My Teaching Philosophy

 

 

Personal Information

I feel exhausted. It is a long war-cold war and I am still fighting. I thought it was a never ending situation. A fight of survival. The need of employment. Yeah I would agree with Maslow. Safety needs the second stage of Abraham Maslow Theory. Nowadays, it is easy to seek for a job but not in the government sector. I would like to have a pension scheme like others. There is no other option but there is always a choice.

Yeah that is me. After 9 years graduated from Malaysian Northern University (UUM) degree in International Business Management (BIBM) they offered me a job to be a trained teacher. That is not in the option but it is my choice. By the way my mother named me as Gregory son of Desi. She wanted me to be a gregarious person. Thirty two years I bear the name it is a burden but I am so proud. So do my mother. I hope that my late father do proud of me too. I have six sibling three boys and three girls. I am the elder brother in the family. I have a twin brother named Francis. Among them I am the first person to work as a government servant- soon.

I still remember on 15^th September 2003, the day I graduated I worked as a truck assistant. Delivering newspapers from the printing factory to shops in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. Then, I worked as a truck assistant at Galaksinar Sdn Bhd in Prai, Penang. A contractor for Petronas Dagangan Berhad. We provide service to repaint the gas cylinder. During the time I was desperate to get a job and financed my independence life. I need money to survive so I worked so hard. By the year of 2004 I upgraded to a sprayer. After a few months the company transferred me to Port Klang, Selangor to a newly opened branch. I was promoted as an operation manager. That was not the hard part.

Frankly speaking, I dare to deal with gangsters but not with Petronas officers. Everything needs to be tip top, excellent, superb, wundawa and so on. It is really annoying if someone keep watching a little tiny stain on your shirt. They can see a dust in your pocket. That time anger management is as important as time management. Everything is applied. Ah! They were doing their job so did I?

In the middle of 2005 when I was twenty five years old I married a girl next kampong. Well it was a glory time but only can stand a year… (shortened).. I felt sorry for him. He gave up and surrendered. The end of glory time 2006- the year that I named a baby boy Constantine Jackal. Year 2007 I started again struggling but I decided not to join any private company anymore. I tried only for government sector. I could not remember how many times I attended the SPA examination, MTEST, MEDSI, Police inspector test and so on. They only called me after 7 years for the post of Penguasa Imigresen grade 41. That time, I realised that it was the first time I passed the exam and through an interview. How sad you already know the result.

 

Previous Teaching Experience and Comments

After almost a year straying, by the year of 2008 I worked as GSTT (untrained temporary teacher). What a name. I started to be a teacher in my “old school” SMK Sematan situated 116km from Kuching town. It is situated at the end of Sarawak (southwest of Sarawak) and can be reached by bus. After four years teaching in the school I concluded that the culture had changed a lot.

During my time studied there I realised that our standards of behaviour was the best. We were always punctual with time. We did care about the time management. The bell was not the king. Nowadays ten minutes before the bell rings the students already busy wiping their bottom might be the chair suddenly became hot. I think that the Ivan Pavlov Theory cannot be applied here because they are all very advance students. They know when the bell will ring. I also discovered that there are many things developed in the school make me proud of it.

I learned and experienced many things as a teacher in SMK Sematan. I taught Kesusasteraan Melayu, Pendidikan Moral, Geography, Pendidikan Sivik dan Kewarganegaraan, Bahasa Melayu and Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesihatan for the normal student and the slow learners (OKU). The school has three niche areas such as aquaculture, special education and Kem Waja Diri. Kem Waja Diri is a camp site (jungle) within the school. It can accommodate about 200 students for camping purpose. SMK Sematan is the only school in Sarawak that has the facility. The activities held there are Kursus Waja Diri Pasca PMR, Uniformed Body Annual Camp, and Hardcore Camp. I was graduated from the camp in 1995. No doubt that the teachers assigned me for any camp activities involving students, teachers from Kuching area. In the co-curriculum I was the instructor for Kadet Bomba Dan Penyelamat Malaysia. It was easy for me because I am a First Lieutenant in Navy Reserved Officer Training Unit (ROTU) in UUM. I trained them very well. In 2009, we won the third place in Kuching Division Inter-School Marching Competition.

