It was a great opportunity to be attending the Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle); a professional development meeting organized by collaboration of my department, Malaysian Examinations Syndicate (MES) with University of Auckland, New Zealand. The meeting took place in Crown Princess Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from 23 to 26 January 2005 and entirely conducted by the four educational specialists flown in from University of Auckland.
Throughout the three days, Professor John Hattie, Dr Gavin Brown, Mr. Mark Burgess and Miss Andrea Mackay shared their knowledge, experiences and expertise in designing, developing and implementing the project asTTle- Solving the Problem of National Testing with the funding from New Zealand Ministry of Education.
After a very detailed overview and exposure of asTTle, explanations, sharing knowledge, experiences and so on, we are to come out with the “Big Ideas” based on what we are teaching in our schooling systems. Everybody is group together according to their subjects taught in schools, group members being the combination of MES officers and teachers that were invited. Definitely I grouped myself (and three colleagues) with the eight English language teachers and one of them began to lead the group discussion. As the discussion became heated and the group was really way out of focus, I recalled the sessions I had with Dr Fauziah, Dr Edwin, Puan Juridah, to name a few. How glad I was that I am one of their students for I became very confident to put forward my view that was very contradicting from all the eight teachers plus one of my colleagues.
What interest me was suddenly there I was, “Berenger”, the protagonist in Rhinoceros, the one who does not want to conform to the others and become a rhinoceros. As reviewed by Sarah E. Grant in “Look! It’s “Rhinoceros”- A Stampede of the Absurd”, “Rhinoceros’ examines the element of the ridiculous found in an array of characters reacting to one another as they, one by one, turn into rhinoceros. It does not surprised me when one by one, every body agrees the “Big Ideas” as proposed by few of us with the stubborn exception of me. I was very sure that the biggest idea of teaching English to our children is entirely meant for them to be able to communicate effectively as that is language meant for and not filling in the blanks, notes expansion, writing composition etc. Well, I did not fight further for I was the only one with a different view but proposed our differing views to be put forward to the expert to be resolved.
At this point, I can fully understand the difficulty of Berenger who does not want to conform and becomes a rhinoceros for he thinks being human is superior to being an animal. I did not conform for I know and I know well, and I have broadened my knowledge in various areas of ESL in Malaysian context the day I became a TESL student in UPM. I need not conform though the majority shared the same view. It is okay to be one lonely person, maintaining my “Big Ideas” to agreeing with the wrong ideas. After all, it’s a discussion and some one has to make the correct decision! I will not want to be the one who ignore the rhinoceros running the schools.
Again, I want to thank all my lecturers for through them I became more confident personally and professionally. To me, the lessons of Rhinoceros can be interpreted in various successful ways, as the way I see the “Big Ideas” during the asTTle meeting.
Not that I want to be bold but one should have faith in what one belief rather than become a blind or ignorance follower.
Hmmmmm, my thesis is coming, I guess... faith, belief, blind, ignorance, follower... Life is an experiment...
