Practical lessons put things in perspective

A MOTHER wanted to pass on her cooking skills to her teenage daughter. So she bought a few cookbooks, and the girl pored over them for a few years without entering the kitchen. When the young woman decided that her knowledge was complete, she set out to cook a meal. Of course it was a disaster.

Unlike her, aspiring teachers undergo a brief training period before they are let loose to handle their chosen profession and carry out their responsibility.

When I retired as a senior Physics teacher two decades ago, there were practical examinations for Physics, Chemistry and Biology in SPM and its English version, MCE. Students conducted experiments alone. It meant they received hands-on experience. Once you do something with your hands, you understand the concept better.

Not all teachers were keen on practical lessons, though. It meant teachers had to try out the experiments earlier to make sure the apparatus required was sufficient and in good condition.

When I asked why she did not conduct experiments, a teacher teaching in Form Three told me it was a “nuisance” distributing and collecting the apparatus. (When students see a dozen mirrors, some are tempted to help themselves to one, it was implied).

My system was to appoint a leader in each row of four and making him responsible for the apparatus before and after the experiments. Only he could come up to the teacher’s table to collect or return them.

There are no science practical examinations now for SPM, which means it is all theory and not that many practical lessons, if at all. As such, students blindly memorise the facts without any understanding of the concepts. No wonder science becomes tedious. It is like the girl memorising cookbooks.

Consider subjects like Pendidikan Jasmani dan Kesihatan (Physical Education and Health). Doctors advise that to be healthy, we need to get some physical exercise at all ages.

In our schools, though, students merely study about physical education without sweating out in the fields.

A handful may join the extracurricular activities, which involve martial arts or games, but what about the majority?

Exercise of any form is stressrelieving and invigorating. By merely studying about physical education and even getting an “A” in the exam, no one is going to get any healthier.

“The school did not teach me any morals,” says an embittered young man. He was against memorising as he was wise enough to realise that by merely reading and writing about it, one did not become a paragon of virtue.

You need proper role models, parents and leaders for that.