There are many situations that GSTT faces every day. It is hard to be a GSTT. There are a big gap between the permanent teachers and us. Even though you have 10 years experience working as a GSTT is not the same with a trained teacher who just posting to his or her first school. The gap is very wide. There is no holiday term for GSTT. You can be sapped anytime. We did every task such as wall painting, cleaning, repairing the school furniture, filling, wiring, and extra class that not in our schedule at all. Even a carpenter can ask you to do this and that. A clark already booked you to help them in the office before the semester break. So do the teachers. The words that I will never forget are Apa susah GSTT kan ada. Dia orang mesti buat punya, kalau tak tahun depan tak sambung. In other word, every task that supposes to do by others can be given to GSTT just like that.

Years in the same school taught me many things. I could reveal many secrets, tips and school politic. Learning is an ongoing process for me. I learned so many things. All these things gave me more knowledge about being a teacher. Then I started to behave like one in the school or outside the school. It is not easy to make someone to call you a “Cikgu”. The precious title only you can get when you became a teacher. Even though I just only a person that fulfil the vacancy for a while in the school I have decided to carry on fighting for the career.                                                   

Despites of all the ragging and attitudes, I took them as experiences and training. Actually I started to love the teacher profession. No hurt feelings. I wanted to be a teacher. I hate to hear about DPLI and KPLI teachers are not qualified. No quality at all. Only waiting for 25^th every month. The “cikgu 25hb” only waiting for wages. For me that is a humiliation. But that is useless to talk about people. None of my principle value. I hope that I can pass the DPLI UITM Perdagangan smoothly. I want to change the stereotype of DPLI teachers. I want to make it no more “Cikgu 25hb”. Nor me neither them.

 Choice of Philosophy

There are many branches of philosophy. The NEP itself is dualism, derived from two sources of philosophy western philosophy and Islamic philosophy. This happened because the effect of British colonial in our country. There are four major western philosophies such as idealism, realism, pragmatism and existentialism. From these the western detailed it to four main education philosophies such as perenialism, progressivism, essentialism and reconstructivism. Meanwhile, the Islamic philosophy derived from two sources the Al-Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad saw.

My teaching philosophy defines my teaching style and approach which is more towards the significant of cognitive and the practice of moral values in students thinking. I wanted my students to master a sort of knowledge, experience and values before they leave the school to enter the real world. I have the feeling of viewing the importance of understanding a knowledge. To memorize knowledge without understanding it only can stand for a short period. It is only worth in examination. However, if teachers can make their students to understand knowledge and then the students afford to memorize it, it would be a strength in a long term period. It is not impossible if the students can remember the knowledge for decades.

In addition, to learn and realise the importance of moral values among students are in the line of NEP. Two most critical values that emphasized nowadays is the need of integration and integrity among Malaysian. It is the need of unity among multi-races. Integrity is about the transparency, honesty and responsibility that focus in the government and private sector. The main issue is about corruption and crime. I see that bribery is the mother of all crime. It can make a peaceful and rich country to collapse. No doubt that the Al-Quran and the Bible prohibited this action. Therefore I view high level of integration and integrity in our country can make Malaysia to be more unite, peace, safe and harmony. I always emphasize these in my teaching which I see as the critical values.

 

Teaching Philosophy

The world is shrinking, and the globalization process is taking place. Why pay an Indonesian for MYR 700 for a single job in which the Cambodian is willing to give more than that. Why pay an American to teach English in Malaysia whereas there are many talented teachers? Is it about the teachers or the students? No doubt that the teachers can teach so do the students can learn. But why most of the graduated students in Malaysia did not master English language. They can get A’s but can they get it for a different exam and year. It is hard to tell.

