Biasa Tetapi Tidak Biasa

Rajah di sebelah menunjukkan beberapa orang murid bersama guru mereka sedang menguji beberapa keping sel suria. (Yang mana satu ialah guru?) Selepas menguji berjam-jam, mereka masih tidak berjaya menghasilkan kuasa elektrik yang mencukupi. Tidak berjaya--dari segi objektif mereka. Berjaya--dari segi ilmu sains yang diperoleh jika kita ingat kembali kisah Thomas Edison yang begitu bangga dengan 999 kegagalan dalam usaha mencari bahan mentah yang paling sesuai untuk membina filamen mentol elektrik kerana beliau memperoleh ilmu yang begitu bernilai tentang 999 bahan yang tidak sesuai untuk membina filamen mentol. Dalam realiti kajian saintifik bukan mudah. Kegagalan untuk mencapai hasil adalah satu perkara yang biasa.

Di kalangan ahli sains, terdengar bisik-bisik--jika sesuatu hasil dicapai dengan begitu mudah, mestilah berhati-hati. Kadang-kadang kita terlalu ingin sesuatu hasil sehingga kita boleh lepas pandang faktor-faktor yang tidak menyebelahi keputusan yang dihasratkan. (Anda boleh rujuk kepada istilah confirmation bias dan observer-expectancy effect dari Wikipedia.)

Apakah yang dimaksudkan dengan tajuk 'Biasa Tetapi Tak Biasa'? Dalam artikel yang bertajuk Successful Experiments pada 2 Mei 2008, saya telah menerangkan tentang kaedah latihan sains di peringkat sekolah yang tidak mudah menghasilkan murid-murid yang bertabah, sabar dan berintegriti dalam penyiasatan sains. Mereka lebih biasa dengan 'kejayaan' yang cepat tanpa usaha yang gigih dan berulangan. Dengan kata yang lain, walau pun kegagalan adalah perkara yang biasa dalam kajian sains, murid-murid tidak biasa dengan realiti ini.

Dalam konteks ini, projek sains adalah latihan yang sangat baik untuk membina sikap saintifik yang baik, sebenar dan sepatutnya di kalangan murid. Melalui projek sains murid-murid akan sedar tentang kegagalan sebagai perkara yang biasa, belajar mengenalpasti sumber masalah, mengambil langkah praktikal untuk mengatasi masalah, mencari alternatif lain dan banyak lagi perkara yang tidak akan difahami jika tidak dialami secara terus.

Wikipedia:
Observer-expectancy effect — when a researcher expects a given result and therefore unconsciously manipulates an experiment or misinterprets data in order to find it.
Confirmation bias — the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions.

Kem Pengawas

Kem Pengawas di Ulu Dengar (23-25 Mei, 2008) : Sesi 'Ceramah-Dinamik Kumpulan' pada pagi 25 Mei.

• Pembinaan 'rantas kertas'--Hampir semua pengawas tidak berjaya membina 'rantai kertas' dari sehelai kertas saiz buku latihan. Sudah pasti ukur keliling (perimeter) kertas itu adalah lebih kecil daripada ukur keliling kepala peserta. Terdapat cara untuk mengoyakkan kertas sehingga 'sempadan' baru kertas itu dapat diwujudkan. Semua peserta berjaya membina 'rantai kertas' masing setelah dilatih. Pelajaran : Pemikiran yang biasa tidak mungkin mendatangkan hasil yang luar biasa.
• Pemainan 'jambatan straw'--Setiap kumpulan diberi 100 batang straw (penyedut minuman) dan satu gulung pita selofan untuk membina sebuat struktur yang kukuh dan indah. Seterusnya, setiap struktur itu perlu disambung kepada struktur kumpulan berikut sehingga semua struktur disambungkan menjadi sebuah jambatan yang panjang. Semua straw mesti digunakan. Pemainan ini bertujuan untuk peserta menyedari kepentingan merancang, berkomunikasi, bekerjasama dalam kumpulan masing-masing. Selanjutnya, oleh kerana produk setiap kumpulan mesti disambung kepada kumpulan lain untuk menjadikan satu jambatan yang panjang, peserta juga mempelajari kepentingan berunding dan bekerjasama dengan kumpulan lain, melihat sesuatu dari aspek keseluruhan selain bahagian masing-masing, menyedari kegagalan mana-mana satu kumpulan akan menyebabkan kegagalan keseluruhan.
  

Bukankah perkara-perkara ini penting untuk menjalankan tugas sebagai pengawas yang berkesan?

Science Around Us (7)

A ceramic plate crashes into pieces when it is dropped onto a concrete floor. Another identical plate does not break when it is dropped onto a piece of thick cloth. Obvious, isn't it? Yes, by experience. However, can a student explain the observation based on scientific principles? Yes or no--depending on how the student is trained by the teacher.
We cannot expect students to be able to answer science questions relating to everyday experiences if we do not consciously train them systematically during the lesson. As in this example, we cannot just teach them the concept of impulsive force by just manipulating the mathematical formula involved and expect students to be able to explain its applications in everyday situations. We may provide some stereotype examples but that may not be enough. We need to train them what to observe, how to observe, how to make comparison and identify the differences and so on.
Just take the example of the falling plates--we need to guide students either by using work sheet or orally to observe and compare the following:-

• The height which the plates are dropped;
• The physical differences between the two surfaces where the plates land;
  
• The physical factors involved (like velocity, time and force);
• The effect on the plates upon landing.

The next time when you conduct a science lesson, please try this method and I am sure the students will enjoy your lesson more and understand the related scientific principles better.

Science Work Sheet (2)

In this article, I will demonstrate how to lead the students into the understanding of Archimedes' principle. The work sheet shown here is not a complete one because I am just focusing on the introduction part of the lesson.

Work Sheet

1. Observe the boy lifting a heavy rock from the sea bed. What can you say about the weight of the rock as it is lifted out of the water surface?

2. What happens to a block of steel when it is dropped into the sea?

3. A ship is also made of steel but it floats.

(a) Compare the shape of the block of steel with the ship. What do you think is the factor that makes the ship floats?

(b) What inference can you make from the observation?

Additional Comments

• Do not introduce Archimedes' principle using mathematical derivation. This is a sure way to kill the interest of the pupils especially those who are not so mathematically inclined.
• An interesting alternative to the above is to replace the stone with a watermelon--a real watermelon placed in a pail of water! A sure 'hands-on' experience that will make Archimedes principle more memorable when students experience lifting a watermelon that is submerged in water until it is completely out of the water. A sure 'mouth-on' experience that will make the principle 'delicious' when, at the end of the lesson, every student gets to taste a slice of the watermelon.
• When it comes to the inevitable introduction of the formula, the following diagram may help students to relate the pressure in fluid to that of Archimedes' principle.
  

Program Peningkatan Profesionalisme Guru

Antara isu yang hangat di sekolah baru-baru ini ialah keperluan sekolah untuk merancang dan melaksanakan latihan dalam perkhidmatan (LDP). Kalau ditanya mengapa perlu LDP, antara jawapan ialah : kerajaan menetapkan keperluan menghadiri 7 hari kursus setiap tahun; ada peruntukan kewangan untuk menjalankan kursus; arahan untuk buat; perlu buat laporan tentang kursus yang dijalankan ....
Jawapan-jawapan di atas tidak beza sangat dengan jawapan 'supaya tidak ditangkap oleh polis...' apabila ditanya 'mengapa mesti pakai topi keledar semasa menunggang motorsikal'. Bukankah tujuan utama memakai topi keledar ialah untuk menjaga keselamatan, melindungi kepala penunggang motorsikal?
Sebenarnya, dengan begitu banyak pembaharuan, perubahan dan cabaran baru, ilmu yang sedia ada pada seseorang guru itu tidak mencukupi untuk membolehkan beliau menjalankan tugas profesional dengan sempurna. Oleh itu LDP dapat membantu meningkatan pengetahuan dan kemahiran guru. Selain itu, LDP juga memberi ruang dan peluang kepada guru untuk berinteraksi, bertukar idea, saling memotivasi dan menaikkan semangat satu sama lain.
Namun demikian kekangan masa dan pertindihan dengan pelbagai aktiviti peringkat sekolah atau daerah selalu merumitkan penentuan tarikh dan masa pelaksanaan LDP. Perkara ini perlu dihalusi dengan kerjasama pelbagai peringkat dan saya percaya satu kaedah 'menang-menang' dapat dicari.

