TECHTIM BY CML AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK CARNIVAL 2023

15 November 2023 – The National Science Week Carnival 2023, finally reached its last leg at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) Pekan campus, on 10 – 11 November 2023. The event was organised by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MOSTI) in a collaborative effort with Pejabat Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Pahang.

This Pahang state-level carnival was coordinated by the Centre for Industry & Community Network (ICoN), and made possible with active participation from every academic and service centre at UMPSA, with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) as the central theme of their activities.

With TechTIM, the Centre for Modern Languages (CML), designed a variety of language-based STEAM-themed activities in line with MOSTI’s initiative to organise events that advance the public's awareness and understanding of science, technology, and innovation practices.

These interactive activities, appealing to young learners, included a variety of Fibonacci sequence colouring pages. Significantly, many young participants coloured more than one with great enthusiasm, and when they were done, they turned their artwork to the booth to be displayed on the Fibonacci Wall of Fame.

Facilitated by at least three CML staff and five UMPSA students, additional activities included participants immersing themselves in Virtual Tours in which they explored Japan, or inside their body or deep ocean sea creatures, doing STEM Experiments such as Magic Mirror, Wrapper Worms, Straw Whistle, and Self-Inflating Balloons. Participants also had a blast spelling STEAM-related words in Spelling Bee and sculpturing STEAM-related words in the Rapidough Challenge.

Apart from STEAM-related language activities, CML TechTIM also showcased technology-integrated language teaching and learning innovations that recently won awards at IUCEL 2023. These innovations include the use of CANVA to enhance collaborative writing process explanations, the effectiveness of incorporating songs like ‘Happy Birthday’ in Spanish for increased vocabulary retention, and how Global Classroom embraces diversity and empowers learners to collaborate, thus increasing learner motivation and interest in learning.

At the end of the day, or should we say, both days, this carnival also showed the importance of an academic centre such as the CML in assisting the university in preparing and producing highly-skilled workforce, especially in terms of language, particularly since the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is gaining focus nationally and worldwide.

While the hard skills of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Technology play a crucial role in developing a nation, without language, there would be no communication, no fostering understanding or the articulation of complex ideas. Language is the glue that allows collaboration, exchange of ideas and knowledge, and ultimately it is the glue to STEAM to enable a more holistic development of nations.

Prepared by: Associate Professor Dr. Hafizoah Kassim and Dr. Wan Jumani Fauzi