Nature by H.D. Carberry

I have to admit that I haven't invest much time in developing new material for the English Literature Component due to my super hectic schedule. Nonetheless, I've managed to spare a wee bit of time to design one for H.D. Carberry's Nature. I'm planning to use it tomorrow to assist my students in understanding the poem better. I'm in the midst of preparing interactive materials for the poem as well, so do check out this blog from time to time for latest updates!

Johore International Student Leaders Conference 2011

Theme : "Student Leaders in the Face of Global Diversity"

The rise in globalization now imposes upon student leaders all over the world to begin expanding their vision of the true meaning of 'diversity'. Indeed the word 'global diversity' does not yet have a broadly shared or universally understood meaning. For some it denotes race and gender while for others it could mean ethnicty and culture that not only embraces differences but also celebrates unique ideas, perspective and eperiences. This way, student leaders are able to better prepare themselves as future leaders who are able to remain relevant and globally sophisticated.

Essentialy, the theme of this conference has a particular focus on globalization as well as internationalization. It also revolves around the multi-faceted meaning of global diversity which at a more basic level would include diversity in culture, arts, language, race, gender and ways of living. To this end, the organizer encourages submissions that approach these topics from a variety of perspectives. However, submissions on other relevant topics are welcome and we also encourage sessions within and across a variety of disciplines and field related to Student Leadership. Papers to be presented can be about a project, initiative, programme that the presenter has undertaken, developed or is a part of. It can also be a narrative account based on the presenter's views, observations and readings. The conference is opened to student leaders from the age of 13 to 18.

REGISTRATION

International Participants

• Participation of international presenters and participants at the JISLC 2011 is upon invitation only.
• Interested student leaders can express interest to participate by submitting an abstract to the secretariat accompanied by nomination letter (cover letter) from the Ministry of Education from his/her country as endorsement.
• The abstract will be reviewed by our review panel. Once accepted, the student leader will be informed via email and will be advised on the official registration procedures. An official invitation will be sent to the successful presenter.
• The official invitation includes full board accommodation and meals for 1 presenter (student leader) only. It does not cover local cost for accompanying teacher/guardian.

Local Participants

• Local student leaders (from Johore as well as other states within Malaysia) are welcome to either participate as a presenter or a participant in the conference.
• To participate, student leaders need to complete the registration form below and submit to the secretariat before February 28^th, 2011. Participation in the conference is on a  FCFS basis. Participants are required to pay a nominal fee of RM30 upon registration on the conference day.
• To present a paper at the conference, a student leader is required to submit their abstracts accompanied by a cover letter from his/her respective school no later than February 28^th, 2011 (refer to Call for Papers section). The abstracts will be reviewed by our reviewed panel. Once accepted, the student leader will be informed via email and will be advised on the official registration procedures. An official invitation will be sent to the successful presenter.
• The official invitation includes full board accommodation and meals for 1 presenter (student leader) only. It does not cover cost for accompanying teacher/guardian.
• Johore student leaders are also invited to watch the proceeding of the mini UN meeting to be held on the 24^th March 2011. The round-table meeting will be an in camera proceeding, however, Johore student leaders can view the live feed that would take place at the JPN Johor's auditorium. Kindly express interest to view the round-table meeting during the conference registration on the 23^rd. Please note that meals are NOT provided for the viewers throughout the meeting.
  
  For further information, do visit this site.
  (sourced from The Johor Internationalisation of Schools' website)

ESL Herald: The online headquarter for all things ESL

Are you looking for materials to spice up your teaching? Ever dream of working abroad? Feel you need to network with other English Language teachers but don't know how? Fret not. ESL Herald offers all the answers under one roof. I was contacted by Shane Phair, one of ESL Herald's personnels recently and I'm glad that he had informed me about this brilliant website.

Basically, ESL Herald aims to:

• help ESL teachers locate the most exciting global ESL job opportunities...
• provide schools and recruiters with the resources needed to find the brightest teachers worldwide...
• host a forum where ESL teachers can share their experiences...
• ensure all teachers have the tools needed to master their skills in the classroom
• assist ESL teachers with destination guidance so they can maximize their experience outside the classroom 

(cited  from ESL Herald)

The first thing that attracted me was its neat layout and fuss-free navigation. Finding materials is a breeze as the site is segmented according to the areas of interest. Personally, I like the Teacher Toolkit section as it provides a wide array of topics such as Essay Topics, Grammar, Games, Lesson Plans etc. You can narrow down your search  based on the age group of the students, level, article rating and date posted. For new teachers who need some ideas for first day of teaching, do check out  'First Day of Class'. No more classroom jitters as we can arm ourselves with brilliant tips and tricks to kick-start the class. Do check it out!