Parent / Pupil Assisted Learning at SK Jerantut Jaya

Learning is more fun when we do it together!

The PAL reading project didn't really catch on at SKJJ; large class sizes and a busy school schedule meant that it was difficult to get off the ground. The teachers; however, wanted to incorporate some assisted learning techniques into the children's education, and together we worked on implementing a series of P/PAL activities with Year 2 parents.

For this pilot project at SKJJ, Mr Rahman, head of English panel targeted parents of Year 2 pupils who would be most likely to participate in a shared learning activity with their children. He chose well, because nearly all of the parents who were invited turned up for the event. It was also good to see a lot of dads taking time out to come to school and get involved with their children's learning. The participation rate among parents was very high, and Mr Rahman says he was very encouraged by this. This event will be repeated with the same group of parents and pupils, and the focus will continue to be on working together and having fun, but we will also look at ways we can talk to our children about their day at school in a positive way. Teachers Rohaida and Hasniza are working on a list of questions that parents can use to encourage children to talk about their learning in a way that focuses on the process of learning (their experience), rather than the product (their marks). Rohaida and Hasniza will also provide a BM translation for the questions.

Rahman also reminded me that although some teachers do have specific tasks organising the P/PAL events at SK Jerantut Jaya, I must not forget to mention that ALL the teachers from the English panel were active participants on the day and their contributions were equally valuable - and he's right! The atmosphere at our first P/PAL event was fantastic, and this is largely due to the enthusiasm of ALL the teachers who were involved.

Stephen-Peter Jinks (ELC Jerantut)