The State of ‘Sejarah’ in the Malaysian Classroom

I firmly believe that there is power in learning Sejarah. An unpopular and uncommon opinion but if we dig deeper into what a Sejarah curriculum should entail and the skills we can develop if the subject is taught properly, Malaysians would have a better appreciation for the subject. The philosophy and core objective of Sejarah…

Why I want to return to teaching when everyone else is leaving

Growing up I never had ‘educator/teacher/lecturer’ on my ‘what I want to be when I grow up‘ list. In fact, I can’t remember what I wrote in those lists because I really didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up. It wasn’t until I entered Form 1 (Year 7) that I realised…

I’m in the middle of reading Maszlee Malik’s Memories Not Memoir and this line from Chapter 7, Part 1 caught my eye. Today’s learners are overwhelmed with so much learning content floating around so gaining information isn’t difficult or impossible. Yet, whether learners understand the info and/or know how to apply the knowledge obtained is…

Why I am an educator?

A multi-faceted industry or sector (however you want to categorise it), ‘education’ is both a public and private commodity, a public and private responsibility, a factory-like space to equip future workers with the skillsets to maintain a capitalist-driven society and a symposium for curious-minded thinkers and doers to discover their philosophical and practical place in…

Teachers, the heartbeat of the learning recovery

On the 5th of October, we celebrate teachers.  This year is no different. The past year and a half has been a vivid reminder that teachers are the backbone and heartbeat of every education system. Without them, we would struggle to keep learning on track, let alone on the road to recovery.  Held annually, UNESCO’s…

Live streamers and tech support: Teachers reskill & upskill to make learning accessible to all

According to Alvin Toffler, “the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” This includes primary and secondary school teachers tasked with the great responsibility of educating our future leaders and workers.  It is undeniable that teachers have been overburdened with being…

The Biggest Challenge Pt. 1 – Measuring Historical Thinking & Literacy

How do I justify ‘historical thinking and historical literacy’ as valid measurements for the alternate history role play assessment to an education system accustomed to rote learning?

The Brothel System Gameplay

How the introduction of a ‘brothel system’ gameplay opened the eyes of the students to the reality that History isn’t all about random dates, events and dead people’s names.

Feedback Time

Role Play #4 has come to an end and as per usual, at the end of each role play, I ask the students for feedback and suggestions – reminding them that none of it will affect their grades so as to encourage them to be honest about the practical framework. Despite having the smallest group…

Traitors – a good or bad addition?

Traitors – a new gameplay added to the alternate history role play framework – which required the selected students to betray their original groups, to achieve a newly customised manifesto. In the 2018 alternate French Revolution role play, the Traitors served as a separate secret faction that exploited their positions in the other factions such…