Malaysia's 'The Star Online' Covers Study Visit

Nikki's reflection

I have always viewed the Fast Track teaching programme as being an excellent opportunity to broaden my skills, experience and leadership abilities, particuarly with the access to the residential training which is exclusively for Fast Track Teachers. When I was invited to be part of the Malaysia study visit with CfBT and LECT I was delighted as I have always been interested in International links and am always looking for experiences to develop as a professional and a person. The visit came at a particulary ideal time for me as my role in school was becomming very demanding (yes teachers do work hard!) and I was feeling as though everything I did was 'just in time' always trying not to trip over!

The main outcome for me, besides the wonderful insight into the Malaysian Education system, was the realisation of how hard I have worked over the past 4 years and the impact this has had on me as a professional. The daily challenges and very busy terms had left me unable to reflect on my performance and I lacked the ability to be proud of my achievements. Spending time with like-minded, successful professionals also gave my motivation a boost and although I am exhausted, I have a refreshed vision on my career for the future.

Visiting the schools was extremely interesting, from this I will take away many many aspects and memeories. I was particularly impressed with the philosophy and ethos of the schools, placing an importance on developing the 'whole child' within an education system which is standards driven. The quotes and mission statements were not only on display, but fully shared with the staff, pupils and parents.

The respect and care for resources was first class and viewed as an important skill for children. Seeing the way libraries were presented, how children cared for their personal belongings and how staff presented their work spaces awakened me to the fact that in my school there is not the same ethos towards caring for the resources and environment. As part of our school improvement plan for next year, we will be looking at improving pupils personal development. I hope that I will be able to support our pupils in improving the way they care for their belongings.

The study visit was an emotional, informative and inspiring opportunity which I feel very lucky to have been part of. Being able to reflect on performance is so important in teaching if we want forward thinking leaders for the future. I will look back to the skills and knowledge gained on this trip in many years to come. I would highly recommend an experience such as this to anyone who is given the opportunity. Thank you.

SK PETASEH

It was a long journey, into the hills and rainforest, and at times the coach crawled its way up the winding roads, past landslides and water buffalo. Everywhere was fresh and bright, and there was evidence of replanting where logging had occurred. We were on route to SK Petaseh, a remote primary boarding school.

Once again we met with a warm Malaysian welcome, and this time the receiving line included officials from the state education department and heads from other schools. Everyone was dressed in stunning batik clothing, which we learnt is always worn on Thursdays. I am uncertain whether this is a state or national initiative, but it is yet another example of how Malaysia creates a sense of belonging and pride. As with every school, the visi and missi and motto (vision and mission statements and school motto) were clearly on display throughout the complex. The Petaseh vision is “to become excellent and produce excellence” and its mission is "to develop a world-class quality education system which will realise the full potential of the individual and fulfil the aspiration of the Malaysian nation."

The most striking feature of this school is the learning environment. Firstly, set on top of a hill, it has a panoramic view of the rainforest canopy and is cooled by a refreshing breeze. Secondly the buildings are bright and spacious. As the school is not full there is plenty of space in classrooms, and specialist rooms and spare rooms. In many areas the tables and chairs have silk valences in bright colours. The complex had also been freshly painted during the school holidays – a grant having made available because of our visit! Thirdly, the outdoor environment was brought into the school with plants and water features tucked in corners and courtyards. The school seemed very well organised and members of the UK team were particularly taken by the learning tables used in the library and religious instruction room. The table tops had news articles and other learning prompts covered with clear plastic.

There are separate boarding houses for the boys and girls. The girls’ block is set around a courtyard, big enough to play. On the ground floor there is a recreation room with TV and video and a homework room, and then dormitories with bunk beds are on the floors above. There are two ladies looking after the girls, and when we visited their washing was pegged out at the back. As you might expect, many of the beds had a cuddly toy! The boarding fees are government subsidised and cost 1RM a day, the equivalent of 20p. Currently 100 boys and 47 girls are resident and they are drawn from many districts. Most are year 3 (our year 4) and above, but a few are younger, but from next year no younger pupils will be accepted. This is because the boarders are expected to be very independent. The children can see their parents twice a month.

In Malaysia, teachers are posted to schools rather than choosing to apply! This means it is commonplace to have a staff accommodation block. Being a rural area, many of the staff at Petaseh live on-site. In the main school there is a comfortable staffroom and large workroom with ceiling fans, where every teacher has their own desk. The office areas were also comfortable, attractive and highly organised, and we were all envious of the head teacher’s office. Her furnishings included an elaborate three piece suite around a coffee table.

The children were immaculately dressed, well-behaved and seemed very happy. Teachers took pride in telling us of their successes, including a year 4 boy and year 6 girl who had won state storytelling competitions and five students who have reached national level in football and hockey. The staff attribute these results to a greater emphasis placed on co-curricular activities in the first term of the year, before the academic focus kicks in as the year 6 UPSR tests approach. Like some other schools we visited, there was an impressive trophy cabinet.

The Head Teacher explained that the school year was 288 days, which is structured into two terms, with a mid-term holiday, a mid-year holiday and a final-year holiday. The four half terms were very similar in length. Each day the children have lessons from 7.45-1.35 and then 2.30-5. Afternoons were devoted to religious studies and co-curricular activities. In addition, on Saturdays and Sundays, 8.30-12, special government-funded tuition is available for pupils in years 4-6. No doubt this reflects the importance of the UPSR results. In 2008, 4.3% of pupils got 5As, which would give them a scholarship place to a state boarding school. Overall the data suggests Petaseh is a good school. I have based this judgment on the criteria we were given in Seremban for being part of the cluster of excellence - primary schools need an average of 80% plus across all subjects and a point average below 2. At Petasseh, in most subjects the 2008 results are in the high 80s and low 90s and most years the point score is 2 or 3.

This was the only school where I saw evidence of differentiation by task. The focus on a specific curriculum and test outcomes seems to remove desire or need for this. However, in one class the children were working around nested tables, doing a writing task in Bahasa, and the worksheets were clearly different levels. The teacher confirmed the children were seated by ability. It was a writing and spelling activity and I was amused to recognise the word “durian” on the board. I then learnt “bola” means ball – rather than, as I had thought, being the spelling for "boleh" which means "can do". Another example was the well resourced remedial room. Here a small group of children, who need to catch-up in Bahasa, were being taught. The children came to each of us, taking our hands and touching them to their heads, and then delighted in reading to us in Bahasa. They had laminated cards with a simple title and picture, and a series of simple sentences below. One was labelled chi-chi, but I cannot recall if this was about sheep or goats! The boys appeared to read confidently and fluently but, as Bahasa is such a phonic language, it was impossible to tell if they were reading with meaning. They certainly gave the impression they were enjoying learning. In another area of the room, a few older girls were working on a separate task. This part of the visit touched many of our hearts.

Having toured the school, we went to the school hall, a large modern building with staged area, which would be the envy of UK primary schools and even some secondary schools. We were treated to a banquet including chicken in spicy sauce, noodles and delicacies such as curry puffs, rambutan (a spiky red fruit with juicy white flesh inside) and durian (a pungent fruit which seems to have an acquired taste!) Next there was a display of traditional music and dancing. One dance was about the moon and the kites, and two children were playing a bamboo instrument, where the tubes were rattled to make the notes. The performance was of a very high standard and I’m sure will be a lasting memory for us all.

