21st IAVE International Youth Conference : A Photo Essay

Last week, I was given the opportunity to participate in the 21st IAVE World Youth Volunteer Conference. Held at the Singapore Management University, the event successfully united all the youth leaders, teen volunteers and NGO officers from all around the world. The main objective is to engage and explore how volunteerism can help create substantial multiplier effects within communities and play a critical role in a sustainable future for all.

The Johore Student Leaders Council (JSLC) members who attended the conference. The entourage was sponsored by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA). [back : l-r: Syafiq Azhar, Syafiq Nash, Sarvind and Hafiz. front: l-r: Nabila, Kothai, Sara and Sofiya.]

The accompanying officers with Syafiq, one of the JSLC members. Far left is Madam Rosliza Rosli,  the International Relations Officer for the Johor Education Department.

The plenary session by Hugh Evans. He is a world- reknown humanitarian and the CEO of the Global Poverty Project.

I attended a talk by Hugh where he explained extensively on Resource Management. As the JSLC would be organising an international conference soon, it is vital for the team to know the best way to get sponsors and sustain the cashflow on upcoming projects.

I was fascinated with SCAPE, the hub for youth activities in Singapore. I seriously think we need to provide teens with various mind-rejuvenating activities that would deter them from unfavourable influence. We need to encourage youth to be involved in volunteerism as is the key to maintain an equilbrium of needs and wants.

I attended a session on Project Management, led by Samantha Kerr. She is the chairperson for the Scottish Youth Parliament. A laidback approach yet full of brilliant ways to help youth kickstart their projects.

International Culture Night. On my left is MP Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatimah Lateef who officiated the event.

Baju kurung meets hanbok :)

The Malaysian team, garbed in our national attires. I am proud of them as they managed to network with the other delegates effortlessly. Way to go!

The team's night out at Vivo City. Thanks to Tracy Ter, our Volunteer Ambassador (VA) who has been a wonderful host. We bonded so well with her. We miss you so much, Tracy :)

Jamilah and I at Esplanade. Jamilah is the Youth Development Officer at Yayasan Mendaki, Singapore. She has achieved so much in her life yet she is so down to earth and friendly. We'll definitely keep in touch, Jam!

In a nutshell, the conference had opened my mind and broaden my perspectives on leadership, youth volunteerism and project management. When I discovered that Singaporean students have social service as part of their school curriculum, I was definitely enthralled with the concept. I believe we need to cultivate volunteerism amongst our Malaysian students albeit the fact it should come from the heart and not be enforced upon the teenagers. I also believe that leadership is not just about giving orders and producing excellent documentation alone. A true leader needs to be involved at grassroot level, physically involved in community-based activities and initiate change that would lead to a better tomorrow. Apart from attending conferences, I have discovered that there are a lot of books that students can rely on as a guidance in conducting their community projects. So if you miss the chance to attend the youth conference, you can always go to amazon.com and select books that specifically focus on student leadership. Service above self :)

2011 Schemes of Work

Apart from PLAD JB, I would also like to share the latest schemes of work, courtesy of PPDJB. A friendly reminder on the F5's Scheme of Work though. If you read the section on English Literature Component, we need to teach the novel first then stop half way through to study the poems and later on continue with the remaining chapters. According to Ms. Ruzana Saat, the District English Language Officer, as long the chapters stated in the scheme of work are covered by the time of midyear examination, teachers can start teaching the poems first and move on with the novel. Personally, I would opt teaching the poems ( Nature & Are You Still Playing Your Flute) for the first term and then move on to teaching Chapter 1-10 of Lee Sun Ann's The Curse later on. Feel free to download the files below and hope these would help those who are searching for the latest schemes of work for English Language.

• Scheme Of Work  F1
• Scheme Of Work F2
• Scheme Of Work F3
• Scheme Of Work F4
• Scheme Of Work F5

PLAD JB

I would like to share the latest information on the academic assignment standards that is implemented in all schools in Johor Bahru this year.  Brace yourself teachers, bid adieu to PLAN-J and say hello to PLAD JB (Piawaian Latihan Akademik Daerah Johor Bahru).  The latest guideline was provided by PPDJB, credit to Cik Ruzana Saat, the District English Language Officer.There's no stark difference between the former and the latter, apart from the number of exercises assigned. I am in favour of the latest standards as it is more workable and sensible to me. Now, we don't have to fret just because we could not reach a certain number of essays or tasks as it provides a feasible target. With the inception of PLAD JB, PLAN-J will no longer be implemented in JB but will still be carried out in other districts. You can download PLAD JB by clicking the links below. Sharing is caring!

• PLAD JB English Language F1
• PLAD JB English Language F2
• PLAD JB English Language F3
• PLAD JB English Language F4
• PLAD JB English Language F5

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!

I hope it's not too late to wish everyone a belated Happy New Year. It's been awhile since I've updated my blog due to the fact I was in the midst of moving to a new house. I was kinda caught up in the packing and unpacking frenzy. Thank God that everything turned out well but since I am nursing my knee injury, the process of sprucing up the place might take a bit longer than expected.

On 24th December last year, I attended the Innovation Day ( Hari Inovasi) organised by the Johor Education Department. Held at SM Teknik Johor Bahru, it's an event that highlights achievements and innovation made by the education personnels in Johor. Alhamdulillah, I have been chosen to receive the 'Anugerah Khas Kualiti' from the Director of the Johor Education Department, Y.B. Tn. Hj. Markom Bin Giran. I was nominated by my principal, Pn. Hjh. Zainab Bt. Ali and I am thankful that she believed in me despite the fact I was away from school for 4 months due to my accident. This is my second time receiving the same award but last year, I was unable to attend the prize-giving ceremony due to conjunctivitis. It was such a great experience being able to talk and share experience with some of the established names in the Johor education circle. I had the chance to talk to Pn. Fuziah Hassan, the headmistress ( Guru Besar Cemerlang) of SK Bandar Uda 2, one of the high performing schools in Malaysia. She has imparted a lot of great tips on how to excel in the education field. Thanks Kak Gee!

Elated and grateful. In the midst of hardship, there's blessing in disguise.

My no. 1 supporter and I.

 My colleague and I. Kak Nani was chosen as one of the 'Setiausaha Peperiksaan Cemerlang' in Johor. Congrats, you definitely deserve it! Our school received 4 awards that day. Go Tasek! 

 While flipping the event booklet, I came across a page on Patent and Copyright Act. It seems that Johor Education Department is encouraging the personnels to patent their work legally and they are helping us to do that. That's fantastic. Coincidentally, I was facing a dillema when I came across some sites that use my materials without acknowledgement and some even claimed those are theirs. As much as I love to share my materials with everyone, I was hoping they would have the courtesy and common sense to linkback and not blatantly claim other people's work as theirs. I know that to some people, this may come across as trivial matters but to me, it is vital that we learn the proper Net ethics and teach our students how to utilise the materials online well.

The first week of school was hectic. I'm back being the Head of English Language Panel but am still the Media and Resource Centre Coordinator until the District Education Office appoints another person soon. Thanks to Kak Rahmah for being my mentor and helping me out. Oh yeah, I have to juggle a lot of posts this year, trying to come up with a plan to manage various areas within such limited time and resources. We teachers are excellent multi-taskers anyway ;)

Climbing the stairs take longer time than before. I am so so thankful I have wonderful students who are very understanding and always there to offer help when needed. I hope I can be a better teacher this year and learn more things along the way. I hope to share more education materials on this blog as I believe we teachers can benefit better with broader networking. May you have a blissful year ahead!