Two Malaysians shortlisted for Global Teacher Prize
PUTRAJAYA: Two Malaysian teachers have been shortlisted for the Global Teacher Prize, organised by Varkey Foundation, and will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on March 13.
The teachers are Vanesri Kasi from Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil Jalan Khalidi, Muar, Johor and Noorjahan Sultan from Sekolah Kebangsaan Indera Mahkota Utama, Pahang.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid who met the teachers at his office here yesterday, said their achievements were an international recognition of Malaysian teachers’ abilities and contributions. “I, as Education Minister, am proud of the achievements of the teachers involved,” he said in his Facebook posting, yesterday.
Vanesri is a young remedial education teacher who achieved outstanding results in reintegrating children, particularly slow learners, into mainstream schools.
One of her methods consists of asking students to work on individual projects, starting with a proposal.
Once they have finished their project in line with the protocol, they present it in front of the other students during assembly, thereby gaining self-confidence.
Her methods have succeeded in sending 14 remedial students back to mainstream classes in just eight months, and several of them have gone on to outperform their classmates.
Vanesri had won several prizes, including the Best Innovation Award at the national level as well as the Sports Education Award in Thailand for the way she had integrated sports into her teaching.
Noorjahan is a preschool teacher with over 20 years of experience.
In 2009, Noorjahan pioneered “Let’s Rhyme”, a method of English language learning based on alphabet and thematic rhyming which cover 40 different themes based on the national preschool curriculum.
The method not only teaches listening, speaking and language skills, it also conveys moral values and love for one’s country, and promotes cultural understanding.
Her students have been very successful in various competitions and are frequently invited to give presentations to other preschools as exemplary role models. – Bernama