Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 (PT3): English Language

The much awaited sample from LP folks :) Click on the image to download.

Those who can Do Those who can do more TEACH

PBSMR: Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah Menengah Rendah

For those still looking for the latest info on PBSMR, click the links below to download:

1. Dasar PBS PMR
2. Format Instrumen PBSMR
3.Pengoperasian Pentaksiran
4. Pentaksiran Pusat-Ujian Bertulis- Dr Rahimah Adam, LP ppt.



















Excellence is a habit not an act

Automated scoring algorithms?

How do you like your essays to be scored by machines teachers? Will the machines give a reliable score? Can a machine give feedback for the written piece? What about teachers' accountability?

These are but some questions I have in mind.  Man or machine? Read here: Man vrs Machine

The Thinking Teacher

Assessment of student's writing

My first assesment of Form 2 writing began today. Yesterday, I taught 2 Ibnu Qayyim writing. They were first introduced to a simple structure of an essay: introduction, body (main ideas and supporting details) and conclusion. The title of the essay was discussed and sample introduction techniques were shown. For example, the use of a quotation, saying or idiom and the use of a dialogue. 23/26 students used a saying but three souls were brave enough to use a dialogue as an introduction. I finished marking their first compositions today and gave them back to the class monitor, Nazim. Generally, the compositions were of the 'timetable' type...something they have learned in primary school. This is how I usually assess compositions. It may not be your cup of tea but sharing enriches our experience :)

Sample 1

Sample 2

I use symbols for marking because it helps my students understand the types of mistakes they make. But first you must explain the symbols to the class. I underline the error first and write the symbol on the left margin. For instance:

t      = tense
vb   = verb
v     = vocabulary
sp   = spelling
p    = preposition
wo = word order

Yes, it can be tedious but here's a piece of advice - don't use too many, just focus on the most important grammar points. You're welcome to share how you assess your students compositions. It would be a great way to improve our professional development. Teachers must talk about what they do in the classrooms to learn from each other. After all, there's no one perfect way to assess your students' written work. There are many types of errors and it's really impossible to mark them all but some are more gross than others so you can focus on those.

The Thinking Teacher

State Level ULBS Meeting

Date: 21 Feb 2011
Venue: SMK Desa Tebrau, Pasir Gudang

En Suhaimi Mohd Sanusi, Assistant Director from Sektor Penilaian & Peperiksaan JPNJ chaired the first state level meeting for all district assessors in Pasir Gudang. He was assisted by Pn Jamiah, the State's Chief Assessor.Pn Chan Chen Neo (STK) and I represented Kluang. It's funny how I suddenly felt old in this meeting...I suddenly remembered I've been doing this since ULBS started! Maybe it's time to pass the baton?

Hj Ainul from Muar, a long time friend receiving his appointment.

Faizah, Chief Assessor from Segamat

Professional Development Course, Segamat

Date: 1 July 2010 (Thursday)
Venue: SMK Sri Kenangan, Segamat

Young teachers rejuvenate me and I love to be around them! This opportunity presented itself when I ran a half-day course on assessment in Segamat district today. The long journey was all worth it as I was met by a group of about 50 enthusiastic teachers. I was impressed with what they accomplished. Pleased to meet GCs and trainers, Girija, Ngiam and many others. Thanks to Faizah (secretary of Segamat English Panel) for the invitation- the presence of a microphone would have been great though wink wink!). Driving to Pasir Gudang  for the MGC Johor convention after the talk was a different story altogether..rain and thunderstorms, falling trees and lamp posts on the road in Chaah and Yong Peng. Traffic was at a crawl...a big branch actually landed on my wiper but luckily it didn't stay there. I thought of pulling over by the roadside but there were just too many trees. What if they were struck by lightning? I plodded on to Pasir Gudang confidently and arrived safely late in the afternoon only to find out tea was not provided :). Well, the next best thing to do was to check in and take a nap before the night session. I did just that :)

 

Authentic Assesment for Literature?

