Fun in the English Classroom

Event: Fun in the English Classroom

Date: 26th January 2013 

Venue: Eastwood Valley Golf & Country Club, Miri, Sarawak.

 I was invited by Tun Datu Tuanku Haji Bujang College & Miri Education Office to conduct a series of presentations & workshop last month. Frankly, the invitation came as a surprise for me as I'm currently on study leave and I was actually sitting for my IT Project Management final exam when I received the e-mail pertaining to this workshop. Then, I thought, why not? It would be great to network with other teachers and share new ideas and experience with them. My main focus was using technology as the catalyst to encourage fun and interactive learning.

I divided my workshop into 3 sessions. The first session focussed on Flipped Classroom where I introduced the concept, history, tools and ways we can incorporate virtual teaching & learning. Next is Creativity & Active Learning where I emphasized on the incorporation of HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) in teaching. The teachers also tried some activities that involves a lot of bodily kinesthetic intelligence (singing/dancing/acting). Last but not least, my last session talked on gamifying learning process. Here, teachers are exposed to ways we can inculcate competitiveness and element of fun in classroom teaching. They tried QR Code Amazing Race and they had so much fun! I introduced some freewares and online games that they can use with their students too. Teaching should not only be fun for students but for teachers themselves too! Thanks to my ex-schoolmate, Azlan, the Head Steward of MAS whom I met coincidentally in the plane, the participants were given prizes, courtesy of MAS. Isn't that serendipitous? Although 6 hours talking can be taxing but I honestly enjoyed sharing ideas and experience with everyone!

My deepest thanks and gratitude to Madam Sawaran Jit Kaur and Miri Education Office for inviting me. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my ideas & knowledge with the rest. Madam Sawaran Jit Kaur is an edutech enthusiast herself and she possessed utmost fervour when it comes to technology incorporation in classroom teaching. I've met Zamimah, a young English teacher who had achieved wonderful feat and I wish more teachers could network so we can encourage more teachers to see the potential of IT in facilitating teaching & learning process. Nonetheless, I reminded the participants that technology can never EVER replace a good teacher. However, a good teacher would be willing to unlearn, learn and relearn in order to be the best in his/her profession.

My workshop highlighted by Borneo Post. This definitely put a smile on my face. I hope I would be given the opportunity to give back to community by sharing ideas and experience with others. We gain by giving and in the context of teaching, selflessness has always been a pivotal focal point of a teacher's life. Apart from that, I am grateful and delightful with my Sem 1 final exam result. Alhamdulillah, I managed to get CGPA 4.0 and I hope I will be given the motivation to strive harder and do my best for the rest of the semester. Wish me luck!

 

Tips for 1119 SPM 2012 : WRITING

I'd like to share some tips with all of the SPM candidates out there. I am sure everyone by now is armed to the teeth, perhaps even experiencing what I call as 'information overload'! Too much info to absorb yet so little time. I don't believe in memorising essays but again, it may be applicable for weaker student at the elementary stage.  Fret not on anticipating spot questions for 1119 or any paper. I believe it's the right format and techniques in answering questions which is more vital in preparing oneself for an important examination.

For directed writing, using the correct format is essential. Don't waste your time doing wordcount for directed writing. One and a half page would suffice. As long each point is well elaborated and justified, you'll do just fine.

Please spare some time to proof read your essay. Many students forsaken this part as they are too engrossed with writing lengthy essay. Quality is more important than quantity! Use Sentence Connectors and Linking phrases to ensure a cohesive flow of ideas. Please ensure you are using the correct tenses too.

Capitalize on all the senses to guide you in writing more descriptively. I'd like to share Kleiser's 15000 Useful Phrases. I think it's a must-have list for all English enthusiast, educator or a learner. A loooong list but worth reading :)

 

Use appropriate idioms, proverbs and saying to enhance your writing flair. Remember to use it sparingly. A good website you can find a great pool of idioms is http://idiomconnection.com 

Embedding quotes, maxim and inspirational thoughts of great leaders, the movers and the shakers of the world would definitely garner extra marks and merit from the examiners. I suggest memorizing some quotes that you find inspirational and can be generally applicable in any essay. Some of the famous quotes I like  : "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." - Confucius, "You must be the change that you want to see in the world." - Ghandi and "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." - Steve Jobs.

Good luck to all the SPM & STPM candidates, may you sail through the examination without any hitch or glitch. All the best!

