THE STAR, TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2020
Bracing for educational change
THERE is a quote from Disney-Pixar’s
animation Wall-E that seems rather apt for
the conditional movement control order
(MCO) that Malaysians find themselves in
today: “I see the ship’s log is showing that
today is the 700th anniversary of our five-
year cruise. Well, I’m sure our forefathers
would be proud to know that 700 years later
we’d be...doing the exact same thing they
were doing.”
As certain areas of the nation enter the
second round of protracted school closures,
people have been forced to wonder just how
long this will drag on and what needs to
change to ensure education can continue.
Or, just like the crew on the Wall-E ship, will
it be that Malaysians will be doing the same
thing 700 years from now? Just who could
have known that a joke from a 2008
animation would become relevant 12
years later?
In terms of education, teachers and
educational administrators across the globe
are all finding new ways to tackle the
unique set of problems that are presenting
themselves as people are forced to embrace
e-learning. Most teachers would agree that
there is no replacement for human contact
and the physical in-school classes; however,
they would also be the same teachers who
readily agree that if the situation truly
demands it, there is no choice but to
embrace strategies like e-learning.
So, what is it that teachers are stressed
about? Well, chief among the concerns from
teachers and parents is that technology
access is not uniform – thus, the situation is
likely to cause a further rift in society
between the haves and have-nots. Cheating
is also likely to be rife, especially in the
early days as people adopt the new methods
of assessment.
elc International School head of
counselling Geetanjali Chhabra goes as far as
Effective teaching and learning have managed to continue despite the change to e-learning.
saying that “the lack of social interaction
leads to more mental stress. We need to be
wary of the mental well-being of individuals
and be on the watch for increased
cyberbullying”. Really, the physical cues that
teachers typically pick up during the course
of the school day are much harder to see on
a screen, especially when shared with 19 or
more other students simultaneously. As a
result, students are unlikely to get emotional
support as quickly as they should. Of course,
these are just a handful of the concerns and
there are serious academic studies already
underway – trying to quantify and measure
the severity of the situation.
However, many teachers are also
pondering whether this is a blessing in
disguise, and that the negatives are simply a
vain attempt to stop the tide of change by
those scared of it. A tide that – if positively
and proactively embraced – can lead to an
education system that is superior to anything
people have seen to date.
elc Sungai Buloh campus head of primary
Diane Grimes highlights how Malaysia’s MCO
has shown the “ability to adapt to new
challenges, for both students and teachers”,
and that with “supportive, understanding
and appreciative parents”, effective teaching
and learning have managed to continue
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despite the change to e-learning.
Across elc, senior leaders can be heard all
agreeing that the stay-at-home order has, on
the whole, seen families come together and
begin to understand each other more closely.
Cyberjaya campus head of primary Carla
Camerino points out that students have
remarked to teachers about instances of
“genuine” shared moments with family
members – from meals, to board games, to
simple conversations. Encouragingly, these
interactions help tether families to the “real”
world, despite the increased reliance on
technology. It is this tether and connection
that provide a resilience to students. So,
there are positives seen in the situation too,
which are quite often contradictory
depending on an individual’s point of view
and unique mix of experiences.
elc acknowledges that the educational
challenges Covid-19 has brought about are
significant. The senior academic leaders
have no doubt there will be unpopular
decisions made along the way as they find a
balance between physical classes and
e-learning. Some of those may even turn out
to be mistakes that simply do not have the
desired results. However, elc will continue
to push the boundaries and always seek
academic excellence from students
and teachers.
Perhaps Sungai Buloh campus head of
secondary Chong Soh Nee’s optimistic
sentiment best sums up elc’s positive
outlook: “(The MCO has) changed the way
people do things, how they perceive normal
daily routines and how they react to
unexpected challenges. I believe that in the
face of much adversity, the human spirit
rises above problems, pain and suffering to
look for the positive and the beautiful.”
n For more information about elc, visit
www.elc.edu.my
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