“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire”

SJIS were honoured to welcome the well-renowned and highly-distinguished Professor Dato’ Dr. Rajendran, a retired Professor at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Tanjong Malim, to the school on Saturday 26th January 2019. In line with the school’s Continuous Professional Development Programme, Professor Dato’ Dr. Rajendran arrived at SJIS to deliver the first part of our teachers’ official second training, accompanied by two no less intellectual counterparts, Mr. Muthu and Mr. Subra. Professor Rajendran, who completed his Ph.D. in Curriculum Teaching and Educational Policy from the College of Education, Michigan State University (MSU) in 1998, provided a fascinating session on enhancing student performance using interactive teaching and learning processes. The versatile role of a teacher in interpreting the curriculum, incorporating a strategy and imparting this wisdom to the students was discussed as a core component of delivering the highest-quality education.

Among an illustrious academic career, Professor Rajendran’s area of research expertise stands out as the teaching of higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) in language classrooms, having published numerous papers in leading academic journals on the topic.

Teacher quality is considered the most significant school-based factor in determining student success; ultimately, this comes down to the difference between a surface-level, passive content delivery style of teaching, versus an effective, engaging higher-order thinking skill-based method.
The three experienced, expert trainers were keen to impress this upon the attendees, who were equally keen to understand the subject matter. Professor Rajendran and his associates took our staff through several pedagogical methods, such as Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. The interactive 8-hour workshop was a rewarding session for the SJIS staff, who engaged eagerly with the material.

SJIS would like to thank the reputable Professor Dato’ Dr. Rajendran, Mr. Muthu and Mr. Subra, for gracing the school with their presence and wisdom. As part of the Continuous Professional Development Programme, SJIS looks forward to more fruitful training and development sessions in the near future and beyond.