Johor-Victoria Student Leadership Programme: A Photo Essay

 15 Johor Student Leaders  flew to Melbourne, Australia for the Johor-Victoria Student Leadership Programme starting from 12 to 25th December 2011. It is a collaborative effort with the Victoria Education Department, in order to expose the JSLs to global leadership and cultural diversity. They were accompanied by Mr. Md. Noor B. A. Ghani, Director of Johor Education Department (JED), his wife, Pn. Asiah Mori, Mr. Kamarudzaman Mubin, Assistant Director at JED, Ms. Azura Abdullah, the JSLC Physical Trainer and yours truly, as the Coach for JSLC. We were warmly welcomed by Mark Reeves, the Principal of Alpine School of Students' Leadership along with the other teaching personnels. Each of the JSL was given an Aussie room mate so they would be able to learn more about each other's culture and lifestyle. The Victorian schools involved were Wallan Secondary College, Maffra Secondary College, Rosebud Secondary College and Bandalla Secondary College.

The teachers at Snowy River Campus, Australia. They are perpetually buzzing with enthusiasm, optimism and very friendly too. I've learned and shared so many things with them and it helped to open my mind on various learning paradigms that I can venture to make my lessons engaging and meaningful. From them, I learn to give myself a break and not to sweat on the small stuff. As a teacher, it is important to establish good rapport with students yet stay grounded with our roles as a facilitator and an educator. Thank you Mark, Robyn, Tim, Francis, Tiwana, Emma, Danni, Bryan, Sarah and Sam for your friendship!

The leadership module was based on the integration of survival skills, team building and connection with Mother Nature. The students hiked into the forest every afternoon to reach the majestic sand dunes for a session they called Spirit Spot. The view was simply breathtaking. They went kayakking, mountain biking, beach exploration for 5 km and I am proud of myself that I did all of the aforementioned activities too :)

Debbie Gray, an awesome motivation coach gave a heart warming talk on her experience overcoming the impossibles. She lost her arms due to an illness and she had never see her disabilities as a setback from achieving her goals. She skydived, raced in a rally, conducted charity projects and raised her daughter single-handedly! Whoah, hats off Deb! Lots of the things she said left vivid impressions on my mind. Don't be afraid of new possibilities, she said. You don't do things to impress others as venturing new ideas and trying new things will open up various possibilities to be a better individual. Life is not all about winning but it's about seizing the opportunities to make your life more meaningful. Don't let negative thoughts, bad vibes, toxic people and setbacks stop you from moving forth. She definitely inspired me to be a better person. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Surf's up! I would never imagine that I would go surfing in Australia one day, I am so glad I braved myself and did it! We were given training by a surfing instructor.  I think this is one of the highlights of our programme and all of the participants enjoyed the experience thoroughly.

Cultural Night. The JSL mingled around with their Aussie counterparts and everyone was having a ball. I had the chance to meet Mr. Lynn who is the City Council member of Marlo. He gushed how much he loves Malaysia and he had even climbed Mount Kinabalu last year! The students performed some songs. The JSLs performed a choral performance, Lean On Me and Kenangan Terindah. As it was the last night we'd be spending at Snowy River, we could see the sadness on some of the students' faces yet they tried to make use of the time by having heart-to-heart talk to their friends. I also had the chance to meet Daphnee, the officer from the Victoria Education Department who corresponded with me on the previous international conference. She is a Singaporean who has been living for 10 years in Melbourne. It was certainly wonderful to finally meet you, Daphnee! I Definitely it would be a beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Due to some technical glitch, our flight was delayed and we were put up at Tullamarine Mantra Hotel for the day. Honestly, the JSLs saw this as a golden opportunity to check out Melbourne better as we didn't have much time to go sightseeing due to our tight schedules. Hence, we counted our blessings for the opportunity to be here and decided to be adventurous and explored the city on our own! We explored the National Gallery of Victoria which is so fascinating. Then, we walked to the Square and visited Crowne Shopping Mall which is just  opposite the Melbourne Aquarium. It was blazing hot and the city was jam-packed with so many people as it was Christmas Eve. I did some shopping and managed to get some souvenirs for my family, friends and colleagues back home.

