02/05/2026

SATURDAY | MAY 2, 2026 18 I WALKED into the cinema expecting nostalgia. I walked out carrying my childhood. Watching Michael , the much-anticipated biopic of Michael Jackson portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson, I thought I knew what I was in for – another retelling, another carefully constructed tribute to a man whose life has been dissected, debated and documented endlessly. But I was wrong. This was not just a film; it was a time machine. From the very first scene, there was something arresting about Jaafar’s performance – not just the precision of his movements or the familiar cadence of Michael’s presence but something more elusive: a sense of spirit. It didn’t feel like imitation; it felt like channelling. At moments, I forgot I was watching an actor at all. And perhaps that is what makes Michael different. It doesn’t over-explain him; it simply lets you feel him. Because how do you explain someone like Michael Jackson? He wasn’t just the King of Pop; he was larger than life in a way that still feels difficult to define. His music did not merely top the charts; it crossed borders that politics, religion and language often struggle to bridge. In living rooms from Kuala Lumpur to Kansas, in cassette tapes and pirated CDs, in school performances and wedding dance floors – Michael was there. For those of us born in the 80s, he was not just an artist; he was part of growing up. I did not realise how deeply those memories lived in me until Billie Jean played in the film. Suddenly, I was not in a cinema anymore – I was a child again, watching his music videos in awe, trying and failing to moonwalk across tiled floors, believing that music could be magic. Then another memory surfaced, one I hadn’t revisited in years. In 1996, when Michael came to Malaysia for his HIStory World Tour, I was nine years old. I was not at the concert – of course not. I was only nine. Only the older members of my family went. I remember them coming home – changed, excited and overwhelmed – full of stories that felt too large for me to fully grasp. I listened anyway, trying to imagine what it must have been like, piecing together a moment I had only experienced through their words. At nine, I didn’t yet understand what it meant to witness something like that, only that I had missed something extraordinary. Watching the film now, decades later, I realised something unexpected. It didn’t take me back to the P O T B Y H A S H I IN contemporary education, the call to develop higher-order thinking skills has never been more urgent. Educators are challenged to cultivate analytical thinkers, problem-solvers, and innovative leaders – outcomes that align with Bloom’s Taxonomy. However, a crucial element is often overlooked: the psychological and emotional readiness of students to engage in such cognitively demanding tasks. As the adage aptly suggests, “Students need Maslow before they can Bloom”. This underscores a fundamental truth: before learners can excel in cognitive domains, their basic human needs must be met. Bloom’s Taxonomy, first introduced in 1956 and revised in 2001, remains a cornerstone for curriculum development and assessment. It outlines a hierarchy of cognitive processes: remember, understand, apply, analyse, evaluate and create. These stages guide educators in structuring learning objectives. However, Bloom’s model assumes that students are psychologically prepared to engage with content at increasingly complex levels. This presumption can be problematic. Students grappling with hunger, anxiety or emotional distress are unlikely to perform tasks requiring critical thinking, collaboration or creativity. These conditions impair the brain’s executive functioning, hindering the very skills Bloom’s Taxonomy aims to develop. In essence, cognitive development cannot be scaffolded effectively without addressing COMMENT by Alicia Philip T U

Remembering the time of Michael Jackson

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concert itself; it took me back to that version of me – the child standing just outside the experience, trying to imagine it through someone else’s memory. And somehow, that still matters. There is something about N T

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Michael Jackson that refuses to settle into nostalgia alone. His

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music continues to move across time and generations, living in fragments, in radio stations, old tapes, digital playlists and stories passed down without effort. And Jaafar carries that legacy with restraint and care. It is not a performance built on imitation alone; it is shaped by understanding. He doesn’t try to replace Michael; he reflects him. That distinction matters. Walking out of the cinema, I realised I hadn’t just watched a biopic; I had returned to something personal. Because Michael Jackson was never only for those who saw him live in stadiums. He also belonged to those who knew him secondhand – through screens, radio, borrowed stories and imagination – people like me. And maybe that is the real legacy of his music. It doesn’t ask whether you

