Monthly Archives: May 2014

The 5 Biggest Challenges Your Kids Are Not Telling You About

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Challenges are what everyone in this world faces. No matter a baby, a kid, a teenager, a youth, an adult or even the senior citizen, everyone encounters challenges in their life. For instance, the biggest challenge for a new-born baby is to learn to stand up and walk. For a kid, the biggest challenge would be saying goodbye to parents without crying when entering kindergarten. As for youngsters, we face many challenges us too. However, why every adult around us is able to overcome all the challenges? Simply because they believed what James Ulman, a writer and famous mountain climber said, “Challenge is the core and mainspring of all human action. If there is an ocean, we cross it. If there is a disease, we cure it. If there is a wrong, we right it. If there is a record, we break it. And if there is a mountain, we climb it.” Hence, let us discover what are the challenges that the young ones face in today’s life.

A.B.C.D.E
One of the most common challenges is peer pressure. “ABCDE” are what teenagers encounter in peer pressure. ‘A’ stands for alcohol, ‘B’ stands for bully, ‘C’ stands for cigarette, ‘D’ stands for drugs whereas ‘E’ stands for excellence. Among all five, the only challenge which will bring about good effects is ‘E’, excellence. Alcohol is a powerful and easily available drugs. Due to anxiety and fear of being teased, some youths are not able to resist alcohol. According to the Ministry of Health, alcohol leads to various negative impacts. The most common ones are unsafe sex and brain damages. According to Global Status Report on Alcohol, 2004, alcohol is one of the biggest factor which causes brain damages among youths. In March 25, 2008, a case of alcohol intoxication happened in the United States. Julia Gonzalez, 16, was found dead of alcohol poisoning due to excessive consumption. Next, bully cases among youths. Bully is a very rampant and serious issue in our society. Some of the reasons that lead to bully include lack of attention from parents and video games. Based on a research done by University of California in the 90s, they claimed that peer pressure is the biggest reason why bully cases are on the rise. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), in their article published in 2005, 70% of high school students reported they have been bullied.

On the other hand, in terms of cigarette, youngsters are often badly influenced due to peer pressure. Anxiety, feeling of stylish, cool and trendy are among the causes of teenagers start to smoke. Statistics has shown that smoking is among the first steps that lead to drugs. In the United States of America, 3.1 million teenagers start smoking during secondary school, reported by American Lungs Association (ALA). Youths are found to be very easily influenced by friends. There is a Chinese proverb which goes, “He who stays vermillion gets stained red, he who stays near ink gets stained black”. This means that one takes the behaviour of one’s company. Thus, if a youth mixes around with friends who are of bad behaviours, he or she will definitely be influenced. Moreover, drugs are also rampant among youths. Drugs are indeed poisoning, addictive and illegal. However, youths take drugs as they believe drugs help releasing stress. Although this is untrue, they insist on doing it because they believe their friends more. Therefore, (A) Alcohol, (B) Bully, (C) Cigarette and (D) Drugs are all negative impacts caused by peer pressure.

Each coin has two sides. So, one of the positive impacts brought about by peer pressure that I would love to highlight here is (E) Excellence. According to the eminent writer, Jody Rosenburg, in his book ‘Join the Club’, he said that peer pressure is indeed a good strategy to improve one’s academic performance after conducting studies in numerous universities, mainly in United States, Japan, Norway and Brazil. For instance, youths tend to feel unhappy when their friends score better in examinations. Hence, this will make them strive harder in order to get better results. This also indirectly helps them to create challenges among peers and gain improvements. According to a psychology test done by Dr. James Dobson, a psychologist and writer, he concluded that youths gain more courage when they are with friends. They always think what the other peers are doing is right. Youths also feel difficult to stand alone, afraid of being rejected and lack of confidence when dealing with new environment. Thus, excellence is the only advantage due to peer pressure.

LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS
Another very popular challenge youths face is love. Nowadays, youths always misunderstand what ‘love’ and ‘relationships’ are. As long as they feel attracted with each other, they consider that as love. There are numerous disadvantages due to immaturity in dealing with love. One of the most common disadvantages is unwanted pregnancy. World Health Organisation (WHO) claimed that in 2008-2009, approximately 9% of 14-year-old, 18% of 15 to 17-year-olds and 22% of 18 to 19-year-olds girls experience pregnancies a year. Baby dumping cases in Malaysia has also shown a drastic increase, reported by Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, Deputy Secretary-General, Harjeet Kaur, with the figure of 91 in 2010 to 98 cases in 2011. “Baby dumping and unwanted pregnancies also deteriorate youth’s academic performance”, she said. Therefore, love and relationships are challenges that youths encounter in their growing process.

