BC4DCP 2024 | Dr. Shahirah Abu Bakar

Knowing who you are:
I used to hear that mathematics is a killer. My best friends, my annoying sister, and my adorable students always get irked with anything related to math (except counting money). But for me, solving math problems has been like therapy since I was 16 years old. When it came time to choose my undergraduate study, I was torn between two interests: language and mathematics. In the end, I chose mathematics. My passion for teaching started when I began tutoring my roommate and classmates in algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and statistics. I found that tutoring not only helped them but also strengthened my own understanding of these subjects. Plus, getting credit from my classmates that my tutoring helped them understand better was one of the greatest moments of my life. This experience made me realize who I am and helped me recognize my core beliefs, values, and goals. As a lecturer at MJIIT UTM KL, my main goal is to foster a deep understanding of mathematics, especially for the students. This self-awareness helps me stay passionate about teaching and inspires me to help students embrace mathematics in a positive way.

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Knowing what you do:
My motivation is to make mathematics accessible and solvable for engineering students. In my classes, I demonstrate how to solve complex problems and relate math equations to real-life situations, such as fluid dynamics. I also perform numerical analyses and simulations in MATLAB to show how math can be applied to engineering problems. Through these teaching methods, I aim to consistently help my students succeed.

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Knowing what you need to learn:
Continuous learning is essential for my professional growth. To achieve this, I plan to actively participate in professional courses organized by my university and collaborate with colleagues both nationally and internationally. Additionally, I will pursue advanced studies in mathematics education and work on improving my technical math skills. These approaches will enhance my educational knowledge and research methodologies, allowing me to bring effective strategies into the classroom and ensure my teaching remains relevant over time.

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Using what you know:
Specializing in mathematical modelling, I frequently perform mathematical analysis through MATLAB and statistical analysis through SPSS/Minitab, even though these tools are not a part in my CI. It is common that engineering students at UTM are required to learn hundreds of math theorems and solve complex equations by hand, and hence, the objective of this approach is to develop math/stats programming skills for their future careers. This approach helps students to different learning styles where I believe that it can enhances their critical thinking, while also providing essential support for students to improve their programming/technical skills. In addition, my goal is to create a learning environment where students feel valued and supported to reach their full potential.

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Using what you know:
Specializing in mathematical modelling, I frequently perform mathematical analysis through MATLAB and statistical analysis through SPSS/Minitab, even though these tools are not a part in my CI. It is common that engineering students at UTM are required to learn hundreds of math theorems and solve complex equations by hand, and hence, the objective of this approach is to develop math/stats programming skills for their future careers. This approach helps students to different learning styles where I believe that it can enhances their critical thinking, while also providing essential support for students to improve their programming/technical skills. In addition, my goal is to create a learning environment where students feel valued and supported to reach their full potential.

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Di dalam membentuk sebuah negara yang bertamadun, pelbagai faktor perlu di ambil kira. Pemimpin negara, penjawat awam, penjawat swasta, masyarakat, malah kanak-kanak di Malaysia, kesemuanya memainkan peranan yang amat penting. Kanak-kanak dan generasi muda misalnya, mereka adalah sebuah generasi yang akan memimpin dan membentuk Malaysia di masa akan datang. Sebagai seorang pensyarah di IPTA, saya percaya bahawa jawatan saya memegang satu amanah dan tanggungjawab yang berat untuk mendidik anak-anak muda masa kini. Saya juga memegang kepada pemahaman bahawa untuk membentuk generasi muda kini, saya perlu membina dan membentuk diri saya dengan adab dan etika terlebih dahulu. Hal ini adalah kerana generasi muda kini khususnya pelajar-pelajar saya di MJIIT cenderung untuk melihat pensyarah-pensyarah sebagai ‘role-model’ di dalam aspek perbuatan, komunikasi, intelektual, kemahiran kendiri, dan lain-lain. Tidak mustahil jika pelajar-pelajar akan ‘meniru’ tingkah-laku kita dan mengamalkannya selepas tamat pembelajaran nanti. Jika kita berkelakuan baik, inshaaAllah pelajar-pelajar kita juga akan menunjukkan sifat yang serupa. Tetapi jika pensyarah sendiri berjalan senget, bagaimana pelajar-pelajar hendak berjalan lurus?

Walaubagaimanapun, cuaca tidak selalunya cerah. Pensyarah juga merupakan manusia yang tidak lari terhadap cabaran dan isu-isu masa kini. Tidak mustahil jika kita akan diuji dengan perkara-perkara seperti salah laku pelajar, adab pelajar yang tidak baik, pelajar merasakan mereka lebih pandai, malah tidak menghormati pensyarah-pensyarah mereka. Oleh itu, pensyarah perlu bersifat tegas dan meletakkan ‘boundary’ atau batasan terhadap pelajar-pelajar. Ramai kenalan pensyarah saya di MJIIT bersifat terbuka dan ‘friendly’ bersama pelajar-pelajar mereka, tetapi batasan hubungan di antara ‘pelajar-pensyarah’ tetap menjadi fokus yang pertama. Pada waktu yang sama, pensyarah perlu juga mengambil kira demografik pelajar-pelajar jika sesuatu isu berlaku. Sebagai contoh, jika ada pelajar yang kerap tidak menghadiri kelas, adalah lebih muhibah jika kita mengadakan sesi ‘borak petang’ bersama pelajar tersebut untuk memahami punca-punca kepada ketidakhadiran tersebut, berbanding kita mengeluarkan terus surat amaran tanpa sebarang budi bicara.

Pada pandangan saya, pensyarah merupakan satu kerjaya yang amat penting di dalam membentuk IQ, EQ, SQ dan AQ bagi generasi muda kini berikutan mereka adalah penggerak utama negara pada masa yang akan datang, dan pensyarah-pensyarah perlu mengamalkan etika, adab, dan intelektual yang selari dengan jawatannya.