Category: Other

What did I do while undergoing my Latihan Ikhtisas (LI)?_Part 3

When I did my Latihan Ikhtias, I taught form 4 students Directed and Continuous Writing [English class].  For Directed Writing, there are three types of essays: Letter, Article (Report) and Speech.  For letter, there will be divided into formal and informal letters and for article, there will be divided into formal and informal articles.   Formal articles are articles that one writes to give feedback or complain which will be addressed to certain individual.  For informal articles, the articles are for wide range of audiences which one find in magazines or newspaper.  A good example is an article that you can find in school magazine.

For Continuous writing, there are five types of essays: Narrative, Argumentative, Factual, Descriptive and Reflective compositions.

Narrative composition is a story-telling kind of composition.  It has 5 plots: Exposition, Rising action, Climax, Falling action and Resolution.

Argumentative composition is a composition where you state your stance either agree or disagree about something.  A good writer can include the agreement and disagreement in one composition and able to balance both arguments well.  But for novice writers, it is better if one sticks to one side of an argument i.e. either agree or disagree.

Factual composition is based on facts and hard-core reality.  In this case, students must know facts and reality and cannot state hypothetical information or evidences.

If they want to state hypothetical assumption or views, it is when they write reflective composition.   So, the differences between factual and reflective compositions are not much.  One is based on facts and another is based on hypothetical assumptions (as long as it is logical).

Lastly, for descriptive composition, students write either to describe an event, a place or a person.  It is kind of straight forward yet many students struggle in this task.

But I gave them some tips and techniques to differentiate the different compositions and examples of compositions for each type.  Some of the compositions are based on my own experience so, they cannot find it from elsewhere.  It makes my class a bit special because I wrote the examples myself.  No duplication even though I learn the characteristics of each composition by referring to the various books.  Just to make sure my essays are in compliance with the characteristics 😀

 

What did I do while undergoing my Latihan Ikhtisas (LI)?_Part 2

I had a blast when I went for my Latihan Ikhtisas last year, even though at first I was thinking about doing a post doc instead.  Why a blast?

After so many years of teaching at university i.e. more than 10 years, I can compare the challenges being a teacher and a lecturer.  Well, I find that teaching at school is not that “challenging” as compared to teaching at university.  I might be bias in this case given a fact that since I am not a real teacher, so I was exempted from doing many of the other things that teachers have to do on daily basis.  For example, I didn’t have to fill in any information at SSDM (Sistem Sahsiah Disiplin Murid).  SSDM is a system to record students good behaviour and misbehaviour.  Yup, it is expected that teachers have to do it on daily basis.  But of course, it is very rarely for them to do it unless they are the discipline teacher or school counselor.  

I was also exempted from managing the “elearning” kind of thing known as Frog VLE.  Why?  ONLY Malaysian teachers, students and parents can use it.   They can register and thus they will have username and password.  I am not a teacher, student nor parent so I can’t create an account.  On top of that, I was also exempted from fill in any information about the students on different system such as PAJSK and such.  So, what did I do at school then other than teaching?

Well, I created lots of exercise worksheets.  You name it. I have it all.  I looked at various sources such as Busyteachers and others.  On top of that I also created some cute posters using Canva (Example: Dueling Proverbs).  I shared with my English panel teachers so we could print it out and posted it on the notice board.  But, cute things don’t last long.  The moment a teacher posted it, it only lasted for few hours.  Sigh

I also wrote some essays as examples of continuous writing compositions.  Some of the essays from my own experience.  So it does make it more real to the students because they can know a little bit about me through the essays.  2 in 1.  Teaching and getting to know me better.  

To be continued…. 

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Teaching Excellence System (TES) in UTM

What is TES?  It refers to Teaching Excellence System.  Yup.  This is one of the things that I need to keep myself updated on regular basis like elearning [well, not that frequent as elearning though 😀 ]

I am still struggling with this.  But, I will try my very best to comply to whatever requirement to fulfill my roles and goals as an academician.  Indeed.  One thing at a time.  

First, I need to write 4 things that I will upload later on my personal TES:

1) Goals of student learning,

2) Philosophy,

3) Beliefs and practices of assessment and

4) Self-reflection of teaching development over time.

I remember Norah said that I can link all of the four things to my personal TES if I write about it somewhere like in this post.  I would do that later In sha Allah.  

Al-fatihah to the former President of Egypt – Mohamed Morsi

The Muslim community has lost a great leader today, Mohamed Morsi.  Al-fatihah

I followed the news of the chaotic moment in Egypt back in the 2011/2012.   Later on within a year after he was elected as the president of Egypt, he was ousted from the office in 2013.  Indeed politics are complicated to comprehend.  But I remember vividly what my former lecturer once said in his political science class “Power corrupts.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely”.  Indeed.  May Allah grant him eternal bliss.