Challenges of teaching Science in two languages

A memorable day - Teacher's Day in Bukit Kuda 1981

“YOU are posted to SMP (now called SM Sri Puteri), Jalan Kolam Air, Kuala Lumpur.” I stared at the sentence, transfixed.

          I was reading a letter from the Ministry of Education in the 1970s. A fresh graduate from University Malaya with a Diploma in Education, the prospect of starting my teaching career in a Malay medium residential school gave me the shivers! As my primary, secondary and tertiary education was in the English medium, I was overwhelmed by anxiety and apprehension.

          However, I accepted the challenge and resolved to work doubly hard. Arriving early on the first day of work, I was happy to see friendly faces of students and teachers in a clean environment.

The headmistress, Pn Hapsah, was reassuring when I reported for work. “This school is small with only two Forms Four, Five and Six classes each. Initially you will find it tough with the language, but with time, you will cope well and enjoy teaching here,” she said.

Staff SM Seri Puteri, KL
Headmistress Pn Hapsah (seated 6th from left)

      

Camera Club

        Yes, it was tough – and as the saying goes, the tough gets going. There werenot many textbooks in Bahasa Malaysia (BM) for the subjects (Form Four Biologyand Health Science) that I taught, so I had to translate on my own. Every night I burned the midnight oil, armed with dictionaries, istilah books of scientific termsand dogged
 determination. 

New vocabulary filled my mind: percubaan, pernafasan, pepeluhan; salunadi, serambi, rerambut (meaning experiment, respiration, transpiration; artery, auricle and capillary respectively). I was even dreaming in BM!

Many years later, when the istilah changed to a direct translation of the English words like eksperimen, respirasi, transpirasi; arteri, aurikel, kapilari, following the same examples above, new teachers found it easier. 

In the 1970s there were no transparencies, power point presentations nor the World Wide Web. I tried to spice up my lessons with practical experiments, charts, models and filmstrips and even ventured to Filem Negara to borrow educational film reels to reinforce my teaching. Although the audio visual aids were in English, the students got the message.
In Seri Puteri, I was fortunate to have receptive, diligent and disciplined students who helped me with Malay pronunciation whenever I fumbled. We did have fun though. One day, on the topic “vectors of diseases”, I referred to the tse-tse fly as lalat sek si. The whole class burst into laughter because tse-tse is pronounced as “se-xy” in English. That was one lesson my students will never forget!

1973 : Form Teacher

1974: Form Teacher

Science is a progressive subject. During the 1970s, the Nuffield Science Teaching Project was a programme to develop a better approach to teaching Science in Secondary Schools, using discovery learning. I was happy to be sent to Cheras, Kuala Lumpur for the one week-course in my first year of teaching. Meeting other teachers and being trained together was fun and encouraging. 

1973: Nuffield Science Course, Cheras, KL

Teachers have other duties besides teaching. As a Form teacher, advisor to the Photography and Table Tennis Clubs, I learnt new skills like responsibility for my students’ academic, emotional and discipline problems; developing photo prints in the dark; and proficiency in the rules and game of table tennis.

      As duty teacher for the week (school ends at 3pm in Seri Putri for the duty teacher), I had to take lunch with the students in the residential school and report on the menu and other matters. That duty gave me a better insight to the students’ life and helped to establish a closer rapport with them.

     Friendships were fostered from our close-knit staff, comprising Malay, Indian, Chinese and Indonesian teachers. My Head of Science Department and the Indonesian Science teachers were helpful in every way. I found it amusing though addressing the Indonesian teachers as Pak and Ibu rather than Encik or Cik.

After two years, I adapted well to teaching Science in BM, becoming proficient in reprimanding students as well! When the Form Five SPM results were out, my students did exceptionally well. I was ecstatic! When students perform well, teachers jump for joy too!

 After five years in that school, I was transferred to SMP Bukit Kuda (BK), a day school in my hometown. There, all subjects were taught in the English medium. So it was back to the midnight oil for my lesson plans.