Being a truly rural school, where the majority of staff and children are Malay, English is not as widely spoken. In contrast to the urban primary schools, the school leaflet and website is in Bahasa, and the Head Teacher, Puan Latifah, had hours of special tuition to rehearse her extensive welcoming speech! The website is still worth a visit http://skpetaseh.50webs.com/ and by selecting “Kenali SKP(B)” then clicking on “Prasarana SKPB” or “Berita dan Peristiwa” it is possible to view slide shows of all areas of the buildings and events such as hockey tournaments in which the school has participated. In the “Akademik” section you can view the school’s data: with graphs and targets, and even individual pupil scores.

The visit ended with a lengthy photo-call, giving and receiving of presents and many good-byes.

Liana's Reflections and Learning

When I received the email inviting me to apply for a place on a study visit to Malaysia, I didn’t know quite what such a visit would entail and wasn’t sure if I wanted to submit an application. However, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so I completed the form and was very grateful to my Principal for writing my supporting reference. A week or so after applying, I received a phone call to say I had been given one of the nine available places. At that point, it all seemed quite unreal and I still didn’t really know what to expect. Every time someone asked ‘Why Malaysia?’ or ‘So, what are you doing out there?” I gave the vague response, ‘I don’t really know’. Having no expectations meant I was completely open-minded and ready to absorb everything I saw and heard.

Sharing the experience with other Fast Track teachers

The visit to Malaysia came at a perfect time for me as it gave me the opportunity to step back from my own school and consider education in a global context. It has been a difficult year as I offered to take on the additional role of Head of English after the teacher in that position stepped down suddenly, as well as being Director of the Performing Arts Specialism and Head of Drama and I knew I was becoming increasingly tense at work. Spending time with eight other FastTrack graduate teachers was incredibly inspiring and I returned from the trip knowing that I want to work in an environment where I can work closely with similarly positive and proactive people.

Seeing the similarities

As with almost any experience, it was the people who made this trip have meaning. Visiting schools, talking with teachers and students, as well as having a meeting with the Ministry of Education and spending an intense week with the teachers from the UK, gave me a new perspective and a fresh enthusiasm for education. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the trip for me was how very similar teachers and students are, no matter where they are in the world. We met lots of smiling, happy children and hard-working, caring teachers. It seemed to me that despite working in a rather different system, because the Malaysian system is so centralised and controlled by the Ministry, in contrast to the UK where we have much more freedom, the issues facing students, teachers and parents in both countries are very similar and I am sure that increased dialogue between teachers across the world would be extremely beneficial for everyone involved in education.

Extending appreciation of leadership

The educational leaders we spoke to - the Headteachers, Assistant Headteachers and the Minister – all shared a profound philosophy and understanding of education in its widest, deepest and most fundamental context and it was this, combined with their engaging and authentic style, which made them such special leaders. I realised that I have perhaps lost some of this sense of perspective over the last few months where I have become absorbed by the minutiae of day-to-day irritants at work and the trip has led to me thinking again about the real reasons why I believe in education. I am now making a deliberate and conscious effort to focus on what I believe to be the right action for the students I am responsible for, rather than worrying so much about what other teachers are thinking or saying. One of the headteachers we met spoke of the need to have faith and conviction in the decisions you make as a leader and to follow them through, not giving up when you face complications or resistance: this is one of the lessons I will remember from the trip.

Focusing on developing teachers

In my role at school, where I focus on improving learning, I am often frustrated when I try to understand how I can most effectively support teachers, particularly teachers who are struggling with planning and delivering effective lessons. Dr Lee, the Minister of Language and Literature, made some poignant comments on this matter, explaining that if we want curriculum consistency and compliance, we have a responsibility to take “teacher readiness and capability” into consideration. Since returning to school, this has been at the forefront of my mind and I have decided to focus more on improving teachers’ subject knowledge rather than always training teachers on matters of pedagogy, as I realised that unless the teacher understands the subject content, no learning will take place, regardless of how many innovative teaching strategies they employ. Several lessons we observed in Malaysia were very traditional in terms of their delivery – with a teacher standing at the front of the room and the students following in a text book – however, it has to be admitted that academic standards in Malaysia are very high. The Headteachers and the Ministry spoke about the desire to make teaching more active and interactive and while I agree with this as it is something I have spent the last six years promoting, I have also learnt there can be a danger in sacrificing pace, challenge and actual learning for simply getting the students to be busy in an activity. Again, Dr Lee, offered some illumination on this when he explained that the teacher is fundamental in ensuring that all student-centred learning is effective. Independent and collaborative learning require a great deal of planning and preparation in order to ensure that learning actually takes place and that progress is made and I have already discussed this with my team.

Developing extra-curricular learning

Another aspect of the Malaysian schools that impressed me was the structure of the leadership teams, which included an Assistant Headteacher responsible for “Co-Curricular” (extra-curricular activities). The Ministry organises a multitude of interschool, regional and national competitions including enterprise, public speaking, music, dance, drama, sport, essay writing, inventing, marketing and story writing. Before leaving the UK, I hadn’t known whether or not I would see much evidence of Performing Arts being taught and I was amazed when I discovered that all students in Malaysia have to participate in four hours of co-curricular activities every week and that, while these subjects are not assessed or examined, they are given high status and prominence within all schools (every school had a huge display of the trophies their students had won and we saw many students engaged in their co-curricular activities). In one school, we were treated to a music and dance performance while we ate lunch, in another, a group of students taught us how to play a simple sequence on the gamelan and we saw students working on inventing a new, all-natural deodorant. I found the co-curricular programme available to Malaysian students to be extremely exciting and am already planning to increase the number of competitions and public performances in my school.

Being proud of education

All the schools we visited in Malaysia gave us what I can only describe as an unexpectedly grand welcome; we were given gifts at the end of each visit and were followed by large teams of teachers, the leadership teams and students, all eager to answer questions and take photographs. I wondered if visitors to schools in the UK would receive anything like this and, having decided that it would be unlikely, I began to wonder what this meant. It seems that in Malaysia there is a much greater sense of pride in, and an understanding of, the importance of education; not only are the teachers and school leaders proud to show their school, but educational matters are reported prominently in the newspapers every day and students are motivated to succeed. While here in the UK we have much to be proud of, it often feels that in the media, education is criticised rather than discussed and there is an embarrassment and limiting modesty amongst teachers and students. I think we can afford to take more pride in our schools and educators and, in particular, I think we can learn from the way the Malaysian schools were celebrating Teachers’ Day.

Feeling inspired

Having been home for a week, I am still processing the experiences I had in Malaysia, continuing to reflect on what I learnt and looking back at photographs and notes in order to analyse and evaluate the trip. In some ways, I have found it difficult to be back at work because I realised that I was much happier and more relaxed while in Malaysia. Although the days were long and we were all suffering from sleep deprivation, we were thinking about education in the widest sense, rather than problem-solving and dealing with the constant frustrations in our own contexts. The trip highlighted the importance of individuals in making changes that lead to progress and improving the education of the country and I have returned with a new enthusiasm for school leadership and feel more determined than ever to become a Headteacher, or educational leader on a national level.

