By HARIATI AZIZAN A few teachers in Negri Sembilan are steadily improving their skills in the teaching of mathematics and science in English.

THE whole class tried to avoid the eyes of the “teacher” when she asked a question. No student likes to speak up in front of the classroom, what more in English. Luckily, the hesitancy lasted only for a moment and hands were soon up in the air. “This is a marked improvement because at first they were very quiet. Now, they are more confident when speaking English in class,” said Mark Baldwin, who is a senior trainer with CfBT Education Malaysia, a UK-based non-profit provider of education and training services.

He was conducting a language session with his students, who happen to be mathematics and science teachers from the rural areas of Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan.

The session was part of the Project to Improve English in Rural Schools (PIERS), implemented to raise English language proficiency among teachers and improve the teaching of mathematics and science in English.

Baldwin observed that the growth in teachers' confidence suggested that they were now more willing to use English as the medium of instruction and to try out new teaching methods.

“Teachers need a lot of support. Some already have a good foundation in English but lack the confidence to use it. We built on that and once they've become confident, it is easier for them to brush up on their language,” noted Baldwin, adding that they are now focusing on accuracy.

Proudly showing her new-found confidence was Nor Roslida Rani from SK Kampung Gelam.

“I didn’t know the right words to use before this. Now I feel that I can speak better in English. Before I didn’t know the words to use when teaching but the PIERS programme is teaching us how to teach the different topics in the syllabus, so it is more manageable,” she said, adding that the programme should be organised for all teachers in the country.

This is the second year the PIERS programme is being implemented in Negri Sembilan, and it involves 53 teachers in 15 schools in Port Dickson, Senaling and Johol.

A total of 11 schools and 43 teachers from the Sri Menanti, Kuala Pilah and Rantau were involved in the first year.

The programme is part of the state's strategy to improve the quality of English in rural schools and is funded by the Tuanku Ja'afar Educational Trust, Tuanku Najihah Foundation and Yayasan Naquiyuddin, Yayasan Negri Sembilan and HSBC Bank Malaysia.

BALDWIN: Teachers need a lot of support. Some already have a good foundation in English but lack the confidence to use it.

He revealed that the advantage of the programme compared with most in-service training schemes was that PIERS was an ongoing one with after-school sessions held throughout the year.

This allowed participants to continue teaching and introduce what they had learnt immediately into their lessons, he said.

The training sessions, held two afternoons per week, were reinforced by follow-up visits from CfBT trainers, who worked with teachers in the classrooms and during tutorials.

As Bell stressed, initial assessment showed an overall 14% increase in language improvement while teacher performance improved dramatically, too, by more than 15%.

This is due to the way the programme is designed, he explained, which allowed participants to put theory into practice immediately in their own schools, helped and supervised by CfBT trainers.

PIERS is also cost-effective and sustainable as teachers are kept in the classroom for training, thus reducing costs for accommodation, transport or replacement teachers.

The training is not limited to the sessions as CfBT trainers also provide one-on-one training, lesson observations and monitoring in school.

Teacher Lok Ai Lean from SJK(C) Chung Hua Lukut (1) said CfBT's visits were also enjoyed by students.

“Students pay more attention when Mr Baldwin comes to class but now they also pay more attention when I am teaching,” said the science teacher, who has been teaching for about 20 years.

In the beginning, Baldwin said, the teachers' main grouse was that they had to translate everything as students could not understand what was being taught.

“Many of the teachers are so obsessed with their own proficiency that they are not aware if they are reaching out to students,” he observed.

Hence, PIERS is focusing on helping participants move away from the teacher-centred approach to a more student-centred one.

Now, Baldwin added, teachers were more confident as they had not only picked up the vocabulary but also teaching techniques that could be applied in their lessons.

Science teachers K. Inthirani from SJK(T) Mukundan and Wong Pan Yee from SJK(C) Yik Ciao are among those who are enjoying using the new fun activities in their classes.

“We didn't believe it, but when we play games, the students seem to remember the facts better. Even after a few months they still want to play the same games,” said Wong.

Another aim of PIERS, noted Baldwin, is to encourage the use of ICT in education and create a bigger network of teachers and students.

“We are trying to link the kampung schools with schools in the United Kingdom to improve everyone’s confidence in using English,” he said.