Category: Teaching

Diberi betis hendak peha (similar proverb in English: Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile)

I have taught this course more than one semester.  It has been more than 5 years in fact.  I am not saying that I am an expert in this subject matter but I know the difficulty of remembering many theories related to personality which belong to different schools of thoughts.  It is not easy.  So, to help the students in this matter, I allow them to bring few pages (A4 size) of notes that they can bring to the exam hall.  

But I never thought that they would exchange their notes among themselves during the exam.  I never anticipate this thing could happen.  This was the first incident that happened in five years (and I hope this would be the last).  This is akin to cheating because you are looking at other people’s notes, rather than on your own.  I was informed by a student who saw this and I double checked it.  When I walked around nearby the conspirators, I noticed that there were notes with different hand-writing on both sides of them.  I knew instantly that what had been reported is true.  Indeed.

I didn’t want to spoil the “mood” so, I just kept it to myself.  But I would definitely not let this thing go without any punishment.  This is a classic example of “Give them an inch and they’ll take a mile” or in Malay “Diberi betis hendak peha“

Assessment of learning? Assessment for learning? Assessment as learning?: Which is which?

There are several types of assessments: 1) Assessment of learning, 2) Assessment for learning and 3) Assessment as learning

Assessment of learning

This refers to summative assessment.  It could be in a form of final examination or any examination that meant to see to what extent students have understood certain concepts.  

Assessment for learning

This refers to formative assessment.  One of the main purposes of formative assessment is to  see to what extent teachers could improve their teaching and support that they provide to students based on students’ performance.  For example, a quiz that is given to students based on certain topics covered.  Based on the quiz results, teacher would make a decision for improvement of teaching and learning activities in class.  

Assessment as learning

This refers to reflective self-evaluation.  This type of assessment is not meant for grading purposes but it is meant to help students to understand themselves better in terms of what they have learned and how well they have understood the concepts/topics they have learned.  

Can a quiz be formative and reflective self-evaluation at the same time?

For me, it can be when you let the students decide if they want to quiz to be graded or ungraded.  Meaning, they can take any quiz that I give without feeling pressure of being graded and this would be “assessment as learning” – because they take the quiz as a means to help them reflect on their understanding and learning i.e. reflective self-evaluation.  But at the same time, the same quiz can be considered as formative assessment [assessment for learning] if the students want the marks of the quiz to be graded.  

How can we (as teachers) implement all three assessments? 

In my case, what I normally do is, I have a mixture of assessments that I give to my students such as quiz, presentation, report and final exam.  Final exam is an example of summative assessment i.e. assessment of learning.  For quiz, I make it in such a way that there will be graded quizzes (formative assessment or assessment for learning) and there are also ungraded quizzes (assessment as learning).  For the ungraded quizzes , I normally give after we have finished discussing about a topic, for instance.  But for graded quizzes, it comprises of several topics.  So, in this case prior to take any graded quiz, students have self-assessed themselves on any given topic.  Of course, since it is ungraded, I notice that some students don’t take it seriously and thus, will not make any attempt to take the ungraded quiz.  I have seen it in the recent courses that I taught this semester (Semester 2, 2018/2019). 

What should I do then? 

Well, I give soft reminder several times but in the end of the day, I have to respect the students’ decision.  If they think it is the best for them to skip any ungraded quizzes, it is their right.  I have no right to force them in their learning.  After all, as adult learners, they should be responsible towards their learning.  They are not secondary school students.  The major difference between secondary school students and university students is for secondary school students, they need extra guidance when it comes to helping them in decision making.  University students?  What a heck!  They are adults, and they should be responsible and accountable with whatever decision that they make.  Welcome to adulthood!

The importance of adults for adolescents

The school conducted a programme (Program Ziarah Cakna) last Thursday (23 May 2019).   I went to the school because I paired with Teacher Ita (one of the English teachers) to pay a visit to one of the selected students.  I had a quick chat with some of the teachers to ask about what’s new and whatsnot since I left the school last March 2019.  I asked specifically about some of the students that I taught before.  I asked about their performance in the recent mid term examination.  I was worried that I had not covered many of the topics for the first two months but the teachers told me that I covered the topics according to the weekly plan according to scheme of work (SOW) of the respective classes.  What a relief!

Teacher Ita told me that Rahim is one of the students who frequently asked about me.  It is a classic case of attachment.  In this case, I do admit that as an adult, I might be his role model.  This is an example of how important an adult can be for an adolescent because he/she is in a phase of role confusion (or laymen commonly use “identity confusion” or in Malay – kecelaruan identiti).  Many studies in psychology have shown the importance of adults in helping adolescents in this transitioning phase between childhood and adulthood.   

What should I do with Rahim or any other students who are showing this kind of attachment? 

