KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) has welcomed the move to introduce recorded video lessons to enhance learning in classrooms.
Its secretary-general, Harry Tan Huat Hock, said however, video lessons should be just another form of teaching, and not to replace face-to-face interaction.
“Recorded lessons should not replace teacher-student interaction, which involves humour, warmth and discipline,” he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Tan said teaching and learning should combine traditional and modern methods.
“In the end, it will be the students who benefit,” he said, adding that content providers for the recorded lessons could be anyone, as long as they could disseminate the right information and provide critical thinking opportunities.
On whether the move would reduce the interest of students in reading, Tan said it was up to teachers to impose conditions or instructions for schoolchildren to follow.
“Students are students. They need attention.
“Sometimes some lecturing and occasionally punishment are good for them. This is what wholesome education is all about, not just getting ‘As’,” he added.
Malaysian Education Services Retired Officers Association’s vice-president Datuk Mohamed Sabri Mohd Arsad said the move to introduce recorded lessons could encourage the adoption of good values and exchange of culture between schools in Malaysia and other countries.
“Lessons could be recorded by teachers abroad for use in the country.
“For example, teachers in Japan could play a recording that showcases good values in students there, such as discipline and cleanliness,” he said, adding that teachers in Malaysia could guide their students based on the recorded lessons.
Sabri said this would encourage healthy discussions in the classroom, and promote two-way communications.
He added that teachers would have an ample supply of learning material.
“Key personnel from the Education Ministry could be trained first by observing how this method is used in other countries, and disseminate the information to teachers,” he added.
Meanwhile, National Parent-Teacher Association Collaborative Council president Datuk Mohamed Ali Hasan said using recorded lessons was not new.
“This method had been put into practice in science, technical and vocational, and arts lessons.
“I support the idea and it is worth a try.
“This is an alternative for teaching and learning,” he said, adding that it also encouraged versatility in teaching.
Ali said the Education Ministry must have a proper plan for its implementation.
He said there was a need to be selective in the type of lessons that could utilise video recording.
The best teachers and schools could be selected and the best lessons could be compiled for students’ resources for use, he added.
“I don’t think it will increase the workload of teachers. It will not demean the teaching profession.
“Teachers should be open to this approach and give it a try.”
“However, we (teachers) are not used to the system for mass and extensive use because the infrastructure is not readily available yet, especially in rural areas.”
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, during his visit to Ritsumeikan Elementary School in Kyoto, Japan, on Saturday had said the teaching method using recorded lessons would be shared with other schools to benefit students and teachers.
“We try to ease teaching because not all teachers are the same.
“What we want is to benefit from the good teachers, record their lessons and it would be shared with teachers in other schools.
“These teachers will then guide and explain to their students.”