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!

2010 Johor Student Leaders Council Charity Dinner

The Johor Student Leaders Council will hold its debut Charity Dinner to commemorate its establishment.  It will be held on Monday, 29th November 2010 at Persada Johor (8 pm). HRH Tuanku Raja Zarith Sofiah, the Johor Ruler Consort will be gracing the event and later on, officiate  the establishment of the Johor Student Leaders Congress and the Student Leaders Board. Adibah Noor, the vocal powerhouse will also be belting some numbers to entertain the guests.

Below are the name of the performers during the JSLC Charity Dinner :

Primary School

1. Fatimah Zahra Zulkurnain- SK Sri Skudai
2. Nurul Nadira Mohamad- SK Taman Tun Aminah 2
3. Fatimah Nurulfatihah Dorahim- SK Taman Nusa Perintis
4. Alexandra Paige Nadja Fernandez- SK Seri Tebrau
5. Nurin Nadiah Rusman-SK Taman Universiti
6. An-Nur Farin Sabrina-SK Nong Chik
7. Ariz Akmal-SK Bandar Baru Uda 2
 8.Rabiatul Aynah Hazni-SIGS
 9. Shmita Rai Kannan-Jesus Convent
10.   Muhammad Farid Shamsuddin – SK Nong Chik
11.   Nasreen Qistina Mohd Nasir- SKBBU2
12.   Nureen Farhanah Mokhtar-SK Taman Universiti
13.   Iklil Hawaa Noordin-SIGS
14.   Muhammad Syamim Mohd Syahri – SK Taman Tun Aminah 2
15.   Nurul Iman Athirah Ahmad Fauzi- Jesus Convent
17.   Arvind Ravindran-SJKT Taman Tun Aminah
18.   Lee Bao Yi –SJKC Pu Sze

Secondary School

1.       Mohd Syafiq Mohd Azhar –SMK Tasek Utara

2.       Mohd Rizuan Zainal Abiden-SMK  Skudai

3.       Kamarul Baharin Kamal –SMK Bandar Baru Uda

4.       Hoo Jiong Sheng-SMK Seri Perling

5.       Ahmad Fadhil Abd Majid – SMK Md Khalid

6.       Nur Farahin Samsudin-SMK Taman Desa Skudai

7.       Kressan Gajendran – SMK Md Khalid

8.       Mohd Khairul Niyaz Mohd Azlan Sunil-SMK Dato Jaafar

9.       Khairiyah Khirrudin-SIGS

10.   Elicia Cheng-IJ Convent

11.   Yean Yan Tong-Sekolah Sultan Ismail

12.   Amira Fahira Mansor-SMK Tasek Utara

13.   Siti Aminah Shaiful Bahri-SMK Bandar Baru Uda

14.   Aine Atiqah Mohd Asri-SMK Taman Desa Skudai

15.   Azam Ariffin- Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar

16.   Tommy Gan Jia Shen –SMK Aminuddin Baki

17.   K Sharsindra Pratheen-Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar

18.   Syairazi Zharfan Zainul Hakim- SMK Seri Perling

19.   Norafiqah Asilah Rusli-SMK Aminuddin Baki

20.   Kalisswari Apparao-SIGS

21.   Aisyah Razali –IJ Convent

22.   Shima Rani Rengasamy-SMK Gelang Patah

 The students will be performing an interlude of songs and dances comprising of  Gemuruh Jiwa  (by all the JSLC members)  followed by  Traditional Dance (Zapin, Joget & Citrawarna). Up next is the choir from IJ Convent.  One highlight of the charity dinner would be the choral performance of  the 20 members of JSLC  where they shall be singing 'We are the World' together with children with special needs.  I am sure the Charity Dinner would be a raving success and hopefully, everything will turn out well.

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.

GC DG44

Alhamdulillah. It's official now. Another reason to keep on learning and teaching with utmost fervour. Hopefully the new post will fuel me to be a better educator. It's been a painstaking journey to get to where I am now. Struggling with work confirmation glitch for a couple of years, Being manipulated  (due to my own inadequacies of standing up for my right), burnout, you name it, I faced them all. I was unhappy with the teaching profession at that time. I felt situations were not accomodating me at all. In a nutshell, I was a sad, frustrated teacher.

Then one day, I picked up a book that totally changed the course of my life.

M Scott Peck's The Road Less Travelled.

I realised blaming everyone and everything will not change the situations nor will it solve any issue that I face in life.  From the book I've read, I realised that the only way things will change is when I think positive and initiate action to overcome any obstacles or challenges along the way. I can not sit around, twiddle my thumbs and wait for a miracle to happen. To be a great teacher, one must be a good learner. I've learned from my colleagues and my own students on how to improve my teaching methodology and make learning more meaningful for my students.

I also learn that it is not easy to initiate a change, to do something totally out of your comfort zone. When I started doing the action research for the first time, I was at first sceptical on its effectiveness. When I realised how the project I did had maximised my students' enthusiasm in learning by leaps and bounds, I was motivated.  When I came across this blog, I was totally in awe of Kak Rahmah's dedication in teaching. Her positive attitude and optimism somewhat fueled me to emulate her fervour in teaching. She is my role model and I am glad that she is kind enough to share her knowledge with me. She triggered me to ride the unchartered waters and I dared myself to present paper at international conferences. I had inhibition of course (who would want to listen to me? / I'm not good enough) but  I told myself, you got nothing to lose. The biggest demon is insecurities , to convince yourself that you need to perservere regardless of whatever criticism you might receive from others. Life is not all about perfection, it's all about progress.

It is inevitable to deny that it is a big responsibility to be a Guru Cemerlang/Master Teacher. People have expectations upon you, watching your every moves and wanting mind-blowing results and outcomes. Personally, I hope to learn more and improve on my teaching skills. I hope to network with more teachers and nurture my students' love for learning. I would also like to thank all of the followers & visitors of this humble blog. I have an ongoing mission : learn to teach with love :)

SPM Countdown: The Pearl Pop Quiz flashcards

I've discovered this awesome web-based application called Quizlet via Zaid Alsagoff. The site features flash cards, vocabulary memorisation and study games. Now, who says learning is a bore? To me, this is definitely a fun way to study. I find that it is an apt platform to assist English Language teachers in teaching vocabulary and terminology in the virtual classroom. Did I mention that it is also FREE OF CHARGE? :)

Another plus for Quizlet is it's a fuss-free application. Even for web-novice, it is quite easy to build your own set of  flashcards on any topic that one desires. For instance, I've decided to design The Pearl Pop Quiz flashcards to assist my Form 5 students in revising for their upcoming SPM examination. Even if I am not able to be in school to teach them, they still can retrieve the material 24-7 as long they are connected to the Internet. No reason for not studying even if the teacher is not around.

I love the fact that one can login via one's Facebook account. Since most of my students are perpetually online (especially checking out their Facebook accounts), I believe this would be a great way to coax them to study while oogling their friends' latest photos or updates. To me, the possibilities are endless with Quizlet. I intend to explore more with this freeware and hopefully, I can come up with more flashcard sets to perk up the students' interest in learning. Do check it out!