This phenomenon might be derived from the imbalance of frequently change strategies that implemented in education. It is just my points of view, the way I am thinking. I see (observe), I think (question), I act (getting information) and I reflect. The four steps can determine my action and performance in teaching and also learning. For me learning is an ongoing process. It is a never ending condition that gives me win-win situation. I believe teacher is a holy career. Teacher produced doctors, engineers, pilots, professors, expertise, prime minister and president. By the other way of thinking teacher also produced bank robber, murderer, terrorist and outlaw. Which one I want to become? Depend. Not the right answer. It is their destiny. Yes if they are succeed with the plan. This answers against God and indicates a not fair situation for students. If a teacher think likes this it will ends up with a lose-lose situation for students.

            I see my students as person who needs another person who can shape them, provide them knowledge, to guide them to a proper path so that they can walk alone in the darkness of the forest without lost. How did they know the route? They already learned it. How can they see in the darkness? Teachers already prepared them lights.

Teachers’ core business is teaching. Their products are quality students. In other point of view, I see two types of student in school. They are exam oriented student and knowledge based student. Which one is the best product? If regular educators, they will say the one who gets an A. Compare with a quality thinker he or she would prefer a knowledge based students who can applied their knowledge and information in the real world. But what happen if the quality one did not get A?

After years in teaching I discovered that the National Education Philosophy (NEP) is more towards producing exam oriented students. The amend that was implemented in STPM new evaluation system recently just a starting point to reduce the phenomenon. I also found out that traditional lesson plan in schools are still used in wide. The lesson plan consists a few items such as objectives of learning, learning outcomes and reflection which make it more behavioralism. The more it become behaviourist the more it towards exam oriented. This situation will lead the Malays and other Bumiputras to be left behind.

Despites of the matters, I come out with an idea, that as a teacher I should know my students in order to understand them best. My students are my main priority; they are my precious products and services. I share my own passion for learning with them. I feel there is a need for compassionate, strong and dedicated individuals who are excited about working with them. Thus, I must be equipped by sort of knowledge. By being more resourceful, I will be able to achieve self satisfaction and success in teaching.

To communicate new information to students not just memorizing facts but also to learn how to think. This is the answer for my recent question. I would prefer an equilibrium between exam oriented students and knowledge based students. A student who gets an A in an examination is a good student, but much more better if the student have a sort of knowledge and can applied them in the real life. In Bloom Taxonomy, there are three stages in human growth cognitive, affective and behaviour. I view the three steps as a very fine way to make my students better in understanding and applying the knowledge or values that I taught.

Firstly, they need to understand knowledge or value then they must realise the important of it and practise it in their life. In other word, before memorizing knowledge students need to understand it so that the cognitive process will be easier. In order to make the student understand I should know what style in learning they are using. May be it is different due to subjects or teachers’ approach. According to Neil Fleming (1987), there are three types of learning styles such as visual learner, auditory learner and tactile learner (kinaesthetic). Visual learners best learn through seeing (pictures, visual aids such as PowerPoint slides and mind mapping). Different with auditory learners, they learn more by listening (lectures, discussion and tapes). Meanwhile the tactile learners prefer to learn via experience by moving, touching and doing (more practical). This identification can help teacher prepare classes that address each of the areas.

Conclusion

For the conclusion, I reemphasize that my teaching is more towards understanding a knowledge or value so that the students can memorize it easier. Then, they can practise it in their real life. I prefer to produce knowledge based students that have quality in examination and life. These students must possess knowledge, experience, skills and consciousness in values. I hope that I can achieve this and made it as my personal teaching philosophy.

           

References

Bloom, B. S., Engelhart, M. D., Furst, E. J., Hill, W. H., & Krathwohl, D. R. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: the classification of educational goals; Handbook I: Cognitive Domain New York, Longmans, Green, 1956.

Falsafah Pendidikan Negara. http://upu.mohe.gov.my/portal/arkib/fpk.php

Leite, Walter L.,Svinicki, Marilla, and Shi, Yuying (2009): Attempted validation of the scores of the VARK: Learning styles inventory with multitrait–multimethod confirmatory factor analysis models, pg. 2. SAGE Publications, 2009.

Thomas F. Hawk, Amit J. Shah (2007) "Using learning style instruments to enhance student learning" Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education.