Celebrating Teachers' Day: Balancing traditional and modern methods essential in education - Maths teacher
SHAH ALAM - With continuous modernisation and revolution of technology, students are more inclined to be accompanied with gadgets.
Therefore, incorporating information and communications technology (ICT) in learning is important to attract their interest in learning.
Mathematics teacher Nurul Amalin Rahim, 25, who started her teaching career two years ago said there were significant advancements in lesson delivery, today.
She said teachers were now assigned with a specific approach called Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA) in teaching the Mathematics subject.
"During the concrete step, students use physical materials, such as real-life objects or models to explore a concept. This allows them to see and touch abstract ideas like place value," she said.
The blend of physical and abstract learning, she said represented a contemporary shift in educational methods.
However, she pointed out that the current methods might only be effective for certain topics, indicating a need for ongoing improvements in Malaysia's education system.
To ensure the effectiveness of her teaching, Amalin said she employed pre and post-class quizzes to gauge her students' understanding.
"It is not a tech-savvy technique but works either way for most teachers since a long time ago.
Amalin emphasised the importance of understanding students' learning styles and diversifying activities to match these styles.
She said she also used YouTube videos during lessons and prepare digital quizzes using platforms like Quizizz, Booklet and Wordwall, noting that these tools increased students' motivation compared to traditional methods.
However, she said balancing traditional and modern teaching methods was crucial as she believed that while some subjects benefit from conventional memorisation techniques while digital learning tools could make learning more engaging and enjoyable.
Meanwhile, for English teacher Auni Adli, 25, nothing was more valuable to her than the students grasping what she taught and applying that knowledge both inside and outside the classroom.
Auni who has been a teacher for two years said as cliché as it may sound, all she wanted was for her students achieve a comprehensive understanding of the topics they learnt.
"The greatest satisfaction would be when they are able to use the English Language in their daily conversation, as this subject is one of the least likeable subjects for primary school students," she said.
Auni who received the "most friendly teacher" award said she felt appreciated as her students recognised her expertise in fostering a friendly atmosphere.
"It made me feel over the moon," she said.
She said she did not like to be angry at her students and disrespect or mistreat them for not completing their homework, as she believed it was the best way for students to learn adding that to her, nothing matters more than a good attitude.
"You can be a genius but if you have a bad attitude, you lack of everything," she said.
Auni said she would always try her best for her students and wished to see them grow up and become people who were successful.
"I was once a student and I am now a teacher so I am lucky enough to experience both point of views. I know that as a student, teachers would like to feel appreciated, especially when it comes to their favourite teachers.
She said on Teachers' Day, when she received gifts from her students, you would keep it inside a special box. She said appreciated the gifts her students gave her no matter big or small and that it was the thought that counts.
