KUALA LUMPUR – A teacher based in Kota Bharu is making learning more enjoyable for students in his classroom by encouraging them to participate in short TikTok videos as a creative way to improve their grasp of the English language.
Going by the handle @sir_asai on the video-sharing social network, the English teacher, Ahmad Shahrul Azhan Ibrahim from SMK Long Ghafar 2, Kota Bharu, posted a series of recordings on his profile titled ‘English Pronunciation Challenge’ with each carrying a particular word for school children to utter vocally.
The failed attempts were not seen as harmful in nature among viewers, but comedic instead, whereby the teacher would help in providing the correct pronunciation at the end – paired with cheers from participating pupils around him.
In some clips, viewers could see how the students were equally amused at the engagement after trying to verbally read the words with their loghat (dialect).
@sir_asai English Pronunciation Challenge 17 #sirasai #LearnOnTikTok #TikTokGuru #fyp #foryou #learnenglish #englishteacher
♬ original sound - sir aSai - sir aSai
@sir_asai ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION CHALLENGE 15 #sirasai #TikTokGuru #LearnOnTikTok #pronunciations #learnenglish #fyp #foryou
♬ original sound - sir aSai - sir aSai
@sir_asai English Pronunciation Challenge 11 #pronunciations #TikTokGuru #LearnOnTikTok #fyp #foryou #sirasai #learnenglish #pronunciations #englishteacher
♬ original sound - sir aSai - sir aSai
The teacher currently has over 150,000 followers on TikTok with contents to learn the English language in a digestible format carrying hashtags such as #LearnOnTikTok and #TikTokGuru. He provides tips and tricks to improve essay writing and comprehension by utilising day-to-day words in their proper context.
Students from all over Malaysia also took part in actively engaging with the English teacher via the comment section of his profile to improve their handling of the language.
TikTok is not the only social media avenue that teachers nationwide have used to enhance the standard learning experience to be more creative and connected with the students of today.
After the education ministry’s call to incorporate PdPR home-schooling programme at home, platforms and applications such as YouTube, Google Classroom and Discord among others have been utilised to maintain constant interaction.
The circulation of @sir_asai’s teaching and learning video emerged right after the public outcry against the viral Didik TV clip showing a science educator teaching in English. The video in question had netizens commenting on the alleged flaws of the country’s education system.
@sir_asai way of teaching his students a language foreign to their mother tongue makes an impactful learning reference. – The Vibes, February 22, 2021
