LETTERS: The tittle-tattle of schools resuming for their academic face-to-face session has been the talk of the day among parents and teachers.
Everyone is anxious over what the SOP would be like but at the same time worried of new clusters of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.
Let's put our worry aside and look at how we can support the holistic development of our children at school when the time comes for them to meet their friends and teachers for teaching and learning activities in school.
Firstly, it is our shared responsibility to identify the needs and interests of our children. This can be done by simply observing them and talking to the little ones. Schools also can have a simple test to chart where the children are to offer help to where they can go.
Next, at school, teachers can prepare fun and engaging activities for the development of the children in various ways – cognitively, affectively, and also their motor skills development.
Subsequently, in carrying out the activities, a myriad of methods can be adopted ranging from student-centred learning to gamification which are the core of learning in the 21st century.
We should also be cognisant of the children's well-being since they have been at home for a long period. There could arise situations where they might resist going to school and this may incur stress on teachers and parents.
A friendly and less threatening approach is apt to be applied with simple rewards accompanying the success of the children attending school.
We should weave in our conversations with children on their dreams and goals to tickle their minds in preparation for the challenging and demanding world out there.
It might not be easy but no harm trying. Let's embrace the future because the journey of a thousand mile starts with a single step today by abiding to the new norm.
Prof Dr Rosna Awang Hashim
Dr Muhammad Noor Abdul Aziz
School of Education,
Universiti Utara Malaysia
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
