English Literature books

I've got hold of these books yesterday and I'm still in the midst of reading the F4 & F5 poems, short stories and drama. I've only read through the poems as I was swarmed with tons of works, pending and waiting to be executed. (operational work plan, students' essays, ICELT, 2010's allocation of classes...the list goes on) I'm so glad that CDC is producing a handbook on this for all the teachers. That would greatly assists us teachers who might have myopic views on the latest English Literature Component. I was also informed by Kak Rahmah that there are novels for the F3 & F5 next year but the titles are yet to be announced. How I pray that they would choose something exciting and appealing to the learners. I think anything by Anita Desai would be apt, I like her styles of writing. Hemmingway's The Old Man and The Sea is also a great read, it's very straightforward (plus point especially when you're teaching the weaker students) but again, that's just my own personal opinion. We just have to wait patiently for the announcement by the MOE.

Apart from that, I'm planning to develop a learning module that could assist the students in understanding these literary texts better. My current LIT Module would be redundant by next year..too bad, after all the hard work. Ah well, life goes on and there's no use to mull over the past. After all, the experience would definitely assist me in developing the new one yeah. Think positive!

Developing our own materials require a great deal of patience and perseverance. It's a painstaking process, believe me... so, I'm taking it a step at a time. I'll collaborate with my colleagues so we could finish it faster and after all, two heads (or more) are better than one. Need to scout more information online or perhaps, hop into the bookstores nearby. Hopefully, I can do it during the school holidays, Insya Allah.

Time to strategise!

It's that time of the year for the English Panel strategic planning 2010. Yes siree, the same old thing I would say except for surprise, surprise, a new format that was implemented by JPNJ. Next year, Jey is no longer our Head of Panel (bummer!) as she'll be teaching the Sixth Formers. Only time would tell who would be appointed as the new Head Of Panel. During the LET meeting just now, we put our heads together and brainstormed strategic work plan to optimise the students' performance.

As one of the ICT co-coordinators in my school, I was assigned to design the templates for Pelan Strategik, Pelan Tindakan & Pelan Operasi that are standardised for every department. One more thing, it seems that the new format requires one to jot down the Pelan Induk Pembangunan Pendidikan (PIPP) codes for every operational planning. Imagine, having to leaf through the thick PIPP manual, it would take ages to get through all the cores, focus and strategies! Thus, I've compiled all the PIPP codes in one document so that it becomes an easy reference to every panel.

If you are interested, you can download it too. Sharing is caring!

Photo Essay: Action Research Seminar 2009

The introduction.

L.I.T. Module in practice.

Explaining my L.I.T. Module to the audience.

Picking up my momentum.

Azrina (SMKTU2) presented her AR on the effects of YouTube on students' behaviour.

Pn. Ho (SMK Sri Rahmat) demonstrated the use of
graphic organiser in Literature lessons.

Magic Cube, a creative method to teach vocabulary.

Pn. Khaliza ( SETA) showed us the effective way to teach possessive pronouns.

District Level Action Research Seminar

This coming Saturday, I'll be presenting my action research findings at the District Level Action Research Seminar. This year, the venue is at SK Taman Universiti 1. My paper is entitled "OPTIMIZING 3 SAIDINA ABU BAKAR STUDENTS’ INTEREST AND UNDERSTANDING TOWARDS THE POEMS IN THE PMR LITERATURE COMPONENT VIA L.I.T. MODULE [L-LEARN, I-INTERACT, T-TEST]." Yeah, I know, it's a mouthful. I hope that by sharing my action research with my colleagues, I could improve my teaching techniques and at the same time, discover new perspectives on ELT. Since I have no inkling on the correct way to present a paper during a seminar, I'll just follow my instinct by preparing things which are normally required during a presentation. Presentation slides, check. Handouts, check. If you have any experience presenting at the said seminar, I would really appreciate if you could share your thoughts, advice or experience.

The icing on the cake is when I discovered that my husband was also selected as a presenter :D He'll be presenting his paper on Teori F.A.H.M.I. which is named after our 2nd son, Muhd Fahmi. It's a mnemonic technique that assists students in writing essay efficiently. Hopefully, everything will turn out smoothly for both of us.

Songs on Peace

WHERE IS THE LOVE -BLACK EYED PEAS


HEAL THE WORLD-MICHAEL JACKSON


WE ARE THE WORLD

Of Raya and Guru Cemerlang

Selamat Hari Raya.

Today marks the 6th day of Eid and all I can say, I trully cherish the moment spent with my family and the loved ones. My sons embraced the Raya fervour by donning matching turqoise Baju Melayu Teluk Belanga (it's the theme this year) and munchkin-sized songkok. We decided to take family portrait at a studio for the first time and thank god, Abang and Adik were well-behaved despite the scorching heat. Kudos kiddos :)

Yesterday, I finally got the chance to visit my former but never forgotten teacher, Hjh. Halidah Baba in Sungai Dulang, Rengit. She's still as jovial as she was 16 years ago. She has retired from teaching yet to me, she is the epitome of a dedicated teacher. She's not the type who would just spoonfeed you with informations, facts and details as she would challenge students to think out of the box. I'm indebted to her for molding me to become an orator and without her guidance, I wouldn't be able to represent Johor in Pidato Piala Di Raja and other public speaking contests at district and state levels. Who would have guess that she was my mom's senior back in high school and my mother-in-law's schoolmate back in primary school? Small world indeed.

