Last week, we curated @twt_malaysia’s Twitter account! Here are some #TanyaTFM highlights – in case you missed it.
We’ve had some great discussions with the Twittersphere over the past week about the impact teachers have on our nation, plus some frequently asked questions about the Teach For Malaysia Fellowship. Now you’re probably wondering, what happens after the two years? Well, our work isn’t limited to the classroom, and our work definitely doesn’t end with the Fellowship – it continues through our Teach For Malaysia Alumni!
Teaching for two years in high-need classrooms give our Alumni a deep understanding of what the real challenges are, and what it will take to really empower our students and communities. It is anchored in this collective vision, that they continue to champion education and influence change in different ways.
We asked Malaysia what they felt were the most important areas to focus on in education:
Some felt that the format and structure of education need to evolve, whereas others felt that education should be led by educators themselves.
We agree that educators need to be empowered to lead education transformation! We’ve seen this happening in various ways, like this school transformation programme that aims to improve students’ learning outcomes by empowering teachers to lead and drive transformation in their respective schools (the majority of the students in these schools are from poor families or communities).
The programme was co-founded by Teach For Malaysia Alumni, and is being implemented in five schools across Penang and Perak, in collaboration with different education organisations.
Others suggested that it was better to start with the basics, like improving the facilities and equipment in our schools. In fact, an online crowdfunding platform called 100% Project does just that! It helps teachers raise money for sports kits, classroom aids, digital maker kits, and much more – empowering teachers to provide the best learning experience for their students. Fun fact, it was also co-founded by Teach For Malaysia Alumni!
Future-ready skills like entrepreneurship and programming were also called out as much-needed innovations in education. (Check out these social enterprises to watch in the maker education universe – Arus and Chumbaka – also proudly run by Teach For Malaysia Alumni.)
Of course, what tops the list as one of the most important areas to focus on in education, is literacy – especially, English.
We particularly like this idea from @iqrarzahin to use a buddy system to help students help each other. You’ll be pleased to know that Teach For Malaysia Alumni started a literacy initiative called MY Readers that uses the buddy system – and pretty successfully too! After 24 weeks in the programme, students gained as much as 7 years in reading growth.
We’d like to wrap things up on a pretty exciting note – that education should empower students to lead change too. Project ID is a great example of how leadership can be contagious; some of the students who attended programmes run by Teach For Malaysia Alumni have even started their own initiatives that are student-led!
We couldn’t agree more with @qlawho. You can help empower students across Malaysia too. Apply for the Fellowship by 31 May – join the movement and be an agent of change.
Got a question? Ask us! Just use the hashtag #TanyaTFM or tweet us at @TeachForMsia. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, or hop over to teachformalaysia.org for more information.
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