Sports Day 2012

Having our sports week here....yeas we are having it for three consecutive days...it is really very tiring especially when you are working with the technical team.....tomorrow will be the closing ceremony hopefully everything will be alright....

English Brainstormers

Dear all,

I believe in sharing, with that in mind I am sharing one of the most interesting books that I have ever downloaded. The book provides interesting ideas for brainstorming activities...these activities can become your "set induksi" ....the activities can be modified according to your students ability....so take it or leave it hahahahaha....if you are interested click on the cover of the book below.....




Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

Malaysian Subject - Verb Agreement That Do Not Agree...

No subject-verb agreement

THIS sentence appeared in a recent online edition of a local newspaper:

“Trading in national car maker Proton Holdings Bhd and conglomerate DRB-Hicom Bhd shares were suspended ...”

What a glaring mistake! How can the verb in this sentence (“were”) be plural when the subject (“trading”) is clearly singular?

In my observation, this is the No.1 grammatical mistake that occurs in Malaysian English. Sadly, it has become the norm! I see it everywhere – in newspaper headlines, TV news, and practically every single time I hit the “Info” button on my Astro remote.

I can see exactly where the mistake comes from. Whoever wrote or edited the sentence took a long, hard look at the noun that sits right before the verb (in this case, “shares”), and decided that because “shares” is plural, the verb must also be plural. The question every writer must ask himself is: “Where is the subject in this sentence?”

The subject is “trading”, which means the correct version of the sentence should read: “Trading in ... shares ... was suspended ...”

Have students and teachers of English in this country become unfamiliar with such basics as “Subject-Verb-Object”?

After all, it is no more complicated than “Mommy is making dinner” and “Daddy is reading a newspaper”. – Shehzad Martin

The native speaker fallacy

I DO not believe that native speakers are the best language teachers.

At best, they are only good language models but not necessarily models of optimal learners.

In response to the tenet created at the 1961 Commonwealth Conference on the Teaching of English as a Second Language in Makarere, Uganda – which stated that the ideal teacher of English is a native speaker – Robert Phillipson used the phrase “the native speaker fallacy” in an article to refer to the unfair treatment of qualified non-native English-speaker teachers since the majority of English teachers worldwide are evidently non-native speakers of English as documented by Matsuda & Matsuda in 2001.

The native speaker fallacy, as is understood literally, implies that in learning an additional language, native speakers of that language are not the best language teachers for learners even though Peter Medgyes concluded that learners taught by both native and non-native speaker teachers had an equal chance of success in his related investigation in over 10 countries.

I tend to agree with Medgyes despite the fact that native speaker teachers are, in most linguistic scenarios, more proficient, fluent and accurate comparatively.

As Medgyes posits, since non-native speaker teachers have had to adopt language-learning strategies during their own learning process, this is more likely to make them better qualified to teach those learning strategies and they are more empathetic to their students’ linguistic challenges and needs.

Therefore, the dichotomy of native speaker teachers and non-native speaker teachers should not be understood as it stands in the Malaysian context. I believe over-emphasis on any of the two will not be fruitful in our learners’ additional language learning. – Khei Yok Man

The Star
27th January 2012

How I Met Myself - Sample Lesson plans

Here I would like to share lesson plans with interesting activities for the novel how I Met Myself....I hope this will be helpful for those who are teaching the noel how I Met Myself.. this lesson plans were done and presented during the state level JU training in Miri last year...

Lesson Plan 1
Lesson Plan 2
Lesson Plan 3
Lesson Plan 4
Lesson Plan 5
Lesson Plan 6
Lesson Plan 7
Lesson Plan 8
Lesson Plan 9
Lesson Plan 10

Sin Nyien Kwai Ler...Gong Xi Fatt Chai

Happy Chinese New Year to dear followers...May the Dragon Vibes brings you all the happiness in life...Gong Xi Fatt chai......

Form 3 Lit - Com Workshop - Bintulu Division

The Bintulu Division Lit - Com training session was conducted today and I was the trainer. 20 teachers from Bintulu division participated in the session and was quite nervous as this was my first time handling a group of senior teachers and some of them, their experiences are my age!! However, I had a blessed session with all of them as they were all humble and was willing to share their experiences as well as accept my ideas..... The session went on really very well...They were even very excited to take part in the group activities that I had prepared for the training session. Here are some of the pictures that I would love to share.. Thanks to Pn. Nancy Jupei ( PPD Officer) who was more than willing to be with us throughout the session.... God Bless

The teacher in you

The teacher in you

TEACHER TALK
By NITHYA SIDDHU


Imparting knowledge and values to young children are by no means, easy tasks, but teachers remain in the profession for various reasons.