EXCEL IN BOTH CURRICULAR & CO-CURRICULAR
Next, youths face even bigger challenges when they are urged to excel in both curriculum and co-curriculum. Parents nowadays are indeed demanding when it comes to results and co-curriculum achievements. This happens because to ensure their children to get a scholarship to further study, it is getting more difficult and competitive. At the same time, youths are having a very heavy education system. They have to study at school for at least 8 hours a day. Furthermore, they are also involved in other co-curricular activities after school. This will not only cause them to be unable to allocate time for revision, it also causes exhaustiveness. For example, I am at school since 7.00 a.m. Classes end at 2.30 p.m. and carried out from 3.30 to 5.30 p.m. The total hours for me to be at school is approximately 9 hours. On Wednesdays, students even have to return to the school in the evening to join co-curriculum activities. Hence, excellence in both academic and co-curriculum is indeed a big task to be accomplished by youths.

TO OVERCOME: THE ROLES OF SCHOOLS & PARENTS
One of the ways that parents can play their role is by monitoring their children. According to Datuk Dr Fadzillah Kamsah, parents’ attention towards their children is indeed important in disciplining them. Parents should try their very best to spend quality time with their children and inculcate moral and religious values when they are still young as there is a saying which goes ‘strike while the iron is still hot.’ For instance, advice should be given to them and parents have to monitor their children’s behavior. This is essential so that parents are clear with their children’s development from time to time in order for them to take measures or steps of prevention can be taken at early stage as prevention is better than cure. On top of that, schools have to play their role as well. I, who was the Head Prefect of the school always strive hard to encourage the Prefectorial Board to try to understand students who have disciplinary problems in schools. At the same time, counselors ought to always be ready to listen to them and find out their thoughts and opinions. These are some of the steps which I believe to be effective in handling the challenges that youths face.

LET’S OVERCOME THEM!
“Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze us, they are supposed to help us discover who we are”, said by Bernice Johnson Reagon, a singer, compose, scholar cum social activist. Therefore, we, as youths should never be afraid to take up challenges throughout our growing process. Youths themselves ought to always strive hard to overcome every obstacle in life. Always believe that ‘When there is a will, there is a way.’ In a nutshell, one should never feel hopeless and always be optimistic to face life challenges.

This article was written by Ng Ray Man. Ray Man was a Head Prefect, a national-level debater and a straight-A scorer all his life. He shares his thoughts on excelling in academic and extracurricular activities in his guest posts for Peekabook.

The Teacher’s Challenge

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Being a teacher in Malaysia is not easy. Regardless of the perception of the public, being a teacher is not a job that I would recommend to anyone unless you can profess to be extremely passionate about helping young minds to develop. If you are hoping to earn some big buck here, this is definitely not the place for you. Unless of course you are going to use your position as a teacher to make big bucks giving tuition in your own free time. If you are hoping for those long stretches of holidays and uninterrupted weekends, forget it. What most folks out there don’t realize is that although it seems like teaching as simple job, the reality is quite different. Most schools have programs on Saturdays, teachers attend courses during holidays and co-curricular activities keep teachers in schools until late evening.

Before I am accused of bitching about the job, let me assure you that this is not my intention. I have already left the system because what it offers is just not for me. Perhaps, I am ‘old school’ and I find it difficult to internalize the frequent changes that the system requires. I know that I am a really good teacher and I have made a positive impact in the lives of my students. This is enough for me. I am not bitter in any way but in retrospect have pleasant memories of my years as a teacher.

So, let me give you a clear perspective of the challengers of teachers today.

The Training
Generally, teachers become teachers either by attending Teacher Training Colleges or from the University. During this period, a ‘to-be teacher’ is already assigned the subject he/she will be specializing in. I did my basic training in Maktab Perguruan Kota Bharu and I applied to be a teacher of the English Language. I was to be trained as a teacher of secondary students and my core subjects were English Language and Geography. Later, at the university, my degree was the Teaching of English as a Second Language. At the Masters level, my focus was on English Literature.

In both the Teacher Training Colleges and the Universities, teachers are trained well in relation to their core subjects. The teachers to be are introduced to the curriculum and they are given a clear insight of the requirements of the syllabus and how to effectually go about teaching the content. They are taught to be effective teachers. They are also introduced to co-curriculum activities as to know the basics of some games and societies. Hopefully with this comprehensive training, a teacher will be able to do a good job when he/she is assigned to a particular school.

I wish to stress that there is no real problem at the training level. If at all there is an issue, it is merely a hope the Government would do something to the teaching job so that good students who are looking for a good income will be able to regard teaching as their first choice rather than their last choice. When we are willing to pay well we will get the quality we seek. This is the reality.

