Winds Of Change

During one of my rounds of observation last week, I came across a young teacher who was to me, a little bit ambitious in her lessons. What I mean is, for young learners, it would be best for them to be given a little bit of new knowledge but with lots and lots of emphasization, repetition and encouragement, so that they would be able to grasp our lesson in context.

Quantity does not necessarily brings out the best of quality in almost every task undertaken. It would be a joy and teachers' utmost satisfaction when our subjects show a remarkable level of understanding of what is it that we are imparting to them. From experience, young learners would feel satisfied with whatever new knowledge gained and would be very happy to know that they are good in any particular area. Giving away an abundant of compliments to them does not hurt too.

Im very proud of this particular teacher who was able to prove that she is indeed a very good teacher. This morning I was very pleased to see a tremendous improvement in her methods of teaching and approaching her students. What pleased me most was her ability to use objects in the classroom to convey her message. It was obvious that the students enjoyed and understand her lesson better than they did the week before. The best part was, she herself felt very good about the lesson and her way of teaching.

I wish all the best to this wonderful teacher who is willing to correct whatever error she may have conducted and has the strong tendency to improve herself. Congratulation.

Elements Of Drama

Character

• Person who appears in the play
• Basic part of playwright's work
• Conventions of period and author's personal vision affect treatment of character.
• Major and minor characters
• Explanation and development of major characters is essential
• Useful distinction between; 

             -heroes (or heroines) and villains -good and bad guys -virtue and vice
Plot

• Describes the structure of a story
• Shows arrangement of events and actions
• Structured with acts and scenes.

Theme

• Plot is the body
• Theme is the soul
• Conflict between individuals, man and society, man and some superior force or man and himself.
• Events from conflict make up the plot
• Able to state it in general terms and in a single sentence

Dialogue

• Provides the substance
• Each word uttered contributes to its overall effect
• DECORUM must be established, i.e. what is said is appropriate to the role and situation of a character
• Exposition of the play:

                    - often falls on the dialogue
                    - establishes the relationships, tensions or conflicts of later

Introduction To Drama In The Classroom

The Guide Book

• Use of drama in classrooms teaching & learning
• Shows enormous potential of drama as a learning tool
• Improve students’ interest in using the English Language
• Not about training actors and actresses
• Explore human conditions, stimulating students to better understand themselves and the world
• Not prescriptive but ideas to share
• Teacher decides
• Photocopiable handouts or task sheets
• Friendly, useful, adaptable
• Joyful and fun learning to suit teaching environment and students
• Your students “gulping and gasping” for more!

What is Drama?

• Performances where actors work together to represent stories by impersonating the actions and speech of imaginary characters
• Usually performed on stage for the audience

Why Drama?

• A social art where no one person can produce a play by himself.
• A collective effort and product of many relationships: writers, director, actors, a group of people who design and build the stage, props, costumes etc.
• Introducing drama to children gives opportunity to seek knowledge, create a presentation, be someone or something, explore a situation and to work and learn together with friends and strangers.

"Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I will remember.
Involve me and I will understand."                          - Chinese Proverb

Graphic Novels Is Like But Not Comics

Aim(s)   -  40 minutes
To compare and contrast Graphic Novels and Comics

To identify features of graphic novels
Materials

Pictures from graphic novels and manga comic; manila cards

Steps

2. Divide students into groups. Distribute sets of pictures from graphic novels and manga comics.
3. Students sort out the pictures to get pictures from Journey To The Centre Of The Earth, Black Beauty, Mystery of Boscombe Valley Denko Oshoko-Manga comics
4. Students compare and contrast the features of graphic novels and manga comics.
5. On the white board, teacher places two charts with headings and notes as a guide for pupils look for the features of graphic novels and manga comics.
6. Students enter features of graphic novels and manga comic on the two charts pasted on the white board in front of the class.
7. Individually, students to enter details into handout 1, which is a table contrasting graphic novels and manga comics. Teacher summarizes referring to the features of graphic novels.

Notes

Preferably carry this out so that students will know the features of the graphic novel.
Four sets of pictures are given.

Using The Graphic Novels In The Classroom

• Treat it just like a book or a comic book. Read, read and enjoy reading.
• Keep it fun. Introduce fun activities while exploring the graphic novels . Extend the activities to go beyond the text, to areas found in real life.
• Open up their minds while trying out these activities using graphic novels as a take off point.
• Use graphic novels as materials for language learning as students are familiar with them. Graphic novels are interesting materials in an easily understandable format for youngsters.
• Encourage students involvement and participation in the activities by making them play the leading roles.
• Create a sense of ownership by assigning responsibilities to the students. Some of them can serve as experts or consultants because they probably know more about comics than the teacher .