Alhamdulillah, I'm shortlisted as Guru Cemerlang Bahasa Inggeris this year. I'm not sure of my chances but I'm hoping for the best. Definitely need to fine-tune some of my learning modules. Based from the buletin in the PPD's website, there are altogether 5 candidates for the position of English Language Master Teachers. The observation would be done after Raya so, definitely need to be prepared for that. Wish me luck :)

2010 English Literature Component

Next year, there would be a major reshuffling of the literary texts for the secondary school students. Frankly, I'm relieved that MOE decided to decrease the number of poems and short stories this time. It's about time as teachers have been struggling to teach the current literary texts within short time span. I have to admit that I have never heard of most of the writers (except for Latif Mohidin & Zurinah Hassan who are famous Malay poets) but I'm sure that they are chosen for good reasons. Personally, it would interesting if they decide to put any of Roger McGough's eccentric poems or one of Roahl Dahl's quirky short stories but hey, that's just MY point of view. I'm delighted that they are going to introduce plays as it's one of the literary genres that could spark engagement, exploration and excitement in language classroom. How I wish they could use plays written by Malaysian playwrights like Malaysian Laureate Nordin Hassan, Kee Thuan Chye, Syed Alwi, Ann Lee, Huzir Sulaiman, to name a few. Isn't it about time we acknowledge our own talented Malaysians? That's just my 2 cents.

Below is the complete list of the literary texts:

Form 1:
Poems
1. The River -Valerie Bloom
2. Mr Nobody - author unknown
Short Stories
1. Flipping Fantastic -Jane Langford

Form 2:
Poems
1. I wonder - Jeannie Kirby
2. Heir Conditioning - M. Shanmughalingam
Short Stories
1. One is One and All Alone - Nicholas Fisk
Play
1. Rumpelstiltskin -Angela Lanyon

Form 3:
Poems
1. A Fighter's Line- Marzuki Ali
2. Leisure - Willian Henry Davies

Form 4:
Poems
1. In the Midst of Hardship -Latiff Mohidin
2. He Had such Quiet Eyes -Bibsy Soenharjo
Short Stories
1. QWERTYUIOP -Vivian Alcock
2. The Fruitcake Special -Frank Brennan
Play
1. Gulp and Gasp- John Townsend

Form 5:
Poems
1. Nature -H.D. Carberry
2. Are you Still Playing Your Flute -Zurinah Hassan

It's interesting to note that there's no novel this time. I was wishing there would be at least a novel for the Fifth Formers. Perhaps I'm too used to the notion that literature component is incomplete sans novel? Let's be optimistic and hope that the students will be enthusiastic in exploring the joy of literature.

ICELT 2009

When opportunity comes knocking, seize it and make the best out of it.

Thanks to JPNJ for sponsoring me to attend the 2009 International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICELT).This year, it will be held at Equatorial Hotel, Malacca for two consecutive days (10-11 Nov 2009). Just like MELTA Conference, this event will be attended by local and international English Language practitioners and I'll be presenting a paper in front of these people. This is my first time so you could imagine how jittery I am. Frankly speaking, I'm still contemplating on the topic of my presentation and Monday is the dateline for the proposal, yikes!

Well, since the ICELT's theme is Profiting from Learner and Teacher Investment in ELT, I thought Education Technology would be an apt topic, after all, being IT-savvy would enable teachers to create an engaging lesson with the help of multimedia applications. Now, some people might mention that multimedia-based software in the market is rather expensive. Fret not, there are cheaper yet effective alternatives available online : freeware and games online. Voila! That's it! I shall present a paper on "Utilizing educational freeware and games in promoting self-access learning in ELT. "

I've always been a staunch supporter for Internet and multimedia-based learning. I practically use it on daily basis and I know most of my students are online and IT-savvy too. My students and I interact via Facebook and we blog as well albeit different areas of interest. I won't be surprised if some of them are more advanced than me, they quickly adapt and embrace the technology as naturally as breathing. That what inspires me to delve deeper into the wonderful realm of multimedia software and application as they offer delectable arrays of possibilities for effective language learning. I know some English Language practitioners have qualms in developing their own materials via freeware. Indeed, it's rather time consuming and a wee bit daunting but once you got the hang of it, it would be a great investment for both teachers and students.

I have practically one month to prepare for this. It's make or break so wish me luck!

Of fasting and examinations

This month is certainly the month of tests and endurance. My students just sat for their PMR trial exam and anxiously await for the outcomes. I'm sure most of my colleagues are in the midst of marking frenzy and optimistically hoping for improvement in their students' performance. After marking the English paper, I noticed that most of my students fared better in Paper 2 than in Paper 1. Now that's a first! After analyzing the items, I assumed that students were baffled in choosing the answers as the options given were quite similar to one another. Their vocabulary prowess was under scrutiny and this exam revealed how much the students need to buck up in order to improve themselves for the upcoming PMR exam. Definitely need to analyze my students' strength and weaknesses so I could develop the right exam module to cater to their specific needs. Oh well, we'll see how it goes!

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of Ramadhan Al-Mubarak, the holy month that tests our physical and mental endurance. This is the month of self-reflection and self-evaluation as we acquire patience and strong will in performing our daily deeds. Personally, I hope to change for the better, physically and mentally. Happy fasting and enjoy your holidays!

One word

I knew about this website through my former lecturer, Sharon Bakar when she raved about it in her famous blog. Everyday, they will feature one word and you'll have to write something that revolves around that word within 60 seconds. I tried it once and I can say that I'm totally hooked on this. Frankly, I think that it's a good way to enhance your writing skills and it tests your creativity as well. I've adapted the idea of this site into my module and so far, it has benefited the weaker students as it is content-based and they felt that this exercise triggers their interests in writing.