On the 17th of March 2020, the Malaysian government announced a movement control order (MCO) to be implemented throughout the entire nation to curb the spread of the coronavirus pandemic or officially known as Covid-19. Also referred to as the “Malaysia partial lockdown” or “Malaysia lockdown”, the MCO is an effort to slow down the number of infections among the Malaysian citizens or in order words, “to flatten the curve”.
The MCO was at first scheduled to end on the 28th of March was extended to its second phase due to the ever increasing daily numbers of cases. As the second phase of the MCO ended just days ago, the third phase began which is scheduled to cease on the 28th of April, that is, if the situation improves. All Malaysians are affected by the MCO, from the rich to the poor, people of all ages and all social classes felt the effects of the partial lockdown. Methods of the MCO include:
- temporary ban of all small and large social gatherings including religious, sports, social, and cultural events. Religious activities such as the Islamic Friday prayer had to be suspended to ensure the safety of everyone,
- limited movement of Malaysians also took place in which anyone and everyone are discouraged from travelling neither inside nor outside of Malaysia,
- only essential services such as supermarkets, wet markets, grocery stores, and pharmacies are allowed to operate during the MCO. Other industries or businesses must refrain from operating, and
- daycare centres, public and private educational institutions will not be allowed to operate during the MCO.
Due to such strict regulations during the partial lockdown, a lot of businesses were affected where some had to suffer huge losses due to the inability to generate any income. Apart from the employed, students are also badly affected by the MCO as the progress of learning institutions is halted as students and teachers are not able to attend classes and schools.
Fortunately, many schools have taken the initiative to benefit from digital tools and online learning platforms to ensure the continuity of learning for their students. But, how does this solution work for young learners? How are preschool teachers navigating their teaching and learning experiences during this challenging time? How does the MCO affect preschool education?
This puts a huge strain on preschool teachers as despite the use of online learning platforms such as Skype calls, the efficiency of teaching children will not be as great as being able to connect and communicate with the young learners face to face.
This is because children have limited attention spans than adults, they also lack awareness of what is going on around them. Seeing their teacher on the laptop screen talking to them might be an entirely new experience for children which they have to learn to adapt and adjust to and this might take some time.
Thus, not only senior teachers but junior teachers too might be facing a lot of difficulty in trying to adapt and figure out new ways to impart knowledge to the children. Without the right guidance, the learning might not be as effective as even the teachers are unable to use the tools provided effectively. Although there has been heavy emphasis on 21st century teaching and learning, most preschools have yet to adopt more current educational methods due to limited resources, financial issues, and lack of expertise in the area.
These are a few of the available solutions for e-learning platforms and services that preschool teachers can easily try to enhance remote teaching and learning experiences:
Khan Academy
Non-profit online platform that guides learners as young as kindergarten to learn various subjects such as mathematics, science, and technology.
Learning Box
An education provider for preschools that offers creative teaching softwares and online learning materials for children ages three to six years old.
NeuroLAT
An education programme for preschools that engages online learning for young children through an online preschool cognitive training programme.
Be Internet Awesome
A site that teaches young children on internet safety by providing a syllabus, online materials, and free interactive games for teachers and learners.
Code It
A site that offers online courses, webinars and other child-friendly material to learning basic programming.
Feed the Monster
Android application that teaches children the basics of reading.
Alfa and Friends’ STEM at Home
Online resources for teachers and parents to carry out science experiments at home, along with worksheets for children to do at home.
OneCourse
Child-friendly application that teaches reading, writing, and numeracy to children.
Zoom / Google Classroom / Skype
Conferencing, video calls and web chat platforms.
So, preschool teachers, if you do a little bit more exploring and digging on the internet, you will find a plethora of e-learning solutions available for your use to make your remote learning experience a meaningful and effective one for your young learners. This will take the load of your shoulders and certainly satisfy parents’ expectations of you.