Science Work Sheet (1)

A few science teachers asked me to give examples on how to relate daily experiences to the science lessons. I will share with you one example that I have written earlier. Actually it is in the form of a lesson plan accompanied by a work sheet to promote active learning by the students. The work sheet is a guided exercise for students, with contextual examples with increasing difficulty. I will simplify its format here to be consistent with other articles in this (Thinking Allowed) blog.
Learning Area: Forces and Pressure
Learning Objective: Understanding Pressure
Learning Outcome: A student is able to define pressure and state that P = F/A; describe applications of pressure; solve problems involving pressure.
Prior Knowledge and Skills : Students have ideas about area, force and weight.
Scientific Skills : Observing, inferring and predicting.
Thinking Skills : Attributing, analysing and making conclusions.
Moral and Scientific Value : Realising that science is a means to understand nature; Having critical and analytical thinking.

Work Sheet

1.What causes the thumbtack to be stuck in the wood but not the coin even though the magnitude of the force used is the same?

2.Why is it easier to walk on the field with sport shoes compared with high-heeled shoes?

3.Pressure is defined as force per unit area. The formula for pressure is P = F/A.
(a) What is the S.I. unit for force?
(b) What is the S.I. unit for area?
(c) Deduce the unit for pressure.

4. A block of solid weighs 150 N is placed on the floor. Calculate the pressure exerted by the block on the floor if the surface of the block touching the floor is
(i) X, (ii) Y, (iii) Z.

5. The diagram shows some applications of pressure.
(a) Group them according to:
(i) Decreased surface area to increase the pressure;
(ii) Increased surface area to decrease the pressure.
(b) Give reason to each of your answers.

6. Mat wants to enter a hut. If he walks on the muddy ground, his new shoes will sink into it. Using the concept of pressure, discuss and suggest how Mat can walk without sinking into the ground.

Selamat Hari Guru Dari Bilik 114

Hari ini ialah Majlis Perayaan Hari Guru Peringkat Negeri (Johor) yang diadakan di Batu Pahat. Pada masa yang sama, kami juga merayakan Hari Guru di Bilik 114, Hotel Seri Malaysia, Johor Bahru. Kami merayakan dengan cara yang sangat istimewa. Lihat, 2 projektor LCD ditayangkan secara serentak untuk mencepatkan kadar kerja penyuntingan peringkat akhir Manual Pengurusan Headcount Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Johor. Nampaknya cara perayaan ini sangat bermakna juga.

'SELAMAT HARI GURU'
Daripada :
Halimah Ismail, SK(P) Sultan Ibrahim, JB; Maznah Abd. Hamid, SK Tmn Sri Tebrau, JB; Noor Zaini Danian, SMK Sri Aman, KT; Aminuddin Mohd. Sani, SMK Bandar Putra, Kulai; Ahmad Jantan, SK Tunku Mahmood(1), Kluang; Noor Azmyee Mohamad, SMK Tinggi, Kluang; Baharum Ahmad, SMK Bandar Penawar, KT; Yew Kok Leh, SMK Jalan Mengkibol, Kluang.
11:45 pg, 22-5-2008

Minda Murid

The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be ignited. (Plutarch)
Kita perlu akui bahawa hanya sebahagian sahaja ilmu yang ada pada seorang murid datang dari ajaran guru. Seorang murid memperoleh pelbagai jenis ilmu melalui pelbagai sumber, antaranya, media massa, multimedia, buku, rakan-rakan dan alam semula jadi. Kita tidak mempertikaikan patut atau tidak, baik atau tidak sesuatu tertentu ilmu diperoleh oleh seorang murid. Ilmu sebenarnya tidak boleh diberi nilai baik atau tidak--seperti kita tidak boleh kata sama sebilah pisau itu baik atau tidak tanpa merujuk kepada bagaimana pisau itu digunakan. Hakikat yang lebih penting ialah seorang murid membawa bersama ke dalam kelas satu minda yang penuh dengan pelbagai 'inti' yang boleh menjadi bahanapi yang berpotensi menjana pelbagai tenaga positif atau meletup seperti bom. Cabaran pada seorang guru ialah bagaimana menambahkan elemen-elemen ke dalam 'inti' itu, memproseskan 'inti' itu, membuat 'alignment', memasukkan pemangkin, .....Ada kala guru perlu juga mengenalpasti 'dawai' yang perlu ditanggalkan supaya 'bom' itu tidak meletup.

Pekebun Cemerlang

Hari Guru tahun ini (16 Mei 2008) baru lepas. Walau pun telah merayakan dua puluh lebih tahun Hari Guru, setiap tahun perayaan ini memberi makna dan perasaan yang berlainan. Barangkali ini disebabkan oleh peningkatan umur (kematangan?), perubahan jawatan dan skop tugas, peningkatan ekspektasi masyarakat dan banyak faktor lagi jika senarainya tidak membosankan. Tengah merenung-renung, memikir balik yang lepas, cuba menjangka masa yang depan setelah membaca siaran surat khabar berkenaan dengan pendidikan, cetusnya satu cerita untuk 'Thinking Allowed'. Sempena dengan tema Hari Guru tahun ini yang berbunyi 'Guru Cemerlang, Negara Terbilang', saya ingin kongsi satu cerita yang bertajuk 'Pekebun Cemerlang'.

Pada zaman dahulu (minta maaf stereotaip ini), seorang raja yang sangat berminat dengan pokok dan bunga ingin melantik seorang pekebun yang boleh menjaga kebun di istana dengan baik. Antara ramai pemohon, dua calon A dan B, berjaya melepasi proses tapisan dan seorang sahaja akan dilantik di peringkat yang akhir. Pada peringkat terakhir itu, raja sendiri yang akan memilih calon yang berjaya. Kedua-dua calon itu, setiap orang diberi 9 biji benih dan diberi masa sebulan untuk menyemaikan benih-benih itu. Selepas tempoh sebulah, mereka dikehendaki memamerkan hasil semaian mereka di depan raja. Pada hari yang berkenaan, raja itu begitu gembira melihat hasil calon A. Setelah dipuji dan dianugerahkan dengan sijil dan hadiah, calon A dilantik ke jawatan pekebun itu. Calon B ditegur dan dihalau keluar dari istana. Seorang menteri yang banyak pengalaman tentang hal tanaman berpendapat bahawa pokok-pokok yang disemai oleh calon A sepatutnya lebih tinggi lagi. Apakah pandangan anda?

Science Around Us (6)

When the students are discussing certain events, the teacher can take the opportunity to relate the events to the scientific principles involved whenever possible. Take for example, somebody relates an incident concerning a friend who fell from his motorbike when the front wheel of the motorbike hit a rock. The teacher can ask the students to explain why the motorcyclist fell forward when the motorbike was forced to slow down suddenly after hitting the rock. Also, how did the jacket that he was wearing prevented him from more serious injury when he fell on the ground? Why is it that the motorcyclist's injury would be much less if the ground was soft? And....so on.
The point is if we can link science with the events directly related to students or their friends or relatives, they are more likely to pay more attention to the science involved. This is because the students have direct interest in the events involved and that itself can be a key motivating factor for them to find out more.

