Poetry Form 4

ELTC CONFERENCE 2015

Initiating and Maintaining PLC – Role and Relevance of the SISC+

Rumuthamalar A/P Rajaratnam

Kuala Muda / Yan District Education Office, Sungai Petani, Kedah

Abstract

One of the many roles expected of a School Improvement Specialist Coach (SISC+) is that of an initiator and maintenance crew of a professional learning community within the schools visited and the school district served. The notion of an instructional coach is a revolutionary initiative by MOE to bring about transformation and change in the teaching and learning practices of our schools’ teachers. A crucial finding of my visits to schools is that a majority of our teachers are solo artistes who perform to their own private audience (the students) and one teacher is hardly aware of what the other teacher may be doing in the next class. Collaborating, sharing and networking are often side-stepped for the seemingly more important clerical tasks. This paper will attempt to explain and justify the role and relevance SISC+s play in getting teachers to sit down together, reflect on their own teaching practices and students’ learning experiences, design and build workable and creatively scaffolded learning activities and materials, try these plans out in their respective classes, get back together to amend, improve upon and perfect lesson plans as a panel of reflective practitioners. It will showcase two schools in the Kuala Muda Yan district where the SISC+ has successfully initiated and is maintaining learning communities that meet frequently and are working on producing their very own PLC bulletin. The paper will suggest the gradual scaffolding which can be provided by the SISC+ in her/his role as resource provider, critical friend, learning facilitator and classroom supporter.

Using The Jungle Book in the English Language Classroom - Year 4 KSSR

Entry Points for Introducing The Jungle Book characters for Year 4 Literature lessons.

1. Use pictures (easily available online).

2. Use questions (Bell Ringer strategy)
    i. What would you do if you found a newborn at your doorstep? Who would you take it to?
    ii. Do you think children can be brought up by animals? Why? Do you know of any true stories?
    iii. If you could become another animal, which animal would it be? Why?

3. Relate to fictional characters with similar stories like Tarzan and George of the Jungle.

4. Play audio of animal sounds, let your children guess the animals. You could get children to role-play and make the sounds and a guessing game could be done with full student participation.

5. Let children watch the Disney cartoon version.

Dare to Differ?

Refer to http://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-differentiated-instruction

What Is Differentiated Instruction?

By: Carol Ann Tomlinson

Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile:

• Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information;
• Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content;
• Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and
• Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.

 At the elementary level, teachers may:

1. Use reading materials at varying levels according to student proficiency levels;
2. Using audio and written texts;
3. Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;
4. Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;
5. Using reading buddies; and
6. Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners

Excerpted from: Tomlinson, C. A. (August, 2000). Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education.

WALKING WITH MOWGLI

A diorama prepared in less than an hour. Get pupils working in groups or pairs. Let them play with the positions of the character. All I used were the following:

1. a shoe box

2. print-outs (animals and Mowgli, the trees)

3. coloured paper (3 shades of green)

4. Glue & double-sided tape

5. scissors 

Have fun!

i-ELT CONFERENCE 2015

http://eltcon.webs.com/

The theme of iELT-Con 2015 is Enhancing ELT Professional Practice: From Current Questions To Future Action. This theme aims to encourage discussion and presentations about how the practice of ELT professionals can be enhanced by building bridges from the present to the future. It is hoped that the issues and questions raised by current practices in ELT arena can be translated into action in the future.   

Travelling with Gulliver (Year 5 KSSR Literature)

1. Get your students working on book cover illustrations. Let them draw, colour or even do collages.
2. Role-play. You be Gulliver and your students can be Lilliputians. Have fun outside the classroom.
3. Get students talking about what they would do if stranded on an island of little people/giants.
4. Watch the many movie adaptations (be sure to cut and censor bits not suitable for the children) or cartoon versions.
5. Create a song together about Gulliver.

Have fun! It is a great imaginative, creative story with good values.

ZPD and Scaffolding

Scaffolding through story and drama

REFLECTIONS ON MULTIMODALITY

Being literate in this age requires an educator to being adept in using technological 

devices and digital communication practices. However, does this mean teachers can now abandon traditional forms and modes of instruction? I doubt that as our schools are pretty much non-compatible to such advanced facilities. In my read-ups, I came across Jewitt (2008) who talks about ‘modal affordance’ which he says is queries on how a mode is used, what it has been used to do, and the conventions that inform its use. More often than not, teachers use such a mode to diversify instruction without real thought on its effectiveness as a learning tool. After doing some extended reading and online browsing, I see that multimodality comes with the 21^st century learning, bringing with it variety in pedagogical approaches, techniques, strategies, and pedagogical tools; concepts such as multiliteracies, 

diversification, authenticity, and connection-making.

However, I do need to caution myself and the teachers I coach that however advanced the 
modal they use in classrooms, children are still in need of the teacher. Making sense and meaning of learning has to be supported, facilitated and extended with the human touch that only the teacher and parent can provide. On the other hand, there are still a few teachers who are digital-phobic and refuse to part with the chalk and talk method. I believe these teachers are quickly losing relevance (some may have lost that already) in the system and with their students. A teacher has to compete with social networking sites, blogs, and whatever else is accessible online and on mobile phones to stay relevant. Teachers, no matter what age, must strive to stay ahead of their students and if technology is moving ahead too fast to catch up with, become humble enough to learn from the young ones.

