JOHOR BARU: Teachers are taking necessary actions to ensure that teaching and learning processes are still on-going during the Movement Control Order period by going online.
To come up with suitable and adequate teaching resources, Teach For Malaysia (TFM) alumna Jessica Thevamalar Rummy decided to partner with Nur Afiqah Affandi, an English teacher from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Tun Fatimah Hashim (SMKTFH) in Johor Bahru.
Together, they set up a Google Classroom on “How to write effectively in English” for Form Three Assessment (PT3) and Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) students.
Nur Afiqah said co-teaching can alleviate the burden of having to manage everything by herself.
“Co-teaching allows teachers to take turns to conduct and manage the classroom efficiently. Teachers can also create materials together and assess assignments,” she said, adding that she welcomes the idea of pairing up a senior teacher with a junior teacher.
“A senior teacher has vast teaching experience and subject knowledge, while the junior teacher is equipped with the current trends of technology. So, why not pair up to co-teach when using the online learning platform?”
Nur Afiqah said it is not that easy for some teachers to make the switch.
“Most of us are already comfortable teaching using the traditional chalk and talk method. Some senior teachers may have a tough time adapting if they’re not familiar with the technology.”
“The key is willingness to adapt and change accordingly. The teaching profession has been evolving for many years now and we have been prepped with 21st century teaching skills in which technology is a big part of them. E-learning requires commitment from both teachers and students,” added Nur Afiqah.
Before embarking on the online teaching and learning journey, Jessica and Nur Afiqah hosted a live video conference with ten upper form students from the school.
“The aim of the video conference was to have an overall view on the students' mental and physical conditions during the MCO as well as their preparedness to participate in e-learning,” said Jessica who is currently working on an education research project.
“Getting to know your target audience is imperative before piloting any programmes. We need to identify their learning needs first and carry out necessary measures to minimise unruly external factors,” Jessica explained.
According to her, they first identified the students’ personal obstacles and thoughts, level of comfort in e-learning, technology skills and most importantly, expectations from the proposed e-learning activities.
Form Five student Tan Kher Xuan said: “I don’t have a suitable and quiet learning environment at home. Family members sometimes disturb my learning and there is this constant problem with the internet connection. If the video lags, then I will miss out a chunk of the information from the session.
“At times, there are sounds and voices coming from other students when they don’t mute their microphones. I’m also overwhelmed by the amount of assignments and meeting the deadlines.”
Fifteen-year old student Miithiilesh Sivan said: “I prefer to have a lesson with interesting animations in it. It does get a little boring after having long hours of online classes, therefore animations really help to lift up the study mood.”
Jessica said using e-learning can be an arduous process and a daunting task for teachers and students who do not have prerequisite skills to handle the situation.
“Making the switch is a positive approach. The key is to keep it simple and gradually progress. We need to work together to find effective approaches to e-learning. As dynamic as it sounds, it is important to examine the barriers involved in using technology for smarter and borderless Malaysian classrooms.”