Is TikTok a disruption or does it mark a new era of learning? — Shazlin Niza Ab Razak
Once perceived merely as a platform for dance routines and viral entertainment, TikTok has evolved into an emergent space for digital learning.
With billions of views under educational hashtags and creators simplifying complex subjects into concise, one-minute content, the platform is redefining how knowledge is delivered and consumed in real time.
In both Malaysia and globally, students are increasingly relying on TikTok for swift, accessible explanations of academic topics ranging from essay structures and grammatical accuracy to historical timelines and science revision.
These short-form videos, often produced by educators, peers, or academic enthusiasts, transform dense curriculum material into easily digestible and visually engaging content.
In doing so, TikTok meets learners within the digital environments they most frequently occupy.
For traditional educators and institutions, this shift presents a paradox. While there are valid concerns regarding reduced attention spans, the oversimplification of complex material, and the potential spread of misinformation, the deeper issue may lie not in the platform itself but in the rigidity of existing educational systems.
TikTok, rather than threatening education, may be highlighting the urgent need for pedagogical innovation and adaptation.
As classrooms continue to navigate the post-pandemic landscape, TikTok is emerging as a powerful tool to re-engage students.
After years of remote learning and digital burnout, many students now expect education to be interactive, fast-paced, and visually engaging.
Traditional teaching methods often struggle to meet these expectations. TikTok, with its short-form video style and algorithm-driven reach, delivers information in a way that feels intuitive to today's learners.
Through visuals, voiceovers, and direct communication, it presents lessons in formats that are easier to understand, more relatable, and ultimately more memorable.
In recent years, TikTok has become an increasingly vital academic resource for students preparing for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
Faced with mounting pressure to perform well across a wide range of subjects, students are turning to the platform for concise, engaging content that breaks down complex topics in subjects such as English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Mathematics.
These videos, often created by teachers, tutors, or even high-achieving peers, transform traditional syllabus content into visually dynamic lessons that are easier to absorb and revise on the go.
As classrooms continue to navigate the post-pandemic landscape, TikTok is emerging as a powerful tool to re-engage students. — Reuters pic
Instead of poring over lengthy textbooks, students can now access quick grammar tips, formula recaps, experiment walkthroughs, and past-year question analyses, all from their mobile devices.
In doing so, TikTok is reshaping the way exam preparation is approached, offering a more student-centered, accessible, and time-efficient model of learning that complements classroom instruction.
This paradigm shift raises an important question for educators. Should digital platforms like TikTok be resisted or embraced? An increasing number of educators are exploring the latter.
By creating educational TikTok content ranging from revision strategies and micro-lessons to motivational guidance, teachers are not replacing the classroom but extending its reach.
In recognising and responding to students' digital habits, these educators foster deeper engagement, relatability, and learner autonomy.
The structure and function of the traditional classroom are undeniably changing.
Chalkboards are giving way to digital interfaces. Rigid syllabi are being complemented, and sometimes challenged, by on-demand, learner-driven content.
If the ultimate objective of education is to equip, inspire, and empower young minds for an evolving global landscape, then pedagogical approaches must evolve accordingly.
Despite its limitations, TikTok offers a unique pedagogical language. It is concise, interactive, peer-centred, and visually stimulating.
While it may never substitute formal education, it plays an increasingly significant role in shaping contemporary learning behaviours and expectations.
Therefore, when critics label TikTok as nothing more than an entertainment app, they overlook a quiet educational revolution already taking shape.
Education is no longer confined to chalkboards, classrooms, or structured rows of desks.
Today, it lives in the fingertips of students who scroll not just for amusement, but for answers, for clarity, for knowledge that feels relevant and reachable.
In a world where information overload is real and attention is constantly pulled in every direction, TikTok has emerged as an unexpected but powerful learning companion.
It is not here to replace traditional education, but to enhance it, to fill its gaps, and to meet learners where they are.
Lessons that once seemed intimidating are now made accessible. Concepts that once confused now click in under a minute.
Educational change does not always begin with formal policies or elite institutions. Sometimes, it begins with a teenager sharing a math trick from their bedroom.
Sometimes, it starts with a dedicated teacher reimagining their methods to connect with students on their screens.
And often, it flourishes in the determination of students who keep learning despite limited resources, long commutes, or self-doubt.
This is what learning looks like today. It is personal, immediate, and deeply human.
It is a video that makes sense of what a textbook could not. It is a comment section filled with shared struggles and support.
It is proof that learning does not need four walls to thrive. It lives in moments of connection, in sparks of clarity, in the quiet resilience of students who choose to grow in new ways.