Illustration And Teaching (4)

Sometimes, things that appear straight forward to the teacher may not be so to the students. Take for example, the concept of pressure which is given by the formula P = F/A. If we just explain how the pressure P is affected by the factors F and A these algebraic symbol may not trigger any meaning to the students, especially those who are not too mathematically inclined. The best way to bring the message across to all the pupils is to contextualise the concept of pressure. Some 'hands-on' activities can be very helpful. The illustration provided here can effectively 'switch on' the students. A couple is having a dance and the lady accidently steps on the man's leg. While students will surely know that the injury caused by a high-heeled shoe is greater than a flat-heeled shoe, they may not be able to explain why. So the illustration used here is more or less like an induction set that leads students to the concept of pressure. With further elaborations and contextual examples, we can put more life into the formula P = F/A. This is what we call a lively lesson.

Kursus BOS

Kursus BOS, bukan kursus Boss, walau pun diberi oleh 'boss'. Dengan penjelasan awalan itu, Kursus Peningkatan Profesionalisme Guru-guru SJM dimulakan pada pukul 8 pagi, 10 Mei 2008 (Sabtu). Pada permulaan kursus itu, satu permainan cabaran minda dijalankan. Setiap peserta secara bergiliran dikehendaki memberi satu perkataan sahaja untuk menerangkan setiap gambar yang dipamerkan dalam PowerPoint. Percaya saya, peserta-peserta itu ketawa seperti kanak-kanak --sedikit relaksasi sebelum kandungan yang lebih berat. Lepas itu, ceramah bertajuk 'Lessons From The Canadian Geese' yang menegaskan kerja berpasukan diberi dan kemudian diikuti dengan ceramah 'An Introduction To The Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS)'.
Peserta-peserta kemudian dibahagikan kepada 8 kumpulan (4 kumpulan setiap bilik--sesi selari) untuk pembengkelan. Mereka dikehendaki memilih satu idea, membina 'Four Actions Framework', diikuti dengan lukisan 'Value Curve' dan membentangkan idea mereka sebagai aktiviti pengukuhan kefahaman BOS. Peserta-peserta sangat aktif dan sesi pembentangan cukup menarik dengan setiap kumpulan mempertahankan idea dan 'inovasi' masing-masing. Bukan semua pembentangan adalah betul dari segi BOS, khasnya aspek pengurangan kos secara serentak dengan peningkatan nilai pelanggan ('value innovation'). Keadaan ini boleh difahami kerana mereka hanya didedahkan kepada lebih kurang 90 minit input sahaja. Namun demikian, selepas diulas oleh penceramah, mereka patut dapat kefahaman yang lebih dalam lagi. Mereka digalakkan membaca buku BOS. Kursus itu tamat pada sekitar 1:00 petang dan bagi saya, satu lagi kenangan manis yang susah dilupakan.

The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

"The pen is mightier than the sword" was coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy.....

True, This! —
Beneath the rule of men entirely great,
The pen is mightier than the sword. Behold
The arch-enchanters wand! — itself a nothing! —
But taking sorcery from the master-hand
To paralyse the Cæsars, and to strike
The loud earth breathless! — Take away the sword —
States can be saved without it!

In coining that phrase, Bulwer proposed the novel idea that communication surpasses violence. However, Bulwer did have some predecessors of that idea.

• Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Thomas Paine in 1796, in which he wrote: "Go on doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword."
• The French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), known to history for his military conquests, also left this oft-quoted remark: “Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.”
• Robert Burton's The Anatomy of Melancholy, 1621 includes "From this it is clear how much more cruel the pen may be than the sword."
• William Shakespeare in 1600, in his play Hamlet Act 2, scene II, wrote: "... many wearing rapiers are afraid of goosequills."
• George Whetstone wrote in 1582, "The dashe of a Pen, is more grevious than the counterbuse of a Lance."
• The Greek playwright Euripides, who died circa 406 BC is supposed to have written: "The tongue is mightier than the blade."
  

In the era of the mighty information and communication technology explosion, we can perhaps update the above phrases with the following:-

"The computer is mightier than the sword"
"The notebook is mightier than the sword"
"The keyboard is mightier than the sword"
"The Internet is mightier than the sword"
"The mouse is mightier than the sword"
"The blog is mightier than the sword"

Which of the above modern phrases would you prefer?

(Source : Wikipedia)

Aksi Sains

Beberapa hari yang lepas, saya bersama beberapa orang guru sains membincang tentang pelbagai pertandingan sains peringkat daerah yang akan diadakan pada penggal depan. Kami setuju bahawa peranan guru adalah penting, bukan setakat bantu mendaftar, membawa murid pergi dan balik dari tempat pertandingan sahaja. Lebih penting lagi ialah peranan guru membimbing, menjadi perundingcara (consultant) dari aspek sains dan memberi motivasi kepada murid-murid (peserta) semasa mereka menyediakan projek-projek mereka. Manakah dan bilakah kita dapat mencari peluang yang begitu baik untuk murid-murid menggunakan teori-teori sains yang dipelajari dalam bentuk aksi? Murid-murid tidak mungkin tidak minat dalam projek-projek seperti pelancaran roket air, kereta mainan tenaga suria, amali sains, pembentangan isu-isu sains, rekacipta dan inovasi jika diberi penjelasan yang cukup. Guru-guru sains seharusnya melihat pertandingan ini sebagai satu peluang untuk menyemaikan jiwa sains dalam sanubari murid-murid dan menganggap projek-projek seperti ini sebagai pemangkin kepada membudayakan pendidikan sains secara umumnya.

Mungkin pada ketika ini, murid-murid masih kurang berinisiatif. Walaupun notis telah dipaparkan, pengumuman dan pelbagai publisiti telah dibuat, masih tidak ramai murid berjumpa dengan guru untuk mendaftarkan diri. Tetapi kita perlu faham bahawa dalam situasi di mana murid-murid sedang menduduki peperiksaan, ada tuisyen selepas sekolah, kelas muzik, mereka belum lagi nampak faedah-faedah 'aksi sains'. Di sinilah peranan guru amatlah penting. Guru tidak menunggu murid mencari, sebaliknya perlu berproaktif and pergi mencari mereka, menjual (seperti jurujual) idea tentang faedah mengambil bahagian dalam projek-projek tersebut. Walau pun bukan semua peserta boleh memenangi hadiah dalam bentuk piala atau pingat, tetapi semua peserta pasti memenangi hadiah dalam bentuk ilmu sains. Saya percaya sekiranya guru dapat memberi gambaran tersebut, masalah yang akan dihadapi bukan tiada peserta tetapi terlalu ramai peserta. Itu pun sepatutnya bukan satu masalah--Jika ramai yang minat, pihak sekolah boleh mengadakan pertandingan dalaman untuk memilih wakil sekolah.

About School (3)

Part 3 : The transformation

After that his mother brought him a tie
and he always drew airplanes and rocket ships like everyone else.
And he threw the old picture away.

And when he lay out alone looking at the sky,
it was a big and blue
and all of everything,
but he wasn't anymore.

He was square inside
and brown,
and his hands were stiff,
and he was like anyone else.
And the thing inside him that needed saying didn't need saying anymore.

It stopped pushing.
It was crushed.
Stiff.
Like everyone else.