Our big family :) We keep in touch constantly by setting up a Facebook group. It helps the JSLs to maintain the camaraderie and at the same time, update one another on leadership activities from both countries. As the JSLC would be organising the International Student Leaders Conference in June this year, we hope to see more student leaders participating and hopefully, some of the Aussie students would take part in the conference as well.

We were featured on Utusan Malaysia, 16th January 2012 :)

English Language Programmes for Schools in Johor 2012

Enclosed is the letter issued by the Johor Education Department pertaining to the execution of English Language programmes in 2012. For the secondary schools, the programmes are:

• English Literature Component
• EW 20
• LET ( Learn English Together)
• English Language Module
• An Essay a Month
• English Zone
• Plad JB
• JOSAS ( Johor Spelling Assessment Standard )

Program Bahasa Inggeris Sekolah-Sekolah Negeri Johor 2012

Goodbye 2011, Hello 2012!

It's time to put our noses to the grindstone, folks! I know it has been a long hiatus as I was tied up with work during the school break. Alhamdulillah, 2011 had given me various opportunities to improve myself as a teacher, a learner and an individual. I've tried my hands at writing for local newspaper (E-Lab, Utusan Malaysia), working with BPK, writing an academic paper on the use of Web 2.0. in English Language teaching for a book, targetted at international ELT practitioners ( under the tutelage of AP Dr. Kamarul Kabilan, USM), working with intelligent and wonderful students leaders (JSLC), presenting my papers at two international conferences (MELTA and ICELT), receiving awards for my work (PPDJB and JPNJ), shortlisted for Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) scholarship and the cherry on the top was spending almost 2 weeks at Snowy River School of Leadership in Melbourne, Australia two weeks ago. Honestly, I could not have achieved all that without stellar support from my family, my friends and my colleagues. Apart from that, it has been a bittersweet year for me. Thinking how I struggled with the pain of recovering patella, overcoming the trauma from a robbery, painful accusations and my own shortcomings, I believe sometimes God gives you the adversity for you to be more resilient, to press on and to move forth. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

This year, I would still be heading my English Language panel and alhamdulillah, we managed to get 100% percentage for English Language in PMR exam this year! That's something I am proud of because this is the first time we managed to do that after so many years. I know my colleagues worked so hard to achieve our target. It is definitely a collaborative effort and I am glad that I have the opportunity to work with diligent and talented teachers. Of course, there's always room for improvement and I'm determined to strive harder to achieve my goals. For those looking for the English Language's Scheme of Works, PLAN J, PLAD JB and Panel Filing System, do check my Scribd page where I've uploaded them along with other essential docs needed to manage your panel smoothly.

To those who send me emails, thank you so much and I am glad that this humble blog have assisted you in any way possible. The main reason why I write is not for self-glorification but because I believe by jotting down my experience, thoughts and teaching practices, I could reflect on ways I could improve myself as a teacher. For me, it is important for us to stay grounded despite the recognitions one received as it will pave an avenue to learn better. I would definitely love to share my experience in Melbourne, Australia as I believe it was the turning point of my life this year but that would be an entry on itself as I was there for 12 days. There's so much to share and I believe the experience I've gained would helped me to teach more efficiently, to inspire instead of preaching and to serve instead of receiving.

I do hope this new year will usher wonderful opportunities and perpetual happiness, Insya Allah. Happy New Year everyone!

Power Of Being A Good Teacher

I came across these videos while searching for some resources on You Tube. The topic was 'Power of Being A Good Teacher' which is relevant to my professional growth. The guest is Professor Dr. Muhaya Hj. Muhammad, Personal and Professional Development Expert, Alliance College of Medical Science (ACMS) and someone who I admire for her attitude towards life, her string of accolades and optimistic life principles. I totally agree with her when she stressed that in order to be an excellent teacher, you can't stop learning and you ought to constantly upgrade yourself from time to time. Personally, I do hope I will be able to emulate all my former teachers and lecturers who have been great sources of inspiration. One essential thing I've learned from them is to stay down to earth and to keep on learning. Do check out the videos below and I hope they would inspire you as they had inspired me. Happy holidays!