MULTIMODALITY - LITERACY DEVELOPMENT

Poetry in the classroom

Why bother using poetry?

- For sheer enjoyment

- It is after all, a intergral aspect of almost every culture i know of...it is in the songs!

- It evokes feelings ... The imagery appeals to all our senses

- It encourages imagination, allowing us to draw and paint images, even those we have not experienced.

- It is prove that language is thought...thought expressed in beautiful and meaningful choice of words

- It is about life...its joys, sorrows, love, hate, war, peace, beauty, ugliness, etc

- it teaches values and develops and promotes expression of thought

Activities...activities...activities

1. Illustrate a poem...get students drawing, painting.

2. Move to the poem...get students stamping, jumping, dancing, tapping, struting....

3. Predict missing words with a cloze poem

4. Do jazz chants

5. Substituting words in the poem with words of opposite meaning and discuss the change in meaning

6. Do creative recitals...strategies like ' I read to you, You read to me', paired and reciprocal reading.

Use the poems in the literature component in creative ways....your students will adore you for it and most importantly...they will be actively using the language.

ELT METHODS AND APPROACHES - A WORKSHOP

Trainers and module writers: 

SHARMINI SIVAVIKARAMAN

VILOSHINI BASKARAN

(ELTC)

Venue: Bilik Merpati, Cinta Sayang Resort, Sungai Petani

Date: 23 - 25 November 2014

Content:

Introduction and Principles to ELT Methodology

Skills-based Projects

Speaking Skills

Multiliteracies

Listening Skills

Writing Skills

Developing Integrated Skills through Projects

Developing Reading Skills

SISC+ & SIP+ Convention

Date:18-20 November 2014

Venue: Orkid Hotel, Melaka

SISC+ & SIP+ CONVENTION (SABAH, SARAWAK & LABUAN)

DATE: 28 - 30 OCTOBER 2014

VENUE: MEGA HOTEL, MIRI, SARAWAK

Presentation COACHING - BEST PRACTICES

With Dr Zaini Ahmad (EPRD)

BOOKworms PENANG: Seniors and their stimulating pastime - READING!

"R. Malar said: “Reading feeds my soul. It nourishes and sustains it. Reading is a gift I share with my three children. It equips me with knowledge and has made me a far better human being.”

She shared from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird – a book she treasures because her faather had read it out to her.:

http://www.thestar.com.my/News/Education/2014/10/12/Sharing-their-interest/ 

  

MAJLIS PENGURUSAN PPD KEBANGSAAN CONVENTION

DATE: 22- 25 SEPTEMBER 2014

VENUE: KSL HOTEL & RESORT, JOHOR BAHRU

With Mr. Mubarak (DTP Officer Kedah)

With Hjh Serina, Pengarah JPN Sarawak

connect_ed

TFM be connect_ed Seminar 2014

Date: 14 June 2014

Day: Saturday

Venue: Sunway International School, Bandar Sunway

connect_ed is a forum that encourages educators from across the country to come together to innovate, collaborate, and synergise around the key question: “What will it take for all children in Malaysia to have the opportunity to attain an excellent education?”
connect_ed is a chance to be connected.
connect_ed comprises a combination of symposiums, workshops, knowledge cafés and exhibition booth. The Organisers believe that this is a perfect opportunity to showcase your experience as
discussions around three major themes are explored: Transforming Classroom, Transforming School, and Transforming System. Proposals will be selected through the Call For Proposals (CFP) process.

Presentation topic: RELEVANCE OF THE SISC+ IN TRANSFORMATION OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM

With the TFM fellows ... Gals so brainy that they are oh so sexy!

TFM INITIATIVE - ESTABLISHING PLC

Establishing a Professional Learning Community

A TFM Initiative by

Cheryl Ann Fernando & Constance Yuen

SMK PINANG TUNGGAL

Charis Ding

SMK TUNKU ISMAIL

From Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones of Success

Time 1.30 pm—4.30 pm

 Date: 20 July 2014

 Venue: Dewan Al-Zakri, SMK Pinang Tunggal

Our Objectives

i. to follow-up on the programme initiated & support the endeavor at district level

Ii. To create teacher awareness of low-cost, high-impact initiatives that can be

championed at school level

Iii. To establish a working collaborative effort to enhance literacy and intervene

effectively

Issue:

Illiteracy and low levels of reading and writing among Form One and Form Two students

Factors:

Lack of intervention

Learning disabilities left unattended

Scale & Significance: 

Students are merely following through the syllabus without understanding what is being taught.

Students left unattended will either drop out of school or continue in the system without being able to read or write

Perpetuating cycle of illiteracy 

Vision:

· This initiative will see students from the last Form 1 and Form 2 class successfully reading and writing at least one year above their current level

· Students will be invested and motivated in the idea of education

· Tutors will develop leadership skills by the end of the year.

Project Model:

 · Reading using phonics system

· Fall back on Form 1 syllabus

· Mentors (Forms 4 &5 students)

· Twice a week @ 1 hour

· Students with severe learning disabilities to come out of normal lessons and work on reading/writing

· Assessments @ monthly

 

 Participants:

16 English teachers from 8 selected schools

A collaborative effort by:

Rumuthamalar SISC+

TFM Fellows: Cheryl Ann Fernando, Constance Yuen & Charis Ding

SMK Pinang Tunggal

PPD Kuala Muda Yan