Staff of Bukit Kuda School 1978, with multiracial teachers
with Headmistress Miss Sundram (seated, 8th from left)

    Bukit Kuda school is a girls school where the teachers and students are multiracial.  The students were cheerful, hard-working, cooperative and ever willing to learn.  I had many happy and rewarding years teaching the enthusiastic girls there and I am pleased to know that many are successful in their career and life. 

 

Form teacher with BK girls - 1978

Form teacher with BK girls  1979 - Students are multiracial

Teacher's Day 1979

Teachers lining up to compete with BK girls in a
 fun game on Teacher's Day 1982

         

Staff Room: 1983

1984: Teacher's Day

With some teachers in the school's landscaped garden

1990: Green House Committee members and House Mistress

    

Staff of BK singing Teacher's Day Song

With Head Prefect (standing left) colleague, prefects and librarians

With HM, SA, HEM and colleagues

With some teachers in the School Assembly Ground

With Pengetua Pn Fatimah at a
 Teascher's Day function

               Living in Klang, I meet many ex-BK students in shopping malls, social functions, Bukit Kuda reunions and even in line dancing classes or parties. I feel happy when they remember me and we talk together like old friends. Learning of how well they have progressed in their career and family life is most fulfilling.

          

With some students at a BK Reunion

2013- Meeting up with BK students at a line dance function

11 Dec 2014: XBK Reunion

2015: Meet up with ex-BK students at a BK Reunion

30_4_2016: 30th Anniversary BK Class 86 Reunion:

28_10_17_ with exBK students (committee members) and ex_colleagues at a BK reunion 

       Coming back to teaching Science in Bukit Kuda - a few years later, all subjects were changed to the Bahasa Malaysia medium throughout the country! But this time, I had no problems teaching Science in Bahasa Malaysia. Breathing easily again, I confidently taught all Science (Biology and General Science) subjects in Bahasa Malaysia until I retired in the 1990s. 

         Looking back, I realize that teaching and learning Science in any medium – 

Bahasa Malaysia, English or Mandarin - depends a lot on the teacher and student’s 
attitude. If the teacher or student is motivated, conscientious and can adapt to 
changing situations, teaching and learning in any medium are possible.

        In 2003, the Education Ministry reverted to the teaching of Science and Mathematics in English, starting with Primary One and Lower Six.

The change to learning Science and Mathematics in English for Malaysian students is a step in the right direction as our country moves forward in this era of technology in a globalised world.

To teachers and students teaching and learning Science and Mathematics in English, have faith in yourself and may you face the challenge with zest.

You can do it! Guru boleh! Pelajar boleh!

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This article was published in the New Sunday Times on 2nd November 2007.  It is edited and photos are added.

Students and teachers : Hope this brings back sweet memories.

A Pre-dawn Shopping Spree - in Fry's

Frys:The front of the building

I OPENED my mouth, closed it slowly and sank my teeth into a slice of cheesecake. Before I could savour its yummy texture, the alarm clock rang. 

The persistent ringing woke me up, just when I was having my dream dessert! I looked at the time – it was 4 am! 

In front of me was my younger son, all dressed up. “Mum, time to get up!” he said cheerfully. “Please get ready ASAP. I’ll warm up the car first!” he exclaimed on his way out.  

Waking up at 4 am is not my idea of a winter holiday. But a promise is a promise. The night before, when my son had asked me whether I would accompany him on a shopping spree, I had replied in the affirmative, without realising what it entailed. 

“Can you wake up at 4 am?” he had asked. “Sure,” I had answered. “Have I not woken up in the wee hours of the morning to give you your morning feed when you were a baby?”  
But that was more than 20 years ago!  

Regretting my rash agreement, I dragged myself up from the warm comforter. After rushing through my morning routine, I grabbed my overcoat, and got into the car, as fast as my old limbs allowed. As my son stepped on the accelerator, I glanced through the misty windscreen and noticed that we were not the only ones on the highway at that absurd hour.  

What was the big rush for, you might wonder? It was the day after Thanksgiving. I was in San Jose, the United States. My son was taking me to Fry’s Electronics for its greatest event of the year: the “Thanksgiving One-Day Sale” which would start at 5am! 

