lessons on a daily basis. So we had to come to school earlier.
The Senior Assistant always came up with some items to discuss just to fill up the time. Once we even spoke about the cows that left their trail of dung at the entrance of our school the previous night. Surely that was not an item that needed to be discussed among the teachers. He should have spoken to the cowherd!
I remember once the Senior Assistant of the school I was teaching at insisted that we have a small briefing session every morning. The rest of the teachers could not understand the necessity of taking away valuable time from our classroom lessons on a daily basis. So we had to come to school earlier.
The Senior Assistant always came up with some items to discuss just to fill up the time. Once we even spoke about the cows that left their trail of dung at the entrance of our school the previous night. Surely that was not an item that needed to be discussed among the teachers. He should have spoken to the cowherd!
Putting theory into practice
No matter what the public (especially those involved with education) has to say about teachers and the education system in Malaysia through the media, there is a body that rebuts. This body is the Corporate Communications Unit of the Education Ministry.
It seems then that a lot is put down on paper, but the education sector is not aware of the theory behind the implementation of certain policies of the Ministry. It is quite obvious that in practice things do not work out as they are planned to.
I am not throwing the spanner into the wheel but I wonder if something could be done so that whatever is planned in theory can be filtered down to the masses more effectively so that it can be put into practice.
It seems then that a lot is put down on paper, but the education sector is not aware of the theory behind the implementation of certain policies of the Ministry. It is quite obvious that in practice things do not work out as they are planned to.
I am not throwing the spanner into the wheel but I wonder if something could be done so that whatever is planned in theory can be filtered down to the masses more effectively so that it can be put into practice.
Better Quality Teachers
I read in the newspapers recently that someone suggested the quality of teachers in Malaysia be changed. In my opinion, Malaysia has good quality teachers who are well trained. It is the mindset of the policymakers that has to be changed.
Teachers have long been the scapegoats. They merely follow instructions from the higher echelons of the education system. Thus there are schools where students from exam classes have all co-curricular activities scrapped. Teachers know that ‘All work and no play make jack a dull boy.’ However, there is nothing that they can do about it as they need to produce As in their school.
With the Education Ministry dangling the carrot of higher pay and accolades like Master Teacher in front of them, the newly-qualified teacher slowly becomes subservient to the system. Many have given up their ideals during their sojourn as teachers. They are bogged down by paperwork and meetings, which normally means more paperwork. With rampant indiscipline and the unrealistic demands of the head of the school, they are just too tired to cope.
The ideal teacher should have the time to read up on her subject, to improve her knowledge and the delivery of her lessons, to help mould students to excel not only in their studies but also in life.
However, all this is not happening in schools today. Teaching and character-building does not seem to be part of the job description of a teacher today.
Teachers have long been the scapegoats. They merely follow instructions from the higher echelons of the education system. Thus there are schools where students from exam classes have all co-curricular activities scrapped. Teachers know that ‘All work and no play make jack a dull boy.’ However, there is nothing that they can do about it as they need to produce As in their school.
With the Education Ministry dangling the carrot of higher pay and accolades like Master Teacher in front of them, the newly-qualified teacher slowly becomes subservient to the system. Many have given up their ideals during their sojourn as teachers. They are bogged down by paperwork and meetings, which normally means more paperwork. With rampant indiscipline and the unrealistic demands of the head of the school, they are just too tired to cope.
The ideal teacher should have the time to read up on her subject, to improve her knowledge and the delivery of her lessons, to help mould students to excel not only in their studies but also in life.
However, all this is not happening in schools today. Teaching and character-building does not seem to be part of the job description of a teacher today.
Indiscipline among schoolchildren
A survey was carried out by the STAR poll entitled ‘Would you consider indiscipline among schoolchildren in Malaysia to be getting worse over the years?’ It ended on 26 May 2010.
Out of a total of 18,323 respondents, there were 17,634 votes (96%) supporting the view that indiscipline was getting worse. This paints a gruesome picture for the future of Malaysia. This is because the schoolchildren of today will be the Malaysian adults of tomorrow.
If today we read in the newspapers about wife-battering, the abandoning of babies and cases of child abuse, robberies, molests, rapes and murders, I dread to think what the news headlines of the future will be?
Out of a total of 18,323 respondents, there were 17,634 votes (96%) supporting the view that indiscipline was getting worse. This paints a gruesome picture for the future of Malaysia. This is because the schoolchildren of today will be the Malaysian adults of tomorrow.
If today we read in the newspapers about wife-battering, the abandoning of babies and cases of child abuse, robberies, molests, rapes and murders, I dread to think what the news headlines of the future will be?
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