SPM Trial Exam 2012 Paper 2 - Answer Keys

Hi everyone, Here's the answer keys for Paper 2 that I've shared a few days ago. I am in the midst of developing another set of SPM 1119 exam set and I'll share with everyone soon. Usually the issue with developing your own assessment is to find relevant authentic materials and generate questions that fulfill the equilbrium of JSI requirements. Although I've been developing items for Utusan Malaysia on weekly basis and in the midst of publishing a workbook with Oxford Fajar, I do think generating good items on current topics can be quite a challenge! Oh well, I'll try my best and hope I could help those preparing for the exam :) Trial Spm 2012 Paper 2- Answer Scheme

SPM 1119 Trial Examination 2012

For those looking for SPM 1119 trial examination items, enclosed are the trial exam set prepared by yours truly for SMK Tasek Utara. This year, each school in Johor is required to prepare their own set of trial examination. I do hope it would help any teacher or student who would like to revise and reinforce their preparation for the upcoming SPM.  For all the PMR candidates out there, good luck. For the SPM candidates, do your best :)


Trial Exam SPM Paper 1 Trial Exam SPM Paper 2

Cambridge Placement Test

Last Thursday, I joined other Heads of English Language Panels to attend a briefing on Cambridge Placement Test (CPT) at PPDJB. The briefing was conducted by Ms. Ruzana and Mr. Vijayan, the JB DELOs and it turned out that every English optionist in Malaysia has to sit for this test. I did wonder why the test was made compulsory for all the teachers and what type of assessment do we have to endure. According to the DELOs, it was supposed to be a yardstick to measure a teacher's English Language competence. 

The test is conducted online and will test on comprehension, listening and grammatical competence. For the teachers in Johor Bahru, the test would be conducted on Friday the 13th (oh, isn't that an auspicious date? Heh). Teachers will be given 30 minutes to answer all of the questions. Hopefully, sans technical glitch and server problems as the test would be concurrently carried out in JB and Segamat as well.

The bands. Au contraire, we definitely shouldn't be jumping in joy if we achieve A1 in the test :P According to the DELO, those who did not achieve a targetted band will have to attend courses. I've been told some teachers failed in the test not because they lack the competence in ELT but apparently, they aren't tech-savvy and misunderstood the rubrics given. So do familiarise yourself with the test structure and hopefully the tutorials and demo provided can assist you in some way or another.

Cambridge Placement Test

View more presentations from Nor Fadzleen.

In case you would like to try out the test before the assigned date, feel free to try out the demo. My advice, please get yourself a good headphone or earphone because you really need it when you have to listen attentively to the audio recordings.

To try out the demo for Cambridge Placement Test, click here.

Good luck !

Johor Midyear Examination Schedules 2012

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” ~ General Colin Powell

Hi folks,
 Enclosed are the schedules for the Johor Midyear Examinations for Form 3, Form 5 and Upper Six students. Hope this would assist you in revising your upcoming examinations. All the best of luck!

Jadual Peperiksaan Setara Pertengahan Tahun T3 Negeri Johor 2012 Jadual Peperiksaan Setara Pertengahan Tahun Tingkatan 5 Negeri Johor 2012 Jadual Peperiksaan Setara Pertengahan Tahun Tingkatan 6 Atas Negeri Johor 2012

Latest Update on Standardised Examinations 2012

For students and teachers in Johor, please take note of the latest information from the Johor Education Department.

• Only one standardised examination will be conducted for each form in 2012.
• For Year 6 (UPSR) , Form 3 (PMR) and Form 5 (SPM), the standardised exam will be the Midyear Examination.
• For Year 3,4,5 (Primary School) and Form 1,2 and 4 (Secondary School), the standardised exam will be the Final Year Examination.
• Standardised examination will no longer be carried out in 2013.

Enclosed is the letter issued by the Johor Education Department for further reference.

MRSM's SPM Trial Exam Paper 2011

I know it has been a long hiatus as I was rather occupied with streams of obligations. Apart from heading the panel in setting up the Johor Bahru's Final Year Examination paper for Form Four this year, I had to attend meetings with the CDD as well. Oh yeah, assessment management can definitely take a toll on your time as well. First, it was the SPM Trial Exam and now it's the final year exam papers for my Form 4 and Form 1 students. A teacher's work is endless! Nonetheless, I would like to share another set of trial exam questions with all of my blog readers and followers. This is the trial exam question from MRSM and I do hope that it would help the teachers and students in preparing for the upcoming SPM examination. Thanks to this site for the paper, sharing is caring! To those celebrating Hari Raya Haji, I wish you a blessed Eid :) MRSM's SPM Trial Exam 2011 - English Language

Negeri Sembilan's SPM Trial Examination Papers 2011

Hi there,
For those looking for SPM 1119 trial exams from other states, enclosed are the papers from Negeri Sembilan. Hope these will assist you in doing revision for the upcoming SPM examination :)

• Paper 1
• Paper 2

Terengganu's SPM Trial Examination Papers 2011

Hi there,

If you are looking for more SPM Trial Examination papers, I've enclosed the links to the papers set by the Terengganu Education Department, courtesy of this site. Click at the links below to download the exam papers. Sharing is caring!

