Three teachers turn to technology to help students during these challenging times
TEACHERS will do everything they can to ensure their students understand what they teach and excel in examinations.
However, since the Covid-19 pandemic struck, students have had to stay at home and the challenge for teachers to impart knowledge effectively has grown immensely.
Three teachers — Nor Azizah Md Nordin from Kota Baru, Jarod Yong from Kuching and Thiba Lakshmii from Klang — have turned to technology, notably YouTube, to make their teaching more interesting, fun and easily accessible at all times.
BETTER UNDERSTANDING, BETTER REACH
Nor Azizah, who teaches Physics at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kemumin in Kota Baru, Kelantan, uses YouTube to help them to better understand the subject.
"I created my YouTube channel in 2018 with the aim of sharing resources on my school programmes as well as the lessons that I teach," she said.
"By uploading relevant videos, I engage the students and guide them on their learning path. Having these lessons online also ensures that they become reference material for my students as well as other students and teachers all over the country," she added.
Nor Azizah's 26 years in teaching has led her to understand the difficulty and challenges that students face in learning Physics.
"In my videos, I focus on solving problems from module questions rather than lectures.
"For example, in one video, I illustrate the techniques of building graphs, which is a hands-on concept, and it's effective. The students easily understand how to do them from the video session," she said.
THE SKILLS
Nor Azizah conceptualises and shoots the videos during her free time. She takes between two and four hours to edit each video.
She's also skilfull in what she does, thanks to the training which she previously received, such as videomaking, organised by the Perak Education Technology Division last year.
She's also a member of the CikgooTube, an Education TV channel for Physics.
From using a Windows laptop and the Movie Maker software, Nor Aziah moved on using
a third-generation iPad after 2013.
"I used the ShowMe app to enable students to access and download the lessons. I could gradually see improvements in the subject among the students," she said.
To improve her skills, Nor Azizah signed up for the Apple Teacher Community course in Kuala Lumpur and downloaded apps such as Keynote and Garage B and, which are more powerful and easier to use in making videos.
"In 2019, I was appointed as a video trainer for Kelantan by the Education Ministry. These days, I'm able to make and teach videomaking using animation, Apple's Memoji and even a green screen," she added.
Nor Azizah also makes short one-minute videos using Memoji for her Physics lessons, which are then uploaded to YouTube. To access her YouTube channel, type Cikgu Azizah Physics or visit www.youtube.com/channel/UCJLsQKedEuilvNeEE3h8BbA.
Nor Azizah said most students today have their own gadgets.
"If we don't keep them busy with positive elements online, they will access other things which are not educational.
"The YouTube lessons on Physics act as a "Flipped Classroom" that enables them to get a grasp of the subject before physical classes commence," she added.
ENGLISH ON THE GO
Teacher Jarod Yong needs no introduction among students in Sarawak, especially in Kuching.
The Sarawakian has been teaching English at secondary schools for a little more than a decade, working mostly with underprivileged children from the rural areas.
Currently, he is teaching at SMK Tabuan Jaya in Kuching, which is a state sports school with student-athletes coming from all over Sarawak.
Yong knows that teachers today cannot run away from technology to enhance their students' learning.
That's why he runs an online community for English learning on Discord.com, where he shares learning materials on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, as well as offering online tutoring at MyTuition.live.
"The Movement Control Order (MCO) was the catalyst for the setting up of the YouTube channel. Prior to that, I was creating and sharing content for English teachers, like teaching ideas and fun English learning activities," said Yong.
"My thinking was, if an idea can reach one teacher, it will positively impact the hundreds of students this teacher teaches that year and thousands more throughout the teacher's career," he said.
THE MOVE TO YOUTUBE
During the MCO, however, Yong struggled to catch the attention of his students.
Despite the many things that he did, the participation rate was around one to five per cent in any given week.
Inspired by Cikgu Hailmi and CikgooTube, Yong decided to create video content for his students and upload them to YouTube.
"In June this year, I started with live webinars on basic and advanced English twice a week for four weeks. To my surprise, hundreds of students from all over Malaysia attended those live Zoom sessions. Thousands have subsequently benefited from the recordings on my YouTube channel," he said.
"I realised that what I have to share is valuable and I used this to motivate myself to try harder for my students as well as those who really want to learn.
"Back at school, my students look at me and treat me differently now. They pay attention and are more willing to follow my instructions," he said.
Based on the SPM English paper, Yong's lessons on YouTube target secondary school students in Malaysia who will be sitting the examination.
"There are different videos for beginners and advanced English learners. They are designed to be funny and straight to the point so that viewers do not get bored," he said.
Students can also send their essays to Yong where he will grade them anonymously and provide feedback on YouTube on how they can improve.
Yong's commitment is laudable as he makes all the videos using his own money.
"I work on them in my spare time. It takes a lot of time to come up with quality content," he said.
There is plenty of content on YouTube on how to score As in the English SPM paper, but very little about how to pass.
"So I decided to focus on how students, who have never passed an English exam in their entire lives, can pass the examination," he said.
Yong's English channel can be accessed at www.youtube.com/c/JarodYJK/videos.
HELPING THE UNDERPRIVILEGED
Teacher Thiba Ravindhran's YouTube channel is created to help students who can't afford tuition.
"My lessons are free. My videos will help those who have difficulty understanding certain subjects.
"I do not want students to memorise facts blindly. If they understand a subject, they will enjoy writing the answers, and will remember the facts forever," said the Klang-based teacher, who owns a tuition centre called Pusat Tuisyen Sinar Idealis.
On her YouTube channel, she teaches History, Science and Mathematics.
"When I teach, students get my full commitment, regardless of how many are present. There could either be five or 50 in a class. It occurred to me one day that I should start recording my lessons and share my knowledge with more students out there," she said, adding that her target is PT3 and SPM students.
Thiba's videos are recorded using her old iPhone 7 and the free iMovie app.
"It usually takes me four to five days to complete editing a video. I normally do it during a free period. Once the editing is done, I upload the video directly from my phone to
YouTube," she said.
In Thiba's perspective, most students have trouble understanding history.
"So when I teach, I always repeat the key points a few times so that students will remember the facts. The more they listen, the better they will understand. Apart from lessons, I have also made videos on how to excel in History and Mathematics," she added.
"I do have students asking questions through YouTube comments and I try my best to help them. As a teacher, I always encourage my students to ask questions. The more you ask, the more you know," she said.
Besides YouTube, Thiba also uses Facebook (Thiba Teacher) to connect with her students.
"I feel teachers should use technology to reach out to more students, especially during this pandemic. It will definitely help students cope.
"On YouTube, the recordings will always be there for students to learn. The number of students watching my YouTube channel has increased greatly during the past few months. Technology is indeed playing a vital role in helping students in their studies when schools are closed," she said.
Watch Thiba's YouTube channel www.youtube.com/channel/UC0hJuxW4hS6PUAQm29WFVUQ.