Category: Other

COVID-19: Another spring clean project

I find it hard to find face mask connector at shops or malls.  Perhaps I don’t go out that much and find any that I fancy.  One of my seniors gave me the face mask connector that she made using an elastic and buttons.  But it is too big for me.  I cannot use it for myself.  I keep it in my bag with extra unused face mask just in case somebody might need it.

It has been a while since my last upcycling project.  As I look at left-over fabrics that I have from my last projects, I find some that I can use to make as a  face mask connector.

Here are some of the face mask connectors.

I don’t have enough button. So, I use brooch instead. The buttons that I used here were taken from my old PJs. I cannot use the old PJs fabric, so I just take the buttons.

COVID-19: Spring clean and upcycling project

This fabric was from the orientation week baju kurung of UUM circa 1994.  Yup.  Not mine though.  It was from my sister’s baju kurung.  She upcycled it long time ago into a pillow case.  But some parts of the fabric were torn.

When I was “cleaning” my late mom’s cupboard, I found this old pillow case.  She kept the torn pillow case and here I am turning it into another product: a pouch that can fit a passport.

It is a pouch
The batik fabric is Noor Arfah Batik. It is fully cotton. Unfortunately, there is no any left-over that I can use to make a face mask though.

Program Kerohanian FSSH bagi Siri 20: Surah Al-Mulk Ayat 1-5

     Tarikh / Hari     :      27 Ogos 2020 (Khamis)
      Masa                   :      11.00 pagi
      Pembimbing   :      Dr. Aminudin bin Hehsan
      Tajuk                   :      Keagungan Kerajaan Allah – Surah Al–Mulk, Ayat 1-5
  • Surah Al-Mulk akan menjadi syafaat kepada orang yang membacanya

Intipati ayat 1-5:

  • Ayat 1:
    • Surah Al-Mulk dimulai dengan perkataan di mana Allah Membesarkan Dirinya dari sudut pemberian keberkatan dan nikmat yang tidak dapat terkira meskipun nikmat dan keberkatan diberikan kepada semua individu adalah berbeza
    • Berkaitan dengan Surah Al Tahrim: Ayat 10-11.  Hati manusia itu di tangan Allah.  Kehebatan dan keagungan di bawah kuasa Allah SWT.  Dua ayat tersebut menunjukkan 2 contoh isteri kepada 2 orang Nabi.  Ia menunjukkan bahawa nikmat hidayah Allah dikurniakan kepada siapa yang diinginiNya, bukan yang diingini oleh manusia.  Manusia mempunyai had kekuasaan dalam merealisasikan keinginan.
    • Pandemik COVID-19 digeruni oleh semua orang.  Ia menunjukkan kekuatan dan kekuasaan Allah SWT yang tidak dapat ditentang dan dihalang oleh manusia atau ciptaanNya yang lain.
  • Ayat 2: 
    • Surah Al-Mulk banyak nilai-nilai berbentuk ancaman dan juga amaran tentang balasan terhadap dosa.  A wake up call surah.  Ayat kedua ini menekankan tentang aspek kematian (sebab itu kematian – al maut – didahului oleh kehidupan – al hayat).
    • Kehidupan merupakan ujian yang diberikan kepada individu.  Ujian yang diberikan berbeza mengikut kategori manusia.  Contoh: Ujian seorang Nabi berbeza dengan individu yang bukan Nabi.  Setiap daripada manusia akan diuji, dan tidak terlepas dari ujian besar mahupun kecil yang berbeza antara satu sama lain (Rujuk Surah Al Fajr: Ayat 15-16).  Allah SWT memberikan ujian berdasarkan perkadaran yang diketahui oleh Allah SWT.  Kekayaan merupakan ujian seperti kemiskinan.  Dengan ujian kekayaan, seorang insan boleh sama ada menjadi lebih jauh dari Allah SWT atau istidraj atau menjadi lebih dekat kepada Allah SWT.  Dengan ujian kemiskinan juga, seorang boleh menjadi mulia di sisi Allah dan sebaliknya.
  • Ayat 3: 
    • Allah SWT mencipta 7 lapisan langit.  Allah SWT melontarkan soalan (mencabar) untuk manusia fikirkan: Adakah ketidakseimbangan, ketidaksempurnaan, kekurangan dan kecacatan pada ciptaanNya?
    • Allah SWT mencabar untuk manusia lihat kembali (berkali-kali) tentang ciptaanNya.
  • Ayat 4: 
    • Allah SWT mencabar untuk manusia lihat kembali (berkali-kali) tentang ciptaanNya.  Ayat ini mengulang kembali cabaran Allah SWT untuk manusia untuk mencari ketidakseimbangan, ketidaksempurnaan, kekurangan dan kecacatan pada ciptaanNya.
    • Allah SWT menegaskan meskipun berkali-kali kita mencuba mencari ketidakseimbangan, ketidaksempurnaan, kekurangan dan kecacatan pada ciptaanNya, kita tidak akan berhasil dan malahan berasa hampa.
  • Ayat 5: 
    • Allah SWT mencipta alam lain yang sangat banyak (dikiaskan sebagai bintang-bintang di langit – yang kita sebagai manusia mampu lihat sebagai bintang yang kita lihat sebagai perhiasan langit, panduan kepada pelayar, alat merejam syaitan – Rujuk Surah Al Saffat: Ayat 6-10).
    • Alam yang dicipta Allah SWT amat banyak dan manusia tidak mampu untuk mengetahui kesemuanya.  Oleh yang demikian, patutkah sebagai manusia, kita berasa sombong dan berasa kita berkuasa?  Kita patut sentiasa muhasabah tentang diri kita.  Tiada jaminan tentang kehidupan kita kecuali ianya bergantung kepada Allah SWT.
Perkara yang patut dilazimi
  • Baca surah Al Sajadah dan Al-Mulk sebelum tidur (amalan Rasullullah SAW)

How to change your writing for TESDCP (Self-Assessment and Reflection)?