Finally, thank you to everyone who made this trip so valuable and meaningful. Geraldine, Pauline, Mark, Caroline, Dan, Nikki, Claire, Sarah, Jo and Tremaine - you all inspired me and, as Caroline said, it was sharing this experience with you that made it so special for me.

Liana

Sarah’s reflections and learning.....

“Malaysia boleh!” Malaysia can do! This parallels my own school’s motto: “We can do it!” and I was profoundly influenced by the positive sense of drive, belief and aspiration that permeated every school, classroom and conversation. Head teachers demonstrated clarity in self-evaluation and teachers were keen to celebrate successes. This was embedded in a strong sense of belonging: immaculate uniforms with club members and prefects clearly identified; school branded products promoting the desired image; highly visible mission and vision statements, echoing the government’s ambitions for the nation; and strong community support. This powerful philosophy was succinctly summarised by one school’s strap-line: “Malaysian Hearts, Global Minds” Furthermore, the multilingual competency of students and the wider community can only be described as inspirational. My personal outcome is a determination to widely celebrate the achievements of our rapidly improving school and promote our public image, and to undertake new and challenging projects, even those others deem impossible. Currently, I am a organising a return trip, taking a small group of upper juniors and five staff to benefit from the Malaysia experience.

My Head Teacher considers that I have returned more relaxed and confident, with a subtly enhanced quality of interaction. I believe this is a result of the opportunity for peer appraisal, with likeminded colleagues from the UK and Malaysia, grounded in the knowledge that in Malaysia education is highly valued, with teachers and school leaders held in high esteem - and that their system and practise is in many ways modelled on ours! In Malaysia the need “to save face” is a key cultural behavioural driver and a week of practising soft language and sensitive phraseology has added a new dimension to my communication skills.

My study-visit focus was pupil voice, choice and participation. Malaysia offered limited examples to model but never-the-less the opportunity for “inch-wide” mile deep consideration of this aspect has already impacted on our school practise, and ripples have influenced colleagues in other schools. One aspect of Malaysia’s curriculum that has influenced my thinking is the ministry of education’s new teaching sequence for English - each week’s study is themed and includes sessions devoted to “listening and speaking” and “language arts”.

Finally, one Malaysian Head talked of the need for us to be prophets and see the future our children must fit into. In this exponential age this is the greater need we all seek to serve.

Dr Lee, the Ministry of Education and Dancing!

On Monday, we were given the opportunity to meet Dr Lee Boon Hua, Principal Director of the Languages and Literature Department of the Curriculum Development Division at the Ministry of Education in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Putrajaya itself is a stunning newly-built city that serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. Pristine buildings and futuristic bridges stand proudly alongside the traditional mosque in a way that reflects the country's pride in its heritage and its ambitions for the future.

A centralised system

One of the most significant differences between the education systems of Malaysia and the UK is the centralisation of the Malaysian system. Everything about the curriculum is shaped by the Ministry of Education, developed with practitioners and implemented in all schools in the country.

Types of school

We were introduced to the two main types of school: State Schools where the teachers are employed by the government and the students follow the National Curriculum and National-Type Schools where the land is owned privately but the students follow the National Curriculum. The education system itself appeared, to me, to be much clearer than the system in the UK and we all found Dr Lee, a previous teacher and head-teacher to be an inspiring educational leader.

Language of instruction

In almost all schools the principal language of instruction is Bahasa Malay; however, some primary schools use Mandarin or Tamil as the language of instruction and teach Bahasa Malay as a language. In all cases, English, Maths and Science are taught in English, and this – which language to use in schools, as we discovered, continues to be a contentious and complex issue.

Whilst in Kuala Lumpur itself, students and teachers tend to have an excellent grasp of English, beyond the city and particularly in more rural areas, this is not necessarily the case. This was something we certainly discovered on our visit. The goal is to teach all children English as a second language.

Curriculum Development and “Curriculum Fidelity”

The Ministry of Education develops, plans and produces curricular support materials because, as Dr Lee explained, “We need to ensure that what we have put into the curriculum is actually delivered at the chalkface. The more materials we produce, the more compliance there is.” I personally found this a fascinating concept as, in my context, we strive to encourage teacher innovation and creativity and often have to deal with the consequences of teachers’ choices of unsuitable resources or inappropriate activities. The Ministry monitors and evaluates curriculum compliance across the country.

Dr Lee explained that there are three principles of curriculum development: Equity, Quality and Sustainability. These key principles are then broken down further into a series of underpinning concepts:
· Consolidation
· Rationalisation
· Enhancement
· Sustenance
· Collaboration
· Evaluation
· Networking
· Team Building

Many of us could see the similarities here between what we are working towards in our own schools with regards to curriculum transformation.

A curriculum which addresses the needs of the teachers as well as the students

One idea which held particular resonance for me, was when Dr Lee spoke of the need for a curriculum that must address the needs of both the students and the teachers because the teachers are also learners. He explained that, particular in the case of the English language, lessons had to be incorporated into the curriculum so that teachers can learn at the same time. This has had an immediate impact on my practice as I am currently working on transforming the curriculum for English and Literature in my school and am now looking at it in a very different way, thinking about how best to ensure the curriculum supports and develops the teachers’ subject knowledge, rather than assuming they already have that knowledge securely in place. We are, after all, lifelong learners. The challenge now is how to combine a prescriptive curriculum with innovative teaching and teacher satisfaction. What I have taken away from this concept, is the ideas that everything needs to be extremely clear so that teachers themselves aren’t confused. I am sure many of us have sat in a lesson where it is evident the teacher isn’t entirely secure with the content or skill they are delivering and ultimately, what the children are left with, is a state of confusion and insecurity. As Dr Lee said, we must always bear in mind “teacher capacity and readiness.”

In order to achieve this aim, the Ministry provides five days of training for all teachers at the start of the new school year. Additionally, the government employs state trainers and district trainers who support teacher development and some individual schools even employ a dedicated ‘Teacher Trainer’.

The professional development in Malaysia is based upon needs-analysis and is provided to help teachers feel more confident. It was clear in everything Dr Lee said, the his focus is on improving teachers in order to improve learning for the students.

The New English and Literature Curriculum

The new curriculum for English in Malaysia aims to:
· Clarify purpose
· Set clear learning standards
· Redistribute priorities
· Provide opportunities for innovation and creativity
· Bridge classroom life and the outside world

I absolutely agreed with these key concepts and aims and felt it showed how the Ministry of Education were engaged with learning and pedagogy, considering the whole child and not merely focussing on data and attainment.

On our school visits, however, many teachers spoke of the continuing conflict between wanting to provide a creative and holistic education and the parents’ desire for “Straight A grades”. Several teachers spoke of the competitive attitude of parents regarding how many A grades their son or daughter had compared with another parents’ son or daughter and while the co-curricular (extra-curricular) programme across the country (also organised by the Ministry) seemed extremely impressive, everyone seemed to say that, ultimately, parents want their students to get top grades, rather than develop life skills or talents in areas beyond the traditionally academic.

