LETTER: IT is the final month of the 2020 academic year and things have never been this different. The year-end break is not happening until the middle of this month. Form Fivers are not graduating this year.
And year-end examinations are unlikely to happen anytime soon.
Here are three suggestions that language teachers may include for their final lesson plans of the year.
Teachers may use literary texts as additional teaching materials to develop students' language skills.
Literary texts may be chosen depending on students' proficiency.
With the many works of literature available online, there should be no problem for students to find the assigned texts for language lessons, unless students have an Internet connection problem.
For English language lessons, teachers may select Monsoon History, a local poem by Shirley Geok-lin Lim.
Additionally, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a film based on the book by Roald Dahl, may be a perfect choice for a pre-lesson activity as this fun-filled family movie has strong messages and interesting storylines for students to enjoy.
Not only does learning English from home through literature promote independent and fun learning, reading and watching movies are a stress-free experience as students can safely visit many places around the world.
Pearl Zhu, the author of Quality Master, said: "Feedback is the bridge to effectively connect lessons-learned from the past to the future performance and potential."
With various teaching approaches applied in different learning settings, gaining feedback from students is necessary for improvement.
This reflection sessions may include problems faced by students during the year and suggestions to overcome them.
Students can write down their feedback and share it online, or teachers may conduct speaking activities by asking students to record a video on their feedback.
A sharing session may be conducted via Google Meet where students may share, listen and respond to suggestions by their friends.
Many look forward to seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and start 2021 anew.
Thus, lessons on New Year resolutions may be an interesting way to know about students' hopes and plans for 2021.
When students explain the ideas in their New Year checklist, it will encourage futuristic and optimistic thinking that motivates students to work hard on achieving their goals for their growth as well as something that benefits their loved ones and society.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said: "The secret of education lies in respecting the student."
It is a noble and thoughtful gesture when teachers respect their students by listening to them, appreciating their efforts and focusing on solutions instead of problems.
Indeed, happy students make happier teachers.
MUHAMAD SOLAHUDIN RAMLI
Marang, Terengganu
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times