HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Happy holidays all! 
A much deserved holiday for all of us. 
Come back rejuvenated o.k.

😊😊😊

(Credit: Google Images)

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

ASEAN-ELT CONFERENCE 2018

Hi peeps! You can bookmark this conference in case you're planning for professional development. I'm not sure if the conference chair, Professor Jayakaran Mukundan (UPM) is doing a rebranding of MICELT, but previous conferences have never been disappointing. You'll be spoilt for choices as to which paper/workshop to attend. And if you're thinking of spreading your wings and adding a colourful facet to your teaching repertoire, why not present something? Go for it teachers! I hope to see you there too. For more details click on the image.

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

The school holidays are coming!

Yeaayy! A week more before the holidays! It's been a long year and we know we all look forward to the holidays. (that's why I'll never be a SISC + officer, I love my hols too much!) Am clearing up clutter and also managed to print all my DSKP and scheme of work for 2018. Managed to sort out two short modules for Form 5 next year too and my resource files. Thanks so much to the guys for organising games and activities for the lower secondary classes 🙋 This means I have some free time to get some things sorted out for the new term in 2018. 

What are your plans for the hols? I may take a short trip to Jogjakarta or India depending. Anyway, here's wishing you happy hols peeps! This will be my last post before the holidays. See you again in 2018! Cheers

Be good. Stay safe 😍

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

e-guru to fine-tune your teaching!

Click on the link for useful videos on teaching English and other subjects.

e- guru

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

It suddenly feels lonely up here...

Today I lost two GC friends. Something I was totally not ready for. Why oh why didn't they apply for the next level? Have they lost their enthusiasm? Do they need a bit of power in school? (school is all about  power play) I think not! Are they tired of applying? The documentation, the observation, the comments, the expectations, the stress etc. can drive you nuts. Probably the time has come for them to 'tukar angin' and I don't blame them at all but to be honest something feels really sad inside.

Of course I'm happy that they have been promoted now that they have reached time-based. They too deserve the promotion. Why apply for the next level when you can avoid pressure and stress? It makes a lot of sense doesn't it?  However, I think the ministry is making a big mistake. Granted the scheme is still around (a smaller scale) but there are not many who want to apply now. A lot of the quota is now given to SISC +.  And with time-based, you can just sit and do the routine and get promoted. It doesn't encourage teachers to improve and excel. It doesn't encourage teachers to go the extra mile. And we need good teachers in the classrooms!

What a shame that there are less GCs now. With the dwindling number, how are we expected to perform like before? We practically lost our networking and it's hard to run the Majlis Guru Cemerlang now. I know some still plod on. The GC scheme produced the best teachers. Those who had never done Action Research before started learning about it and making it part of their culture. Some went on to win awards for their research and shared at international conferences. This is just one small example but it is by no means a small feat for a school teacher. Then there are those who upgrade themselves continuously to become the best subject matter experts in the classroom and those who became trainers, writers, presenters etc. (many were already accomplished teachers even before they became a GC). Upon becoming a GC, they realised the importance of CPD and they knew they had to keep improving to live up to their new position and expectations from others. 

No matter what some principals, teachers, inspectorates and other parties say about GCs, those who really deserve the post far outweigh those who don't. Yes, there are some bad apples who gave the scheme a bad name, but many went out of their way to give their best at the district, state, national and international levels. If only we can be more supportive and less envious. 

Don't forget that after our appointments, we were not given continuous training. We were expected to train and to never say "No" to any task given. Seriously I lost count of the number of modules and training I had conducted. I gave it all I got while juggling school work at the same time. We were expected to perform at all times and the expectations drove some up the wall. I've heard of those who fell ill due to stress. Some opted for early retirement. When the GC scheme started, they were transferred to under performing schools only to be met with a lot of hostility. How were they supposed to performed? Here comes a GC and we expect him/her to change the results overnight! One GC in Kuala Lumpur nearly lost her mind. I pray she is well. Thank God during my time, the ministry decided to let us stay in our current schools.

What a shame that some quarters find it hard to accept that a mere teacher can go on a fast track  up to the Special Grade C. And it is no secret that many were given GCs nearing their next promotion. One even told me her increment after becoming a GC DG48 was a mere RM36.00! 

It's sad when a principal remarked in one ceremony attended by my GC friend (Sejarah), "Beri dia orang kenaikan gaji aje tapi elaun jangan bagi. Elaun keraian tu nanti dia orang makan sendiri." The principal later apologised to my friend when she realised that a GC was sitting at the same table in the awards ceremony! Another principal said to a GC, "Cikgu jaga Matematik saja, saya jaga satu sekolah." I can tell you lots of similar stories since I became a GC but I'll save them for later. But you know what is the saddest thing? The saddest thing is when the very people who evaluated GCs look down on them and inevitably the scheme. It's a shame that we talk about upgrading teachers and the teaching profession (memartabatkan profesion keguruan) when people who are entrusted with the job question whether teachers deserve it. 