Guru Mengajar, Murid Belajar

Minggu lepas, papan tanda 'Guru Mengajar, Murid Belajar' dinaikkan di sekolah saya. Ketika memerhatikan pekerja memasangkan besi yang menyokong papan tanda itu, saya berfikir tentang soalan yang mungkin ditanya oleh sesiapa yang membaca papan tanda ini--Bukankah itu perkara yang jelas? Atau, kalau nak gunakan perkataan Bahasa Inggeris--Bukankah itu perkara yang 'understood'? Bukankah itu satu kepastian bahawa apabila guru mengajar, murid mesti belajar?

Dengan pengalaman mengajar selama suku abad, saya boleh menyatakan, dengan 100% keyakinan, bahawa 'Guru Mengajar, Murid Belajar' bukan sesuatu pasti berlaku. Bagi saya, cogan kata 'Guru Mengajar, Murid Belajar' merupakan satu ideal yang dihasratkan; sesuatu yang menyeru kita semua kembali ke asas (back to basics), dengan menitikberatkan amalan terbaik dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran (best practices) untuk mencapai keberkesanan pembelajaran yang tinggi; sesuatu peringatan yang tepat masa (timely reminder) untuk menjadikan 'murid belajar' sebagai perkara yang terpenting dalam profesion kita, sebagai kayu ukur kejayaan kita dalam profesion perguruan.

Ada orang kata bahawa dalam zaman moden ini, murid-murid mempunyai jauh lebih banyak gangguan berbanding dengan masa dahulu. Gangguan-gangguan yang dimaksudkan di sini ialah lebih banyak tempat hiburan, komplek perniagaan moden, permainan komputer, telefon bimbit yang canggih, pelbagai hiburan multimedia dan sebagainya yang bersaingan serta menarik perhatian murid-murid dari pembelajaran mereka. Oleh itu, kesan itu mungkin menjadi 'Guru Mengajar, Pelbagai Gangguan, Murid Kurang Belajar' Apa kata sekira seorang guru dapat memikir keluar dari kotak (think out of the box) dan menukarkan gangguan-gangguan itu kepada alat-alat sokongan/bantu mengajar? Kalau unsur-unsur yang mengganggu itu dapat menarik perhatian murid dari pengajaran guru, bolehkah unsur-unsur yang sama itu dimanfaatkan oleh guru untuk menarik perhatian murid-murid kepada pengajaran guru itu?

Kita berada pada satu zaman yang amat menarik dan seronok (a very interesting period of time) yang dimungkinkan oleh revolusi teknologi maklumat dan komunikasi. Kalau dahulu kita langsung tidak boleh membanyangkan pelbagai kemungkinan, kini banyak perkara dapat kita peroleh melalui saluran Internet tanpa kita mengambil satu langkah keluar dari rumah kita pun. Gambar foto sel, bakteria, simulasi letupan bom, 'movie clip' dari YouTube, nota-nota, PowerPoint dan pelbagai maklumat yang diperoleh melalui Internet dapat digunakan dalam sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran.

Oleh yang demikian, setiap kali kita rasa kita menghadapi lebih banyak masalah mengajar berbanding dengan masa dahulu di mana murid-murid kurang bermasalah (itu sebanarnya juga satu persepsi yang masih boleh dipertikaikan), kita perlu juga mengakui bahawa kita mempunyai lebih banyak 'senjata' pada zaman sekarang untuk menghadapi masalah-masalah yang ada sekarang. Kecuali, kita tidak mengguna atau tidak tahu mengguna 'senjata-senjata' yang moden ini.

Akhir sekali, 'Guru Mengajar, Murid Belajar' perlu dilihat sebagai satu proses di mana prosedur-prosedur perlu dirangka dan dilaksanakan dengan baik seperti prosedur dan cara kerja eksperimen sains yang menjaminkan hasil eksperimen diperoleh. Guru-guru mesti sentiasa menjadikan seruan ini satu cabaran; satu yang mana kita sentiasa menanya diri kita dengan pelbagai soalan 'bagaimana' supaya kemahiran mengajar kita pada hari ini adalah lebih baik daripada semalam dan esok akan jadi lebih baik daripada hari ini.

About School (2)

Part 2 : This is about the boy who discovered the strange nature of the school.

When he started school he brought it with him.
Not to show anyone, but just to have it with him like a friend.
It was funny about school.
He sat in a square, brown desk like all the other square brown desks
and he thought it should be red.

And his room was a square, brown room.
Like all other rooms.
And it was tight and close.
And stiff.

He hated to hold the pencil and chalk,
with his arm stiff and his feet flat on the floor, stiff,
with the teacher watching and watching.

And then he had to write numbers.
And they weren't anything.
They were worse that the letters that could be something if you put them together.
And the numbers were tight and square and he hated the whole thing.

The teacher came and spoke to him.
She told him to wear tie like all the other boys.
He said he didn't like them and she said it didn't matter.

After that they drew.
And he drew all yellow and it was the way he felt about morning.
And it was beautiful.
The teacher came and smiled at him.
"What is this?" she said.
"Why don't you draw like Ken's drawing?
Isn't that beautiful?
It was all questions.

Kecekapan

Dalam sains atau dalam sesi motivasi, kita sering membangkitkan isu tentang kecekapan. Bukan semua tenaga input dipindahkan kepada tenaga yang berguna. Sekiranya seluruh tenaga input ditukar kepada tenaga yang berguna, kita dapat kecekapan 100%. Dalam realiti, kecekapan 100% tidak mungkin dicapai. Rajah yang pertama memberi gambaran simbolik tentang tenaga input dan tenaga yang digunakan serta tenaga yang dibazirkan.

Untuk memudahkan kefahaman tentang konsep kecekapan, anda boleh memberi gambaran satu situasi di mana seorang perlu memindahkan air dari satu sumber bekalan ke satu tempat yang lain. Secara 100% cekapnya, semua air yang diisi dalam baldi pertama dipindahkan ke baldi kedua sepenuhnya. Tiada sebarang air yang tertumpah ke tanah. Dalam keadaan sebenar, perkara ini tidak mungkin berlaku. Ketika budak itu berlari dari sumber air ke baldi yang kedua, terdapat air yang terjatuh ke atas tanah. Air ini mewakili tenaga yang dibazirkan.

Manusia Dan Geometri

Sudah lama tak tulis artikel dalam Bahasa Malaysia. Sebelum rakan-rakan yang suka baca artikel dalam BM bising, saya selitkan satu yang bertajuk sedikit luar biasa di sini. 'Manusia Dan Geometri'--Apa jenis artikel? Adakah ia berkaitan dengan matematik? Teruskan....

Sebiji sfera mudah digerakkan. Tolak sedikit, sfera itu akan bergolek. Rintangan adalah kurang.

Sebaliknya, adalah lebih susah untuk menggerakkan sebiji kuib. Cuba tolak, rintangan adalah jauh lebih besar. Perlu berjaga-jaga jika hendak memutarkannya. Kalau daya tolakan tidak cukup besar, kuib itu akan jatuh balik ke keadaan asal dan mungkin akibat dari itu, mencederakan kaki sesiapa yang memutarnya. Kalau daya tolakan itu cukup besar, kuib itu akan jatuh ke depan sedikit tetapi terus berhenti. Kuib itu perlu ditolak dengan kuat sekali lagi untuk digerakkan. Kuib itu tidak akan bergolek seperti sfera.

