Teacher Zheng's teaching reflection

The country of Malaysia is now heading towards the era of Industrial Revolution 4.0. What is
meant by the Industrial Revolution? The industrial revolution means continuous automation in
traditional manufacturing and industrial sectors, using modern intelligent technologies. Our
country's education system is developing along with Industrial Revolution 4.0. Referring to the
Connectivism Learning Theory introduced by George Siemen (2004), this theory explains that
learning is a form of network that spreads and leads to relationships in various states of knowledge
(Siemen, 2004). The teaching method Sir Zheng uses through online learning refers to the
Connectivism theory.

One of the advantages of using online teaching and learning methods is that it is flexible in
terms of place and time. Students and teachers can choose a comfortable position and a suitable
time to ensure that the teaching and learning process takes place well. As in the case of Sir Zheng,
now Sir Zheng is in Malaysia to continue her studies at the master's level but can continue the
teaching process with her students who are in China using the digital platform through Google Meet.
Second, in terms of preparing to attend classes online, students and teachers do not need to prepare
in advance as they do if they attend face-to-face learning. Students and teachers may need to
prepare 15 minutes early before class starts.

However, weaknesses will occur when using this online learning method. Through my
observation of the teaching methods conducted by Sir Zheng, it is still using the traditional approach,
which is using a teacher-centered system just like Miss Yam. A teacher who interacts a lot with
students, on the other hand, students only listen and occasionally answer the teacher's questions. It
is undeniable that online learning is quite difficult to use a student-centered approach because the
teacher cannot control the students face-to-face like in the classroom. Students usually find
cooperating difficult and are slow to respond when the teacher asks students to complete
assignments. But as teachers, we need to think of appropriate strategies such as doing hands-on
activities. According to Julie Gantcher, Bronx Zoo Education Department, producers of Pablo Python
Looks at Animals, Bronx, NY, hands-on learning is a fun and apparent activity and increases curiosity,
competence, and creativity through hands-on activities. Here I suggest Sir Zheng give the assignment
questions a week in advance. For example, to explain the chemical nature of acids, students must
conduct their experiments at home using ready-made ingredients such as lemons, vinegar, eggshells,
baking powder, and toothpaste. Through this activity, students need to record observations and
explain the steps of the experiment conducted during the online class. Here the teacher acts as a
facilitator, listens, guides, and motivates the students. If the student's findings through the money
experiment conflict with the theory, here the teacher needs to play a role in correcting the mistakes
made by the student. Hands-on activities done by students will increase the nature of the inquiry,
which is the nature of students' curiosity. Hands-on activities also improve science process skills,
such as observation and data interpretation.