The School
When a trainee teacher is assigned to a school, this is where the problems begin. When she/he arrives at the school, she/he is told, ‘We have enough English Language teachers. We need you to teach History.’ Imagine this scenario carefully. The teacher has been trained for the past three years to teach English and is now required to teach History. Are you still surprised when your child comes home complaining about his/her History teacher who is so boring and incompetent?

The teacher was all geared up to teach one thing and now has to teach a subject she knows nothing about and has no interest in. It is easy to say, “Just read it up and teach!” I still remember the time I tried to teach my daughter her Form Three History. It was a nightmare.

The same happens in the co-curriculum aspect especially in sports. There must be some passion in the part of the trainer if he/she wants to instill the love of the game to the students. The mismatch continues in this area too. Most people also forget that being a good athlete does not make a good trainer. The teacher will try her/his best to train her students but somehow she/ he will fall short.

The Self
Happiness comes from within. It is only when we are at peace with ourselves will we be able to reach out for others. This is true with, more than any other job in relation to teaching as we are dealing with young impressionable minds.

Just talk to any teacher and what is your impression. Have an open mind and don’t look at them as a group of people who are only complaining. Listen closely and you will begin to understand. All teachers know that they will have to serve in the rural areas even in East Malaysia for a period of time but should they not be sent back to their hometowns after a while? We have teachers traveling daily for two hours one way to get to schools simply because their transfers were denied. Husbands and wives, separated from their parents and children are common among teachers. The physical and emotional strain will take its toll eventually. Teachers don’t choose their jobs according to where they stay, they are sent to their jobs and this can be heartbreaking at times.

So the next time you meet a teacher, try to understand the real story from his/her end. It may answer many of your own queries about your child’s education. This is the reality.

This article was written by Madam Kalai Lingam. Madam Kalai has 27 years of teaching experience in government secondary school. She opted for early retirement in 2013 to pursue her love of writing, and is currently writing a book. Madam Kalai is well versed in the Malaysian Education system, having been a senior English teacher and school administrator for many years.

华小还是国小

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“我应该把孩子送去华文小学吗？” – 这问题我相信已让许多家长都在头疼。在我们还没做出任何选择时，大家应该往各种方面探讨。为了孩子的未来，家长们得好好考虑其决定的利与弊，以确保孩子们的前途。今天，就让我来分享一些我本身的经验。从一年级到六年级，我就读于国民型华文小学(S.R.J.K.(C))。升上中学时，我就读于国民中学(S.M.K.)。从一个学生的角度来看，我认为我父母亲的这个安排是算正确的。

1．掌握各种语文
众所周知，如今在充满竞争的社会里，大家必须要能够掌握各种语文，特别是三大语文—国文、英文和华文。在孩子还没升上国民中学时，父母若是把孩子送到华小，孩子们在短短那6年的小学生涯里必定能够把华文给掌握好。升上国民中学(S.M.K.)时，孩子们就能够把华文的基础给打好后很自然地在中学里把国语和英语给学好。这样不就能够让孩子们轻松地掌握好那三大语文吗？大家都知道，在华小念书时华文可是媒介语，每一天的谈话、课堂上所使用的语文大多是华语。这样，学生不仅能够学会使用华语，并且还是正确的华语。

2．自律、坚强和努力奋斗
除此之外，大部分华小学生都能够学习自律、坚强和奋斗。我无法否认小学的生活的确得面对种种压力。我每一天的功课至少有十本或更多。因此，我们得学会如何把功课给记下来，以防忘记。同时，每位同学相信都常记得“今日事，今日毕”这精神。每一天，甚至必须熬夜，我们也得把当天的功课给完成，因为隔天就得交给老师了。在那6年里，我们不只在学校里读书，而是学会怎么读书。例如，每一次我们把作文交给老师后，老师们都会谨慎检查，把我们的错误改正后再还给我们。过后，我们得细心地把老师改正后的文章再读几遍，然后把已改正的作文重新抄在练习本里，以称为“作文誊清”。这方法的确非常有效于学生们。因为当大家重写一次已纠正的作文时，我们将能够找出文章里的语病，从中学习，以免再犯同样的错误。要掌握好每个科目并非是一件简单的事。在此，我可以说每个科目的老师，不管是语文课、数学、科学、历史等都会教导学生其科目的学习方法、妙方。学生们不但能够在小六评估考试考取好成绩，同时也能够把每一科目的学习妙方带到中学去好好使用。凭着我自身的经验，我从小学到中学这么多年以来可没上过补习班，因为我相信教师们的能力、每一科目的学习技巧及有着各种参考书的帮助之下，要考取好成绩并非一件艰难的事情。同时，我必须要强调我不是在贬低补习老师的能力。其实，我相信有些同学在学习上的确还是需要补习老师的帮忙的。