SINGER songwriter Bob Dylan once said: “A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between, he does what he wants to do.” After reading this, I asked this question seriously of myself. As a teacher, do I get to do what I want to do?

The answer is yes. Well, at least 60% of the time. When I am teaching, I do know that I am doing what I want to do, which is to help others gain understanding of a subject that I have a passion for.

If my teaching gives students the impetus to bring about positive change in themselves, be it in deportment, knowledge or attitude, then I know I am doing what I want to do.

For the rest of the time, like most other teachers, I do what I have to do. Bob Dylan’s words made me think further. What questions, if any, have been asked of me regarding my years as a teacher?

Listed below are some of the questions and answers that are based on my 25 years of teaching.

·Do I get the time to be creative and be motivated?

By the administration, not always. By my students, quite a fair bit. I do realise this however – teachers do need and appreciate incentives to propel them to be inventive.

As for me, I have always tried to come up with an innovative project, at least once a year. I am aware that for this to happen – it is up to me to find the time for it. The inclination to do so is important. If it doesn’t happen, I am to blame.

·Is teaching rewarding?

I would say it has its moments, particularly if a lesson goes well and you know that you are instrumental in bringing about some positive learning habits.

l Is teaching addictive?

Yes, it can be something that you want to return to time after time, especially if you have the knack for it. Your students’ faces will say it all ... whether they enjoy your lesson or just your sheer presence every time you walk into the class.

·A girl asked me this: is a teacher’s job exciting?

On days when the factors are just right, the students are great, funny and eager to work with you – yes, it can be exciting to teach.

Their enthusiasm is infectious and creates this warm feeling that is hard to describe. When they understand your wit and are rooting for meaningful communication, teaching can become exciting.

On other days? Let’s face it, like any other job, sometimes it’s just doing more of the same every day — dreary, dull and uphill tasks — that physically and mentally tire you out. On days like this, you just want the working day to end, so you can go home.

·“Is teaching a gift?” asks an 18-year-old who plans to take up the noble profession.

My answer? I’m afraid it is. Many people are taken on as teachers, but only a few take to teaching like ducks to water.

Why? It’s a gift to be able to reach out to people, touch them where it matters, and make them see the whys and what-fors of notching up change.

·Is teaching challenging?

It used to be, but not as much anymore as I’ve matured over time. Any new challenge can be tackled. But when I was new to teaching, I do remember the rush I felt – there were always so many things to do, to learn, to think and to discover.

A young teacher said to me, “I am extremely happy to be a teacher, it’s good to see the students’ progress and it’s fantastic to see that I (and teachers in general) am an important part in their learning life.” It was a good statement, I thought.

·Do teachers make a difference?

A student answered this for me. “A good teacher makes me want to be a better per-son,” he said.

·Is teaching rewarding?

For this, I sought out a senior teacher – a man due to retire soon and his answer stayed with me.

“Financially, you may not feel you have the best job in the world. But it pays well enough, and if you’re grateful for the privileges that come with the job (he meant free medical services, loans at low interest rates, not having to work during school holidays, etc), I think teaching is a good job to derive a pension from.”

But, the true rewards are the non-tangible ones, he shared, that of providing a charitable service, giving to the young, being involved in their growing years.

What is truly rewarding is when former students come back years later to tell their teachers how they inspired and brought about positive changes to them, he added.

“You really leave a little piece of yourself with them, and they with you,” he said.

I was touched.

·Does being a teacher teach you anything?

My answer would be “loads”. I have learnt so much from being a teacher. There’ll never be an ending to what I can still learn. Mentoring, coaching, training, counselling skills – all these I learnt from teaching.

Being a more accepting person — less ready to condemn and more ready to forgive and move forward — all this, I learnt from teaching.

Practising the habit of being honest, non-prejudicial, just, fair, caring, kind — this too came as an added bonus.

Understanding myself, knowing how I was viewed by others and realising what I needed to do to improve every day came directly from my teaching experience too.

The most important thing I learnt? How you are as a person is reflected by the look on the faces of your students.

When you do a good job, you see the look of enlightenment and appreciation on them. When you care, they often care too. And, if you don’t, they couldn’t care less