At last, after months of preparation, Perky Piung song debut is here! She said "It is an uphill battle for a turtle" as she finds singing is not an easy forte. She said she chose to sing about question words because of its usefulness in everyday conversation. 

As the lyricist of this project, I find her enthusiasm admirable and that's moved me to pursue this project. I know I can help learners of the English Language speak better. I will talk about it in my next post on how to use this song in the classroom or for online teaching and learning. 

As of this moment, enjoy her rendition of ? Song! 

Since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was imposed, there is an abundance of opportunities for learning online. Perky Piung Words Adventure took that opportunities to launch a series of vocabulary challenges to learners of the English Language.

These challenges were presented on Google Forms. The platform was chosen due to its familiarity among users. Furthermore, it has add-ons that enable special features to be used in rewarding learners and data manipulation. I find the platform easy to use and hassle-free.

Here are the challenges that have been presented to the learners since April. Click on the thumbnail, to direct you to the specific challenge. There will be additions so do come back and check out often for new challenges!

Oh! All of these challenges do give away certificates to learners as proof of their achievements! Yay!

Ammakambing's blog: an essay by someone: Essay  but this is a joke When you talk about 20 years to come, there’s a lot to talk about, from different perspectives and whatsoev...

This is not genuine, you might have read it elsewhere on how to keep in touch during a pandemic or maintain the relationship with your students remotely, something like that. I consider the articles I have read interesting and perhaps I should record my thoughts on it. I will link the articles I have referred to by the end of the post. 

What does it suggest, holding hearts?

In our tangible classroom, we meet and greet our students. We project emotions; we anticipate responses and we expect feedback. The same goes for online learning. However, emotions are not clearly expressed by emoji and words, let alone being felt. And feedback...

Let's retrace our steps. Before the tasks are assigned, what did we do? Did we merely instruct? Did we give orders? Or simply just a hand over of task? 

We have to understand that the transition from school to home is not easy, let alone is not an enjoyable one. Our students might have a myriad of things to do at home before possessing the time to attend to their learning. They might barely receive the support they require from their parents to accomplish their tasks. Overwhelming!

I think it is not too late to consider this. To hold their hearts. To let them know that we are here, and we care. We care so much about their mental well being, about their challenges and their learning in this new environment. 

So here go, three ways you can hold your students' heart.

1. To broadcast good morning video every school day. 

In Malaysia, we have a programme called "Guru Penyayang" or simply Loving Teacher programme. One of the initiatives is to greet students upon arrival. To wish them a great day ahead and to acknowledge their presence at school on that day. A similar principle goes for a remote classroom. We can say hi, or simply share our morning in a one-minute video. It comforts the students to identify that their teacher is there, ready and accessible for learning to take place. 

2. Make a video call.

Make the effort to call students sometimes, to talk to them and see how they are doing. We can focus the conversation on their daily life so that we can understand their learning challenges. It can be a one-to-one conversation or a small group video call, it depends. Just checking on them like we habitually do at school. 

3. Connect with their world.

Instead of having them perform the task you have given, how about them assigning you something? Or have a class challenge out of the school task? For example, showcasing secret talent, learning a song then performing together online or a photo contest? Students are creative, they can throw you a challenge without much thought. The key point is to have fun together. 



As promised, these are the articles I've read. 

7 Ways to Maintain Relationships During Your School Closure by Sarah Gonser
4 ways COVID-19 could change how we educate future generations
How to stay creative and keep your family sane during lockdown – from one of the world’s best teachers

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