Sekarang kita perhatikan senario sfera dan kuib dalam konteks manusia. Terdapat pelbagai jenis manusia. Ada manusia yang penuh dengan inisiatif. Sedikit tolakan awalan sudah mencukupi untuk mereka terus bergerak. Dalam organisasi, orang macam ini adalah cekap dan produktif. Mereka adalah seperti sfera. Malangnya ada juga manusia yang amat susah digerakkan dan amat susah untuk mendapat kerjasama daripada mereka. Kadang-kadang mereka macam sudah bergerak sedikit tetapi mudah kembali ke keadaan asal dan dalam proses itu mungkin menjejaskan usaha organisasi. Ada kala, oleh kerana daya tolakan cukup kuat, mereka bergerak sedikit sahaja tetapi terus berhenti selepas sedikit kemajuan ke hadapan. Daya yang sama kuat diperlukan untuk menggerakkan mereka sekali lagi dan keadaan ini berterusan secara berulangan. Banyak tenaga dibazirkan dan produktiviti pun terjejas.

About School (1)

I do not know the source of this poem but I find it very relevant to teachers. I would like to share this poem with you in three parts. I hope you can reflect deeply on each of the parts.

Part 1: This about a child, his happiness and confidence in his own world.

He always wanted to say things.
But no one understood.
He always wanted to explain things.
But no one cared.
So he drew.

Sometimes he would just draw and it wasn't anything.
He wanted to carve it in stone or write it in the sky.
He would lie out on the grass and look up in the sky
and it would be him and the sky
and the things inside that needed saying.

And it was after that, that he drew picture.
It was a beautiful picture.
He kept it under the pillow and would let no one see it.
And he would look at it every night and think about it.
And when it was dark, his eyes were closed, he could still see it.
And it was all of him.
And he loved it.

Thinking Skills And Doing Skills

I suppose we can train students to think better by posing to them various types of questions and encourage them to suggest all kinds of answers without us being too judgmental initially. Otherwise we may actually hinder them from being creative and critical. Sometimes we are not aware that our level of toleration for the 'wrong' answers can be quite low. And, it is our desire to insist on certain standard answers that may result in producing the dull minds. Take for example, what should the answers to the following questions be? -- (i)What must you do when you see a old man crossing a road? (ii)State the moral value used in your answer in (i). While in reality there are so many possible answers depending on the width of the road, the volume of the traffic at that time, the people, relatives or otherwise with the old man, your age compared with his,.....in other words so many variables. So, on one hand, in Science we are telling students to be more observant, to make proper inference and do not make immediate conclusion without investigating further, on other hand, we tell them to regurgitate standard answers that we need them to memorise frequently. The next time when you see some blurred-eyed (obviously confused) students, please do not blame them entirely.

Sometimes students must also learn from adults (not necessary teachers) for their creativity and quick response on various issues. Take for example the issue of heavy school bags of the primary school students. Not that this is something new but it has been brought up almost seasonally. You can see how creative these adults can be in offering instant solutions--not that these solutions are practical but since it is seasonal, everything will quiet down when the season is over and when the next season comes, most people have probably forgotten what you have said.... except perhaps some remnants here and there like, splitting the books into two portions--part I and part II for first and second half-yearly use respectively; using e-books with laptop to replace traditional books; creating special bag with convertable trolley and rollers..... So these are very creative suggestions that are good examples of thinking out of the box.

However, some words of caution are needed here---we must also train our students to take a step further--to be able to substantiate their creative thoughts with practical realities. With that, we are more likely to produce thinking-and-doing citizens.

Wait-And-See

Checking through some of my old files, I came across this photograph that brings back the memory of an interesting interactive session for English, Mathematics and Science teachers in the school last year. As one of the supporting activities for PPSMI (the teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English) in the school, this session was conducted at the camping site of the school. There was plenty of fun and the teachers were required to interact with each other using the English language. Everyone was so excited and engrossed in the game that nobody was shy to speak the language aloud. Or, perhaps they have forgotten to be too conscious about the standard of their spoken English.

To give them credit, most of the Science and Mathematics teachers in the school can speak English reasonably well. I suppose most of them have put up with a serious effort to master the language, after all, this skill affects their rice-bowl directly. Like it or not, Science and Mathematics teachers require the English language to deliver their lessons.

Human beings, unlike animals, are very adaptable. Otherwise, how else can we explain the fact that while you seldom find the same kind of animal that can survive in all type of climates, you can find human beings from the poles to the equator to the most arid desert? So Science and Mathematics teachers can master the English when they need to, when they are told that there are no alternatives, when they are very sure that this need is a long term need. However, anything less than that may cause some of them to play the 'wait-and-see' game.

Illustration And Teaching (3)

Illustration can help students to get a clearer picture of certain facts to be understood. Let me show you an example here. How are you going to impress upon the students the importance of the standardisation of units of measurement? I used to tell a story about the king of an imaginary kingdom. The king was so powerful that, every unit of measurement was based certain measurement of his body. Let's say the unit 'ela' is the distance between the nose of the king and the thumb of his outstretched hand. Every measurement of length in the kingdom was based on the unit 'ela' as defined above. One day the king passed away and the throne was passed to his son who was still a baby. The 'ela' was still defined the same way. It is not difficult to imagine that the kingdom suffered a bout of serious inflation, even though the price per 'ela' of goods remained unchanged.

After that story, it is not difficult to tell students how important it is that 1 metre is the same length irrespective of whether you are in Malaysia, USA or Africa.

Don't forget, when you tell a story, you start to connect with your students. When you use illustration while telling the story, you can connect even better. Just a reminder, in this case, the story and the illustration is just a switch-- once the students are switched on, you must move on with your science content. Do not be too engrossed with your story-telling and drawing and forget your main theme.

My Plant

I have a potted plant on top of the mini cupboard where my family members and I keep our shoes. When my wife bought it and placed there a few years ago, it was a very small plant with only three tiny stalks. Over the years, without fail, every time when I sit near the plant to wear my shoes and I will take a careful look at it. The plant has grown much bigger now, with its shinny dark green leaves and stalks and near perfect geometrical shape of each of its leaves .

However, when I sat at that usual place to admire the plant after an evening jog today, a profound thought came to my mind. The fact that over the years, it has grown from a small, wilted plant with only a few leaves to a strong, healthy and beautiful plant is due to with proper and consistent care from us. Perhaps it is also due to our belief and confidence that it would grow well despite being given all sort of free advices, ranging from transferring it to somewhere directly under the sunlight to changing to a more suitable pot to watering more frequently and so on. If we have been too fickle minded, changing to a new pot and later perhaps to change back, brought the plant out to be directly under the sunshine and perhaps later to bring it back under the porch, I think we might have caused more harm than to help the plant grow.

If you wonder why such a thought suddenly came to my mind, I can only hint to you that it came about when I recalled reading the huge headline of a major newspaper this morning. My apology to readers who may not be able to make out what I am trying to say.

Optimist-Pessimist-Dunno

Optimist : Half full.
Pessimist : Half empty.
Dunno : What?

Optimist : This problem is challenging but I think it can be solved.
Pessimist : This problem is very difficult. I don't think it can be solved.
Dunno : Problem? What problem?

If you have optimists around you, that's good. You will find it easy to cooperate, collaborate and synergise. As long as your plan is specific, realistic, achievable and consistent, you can have good teamwork and things can go on more smoothly.

If you have pessimists around you, things can still be done except that it takes a longer time and it is more energy-sapping. You may have a more challenging task of communicating, training, motivating, persuading and convincing them to get going.

If you have 'dunnos' around you, ........ (Please help me to complete this sentence.)