Michael wasn’t just the King of Pop; he was larger than life in a way that still feels difficult to define. His music didn’t merely top charts; it crossed borders that politics, religion and language often struggle to bridge. – AFPPIC

were there; it simply stays with you anyway – larger than life, still moving across generations, unforgettable. Hashini Kavishtri Kannan is the assistant news editor at theSun. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com Students need Maslow before they can bloom

Educators can implement several strategies to achieve this: 0 Build trust and relationships: Educators should take time to understand their students’ lived experiences, foster open communication and demonstrate genuine care. 0 Design flexible learning environments: By using Universal Design for Learning, educators can offer multiple means of engagement, representation and expression, ensuring that diverse learner needs are met. 0 Incorporate social-emotional learning: Integrating emotional regulation, empathy and interpersonal skills into the curriculum can strengthen the classroom climate. 0 Create predictable routines: Establishing structured yet flexible routines can reduce anxiety and help students feel more in control and safe. These practices do not compromise academic rigour; instead, they lay the groundwork for it. Humanistic strategies create an environment where students can thrive emotionally, which in turn enhances their ability to engage in rigorous cognitive work. As educators, we are often expected to serve many roles simultaneously: instructional designers, behaviour managers, counsellors and mentors. These roles can be taxing and overwhelming but they are essential to create a well-functioning classroom microsystem – an excellent environment that fosters optimal learning. While systemic support is necessary, we also have a professional responsibility to reassess our pedagogical assumptions. To foster student success, we must ensure that both the emotional and cognitive domains are addressed.

the affective domain. This is where Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, introduced in 1943, becomes pivotal. Maslow posited that human motivation is structured in tiers: physiological needs, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self actualisation. For educators, this framework implies that before students can engage in complex cognitive tasks, they must first feel physically safe, emotionally supported, and socially connected. Only then can they achieve self actualisation through cognitive engagement. This issue is especially pressing in educational environments marked by socioeconomic disparities, trauma and systemic inequities. Students who arrive at school hungry, sleep-deprived or emotionally neglected are not simply distracted; they are neurologically impaired in their ability to process, retain and synthesise information. For these students, tasks such as evaluation or creation are not just complex; they are often inaccessible. This results in poor academic performance and disengagement as their fundamental needs remain unmet. The solution lies in humanistic education, a philosophy rooted in the work of Carl Rogers and Maslow. Humanistic education places the learner at the centre of the educational process, recognising students as whole beings with intellectual, emotional and psychological needs that must be nurtured together. It is not only about what students learn but also about how they experience the learning process. In practical terms, humanistic education calls for the creation of psychologically safe classrooms where students feel valued, respected and supported.

Here are several considerations for educators to integrate these insights into their teaching practices: 0 Assessment of readiness: Educators should assess not only content knowledge but also emotional and psychological readiness. Diagnostic tools should evaluate both affective and academic factors. 0 Pedagogical empathy: Teaching should transition from a transactional model to a relational one, where empathy informs the pacing, delivery and design of learning experiences. 0 Advocacy: Teachers must advocate for institutional policies that prioritise student well being, such as school meal programmes, mental health support and trauma-informed faculty training. The relationship between Maslow’s and Bloom’s frameworks is essential but the order in which they are addressed matters. In our pursuit of creating academically successful learners, we must never bypass their basic human needs. The cognitive will only flourish when the emotional is acknowledged. Education, at its core, is not merely about transferring knowledge but also transforming lives. To help students bloom, we must first meet them where they are, ensuring they feel seen, heard and supported. By embracing humanistic learning, we reaffirm our role not just as educators but also as caretakers of the potential future leaders of our society. Alicia Philip is a lecturer at the Languages and Communication Department, College of Continuing Education, Universiti Tenaga Nasional. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com