To all GCs out there, don't let anything put you down. Give and share MORE despite the challenges and remember, do it sincerely not because you want praise and recognition. 


Don't forget our motto: KECEMERLANGAN BERTERUSAN!

I lost two GC friends today...it suddenly feels lonely up here...😭

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Praise be to Allah!

Modules stats (visits) equals 34,377! Alhamdullilah 😊😊😊

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Free photocopiables peeps!

Thanks to Nick Peachey for this excellent resource! Make full use of the materials teachers. Free and photocopiable 😇 Click on the picture.

Happy teaching!

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

JOM BALIK AWAL PROGRAMME with 2017 SPM Candidates

Every little bit helps I believe, so here goes the materials I used for "Program Jom Balik Awal 2017" for 140 SPM candidates this year. I decided to deal with three poems namely A Poison Tree, Charge of the Light Brigade and The Living Photograph. Besides I also revised formats for Directed Writing and Continuous Writing (tips on how to read two-parter questions). I knew there wasn't enough time to finish the poem questions therefore I made sure each student received a copy of the key towards the end so that they can check their answers later. Feel free to use and share.

Jom Balik Awal Module

Poems - key only

Happy teaching peeps!

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Do you ask your students to copy essays?

I used to be very skeptical about transcribing aka copying 😕 Does copying essays blindly for example do any good to a student's language development? To be honest I loathed the idea when I first heard about it. I googled this topic but I couldn't find anything that supports its use in the classroom. But then I realised we have different teaching situations. Some of us are lucky to have good students but the majority do not. ( I'm marking my students' trial 2 essays now and sometimes you feel like you want to cry 😢 reading their essays but I always console myself by praying for them for I believe in the power of prayer 😍)

Do I use transcribing now? Yes! But I've decided to change the way it's usually done. I've thus used two methods:

Method 1: SS transcribe stories and generate 5-8 questions on the story to check for understanding. (Mind you, the students are bad at question formation 😃😏 This can be an area for action research for those who are looking for a topic)

Method 2: Remove target vocabulary (single words and phrases....because research says we learn words better in chunks) from narrative, factual, argumentative texts and get students to copy while filling in the blanks. See the sample below.

Not innovative enough? Well, it has worked so far for my students. What works is sometimes better than what's innovative. I make sure I choose the words/phrases carefully before I delete them. Rather than copy something blindly, give them tasks based on the text (mine is usually a narrative by the way). The samples below are self-explanatory I think. Pardon the handwritten part. Yours truly have tried to type them for two months now but simple couldn't complete the task hahah! 

Give it a try peeps and tell me how it goes.

Happy teaching!

Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Lesson Plan: Eat Healthy, Stay Wealthy

Dear all,
Here's another lesson plan conducted last week. Try it and share with others. And oh! the next time you go to Giant, grab those brochures and use them for this lesson 😊

Lesson Plan:

DAY/DATE	SUNDAY		13/8/2017
FORM	2 QAYYIM	TIME	9.30-10.30	NO. OF SS	28
THEME	People & Health
TOPIC	Eat Healthy Stay Wealthy
LEARNING STANDARD	Know fundamental skills in reading and acquire new vocabulary.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES	By the end of the lesson, you will be able to: 1. Read a variety of texts and scan for details and  individual meanings of unfamiliar words. 2. Acquire vocabulary related to food.
SUCCESS CRITERIA	I will be successful if I can 1. Read and understand the gist of a text and answer open-ended questions. 2. Classify 25/30 food-related words into 5 groups correctly. 3. Decide and classify healthy vs. unhealthy foods satisfactorily.
TEACHING &  LEARNING ACTIVITIES	1. SS watch a video on “Eat Healthy Stay Wealthy”. 2. SS answer some questions based on the video verbally.. 3. SS read a passage on “Food for Fitness” silently 4. SS classify words from the passage into six groups and answer comprehension questions based on the passage read 5. Feedback and discussion 6. Using a circle map, SS choose pictures of healthy and unhealthy foods to complete the circle map.
TEACHING AIDS/RESOURCES	Circle map, handouts, GIANT brochures, video
21ST CENTURY ELEMENTS	Collaboration / Creativity / PBL SS centeredness / Communication / Critical thinking / I-THiNK Maps / Task-based /
SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT	1 2 3 4 5 6
REFLECTION

Download the handouts, video here HERE.