I never had any experience of dealing with school kids before because I teach university students since I start my teaching profession in 2005.  Well, for obvious reasons they are not adolescents, they are young adults and they have undergone the adolescence phase.  They are not in need of adult role models like me.  Their needs are different in this case.

I am still racking my brain in this case because I do not want him or any of my students to have “unhealthy attachment” or “transference”.  Transference is a term commonly used in counseling or clinical psychology which could happen during therapy sessions in which a person develops “certain feelings/emotions” toward the therapist.  But in education setting, transference could also happen in which a student may have certain feelings/emotions towards a teacher.  Well, it is not all bleak and gloomy but I don’t wish Rahim or any other male students especially to have “certain” feelings towards me, an old lady.  There are cases of relationships between teacher and student who develop into romantic intimate relationships.  Perhaps, I am a bit paranoid in this case but I guess there is nothing wrong to have extra precautions.   Prevention is better than cure.  

 

Thank your for being there for me_Part 2

She took my Research Methodology class.  Then she took my personality psychology and human development classes as well.  She was a “darling” of any supervisor.  She is tenacious, diligent and hardworking.  Never give up easily.

A senior already “assigned” her to be her supervisee but she came to meet the programme coordinator to request of changing supervisor.  Yup.  She wanted me as her supervisor.  This was after the semester of “Minah t test tak tahu” incident.  Apparently, due to that incident, some students were persistent to have me as their supervisor (a reason only known to them until now and Allah.  I don’t ask them “why” they wanted me as their supervisor so, let’s have a good assumption about their intention).

She was well-prepared since the first day we met for supervision.  She remembered what I told her in my research methodology class that as a teacher, it is better if they do an action research to improve their teaching practice.  By conducting research on their teaching practice, they would improve their teaching practice and know how to improve their students’ learning experience as well.  

She was advanced in doing her RS1 and thus, I suggested her to start collecting data for RS2 while completing her RS1.  She did that.  But, on her final semester (the semester she had to complete her RS2 too), she received news about her mom.  Her mom got cancer (I didn’t know the type of cancer) stage 4.  She was crying when she called me to break the news.  I told her to calm down and meet me to discuss how to finish her RS2.  She has to go back to Kuching every weekend to accompany her mom (she is teaching in JB).  

We discussed about new deadlines and tasks to be completed.  She requested me to monitor her progress.  I didn’t want her to push herself too much in this case.  She told me that she needed to finish her masters because it was a promise to her mom.  It was not an easy task to honour her request.  I told her to give our best shots.

She kept me updated with her writing progress and her mom’s condition regularly.  Often than not, she could not be as articulated as before because there were so many things on her mind.  I told her to keep on writing and don’t worry too much about grammar or sentence structure.  I would help her with that.

The period of supervising her was not easy.  It was one of the most challenging times because I was badly affected by the previous incident with “Minah t test tak tahu”.  I was “healing” and time was not on my side.  So, even though it was quite difficult for me to trust my students and to let them to trust me, I just pray that things would turn out well for both of us.

Alhamdulillah, she completed her masters degress with flying colors.  There were times when she wanted to give up but she persisted.  I told her that I would never let her to give up easily.  We were in this together.  

Since graduating, we still keep in touch with each other through Whatsapp.  But, every time I see this picture and the watch (that I still keep in my office), it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that remind me that whatever things that I do matter as a lecturer, teacher, supervisor or mentor.   

P.S: Felicia Sim, thank you for being there for me even though you always think that I help you a lot.  Nope.  I think it is the other way around.

Note: Felicia’s mom passed away couples of days before Teacher’s Day 2018.  When I wished her Happy Teacher’s Day, she broke the news and told me that she was still in Kuching.  She is not married yet but I do hope that she will find her life partner ASAP.

Program Ziarah Cakna [loosely translated as Endowment visit programme]

This is the initiative of the Ministry of Education for schools to conduct Program Ziarah Cakna [school will identify students who belong to B40 family (asnaf) and those who lost their father (yatim).  This has been an annual programme for my school which I witnessed it myself last year.  It is just that teachers did not go to the student’s house to give the goodie pack (basic essential like cooking oil, flour, sugar, bee hoon, soy sauce etc. and duit raya).   This year, it is different.  The teachers have to go to the students’ homes to give the goodie pack and some of the teachers sent the students back as well because coincidentally, they have to go back for eid celebration (school holiday)].  

All of the teachers are assigned to one student except those with administration post.  They are assigned with two students.  Unlike any other programme, this programme will include monitoring of the students’ academic performance as well.  So, the assigned teacher would be the student’s mentor as well. 

I know that it could be perceived as another additional task and responsibility to teachers but I think this would be a good move to create special bond between teacher and student.  After all, education is all about human relation and highly depended on human interaction regardless of whatever tools available to enhance students learning experience.  Nothing can replace a human being as a teacher no matter what!  You cannot learn empathy through AI or a robot.  It requires “human touch” to learn about being emphatic and how to be “human”.  