Grades vs. Values

Towards the end of his presentation, Dr Lee spoke of the need to reduce the stakes of the central exams as only then will other types of assessment be considered important. As in the UK at the moment, there is a push towards innovative and exploratory learning and we are looking for ways to develop learners who are confident, creative, independent, articulate and good at working in teams; yet, the exams in both countries are still largely based upon the written and spoken word and it will require a huge culture-shift before all companies, universities and parents will accept that vocational courses are equal to more traditionally academic A levels and GCSEs.

Dr Lee mentioned an interesting development which will look at assessing students’ potential and leadership skills, rather than focussing purely on raw scores.

Learning Standards not Outcomes

The new English Curriculum, which Dr Lee had recently developed, moves away from learning outcomes to learning standards because, he explained, that is what the assessment division (exam board) uses.

Back to Basics

Dr Lee explained that they have decided to return “back to basics” by building a strong foundation of competencies in basic literacy skills, reading through phonics, penmanship, basic listening and speaking.

Learning is fun, meaningful and purposeful

During his time with us, Dr Lee spoke very highly of the primary schools in the UK. He children had attended schools in England while he completed his PhD at Exeter University and he had clearly been inspired by the way primary teachers facilitate learning through exploration and play. As such, he provided three key underpinning principles for learning:

· Activities are contextualised, meaningful, purposeful and fun-filled
· Language skills are integrated as a means to an end
· Language is learnt in meaningful contexts

During our school visits, we found a wide range of learning experiences, including those that very clearly used group-working and fun activities, such as inventing and marketing a brand new, all-natural deodrant and observing worms in petri dishes. We also saw several 'teaching from the front' and 'text book centered lessons' - I imagine a similar experience would be encountered if we visited any six schools in the UK. What is important is to reflect on our roles as leaders as we all strive for more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for our young people.

Student-centred learning

One of the statements which many of us held onto was “The student is the most important concern but the teacher is the most important agent”. With so much emphasis on student-centred learning, it is possible to wonder what the role of the teacher is and we felt that Dr Lee explained this perfectly by emphasising that the teacher is the person who creates the learning and enables the student to flourish. He stated, “No teacher equals no learning” and he said that the teacher’s role is to create the learner-centred learning.

Salient Integration of ICT

As in the UK, one of the problems found in some lessons in Malaysia, is the use of ICT merely as an add-on, whiteboards being used as little more than an OHP. Dr Lee spoke of the need to integrate ICT into lessons and to ensure that it is used in a meaningful way. As Daniel pointed out, this issue of ICT in education is being explored by teachers and educational leaders across the world.

Teaching and Learning Moral Values

As well as the continued focus on academic standards and students’ achievements, the Malaysia Ministry of Education are emphasising the need to build character and moral values. Similar, in some ways, to the new PLTS in the UK’s curriculum, the Malaysian teachers are encouraged to integrate moral values and character-building into their lessons. The aim of the government is to create learners who are articulate, confident and of good character. This was exemplified in many of the schools we visited where corridors and classrooms, as well as outside spaces were adorned with inspiring quotations and mantras.

Interestingly, Dr Lee also spoke of the need to select classroom resources carefully, explaining that we, as teachers, have a responsibility to read between the lines in order to ensure that our chosen resources highlight positive moral aspects and that students will not pick up on any negative messages.

Teaching Grammar

Grammar continues to be an area of concern for teachers across the world – how can we make such a seemingly dry, but absolutely fundamental part of the curriculum accessible and motivating. Having spend some time looking at this issue myself in recent years (see video evidence here! http://www.teachers.tv/video/12115), I was very interested in Dr Lee’s philosophy. He explained that teachers are encouraged to create learning through the Arts, through role-play, for instance. He also explained that their approach to teaching grammar is based upon the following concepts:
· Grammar should be learnt in context
· There should be an emphasis on form and function
· Grammar should be acquired through a multi-sensory and multi-modal approach
· There should be clear links to an on-going theme or topic
· Grammar lessons should be structured in terms of complexity, relevance and frequency.

Teaching is Dancing

Throughout his presentation, Dr Lee showed us his love of and belief in education. We learnt as much about him as we did about the Malaysian education system and it highlighted for us future leaders, the idea that a good leader is about more than the words he speaks; a true leader is someone who truly believes in and lives their ideas. Dr Lee revealed that his PhD was in Metaphor, so towards the end of our meeting, one of our group asked which metaphor Dr Lee would use to describe teaching. His answer struck a chord with us all: “Teaching is dancing. As head teacher, I saw my role as overseeing the ballroom and ensuring the room and the music was beautiful so that learning could take place.” I know I will take this with me throughout my career. Every now and then, someone says something that illuminates your own core values, and for me, this was the moment of the trip, that changed me as a leader.

Liana Swanton, June 2009

Sri KDU Secondary

Having been given the tour of the primary school earlier in the day, the secondary school was equally impressive with the facilities even going up a notch. There were classess with full drum kits; enough for twenty children and amazing library and computer facilities, drama studios, swimming pool and sports pitches and language labs.

Whilst we tour the school, the children are on their lunch break and are aking part in a number of activties; tab le tennis, badminton etc. We are told there is also a talent corner where they can take to the stage.
The school is offering the International Baccalaureate for the first time this year, and there is a separate department and resource centre for these students. The staff are enthusiastic about the facilties they are showing us and there is so much that we feel as if we are only scratching the surface as the polished corridors stretch out in front of us.
The fees at Sri KDU are 15,000RM which is about £3000 per year. Whilst this is could be considered reasonable in comparison to private schools at home, in comparision to other costs in Malaysia it is extremely expensive (more than the average yearly wage) plus many families have 3 or 4 children here, as Malaysian families tend to be larger than back in the UK.
The majority of children here are Chinese Malaysians and speak English at home, therefore their English is excellent and they are very keen to talk to us.
We have the opportunity to view a number of lessons; Maths, Chemistry, Mandarin and English. the maths lesson that I saw was along similar lines to what you would expect our year 9 children to be doing. There was a mental starter of sorts and then an activity that the children were working on i pairs. The interactive whitboarad was used to support the learning at several points during the lesson. Perhaps in British schools, the children may have been taking more of an active role in the lesson, but there were some opportunities for children to share their thinking with one another.
Following the tour, there was a forum for staff and students which was held for us where we got to speak to staff and pupils. For me, this was possibly the most productive part of the day as we got an opportunity to talk in small groups and really explore some isues. The pupils were very impressive in terms of their knowledge of educational issues and in their mastery of English and there was no shortage of conversation.

