Inspiring Future Generations at SJKC Jalan Davidson
Malaysia, March 11, 2016
We had the privilege recently of participating in the Frog Classroom makeover at SJKC Jalan Davidson. In a collaborative effort with YTL Sustainability, we completely revamped one of their classrooms, melding the traditional classroom with modern technology.
The Frog Classroom Makeover project originated from YTL Foundation, who have been conducting a series of transformative makeovers in schools across Malaysia. Frog classrooms are equipped with Chromebooks to facilitate and encourage new learning and teaching methods; and are designed to provide a learning environment where students and teachers can interact more closely with one another. Increasing classroom participation and resulting in greater learning outcomes for students.
So when they asked us to collaborate with YTL Sustainability to spearhead the makeover at SJKC Jalan Davidson, we jumped at the chance to be involved in this amazing project. Leading the charge at YTL e-Solutions was Ju Li, our Senior Graphic Designer, who co-ordinated our makeover efforts with passion and drive. We sat down together to talk about her experience.
“When I first took on the project, it was very daunting as it was my first time co-ordinating something like this. I wanted to be able to contribute something positive back to the school and the community and this project made me feel like I was able to be part of their learning experience.”
We made sure to include the students in our early brainstorming sessions as we knew it was important to incorporate their point-of-view and for them feel included. However a lot of their ideas, even though very creative, were too outlandish to actually work for a classroom learning environment. For example, one student requested a maze in the classroom and another, a gaming console! However, we were able to draw inspiration from their creativity to create the resulting space.
We created a different spaces to facilitate different needs. Desks were arranged to encourage group learning and collaboration between students. Because the library is situated just next door, we also created reading spaces along the wall with bench seating and cushions for students to read in comfort. We also gave them an art space where they could show off their creativity by filling a wheeled trolley with various art supplies and attaching a few cork boards to the pillar and walls so that students could easily attach their handiworks on them.
Different learning aspects were incorporated into the creation of the classroom. We doodled some of our favourite pictures and quotes on the desks, and put up some inspirational quotes on the walls. We also tried to create casual spaces with bean bags for the students to relax in and take a break. The shoe racks we installed is also about environmental sustainability as we tried to use recycled pvc piping to create it.
It was hugely inspirational to be part of the movement bringing modern ideas to revitalise old learning methods, and was also a good lesson in the power of teamwork for us. With a tight deadline of just one week to complete the makeover, it took the dedicated efforts of every employee in Infoscreen and YTL e-Solutions working together to achieve our goal.
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