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!

Taking a breather

Things I did for the past one week:

*Documentation & execution of MY LIT PROJECT, my latest action research project (pheww!)
*Gave a talk to the Form 5 students at SM Teknik Johor Bahru, Johor  (I had a great time, such an attentive crowd )
*Formed the committee members for the School Website Contest - english version (dateline: 31st March *cringes*)
*Built website for the School Resource Centre (in progress)
*Marked test papers (sigh..5 failures for 5KN, need to do analysis item & module to overcome this problem)

Things I am planning to do this week:

*Take my sons out ( park, zoo, library,beach or some nice holiday spots)
*Catch up on my reading (check out the MPH Sale, great books up for grab!)
*Watch Alice In Wonderland!
*Set items for the upcoming JB's SPM midyear examination 
*Construct writing module, targeting on 5KN weak students (a simple academic writing template that would guide them to write better)

Have a nice holiday!

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.

E-Classroom

One of the programmes that I've carried out with my students is The E-Classroom programme. Basically, it is a series of lessons carried out using the Internet and multimedia application at the computer lab. I honestly think that the teaching of English Language would be best enhanced with the accompaniment of the wonderful world wide web. Apart from using existing English Language websites, I've developed some e-learning modules to boost my students' interests in English Language. One of the modules is called L.I.T. Module, a student-centered learning programme that focussed on enhancing my students' understanding of the English Literature Component. Here are some snapshots taken during the lessons.