'Best Practices in T &L Course', Kluang District, MGC Johor

Date: 30 July 2009
Venue: SMK Taman Kluang Barat, Kluang
Time: 8am - 4pm
Target Group: beginning teachers/non-optionists SPM English teachers
Trainers: Hafiz and Pn Rahmah
Schedule: 8.30am-10.30am- writing
10.30am- 12.30pm - listening/speaking
2-4pm - workshop and closing ceremony

Today, both Hafiz and I conducted a six-hour course for 38 English teachers from Kluang. This was a programme organised by the Majlis Guru Cemerlang Johor for the state. Although we had some glitches at the beginning, I must say I was very pleased with the course participants for their excellent participation. I conducted the Writing and Workshop sessions, while Hafiz conducted Listening-Speaking. During the workshop, four groups displayed their creativity in creating stories from newspaper pictures and another four groups presented a consensus-seeking activity. Some stories were just hilarious! Congrats to all teachers! The following are the participants' reflections and suggestions:

1. I feel motivated to go back to school and teach listening and speaking. More courses to refresh our T&L activities.
2. Learnt a lot as a new teacher and able to gain and share ideas with others. Good course but don't drag the ending.
3. I really enjoyed what was offered! It was indeed helpful and I pray real hard that I'll gain my confidence to be as good as you Kak Rahmah. What you shared was pricelss and may you achieve what you've not achieved yet. Keep up the good work. Please do inspire teachers from rural school.
4. Interesting.
5. The sessions were good and beneficial...especially for me as a new teacher. Have more of these sessions in the future. More hands-on activities. Reduce the fee..haha..Tq
6. Very useful to me as a new English teacher.
7. The 3 sessions were amazing and it gave some insight on how to be a good English teacher.
8. I find the activities for the workshop are fun and interesting. I hope to use them in my classes. You can and should conduct referesher courses for optionists as well.
9. Attractive and practical. Encourage active participation. More workshops for Eng teachers.
10. Interesting. Good, well-planned time, punctual.
11. I like the course very much. As a very new teacher, I really need the information and new ideas for my teaching. Thank you so much! I would like to suggest that the modules are prepared much earlier so we can refer to it straightaway during the session.
12. The course was wonderful and it had taught me a lot. Need to have grammar course in future. Thanks!
13. A good session. Very informative. Hope to have more courses like this
14. Very good and informative. I learned new ways approach to teach my students.This type of course should always be carried out from time to time.
15. Coruse was ok and nice. I like it very much.
16. Fruitful sessions. Meaningful sharing moments. Time to know each other well. (So excited to have my own blog to share!) I'll learn/work on this.
17. The activities today are very intersting and we can see you have put much effort to make this activity a success. Thank you for what you have done for this session. We will apply whatever we have learnt here in the classroom.
18. I do enjoy myself attending the course today. I was unhappy yesterday when I was asked to attend the course at the first place. However, it is totally worth! If I can't make it today, I will regret! This course is very helpful esp in my P&P and the mateials are very interesting/useful for PLBS. Therefore, I got 2 in 1 benefit at the same time. TQ Pn Rahmah & En Hafiz! Please provide mineral water for teachers :)
19. I really gained a lot of useful skills and techniques in teaching listening and speaking. It's wonderful, enriched my knowledge. Helping me in doing P&P. TQ very much. Need some mineral water and sweets.
20. I've gained a lot of ideas in carrying out listening and speaking activities in my school. I enjoy this course and it made me realised I did very little activities with my students in L&S skills.
21. I enjoyed the session so much. I forgot how much I enjoyed the songs in lessons. I would start using it again in my future lesson. Furthermore, the course has opened up my mind to the many ways of teaching the language to students.
22. The activities were good and helpful and can be used in school. Organise more courses on the various stimulus which we need for our activities.
23. A very interesting, useful, knowledge-packed sessions especially during the workshop session. It helps me in terms of broaden my style of teaching and what's more important, taught me a lot of things even though some of the stimulus and materials presented were already learned and created before by myself. Perhaps the organisers should ask the participants to present more of their masterpieces rather than just sit and listen and relax.
24. The course is very useful to new teachers like me.
25. Satisfied and fulfill the teacher's need.
26. Very informative. Activities carried out were interesting and applicable in classroom.
27. All went well. Well done and keep up the good work! For lunch- shoud be more interesting. Lack of varieties.

Thanks to Hafiz, my co-trainer, Ismail (Chairman, MGC Kluang) and the secretariat for the smooth-running of the course. I find sharing with teachers always rewarding!