Leadership and English Language Camp (LELaC V)

Wondering what to do this school holidays?

Why not head down to Penang and take part in LELaC V? I was contacted by the creator of LELaC, AP Dr Muhamamd Kamarul Kabilan of School of Educational Studies, USM, Malaysia recently and I think it's a brilliant programme to enhance your leadership qualities and inculcate love towards the English Language. It is opened for students aged  9-17 years old. It would be held from 6-8 December 2011 at Seberang Perai Polytechnic, Penang. Registration fee is RM190, including food and accomodation. For ex LELaCers, you only pay RM160.

Here are some information extracted from LELaC's flyer :

AIMS of LELaC

The content of this programme aims to encourage and motivate learners to:

- become a confident, motivating leader and communicator

- become a confident speaker

- convey thoughts effectively

- get people to listen to your opinions

- feel confident and assured when leading a large group of individuals

METHOD:

LELaC aims to help the learners achieve the above by:

- focusing mainly on skill building as a leader and effective speaker.

- using interesting and challenging activities that will get learners thinking creatively (in a collaborative, fun atmosphere)

- building the skills and confidence to talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime!

 If you are interested, please e-mail Dr. Kabilan kabilan@usm.my or call 0123490305 to register.  The closing date is on 4th December 2011. Do check it out :)

Tips for 1119 English Language Paper

Tomorrow, all the Fifth formers will sit for the 1119 English paper. I guess the teachers are as jittery as the students when it comes to examination. Here are some gentle reminders on some aspects that you need to remember in preparing for the upcoming examination.

Literature:

• Remember S.T.A.M.P. (Setting/Themes/Actors (Characters)/Moral Values/Plots. They will usually test you on one of the aforementioned literary elements.

• Know your novel well. Read the novel once through before your exam to refresh your memory about the events that occur. Highlight important events (including sad and happy events) and the effect of these events on the characters. Justify your answers with evidences from the novel.

• Find out synonyms of the important words found in all the poems.

Essay Writing:

• For directed writing, use all the points given and justify with appropriate examples.
• Do not waste time counting the number of words for directed writing. A page and a half would suffice.
• For continuous writing, choose the topic that you feel most confident writing. Infuse idiomatic expressions appropriately to enhance your composition.