Jo's Reflections

I am finding at the moment that I am trying to summarise the trip to a number of different people; parents, governors, friends, family, children, staff are all asking about my experiences. I am finding that I have a different answer to everyone. Whilst this may say something about my butterfly personality (to use a Dr Lee metaphor), I think it is mainly symptomatic of an experience that has been so rich and diverse, in that it can not be characterised by a synoptic sentence.
I had high hopes for the study trip, in terms of the list of aims I had itemised on my application form, and also what I hoped to take from the experience on a personal level. It did not fail to live up to these.
What I left Malaysia with was a deeper understanding of how we can learn from leadership examples and how to become the fulcrum of change in our own schools. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my own approach to leadership and what I could learn from the different approaches I observed while we were there. What I admired in leaders was their inter personal skills and the way they could speak with such passion on educational issues. Here, the leaders did not just embody the title they were given, but personified what it was to lead, to motivate change.
We observed huge diversity between the different school settings we visited but each was characterised with friendly, enthusiastic children. It helped us to remember that whatever our cultural, social or geographical setting, that we are all working for the same reasons. This is true child-centred learning.
Culturally, I think we have much to learn from the Malaysians about how communities work together in what appears an effortless symbiosis, rather than an action planned effort at community cohesion as we strive for Ofsted gradings. The culture and the people were welcoming and hospitable everywhere we went. I only hope visitors to British schools could leave with the same experience.

Back to school...

Back in school following our study trip. The children have been fascinated by the different Malaysian customs we have spoken about. I am delivering a school assembly tomorrow for teachers, children and governors to feedback some of the key learning points and to talk them through the highlights of the trip.

The children have also been following my blog on our VLE - I hope this is now accessible to everyone (much mithering of ICT technician - thanks!). Check below, fingers crossed...
http://www.school-portal.co.uk/UserCommunityOverview.asp?GroupID=513139

The display in the entrance hall looks great and is encouraging a lot of interest. We are currently looking into a collaborative art project linked to Community Cohesion and I'm pushing a Malaysia link with that.

Rounds Green Primary – The children’s questions for Malaysia

As my study visit focus was pupil voice, choice and participation, I held a school assembly to introduce the trip and the possible outcomes for our school and the children themselves. They were invited to create a list of questions to be answered in Malaysia. As a result I was sent on a mission to find many, many answers!

How much work do you do? How much time do you spend doing lessons? When do they finish school?

This depends on the school. Shortage of schools and teachers means most children attend either morning school (about 7.30am till 1pm) or afternoon school. Children in year groups which have exams are usually in the morning sessions. At some schools such as Sri KDU, a top private school, the children attend all day. At the primary boarding school most days were 7.45am – 5pm. Co-curricular activities are held after school, often on Wednesday afternoons. Children also have homework assignments which can be a heavy work load. Some children work in school libraries after school and the boarding schoo had a homework room.

When they learn, how do they sit? Are the chairs in rows? Do the children sit together? What kind of seats and tables do you have?

Usually the desks are in rows facing the front, but occasionally in table groups. The boys and girls are usually in separate rows. Often the boys sit at the front - this is to stop them having “improper thoughts” about the girls! In most schools the children had individual desks with a table top and a slot underneath to store some of their books. In the rural schools we saw table tops which were promoting learning by having key information or relevant news articles on the table top, protected by a plastic cover or glass top. Chairs were similar to those in the U.K. and either wood, metal or plastic.

How do they learn? Do they work like us? Do you do your work in books?

In the primary schools the children have a home room teacher for registration and then stay in their classroom for most subjects, whilst the specialist subject teachers rotate to them. The lessons are structured similarly to ours and the children work in books or on worksheets or large pieces of paper for group tasks. For some modules there are workbooks with all the tasks for the entire unit inside. The worksheets are usually very organised with clear objectives and success criteria, and the books I saw had a high standard of presentation. In most classes the tasks are not differentiated but based on what must be learnt to meet the needs of the curriculum and the standard which has to be achieved in the tests. The teacher leads the lesson and asks questions, usually addressing the whole group and the class tend to reply as a whole rather than individuals. Children do not often put their hands up to answer. The pace of the lesson is very fast with lots of call and response methodology and repetition of work previously covered to ensure facts are memorised because this will help pupils score well in tests. Teachers and children admit the smart children are sometimes bored, but say they often help others once they finish. As accelerating clever children into older year groups has been stopped nationally, and the point of a unit of work is to pass the test, it is not seen as relevant to extend the more able. Children with special needs go to special school units. Teachers repeatedly ask if children understand but few will admit finding something hard – they say it is more likely they would ask someone later than loosing face by asking in front of others. Feedback is mostly grades, scores and general comments on success, presentation and effort. In secondary school classes interactive learning was more widespread.

Do you have group discussions?

Lessons in Malaysia tend to be teacher centred but many schools are working hard to make learning more interactive. Dr Lee from the ministry was adamant that the teacher was the most important agent in the room and the child’s learning was the most important concern. We saw evidence of group discussion in many lessons, although mostly whole group discussion of questions asked by the teacher or worksheet solutions. In some lessons, primary and secondary, groups worked together to complete tasks including mind-mapping and powerpoint presentations. I was interested to see, in a secondary school, groups of four with mixed sexes working equally together. Students and staff said that group work was popular. The private school head said they are really promoting interactive learning and so teachers have two weeks of training before the start of the school year. The school also has a teacher-trainer on its staff, to observe and give guidance to teachers - it is believed to be the first school in the world to do so. The CfBT previously ran PIERS, a project to improve English teaching, and teachers who participated reported that the training helped them change their way of teaching, to use games and groups and make lessons fun and attractive.

What do you think makes a good learner?

The head teacher of one secondary school said this was about lifelong learning, people who are always learning through all their experiences, from “the cradle to the grave”. He said he was learning right then by having to think how to answer all our questions in English. One area of this school displayed phrases that we often use when talking about learning, these included: “Belajar cara belajar” – learning how to learn, “Teori kecerdasan pelhagai” – multiple intelligences, and “Pembelajaran akes kendiri” – independent learning.

Do you work inside or outside? What things do you do outside school to help you learn? Do you have school trips?

Lessons are mostly inside, where it is cooler and shady.

Outside the school building: A wide range of sports take place, although sometimes, such as for martial arts, these take place under shaded canopies. One urban school had an outdoor play area for the pre-school group (equivalent of foundation stage). This school used its field for sports and lots of scientific learning. One secondary school had an outdoor stage and school trips were popular. Outdoor learning at an urban primary including visits to climbing walls, the flying fox, the Batu Caves and camping. The private school has wealthier children and runs ambitious trips, including international visits, twice a year. The primary children participate in these, e.g. they recently went to Singapore.

Outside the school day: Children have homework assignments including revising for tests, and may use computers to help. Some have lessons on musical instruments outside school. Those children whose parents speak English will be developing in this area at home.

Do you peer tutor?

In almost every classroom you could see children helping each other. One secondary girl told me that the smart kids always help others when they have finished. She said that you learn best by teaching someone else.

Do you self/peer assess your work?

Assessment is mainly by the teachers marking work. However in lots of lessons the children will start the task and then the teacher will go through the answers, enabling pupils to check their work. Sometimes children are asked to find their own mistakes – at Sri KDU the pupils do this in blue pen. The head teachers seemed to feel that parents would expect to see the teacher doing the marking and would not like the idea of someone else looking at their child’s work. Teacher and summative assessment (tests) is central in the Malaysian system, although there are steps being taken to reduce this emphasis.

Do you have working walls?

Not in the same way that we do at Rounds Green. All classrooms have good display spaces. These usually have posters and information relating to the learning or to act as learning prompts, and often there are motivational quotes on display to encourage learners. Sometimes there are examples of good work. Display materials are usually confined to boarded areas and not just stuck on walls. At some schools there was an area of the board to remind children of homework tasks and the deadlines.

