Students Told To Become Creative, Competitive
By Shareen Han

Bandar Seri Begawan - Learning new information and gaining knowledge is no longer enough if Brunei is to become a competitive country in the regional and international sphere, the director of schools at the Ministry of Education said.

Hjh Aishah Hj Muhd Husain said that it is imperative for students to equip themselves with critical thinking skills to enable them to use information in a creative and competitive way and as "active independent thinkers."

Teachers need to constantly challenge themselves and `think outside the box', in order for students to become creative thinking and dynamic citizens, she said during her closing remarks at the National English Language Teaching Conference yesterday.

She reiterated the importance of utilising information communication technology (ICT) tools to expand and enrich the learning environment in classrooms.

"With innovative uses of ICT in the learning environment, teachers may shift from their traditional roles to become more like advisers or facilitators, while students take more active roles in their own learning," she said.

She said that ICT has already transformed the way people communicate and conduct business, and is set to bring about a paradigm shift in the way people learn.

"Such changes are taking place in the way educational materials are designed, developed and delivered to those who wish to learn," said Hjh Ai shah, who is also the president of Brunei English Teachers' Association (Belta).

She noted that this has been addressed in the Ministry of Education's strategic plan for the next five years in building a knowledge based economy.

"In order for ICT tools to be used to maximum potential, teachers must think beyond the obvious, to come up with new ideas or to look at existing ideas from new angles," she added.

Hjh Ai shah mentioned that the ministry has recently distributed more than 2,000 laptops and projectors to primary and secondary schools to allow a more effective integration of ICT under the e-Education initiative.

The two-day conference at the Civil Service Institute was organised by Belta and the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT) for the second time. The inaugural conference took place two years ago.

More than 400 primary and secondary English teachers participated in the conference, themed 'Sharing Effective Teaching Strategies.'

About 30 presentations from local and foreign educators on various topics, including the use of drama in the classroom and self-evaluation in teaching, were delivered in the conference.  -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News

Brunei's Fastest Growing Website with