Turning the page on English lessons

The Star

10-05-2025

Fully engaged: Teachers brainstorming ideas during the workshop.
WHEN Jeyenthi Marimuthu attended her first-ever workshop run by The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme, she did not expect it to change the way she viewed classroom teaching.
'I thought I'd join just for extra knowledge,' said the SK Jalan Enam English panel head.
But what she discovered during the recent workshop left a lasting impression.
'I rarely used newspapers in teaching as I felt it was too high-level for my pupils.
'To my surprise, I realised I could do a lot with the new activities designed by experts who have experience and are directly involved in our education system,' she told StarEdu.
For Jeyenthi, a key takeaway was the adaptability of the Star-NiE activities, which cover speaking, reading, writing, listening, as well as grammar and vocabulary.
'Experts design these activities for different levels of proficiency, and teachers can use them in classrooms with differentiated strategies.
'I look forward to introducing them to my pupils,' she said.
SK Kg Rinching English panel head Nor Zarina Ahmad Zainadra echoed her sentiment.
Also a first-time participant, she came with hopes of picking up practical strategies to incorporate newspaper-based activities into her lessons.
'I was hoping to discover engaging ways to build pupils' language skills through real-world content,' she said.
She left the workshop with a toolkit of creative ideas – from teaching grammar and vocabulary using newspaper clippings to getting pupils to create dialogue for comic strips.
'Pupils love hands-on activities. Creating dialogue for cartoons from the newspaper also fuels their imagination and creativity,' she said.
The workshop, held in collaboration with the Hulu Langat District Education Office (PPD) at SJK(T) Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Selangor, on April 30, brought together 93 English panel heads from primary schools. Hajar
Led by Star-NiE freelance trainer Chang Siew Juen, a retired English language teacher, participants explored interactive strategies to make newspapers a powerful classroom tool.
'It was eye-opening to see how newspapers can be used in so many fun and practical ways,' said PPD Hulu Langat English language officer Hajar Zakaria, who observed the session.
'I could see the teachers getting excited, already planning how to use the ideas in their own lessons,' she added.
For teachers new to Star-NiE, Hajar offered this advice: 'Start small.
'You don't have to overhaul your whole lesson. Pick one article or activity and see how your pupils respond. Chances are, you'll be surprised in a good way.'
She believes Star-NiE has long-term potential as a complementary teaching tool in Malaysia's English language curriculum.
'It brings variety to classrooms and makes lessons more relevant and engaging.
'I can see it playing a strong role in keeping English fun and meaningful,' she said.
Since its inception in 1997, the Star-NiE programme has supported English language teaching and learning in primary and secondary schools nationwide.
Star-NiE activities are available in StarEdu on Sundays, and in StarLifestyle on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
For enquiries, email [e-mail].