• SPM Trial Exam Paper (1119/1)
• SPM Trial Exam Paper (1119/2)

2011's Johor SPM Trial Examination Paper 1

I hope it is not too late to wish the best of luck to all of the SPM candidates who are sitting for their trial examination. To those who are in Johor, I do hope you have given your best shot in answering the 1119 English Language papers just now. I was amazed at the number of visitors who were looking for examination tips and samples of examination items. Fret not, enclosed is the Paper 1 just to help you out. If time permits, I'll upload Paper 2 pretty soon. I do hope it will help any teacher or student in preparing for the upcoming SPM. Do check out this blog from time to time for more trial examination papers from other states. Check it out!

Johor SPM Trial Exam P1

Update: Latest changes in 2011's Johor SPM Trial Examination Schedule

To all teachers and SPM candidates in Johor, please take note of the changes. Surat Pindaan Jadual Percubaan SPM 2011

SBP's PMR & SPM Trial Examination Papers 2011

For teachers and students who are searching for English Language trial examination papers from other states, enclosed are this year's trial examination papers from Boarding School Unit or Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP). You can download the papers by clicking the links below. I'll try to update this blog with more trial examination papers soon. Credit to MOZAC's Exam Hub site.

• PMR Trial Examination Papers
• SPM Trial Examination Papers 

Of Lesson Study and JSL Camp

Man, it's been awhile since I've updated this blog due to super hectic schedule. I am in the midst of marking frenzy (2nd monthly test and Form 5's Gerak Gempur) while stealing time to go Raya shopping, spruce up the abode and bake Raya cookies. Hats off to working mommies who can do all that effortlessly! Here are the updates:

#1-Lesson Study Observation, SMK St. Joseph, Johor Bahru

Right after the Curse Item Building Workshop, I was appointed by PPD JB to be one of the observers for English Language Lesson Study at SMK St. Joseph. The other two observers were Mr. Ismail Juned, GC from SIGS and Mdm. Ho, GC from SMK Sri Rahmat. I've met Ms. Ruzana, our DELO and she gave a briefing on the duties we need to carry out that day.  Despite the fact I've attended the Lesson Study Workshop organised by Majlis Guru Cemerlang (MGC) Johor Bahru, I believe that I've enhanced my understanding on Lesson Study better and gained more confidence in conducting the observation when I've listened to the explanation given by Pn. Rahmah Sayuti (Pakar Rujuk) and carried out the observation in a classroom. It was good meeting you again, Kak Rahmah! Datin Siti Haishah Abd. Rahman, PP of BPG at Ministry of Education was present as well, along with other officers. We were given the outline of the Lesson Plan which was drafted and planned by the English Language panel members of the school. While observing the teacher in the classroom (it was a Form 5's class), we jotted down the strengths of the lesson as well as suggestions in improving the lesson. Another criterion of Lesson Study is to have a discussion (post-teaching feedback) with the teacher and all the English Language panel members. The discussion primarily focuses on whether the Intended Learning Objectives were successfully achieved, the effectiveness of the methodology, class management skills and personal reflection on the lesson itself.

I felt the experience helped me to carry out Lesson Study more effectively in my own school. In fact, I've helped out the Form 6's teachers carried out their Lesson Study in their classrooms. I know what you're thinking, oh no, more workload! Honestly, I had qualms on it too at first. However, after going through the process, I think it's an effective way to foster collaborative learning and implement a continuous professional development in our career. As it is a collaborative effort, it's not about pinpointing an individual's shortcomings but more helping to find solutions in rectifying any issues pertaining to teaching. I've briefed my English Language panel members on Lesson Study and so far, the feedback is positive. I hope we can carry it out after Raya break. For more information on Lesson Study, please check this out.