To test or not to test the literature component? That is the question. Not a straightforward issue this, you will agree with me. Besides, I am probably using the term 'test' too loosely. Let's get some definitions out of the way before getting into a deeper discussion but before that a sip of the aromatic nescafe I just made for myself...

A test measures something and is used in assessment.

Assessment is a a process of gathering evidence of what a student can do. It provides feedback on a student's learning process to encourage further development.

Evaluation is the process of reinterpreting the evidence and making a judgement of a student's perfomance. This involves making informed decisions e.g.s giving a grade or promoting a student to a higher perfomance.

Let's look at the major differences between Traditional and Authentic Assessment:

Traditional -------------------------------------------------- Authentic

Selecting a Response ------------------------------------ Performing a Task

Contrived -------------------------------------------------- Real-life

Recall/Recognition -------------------------------------- Construction/Application

Teacher-structured -------------------------------------- Student-structured

Indirect Evidence -----------------------------------------Direct Evidence

(http://www.jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm#attributes)

Some examples of authentic assessment that can be used are role play and drama, concept maps, student portfolios, reflective journals, utilising multiple sources of information, group or indivicual projects, oral presentations, literature discussion groups, reading logs, etc. These activities will definitely encourage engagement with the texts and engagement is important in literature.

For the literature component in school which will see the introductiion of new texts beginning 2010, which asessement is fairer to our clients? Do we use traditional methods which encourages rote learning (don't forget the context questions for example) or do we allow students to 'contruct' responses? Are context questions all our students can do? Do MCQs encourage problem-solving skills, social skills and deep understanding amongst our children? Perhaps authentic assessment is the way to go for the literature component in Malaysian schools. As a teacher of 22 years, I would like my students to be able to 'show' me what they can do and going beyond the text will definitely allow this. If my students engage themselves in a project on 'The Fruitcake Special' for instance, this would involve multi-tasking skills such as gathering information, selecting information, eliminating, problem-solving etc. This would be more genuine and meaningful than say answering 10 MCQ questions at the end of the term to test your understanding of a short story you have learned.On top of that, the skills that they employ will be useful beyond the schooling years. This is after all the purpose of education- to prepare students for life after school and not just to get a string of A's!

I think we need to put an end to testing discrete knowledge and instead allow for engagement with texts and reconstruction of knowledge and skills. We should allow our students to surprise us with their latent abilities and creativity instead of controlling their responses via contrived exam-based questions such as MCQs and context questions. Authentic assessment will provide the opportunity for exploration and a richer learning experience. Was it Paul Black who said 'If you want to change teaching, you must change assessment'? I read this somewhere and totally agree with him. Imagine what authentic assesment can do for Malaysian teachers who are known to be exam-oriented! Teachers will have to change their teaching methods and embrace 'new' methods. Perhaps this is what we need as teachers of English..a breath of fresh air...Let me know what you think people. The last time I posted something serious, no one responded =( Come on put on those thinking caps and let's hear from you!!

***An afterthought-
I can't help thinking of one young teacher (just started teaching) who wrote in his/her evaluation form after a course I conducted-'The activities are fine but at the end of the day, the students have to answer exam type questions'. How many more beginning teachers face this dilemma? I mean you're trained to be creative and innovative in IPGM or universities but face the stark reality in schools i.e teach to pass exams. I wonder how many teachers' dreams have been dashed?

State Assessment Consultancy Meeting, SM Sains Johor

Today was my second meeting in my former school. Unlike the first one , today I stepped in comfortably. Met old friends in the staffroom, the office staff and the lab assistants. On the way to the meeting room, a group of students from the opposite building suddenly shouted my name. Their poor teacher had to stop teaching! The meeting was chaired by En Mohd Zamri Sabran, Head of Examinations and Assessment Sector, JPN. Amongst activities discussed were a course on item analysis and an assessment seminar in Sept. On the way to lunch, I bumped into Myra, Schumi, Farihin and the others. How they have grown!! A few years back they were Form 1 students but now they are the seniors!! Myra (from Sarawak) and another girl (can't remember her name) cried when they shook hands with me. They could still cry eh? It was great to meet them again and lunch was good too. I must say in many ways this way a great day!