* Shazlin Niza Ab Razak is an English language lecturer.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
3 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
The Ocean Cleanup to expand Klang River rubbish-clearing effort
Boyan Slat, inventor of the Interceptor rubbish-collecting boats, on board Interceptor 002 which has been in the Klang River since August 2019. (X pic) KLANG : Environmental NGO The Ocean Cleanup plans to expand its plastic waste interception effort in the Klang River, warning that current measures are not enough to stop pollution from reaching the ocean. 'Even with two Interceptors, the volume of trash is overwhelming,' said Marco Piet, the group's rivers director. 'We plan to upgrade the systems and possibly deploy more Interceptors to boost capacity.' The Interceptors – solar-powered, autonomous vessels – have been operating in the Klang River since 2019 and 2021. They aim to capture plastic waste before it reaches the sea. A 2020 report by state-linked company Landasan Lumayan showed improved water quality in the Klang River since the Interceptors were introduced. Despite this, Piet said, a large amount of waste still escaped capture. 'Cleaning one river is not enough. We need broader solutions, better waste management, sustainability education, and strong local involvement,' he said. He called for greater cooperation from NGOs, civil society, and local communities, stressing that effective solutions must be locally driven. He was speaking at the launch of a new plastic sorting and processing facility in Klang, part of the state's Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) river rehabilitation project. Klang mayor Abdul Hamid Hussain said the facility would play a vital role in both waste management and environmental protection. 'It will help reduce carbon emissions, air and water pollution, and also create jobs since it will be manually operated,' he said. Landasan Lumayan managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin said public behaviour needed to change if long-term sustainability goals were to be met. 'Interceptor boats and log booms only treat the symptoms. Real change comes from shifting public attitudes,' he said. 'This facility is also about education and building a culture of sustainability.' Natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry secretary-general Ching Thoo Kim said broader steps were being taken through the proposed Climate Change Bill to address river pollution, citing the introduction of bottle deposit machines, similar to systems in the Netherlands and Germany, as one example. 'Our dream is for the Klang River to one day be clean enough to take a boat ride all the way to Mid Valley Megamall. It may take 20 or 30 years, but that's the goal,' he said.
Borneo Post
3 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Fatimah: JKM gives mothers one month before acting on baby hatch cases
The Baby Hatch at BMC. – Photo By Chimon Upon KUCHING (July 2): The Social Welfare Department (JKM) must provide a one-month window for mothers of babies left at baby hatches to come forward before any further steps are taken, said Sarawak Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah. 'This is an existing JKM regulation. It is mandatory to allow a one-month period for the baby's mother to come forward, in case she changes her mind and wants to take back and care for the child herself,' she said when contacted by Utusan Borneo . She was responding to public concerns over efforts by the Kuching Division Social Welfare Office (PKMB) to trace the mother of a baby boy placed at the Baby Hatch at Borneo Medical Centre (BMC) on June 15, 2025. In a statement on Tuesday, PKMB Kuching said they were seeking the mother of the 14-day-old infant to obtain essential information for placement and birth certificate registration purposes. The move drew mixed reactions online, with some questioning whether it was appropriate to seek out the mother, given the confidential nature of baby hatches. Clarifying the matter, Fatimah reiterated that the tracing process is part of JKM's standard procedure, not to penalise the mother, but to give her a chance to reclaim the child if she changes her mind within the stipulated timeframe. She added that if the baby remains under JKM's care, its officers will manage the birth certificate registration process. The certificate, issued by the National Registration Department (JPN), can be completed even without the parents' details. 'If the baby's parents are unknown, the birth certificate will state 'NO INFORMATION' in the mother's name column,' she said. Currently attending the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Early Childhood Development 2025 in Manila, Bangkok, Fatimah further noted that if the baby is later adopted, a citizenship application may be submitted under Article 15(A) of the Federal Constitution. She also stressed that baby hatches are a safe option and a lifeline for vulnerable infants. 'The act of placing a baby in a baby hatch is a sign that the mother wants the baby to be safe and to have a brighter future, while also keeping her identity confidential. 'I want to stress that tracking down the mother is part of JKM's existing procedure, to allow time in case the mother changes her mind and wants to reclaim and care for the baby herself,' she said. Meanwhile, PKMB Kuching confirmed that the case is still under investigation by the Child Protector at the Welfare Office under the Child Act 2001. baby hatch fatimah abdullah social welfare department
Malay Mail
7 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Seremban R&R's surau becomes first in Malaysia approved for Friday prayers
KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Surau Madani at the southbound Seremban Rest and Service Area (R&R) has been granted approval to hold Friday prayers, following a decision by the Negeri Sembilan Fatwa Committee. The approval falls under Section 47 of the Negeri Sembilan Islamic Religious Administration Enactment. Negeri Sembilan Mufti, Associate Professor Datuk Faudzinaim Badaruddin told Kosmo! the main reason for the approval was the considerable distance to the nearest mosque, which posed challenges for workers in the area. 'Sometimes, they can't make it to the nearest mosque because it's too far. 'We saw a genuine need and request for permission to hold Friday prayers here so workers would not miss their religious obligation,' he reportedly said during a speech at the surau today. He also urged members of the public who live near or are passing through the southbound R&R to take the opportunity to perform Friday prayers at Surau Madani. The surau is the first at any R&R in the country to receive such approval. The first Friday prayer is scheduled to be held on July 4.