Good luck and I pray that you'll be able to ace your 1119 paper! ♥

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

Johor Student Leaders Council 2011

Phase 1 : Top 56 JSLC Candidates

Bil	Nama	Sekolah	Presentation Topic
1.	Nur Laili bt. Arba’	Sekolah Tinggi Segamat	‘Iskandar Malaysia – A Metropolis of International Standing
2.	Harvind a/l Raja Gopal	SMK Bandar Baru Uda	“ A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way” – John C. Maxwell
3.	Adila bt A. Aziz	SMK Agama Johor Bahru	‘A Call for Extraordinary Leadership for Iskandar Malaysia’
4.	Adrian Yeo Tau Jiun	SMK Skudai	‘Johor – My Beloved Home’
5.	Muhammad Fahmi b. Faizal	SM Sains Muar	‘An Age of Terror – The Role of Youth Leaders’
6.	Chitra a/p Murali	SMK Indahpura 1	‘Ethical Dimension of Leadership’
7.	Nur Atikah Rosle	Sekolah Tun Fatimah	‘Asia and The World Financial Crisis’
8.	Tan Mei Sheng	SMK Canoissian Convent	‘Service : The Heart of Community Transformation’
9.	Muhamad Afiq Syafiq	Sekolah Tinggi Muar	‘Understanding the Principles of Islam in an Age of Uncertainty’
10.	Zaiton bt. Mohamad Khalid	SMK Ungku Husin	“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” – Zig Ziglar
11.	Kirthana Darshayinie a/p Vijaya Sandran	Sekolah Tinggi Kluang	‘Transforming Our Schools’
12.	Ambrose Huan Yee Yang	SMK Tasek Utara	‘Sustainable Development of Iskandar Malaysia’
13.	Muhamammad Noor Fakhruddin b. Mohd Nasir	SMK Tun Habab	‘Doing Away with Books in Schools’
14.	Hasnyzar bt. Hussin	SMK IJ Convent	‘Iskandar Malaysia – Development for the People, by the People of Johor’
15.	Faiz Zamdhi b. Zainal	SMK Taman Putri	‘Grassroots Leadership’
16.	Thivranandhaa a/l Sobramaniam	Sekolah Tinggi Muar	‘Fear of the Unknown’
17.	Dominic Tan Wen Haw	SMK Dato’ Jaafar	‘I Think, I Am!’
18.	Onn Sapuan b. Md. Nasir	SMK Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra	‘The Power of Reflection & Self- Awarenes’
19.	Muhammad Nurariff b. Othman	SMKA Segamat	‘Leadership & Volunteerism’
20.	Naavin Raj a/l Rengasamy	SMK Kempas	‘The Leader Who Inspires Me’
21.	Amira Aisya bt. Abd. Aziz	SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim	‘I have a dream that…’
22.	Klein Kee Kay Loon	Sek.  TInggi Batu Pahat	‘Freedom of Speech in School – Should It Be Encouraged?’
23.	Akmal Alkaff b. Zamsani	Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar	‘Taking Malaysian Football to the Next Level’
24.	Tam Joo Xian	SMK Jln Mengkibol	‘The Royal History of Johor’
25.	Nurulain bt. Abd. Razak	SMK Temenggong Ibrahim	‘The Power in the Voice of the Young People’
26.	Yasmin bt Mohd Zain	SM Sains Muar	‘Preserving Johor’s Culture and Heritage’
27.	Pritasha Naidu a/p Canian Anand Naidu	SMK IJ Convent	‘1 Malaysia, 1 Voice’
28.	Hayley Yong Sue Ning	SMK Sultanah Engku Tun Aminah	“Wisest is she who knows she does not know” – Jostein Gaarder
29.	Kabilen a/l Selvaraja	SMK Dato’ Penggawa Timur	‘You Don’t Need a Title to be A Leader’
30.	Aina Wafi  bt. Ab Kadir	SMKA Segamat	“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Mohandas Ghandi.
31.	Amy Shahirah bt. Sazali	SMK Skudai	‘The Future of Our Mangrove Swamps’
32.	Asha Nair a/p Unnikrishnan	Sekolah Tinggi Segamat	‘Inequality Thwarts Progress Towards Universal Education’
33.	Gayathri a/p Ganesen	SMK Indahpura 1	‘The Rise of Women to Power Seats’
34.	Muhamad Muaz b. Mustaffa Kamal	SMK Bandar Putra, Segamat	‘In Great Leadership, Humility Is Key’
35.	Carven Chin Yee Shean	SMK Bandar Putra	‘’Failing to invest in our youth is a false economy” – UN Secretary General
36.	Nur Hanis bt. Ramlan	SM Sains Muar	‘Embracing Globalisation As Iskandar Malaysia Opens Its Doors to the World’
37.	Alif Arifin b. Asrar	SMK Bandar Putra	“He who fails to plan is planning to fail” – Winston Churchill
38.	Mark Lee Weiren	SMK Taman Mount Austin	‘The East African Food Crisis: What Needs to be Done’
39.	Siti Nurfakis bt. Kusnin	SMK Bandar Easter	‘Everyday Heroes Serving the Nation’
40.	Siti Nabilah bt. Amir	SMK Bandar Putra, Segamat	‘Climate Change and Biodiversity’
41.	Sharifah Amirah Hanis bt. Syed Omar	Sekolah Tun Fatimah	‘Nuclear: A Suitable Alternative to Fossil Fuels?’
42.	Siti Mariam bt. Ibrahim	SMK Bandar Baru Uda	‘Soft Power vs. Hard Power’
43.	Iman Sofea bt. Mohamad Ibrahim	SMK Taman Desa Skudai	‘Malaysia’s Commitment to the Millennium Development Goal’
44.	Putera Amirul Haikal b. Rosli	SMk Kulai Besar	‘What Goes Around Comes Around’
45.	Nicole Poon Sze Yen	SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim	‘Quality Education for All – Challenges in the Malaysian Context’
46.	Mohammad Siddiq b. Moideen	SMK Sultan Ismail	‘Theory of Evolution vs. Creation Science’
47.	Mohammad Farhan b. Mohd Fuad	SMK Agama Johor Bahru	‘Exploring Links Between Environmental Quality and Human Health’
48.	Suruthi a/p Mohhan	SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim	‘Promoting Stewardship In and  Around the World’s Frontier Forests, Grassland and Drylands’
49.	Regine Moh Jia Wei	SMK Seri Perling	‘Acknowledging Differences and Celebrating Diversity for A Better Tomorrow’
50.	Alif Imran b. Kamaruddin	SM Sains Muar	“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower other” – Bill Gates
51.	Nurafidah bt. Mohamad Nizam	SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim	“Leaders must invoke an alchemy of great vision” – Henry Kissinger
52.	Ong Bao Sheng	SMK Mohd Khalid	‘In Union, There is Strength’
53.	Arjun a/l A. Ravindran	Sek. Tinggi Batu Pahat	‘Respect is Earned and Not Demanded’
54.	Lee Wen Qing	SMK(P) Temenggong Ibrahim, Batu Pahat	‘Malaysia, Truly Asia’
55.	Siti Nursharmila bt. Md. Saidon	SMK Seri Tangkak	“My Vision of Iskandar Malaysia”
56.	Tan Yan Yi	SMK Sultan Ismail, JB	“If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins” – Benjamin Fraklin

