When I was still in my university years, I used to think about what’s the best way to teach physics to my future students. When I was interviewed by MARA, I told them personally that the best way to teach students physics is to let the students ‘feel’ physics. Let them explore and let them learn from their mistakes and show them how physics is one of the knowledge that give them the space to be creative and try to explain the universe and how it works. Ideally I planned an environment where the students are free to dig the subject, plan their own experiments, and ultimately have the ability to deduce. It doesn’t have to be the right explanation, as long they’re comfortable to share and discuss their ideas, that’ll be just fine. I’d like to make an environment where the students feel safe to pour their thoughts in my class. Where their views are respected and sharing ideas is one of the main elements in my teaching.
How my ideals were quickly crushed, well, not crushed but I quickly realized the challenges, when I started my career as a teacher. I have learnt physics much that I have immersed myself into an ideal world. Just a quick explanation, in physics, we deal mostly in a controlled environment. I could do the stuff I want in my 1st paragraph of this post, but I have to celebrate the fact that I need to appreciate the external factors that influence my teaching profession. One of the factors I left out from my equation of teaching students physics was time. At the end of the day, I have to prepare my students for their exams, which will prepare them for their SPM. I have to complete the syllabus in time no matter what. We could argue about the exam-oriented policies all we want, but that’s not my main point right now.
Another factor which I regret taking out is the students’ understanding of the subject. I assume the students will all understand the things I say to them the first time they hear them. How easy I forgot how I was as well a student who didn’t have a clue on what’s my teacher’s blabbing in front. I have as well need to take into my consideration that for example in a class of 25 students, there will be students who are quite advanced in their understanding of the topic that it’ll bore them to death if I reduce my pace to cater the students who have difficulties in understanding physics. Not that I feel the students who are quite slow in understanding my teachings to be a burden to me, rather I find those students to be the most interesting as I was in their shoes when I was at school and I’d like to see the happiness in their faces when they finally grab the concepts I wasted (invest maybe?) my saliva on to explain in my class. As I pay my attention to this type of students, the advanced should never be discriminated upon. That’s the challenge. We’re are not at all the same, and I have to give my attention to everyone in my limited space of time, and my physical being, as one man.
* sometimes I do think teaching as an art. Both an art to convince people and to make your audience understand what you’re ‘selling’ and an art of producing this:-
Basically, that’s how the world runs. We can plan all we want, but the randomness still there. The best we could do is to consider as many circumstances as we can and plan on how to tackle the situations. At the end, I’m a human being who could never estimate everything the chaotic world throws at me. It’ll be tiring and sometimes not worth the time spent. That’s why to me personally, the planning is not everything, the way we handle the issue when it arises is also important. That’s something we can brush on. It’s a skill that comes from experience, sometimes from the experience of others. Problems are not to be ignored, they have to be faced. We won’t get full if we don’t eat, as well we won’t have experience if we don’t face our problems.
Tu dia ayat :D :D
Just sharing my 20 shared-by-10-students cents
Cheers :D :D
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