3．其中一个明显的差别—数学科目
另外，相信大家都非常清楚，大部分华小生在升上中学后都能够在数学的科目里考取卓越的成绩。比起其他学校来的学生，华小生总是在数学测验里夺得更优秀的成绩。秘方在于哪儿？答案就是稳定的基础和华小的教导方式。例如，在我三年级时，教师已叫我们把“乘法表”给背起来。起初，我们都在想：“为什么老师硬要我们那么辛苦，不管怎样都得把乘法表给背起来。”教师总是以四个字回答我们，“先苦后甜”，总有一天你们会发觉其方法的好处。无可否认的，这方法的确在考试或做练习题时帮大家省了不少时间。这只是各种方法的其中一种。相信各位华小生肯定有着更多不同的妙方吧！

4．了解不同文化、生活习俗
此外，大家可知道在这社会里有着不同的民族，而不同的民族有其不同的文化、习俗。要融入这社会和有着不同种族的工作环境之下，就必须得了解各族文化与习俗，这样才能工作得开心、生活得安心。当父母亲把孩子送到华小后再升上国民中学，孩子们必定学会如何和异族交朋友、互相了解并好好相处。同时，孩子们也能够在国民中学(S.M.K.)里把国语和英语给掌握好。大家可知道，我国官方语言可不是华语，而是马来语。很多场面和政府部门都是使用国语或英语等为沟通语言。因此，孩子们在华小毕业后到国民中学(S.M.K.)继续念书的话，相信很自然地就能把三大语文—国语、英语、华语等给掌握好。

由此可见，我认为父母亲应该送孩子们到国民型华文小学后再考虑在他们升上中学时，让他们尝试就读于国民中学(S.M.K.)。这个安排我相信能够为孩子们带来不少的好处如掌握不同语言，学习自律、坚强，懂得如何好好与异族相处及很多说不完在学业上的好处。

– 黄伟铭 (Ng Ray Man)

The Use Of Workbooks To Enhance Learning

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The education system in Malaysia has its ups and downs, for the entire positive that is in it, it is also besieged with numerous shortcomings. Large classes and too many activities cramped into a limited time make learning inadequate. The quality of teachers is also not consistent with the quality of teacher that your child get may as well be akin to the luck of the draw. My own experience as a teacher shows that there will somehow be at least one or two teachers who your kids and you will not be happy with.

It cannot be denied that parents can no longer depend on school alone for the education of their children. Parents have to play a significant role to ensure that their kids get the maximum input during their most impressionable years of their development. Of course all study is bad and parents should know how to create a balance to ensure both play, rest and study are all included in their kids life.

Before we proceed, let us first explore the purpose of sending our kids to school. To get the grades, to get into a good university, to get a ‘good’ job (whatever that is), status and a position in society are no longer the main objectives. The main reason we send our kids to school is to be educated; to come away from a situation from not knowing to knowing, to be improved in many ways, cognitively and emotionally, to be able to function and cope with the various situations that he/she will encounter in his life.

Parents can use workbooks to satisfy the above needs.

The Use Of Workbooks Will Reinforce What Is Learnt in School
Due to many factors, some children will not be able to catch what is taught in school. They might be slower, sick, absent or the teacher is not clear in his/her explanations or just too fast. Whatever the reason, the parent can use a workbook to teach the child the content that was problematic.

By getting the child to do exercises that we taught in school, the parent can also know if the child has a grasp of the topic and quick measures can be taken to rectify the problem.

Workbooks Offer Practice
A certain amount of time must be allocated everyday for study. The amount of time spent for this purpose will depend on the age of the child. Smaller children should be given adequate rest. Older children (primary) can do at least an hour of study at home. Of course when there are piles of homework to be completed, the workbooks should be put aside and schoolwork comes first.

Workbooks allow kids to practice what they have learnt in school. By doing exercises from the workbooks they are able to grasp the topic better and this will develop their confidence and affect their performance. I usually encourage parents to keep a few workbooks at hand and give the kids exercises of the similar topics from different books. You will need a few, as children will usually go through these books very quickly!

Workbooks Provide Enrichment Activities
Workbooks are able to take the kids beyond the reach of the school. There are many workbooks that introduce children to simple research online or poems or craft activities that children simply love. These are usually placed at the end of each topic and are fun to do. In fact, there are so many workbooks out there that focus on enrichment alone. Kids usually look forward to these enrichment activities as they denote the end of a particular topic has been successfully completed and creates the idea that learning is fun. Young children enjoy colouring activities or join the dots type activities that id entertaining.

How To Use The Workbooks
Parents should take the trouble to choose quality workbooks. Make sure the content is running parallel to your child’s work in school. A word of caution though, workbooks should never be used to replace school but rather to complement it. For kids who are home schooled, the workbooks would complement the textbooks used. Vernacular schools and mainstream school use different books and parents should know the difference. Look at the material and decide if it suitable for your child. Each child is different and parents should only buy what is needed.

