Of Debate & E-Lab

Due to hectic schedule, I was on writing hiatus but I finally manage to update this blog of mine. Some of the updates are not really that up-to-date but well, something is better than nothing, no? Two weeks ago, I was the Chief Adjudicator of  the quarter-final round of the Parliamentary English Language debate of Johor Bahru district. The venue was at SMK Taman Tun Aminah. I had trouble finding the school, I was in the vicinity of  Tmn. Tun Aminah but I ended up in the wrong school and had to make another turning. Thank god,  I finally managed to locate the school and be there to judge the competition. 

SMK Sultan Ismail vs SMK Sri Rahmat. pic credit: Zainal Yusof

The adjudicators. L-R: Zainal (SMK Taman U), Tamil Selvi (SETA) and I. pic credit: Zainal Yusof

This year, I was chosen by Utusan Malaysia to be the Content Developer for E-Lab, their weekly education pull-out. I was elated and grateful for I was given the chance to share my ideas and materials with all the students and teachers on a national scale. I am entrusted to develop the materials for the SPM section. Thank you Utusan Malaysia for giving me this golden opportunity! E-Lab provides lively language learning that enhances meta cognitive skills and broadens the students' perspective on a particular topic. Apart from reading materials, there would be word games, interactive activities, speaking and writing activities that are related to the weekly topic. Do check it out!

Johor International Student Leaders Conference 2011

Date: 23-24th March 2011
Venue: JPNJ
Organiser: Johor Student Leaders Council

JISLC was officiated by Dr. Hj. Zahari Bin Aziz, Deputy Director General of Education, Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

Robert Pick, one of the three plenary speakers. He has been appointed as the Master of Marlborough College Malaysia, which will be situated in the Iskandar Region. Trivia bit: Kate Middleton, Prince William's fiancee was one of  its famous students ;)

Serious fun : Taking a flight to a better future

My students who presented during the Poster Presentation. L-R: Mujahid, Benard and Amira. They presented on 'Speak Like A Leader', an oratory programme conducted by the Student Leaders Board in my school.

My students and I. Glad that they really enjoyed the conference!

Moderating for the parallel session. I was in charge of Track 1 and moderated three sessions that day. The student leaders from various countries shared their ideas on how global diversity affect the leaders of tomorrow.

Workshop sessions.

Mini UN Session. Representatives from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Thailand, South Africa and Vietnam presented the issues plaguing their countries during this session. One of the highlights of the conference.

Omani representative aired his view on health awareness in Oman.

Mujahid, Kak Liza and I. Big grin on our faces despite running here and there like headless chickens in managing the conference.

The officials. Fareeza (IJ Convent), myself and Navinder (SIGS). It was fun working with both of you. Hope to see you soon!

Changes in the format of the English Lit Component in SPM 111/2

A friendly reminder to all the English Language teachers and students out there. Effective 2011, The Examination Board will make amendment to Section D (English Literature Component) in the SPM 1119/2 paper.

Recent Format	New Format (2011)
Section D Poem : 5 marks (structured item) Short Story : 5 marks (structured item) Novel: 15 marks (open response) Total : 25 marks	Section D Poem: 5 marks (structured item) Novel: 15 marks (open response) Total: 20 marks

THE CURRENT ASSESSED GENRE		THE ASSESSED GENRE EFFECTIVE 2011
Poem	One of the poems studied in Form 4	Poem	One of the poems studied in Form 4 or Form 5
Short Story	One of the short stories studied in Form 4	Short Story/Drama	Won’t be tested in SPM
Novel	Novel studied in Form 5	Novel	Novel studied in Form 5

The format for other sections in Paper 2 will remain unchanged. Despite the fact that short stories and drama will not be assessed in public examination, English Language teachers still need to teach the aforementioned genre in the classroom. This is in accordance to the circular No. 7/2009, The 2nd cycle of the Malay and English Literature Component for Secondary School (Form 1 to Form 5). I do wonder why short stories are not assessed any longer, it would be interesting to know the others' views pertaining to this matter.

Addendum : For the circular, you can visit Kak Rahmah's blog.

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!  

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!