We arrived at Fry’s at 4.30am. I was shocked to see a long line of about 400 people. The queue stretched from the entrance, along the sidewall and round the corner to the back of the building. My son hurriedly parked his car and we took our places at the end of the queue. Within minutes, 100 more people lined up behind us. 

Most of the people in line were young adults. Others were children or old folks, who, like me, were roped in to help with the shopping. A few people were still in their pyjamas. Some looked unkempt, but the majority was bleary-eyed and groggy. You could tell that many had turned up without eating breakfast!  

Around me, mobile phones rang. Pieces of conversation trickled through the air: “Where are you?” “The line here is super long.” “What time did you get up?” “I think by the time I get in, the mp3 players would have been sold out!”  

At 5am, the department store door opened and we all trooped in. Only one of the doors was opened to avoid a stampede. Security personnel and store clerks were at hand to ensure order and to offer guidance.  

The place was full of frenzied activity as customers rushed to specific counters to get the “sales” items. I followed my son, helping him as he grabbed selected items from different sections. This was because there were limited stocks for the merchandise on sale.  

He then asked me to line up at the cash register to pay for his purchases while he went to other sections for other items. Now you know why many customers brought along companions! 

The line became increasingly longer, snaking through the whole store. As we inched forward, some customers unloaded items onto nearby shelves – either the goods were getting heavier or they did not want them any more. Interestingly, customers in the queue added some of the “discarded items” to their personal ones! 

My son’s purchases were: a wireless router, a thumb drive, a flat panel screen and some compact flash cards. He was unable to get a DVD writer in that store but his friend in the other outlets got one for him. He, in return, got a digital camera for his friend. Such is the resourcefulness of the mobile phone!  

Other shoppers were seen contentedly lugging laptops, wireless headsets, digital cameras, DVD players and the latest iPod Mini.  

Fry’s is an electronics shopping paradise. Founded by three Fry brothers – John, Randy and Dave – and Kathy Kolder, in 1985. It provides a one-stop-shopping environment for the hi-tech professional.
 
Incidentally, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States on the last Thursday of November every year. On the day after Thanksgiving, many shops offer fantastic discounts in a variety of merchandise, ranging from furniture, jewellery, baby paraphernalia, shoes, clothes, to cars and books. 

That Friday is called “Black Friday” because it is the busiest shopping day of the year in terms of customer traffic. Many people sacrifice sleep for a bargain because “the early bird catches the worm”. In some shopping centres, customers camp out the night before, bringing along their personal chairs. I heard that some store owners even offer muffins, bagels or donuts to early shoppers: a novel way to entice shoppers! 

Accompanying my son to Fry’s reminded me of shopping trips a long time ago. During festive sales, I would ask my son (a teenager then), to queue up at cash registers with my purchases while I hunted for more bargain items.  

That role-reversal shopping spree was fun and memorable.
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This article was published in the Malaysian Star newspaper on 5th June 2006.

Update:

Recently, in August 2017, I visited Fry's. It was not crowded as it was an ordinary day. Furthermore, currently most people do not go there to buy stuff as they prefer to buy them online.

Below are some photos of the interior of the building taken in August 2017. 

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Friendly homes

A friendly home

As we age, we become clumsy and forgetful. We need to convert our homes to suit the needs of ageing members of our families. I found this very necessary when I visited my aunt in Seremban. 

"Welcome, welcome!” exclaimed my 80-year-old aunt as my car entered her driveway. She hurriedly wore her home-slippers and rushed out to greet us. All of a sudden, she fell and landed on her hip.  

I had taken my mother to visit her elder sister who was to celebrate her auspicious birthday in a month’s time. Everyone was in shock! Her family members, son and daughter, quickly went to her aid. She grimaced with pain. With difficulty, she was carried into the car and sent to the nearest clinic. All of us went along, expecting the worst.  

The doctor said she had fractured her femur (thigh bone). She was then rushed to the hospital and was admitted immediately. A week later when we visited her in her home, she was in bed, immobile. Another week later, she could move about in a wheel chair. The birthday party was cancelled!  

That incident made me wonder how safe our homes are. Very often, we hear of seniors suffering broken bones due to a fall at home. 

