Your Learning Pod, Asia Pacific International School, Selangor

Summary of Project:

Your Learning Pod is a comprehensive website where learners can share ideas and notes and help each other out with their studies. Our site is also equipped with a booking program to organise classes for those who need it. Learners who need more attention can also request for a mentor to help them out 1-on-1.

Problem Statement:

We observed that Year 10 & 11 students do not get enough attention from teachers in a class full of students, and this is a problem worsened by the limited interactions during the pandemic.

Without seeing their teachers as individuals outside of their classes, students have a low rapport with their teachers and do not come forward to their teachers for assistance even when they are falling behind in their studies.

For students in an exam year which is crucial to their future, it is important to not fall behind because if they do not maximize their learning ability at this age, it sets them up for failure when they enter university and later the workforce.

Participants Demographics:

15 students in both Year 10 and Year 11 participated in our project. Three of the Year 11 students are taking Sociology, while two of them are taking foreign language (Malay). Five Year 11 students are taking Chemistry, one is taking Biology, and four are taking Combined Science. We also have one Year 10 student taking History to build her foundation in the subject.

The learning methods we used overall were a combination of both active (practical hands-on experiments and interactive Q&As) and passive (traditional learning style) method.

Project Impact & Impact Measurement Method:

Firstly, we recorded the number of students who were involved in the project by referencing the website and social media account interaction as well as regular class attendance.

Secondly, we measured the level of improvement shown by conducting tests before and after the project. The results show that the average improvement percentage was 13.9%.

Changes Observed In Participants (Improvements/Progress):

Our Year 11 participants started asking us for help and ended up getting closer to us. They have also become more passionate about learning. The Year 11 participants also showed a higher interest in learning as they now understand the classes more as we have made the classes relatable to them. As a result, the whole year became closer and were more willing to help each other out.

Challenges/Setbacks Faced:

We had to prepare for exams midway through the project and had to prioritize our exams over the project. Additionally, Year 10 students were less willing to participate in our project because they are just starting their school year.

We overcame the issues by going hardcore the week after exams and recruiting the Year 11 students over the Year 10. Even though students from both Years are equally important, we concluded that because the Year 10 syllabus was just covering the basics, the supplementary classes would not be as effective for the Year 10 students as it would be for the Year 11 students.

Additionally, our Year 11 mentees gained more from this experience because we could devote more time to them.