Rote learning outdated for ‘Gen Net’ — Deputy VC
KUCHING: Educators of today need to change their teaching methods to better serve a generation of Internet- savvy students, said National University of Malaysia ( UKM) Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs) Professor Dato Dr Riza Atiq Abdullah Orang Kaya Rahmat.
“Students these days are no longer the same as before. They are savvy with smartphones and the Internet, becoming what we known as ‘Gen Net’.
“Their methods of learning are different, as they can obtain information readily from the Internet, and sometimes they are smarter than teachers in certain areas.
“Teachers and educators need to change their teaching methods. Knowledge delivery becomes secondary, while they work towards shaping minds and values as well as characterbuilding, something the Internet cannot do,” he told reporters after launching the National Seminar of Science and Psychology in Education 2017 yesterday.
Riza noted that in a society still obsessed with As, educators could see how a feat of straight As is no longer everything.
“Straight As is not the measurement of everything. There are people who excelled in school but are not successful later in life, while there are nonstraight A ones who later become successful in life.
“As such, questions in public examinations have changed, gearing towards high level thinking instead of just memorization ( learning by rote).
“People, parents especially, might make noise about the change, but we as professional educators know what is best for students, in order to prepare them for a future that is different from the present. Examinations have to reflect this changing situation,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Riza told the seminar participants to continuously improve themselves as educators. “This seminar is a platform to inculcate continuous improvement in the process of teaching and learning through action research.
“I hope that seminar papers will be published online and also in Google Scholar so that everyone in the world can benefit from your research. We can also assist you in registering for copyright or patent of your ideas and publications,” he said.
The two- day seminar is participated by 120 educators from Sarawak and Sabah, who will be graduating with their Masters degree from UKM this October.
Their methods of learning are different, as they can obtain information readily from the Internet, and sometimes they are smarter than teachers in certain areas. Professor Dato Dr Riza Atiq Abdullah Orang Kaya Rahmat, National University of Malaysia (UKM) Deputy vice chancellor (Academic and International Affairs)