Do you have a choice in how you do your homework? Do they make homework fun? Do you have time limits on work?

Choice is limited because the Malaysian curriculum is very prescriptive, laying down exactly what must be learnt. Homework tasks are often worksheets or writing assignments. However there are opportunities for choice. For example, in a secondary school history lesson, the students were giving powerpoint presentations which they had created in small groups. Homework is seen as very important and in secondary school impacts greatly on assessment outcomes. There are sometimes issues with students not handing it in on time.

What do they read?

Just as in England, children read a range of books and texts but some teachers were worried that children are beginning to prefer TV and computer games. When we visited a pre-school class they all had picture books with one sentence in English which they were looking at and enjoying. Even at age 5 they were learning English words alongside the local language.

Remedial classes exist to help children, who don’t speak the Malay language at home, catch-up. When we visited some year 3 and 4 (our 4 and 5s) children in a remedial class they were learning to read sentences using laminated cards with sentences about the animal drawn at the top. Bahasa is a very phonic language so they were able to read fluently – sounding out words if necessary - whether or not they understood it! They were keen to read aloud to the visiting teachers which made me think that they enjoy reading.

What methods do you use for number calculations? Do you work out division the same way we do?

In the maths lessons I saw, the methods were much the same as we use, but the emphasis was on formal written methods such as column addition. When working out the shaded area of shapes, children were asked to explain different methods of doing the more complicated questions.

How do you ensure children are listening?

Children in Malaysia have a very good work ethic and usually sit quietly, listen and work hard. There is a high level of respect for teachers by pupils, parents and the government. Sometimes the teacher will have to ask the class or remind an individual to listen. The teacher checks by observing the class and asking them questions.

What school and classroom rules do you have? Are the rules strict? Do you make the school rules? Do the children have involvement in deciding the discipline/behaviour policy? What happens if you are naughty? What happens when people get into really violent fights?

I saw no visible evidence of school and classroom rules. Teachers report that behaviour is usually very good and in every school we visited children behaved calmly and worked quietly. When there is a problem the child will be warned by the teacher that their behaviour is unacceptable. After a number of warnings or when a more serious incident occurs, the matter is referred to the school discipline committee and the head teacher may involve parents and a suspension could follow. Behaviour incidents seem rare. Teachers seemed to think behaviour was better in urban schools than rural schools. However at a rural secondary school a senior teacher was adamant that behaviour was good and although bullying did happen it was not physical. The worse incident that school has had this year was a boy trying to coerce money from other students. Corporal punishment is illegal and I saw no suggestion that it occurs, although one person hinted that it may still happen in some rural areas.

Do they have treats if they are good?

In Malaysia rewards and recognition are given for achievement. It is common to see posters and photographs around the building celebrating what pupils have done. Teachers are proud of pupils’ achievements. For example, I was introduced to a year 6 girl and year 4 boy (year 5 and 7 in the U.K.) who had won state competitions for storytelling. Past pupils who have made a success of their lives are also celebrated as role models. There does not seem to be a reward system of certificates/stickers/treats in the same way we have here.

Do you have computers? Do they use computers, if they have got them? How do you learn ICT? Do you have interactive whiteboards?

All the schools we visited had a computer suite and internet access, and these were used for some lessons. The secondary and private schools had ICT suites and language laboratories using computers to learn various languages including Mandarin. At the private school, each classroom had computer work stations at the back. This school and the private school had computers for use in the library. Some children, mainly those at Sri KDU, used computers at home, and the head of Sri KDU was looking at ways to get children using laptops at home and in school. One secondary school had a cyber cafe. ICT is not a separate subject in the primary national curriculum. There were projectors in secondary schools and the private schools but not interactive whiteboards.

Do you have a curriculum? Do you help teachers choose the subjects that are taught?

All private and national schools have a centralised national curriculum to follow and strict compliance is expected, so teachers and children have limited choice. However there are a few opportunities, such as Sri KDU where they had a week off timetable learning about different countries of the world. The focus of the curriculum is academic subjects: maths, science and languages, with a broader secondary curriculum including subjects such as history.

Do you learn different languages?

Lots! Lessons at national schools are taught in the local language, but maths and science are taught in English! Children have to learn English – the government consider it is a high priority that every citizen can speak it. At some schools they learn Mandarin and one school also taught French. I was really surprised to see children learning to write in Chinese as well as speak it. Arabic is also part of religious instruction. There are national type primary schools where the main language of instruction is Chinese or Tamil, to help young children learn in their home language, but these children also learn the local language and English. In addition, some children speak another ethnic language at home, such as a particular Chinese dialect or Indian language. Consequently, in Malaysia most people can speak three languages and many know more - one teacher I asked had to count on his fingers and decided he spoke eight! Some children, usually those with middle class parents, speak English as a first language. The most impressive use of language I saw was a secondary school history class. The students had prepared presentations in Malay Bahasa and then without prior notice, to help us as guests, the entire lesson and presentations were given in English.

Do you do P.E.? Where do they have P.E.? Do they have a sports arena or football field? What sports activities do you have? Do they take lessons in the swimming pool? Do you have a swimming pool timetable? What clubs do you have? Do you do any after school activities? Do you have after school clubs? Do pupils help run after school clubs? Do you do activities?

All the schools we visited had playing fields and team sports, especially football and hockey are popular. Secondary schools may have swimming pools – two schools we visited had fantastic outdoor facilities. The rural secondary school, King George V, was very proud of its refurbished pool and sessions were timetabled for classes and for general use by staff members. It is a cluster school for excellence and one of its specialist areas is swimming, with a target of two national gold medals and ambition of international success. Rugby is another key sport for the school. At Sri KDU there are amazing sports facilities including all weather pitches and indoor badminton courts, used by children during breaks. In the primary school we saw an visiting dance professional leading a cha-cha-cha class. Cheerleading is also very popular and the school has many teams.

P.E. is not a curricular subject so sports mostly take place after school, usually Wednesday afternoons, as part of the co-curricular programme. At secondary school this is important as 10% of the university application process is based on co-curricular activities. A wide range of school clubs exist such as photography, martial arts, scouts, cheerleading and football.

What equipment do you use in the classroom? Do you write with black pen for working?

All the things we use in the U.K. were evident including text books, worksheets and science equipment, but schools seemed to have less equipment than we do. Classrooms had very little equipment in them, but this is partly because most schools had space for specialist rooms e.g. music, dance, science laboratories (even in primary). At one school there was a whole room full of drum kits! At the private school rooms had air conditioning and in the other schools there were open windows, slatted windows and drapes to keep the learning environment shady and cool. Children used pencils, pens, colouring pencils or felt tips according to their age and task. The teachers usually had whiteboards and pens, but sometime blackboards and chalk, and at the private school every classroom had a projector. Children have many workbooks and textbooks for school and there has been growing concern about the heavy bags they have to carry. At the private school many children had weekend bags on wheels to carry the huge amount of materials they needed.

Do they have assembly?

Most schools have assemblies on Mondays. This may be in a school hall but is often outside. The areas used for assemblies often have a raised stage at the front. One urban primary uses the car park! However is it is raining there is a covered area, open at the sides used.