I usually like to take a few workbooks for each subject, simply because my kids seem to complete them quickly. Workbooks gave them something to do during ‘study time’ when toys and the television were not allowed. Somehow they felt grown up sitting with us doing their work while my husband and I did ours. Give your child his/her own study space, where the workbooks can be arranged neatly and be reached easily. Workbooks need not be seen as something negative but rather as something that kids can do at home in their free time.

It sure beats going for tuition classes at odd hours of the day.

This blog entry was written by Kalai Lingam for Peekabook. Peekabook specializes in workbooks for Malaysian schools.

4 Reasons Why Homework Makes Your Child Smarter And How You Can Help

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While our kids are screaming in delight over the reduction of homework in schools these days with the ‘didik mesra’ concept, parents should be aware of the need to supplement their children’s school work with additional homework. Doing group projects and folios have their merits but fail to do what individual homework does. Parents have the ultimate responsibility of driving after-school development of their children, particularly when it comes to supplementing primary school books.

Homework helps the child develop study skills and habits
As our kids grow older and move on to higher institutions of learning, they will be burdened with more work. Life in the work force can also be demanding. Nobody said it was easy. Children need to be introduced to the realities of life early. Of course, as parents we need to create a balance but let us also equip them with the skill that they will need in the future. The physical and the mental strength developed early will save them from the issues of stress and stress-related diseases in the future. Today, we see many complaining about their inability to cope with work or not being able to manage their time. This is mainly due to bad habits cultivated from young.

Time management at home
What does your child do at home when he/she has no homework? Think about it. Is he/she in front of the television, computer, tablet, phone or involved in a hobby? Rest is important for growing children but how the free time is spent is important. Idling is not good. Being addicted to the iPad, television, computer or the mobile phone is not good. Hobbies are a better way of spending their time but are our children really doing it. This is where homework has its benefits. Children end up doing something productive during their free time. It does not need anything tedious, in fact parents can in cooperate elements of fun with in direct learning. Reading is one activity that I enjoy and my kids have been introduced to this from an early age. Sitting together, each engrossed with some form of reading material is such a pleasant activity for the whole family.

Homework helps parents to keep in touch with their child’s activities in school
As parents we cannot leave the education of our kid to the school alone. As much as we would like to believe that all is well in school, very often there is some form of shortcoming. Sometimes teaching is not adequate or too fast for the child, sometimes there is a lack of teachers for a particular subject and sometimes the child is simply not listening and playing while the teacher is teaching. Parents need to keep a sharp eye on the learning that is taking place in school. Monitoring homework will quickly show a parent his/her child’s competence in a particular subject. The child’s interest and flair in particular subjects too can be detected early through his/her homework. However, parents are not usually familiar with the syllabus and how much was covered in school. And let us also remember that many children are able to deceive their teachers by copying their friend’s work before school and passing on as their own. With supplementary homework, you will have a better idea of how much your child really knows.

Homework allows a child to practice and prepare
What is learnt in school is reviewed and practiced at home. Even if the child understands what has been taught doing some extra work at home is a good way of reinforcing learning. It also provides a platform to prepare for the lessons the following day. For teaching and learning to be most effective, there must be a constant flow from day to day. Breaks will only disrupt what is learnt and will often require relearning. This is especially true when there are school breaks and holidays. Let me remind you that when we speak about work we are talking about small, manageable exercises that are suitable for the different ages of the child. Say for an example, if a child comes from a Chinese speaking home where English is never spoken, imagine what would happen after a six-week school break? Reading storybooks in English would give the practice that the child need. At least the contact with the language is not broken.

All in all, homework is a necessity for children. It gives a little structure to their time at home and gives them something useful to do. The problem as always is that some parents can get overenthusiastic and go overboard. They believe in getting their children to do so much that the child will begin to hate school and learning. These negative effects can have long-term effects towards the child’s attitude towards studying. Let us as parents have realistic goals. Rest is more important that all the rest. This is my belief. If the school is giving enough homework, let the child be. What he/she is doing is adequate. If the child is idling, get the supplementary books. Let him be productive and do something worthwhile.

This article was written by Madam Kalai Lingam. Madam Kalai has 27 years of teaching experience in government secondary school. She opted for early retirement in 2013 to pursue her love of writing, and is currently writing a book. Madam Kalai is well versed in the Malaysian Education system, having been a senior English teacher and school administrator for many years.

The Malaysian Textbook Loan Scheme

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The day the Government decided to implement the free textbook scheme to students was one of the better policies that has affected education in Malaysia. Free textbooks meant that students regardless of their family background and income levels were entitled to free books. Of course, the parental income was taken into consideration on who deserves the books but where I was teaching, there was more than enough for everyone.