(Note: The first picture was taken by me and thus for obvious reason, I wasn’t in the picture.  I went to Felda Ulu Tebrau with Teacher Ita.  The second picture shows Nadzirun’s house in Yong Peng.  Ustaz Hazim (the one wearing batik shirt) was on the way to Malacca (his parents’ home) and he dropped by to send Nadzirun back as well as pay his family a visit. Kudos to all teachers of SABK Madrasah Alattas Johor)

Publish or perish_Part 2

One of my highly esteemed senior colleagues, Prof Hamdan Said shared this newspaper article with us.  I admit that what the author wrote is happening in UTM.  As an example, I find it time consuming to conduct SOTL research and “produce” papers related to teaching and learning.  To see an impact or changes of any learning activity takes time.  It is quite difficult to see any “major” change within a period of 14 weeks (for normal semester) unless you have the same batch of students and you use the same learning activity in classes that they have to take in the subsequent semesters. 

In my case, if I teach a batch of students who are in their first year second semester i.e. Educational Psychology class, it is quite difficult for me to have the same batch of students in the following semester because I only teach few undergraduate classes (other than Educational Psychology, I also teach Fundamental Pedagogy and Research Methodology class.  But since there are enough instructors to teach the other two courses, I only end up to teach only Educational Psychology class on regular basis).  Thus, how can I conduct a SOTL research when there would be limited opportunity for me to try out new teaching and learning strategies and do research on that?  The point is, it takes me longer to collect data from my own teaching practice.  It is not easy but not impossible to do.

When I was at school for my LI, I collected lots of data (from my token economy planner/table, students’ reflective notes and my own daily journal notes).  I find it challenging to have solid quiet time to analyse the data.  I admit that I should prioritise some of my works according to its importance.  As a lecturer, teaching at a university, it is important for me to publish, but at the same time I know that I need to improve my teaching.

Now, it is exam period and I am being bogged down with tonnes of marking assignments, exam scripts and whatsnot.  When will this end?  It will never end.  This is one of the common cycles that I have to face as a lecturer at university.

So, it is a little wonder if some might resort to “short-cuts” of publishing even though they might compromise the quality of the paper.  It is a challenge to be “the slow professor” who professes, rather than “an empty shell”.  It is a paradoxical phenomenon indeed.

 

First examination….. after LI

I have 55 students in this section.  TEASLIANs.  They are fun, quick-witted and some of them are serious and studious.  Some are playful but of course, they are among the selected ones to be in this programme.  Since it was conducted in a big examination hall at Rahman Putra College (KRP), I was thinking that perhaps it would be better if I put the best wishes card on their table and thus, it will differentiate my students from other students in different sections.  Attaboy!

When I announced it to the students before they entered the exam hall that my students would get a card on their table, I noticed that some other students were sighing because it is as if I am treating my students favorably as compared to their lecturers.  This is one of the things that I learn when I was at school: Always make your students feel special even though you are assertive (tegas).  Jim Henson (the famous puppeteer and creator of Sesame Street) once said “Kids don’t remember what you try to teach them but they remember what you are”.   On top of that, taking examination could be stressful to some students and one of the things that can decrease stress is to change the emotion into positive one.  When you get something from your lecturer i.e. a card whereas the other students from different sections get nothing, you feel special.  It is important to make others feel good about themselves.

[Note: Of course this makes the other students who belong to different sections feel envious because they don’t get any best wishes card.  I apologise for that.  I don’t know them though because they are not my students even though they are the School of Education, UTM students 😀]

Feeling special makes them feel happy and this indirectly will decrease their stress.  When they got to their seat and looked at the card, I saw that majority of them smile.  They started to loosen up a bit.  Some of them looked at the back of the card, checking if I wrote something else.  Well, to tell the truth, I didn’t have time to write for each and every 55 cards that I would give them.  I just got the cards last Monday (two days before their exam).  

How to make your student feel special at the same time being assertive? This is not an easy task.  But I believe in the small things that you do which matter.  You have to show your concern in various ways.  You can make students feel special in many ways.  Of course, if you give them a card, it means that you need to invest.  But, it is not that costly.  For 300 cards, I just spent less than RM100.  The card is color printed and to make it extra special in which they cannot find it elsewhere or at store, I designed it myself using Canva.

I admit that there are times when I lost control of my emotion in class (when I was doing my LI), but at the end of the day, I want to let the students know that I care about them.  I got mad not because I hate them, but I hate their attitude such as being lazy, or not taking serious thing seriously. 