#2- Johor Student Leaders 2nd Cohort Camp, Kem Tasek, JB

 This is the first phase of the selection for the Johor Student Leaders Council for this year. About 200 student leaders from all over Johor were short-listed and chosen to participate in the Johor Student Leaders Camp. The 3 day-camp (29-31st July) was packed with physical activities, talks, workshops, games and  teambuilding activities. The students had to endure all the rigorous tasks sans ample slumber. The JSLs (Qistina, Sarvind, Kothai, Syafiq, CY, Sebastian and Thanen (Junior Camp Commandent),  facilitated most of the activities during the camp. Miss Azura who was the Camp Commandent did an excellent job of supervising all of the student leaders. Compared to the 1st JSLC Camp, the students' physical endurance and intellectual prowess were way better and it's definitely tough to choose only 20 Johor Student Leaders for this year. I was there as the Camp Coordinator, assisting Pn. Rosliza Rosli, the head of the Internationalisation Unit at JPNJ. I gave a talk on International Relations and Diplomatic Skills on the last day. Apart from that, we carried out Impromptu Speech where student leaders need to come up with an impromptu speech within 30 seconds. It was enlightening to see them enthusiastically volunteer to give their views on the topics given. The second phase would be carried out next month where this time, the focus is on personality and verbal eloquence. Good luck to the candidates!

 

Changes in PMR English Language Paper

I would like to share the latest circular [ KP.LP.003.07.14.03(1) ] issued by the Ministry of Education pertaining to the PMR English Language paper. Starting next year, English Literature Component would no longer be tested in Paper 1 (12/1) but would be assessed in Paper 2 (12/2) in form of open-ended questions (poem) and open response with textual evidence (novel). No more MCQs. Short stories will not be tested.

For further details, please refer to the enclosed circular.

Latest Circular on PMR English Language Format

SPM Past Year's Questions : Novel

YEAR	EXAMINATION ITEM	ELEMENT TESTED
2004	Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.	Plot
2005	‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.	Theme
2006	The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about: -some instances that show the character’s determination. -how the determination affects his/her family.	Character & Characterisation
2007	‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.	Character & Characterisation
2008	Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.	Plot
2009	Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?	Character
2010	Based on the novel that you have read, write about an important incident that you remember. Give reasons why you remember the incidents.	Plot

This morning, I facilitated the Curse Item Building Workshop organised by the Johor Bahru's English Language Panel at SMK Sultanah Engku Tun Aminah (SETA). Despite the fact I just got back from a week meeting with CDD in KL last night, I felt it's my responsibility to be there and assist my team mates ( the ever esteemed Pn. Jamiah and resourceful Pn. Ho).  The main objective of organising this workshop is to assist the teachers in facilitating revision for the Curse as it is the first time it would be tested in SPM this year. Thank you to all the teachers who took part in designing the module. If you are interested to use the module, check out my Scribd doc. Thanks to Ms. Ruzana Saat, the District English Language Officer for her ideas and sponsoring our food :)

Johor's Trial Exam Schedule 2011

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Click on image for higher resolution

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.

1119 English Literature: An Analysis

Poetry and Short Stories

YEAR	SHORT STORY	POETRY
2004	The Lotus Eater	Sonnet 18
2005	Looking For A Rain God	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2006	The Drover’s Wife	The Road Not Taken
2007	The Lotus Eater	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2008	The Sound Machine	Si Tenggang’s Homecoming
2009	The Necklace	Monsoon History

Tips:  The answers to the first three items on the short story and poem can be found in the extract given while the last item requires candidate to provide personal responses with close reference to the poem/short story. 

The Novel

YEAR	ELEMENT TESTED	EXAMINATION ITEM
2004	Plot	Choose an event in the novel you have studied which you find to be most memorable. Give reasons for your choice and with close reference to the text, discuss the event.
2005	Theme	‘Love is important in a family.’ How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answers with close reference to the text.
2006	Character & Characterisation	The writer describes the main character as a very determined person. Using details from the novel you have studied, write about: -some instances that show the character’s determination. -how the determination affects his/her family.
2007	Character & Characterisation	‘It is important to have a person you look up to in your life.’ From the novel you’ve read, write about one character that you looked up to. Give a reason why you choose him/her.
2008	Plot	Describe what happens at the end of the novel and explains why you find the ending happy or sad.
2009	Character & Plot	Using the details from the novel you have studied, write about a difficult decision made by one of the characters.  With close reference to the text, do you think this was the right decision?

Tips:  The length of a candidate's answer does not guarantee one will receive better marks. Giving a direct and apt response with appropriate justifications will garner extra points. A candidate must also provide close reference to the text as it shows the depth of one's understanding of the chosen text.