What sort of facilities do they have?

Most schools have extensive space, inside and outside, and specialist areas as well as classrooms. For example, Sekolah Kebangsaan Menjalara, an urban primary school with around 350 children, has a building with two wings on four floors and a separate pre-school building. In addition to classrooms, its facilities include a resources centre, computer lab, science lab, screen theatre, hall, living skills workshop, prayer room, conference room, student remedial room, counselling room, textbook room, dental room/clinic, field, bookshop, sports equipment store, reading hut and access centre, offices, covered dining and meeting areas. In the private and secondary schools there are even more specialised areas for sports and the arts, and libraries. Interestingly all schools had staff workrooms where every staff member has a designated desk, and during non-contact time teachers use the room for marking and paperwork, whilst remaining available should children wish to talk to them or seek help. The schools all had green areas within their complex and most enhanced the environment with pots of plants and water features.

How old do you have to be to go to nursery?

In Malaysia school starts in year 1 (our year 2). Many children go to preschool (year 1) and quite a lot go to kindergartens from age 3 - these kindergartens are often privately run.

Do you see your parents?

In Malaysia most children are day pupils and go home each day, although many parents work long hard hours. Some children are boarders. Children who get 5 A grades in their year 6 (our year 7) exam, at the end of primary school, can go to boarding school for secondary. This is seen as an honour. In rural areas some children are boarders so they can get to a good school. The school we visited has 150 boarders (100 boys and 50 girls), most are aged 8 and above but a few are younger. These children can see their parents twice a month. They don’t have mobile phones so they will not be able to call them at other times. The children sleep in bunks in dormitories and their boarding fees are subsidised by the government, so it costs the parents 1 MR, about 20p a day – still a lot of money for some people.

Do you go to meetings? Do you interview people? Do you help your teacher organise parents’ evenings? Do you have parent’ evenings and are you encouraged to come along?

Not really, but at Sri KDU the pupils attend a three-way conference each term with their parents. When I explained about pupil involvement in U.K. interviews, teachers seemed very surprised and did not really like the idea. One teacher thought it would be very strange and scary. All schools have parents’ evenings. These are important to parents and usually held each term, after exam periods, so that the child’s marks and the reasons for them can be discussed.

Are you involved in organising charity events?

I found no evidence of this in state schools. At the private school children had just finished a project, which they had suggested to the head, where the school raised a large amount of money and then went to a village, built a well, bought livestock and painted the school.

Although not a charity event, at the last secondary school we visited the prefects were busy organising and decorating for Teachers Day. This annual event celebrates the importance of teachers in learning. The children play team sports against the teachers, put on a show to entertain them, everyone has a meal together and there are class parties. Everyone looks forward to it.

How do the adults listen to your ideas e.g. do you discuss issues in circle time? Do you have circle time?

A number of teachers and pupils said that relationships were very good and that there was open two-way dialogue, with pupils able to come to talk to staff including head teachers. Most schools also had school counsellors. There did not seem to be formal opportunities like circle time.

Are children’ helpers e.g. buddies used? Do you have a school council? Do the children have a “voice” through a school council?

No, schools have prefects who help other children and play an important role in organising the school, e.g. supervising playtime and helping staff. The prefects are in effect a school council and it is considered a very important role to aspire to. In each class there is a child who will take the lead when visitors enter – they will model the appropriate thing to say such as “good morning teachers” and then the class will repeat it together. At Sri KDU the prefects are sworn in at a special ceremony at which they make many pledges to support the school and its community. They then attend an outward bound course to bond and further develop leadership and teamwork skills.

Do you help teachers choose resources?

Yes and no. In Malaysia the government believes the best way to make progress is to develop high quality materials to match the curriculum. As a result, most of the teaching materials are selected by the ministry of education. However, the ministry does involve children in the development process – inviting groups to comment on resources and visiting schools to seek input. Dr Lee Boon Hua from the Ministry of Education considers knowing the views of teachers and pupils essential in developing resources.

Do your ideas get acted upon?

In Malaysia the education system is quite rigid to ensure efficiency. However the ministry of education says it listens to pupils in developing resources; teachers and pupils say there is open two-way dialogue; and at Sri KDU the pupils’ suggestion of a charity project went ahead. Several head teachers were keen to emphasise that children were not scared to come and suggest their ideas. There are people who think staff student dialogue is important and should be acted on, and it does happen to some extent, but overall there is some scepticism in Malaysia, as indeed there is from some practitioners in the U.K.

Do the children run a tuck shop? Are you involved in decisions about school meals/healthy eating? Do you have school dinners? Do you have dinner time outside? Do you eat together in a dining hall?

No, schools have canteens or pupils bring snacks for breaks. Most children only do half day school so do not have school dinners. Where meals are provided the menu would be a range of local food which is very healthy - perhaps rice, noodles, meat, fish, vegetables or fruit. The school canteen will be inside and air-conditioned or an open-air but roofed area for shade. The dining areas also have sinks and the first thing you see children do is going to wash their hands before eating! The Sri KDU pupils have school lunches because they are in school all day. These are organised in sittings. The canteen staff put out ready prepared trays on tables, with colour coded lids to indicate any special meals for children with dietary requirements, and then the teachers sit with the children in home groups to eat.

Do they have fruits and water fountains to help concentration?

The children have water bottles but fountains are not common, although some staff rooms have them. It is really hot and humid so everyone needs to keep drinking. The pre-school children have fruit and milk, and fruit is a common snack because people in Malaysia eat many delicious fruits. A particular delicacy is durian. This large spiky fruit has very smelly skin, but the soft inside is a bit like marmite: you either love it or hate it! One teacher told us she has to control herself because she can just keeping eating and eating it, but I absolutely hate it – so much that I had to discretely spit a piece out into tissue when no-one was looking!

How do you involve the wider community?

Malaysia is a nation which highly values family and community. At SK Manjalaran, an urban primary school, the head spoke of strong support from the Parent Teacher Association, local community and corporate organisations. The chair of governors is a teacher trainer and does free courses for staff, and there was lots of financial support for extra tuition, supplementary books and prize giving. Parents are fully involved and take part in events like sports day. The school identifies their skills, both seeking and receiving offers to help e.g. if the building needs painting, a parent will do it. Additionally the school has an annual clean-up day where everybody comes and works together because they recognise the role of the beautiful environment in learning. Banks and religious bodies will offer money to help poorer pupils buy uniforms and resources.

When do you have breaks in your lessons? What time is break/lunch? Do the children have playtime? Do you have snacks at playtime? What do you do?

Like the U.K. there are breaks mid morning, lunch and mid afternoon. As school starts early children and teachers usually have some food at playtime, about 11 o’clock. At one urban primary school the staff had a dining room with a buffet including grilled fish and the children were having snacks in the canteen area. The youngest children had fruit and milk, and there is government funding to provide this for poorer children. At playtime and lunch the children are often in the shade or inside the building, but may go out and play – often football. At Sri KDU many pupils were chatting in groups or playing badminton inside in the shade.

Do you have school uniform? Do you decide if you have a uniform or not?

