PROFESSOR TURUN PADANG: ENHANCEMENT OF PRODUCTIVE LANGUAGE SKILLS VIA OUTDOOR LEARNING APPROACH

3 December 2023 – The Centre for Modern Languages (CML) in collaboration with the Centre for Industry & Community Network (ICoN) successfully organized a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme under the ‘Professor Turun Padang’ (PTP) initiative.

Focusing on secondary school pupils from the Orang Asli community, the PTP programme was held at the SMK RPS Betau, Kuala Lipis on December 2, 2023. A total of 81 secondary school pupils and three (3) teachers of the SMK RPS Betau were involved in the programme, supported by eight (8) facilitators from CML, UMPSA, under the guidance of Associate Professor Dr. Hafizoah Kassim.

The programme aims to enhance the pupils’ productive English language skills via an outdoor learning approach using a module entitled Pick&Tell. This module encourages learners to utilise objects in their environment to draw, tell, and create stories, hence allowing the pupils to express their creativity and build their confidence in using the English language during the activities.

The module not only encourages learners to improve their English language skills, but also exposes them to the importance of protecting the environment and promoting its sustainability. This initiative therefore supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) particularly the SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 13: Climate Action.

All participants were briefed on the relevance and importance of SDG 4 and SDG 13 in a short first session before the pupils were divided into groups of five. They were then asked to name their group using terms related to nature, and some examples of group names included Red Roses, Strawberry, Cloud, The Sun, and King of the Jungle.

Three (3) activities were carried out with the pupils using the Pick&Tell module. In the final activity, while going against their timid personality, the pupils needed to present their story to the whole audience. They did a very great job embracing the challenge utilising new knowledge and skills learnt.

The closing ceremony was graced with the presence of Ms. Mariam Anson@Hassan, GPK Hal Ehwal Murid SMK RPS Betau, and Mr. Rozman Bin Salleh, GPK Sekolah Rendah SMK RPS Betau. In her speech, Ms. Mariam expressed her gratitude to the CML team and UMPSA for the opportunity given through the programme, and reminded the pupils of the importance of the English language, especially for their future.

In brief, the PTP programme exposes the CML team to the lifestyle, challenges and needs of the Orang Asli community especially on quality education, and promises for better opportunities for both parties to collaborate particularly on CSR programmes.

Prepared by: Dr. Fatimah Ali, Associate Professor Dr. Hafizoah Kassim, Nur Syafawati Sabuan, Rosjuliana Hidayu Rosli, and Mohd Shafeirul Zaman Abdul Majid