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Sabahan teachers warming up to work-from-home
Published on: Sunday, October 25, 2020
By: Audrey J Ansibin
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Leaders of tomorrow: Judy (top left) in a virtual classroom with her young students.
WITH the work-from-home (WFH) directive from the Government for a majority of Malaysians taking into effect this week, Daily Express reached out to several teachers to find out how Sabahans in the education sector are faring at home.  

The respondents, comprising educators from primary and secondary schools as well as institute of higher learning, all admitted that they are struggling with the new norm of virtual classrooms despite having various modes of communication platforms at their disposal. 

As if the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and political instability in the country were not dire enough, one of the teachers interviewed was one of the victims of the recent fatal house fire in Kapayan. 

The 37-year-old teacher from SRS Datuk Simon Fung said WFH was necessary to reverse the drastic spike in new infection rates, especially in the State. 

Fabian P Kating said the circumstances forced teachers and students to meet virtually but “nothing can replace the effectiveness of teaching face-to-face”.

“Teachers and students have no choice but to be more advanced in Information Technology (IT). However, it is not the same as the physical classroom.”

While he favoured a physical classroom over a virtual one any day, Fabian said thanks to the earlier WFH experience during the Movement Control Order (MCO) last March, teachers and students find themselves slightly more comfortable with the idea now. 

He said it was “quite tough” in the beginning. “I found myself going to bed way later than usual as I needed to prepare materials for lesson the next day.”

Fabian said he had to rent a room because his family home was undergoing renovation and he relied on portable modem to go online at the time. “The internet connection can be poor sometimes and it disturbs the online class.”

The present Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) period, he said, hit him even harder when his rented room caught fire in the Oct 12 incident.

“I only managed to salvage my phone, laptop and car,” he said, adding that these were some of the first things he took with him to safety due to the amount of work stored in the devices. 

“All other things perished in the fire, including my certificates and wallet.”

He said he was only able to get through the ordeal with the support from his family, colleagues, employer, parents, students and friends. “I’m really grateful and I can’t thank them enough for what they have done.”

Another educator, Christiana Jonut, said the initial lockdown last March came as a “shock” due to the urgent need to WFH. 

“There was not enough time for teachers to familiarise with the new system. Right after the Government announced the MCO, the principal of our homeschooling centre suggested to continue teaching online,” recalled the 48-year-old part-time teacher at a homeschool centre, Ideal Tuition Centre, since 2017.

Christiana, who teaches the British curriculum subjects including Business Studies, Commerce and Economic, said she Googled for ideas on conducting virtual classrooms. 

“I have to organise the students’ contacts, create an online classroom and prepare the lesson plan for every class. 

“After each lesson, students are given a task based on the daily lesson given in the form of short-answer question assignment or quiz. I can keep all their work in the Google Classroom,” Christiana, who is also a part-time lecturer at AMC College, said it was through sheer determination and sense of responsibility towards her students that motivated her.  

“Keeping my students engaged and motivated is not an easy task. That has always been the case (even before the pandemic struck).”

She said the task grows even more difficult when they’re learning from home and “having a strong system and discipline are essential besides keeping the students in a positive mindset, engaged, and motivated”. 

“They must have the right tools and learning environment to progress,” she said, adding that she uses a combination of WhatsApp, Google Classroom and Google Meet to aid her virtual classes. 

Christiana emphasised that good collaboration between the teacher, school admin, principal and parents is a key factor in ensuring the student does not skip class. 

She said students will find the class less boring if the teacher is well-prepared and that a good teacher will always make students feel welcomed.

Meanwhile, a teacher from SM St Michael Penampang said the first taste of virtual classroom last March was “daunting”.

“It didn’t start off quite well. Less than 50pc attendance,” said Audrey Cherry Insing, 43. 

However, it was a much better turn out during CMCO with 90pc in attendance and they were “more well-versed with the platforms, especially Google Meet”. 

Like the others, she felt that teaching face-to-face “is definitely the best” but added that virtual classes were necessary to ensure students are not left behind.

Audrey, a teacher at SM St Michael Penampang, said among the challenges she faced was the unavailability and instability of internet connection for students, especially those in kampung areas. 

“If you can afford to pay for internet, the connection quality in some areas can be very frustrating. 

“Also, a minimum percentage of students are not committed to their online timetable,” she said, adding that one of the excuses given was waking up late. 

“Parents are not aware of this unless the teachers reach out to them.”

She hoped the Government would take into consideration to improve the internet coverage Statewide, especially in the interior.

“It is also high time to develop a user-friendly online teaching system.”

Another young teacher from SRS Datuk Simon Fung said she felt sorry for her primary school pupils because when she was their age, there was no such large-scale pandemic to weigh her psyche down.  

“I remember having no worries, thinking about which flavour of chewing gum I should take,” said 26-year-old Judy Chang. 

“In one of my lessons, I asked them what their ambitions are. Some replied that they want to be dentists, others doctors… 

“And then there’s this student whose answer just broke my heart. The student said, ‘It doesn’t matter what my ambition is. I just want this pandemic to go away’.

“I don’t want them to be afraid of this pandemic, but to learn from it, especially on the value of life,” Judy said, adding that she would find herself trying to cheer the youngsters up despite the circumstances. 

On the virtual classes, she said one thing it taught the students was the gift of patience. “Online lessons taught my older students to be patient, because they have to set up the gadgets themselves and put in more effort in learning.”

She, however, said some students find the positive side of learning from home due to the safer environment. 

“With the features of apps such as Google Meet, Google Hangout and Zoom, students can record the online lessons and use them for revision purposes.”

Judy said Google Classroom allows teachers to distribute reading materials as well as assignments to students who can learn at their own pace.

Another teacher who felt that while virtual classrooms were a safe and productive way to spend the remainder of the CMCO, she said they cannot replace the real world classroom experience.

“I don’t really like the idea of online teaching because I cannot see the students face-to-face,” said Isabelle Thomas Hau who teaches at Maktab Nasional. 

“Almost all my students will turn off their camera. So, I wouldn’t know if they were really listening to me or not. 

“One way for me to know is by calling their names and ask them questions. If they can answer me, then I know that they are paying attention,” the 32-year-old said, adding that her school uses Google Meet for the online learning session and Google Classroom for submission of homework or class work. 

“I guess some of them are happy because they don’t have to go to school. However, there are students would rather go to school because they understand better when their teacher is teaching in front using the whiteboard.”

Isabelle was, however, worried about the trend of students copying another’s homework which can lead to lack of understanding on the subject. 

Those who were reluctant to attend virtual classes would hand in a copied homework “because they don’t want their name to be called out for not completing their work”, she said.

Fabian taking a selfie with what’s left of the building after the tragic fire incident last October 12. (Mugshot) Fabian.

Christiana

Audrey Cherry

Judy

Isabelle

 

 



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