Illustration And Teaching (2)

Whenever I try to promote the usage of illustration in teaching, there will be some teachers who say that they are not good at drawing. Actually, while ability to draw well certainly helps, it is not a prerequisite. In fact sometimes, a not-so-well drawn illustration adds more fun to the lesson. Let's take another look at the illustration in the article 'Science Around Us (5)' and also the article 'Illustration And Teaching (1)'. Make a comparison with the illustration in this article. It does not matter whether you draw the first drawing or the second drawing or the third drawing. You still can convey the message in an interesting way. In fact I think the third drawing adds more fun to the lesson. So, teacher, do not underestimate yourself, break the barrier that you have set up over the years, I am sure when you do so, you will start to enjoy teaching using the illustration method.

Illustration And Teaching (1)

On the second of May, I wrote the article 'Science Around Us (5)'. You may also wonder whether I will draw the the grandma pounding away the spices when I actually teach in the class. My answer is 'absolutely yes'. You see, one of the reasons I take the trouble to draw these drawings that accompany my articles in this blog is to promote the using of illustration in teaching--a tool that I feel is very effective and something that I have been promoting since the mid 90's.

Some critics, for whatever reasons, may say whatever they like to deny the importance of the usage of illustration in teaching. (Similarly, I have previously heard from some science teachers saying that experiments are not useful and time-wasting. Their rational is that, why the trouble doing the experiments when the theories are already known?)

You cannot deny that the success of a teaching and learning session depends a lot on how well you can 'connect' with the students. Let's imagine that each student in the class is like a television. Whether the television can receive any program from various broadcasting stations will depend on many factors, one of which is whether it is connected to the power supply and another is whether the switch is switched on. Likewise, you need to 'switch on' the students. There is a joke among some serious observers (again a serious joke?) that sometimes in a supposed-to-be 'teaching and learning' session, teaching occurs (which is quite obvious) but learning does not occur. The students are not switched on. Unless a teacher is not bothered at all about his own teaching effectiveness and hence his reputation, he will probably be very interested to learn various skills to 'switch on' the students.

In this respect, let me suggest that illustration is a good connector as well as a switch. Before I go further, I hope nobody will start questioning--How can you say this? Have you made a study, research, written a master or even PhD thesis? .....Sorry, I have no time for all these at the moment. When my students get interested, can understand and happy to follow my lesson, my intuition tells me that I am on the right track. (That brings me to an interesting encounter over the phone between a 'Dr....' and I more than a year ago. I was requested to share my personal experience on turning around a so-called difficult school in a national education convention. In the midst of my heavy schedule, I was only able to submit my abstract before submitting the actual paper a few days before the deadline. Actually I have just started to write the paper and was obviously struggling for time. Then, I got a call from this Dr.... who was obviously not too happy over a few things. Firstly, he wanted my full paper, not my abstract. Fair enough, I thought and it was my fault--I should not have promised when I was so busy. Secondly, he was not happy with my abstract--He said there was nothing much in the abstract. Fair enough, after all he was an academic and I was just an ignorant practitioner. Thirdly, he asked me what theories did I use in solving those problems in the school. With that, I did not continue writing the paper and of course declined the offer to present the paper. After that encounter, my main fear was that I would disappoint the audience of the convention because, say for example, I could not quote a theory and the originator of the theory that led me to meet the local leaders to solve discipline problems of the students from their villages.) Sorry for another long deviation. I hope readers interested in 'illustration' do not feel cheated by these deviations.

So, in this first installment of 'Illustration And Teaching' I would just like to say that when you start a simple drawing, you can actually start to draw their attention. Further more, draw it in such a way that leave them guessing what's next. They may say -- Hey, an old woman's head. Why does the teacher draw an old woman? What is she holding? What is she doing? What has it to do with today's learning?....Hey here and hey there...You see, there is some fun, excitement and of course connection...Today's lesson must have something to do with 'nasi lemak'. So, 'on' the 'switches' and let's get going with the lesson on momentum and impulsive force!

To be continued....

Tanggungjawab Dan Komitmen

Setelah menulis blog yang ke-49 sebentar tadi, saya rasa tidak puas untuk berhenti pada angka 49. Oleh itu, saya teruskan penulisan saya dengan blog yang ke-50 ini--satu perkara yang telah saya simpan di dalam hati begitu lama. Saya cuba menulis melalui satu contoh di sekolah walau pun apa mesej yang saya hendak bawakan adalah relevan di banyak tempat yang situasi yang memerlukan tanggungjawab dan komitmen.

Ingin saya tegaskan di sini secara awal-awalan bahawa walaupun saya mengambil contoh satu majlis persembahan di atas pentas, contoh ini hanya membantu saya menjelaskan penulisan saya dan bukan berkaitan dengan mana-mana persembahan yang sebenarnya berlaku. Cuma, saya ada banyak pengalaman manis atau pahit sendiri kerana semasa muda, saya banyak ditugaskan menjaga sistem pembesar suara. Banyak peristiwa yang berkaitan masih segar dalam ingatan saya.

Cuba bayangkan di dalam satu majlis di mana murid-murid diberi peluang untuk menyanyi di atas pentas untuk memeriahkan suasana. Sudah pasti, dalam majlis seperti ini, terdapat ramai orang yang terlibat sebagai jawatankuasa kerja. Katakanlah seorang murid ditugaskan mengawal sistem pembesar suara. Dia sebenarnya mempunyai tanggungjawab yang berat untuk memastikan majlis dijalankan dengan lancar dan ini memerlukan satu komitmen yang besar, yang memerlukan perhatian setiap ketika kerana banyak perkara yang tidak dijangka boleh berlaku. Berpuluh-puluh bakat muda, yang berpeluh-peluh melatih berminggu-minggu, akan menjadi kecewa jika pada ketika kemuncak itu, suara mereka yang memang keluar dari mulut mereka tidak keluar dari pembesar suara. Atau, lebih serius lagi, suara yang merdu mereka terkeluar dari pembesar suara seperti suara kucing kerana salah sambungan wayar oleh murid yang tidak mengambil berat tentang tanggungjawab yang diamanahkan itu. Mungkin ada orang lain yang boleh membetulkan keadaan itu. Mungkin orang lain itu pula berfikir --'Ini bukan tanggungjawab saya.' Maka, perkara itu tidak dibetulkan.

Perkara seperti ini sering boleh berlaku jika seorang yang diberi sesuatu tugas itu melihat tugas itu sebagai satu beban, tidak melihat tugas itu sebagai satu penyumbang yang penting kepada satu kejayaan yang lebih besar dan menyeluruh. Dia ingin meminimakan penglibatan diri (minimum adequate syllabus?). Dia mungkin bertindak seperti 'pahat dengan tukul'; minta, buat; tak minta-tak buat; jika sesuatu yang tidak dijangka berlaku, dia salahkah pihak atasan yang tidak memberi taklimat awalan (nampaknya ada canggahan--kalau tak dijangka, bagaimana boleh beri taklimat awalan?)

Namun demikian, perkara seperti di atas dapat dikurangkan sekiranya sebuah organisasi dapat membina semangat kekitaan, kerja berpasukan, mempertingkatkan kejelekitan di kalangan ahli-ahli dan meningkatkan penyebaran maklumat dan komunikasi. Mudah diamalkan, mudah budayakan? Tidak, tetapi jarang ada perkara yang baik yang mudah pada permulaannya. Mari kita mencuba. Cuba mungkin berjaya; tak cuba pasti tak berjaya.

Saya Boleh Tunggu

Pagi ini dapat peluang untuk berehat. Bersama isteri ke stesen keretapi untuk menikmati kopi yang terkenal se Malaysia sambil mencatat cukup banyak kali ke situ sebelum diketawa oleh rakan-rakan dari jauh (begitu dekat pun tak pergi?). Walau pun sebelum pukul 9 pagi, kedai kopi itu dah sesak dengan pelanggan dan tempat letak kereta pun sudah penuh.

