Suara Hati Ayahku

Salam.

Today at 0500 pm I am having a lecture on Computer Ethics and Social. So do I go about it. Most of the materials are in Engliah. Unfortunately not all of my students can understand the materials from Quinns (2006) and internet google. So the best is to translate as I go along.

2) But I have a strategy. If we present materials from the power point , it takes 20 minutes to see someone at the back of the class - goes off to sleep. Actually this subject is very boring and it seems not so important to It students. Moreover it is common to see their lecturers presenting their subject using power points. Tragically what the teacher has the students had got theirs from their seniors. Yes exactly the same materials .. just cycling and recycling .. and the process repeats itself. Sometimes to give them jokes .. we cannot get enough attention becuase they cannot get the jokes. Since they do not understand so well things in English. How do I know this? This morning I got the opportunity to travel from Kota Bharu to Batu Pahat. Next to me is a student reading a degree. After sometimes talking next to next seat on the bus I discovered that she only got Band 1 in English MUET. This is a student reading a degree in my university. According to MUET rubrics .. Band 1 is for those who could not put sensible line of english during their writings of any essays etc. The most is they know 'desk' is a desk .. the spelling per se. So with that background what can we expect from Diploma students .. i am sure some of them are in Band 1 too if they were to take MUET in order to apply for a degree course in this university. As a result most of the time .. lecturing .. is 30 % english and 70% translation i.e., in Bahasa Malaysia. By doing that my mind can get twistted and very confusing. If there is a joke in english by the timewe translate the joke into malay .. there is hardly any smile ..and what more the crack of laughter.

The strategy is let them presented the topcs and sub-topics of this subject. Lets say I have to teach a topic called ' Code of IT ethics'. what i can do is .. ask every one to prepare two points of the sub-tpics using the standard 4W 1H method - what, why, when and where and HOW! I believe by doing so wecan see some energy is being spent prparing for the subject. I think by being forced to prepare something , one has to read something firsr, digest the materials and try to express what is been read. Therefore the students will gain at least something out there. FYI, this university has a new library - 6 story tall building. But so far I do not see that this library is the most attractive place on earth. I could hardly see my own students on Saturday/ Sunday reading something called magazines and journals. Many of my friends debated/ argued that .. most students are reading fro the web. Aha! great news .. so what is this library for?

In the olden days .. good library attract many people from all walks of life. By reading they can talk and debate something intellectual. Example : Hyde Park Corner in London. People gathered at some point in time on Sunday morning to listen to good issues cropped up in the wide circle of society. According to research, now adays reading from web did not produce enough critical thinking and reflection on any important things worthy of discussion. why? because .. the minds are always disrupted with more and more news. Example: we want to solve problems in difference of two squares when suddenly .. out of the blue .. somethng crop out at the bottom of the computer screen about mega sales .. in Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bharu or perhaps ..other news like tragedy in Acheh and Padang, Sumatera. Our minds quickly swerved to other things without being able to solve the maths problems in the first place. This happen every day and most of the time. As a result, the students of this generation cannot .. hold their argument very long on certain important point becuase their mind is not trained to analyse, criticise, suggest, evaluate, systehesize etc etc extend the points further to a higher level. What they know is .. they know a lot but the level of understanding is just similar to those who did have any chance to attend university level of education. As aresult I think .. may be the government is 'syok sendiri ' .. by claiming that todays generation is widely read/ scholarly trained and etc etc etc. I have seen this in myclasses since year 1990. They came int my class with high SPM grades but .. unfortunately .. the way they argue is only good up to the second or third ayat only. They cannot suggest anything more solid worthy of beng called a university graduate of e-generations. My sorrow knows no bound!

So what do you think? The illness is ..they do not spend enough time reading solid books / literature/ novels ..where their mind is trained to hold on to astory line ..digest what it means for long ..and make comparisons ..analysis, synthesis, evaluating and .. Bloom taxonomy (1956).

So where are we heading? Therfore lets see whether my strategy work by lettiing them teach me instead. May be this something parallel to Problem Based Learning in Republic Polytechnic Singapore. Let them seek their own understanding, knowledge and solve the problem according to their understanding. Period.

Wallahu alam. May God save us All. Ameen!