School News

Hybrid-Blended Learning (HBL) for Learning and Development Success in International Islamic School Malaysia (Primary) (IISMP)

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jan 24, 2022

Almost three years into the Covid-19 pandemic, many schools in Malaysia have reopened in phases according to the National Recovery Plan after months of online learning. This pandemic had disrupted familiar patterns and impacted children’s life and education. Thus, to mitigate the impact of school closures, address learning losses and preserve the continuity of learning, International Islamic School Malaysia (Primary) (IISMP) decided to optimise 21st century learning through the Hybrid-Blended Learning (HBL) approach. 

Hybrid-Blended Learning at IISMP.

 

Adhering to the SOPs. 

As urged by the Ministry of Education (MoE), HBL is proposed as a viable and feasible alternative for greater flexibility wherein half of the students in a class will do online, while the other half are in school, and they will rotate weekly. Students are divided into Group A and B and have lessons from 8:30 A.M until 4:10 PM as usual. In light of the current situation, HBL is the best approach to reduce the risk of infection among students. Moreover, our teachers and school management team have fully prepared with appropriate technologies, different modalities as well as health protocols in accommodating this approach and ensuring no student gets left behind. Besides that, not only all teachers and school personnel have completed two doses, the school has also worked closely with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to send four of our 12-year old students to get their first vaccine at Gombak Vaccination Centre (PPV) back in November 2021. 

Vaccination coverage at school level.

Practical session after prayer. 

Although the students are separated into two groups, it does not stop the school to improve opportunities for students to engage in school life amid the new circumstances. The Student Affairs Department has conducted an event in conjunction with World Children’s Day last December. We celebrated this special occasion for two days with both groups of students on 3rd and 10th, respectively. To create a sense of normalcy and social connection, we came out with two different and fun themes which were Ancient Egypt and IISMP in Wonderland. Students had the chance to come to school dressed up with various types of costumes that represented the themes as mentioned. 

Furthermore, the objectives of the selected themes were to inculcate the Islamic values among students as they learnt about the history of the prophets that lived during the Pharaoh era and also learnt about the fascinating history of Prophet Sulaiman A.S, along with the mu’jizat or miracles recorded in The Holy Quran. To honour the teachers for their special contributions, especially the challenges that they have faced during this time of uncertainty, IIS has hosted the Teachers’ Appreciation Day on the 31st of December 2021 to commemorate teachers’ fundamental role in achieving inclusive and quality education for our students.

Celebrating Children's Day (Ancient Egypt Theme). 

Despite the Covid-19 crisis, IISMP has also managed to beat the odds by conducting the first examination physically without a need for the rotation system. This physical examination setting is more practical for the Key Stage 2 students aged from 9 to12-years-old and preferred by both parents and teachers as they could supervise the students accordingly. Students’ academic progress is being evaluated throughout online, physical classes as well as the first exam for this particular semester. The Examination Department has intensively prepared for this summative assessment and our school adhered to the latest standard operating procedures (SOPs) brought about by the latest Covid-19 situation in the country. We occupied all classrooms, sanitised the classes daily and class sizes are limited to curb virus transmission and to increase the sense of safety of both students and parents.

Physical Examination for Key Stage 2 students

To sum up, education has been severely disrupted by partial and full school closures. The HBL approach is the new form of the education system and seems viable during this pandemic. Although some improvements are needed to acclimatise to the new normal, IISMP is doing its best to deliver and broaden students' participation, garnering and enhancing their learning abilities while keeping them safe.  

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