My Beliefs In Developing Students For High-Stakes Exams
When I look back upon the year, I'd stay that beyond my duties as a chief warden, I played a very large part in shaping this year's PMR students. Close inspection of my methods reveals my underlying beliefs in developing these students to face high-stakes examinations.
Méthode #1: Year-long Brainwashing
Need I say more? |
Méthode #2: Regular Exercise
Preparation for the rat race. |
I was unable to dictate what they ate every day so I gave them advice on nutrition. What I was able to do was improve their general health through physical exercise. I did this during my Weekly Motivation Sessions. I took them jogging with me & watched as their stamina & self-esteem improved. They also enjoyed themselves = stress relief. That in itself is a good enough reward & boost to their preparations.
Méthode #3: Exam Drills
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A predicted outcome of our school system. |
Every year after the mid-year holidays, I'd tell the Form 3 English teachers to perform exam drills in classes. The teachers would conduct an actual exam of a full English paper during class time to get students used to having the exams (esp the time frame & the pressure). We would use 5 periods for this & 5 periods to discuss the exam paper. During discussions, emphasis was given to best practices & how they can present their answers better.
Méthode #4: Best Practices
The straight & narrow. |
Thus, I train my students in the best practices for the exam early on. So that the other Form 3 students are not left out, I gave up half of my August holidays to stay in school & give the students a seminar on best practices.
Why didn't I enlist the help of Guru Pakars? Well, they were too shy to risk their lives getting on a skimpy wooden boat & traversing crocodile-ly waters to my school. I do it on a weekly basis. BOOYA!
Méthode #5: Personal Touch
Yes, we were posing. |
I dedicated a whole weekend (Friday afternoon - Sunday night) to give personal time to each student from my Form 3 classes. I went through an essay assignment I gave them & discussed with them how they could improve & what they should look out for. I also highlighted grammar errs & lexical mismatches. I decided to focus on essays because that was where most of the marks & potential improvements were.
Unfortunately, I did not have the time to quantify the benefits of such a taxing exercise but feedback was very encouraging. Students reported that they remembered my advice from these sessions & it motivated them to study harder. I might expand on this next year & meet individual students a few times over the year instead of having it crammed into one weekend.
I believe that children need more quantity time than quality time. Just being around for them is good enough to encourage them or remind them of their goals. Too often we push them away & then wonder why they do not want to spend time with us.
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These are some of the programmes I developed exclusively for the PMR students. They may not be the best but I am still learning, innovating & cooking up a storm. Feel free to adapt any of the above & do share your experiences! Also, I feel that my methods & beliefs are strongly linked to my personality & my talents so keep that in mind when adopting any method. Make it an extension of yourself instead of a copycat of someone else.
I'm sure all of you have your own unique & awesome ideas on how to develop your students but you may not have the courage to put it into action or the confidence to believe in your ability to pull it off. Honestly, I struggle with the same doubts... but I say f**k it & do it anyway. Often times, fortune favours the bold.
Méthode #6: Being There
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I didn't ask. I knew they needed it & I gave it to them freely. |
This year, I wasn't called up to invigilate the PMR examinations. Since I had a lot of free time, I decided to spend it with the PMR students during their examinations. I started the year taking care of them so I might as well finish well & see them through the last of their exams.
I'd be there during their self-study time. I'd go down earlier every morning to pray with them & give them a little motivation speech. I'd line them up, wish them well & give them a high five as they leave the study hall for the examination rooms. I'd wait for them when they finished & ask them how they did. I comforted those who needed comfort. I reminded them to focus on the next paper instead of worrying about the one they just had. I did all that for EVERY exam.
I believe that children need more quantity time than quality time. Just being around for them is good enough to encourage them or remind them of their goals. Too often we push them away & then wonder why they do not want to spend time with us.
