Facilitating DLP at SK Sungai Lesong

In support of the government’s “Dual Language Programme” (DLP) under the “Upholding Bahasa Malaysia and Strengthening English” (MBMMBI) policy, UTAR, with the support and recommendation of the Performance Management & Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) under the Prime Minister’s Department, facilitated SK Sungai Lesong, Kampar, from July to November 2017 in the adoption of the programme.  

Allowing students to use English besides Malay to learn Mathematics, Science and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), DLP aims to enhance English proficiency by exposing the students to the use of English as a medium of learning. The mastery of both English and the national language allows the students to have easier access to knowledge which further boosts their competitiveness globally and increases their employability in the future. 

To ensure such initiatives are well supported, UTAR’s Department of Soft Skills Competency (DSSC) Kampar Campus along with the Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FAS), Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT), Faculty of Science (FSc), and Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) came up with projects and learning activities which serve as platforms for the primary students to learn and apply English more effectively. 

The array of projects and learning activities included FEGT’s Bridge Model Building Workshop, FSc’s Science workshops, FICT’s ICT hands-on workshops and experiments, FAS’s teaching practicum and mural painting, and DSSC’s motivational talks. 

Kick-starting the series of learning activities was FEGT’s Bridge Model Building Workshop held in July 2017 and led by Dr Kwan Wai Hoe. Besides providing the SK Sungai Lesong students with the opportunity to use either English or Malay in learning, the workshop also introduced some fundamental structure building techniques.  

The workshop also saw the students working in teams to brainstorm on methods in constructing solid bridges. Besides improving the students’ proficiency in English and also building their self-confidence in communicating with the UTAR academics and students using English, the workshop also allowed them to develop other soft skills such as creativity, logical thinking and team-building. 

FEGT academics and students mentoring the primary school students in building a solid bridge model

SK Sungai Lesong students displaying their successful bridge model 

The following months also saw students from SK Sungai Lesong visiting FICT at UTAR Kampar Campus to learn some fundamental ICT knowledge which covers topics such as Text on the Web, PowerPoint learning, Lightbot Challenge, Ardublock – A Graphical Programming for Arduino, Star Wars – Building a Galaxy with Code, and Angry Bird Code Game.

The ICT workshops aimed to create awareness and raise the students’ interests to learn ICT as well as increase digital literacy, thus making them more knowledgeable and competitive with the equipment of skills needed in the 21^st century.

With the concerted efforts by FICT lecturers Sun Teik Heng, Lee Chen Kang, Lee Heng Yew, Teoh Shen Khang and Saw Seow Hui as well as UTAR students, the SK Sungai Lesong students learnt how to investigate the common language used to communicate content with browsers, which is HTML. They explored basic HTML properties by using Web Lab to work with header and list elements. With the fundamental knowledge, the students under the guidance of the facilitators also created two personal web pages on Hobbies and Recipes.

The Years 3 and 4 students also learnt the purpose of Microsoft PowerPoint and also had hands-on learning experiences which aimed to unleash their creativity in creating PowerPoint slides. 

Group photo of FICT lecturers, student helpers and SK Sungai Lesong students and teachers

The students listening attentively to the ICT classes 

In June 2017, FAS students, under the guidance of Department of Languages and Linguistics Head Siti Ummaizah, were assigned as trainee teachers in assisting SK Sungai Lesong school teachers to conduct English lessons for Year 5 students. 

The trainee teachers introduced a “Fun English Learning” approach which used role-playing games and pop quizzes for English teaching and learning. As the activities took a more student-centred approach with students actively participating in the class activities, the trainee teachers also managed to spark the students’ interests in English learning. They were also encouraged to speak and express their views using English. Such an approach has also benefitted the students’ performance in the English subject which was reflected in the improvement in their spoken and written English communication as well as examination results. Such positive outcome was also well received by the school which encouraged the University’s consideration to continue having trainee teachers to teach English.

Besides teaching, the trainee teachers also mooted the idea of mural painting featuring motivational quotes to beautify the school and also motivate the students. 

 Mural artwork by SK Sungai Lesong students and the trainee teachers

Several workshops on science experiments were also held in October and November 2017 by FSc and FEGT academics, namely Dr Lim Boon Hoe, Dr Michelle Ng Yeen Tan, Dr Tan Gim Cheong, Chan Mun Yee, Ooh Keng Fei, Hazlinda binti Hasim, Nurul Liyana binti Ab Aziz, Dr Kwan, Tey Kim Hai and Tan Zi Yi, along with some UTAR students. 

Conducted for Years 4 and 5 students, the workshops were divided into eight sessions involving the learning of various topics of Science such as the human body, microorganisms, science of bridge construction and LED electric circuit, to name a few. Those sessions also saw the students being separated into smaller focus groups and had to use English through reading and speaking. The use of teaching tools such as human body anatomy model and PowerPoint slides were also used to enhance the teaching and learning process. 

FSc lecturers explaining the parts of the human heart to the students 

 Students of SK Sungai Lesong paying attention and taking notes during the workshops

To further encourage students to master English and raise awareness on the importance of language proficiency, a motivational talk titled “The Importance of English Language” was organised by DSSC Kampar Campus in November. 

Speaking to the 100-strong crowd of Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 students, DSSC Kampar Campus Assistant Lecturer Fong Kah Hoong highlighted the significance of English in the future. The talk was followed by a presentation session by the students as well as a Question-and-Answer session with the students.  

Fong motivating the students to actively learn and apply English in their daily lives

A student presenting her speech in English 

Fong interacting with the students during a Q&A session

As a gesture of appreciation to UTAR for playing a pivotal role in the Dual Language Programme 2017, SK Sungai Lesong awarded appreciation certificates to FSC, FEGT, FICT, FAS and DSSCin a ceremony on 20 November 2017. 

“We are indebted to UTAR’s help in helping our students and contributing to their improvement in English. As the school plans to adopt the concept of Digital Classroom to provide more learning opportunities for our school children, we hope we can continue to work closely with UTAR in materialising this initiative,” said SK Sungai Lesong Headmaster Ahmad Kamari bin Salleh.  

Founded with the bedrock principal of “by the people, for the people”, UTAR has always been at the forefront of giving back to the community via a plethora of social responsibility projects and initiatives. Among such initiatives and activities include the voluntary community services at New Villages and rural areas, free tuition classes, free health services and so on. Recently, UTAR was also the proud winner of the Sin Chew Business Excellence Award 2017 in the CSR Excellence Award category which further testifies UTAR’s commitment to community services and engagement efforts. 

FSc Dean Assoc Prof Dr Lim Tuck Meng receiving the certificates of appreciation on behalf of UTAR from Perak State EXCO Member Dato’ Hj Samsudin bin Hj Abu Hassan while Kamari (most right) looks on