I recall some of my senior friends who had a fall. 

There was Madam Ang, 66, who fell and fractured her hips on the slippery bathroom floor.

Ah Eng, 76, injured her wrist when she fell as she was reaching out for some utensils in the top shelf of her kitchen cabinet.

An elderly neighbour, Mr Ng, injured his back when he tripped and fell while walking down the stairs.  

As more seniors opt to stay in their own homes in their old age, it is important that such homes be senior-friendly.  

How can we ensure that homes are safe and are adapted to prevent possible accidents? 

Home area 

A single-storey house, without any split-level area, is ideal.  Wide doorways will be useful in the event that a wheelchair is required. Lever handles on doors, at a reachable height, are easier to handle than doorknobs when fingers become stiffer and weaker.   

A doorway wide enough for a wheel-chair

A lever handle is better than a door knob

If stairs are necessary, handrails on both sides of the staircase will give good support. Installing additional handrails throughout the house will be useful for the elderly or those with mobility problems.

Handrail on the side of staircase for support

Eliminating all possible obstructions that could result in tripping and falling such as children’s’ toys or big decorative vases, is senior-friendly. 

Flooring 

Non-slip tiles or parquet flooring would eliminate the danger of falling when the floor is wet.  

Having wall-to-wall carpeting for homes that are air-conditioned will help to cushion a fall and prevent injury. Indoor slippers need to be non-slip and not worn-out. 

Parquet flooring are safe

Non-slip tiles in the kitchen

Non-slip rough tiles in the bathroom

Lighting 

Adequate lighting throughout the house is essential especially in the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and even the storeroom. To ensure exterior lighting is effective, a motion detector to turn the lights on at night is an advantage.  

Night lamps are a good source of additional lighting for seniors who need to take quick trips to the restroom at night. They are inexpensive, energy-efficient and easily installed. 

A simple night lamp

Furniture 

Furniture must support daily activities, and are suitable and comfortable to use. The furniture is the first thing most people reach out for to steady them when they stand or walk.  

Furniture with sharp corners can cause injury. Chairs with arm supports are good for resting the elbows. Low sofas and easy chairs where the feet can touch the ground when seated are great for comfort. Scatter cushions will help to support the back. 

A comfortable rocking chair with back support
and good arm support

A simple plastic chair with arm support

However, some tall elderly people with weak legs may need higher chairs so that they can get up easily by themselves  

Kitchen 

The kitchen is an important area where we spend a lot of time in. Low reachable wall cabinets are ideal.  

Microwave and electric ovens at a safe height will cause less spilling when food is transferred from oven to table. 

Similarly, stoves and sinks at a lower height will be less taxing on the elbows and can even be used when one is seated. A dining table with plenty of knee room provides comfort when one is dining. 

Restroom 

The restroom is frequently used. Vertical and horizontal grab bars in the shower area with non-slip surface in the bathroom floor can prevent falls. Having a seat in the shower area will help one to shower when seated.  

Horizontal grab bar

Vertical-horizontal grab bar

A chair in the bathroom is useful when dressing up after a bath, especially when one is getting into long pants. Handrails or grab bars installed near the toilet bowl will be useful for added support.  

Having hot water available not only in the shower but also in the sink tap will be good for those who need warm water for washing the hands and face. 

Bedroom 

The bedroom is another area that one spends a lot of time in as one ages. A well-ventilated room is important.  

A bed with a firm mattress for good support of the back will ensure a good night’s sleep. The bed should be of a suitable height – imagine the difficulty of a short person falling from a high bed or a tall person getting into a low bed!  

A low bed for a short person

Other safety features 

Having a smoke detector installed in the kitchen and also outside the bedroom would be useful to detect smoke. Sometimes one forgets that food is being cooked on the gas stove! 

Emergency buttons installed in various accessible positions in the house can be useful in case of emergencies. This can alert caring neighbours. 

As we grow older, frailty and forgetfulness become prevalent and the fear of falling frightens us. It is important that our homes are sturdy enough to support rather than burden our lives. 

Preparation and prevention are the best protection.

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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on 9th December 2002.

Photos are added here.