NEWS: Beyond the textbook

COMPLETING Maths and Science homework may be a “necessary pain” for some students, but this is hardly the case for Meor Arif Afiq Nor Azmi, 16, from SMJK Confucian, as he regularly scours through The Star’s F123 and F4F5 pullouts.

“At times, we use the F123 and F4F5 pullouts in school, but my mother also buys the pullouts for me to do as revision at home.”

He adds that the Maths and Science guides, which could easily be made into mini booklets, are very helpful and fun to learn from because they are always filled with quirky fun facts, activities and memory boosters.

“From the pullouts, we learn how things we study are applied in our everyday life, rather than just the theory.”

Meor Arif Afiq is lucky to be a student from one of the four Klang Valley schools that will be receiving sponsored copies of F123 and F4F5 in their classrooms, thanks to Agilent Technologies in Malaysia.
Mohamad Anwar (standing, third from left) holding the mock cheque together with Abdul Halim and The Star executive editor Leanne Goh. With them are circulation senior executive Alvin Liew (far right), teachers and students with copies of the pullouts.

At the mock cheque presentation ceremony held recently, Agilent Technologies Sales South Asia Pacific Electronic Measurement Group (EMG) vice president Mohamad Anwar Au said the F123 and F4F5 pullouts fit in very well with the company’s goal to help develop students with the right focus.

“Education is a process, and it is important to start in school if we want to produce graduates and bright young minds who have the ability to think out of the box.”

After the mock cheque presentation, students were invited for a corporate tour, where they had a chance to see and learn about communications measurement tools from the leaders in the field.

In his speech, Federal Territory Education Department Schools Administration head Abdul Halim Ismail said that the contents of the pullouts had proven to be beneficial for students.

“The ministry would like to see teachers show creativity in their teaching. So it is up to teachers to adopt such materials for use in their classrooms,” he said.

SMK (L) Methodist teacher Loo Mee Keun said that the pullouts were useful as a teaching tool because the language used was simple and appropriate.

“There are also pictures and graphics in the pullouts that help explain the Science concepts well. I also like the fact that the contents are always changing and current issues are addressed.”

A mother herself, Loo added that she sometimes used the F123 pullouts to teach her daughter who is still in primary school.

The company will be sponsoring RM10,000 worth of F123 and F4F5 pullouts for the whole school year.

The four schools receiving sponsored copies of the Science and Maths pullouts are SMK Pandan Mewah, SMK (L) Methodist, SMK Sri Petaling, and SMJK Confucian.

F4F5, which caters to upper secondary students, is distributed through school subscription every second and fourth Monday of the month.

Meanwhile, the F123 pullout, designed for students in Forms One, Two and Three is distributed every first and third Monday.

Launched in 2008, the two 40-page pullouts are written by specialists and teachers and offer syllabus-based content, English-Malay translations of common scientific terms, and activities related to real-life phenomena and general knowledge.

To subscribe, call The Star’s audience development unit at 03-7967 1777 (direct line) or 03-7967 1388 ext 1152 or 1160, from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5.30pm.