Lé Lin

Textbooks Are So Old Fashion

11/3/12 | Saturday, November 03, 2012 | 0 comments

11.50 PM
Dear blog,

SKIP PARAGRAPH 1 TO GET TO THE MAIN TOPIC ;)

        In this post, I'm going to talk about how learning through textbooks will not help children these days. I had registered myself in Fairview International School located in Wangsa Maju, and I've just finished my assessment test (English and Maths) and my interview with the Principle. Thank god, I managed to get to Grade 8. There were two choices, you see. Grade 8 is my age for the British syllabus (Form 2 for Malaysian syllabus). Grade 7 is Form 1 for Malaysian syllabus. So either I'll get the normal Malaysian syllabus level, or a level higher. I got the higher level! Whoop de loop! The Maths exam was extra hard. There were a lot of topics I haven't learn (you expect me to learn FORM TWO!?) and there was this odd sign. Oh well. Luckily my Maths teacher at my current school taught me a few Form 1 topics. But that did little to help me. I used logic to solve the problems. English was okay. But, surprised me, I got 76 for English and 60 for MATHS! Don't roll your eyes, I knew only 8 out of 40 questions. The rest I used logic. And it' s Form 2, okay, two levels higher. DON'T roll your eyes. The interview with the Principle went well. She said that I was very expressive, which is a good thing. ;)
        Okay, sorry, I guess I was talking to much about myself. I thought we were supposed to talk about the topic listed at the top, right? Alright, alright, sorry. Anyway, learning through textbooks will not help children these days. I'm learning at Fairview International School next week and taking IB (International Baccalaureate). What does it mean? Learning in way of not through boring textbooks, learning in a way of not through memorising stuff. You know it gets really boring when you memorise facts? Well, IB makes it interesting. Learning extends beyond the worn-out pages of textbooks, learning extends beyond memorising. You don't "memorise" it, you indulge it, you experience it. That way, learning is made more interesting. You become open-minded and more knowledgeable. As an example, if the subject is English and there's a topic based on wars and conflicts, the teacher will relate it with what's happening around the world.
        So, as you can see, IB Learning is so much updated and textbook-learning is so outdated. These days, textbooks will just not help. So, I recommend all parents to send their child to international schools and take this prized IB Learning. ;)

Sincerely,
Harlin.

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