Phase 2 : Individual Presentation & Group Interview

Some hopeful JSL candidates prepping themselves for the individual presentation, impromptu speech and group interview.

The JSL candidates' presentations were appraised by esteemed panel of judges, headed by Pn. Sallina Hussain, the Chairperson of the PKPSM JB. She was assisted by the Head of the Academic Sector, JPNJ and two lecturers from UTM.

I had the privileges to work with dedicated and wonderful team. We worked until 7 p.m. to sort out the final selection.

Phase 3: The Johor Student Leaders Council 2011

Congratulations to the 20 Johor Student Leaders who are selected to join the Johor Student Leaders Council this year. The leaders are not only selected based from verbal eloquency alone but leadership qualities, critical thinking and the ability to foster esprit de corps. They will be receiving their official letters of appointment from the JPNJ pretty soon. The team will be going through series of leadership training, etique and etiquette classes, diplomatic communications skills and oversea excursions to Australia and Netherlands.To those who didn't make it, bear in mind that you are still leaders in your schools and you can still make a difference!

1. Amira Aisya bt. Abd. Aziz - SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim

2. Ambrose Huan Yee Yang - SMK Tasek Utara
3. Arjun a/l A. Ravindran - Sek. Tinggi Batu Pahat

4. Asha Nair a/p Unnikrishnan -  Sekolah Tinggi Segamat

5. Harvind a/l Raja Gopal -  SMK Bandar Baru Uda

6. Hasnyzar bt. Hussin -  SMK IJ Convent

7. Hayley Yong Sue Ning -  SMK Sultanah Engku Tun Aminah

8. Iman Sofea bt. Mohamad Ibrahim -  SMK Taman Desa Skudai

9. Kabilen a/l Selvaraja - SMK Dato’ Penggawa Timur

10. Kirthana Darshayinie a/p Vijaya Sandran - Sekolah Tinggi Kluang

11. Mark Lee Weiren - SMK Taman Mount Austin

12. Mohammad Farhan b. Mohd Fuad - SMK Agama Johor Bahru

13. Muhamad Afiq Syafiq - Sekolah Tinggi Muar

14. Muhammad Fahmi b. Faizal - SM Sains Muar

15. Nurafidah bt. Mohamad Nizam - SMK(P) Sultan Ibrahim

16. Nurulain bt. Abd. Razak - SMK Temenggong Ibrahim

17. Ong Bao Sheng - SMK Mohd Khalid

18. Pritasha Naidu a/p Canian Anand Naidu - SMK IJ Convent

19. Sharifah Amirah Hanis bt. Syed Omar - Sekolah Tun Fatimah

20. Zaiton bt. Mohamad Khalid - SMK Ungku Husin