Yes! All children in Malaysia wear immaculate uniform. There is no choice or pupil involvement because the uniform for national schools (state funded) is decided by the government and changes by age group. Primary children have white tops and navy trousers/skirts/tunics. The uniform has the school badge and there may be a school tie. Muslim girls may have the logo on their head covering. Every club also has a uniform and so on Wednesdays the children can wear their club uniform. For the secondary school photography club this was a waistcoat, and at the primary school the Muslim girls had different colour head scarves according to their club. At Sri KDU the primary wear blue and grey unless they are prefects who have extremely smart navy uniforms with waistcoats and jackets.

Are you happy about the way the school is run? Do you enjoy school? Why?

These are sensitive questions but every student and teacher I spoke to seemed happy and positive. Children said they were happy at school, that their school was good and that they had many friends and got to do lots of different things. Everyone spoke about the importance of a good education. Head teachers were clear about achievements and standards in their schools and would talk about how they had made progress and how they were striving to improve further. There is a move to make education more interactive but senior staff said it was sometimes difficult to move this forward as fast as they would like because change takes time for people to accept and requires special training.

Finally...I'd like to say thank you to all the children who came up with questions.

Daniel Locke-Wheaton - My Reflection
Looking back on my preconceptions prior to the Trip, I realised that I was envisioning visiting schools and spending my time sharing/directing ideas on a school and leadership level. I felt that we would spend the time evaluating the Malaysian Education system and that this would be isolated or behind our ideas/objectives in the UK. It soon became clear how wrong I was. By exploring how the Malaysian system has diversified from the original British model, I was continually challenged to evaluate our own education system. We visited a range of schools and though all spoke of the national demand for high attainment, it was their holistic and compulsory co-curricular aspects that stood out. I will be taking away how the use of mission and vision statements are not just a sentence on a wall, but a theme and pride that is shared and importantly owned by all the students. Achievement and motivation was shared on every corridor and room, with photos of students, cupboards of work and trophies and fantastic motivational signs. to be continued asap...

17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers, Kuala Lumpur 2009

On Wednesday 17th June, we all had the amazing opportunity to be invitied to the 17th CCEM (http://www.17ccem.com/) attended by all the education ministers of the Commonwealth. The event was hosted at the impressive KL Convenation Centre (KLCC) over 5 days. The CCEM meets every three years and celebrated its 50 year anniversary in KL this year.

The main focus of this year's conference was to reflect on progress in reaching 'Education for All' (EfA) and the 'Millennium Development Goals' (MDGs) and what objectives to set for those nations achieving their targets. EFA is a UNESCO initiative with huge international support that seeks to enable all primary aged children to go to school by 2015 (http://www.unesco.org/en/efa-international-coordination). The MDGs were established by the UN and seek to end world poverty by 2015. Two of the eight goals focus on education: MDG2 echoes the EfA and aims for universal primary education whilst MDG3 is more specific in its aim for equal gender access to primary and secondary schooling (http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/).

The group were priviledged to be delegates at the Teachers' Forum entitled “The Global Education Alliance: The Role of Teachers” led by Prof Dr Moses Samuel (University of Malaya), Mr Steven Obeegado (UNESCO) and Ms Susan Hopgood (Federal Secretary, Australian Education Union). An issue which clearly touched a nerve with delegate teachers was that of the increasing trend of Public Private Partnerships to improve schools internationally. Many of the delegates felt that this led to pressure upon schools to accept private finance in order to develop. Based on the fabulous opportunity our group had not only to learn from the Malaysian education system on our study visit but also to impart resources and expertise, I challenged the finance debate by arguing that effective school improvement can be achiveved by harnessing the expertise of teachers like ourselves. Study visits, international exchanges and teacher dialogue can often be free but is limited to thousands of pounds. I would strongly argue that such grass roots, face-to-face teacher support is often far more effective and sustainable that multi-million pound education projects seeking to install (rather than embed) technology or new practice.

SMK Menjalara (Secondary School) Visit

On our fourth day in Malaysia we had the chance to see a more typical educational setting. Our group was split into Primary and Secondary phase for a morning visit to SK Menjalara Bandar & SMK Menjalara (the schools are next to each other). As part of the secondary group I went to the SMK Menjalara Secondary School. This is a large secondary school in the Menjalara suburb of Kuala Lumpur.

Our first impressions were of a massive enthusiasm from both the students and the staff. We were welcomed by the Principal and her senior staff. Also present throughout the whole visit were several student photographers, taking pictures of everything we did. It was clear that our visit had caused huge excitement in the school community.

We were given a very through overview of the Malaysian education system and the school by the Principal, Pn. Hajah Azmah bt. Rajion. We also had the opportunity to ask any questions. One feature that stood out early on was the very clear focus on the school’s vision and mission statements. It was simple and direct and you could tell that it helped to inform everything that the school did. We were then given a local dish (made less spicy for us!) before being given an extensive tour of the school.

Our guide was Pn. S Parameswari and several of the senior staff. She was very informative and happy to answer all of our questions in a frank and honest manner. This school had a completely different ethnic make up to the previous private school we had visited. While Sri KDU was predominantly Chinese, SMK Menjalara had a mostly Malay origin student body but with a good mix of other ethnic backgrounds (much like Malaysia in general). The school buildings were a similar type and construction to all Malaysian state schools with yellow three story blocks.

The teachers and students were very welcoming as we toured the school, with each classroom full of smiling and waving children. As we were there on a Wednesday the students were all dressed in their ‘society’ uniforms (for example police and fire cadets). Being part of these groups was mandatory for all students and helped to build up a team ethos. All of the student we spoke with seemed to be very proud of their group and keen to tell us what they did for it as enrichment activities.
English was much less widely spoken at home amongst the student population at SMK Menjalara than at Sri KDU and the level of English become an easy marker for wealthy and ethnicity in Malaysia. It is clear why the level of English in schools is such a political issue in Malaysia, regarding widening opportunities in a globalised market place. Although some of the students did have a very good level of English and they were very happy to try it out on us.



One of the things that stood out to all of us was the great respect and pride they took in their learning resources. On the tour we saw their textbook centre (separate to their library) and the attention to detail there was amazing. Each of the books was catalogued and display copies were wrapped in ribbons. There is healthy competition between school textbook centres with awards given to the best maintained. Pupils are able to borrow what they need when they need it to study at home and although some of the textbooks had clearly been well used there was not a sign of any graffiti at all (quite different to the UK).

This huge pride in their school and respect for their education was evident everywhere. This was also the first school that we really picked up on the number of motivational signs and slogans everywhere. Their wall space was very much used as a learning area and it was taken very good care of. The school had a very good ‘feeling’ and the pupils clearly enjoyed being there.



Having said this they were honest with us regarding a minority of pupils that they did find hard to motivate and we were able to swap strategies and tips for helping the hardest to reach students (whether for attendance or behaviour). All of the teachers that we spoke to were very dedicated and it was obvious that they wanted the best for their students. We all came away from the school energised and keen to make links between our schools and theirs.


The trip ended with a genuinely touching and professionally presented gift from the pupils. They had been snapping away on their cameras for the whole visit and at the end we were each presented with a laminated ‘visit mat’ containing pictures from our visit. This was a both a wonderful souvenir of our visit and a testament to the student’s excellent design and ICT skills.