Alhamdulillah I never blew off my steam with my UG students this semester.  Attaboy!  Because I see unlimited potentials in them regardless what they do in class (even though some of them fell asleep, went out for a while to have a break by eating lunch while I was teaching in class, colored their hair yellow, brunette, purplish shade etc.) .  Of course, I just observed them from afar because I know that as adult learners, they are responsible for their own learning.  I guess I am using the examples that were portrayed by my former mentors when I was in IIUM.   They were relax and cool.  I enjoyed being in and taking their classes even though I knew that they couldn’t teach all the courses that I have to take in order to complete my degree.  

As a teacher/lecturer (you name it, it is just a term but basically what I do is still the same – teaching), you always want the best for your students.  I know that it is not easy to create an ever lasting bond with my students.   But, I hope that they would remember me for who I am and they would remember the warm fuzzy feeling they feel on the day they took my examination due to the card  I gave them.  Perhaps I am the only teacher/lecturer that ever would give them a best wishes card before exam (tongue in cheek remark!).   

P.S: If I teach the same students in another course, I guess I have to give them different things, not card.  A best wishes bookmark, perhaps 😀

Teaching to the test…. NOPE!

A student’s representative messaged me asking me if I have the answers to the last year exam questions.  My reply: “I was not around last year so I don’t know and don’t have the questions and answers.  I was at school.  One whole year“

I vividly remember the class which I took with Joe Denver (nickname that Dr Joharry Othman uses).  One of his class assignments was to research about the examples of teaching to the test practice.  Since knowing the impact of teaching to the test on students i.e. it makes students “good test takers but lousy learners“, I determine to minimise any learning activity that would lead to that.  Of course, sometimes in a good faith you give students learning activities to enhance their understanding but giving too much questions like quizzes, past year exam questions etc. might lead to “teaching to the test” phenomenon.  

I don’t want to be an advocate for this practice in honour of what Dr Joe has taught me.  I would disrespect him if I go against what he has taught me before.  I don’t want to do that to my teachers.  So, I will not give too much questions that students can practice through drill-and-grill method.  NEVER!  In sha Allah

How to make an impact in your students life?

I have had this conversation numerous times with my colleagues (different people) over the years about making difference in other people life especially the students that we taught and teach.  The recent one was last week on Thursday (16 May 2019) 

When I was at school while undergoing my LI, I could see that many former students came to visit their old teachers.  This gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and even though there are some students who came visiting me before after they finished their study but they are few.  At school, I even saw some of the students who came to visit their former teachers brought the latest new addition in their family i.e. children.  I never had that experience before.

I racked my brain to think about what else could I do other than interacting with the students in class.  I started to google few quotes for the posters that I have promised to give to my English panel colleagues (at school).  While I was browsing Canva, I had this idea to give a best wishes card to my students.  But what should I do with the rest of the cards if I only use half of it (because I was thinking to give it to the school kids that I have taught before)?

This gives me an idea to give the card to all my students at university that I teach as well.  I know it is kind of unusual to do this and I had never have any lecturer or had seen any senior who has done that before, but what a heck, there is nothing wrong to give the students a best wishes card.  Let’s start this tradition!

Am I making any impact in my student’s life by giving this card?  Only Allah Knows best. 

My motto: Do the best, pray for the best, leave the rest to Allah and always be thankful with the best things that happen in life even though we might perceive it negatively.  

P.S: I can’t wait to see their reaction seeing this card on top of the table before their exam.

Publish or perish_Part 1

I checked my email today (20 May 2019, Monday). My former student sent me an email letting me know about his paper has been published at a journal.  Alhamdulillah.  To know more, you can go the Jurnal Kemanusiaan

It is about the experiences of teachers using Frog VLE

It is made compulsory for all teachers in Malaysia to use Frog VLE as a part of their teaching practice.  It is similar to UTM elearning but the features are slightly different.  If you are not a teacher, parent or student, you might not be able to use it because your account will be inactive because there will be no interactive activities that you can link to parents and students.

When he first came to see me to discuss about this issue, I was worried because he might find it difficult to find relevant references relating to Frog VLE because it is fairly new thing.  This was few years ago.  But I told him, “Nazry, just go for it.  In sha Allah your study will benefit other researchers who want to explore this issue.“

He is one of the students who would be “the darling” of all supervisors.  He is hardworking, diligent, meticulous and resilient.  There were times when he felt to change the direction of his research.  I told him to stay focused.  “Nazry, it is not easy to get data but you have to be persistent.  Don’t give up,  It is quite a normal phenomenon to meet people who hesitate to be your respondents in your study.  But, you need to highlight their importance in helping others to understand any issue relating to the challenges that they face to use Frog VLE.  Doing a research means that not only you will understand certain issue better but you can help others to understand the issue better especially when you publish your work“.  When I said that, he seemed to be motivated to stay focused because this time around, he has another aim: to publish his work.

I always say the same kind of things to my research students, yet only a handful would like to take the challenge to publish their work.  Some are quite complacent to just finish their work and put their thesis on the shelves for display.