Why Maybank should give me tickets to Legoland
As a Mathematics lecturer, teaching in an a-level college, i lead life full with figures and calculation, graph and diagram, theorem and formulas, lemma and corollary, also i got surrounded by a lot of formulas, all yearned to be proved and verified, i owe my students lengthy explanation about calculus and statistic, algebra and sometimes even simple arithmetic needed to be re-explain over and over.
My work starts at 8am and ends at 5pm, for which the 8 hours period always seems so short and insufficient. Too much consultation and extra classes needed to be given special care and attention to catch up with the fast syllabus. The situation worsen as some of students are unable to keep track with the learning, they are having difficulties to comprehend the content of Mathematics.
One day in lecture
It was one serene Monday, 8 am, all the students enter the lecture halls wearing the 'monday blues' look. Slowly and with hesitation taking their places scattered and at random. The lecture halls can occupy approximately 200 students, but there was only 140 of them. There was plenty of empty seats here and there. They tend to sit in group base on clique or friends they feel most comfortable to be with. Girls will sit among them and boys, as usual fancy seats at the back, sitting together with the other boys.
The class fell silent as i start to switch on my laptop and preparing my teaching aids. I can sense the mood of the crowd getting even gloomier when i display the difficult theorem to be proved, continuation from yesterday. As always, i will ask if any of them already able to prove the theorem, none of them raise up their hand. One or two boys at the back look as if they are actually coming to class sleepwalking, the actual person still sleep soundly on bed, only the body involuntarily coming to class.
The class was a passive as it could possibly be, i was thinking something should be done turn the atmosphere to become more jovial and enjoyable to promote better learning.
Promptly, i gave instruction:
All stand up!
Then i played a video featuring cartoon dancing merrily along with a happy song to cheer them up. They crowd started to look alive.
Then i said, okay i you want to, you can sing along! Then i played world current no 1 hit, 'Oppa Gangnam Style'
The class continued 10 minutes later
After class, some of the students came and see me, claiming the class today was so different compared to previous. They complaining i was too serious and stressful while teaching. They can't adapt with my teaching style. They demanded for me to change and try to understand teenagers. They like Mathematics, but they need a better environment to study it.
Our chat brought us to a topic of a new sensation in the country, newly built Legoland, a sophisticated theme park suited for people from all walks of age.
They hinting of wanting to hang out with me there. I decided a good teacher should be the one who can build good rapport with the students.
Maybe hanging out with them at the Legoland Themepark is a good jump start towards a better teacher-students relationship!.