Nasib baik sebuah kereta di hadapan saya yang baru nak keluar dari tempat letaknya. Saya memandu kereta saya ke depan kereta itu untuk menunggu giliran saya untuk mengisi tempat yang akan dikosongkan oleh kereta itu. Walau pun enjin kereta itu telah dihidupkan dan steering pun telah diputar, namun demikian, apabila pemandu itu nampak saya sedang menunggu beliau pun tangguh usaha mengosongkan tempat itu. Sekurang-kurangnya itu persepsi saya dari pemerhatian saya melalui cermin belakang kereta saya.

Biasanya, saya mengejar masa, tetapi pagi ini, saya ingin nak relaks sedikit. Oleh itu, saya boleh tunggu. Saya perlu tunggu kerana dalam pemikiran saya, saya boleh bayangkan (saya harap saya salah!) bahawa pemandu itu suka melihat saya tunggu dan lebih suka lagi jika saya tak sabar lalu alihkan kereta saya untuk mencari tempat letak kereta yang lain. Pemandu itu, walaupun dalam keadaan yang tidak selesa, dengan isteri dan anak-anak yang kecil di dalam kereta, sudi mengabaikan ketidakselesaan diri dan ahli-ahli keluarga untuk mencabar kesabaran saya.

Malangnya bagi dia, saya cukup sabar; duduk di dalam kereta yang selesa, dengan air-cond yang sejuk, muzik yang merdu dan ditemani oleh isteri yang memberi sokongan moral sepenuhnya. Lebih-lebih lagi setelah seminggu berkerja dalam suasana yang begitu padat dengan pelbagai cabaran dan tekanan, minda saya tidak seharusnya diganggu oleh peristiwa yang remek seperti ini. Sebaliknya, setelah pemandu itu mengakui kalah dan alihkan kereta untuk diisi oleh kereta saya, satu perasaan yang cukup memuaskan dicapai oleh saya. Cukup puas (setakat menulis sampai ke sini) sehingga saya berkongsi dengan rakan-rakan pembaca blog saya.

Berasaskan peristiwa itu, ada beberapa soalan yang boleh direnung bersama.

• Bukankah baiknya jika pemandu itu cepat-cepat mengalihkan kereta yang dipandu itu supaya orang lain boleh mengambil tempat itu tanpa menunggu lama-lama? Bukankah tindakan ini menjimatkan masa kedua-dua pihak dan juga memberi gambaran yang baik kepada orang lain tentang diri?
• Apakah jenis kepuasan yang boleh dicapai oleh seseorang jika dia sengaja berusaha menyusahkan orang lain walau pun dalam proses itu sering kali juga menyusahkan diri?
  
• Mengapakah empati, satu sifat manusia yang dimuliakan, amat susah diamalkan di dalam kehidupan sehari-hari?

Setakat ini, saya juga ada beberapa soalan yang perlu saya menanya diri saya.

• Adakah perasaan kepuasan diri saya melihat pemandu kereta mengosongkan tempat letak kereta itu untuk kereta saya satu perasaan yang betul? Bukankah ini juga sejenis kepuasan yang dicapai atas melihat kegagalan orang lain?
• Haruskah saya terus menunggu jika pemandu itu terus tidak menggerakkan kereta dan memanjangkan keadaan tegangan mental itu?
  
• Dan, akhir sekali, bagi saya, yang paling penting : Dengan sedikit perasaan kesal ketika menulis sampai ke sini---Adakah persepsi saya tentang pemandu itu betul? Adakah pemandu itu sengaja lambat mengalihkan kereta setelah nampak saya sedang menunggu? Ini hanyalah persepsi diri saya. Persepsi yang mungkin salah ini telah mencetuskan pemikiran negatif saya tentang pemandu itu. Persepsi ini telah menyebabkan saya berfikir segala tindakan pemandu itu adalah untuk menyusahkan saya. Barangkali, itu bukan niat pemandu itu. Barangkali, secara kebetulannya, pada ketika itu, pemandu itu sedang mengalami sakit perut, otot 'cramp', pening kepala atau tiba-tiba mendapat satu idea inovatif yang memerlukan pemikiran sedalam-dalamnya tanpa melakukan sebarang kerja yang lain. Ada banyak kemungkinan. Siapa tahu bahawa, pada ketika itu, pemandu itu berasa serba salah kerana kereta di depan itu terpaksa menunggu. Beliau juga mungkin bimbang bahawa pemandu kereta yang menunggu di depan itu mungkin mula menjana bermacam-macam pemikiran yang negatif, antaranya, tentang sengaja lambat mengalihkan kereta untuk menyusahkan orang lain. Kalau itulah keadaan sebenar, saya memohon beribu-ribu ampun dan maaf.
  

Science Around Us (5)

Why go so far? Science is everywhere around us. Even when grandma is preparing 'sambal belacan' for her special 'nasi lemak', there is plenty of science involved. Grandma places spices like dried chilli, onion, garlic and ginger together with pieces of 'belacan' in a mortar and pound them with a pestle. The fast movement of the pestle coupled with its heavy weight produces a big momentum. As both the pestle and the mortar are made of hard stone, the impact of the pounding is high (big impulsive force) and the spices are crushed easily. Very soon the delicious 'nasi lemak' will be ready for serving.

Teachers, unless we quote daily examples in our science teaching often enough, students may not be able to see the link between what they learn in science with things happening around them. In this example, pounding something using a pestle and mortar in the laboratory is certainly more effective than using the notebook computer and LCD projector. (Please do not misunderstand me, this is true as far as preparing 'sambal belacan' is concerned.)

Successful Experiments

There is a joke among the more serious and concerned science teachers (so, a serious joke?) that the more proactive students can complete some parts of a practical report even before actually doing the experiment. They of course can write the title and the aim of the experiment as printed in the book. And, they can even write the last sentence, that is, 'Hence the hypothesis is accepted'!

Why is it so? I suppose the situation, the content, the marking schemes of the course work (PEKA) and the examination (Paper 3) are all set in such a way that give the impression that every time a student embarks in a scientific investigation, he will discover something; every time he forms a hypothesis and carry out an experiment to prove it, it will be proven to be true. Whenever he finds a point that does not fit into the graph, he may be tempted to erase it and draw one that exactly sits on the line of the graph. Whenever the result is not accurate, he may blame all sorts of things except for the fact that not getting an accurate result is the utter reality.

If this goes on, I am worried that students will not appreciate that doing science is not that easy. A single success may be the consequence of hundreds of failures. Students may not be trained to have the patience needed in a scientific endeavour, the integrity to do real science and the commitment to put aside glamour or quick fix and really go into something solid for the sake of the advancement of the country even if it means doing rocket science.

Ahli Sains Atau Detektif?

Murid-murid lebih minat tentang kisah detektif daripada kisah saintis? Mereka lebih memahami kerja detektif daripada saintis? Kemungkinan besar jawapan kepada kedua-dua soalan itu ialah 'ya' jika kita perhatikan pengaruh kuat filem dan multimedia yang bertema jenayah dan siasatan. Mengapa tidak menarik minat murid-murid dalam bidang sains dengan menunjukkan keserupaan antara kerja seorang detektif dengan seorang saintis? Seperti detektif, seorang saintis menghadapi suatu fakta / kes yang memerlukan keterangan. Dia perlu menyiasat, mencari maklumat dan mengumpul data. Dia perlu mengenal pasti sebarang corak atau pola dan membentuk hipotesis yang berkenaan. Dia perlu mencari bukti-bukti untuk menyokong hipotesis yang dibuat. Dia perlu mengkaji maklumat yang dikumpul, membuat analisis dan menyemak sama ada kesimpulan yang diperoleh menyokong hipotesis atau tidak. Kalau pada akhirnya, seorang detektif itu berjaya menyelesaikan sesuatu kes jenayah, kesetaraannya ialah, seorang saintis itu berjaya membuktikan sesuatu hipotesis. Prosedur yang diambil oleh kedua-dua profesion itu hampir sama. Oleh yang demikian, jika seorang murid minat tentang kisah detektif, dia mesti akan minat dalam sains.

