Funny Anecdote

#Our secondary education can be made better

Below is the conversation with my husband. (credit to him, but I found it so insightful to talk with him! <3 <3)

Me: Dear, do you notice that we have learnt differentiation, integration in our Maths subject but never really apply it in our life? 

Hubby: Yea, why?

Me: Have you applied the knowledge of differentiation or integration in your working life? Cause you're an engineer.  

Hubby: I did use them, but only small portion of it. 

Me: Then what's the point our gov include that in our curriculum when we don't use it? 

Hubby: That's why lo. I feel like our secondary education is a waste of time. Our 5 years of education can actually be put into better use. You see, last time we don't know our career pathway as we have not been exposed to any of such programme/activities, etc. 

Me: Agree, secondary education can be put into better use by not merely focusing on exam, SPM only. It get students equipped with knowledge, and the funny thing is the knowledge is not being used in working life, in daily life. 

Hubby: You see your brother (my brother just completed SPM, didn't know what to pursue.), luckily he knows what he wanted. But still he didn't know the mere differences of the career he wanted to pursue in his life. 

The school should have get students to expose to more of this careers related programme, introductory programme, but even field trip, interviewing the specified professional or a TED talk sort of thing, or a workshop with the real professional in the field, it doesn't have to be the senior ranking, it can be alumni of the school whom are currently pursing in that field, as long as they experience it first hand. 

You see la, last time JM arranged for internship for herself during the uni sem break, because she knows what she wanted. 

Me: Hmmm, I am thinking wouldn't it better if students know what them want, get to expose it earlier during the secondary education?  I mean I wouldn't spend/ waste so much time to know what I want if I have this awareness . The earlier the better. 

They should have arranged programme like short term internship so they get to experience it the first hand. From there, they would know if this is what they want or not. Then wouldn't face trouble facing what-to -pursue. 

Thank you lao gong, it was an insightful talk with you. 

My ideas if high school internship programme were to implement

1. Some may argue that students who want to start internship can do it own their own. But my concern is students might not having that awareness, and therefore don't realise the importance of it. Although this might not be the case for all, as they would still need to choose what future career after collecting SPM cert the following year. 

My idea of   Post-SPM  internship:

School management will make it optional, but strongly advocate it. Although students maybe can find their internship themselves, school management could also suggest companies, places for them, as we know some places is hard to get in without authority interference, or without MOE strongly advocate. 

Students at this moment might not be able to perform high level difficult task, (like in designing field, photoshop , advertising, but it's hard to say too, since I have seen many children youtuber nowadays)

some of them might be capable of handling with guidance, with equivalent skills to compare to undergraduate intern.  (edit video, event management, primary teaching, etc just to name a few)

some of them might be too young to handle them, still the purpose is to get students know what they are going to learn in uni is important to their future career. Then they can be assistant or runner in that field also. The main concern is to have abundance of exposure. 

When are them going to have internship when they are going to sit for SPM?

1. Make it part of SPM .  or post SPM internship , make it optional for those who really want it. Its about the soft skill, communication skills that sustain their future aside from extra-curriculum. 

#3 I stumped upon his question

Student: Teacher, why can't an iron attract the magnet? 

Me: Stumped. Staring at him for few seconds. In my mind, I was amazed by his multiple perspectives or I would say  numerous way of thinking. Then I answered

"An iron cannot attract magnet just like a kid cannot give money to his/her parents." 

Of course, the kid-parent metaphor is not a perfect metaphor, as I was stumped, trying to look for the most relevant metaphor. 

In my mind, I am so proud that he asked a question who I've never thought before. Let's admit it, I am a product of  the traditional teaching approach where I am not trained to think and ask. because, back in that time,  lesson going on better when everyone is quiet and listen attentively to teacher. Only the teacher doing the talking. 

#2 Higher order thinking 

Taught about Magnet to Year 3 today.

Basically, Year 3 syllabus only requires the student to understand that Iron is attracted to magnet. However, as the students continuously probing, I ended up teaching them 

1. the concept of Metal (金属)

2. example of metal 

3. Types of Metal that will be attracted by a magnet , which are Iron, Nickel and Cobalt. 

I have no knowledge about types of metal that is attracted by magnet. I got to know it from Google. 

However, what I am trying to express here is that.. the process of learning is very beautiful. I have more time to teach, deliver quality teaching, and that student is excessively curious. Well, I see myself in him. 

I hope he can continue to think critically. Ask more bizarre questions that explode my mind at the right timing. =P 

#1 I don't like my dad. I love my dad

I used to think that one should first learn how to like a person before loving the person, however this happened yesterday...

Me: Your dad's coming
Student: Oh no, my dad is coming
Me: Don't you love your dad?
Student: I love my dad, but I don't like  my dad. He always scolds me in the car.



Maple's shower thought:

The student is a very naive kid. He expresses himself in a very straightforward, honest, in a faithful-to-himself  manner. That's the reason I love to work in education field. esp with primary school. It's a period that their learning capacity is at the highest level, creativity blossoms, and always be true to themselves.