Graphic Novels In The Classroom

• Teachers and educationist are now aware of the strong attraction that comics have over young people.
   Most youngsters would not read novels but they are most willing to read comics.

• Making the most of this attraction, graphic novels are now being brought into the classrooms as a means of getting youngsters to read.
• As opposed to common beliefs that comics are all violent, raunchy, or sexist there are now classics such as Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain as graphic novels.
• The words in graphic novels are minimal, yet the pictures help youngsters to comprehend.
• Second language learners give up reading if texts are too wordy. Graphic novels pull in reluctant readers rather than pushing them away as the visuals function as clues to help their understanding.
• A good picture paints a thousand words. As the pictures in the Graphic Novels are universal, they are readily recognized and accepted by the reluctant second language reader.

Why Use Graphic Novels?

• In an increasingly visual culture, the use of graphic novels will definitely promote literacy especially amongst the younger generation due to the elements of humour and fun.

• Encourage reluctant readers to read as the medium of visuals complement reading of graphic novels. They are more appealing to the eye.
• Visuals have a very strong impact on the reader, who makes meaning through pictures and images.
• Graphic novels offer value , variety and creativity. Pictures make texts more accessible especially to second language users and reluctant readers.
• Offer diverse alternatives to traditional texts – text light, actions faster and more reader friendly format.
• Introduce literary works like the classics to young adults who would probably not read them in their traditional novel form.
• Reading graphic novels may require more complex cognitive skills than the reading of texts alone. (Lavin 1998).
• Makes learning effective as graphic novels promote brain based learning making use of both the right and left brain.

Graphic Novels - Introduction

By definition “graphic novels” are “ novels whose narrative is conveyed through a combination of text and art, usually in comic strip form.”                  - Eisner,W (1978) -

The term “ graphic novel” is now generally used to describe any story book in a comic format that resembles a novel in length and develops as one piece of narrative work. Novels are presented as books in linear form; picture books tell a story with text accompanied by illustrations; films work with moving images and dialogue but graphic novels combine all these elements as a medium for story-telling.

“They are like prose in that they are written in printed form, but they are also like films in that they tell a story through visual images.”      - Smith. J(2005) -

In a graphic novel, readers derive information visually from pictures which are presented in sequence. Facial expressions and physical movements are relayed visually so much so that they, “… graphic novels are literature in cinematic format .”

Teaching Modules For English Literature Component 2010

Form 1
Poetry
The River
Mr.Nobody
Short Stories
Flipping Fantastic
Graphic Novels
Black Beauty
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Journey to Centre Of The Earth

Form 4
Poetry
In The Midst of Hardship
He Had Such Quiet Eyes
Short Stories
QWERTYUIOP
The Fruitcake Special
Drama
Gulp and Gasp

Merperkasakan Bahasa Inggeris Dan Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia

Satu lagi program Kementerian Pelajaran Malaysia untuk membantu memajukan dunia pendidikan di Malaysia, seiring dengan pemesatan persaingan dunia teknologi sekarang ini. Program ini apabila didalami dan difahami, akan menjadi pemangkin kepada kepesatan penambahbaikan dalam proses pengajaran dan pembelajaran di dalam mahupun di luar bilik darjah. Untuk Labuan, bagi memastikan dunia pendidikan warga Labuan tidak ketinggalan dalam mengejar kemajuan ini, berbagai usaha yang melibatkan kerjasama berbagai pihak telah diatur.

Ini mengingatkan saya kepada jasa-jasa guru-guru di Labuan yang selama lebih sedekad ini, telah memerah keringat, berkongsi idea dan pandangan selain dari berkorban dalam banyak perkara. Semua ini semata-mata untuk membantu pihak jabatan memastikan warga pendidik Labuan maju dan membudayakan pendidikan berkesan.

Kepada semua Jurulatih-Jurulatih Utama yang telah dilatih dalam berbagai mata pelajaran, khususnya Bahasa Malaysia dan Bahasa Inggeris, jasa tuan puan tidak akan pernah dilupakan. Perjalanan kita masih jauh dalam memastikan penambahbaikan alam pendidikan anak-anak kita diutamakan. Tuan puan telah banyak menyumbang, masih sedia menyumbang dan tentunya akan menyumbang lagi.

