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.

How to multiply numbers by drawing lines

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A very cool trick to do multiplications quickly – and without a calculator! There’s even an explanation on why it works at the end of the video.

Little tricks like this help kids visualize and enjoy mathematics.
How to multiply numbers by drawing lines

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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:

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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？

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。

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？

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。

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。

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。

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。

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.

So you got your kid a computer. Now what?

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The use of the computer as a tool for education is growing day by day. In fact it is slowly taking over the use of books and writing tools as the most effective tool for education. The computer provides an attractive platform for the teaching and learning of many skills. For an example in the teaching of English the use of the computer allows students to master reading, writing, listening and speaking skills effectively. Allow me to explain.

When faced with the computer, as a parent, you can use the computer as a tool, with or without the Internet. Without the Internet, I find that it is most effective as a writing tool and my students have progressed wonderfully with it.

Below are the steps that primary school children can easily master.

Open a Word Document. Give your child a topic. Choose something simple that they can work on. For very young children, the common topics can range from, “Myself” to “My Pet”.

Get your child to write a few sentences on the topic. Don’t make it too long. Children enjoy using the word processor as their ideas take shape as they type and their work appears neat. (Parents need to understand that handwriting skills and writing skills are two entirely different things and need to be taught separately.)

Once the child is done with his/her work, go through the work with them. Don’t correct everything! This is a kid’s work and if you find flaws in every sentence and every word, the child is not going to write anymore. Give a lot of praise and maybe just change about three to four content items. Keep the original form. Parents sometimes set such high standards that they end up creating more damage and this can affect the child’s confidence in the long run.

Teach your child on how to use the Spelling Tool to check the spelling. Highlight the problematic word, go to Tools and hit Spelling. The parent has to sit with the child and show how this is done. I find that the Spelling Tool is very useful as mistakes are corrected and the child learns immediately. When a teacher corrects in class, especially in class, the child usually looks but hardly registers the correction.

For children who are slightly older, the Thesaurus feature in Tools can be used to teach vocabulary. Choose a single word in the writing, As an example, if the child has written, “I live in a big house.” Show him/her how to highlight the word ‘big’, go to tools and click the Thesaurus and immediately many new words that have similar meanings appear. Click on any one of these words to replace the word ‘big’, say, ‘huge’. The use of the Thesaurus will slowly develop the vocabulary skills of the child and improve his/her language acquisition.

If you have photos saved in your computer, you can copy-paste it onto the short essay. Children love pictures, especially of themselves and things that make up their world.

Get your child to read aloud his/her work to you. Teach them to read slowly and clearly. Give the praise and a pat on the back.

You can print out this essay and save it in a special file for your child’s work. There is a sense of accomplishment that children respond positively to when they look at their work.

For the teaching of writing skills, the pencil and the pen is the only effective method. These days, there is a fear that the use of the computers can harm a child’s ability to write clearly and neatly. With this in mind, parents should ensure writing tasks are carried our regularly and children master good handwriting. With my own children, I found that getting them to copy down their favourite songs is a good way to get them to practice their writing skills. My kids just hated writing the same sentence over and over again so getting them to write something that is meaningful to them was the way to go.

For the beginning, buy simple workbooks that allow children to practice the formation of letters. Do a little everyday. Forcing the child to do pages and pages of work will not enable learning but will only develop resentment. Allocate manageable task and reward good work but be consistent. On the issue of rewards, do not reward children with sweets and chocolates. Doing this, will only make children associate these fattening foods with feeling good and they will seek every time they are feeling down. Extra ‘playtime’, makes more sense.

Children are very impressionable, when parents are tense, children become even more tense. They begin to associate these feelings with learning, education and school and eventually begin to hate school. The trick is to keep things light, try to add some fun elements and give them enough breaks. Young children get tired easily and parents must know their limits. Spend enough time outdoors with the children so they don’t just associate mummy and daddy with work.

A parent’s attitude towards work will determine the child’s attitude towards work. I have only this to say. Relax. Get the work done and don’t be tense. Your child will enjoy the learning process.

– Kalai Lingam

E-Learning in Malaysia

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The concept of E-Learning in Malaysia has been listed as one of the key components of the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs) of Malaysia, under the Economic Transformation Programme, which drives our beloved country, towards achieving high-income status as well as global competitiveness and to this, one of the efforts vividly put in by the government, particularly the Ministry of Education is through the 1BestariNet project. According to Wikipedia, the term ‘E-Learning’ is defined as the use of electronic media and information and communication technologies (ICT) in education. It is broadly inclusive of all forms of educational technology in learning and teaching and always related to multimedia learning, technology-enhanced learning (TEL), online education, virtual learning environments (VLE) and others. Before we move on any further, let us look at the 1BestariNet project initiated by the Ministry of Education on par with the government’s vision of providing quality and internet-enabled education for all.

THE 1BESTARINET PROJECT – VLE

The 1BestariNet project is where FrogAsia is bringing the future of education to every student, parent and teacher throughout Malaysia. The entire education community is brought together into this network consisting of 5 million students, 4.5 million parents and 500,000 parents. Based on the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013-2015), launched by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, there are a total of 11 shifts listed down. One of the shifts that I would love to highlight here is to leverage ICT scale up quality learning across Malaysia. To this, internet access and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) has been provided by the Ministry of Education for all 10,000 schools by 2013. Students and parents are given the IDs and passwords to login to the 1BestariNet website:-

Extracted from https://aea2044.1bestarinet.net

Next, the user will be given a dashboard with various features in it. In many schools, it is proven to be effective in handling assignments as assignments can be sent and marked on-the-go, even during school holiday. At the same time, this platform promotes paper-free learning process. The school can also post the latest announcements on the school’s dashboard itself. Forums, Frog Store, The Pond and others are among the most common features available. This indirectly provides students with a different, interactive and more interesting study environment.