Happy teaching peeps 😎




Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH

Lesson Plan: Simple Past Tense and Regular-Irregular Verbs

Was observed on Monday by an inspectorate :) They are all in my school till Thursday. Here's the lesson plan in case you'd like to try it! My SS were angels 😉😍 Not bragging o.k. but I was very pleased with how the lesson went. One of the best lessons I've conducted...most importantly, objectives achieved 😄 The inspectorate's feedback was positive Alhamdulillah. Feel free to use and share. 

It's a habit of mine to have a lesson outline such as the following before I'm observed. For the lesson plan proper, please check below.

FORM 2 IBNU QAYYIM

 THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE 

AND REGULAR IRREGULAR VERBS

(60 mins)

ACTIVITIES	STEPS	MATERIALS
1.   WARMER/ STARTER         (10 mins)	1.        T distributes number 1- 4 cards to each group and ask each group member to pick one number. 2.        T shows some simple past tense verbs on ppt. and ask SS to study the spelling of the verbs. 3.        T asks SS to identify which are regular verbs and which are irregular: 4.        T gives input on the simple past and regular/irregular verbs using ppt.	Ppt. slides Numbers 1-4 enough for all SS in groups of four
2.   STORY TIME       (35 mins)	1.        T distributes a true story (Escape from the jungle). 2.        SS read the story silently and change simple present tense verbs into the verbs in the boxes into the simple past tense. 3.        T models by reading aloud and asks questions to check SS understanding for each paragraph: a.  When did the incident take place? 1971 b.  What’s the name of the girl in the story? Juliana c.  How old is the German girl? 17 d.  Who was Juliana traveling with? Her mother e.  What was she travelling on? A plane f.   What animal did she see on her journey to escape?      caimans and piranhas 4.        T checks answers by calling “HEADS TOGETHER NO. 1” to give answers to the blanks in the story. 5.        All SS with no.1 stand up and answer questions. T continues to call other numbers. 6.        Once all the blanks are filled up, T gets SS to verbally say which verbs are regular and irregular verbs. Alternatively, T can draw columns on board and call SS to classify the verbs in the story: REGULAR IRREGULAR Para 1: looked   called left, were, broke, fell, hit, lay, food Para 2: started heard, found, saw, knew Para 3: learned came, knew, swam, learnt, got took	Numbered heads “Heads together”
3.   GRAMMAR GAME AND CLOSURE    (15 mins)	1.        Grammar Tic Tac Toe How to play: a.      Use the 4 games on the slides. b.      Divide class into 2 teams (green and red teams depending on colour of marker pens used) c.       Give green marker pen to green team and red pen to the read team. d.      Show slide Game 1. Call GREEN TEAM to choose a verb in the simple past and change that to the infinitive. (correct spelling mandatory) e.       Next, call the RED TEAM to choose a verb and do the same. (the idea is to block the other team and to try to score a tic-tac-toe) f.        The winner is of course the group that can have a straight line! (No worries, when I carried this out, only in the 4th game did green team won!) g.      Allow group discussion before one volunteer come to the board to choose a verb. 2.        Follow-up: SS to find 10 regular and irregular verbs for the next lesson.	Ppt.

 

DAY/DATE	MONDAY		14/8/2017
FORM	2 QAYYIM	TIME	7.30-8.30	NO. OF SS	28
THEME	People
TOPIC	Grammar- the simple past tense and regular-irregular verbs
LEARNING STANDARD	The simple past tense – form and meaning
LEARNING OBJECTIVES	By the end of the lesson, you will be able to: 1. Read a story and complete the story with the simple past tense verbs correctly. 2. Show understanding of regular and irregular verbs in a grammar game.
SUCCESS CRITERIA	I will be successful if I can 1. Read and understand the gist of a story. 2. Change at least 20 infinitives into the simple past tense to complete a story (“Escape from a jungle”) 3. Change simple past tense verbs into present tense in a language game.
TEACHING &  LEARNING ACTIVITIES	1. SS listen to input on the simple past tense and regular/irregular verbs. 2. SS read a story silently and fill in the blanks with suitable simple past tense verbs. 3. T calls numbered heads to answer the questions. 4. SS demonstrate understanding of the simple past tense for regular and irregular verbs by playing tic-tac-toe.
TEACHING AIDS/RESOURCES	English Language, Catherine Swan, UK Press Grammar, Betty Azar, Longman, handouts. Ppt, numbered heads squares, grammar game
21ST CENTURY ELEMENTS	Collaboration Creativity PBL SS centeredness Communication Critical thinking I-THiNK Maps Task-based
SCHOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT	1 2 3 4 5 6
REFLECTION

What you need (click HERE for lesson plan and attachments)

Try it and do share how it goes in your comments.  Feedback welcome.

Happy teaching peeps!




Those who can DO, Those who can do more TEACH