Drastic change towards teaching in schools

Kuching: The introduction of British Council's English Language Teacher Development Project (ELTDP) in East Malaysia has resulted in a drastic change towards the teaching of English in schools."To say that the ELDTP has made a difference would be an understatement. The change we have seen goes beyond professional development," said State Education Director Serina @Zarina Sauni.

According to her, it is not just the teaching styles that have changed but the people, communities and lives as well.

"When the ELTDP was first introduced in East Malaysia in 2011, we definitely didn't know what the results would be – we just knew that we had to provide that stepping stone for our teachers to explore and reflect and to some extent, we hoped that things would work themselves out," she said during the ELTDP Symposium 2015 Opening Ceremony at Hilton Hotel here.

The ELTDP forms part of the Malaysian Government and Education Ministry's 'Projek Penutur Jati Bahasa Inggeris' programme, which is part of the 'Upholding Bahasa Melayu and Strengthening English' programme, forming part of the 10th Malaysian Plan.

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It (ELTDP project) works with around 2, 000 teachers in various capacities involving one-to-one mentoring, helping English teachers in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan to develop new perceptions and change their approaches so that lessons would be more student-centred and engaging.

Besides that, it also enhances the lower primary English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers' ability to plan and deliver quality English lessons based on the new National English Language Curriculum in 600 schools across East Malaysia.

The British Council mentors will be working with teachers in site in their schools and they (teachers) will not be taken out for training instead the mentors would come to schools to find out the context and needs to help the teachers to come up with solutions.

Speaking of the programme, Serina said that the symposium would act as a platform for teachers to share their ideas and knowledge besides learning from their peers.

The symposium themed 'Keeping it Going: Sustaining Professional Growth' was organised in partnership with the Education Ministry and is aimed to share knowledge across the project and motivate mentors and teachers in their research and professional development.

During the first phase of the project, British Council had been focusing on supporting Malaysian teachers to develop their own reflective practice so that teachers would be able to take ownership of their professional development.

"The second phase of the ELTDP is now focused on sustaining that professional growth. Growth, be it personal or professional, comes from learning," said Serina.

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There were more than 300 Malaysian teachers and education officers as well as British Council mentors and managers who will be attending the three-day symposium.

There will also be keynote speakers who are of renowned education consultants Jim Scrivener, Dr. Angi Malderez and Jamie Keddie sharing their teaching expertise and knowledge to help participants in developing their skills further.

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