Teachers were very much relieved that we no longer had to wait until every student had a book or that they had to share books because some of them were yet to purchase the books. Students were known to have told teachers that they had to wait until the next harvest for them to get their books, because their parents were in the agricultural sector. These seemingly funny statements were the source of great frustrations to teachers who found it difficult to conduct a proper lesson when the material was not there.

On the part of the parent, the benefit is pretty obvious. Books are expensive and when the Government provides free textbooks, parents have a huge burden removed from their shoulders. In families with five or six children, buying a textbook can create a big dent in the family’s income. With the free textbooks, the money saved could now be spent on other essentials.

As for the children, they now have textbooks in their bags. There was no longer any excuse not to focus on learning or completing the assigned homework. When students had books with them, parents could also monitor and motivate them to study. Even the poorest student had something that he/she could remove from their bag and study at home. This definitely was the best outcome of the scheme.

On the downside, the scheme has its problems. Some of the students were careless and books kept getting lost. Students were also not taking care of the books that were lent to them and it was difficult to pass on these torn books to a new set of students the following year. Schools had to have extra manpower to monitor the books. We had a set of teachers who were in charge of the Book Loan Scheme. We even had a society in school and its members were called the Book Loan Scheme Prefects and they wore purple uniforms. It was as if the school needed a brigade to keep the scheme in order. Students had to cover the books as soon as they received their sets. They also had to write their names, class and year of borrowing to keep track of the books. At the end of the year the whole process works in reverse. Students are required to check all the books that they have borrowed. Students have to buy new books to replace those that they have lost. All books need to be wrapped neatly and all writings especially doodles and answers have to be erased. Phew! What a process.

On the perspective of the teachers, there were different views in regards of the day-to-day use of the textbooks. Some used them religiously and simply loved them. Some used them sometimes, while others like me, simply hated them. I know, I sound so bad but I was one of those who always went against the grain. I felt that the textbooks tied my hands and forced me to do things I felt was not suitable for my kids. Granted, the textbooks provided an excellent guide to the syllabus and all aspects to be covered were there in the textbook. To me, it served as a guide and allowed me to complete the necessary topics but beyond that I had little use of the textbook.

My problem usually arose when I wanted to do different things with my different classes. I felt that the textbook usually hit the level of the average student and therefore was not working with all my students. My weakest class is a group of students in Form Five whose proficiency level was at the Form One or even the primary grade. What am I going to do with the textbook? My top class on the other hand had very little issues with grammar and vocabulary and were up to more challenging tasks. In fact they loved to write essays and do tasks that required high order thinking.

The textbooks were also old. Many of the comprehension texts were not the type that was of interest to the students. I was teaching in Kuala Lumpur and my students would love to read comprehension texts on the latest gadgets or mobile phones. They knew so much and have so much to say on these issues. The reading material had to be real and meaningful to them to stimulate them to use the language in a meaningful manner. I ended up using photocopied materials and workbooks to supplement the textbook. The students were hungry for more and I had to look outside for new material. As for the weak students, their language acquisition was so bad that I had to focus more on their communication skills. For them the needs of the SPM was one but the needs for survival in the outside world after SPM was another. Many told me that they were going to work after the exams and they wanted to be able to communicate in English. Their lessons were often a blend of both their needs.

So, back to the issue of the day; textbooks. For me it definitely has its merits but teachers must never get too obsessive about rigidly following it. The textbook is a guide and at the end of the day, it is the students who matter the most. Their needs must be addressed.

– Kalai Lingam

Sample Year 1 Textbooks

Sample Year 1 Textbooks

The KSSR: What Can Go Wrong

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KSSR stands for Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah. This is the new thing in relation to education in the primary level. There are so many benefits in the new system. As I had already mentioned in my earlier blog, the system ensures that no child gets left behind an each child has to achieve a preset standard of achievement before proceeding into the next level. The system does not stress on exams. Evaluation takes into count student’s attitude, focus, and leadership qualities apart from the content of the subject. This is to ensure a total development of the child is taken into count and not just his academic standing. The child is encouraged to seek, discover and give opinions. The passive learner is a thing of the past. Technology is widely used and students are taught to use technology to seek, learn and present material.

The blueprint for the KSSR was wonderful. All the elements were in place and what was left was the implementation. This is where the problems begin. As parents we should be aware of all the possible shortcomings so as to be able to take the necessary remedial actions.