Kepada Pn.Siti Zahara, Pn.Wan Shariha, Pn.Rodziah, Pn.Nurul, Pn.Rohana, Pn.Zaleha, Pn.Matilda, Pn.Faridah, Pn.Khatijah, Pn.Simah, Pn.Janawati, Pn.Jamalia, Pn.Hamidah, Pn.Norhasheila, Pn.Noraliza, Pn.Janet, Pn.Hajayti, Pn.Norela, Pn.Juliana, Pn.Chin, Pn.Jasintha, Cik Suriani, Cik Ratna, Cik Yoke Peng, Cik Lim, Cik Pamela, ramai lagi lah, tak tersenarai di sini. Mereka ini selalu diiringi oleh En.Yahya, En.Hasnan, En.Justin, En.Jaafar, En.John, En.Ashraf, En.Cheah, En.Zamri dan ramai sangat lagi. Walau tidak sempat dirakamkan, mereka semua tetap di hati. Kepada sesiapa yang tidak mengenali dan mengetahui,  mereka adalah tulang belakang kejayaan bahasa-bahasa di Labuan.

Sekalung tahniah kepada mereka dan anda semua yang akan tetap. Jom kerja lagi.

Our Next Generation

For the past two weeks, I have been going around various schools to observe how the Program Transisi Guru Penyayang were being carried out. This experience has given me quite a deep insight of what is underneath our very naked eyes are seeing. The faces of innocence that stare back at you in wonder and full of expectation of what is to come, of what can be learned, of what should be understood - could easily boggle your mind.

These children of the future, the carriers of our hopes, our dependence of the unknown, are such a wonderful joy to discover, learn, know and above all, love. So much that we know, so much that they do not. So much that we could give, so much that they want to absorb. We are not here to teach them from the heart, but teachers, we should teach them through the heart. Such innocence. Such purity. To think that their best interest is in our hands, and knowing that as teachers, we are so very involved in making sure they get the best of education, could really be a scare to any mortal.

I am very proud to say that there are many of us teachers of Year One,  who whole-heartedly are guiding these lovely creatures of the earth, unconditionally, oblivious to tiredness or time. Though these children could really be a handful, and most times, testing our patience to the limit, it is with pure joy to be able to witness the efforts of the teachers of Labuan. I could not be prouder.

Hooray for Year-One Labuan teachers.

To Further My Education Or Not To?

Having very solid education background is crucial in this age and era. It has been close to 12 years since I last sat in a lecture hall.  I have to admit that Im quite rusty in the area of mass learning. Most of my college and university colleagues have the Dr. title in front of their names. Even those teaching in rural primary schools do too. Meeting most of them during the last school holidays, got me to thinking, why not me? It is high time for me to start my masters. I should have done it long ago or at least last year together with Pn.Maimoon but I was not ready to mix work with studies since the last few years were very hectic with work loads. I did not have the confidence then. Since I predict that this year is going to be quite slow in comparison, I have decided to pursue my  long-abandoned need to study. Most of my friends and colleagues are very supportive.. Pn.Maimoon, Surin, Khaz,  Hayati, Cikgu Nuzie, are all for it. Thus I have started to look for more informations through the various websites. UMS appeals to me. Today Zura helped me with the forms. What Im planning to do next is to coax as many of my friends to continue their education together with me. That should make the learning more fun. Well, since I have set myself in this direction, god willing, I should succeed.

Count-Down To Gunung Kinabalu Expedition 5-7 February 2010

It has been a while. Feels more like ancient really. Last I reached the summit was in 2004. As hard as it is to believe, it HAS been almost 6 years since I last conquered the mountain. 6 years younger! That particular climb was amazing. I remember not even spending a day of exercise in preparation to the climb then. It was the remarkable company I was with definitely that gave me the extra adrenalin I guess. It was as if I was on cloud nine then. But those were the days my friends.

Gunung Kinabalu has always had a pull for me. My first climb was back in 1987, having chosen to climb the mountain as part of the requirement to pass Gerko. It was hard but the view was marvellous. I fell in love with the clouds, the gorgeous landscapes, the magic and simply the magnificent mountain itself. I remember vowing to climb it again and again.

Lo and behold, I did, time and time again, 9 or 10 times, I cannot recall actually, and it seems that I still am doing it. Allah knows how many times I have asked myself these past few weeks - what have I got myself into this time? Am I insane? But again, the beauty of the mountain beckons me.  It seems that I still cannot resist the charms that engulfed me 23 years ago.

So, here I am. TRYING hard to ensure that my stamina would not fail me. Definitely with lots and lots of prayers, I am telling myself, I could do it (the exercise!). InsyaAllah. In other words... HELP..

Perbelanjaan Berhemah.