Image extracted from http://1bestarinet.net/

Thus, this project in which the Ministry of Education of Malaysia cooperates with FrogAsia, YTL, leverages on FrogTrade’s, United Kingdom with 13-year track record and expertise in integrating technology into schools is truly effective and beneficial.

EZLEARN2U PORTAL- SPONSORED TO PERAK STUDENTS BY STATE GOVERNMENT

On the other hand, I would also love to share one of the efforts initiated by the Perak State Government to help students in their study, ranging from UPSR standard to STPM. Last year, Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir has officially lauched the e-learning portal, Ezlearn2u, which has helped 237,971 students in Perak through this learning menthod. Students are provided with a password for free to enjoy this facility which looks like a tuition session, but conducted in a more interactive manner.

To be honest, this portal (Ezlearn2u) has helped me a lot in my studies. As mentioned earlier in my previous article, student like me could hardly find time to actually sit in the classroom to listen to lectures. Hence, through this way, I was able to learn whenever I want. All I need is just internet access and a tablet PC, computer or even just with my Android Smartphone or iPhone. I managed to learn things that I have missed out when I was not in school and away for competitions and other programmes. Most of the subjects in SPM such as Additional Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, Science, Sejarah and others are taught chapters by chapters in the videos recorded. Nevertheless, most of the subjects in UPSR and Form 1 – Form 6 are also available. The tutors are all very experienced and dedicated in teaching field. This teaching method is somehow different from the others in which the step-by-step teaching is clearly illustrated with mindmapping, application and examples. Due to the tutors’ vast experience in conducting seminars, workshops and tutorials, I believe they fully understand the students’ weaknesses and their needs.

Images extracted from http://www.ezlearn2u.my

TABLET PC & SMART DEVICES MADE LEARNING EASIER
Sometimes, we must make good use of the electronic gadgets. One of the ways is by using it for e-learning purpose. For instance, I use my Samsung Galaxy Tab2 10.1 to do my revision whenever I am free, at anytime, anywhere. We can actually store notes or perhaps some animations made by ourselves or downloaded from the internet in our smartphones or tablets/iPads so that we can learn on-the-go. Mindmaps or short notes are highly recommended.

Snapshot of my Moral Education Notes (Senarai Nilai & Definisi Pend. Moral)

English Literature Notes in my tablet

Mindmaps of Sejarah SPM downloaded from the internet

E-BOOKS

Furthermore, ebooks are indeed popular nowadays, whether the document is in PDF or Doc formats. Ebook is actually an electronic book published in digital form consisting of text, images, or both and readable on computers or other electronic devices. There are a lot of advantages of Ebooks. First of all, it is mobile. Ebooks indirectly help to bring us to a a whole new different library in this century. It is somehow a virtual library which is cheaper, space saving and offers 24/7 service. Jobs like copying and pasting in homework or assignments are also made easy. Searching for information is made a lot easier with the features that Ebooks have to offer. Decades ago, if we want to complete our homework, we had to go to the libraries, immerse ourselves in the ocean of books, opened up thousand and millions of pages for the sake of looking a single line of information. For Ebooks, we can always use ‘Find On Page’ feature to look for information in a particular book. Sounds, oral reading, videos or animations are also widely available in Ebooks. In general, Ebook provides accessibility and flexibility for users.

INTERACTIVE LEARNING MATERIALS

On top of that, education is made a lot easier when technology is applied. Classes are made more interactive by using multimedia animations. ‘MyCD’ and ‘Teaching Coursewares’ introduced by the Ministry of Education transform dull and boring classes to interesting and lively classes. According to Shaaron Ainsworth, a psychologist from University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, she claimed that students absorb much easily through animation. For instance, biology students understand faster about the blood transport system when video clips of how deoxygenated blood from body cells are transported to the right atrium via vena cava and how oxygenated blood is transported to our body cells. Furthermore, according to Ahmad Rizal and Mohd Noor, researchers from Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, they have proven that multimedia does not only make learning process more effective, it promotes cognitive skills through ‘Active Learning’ process with the aid of teaching coursewares.

THE DRAWBACKS

Despite the fact that new technology has brought about various benefits in the education world via ebooks, multimedia animations, videos and interactive learning material, it can bring many negative impacts to us if we do not make good use of it. There is a Chinese saying which goes, ‘Water can transport boats, yet it is able to sink it’. A very simple example would be when students spend too much time with their computers or Smart devices, they might be doing something else instead of just studying. Issac Asimov, an eminent American author and professor of biochemistry once said, “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom”. In fact, technology brings negative influence on our daily productivity. Students tend to spend lesser time studying and doing homework. In fact, they waste most of their time on social networking sites like ‘Facebook’, ‘Myspace’, ‘Twitter’ and others. 83% of youths around the world have Facebook accounts. “Our study shows people who spend more time on Facebook spend less time studying”, said Aryn Karpinski, a researcher from Ohio University. National Literacy Trust also reported that youngsters are spending up to 6 hours a day in front of the computer screen, surfing social network sites and 75% of the pupils all over the world ranked social network sites and gaming websites above books. Social networking users also loves to procrastinate work. Therefore, excessive use of technology decreases our daily productivity.

Karl Marx, a Prussian-German philosopher and revolutionary socialist once said, “The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people”. Hence, steps have to be taken to ensure technology is not misused to the extent where people are almost entirely controlled by technology. Last but not least, if one really makes good use of technology, one can definitely be benefited from the world of technology.

Ng Ray Man was a Head Prefect, a national-level debater and a straight-A scorer all his life. He reveals tips and tricks on using E-Learning in this guest post for Peekabook.