  1. Each Child Has To Achieve A Preset Standard Before Moving On
    The obvious problem is the size of the class. If a class has 35 students, waiting for each child to achieve a preset standard will take a long time. Of course streaming or placing students into sets is an answer but remember KSSR does not encourage streaming! The ‘better’ students can be given other projects to do but by the end of the year the students achievements will be staggered with some struggling to redo tests while others who have always achieved to set standards may be bored! Parents should be alert to kids who come home saying they are bored or that their teacher was spending all her time conducting quizzes for the weaker students. Get additional workbooks or even reading materials for your kids to take to school.
  1. Is There Enough Taught?
    This is the one greatest fear that most parents have spoken about. If so much time is spent by the teacher administering quizzes and conducting evaluation during class time, when does the poor teacher have the time to really teach the content? In our country, there is no such thing as teacher assistant where one can teach a group while the other help with conducting the evaluation. Parents should monitor their children’s progress and get involved hands on if they find that their child is not learning much. Parents were once students and should be able to spot problems quickly.
  1. No Exams
    My kids need exams to give them a target to work towards and I am sure yours does too. Without exams, there is a risk that kids might not learn much. This is not entirely true but than again all kids are different. Exams are a measure of things that are yet to be mastered or the weakness of our children. The earlier the intervention, the better the long-term effects. Parents need to know what their kids are weak in and help them to catch up. Exams also help in teacher evaluation. Some teachers do more than others. This is a fact. Without the exams there is no real benchmark and this is worrying. Parents should ensure that students do work at home even if there is no homework. There are a wide variety of workbooks and academic material in the market that parents should take advantage of.
  1. Non-Measurable Evaluation
    Many parents love examinations because evaluation is fair and transparent. When evaluation is based on behaviour codes like leadership qualities, responsibility and attitude, there will always be room for unhappiness. Our teachers have to be absolutely fair and give the grades that the student really deserves without taking any external factors into count. Can they do this?
  1. Students Use Technology
    Are we ready for this as a nation? If we are looking at computers, will each student be given a computer to work on or if the research has to be done at home, does each child have a computer at home? Think about this as a nation as a whole and you will see the problem.Is the technology used reliable and not prone to problems? If the system breaks down, do we have a reliable support system that can rectify the problem immediately? Again think nation wide.Have the teachers been given adequate training to carry out lessons using the modern technology. Many of our young ones today are fast and pros in using the iPad, iBook, and every other device that we adults use. In fact my children are better than me. Based on this, teachers should be one step ahead to be able to hold the respect of their students and get their teaching done!

To end, I can only say this. All systems have their merits and flaws. The KSSR is no different. As parents we cannot merely leave it to the school and hope our child will reap maximum benefits from the system. We should always monitor and be aware of the shortcomings and take the necessary actions when there is a need. In this way, I am sure your child will have a wonderful schooling experience.

– Kalai Lingam

How to maximize your child’s development with the use of technology

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Today, let us explore the role of parents in maximizing their children’s development in the use of technology and how to set guideline to give children the freedom to seek information and become independent learners.

Most parents are afraid of letting their precious little ones being exposed to the computer and the Internet. Their reasons can be summed up in two distinct areas:

  1. There is a health issue
    It can damage the eyes with the prolonged staring of the computer screen. It can cause bad posture, with kids slouching in their chairs and of course, the most common being, it promotes anti social behaviour.
  1. The content is not suitable for children
    The Internet exposes kids to a world without boundaries. As much as there is so much to praise, the amount of violence and sexual content o the web is definitely frightening and parents strive to protect their children from this.

So, let us see what we can do as parents, to get past the above and focus on how parents can introduce children to the world of computers and the Internet without any negative results.

  1. Set rules
    This has to be done as early as possible. The sooner the rules are put into place the easier it is to enforce them. Let is realize that the problem is not with the technology but with parents not being able to set rules and stick to them! For a young child of the kindergarten age, I would allow the child to use the computer for half an hour and not a minute more. I would set an alarm if I have to just so the child knows when to stop. For older children, I would give them a slightly longer period depending on their age.When there are two or three children involved, set a simple timetable and there will be no quarrelling in the near future. Parents need to understand that children need rules like this. It gives their world some form of structure and security. They know what they are entitled to and this gives them some for of control of their life.
  1. Make sure your hardware is child friendly
    These include not only the computer but also the table, chair and the lighting. The table and chair has to be suitable for the child’s height. Do not allow young children to slouch on the bed or the couch. Practice discipline early and you will be screaming less in the future! Try to have a study area in your home if you can. I would strongly discourage the dining table for this purpose unless there is no other space available.In my home, I have delegated one room as the Study Room where I have shelves for books and my husband, my children and I have individual tables for ‘work’. This was the best decision I made. Today, this is the most used room in our home and a lot of quality time is spent here. We are also closer to the children because of it. Computers/laptops are not allowed in the bedrooms and are only used here. If your children are young, do not spend too much on hardware. State of the art laptops and computers will be a waste as children can be careless and can damage things. Instead, ensure that the children sit at a proper distance from the screen and if they are using a mouse, make sure it fits their little fingers. If you are going to up grade your computer, give them your old one. Let them trash it and no one will be upset!
  1. Check content
    Most systems today come with some form of parental control. Check your system and get this one running. Look at the settings and the preferences on your computer and change this according to your needs. When it is your child’s turn to use the computer, you have to be with them. Never leave the child alone. Giving a child a task to do and then disappearing into the kitchen or running off to have a bath is wrong. To help you child achieve the best you have to make sacrifices. This is a fact. From my experience as a teacher for more than 27 years, I can state with confidence, that the most successful children are those whose parents invested their Time on them. It is easy to invest money on our children but are you willing to invest your Time on them? Think about it. Make time to be with your children during Study Time. You will have to have done some form of ‘homework’ on your end to know what you want your children to do. Let us not forget that the computer and the Internet is not merely a source of entertainment but information as well. There are many web sites that cater for this and there are CDs for different age groups and different purpose. Do your research.