Dalam mesyuarat pengurusan kewangan yang baru sahaja dijalankan pada pagi ini, tuan Pengarah Pelajaran telah melahirkan rasa hati dan keprihatinan beliau mengenai keperluan berbelanja secara berhemah untuk tahun 2010 ini, samada di peringkat sekolah mahupun di peringkat jabatan. Apa yang beliau perkatakan adalah hakikat yang perlu diterima oleh warga pendidik sekelian. Melihatkan jumlah peruntukan yang diturunkan ke WP Labuan, berbanding dengan tahun 2009, memanglah menggusarkan. Adalah agak susah untuk melaksanakan berbagai-bagai perancangan yang telah dirancang dalam SKT untuk tahun 2010 ini, khususnya perancangan pembangunan akademik dengan peruntukan yang begitu sedikit diterima. Hatta, langkah-langkah berjimat cermat yang disarankan beliau, walaupun mungkin kedengaran payah untuk ditelan, adalah sesuatu yang wajar untuk di fikirkan secara lebih mendalam.

Apapun, kita sebagai pelaksana tanggungjawab, wajarlah memikirkan dan mencari jalan yang terbaik untuk memastikan program-program memperkasakan dan mengukuhkan perkembangan prestasi akademik warga Labuan tidak terjejas. Kita pelaksana, tidak mustahil dengan berbagai pengalaman yang kita ada, kita dapat melakukan yang terbaik di dalam situasi sedemikian. Pegawai-pegawai di jabatan umpamanya. Kita dulu guru. Masih lagi Guru. Guru sentiasa kreatif dan inovatif dengan cara kita sendiri untuk emamstikan kejayaan anak bangsa. Semoga situasi ini tidak berpanjangan. Insyallah, warga Labuan boleh.

Senarai Buku Program Sastera Kontemporari Kanak-Kanak Yang Diedarkan

Pelaksanaan Sastera Kontemporari Kanak-Kanak untuk mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris di semua SK dan SJK di seluruh negara mula dilaksanakan pada Januari tahun 2004. Ia diperkenalkan untuk mempertingkatkan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris. Melalui pembacaan, adalah diharapkan agar murid dapat menghayati jalan cerita, watak dan tema yang terdapat di dalam sesebuah cerita. Program ini juga menjadi asas kepada murid untuk mengikuti kurikulum Bahasa Inggeris di Sekolah Menengah yang merangkumi komponen sastera dalam P&P Bahasa Inggeris.

Program ini merupakan program bacaan insentif yang berdasarkan kepada teks yang ditetapkan. Setiap murid perlu membaca 3 buah buku dalam setahun dan pembelajaran sesebuah buku akan mengambil masa 3 bulan. Buku tersebut kemudian akan ditukar dengan kelas yang lain.

Masa P&P untuk Sastera Kontemporari Kanak-Kanak bagi SK ialah 1 waktu mata pelajaran Bahasa Inggeris dalam seminggu. Bagi SJK dicadangkan 1 waktu pengajaran sekali dalam dua minggu.

Year 4 SK           - The Humble Prince
Year 4 SJK          - Caught In The Act
                               The Old House
                               A Wise Man
Year 5 SK            - What You Wish For
                                The Walking Box And Other Stories
                                In The Mirror
Year 5 SJK          - The Race For The Cup
                               The Elves And The Shoemaker
                               Changing Days
Year 6 SK & SJK- The Perfect Present
                               Noble Tales Untold

Senarai Teaching Courseware Bahasa Inggeris yang telah diedarkan ke semua SK, SJK dan SMK

Year             Level            Title         No of CDs

2003             Yr 1               SK           11
                                           SJK          9
                      F 1                SMK        9
2004             Yr 2               SK            6
                                           SJK          9
                     F 2                SMK         5
2005             Y 3                SK            7
                                           SJK          5
                     F 3                SMK         7
2006             Y 4                SK            4
                                           SJK          3
                     F 4                SMK         6
2007             Y 5                SK            6
                                           SJK          3
                     F 5                SMK         6

Botanical Garden, Labuan

Setelah sekian lama berada di Labuan, akhirnya saya menjejakkan kaki buat pertama kalinya di Botanical Garden, Labuan. Lama sudah sahabat saya Surin bercerita tentangnya. Pada saya, selama ini, tempat yang paling cantik  dan sesuai beriadah ialah Taman Damai. Setiap inci selok belok Taman Damai saya tahu. Rupa-rupanya Botanical Garden itu cantik, luas dan sesuai sungguh untuk sesiapa sahaja berkunjung.