Hukum Newton Ke-3 (Newton's Third Law)

Mat : Suzukiyama, saya Mat. Saya baru sampai dari Malaysia.

Suzukiyama : Sila masuk, saya tengah sibuk.

Mat menarik pintu, pintu menarik Mat. Mengikut hukum Newton ke-3, sebarang tindakan terdapat satu tindak balas yang sama pada arah yang bertentangan. Mat menolak pintu, pintu menolak Mat. Sekali lagi hukum Newton ke-3.

Suzukiyama : Minta maaf, pintu Jepun tak sama dengan pintu Malaysia. Selamat datang.

Mat : ? ? ? (Sungguh malu.)


(Mat has just arrived Japan from Malaysia. As Suzukiyama was busy when Mat was knocking at her door, he was asked to open it himself. As he pulled the door, the door pulled him back. According to Newton's third law, for every action there is an equal reaction in the opposite direction. As he pushed the door, the door pushed him back. Again the third law. Suzukiyama came to his rescue. She slided the door and apologised profusely to the embarassed Mat.)

The Tortoise And Hare Race

Many students face the problem of interpreting graphs for kinematics. Very often, they think a line parallel to the time axis of the s-t graph represents movement of an object with constant velocity. In actual fact the object is not moving. In order to help the students to figure that out, the famous story of 'The tortoise and the hare race' can be retold with slight modification. For the hare that sleeps throughout the race its displacement from the starting point is always a constant whereas the tortoise moves with a constant velocity. With this method, it should be more interesting and meaningful to learn and understand the graphs. It is not too difficult to understand various s-t and v-t graphs by creating various interesting stories that students like. Spice up your teaching with various stories and illustrations and you will find that you can win more fans this way.

Are We Doing That ?

I like to read Edward de Bono's books. There are many different thinking skills that we can learn from his books. I remember how I started to read his books -- Back in the late 80's (or early 90's), the Education Ministry was very interested with various thinking skills, CoRT Thinking, thinking about thinking, subject-based thinking skills and so on. (I hope many people still remember this.) I have attended a training session whereby I was supposed to be trained to be a trainer at the district level. Realising that what I was exposed to was not enough for me to train others I embarked into the journey of studying Edward de Bono's various thinking skills and got addicted along the way.

It is unfortunate that we have many good programs in the past but due to factors that my thinking skills may be be strong enough to comprehend, these are things of the past even though I strongly feel it is even more relevant today.

Edward de Bona has a very uncanny way of using various graphics to illustrate various thinking skills. Let me share with you one example here.

When we see a situation, we should not be quick to make judgment based on that perception alone. It should not a 'seeing is believing' type of conclusion. Hence, the gap between seeing and judging should be filled with exploring. Exploring here means, a more in depth study, looking into various aspects and possibilities, critical analysis, or whatever thinking skills suitable for that particular situation. Are we doing that frequently?

Melville's Influence....Continue...

It was rather late when I uploaded the article 'Melville's Influence'-in fact it was already the early morning of Labour Day. When I woke up this morning, I felt that what I have uploaded wasn't complete. I think readers will surely enjoy the humour if I include the part where Melville was explaining about the name of the bird, in greater detail. So I will include that interesting part in this article.

Melville explained to the young Feynman :
'See that bird? It's a Spencer's warbler. In Italian, it's a Chutto Lapittida. In Portugese, it's a Bom da Peida. In Chinese it's a Chung-long-tah, and in Japanese it's a Katono Tekeda. You can know the name of that bird in all languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You'll only know about humans in different places, and what they call the bird. So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing - that's what counts.' (Richard Feynman, A Life In Science. John Gribbin and Marry Gribbin.)

Though young at that time, Richard Feynman knew that his father didn't know the name of the bird at all. The point is that what matters most is the understanding rather than memorising aspect in learning. It is a good lesson not only for Richard but for all of us, especially teachers. When we grumble about the lack of thinking skills among the students and the fact that many of them memorise things without having proper understanding of them, do we just put the blame on them or should we take a little pause and question ourselves whether we train them in this respect? Are the curriculum, evaluations, teachers training, leadership, school environment, family factors and societal expectations providing conducive conditions for nurturing thinking students?

Is the straight A scorer the most intelligent student? Is he really intelligent, skillful, versatile and competent? He may be so, or rather, he most probably is. However, we do not deny the fact that under present situation, there are experts in getting the maximum marks and answering what the marking scheme requires, and of course, getting strings of A's. We may have science students who can give perfect answers and get perfect mark without having to do a single experiment. And if we are not careful about this, we may create a self-deceiving situation where we are proud to produce trainload of A's students (where else in the world can we find students scoring so many A's) who may not even be able to measure the temperature of water correctly using a mercury-in-glass thermometer.

Well, at this juncture, I am also feeling guilty for not doing enough to help to mould a thinking society and should also take some blame for it. But at least I am thinking about it, thinking aloud and 'Thinking Allowed'.

Melville’s Influence

Richard Feynman, the famous Nobel Prize winner in Physics and a great physics teacher needs little introduction. But, how many of us know that his father who received limited formal education can be considered an equally great teacher – at least to his single pupil, Richard? The following article is adapted from the book ‘Richard Feynman – A Life In Science’ by John Gribbin and Mary Gribbin. It is hoped that this short adaptation will inspire teachers and parents to mould the children into future scientists and perhaps even Nobel Prize winners.

Melville Feynman has to take some of the credit for his son Richard’s success in science. Richard who grew up to be one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century was prepared at a very tender age by Melville who deliberately set out to stimulate his son to think in a ‘scientific’ way. When the boy was still sitting in his high chair, Melville already started to play games with him using a collection of coloured bathroom tiles setting up different patterns.

Melville encouraged his son's interest in science in the obvious ways - buying a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica, taking Ritty (Richard's nickname) to the American Museum of Natural History, and so on. On long weekend walks in the woods, Melville introduced Richard to many of the wonders of nature - but with his typical sideways manner of looking at the world. So when one of the other children pointed out a bird to Richard and asked if he knew its name, he had to reply that he didn't. Triumphantly, the other kid named the bird, sneering 'your father doesn't teach you anything'. 'But', Feynman tells us, 'it was the opposite.' His father had already pointed out that kind of bird:

'.....You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you're finished, you'll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird......So let's look at the bird and see what it's doing - that's what counts.'

So Richard learned, at a very early age, the difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something.

One day, in Richard's early childhood, he noticed the odd behavior of a ball left lying in his little wagon when he pulled the wagon forward. The ball rolled to the back of the wagon, then, when the wagon stopped the ball rolled to the front. He asked his father why this happened, and got this reply:

'That, nobody knows. The general principle is that things which are moving tend to keep on moving, and things which are standing still tend to stand still, unless you push them hard. This tendency is called 'inertia', but nobody knows why it's true.'

This represents a deep insight into the nature of physics and the nature of the world, and it was examples like this that encouraged Richard Feynman, in later years, to question everything, to search for underlying truths, and never to believe that just because some process had been labeled meant it was understood.