~~~~~
These are some of the programmes I developed exclusively for the PMR students. They may not be the best but I am still learning, innovating & cooking up a storm. Feel free to adapt any of the above & do share your experiences! Also, I feel that my methods & beliefs are strongly linked to my personality & my talents so keep that in mind when adopting any method. Make it an extension of yourself instead of a copycat of someone else.
I'm sure all of you have your own unique & awesome ideas on how to develop your students but you may not have the courage to put it into action or the confidence to believe in your ability to pull it off. Honestly, I struggle with the same doubts... but I say f**k it & do it anyway. Often times, fortune favours the bold.
This is a nice sharing! You are so dedicated to your profession! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks! Innovating & experimenting. It's a lifestyle. =)
DeleteI love your smile! Shows how sincere you are about trying to help your students. I'm sure they can see that too and appreciate it a lot. As they say, teaching is a work of heart.
ReplyDeleteYup, I learned from the best!
DeleteThanks for your help all this way! =)
super dedicated teacher!... I'm pretty sure a lot of your students really love you. High five!
ReplyDeleteHigh five! =)
DeleteI like your T-shirt.. MAHARAJA..
ReplyDeletethe KING .. hail the king.. kakakaka
Yup. I like it too. Wearing it as I jog on the streets of Kapit.
Deleteawesome teacher! :)
ReplyDeleteYou can be better. =)
DeleteU did everything of your own? Anyway, it's good to maintain your inspiration and enthusiasm. We actually play a central role in holding students’ attention, generating students’ interest, and developing students’ positive attitudes toward learning. ;)
ReplyDeleteAll of the above I did on my own but that is only the tip of the iceberg. I have a lot of great colleagues working with me in other areas of the school & hostels. Without them, I wouldn't have been able to do any of the above.
Deletewish i had a teacher like you.. full of love.. you're the best :)
ReplyDeleteMind you, I am full of TOUGH love. You want that?
Deletebetter than a teacher who always say "okey, buat kerja sendiri", right? :)
DeleteYeah... true.
DeleteHeya :)
ReplyDeleteShared this post with the people I'm training. They're so inspired to know that there are teachers out there who are making a difference. For all the bad experience they've had that gave them a certain view of our education system, stories like yours gives them hope and a fresh perspective.
Thank you for this post. Another good one for the books ;)
Not ALL teachers in the ministry are bad. There are still plenty of hidden gems or misled diamonds.
DeleteHowever, I do feel that many good ones are quitting every year & what we have left behind... sigh~~~
Hope & a fresh perspective. A very relevant need of our time. I hope to do more than that in the future. Unite all the best teachers.
I agree. Indeed not all are bad, and most of the time the work that they do, go unseen. :(
DeleteBut then there are people like you. Teachers who make their voices known. And we need that. We really do. This is just the beginning of your journey. You will definitely get to do more in the future. :) I'm sure of that.
It's the beginning of a revolution. I can see it. The best teachers in this country will rise up & make their voices known. I am only the first of many. =)
Deletereally respect you...for willingly to give up city life and teaching in remote area. i have stayed in platation before in Sandakan, Sabah for two months and i paid a visit to long house somewhere deep in Sarawak. so i kinda know how's their life is. i miss the children...they always have the most genuine smile on their face!
ReplyDeleteand also kudos to you for willingly to unconditionally spare more time for the students and actually know each of them...we need more teachers like you!
Well, I embraced the opportunity & saw it as a chance to learn, make mistakes & make a difference.
DeleteBut I have to say, I'm glad I did this at the early part of my career. Once I settle down, I wont be able to commit myself to it.
Definitely, we need more teachers who are willing to do what it takes.
To echo everyone else who has already commented: You are an incredible inspiration - keep up the work you're doing!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Crystal! You're quite an inspiration yourself too! =D
Deletethis is what teaching means. honestly, u've applied the theories u learnt hehe..
ReplyDeletemotivation is surely not enough to boost up students. they need constant guidance :)
good job!
Honestly, I forgotten most of my theories after a few years of misuse. hahaha~~~
DeleteI've been relying on agricultural principles since then. Works like a charm. =)