08-05-2025
Teaching beyond the textbook
Chang (centre) showing pupils how to use newspapers as a learning tool. — Photos: AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
Retired educator uses Star-NiE programme in Putrajaya workshop for 64 schoolchildren
A RETIRED teacher's belief in the power of newspapers as a learning tool has led her to leverage The Star's Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) programme to offer interactive learning experiences.
Chang Siew Juen led her first session as a language trainer for a Star-NiE student workshop in Putrajaya on Wednesday.
The workshop was part of the Federal Territories of Putrajaya Education Department's Reading Campaign.
Chang had previously used The Star newspaper for reading material in a Puchong school where she had once taught.
She said newspapers were not just a source for current affairs news but also a springboard for learning.
'It has been a year since I started as a language trainer, and I see how fun it is when students get different materials and sources for knowledge from newspapers.
'Textbooks are a good resource but newspapers are also a means of learning about current issues.
'It also depends on how teachers make the most of using newspapers (as a learning tool),' she told StarMetro during the workshop held at the Perbadanan Putrajaya government complex.
A total of 64 pupils from 16 primary schools in the nation's administrative capital participated in the workshop.
Mohd Faizal says The Star is sought out for the Star-NiE programme.
Among the activities was one that saw the children searching for pictures in The Star, cutting them out and turning them into jigsaw puzzles.
In a vocabulary exercise, the pupils found challenging words and cut them out, as well as the letters that spelt the words.
They then passed these cut-outs to classmates who then had to reassemble the letters into words.
Chang said each task was a playful mix of literacy, creativity and teamwork.
Putrajaya education department's educational technology resource sector assistant director Mohd Faizal Omar said the campaign was a collaboration between the department and Local Agenda 21 Putrajaya.
The latter builds awareness among communities about the importance of sustainable development and provides opportunities for community members and stakeholders to be involved in programmes that promote this.
'Schools in Putrajaya receive three different Bahasa Malaysia newspapers.
'As such, we sought The Star for the Star-NiE programme to improve the students' command of English.
'Last month, we organised a workshop for English teachers from 27 Putrajaya schools comprising 11 secondary and 16 primary schools. We hope this sort of programme will continue,' he said.
The department's learning sector language unit assistant director Maryam Adilla Zainudin said: 'Newspapers are a good way to encourage students to read more.
'We can see the students' maturity levels in the way they answer questions, based on how much they read.
'It is the cheapest reading material for teachers to use in a classroom of 40 students.'