Kami berdua bersama Hasnan menghabiskan masa sepetang beriadah di sana. Letih berlari tidak terasa dengan persekitaran yang ada di situ. Tempat ini ada banyak potensi untuk dimajukan dan dicantikkan lagi tambahan pula dengan tumbuhan sedia ada, landskap, kemudahan yang ada boleh dibanggakan rakyat Labuan. Sayang seribu kali sayang, pihak pentadbiran taman ini kurang memberi tumpuan pada maintainance. Banyak jalan untuk jogging yang rosak, yang semestinya membahayakan pengguna. Kolam-kolam yang ada amat strategik. Sayang sekali tidak terjaga hingga meninggalkan pandangan yang menyakitkan mata. Tambahan pula terdapatnya bau yang kurang menyenangkan darinya.

Apa yang saya gambarkan ialah bagaimana taman ini akan kelihatan sekiranya kemudahan dan bangunan sediada dijaga rapi. Malah, sekiranya Hasnan dan Surin bersama pasukan mereka ingin membuat persembahan seni di sini, dengan berbagai peralatan sokongan diadakan, tidak mustahil ianya akan menjadi ikutan dan menambah salah satu lagi tarikan di Labuan.

Apa pun, yang penting, peliharalah apa yang kita sedia ada. Salah satu darinya ialah kesihatan yang baik. Nanti saya mahu bertemu Pengarah Pelajaran mengenai program riadah bersama warga pendidik. Mereka mahu lebih kerap rupanya.

Penstrukturan Jadual Waktu Bahasa Inggeris Sekolah Rendah SJK Tahap 2

Monday          - Listening and speaking.
                          Talking about stories read.
                          Role playing social functions.
                          Reciting poems and chants and singing songs.
                          Carrying out instructions on how to make things.
Tuesday         - Contemporary Literature.
                          Reading stories, poems and talking about
                          characters and events.
                          Giving personal responses to the stories and
                          poems read.
                          Carrying out role-plays.
Wednesday    - Reading Comprehension and grammar.
                          Reading fiction and non-fiction texts.
                          Using dictionary to find meaning of words.
                          Spelling and dictation.
                          Answering questions.
                          Teaching grammar in context.
Thursday                             -
Friday             - Writing stories and descriptions.
                          Correctiong spelling and punctuation errors.
                          Writing letters.

Penstrukturan Jadual Waktu Bahasa Inggeris Sekolah Rendah SK Tahap 2

Monday     - Contemporary Literature
                     Reading stories, poems and talking about characters
                     and events.
                     Giving personal responses to stories and poems read.
                     Answering questions and carrying out role-plays.
Tuesday     - Listening and speaking. Learning English with ICT.
                     Telling stories (extensive reading).
                     Role playing social functions.
                     Reciting poems, chants and singing.
Wednesday -Reading  fiction and non-fiction texts.
                     Using dictionaries to get meanings of words.
                     Presenting data in graphic form an vice versa.
Thursday   - Grammar. Learning English with the computer.
                     Detecting errors.
                     Writing paragraphs using correct tense.
                     Applying spelling rules.
                     Teach grammar in context.
Friday        - Writing.
                     Writing simple stories, recounts and descriptions.
                     Correcting spelling and punctuation errors.
                     Writing letters.

We, The English Teachers

Curriculum Goal

The English language syllabus aims to equip students with basic skills and knowledge of the English language so as to enable them to communicate, both orally and in writing, in and out of school. The educaitonal emphases to be infused in the syllabus are thinking skills, learning how to learn skils, ICT, to value citizenship, multiple intelligences and the knowledge acquisition.

The curriculum aims is to produce a learner who is articulate, confident and of a good character. Thus teachers must always remember the principles in teaching. We must always go back to basics. This enables us to build a strong foundation of competences in basic literary skills, reading through phonics, penmanship and basic listening and speaking.

Friends, remember that it is crucial to make our learning fun, meaningful and purposeful. Our activities should be contextualized, meaningful and purposeful and, most important, create fun-filled activities. English, to our students may be a second, third, or even fourth language to learn. It helps our teaching when we integrate language skills in meaningful contexts.

We should be more aware of the students' needs and the salient learner factors such as their environment, family background and even the language use context. Thus teaching should always be learner-centred. Of course the introduction of the integration of salient new technologies such as exploiting ICT  to facilitate and encourage meaningful language practices.

Last but not least, remember that we are infusing character-building through our teaching. this is a chance for us to inculcate good moral values, such as promoting more istructional conversation in the classroom.

Lets teach.