Next week let us explore the software and activities that parents can do with their children using the Internet.

This article was written by Madam Kalai Lingam. Madam Kalai has 27 years of teaching experience in government secondary school. She opted for early retirement in 2013 to pursue her love of writing, and is currently writing a book. Madam Kalai is well versed in the Malaysian Education system, having been a senior English teacher and school administrator for many years.

7个方法让孩子不在沉迷于平版电脑

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在这个科技日新月异的时代，现代的小孩早已经脱离了跳房子和捉迷藏的时代，取而代之的尽是科技产品。不可否认，平板电脑的出现带来了利与弊，但，年纪尚小的孩子却过于沉迷其中，是不是也影响了其身心的成长呢？身为家长的又该怎么做呢？

  1. 带孩子参与户外活动，接触大自然
    父母可以带孩子多参于户外活动，接触大自然继而接近绿色，有益眼睛。除了平板电脑里的游戏，现实生活中依然存有刺激好玩户外的游戏，例如，放风筝，野餐，欣赏风景等等。若父母工作真的如此忙碌不堪，不妨试试在晚餐后带着自家的孩子步行道附近的公园。不单只是让孩子放下平板电脑，其间亲子两的沟通谈话也可增进感情。
  1. 父母需以身作则
    父母就是孩子就好的投射镜。希望自家的孩子远离平板电脑或是其他科技产品，身为父母的必定身体力行，减少在孩子面前使用的次数。孩子在耳濡目染的情况下，相对的也会把自己从平板电脑这个大漩涡中抽离。试问，若上梁如此歪曲，下梁又怎会正呢？
  1. 限制玩平板电脑的时间
    若孩子真的离不开平板电脑，家长可限制玩平板电脑的时间。半个小时？一个小时？取决于父母的决定。限制的时间到了之后就吩咐孩子把平板电脑乖乖的放下。久而久之，孩子也间接的学习到自律这个好习惯。
  1. 鼓励孩子参与群体活动
    父母亲可为孩子准备群体游戏，召集年龄相仿的孩子到家中做游戏，为此而放下了手上的平板电脑。这不但可以扩大孩子的生活圈子更可让孩子认识多点朋友继而不容易怕生。
  1. 利用爱的教育劝导孩子
    孩子们的心智尚未成熟，不能分辨事情的严重性继而沉迷或不可自拔。身为父母的应以友善的方式为孩子分析平板电脑的利与弊，让孩子对于沉迷平板电脑又多一层认识。若孩子了解其中的弊自然而然的就会不再沉迷。
  1. 挑起孩子对其他事物的兴趣
    每个孩子都有无限可能，若因为一架平板电脑而束缚了孩子其他的天赋，是多么可惜的一件事。父母可以挑起孩子对于其他事物的兴趣，例如，画画，跳舞或是阅读。让孩子有兴趣的爱好远远超越平板电脑继而不再沉迷。
  1. 设定密码
    为孩子的平板电脑设置密码，每当孩子要求玩的时候都必须征求家长的同意才可使用。没有输入正确的密码，平板电脑根本无法操作，孩子当然也毫无办法继而放弃该念头。

现今社会不论大人小孩都过分依赖科技产品，“低头族”这个词已经不再陌生。科技带来了便利与进步，却也不可否认的它进步带来了诸多的坏处。然而，单靠一方面的努力是不够的，所以无论大人小孩都必须尽量给予配合，不让孩子栽在平板电脑这个泥坑里不能自拔。

This article was written by Catherina (爱琏). Catherina is a full time TV show editor and has a love for writing. She graduated from Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC) with a major in Mass Communication.