In the Self-Assessment and Reflection part, there are 4 things that you need to fill in: 1) Goals of student learning, 2) Personal philosophy, 3) Belief and practices of assessment and evaluation, and 4) Self-reflection of teaching development over time

However, you need to make at least 20% change every single year (I know, it might drive you crazy.  But, let’s remain cool, calm and collected).  In my case, what I did is I change only some parts of the previous writing.

For this year, due to COVID-19, I use this sentences to show the 20% difference

“Due to covid-19, even though my teaching philosophy does not change much since last year, I realise that …..

“Due to covid-19 even though the goal of student learning remains the same yet for this year, I emphasise …..

How to write teaching philosophy for UTM TESDCP?: 2020 Version

What a buzz!  I was elected as a facilitator to assist others on how to write teaching philosophy.  My first reaction was “What a heck!  Armed with a PhD and yet we need someone to assist us to write our own teaching philosophy?” Sound negative, right?

Well, personally, I feel like a fake or impostor or fraud when I am entrusted and assigned as a facilitator.  “Oh come on!  Who am I to assist my highly esteemed colleagues with vast knowledge and experience to write their teaching philosophy.”

When I write my teaching philosophy, I write it from my heart and soul (of course I use my brain to think about the wording).  How can I assist others to write their own teaching philosophy?  We are different in so many ways.  Some are even better teachers/instructors/supervisors than me.  My passion for teaching is different from them too.  In short, they could be a better educator and more passionate about teaching than me.

How on earth am I going to assist them?  Don’t you think that I am a fake.  What a baloney!

But here are some of the things that I use as a guideline to write my teaching philosophy.  The guideline is taken from the headings on TESDCP.   In short, just write from your heart based on each category.  There are four categories:1) Goals of Student Learning, 2) Personal Philosophy, 3) Belief and Practices of Assessment and Evaluation and 4) Self-reflection of Teaching Development over time and how this relates to future goals.

I ask myself certain questions before I write each part.

1) Goals of student learning (Before you write this part, think about this question “What do you want your students to be and become?”,  “What kind of value that you want to inculcate and impart to them?”)

2) Personal Philosophy.  When I am writing this part, I emphasize on two points: Vision and Teaching Approach. 

a. Vision as an educator (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you see yourself as an educator?”  What is your perception about your roles as an educator?”)

b. Teaching approach (Before you write this part, think about this question “What do you normally do in class?  “What do you hope that your students will learn from the activities that you do in class or the assignment/task that you give to students?”)

3) Belief and Practices of Assessment and Evaluation (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you assess your students?, How do you give feedback to students for improvement?”)

4) Self-reflection of Teaching Development over time and how this relates to future goals (Before you write this part, think about this question “How do you assess your teaching?” – it is not about relying on your students’ feedback or EPPP per se but on personal level, how do you assess yourself as an instructor/supervisor?”, “What are the things that have changed over certain period of time?”)

TESDCP or TES, here it comes again (2020)!

Ok.  Like last year, we have to fill in the TESDCP or TES (new label) again this year.  But unlike last year, the term that was used – “TESDCP”.  This year, it becomes TES (don’t be fool by the labelling). The things that you have to upload are still the same.

Wait, isn’t it the same with Teaching Excellence System?

Confused?  (Who doesn’t, right?)  But, don’t worry.  We are in this mess (uhuk uhuk) together.

How to differentiate between the new TES (old version it is known as TESDCP) and Teaching Excellence System (it is no longer called as TES now?)?

Based on my observation, the ONLY observable difference that I can see when I search both things from UTMPORTAL is the icon of TES and Teaching Excellence System.

The icon for Teaching Excellence System is a person pointing on a board.  This is the system where you can find your Blended Learning (this is from your ELearning), OBE, NALI & HIEPS and E-content.

The icon for TES has pictures of a mortar board, an apple, hands (holding or shaking), a light bulb and a science icon (on the center).

If you ask me why both are called the same i.e.  Teaching Excellence System?

I also asked the same question to some people but they also do not know the answer.  So, I don’t have any answer to that question.   I don’t want to speculate anything here.  Let’s somebody else do the thinking.

So, are both the same systems or different?

The label used is the same: Teaching Excellence System.  But clearly, both are different systems in which both have different information and things that you have to upload.

 

Congratulations, IIUM!!!

This is the place that taught me so many things that are not on the syllabuses nor textbooks. This is the place where I learn about values, persistence, empathy, compassion, integrity and what does it mean to be a Muslim.

Of course, I am tested so many times about my principles and values but when I am at a losing end, I will always remember what I have learned from the best people in the world. I am so proud when it was announced that it won the Green Gown International Award for the 2020 Sustainability Institution of the Year. I wonder what ___________ is doing.

Clearly, we have Car Free Day and whatsnot but yet, why can’t we win? Of course it is not about winning but, it tells something, right?