Tuesday 7 October 2008
My deepest condolences
Nik passed away recently. I would like to offer my deepest condolences to her family and may they find comfort and strength in Allah/God. I will always remember her as a very cheerful and friendly person. Goodbye, my friend.
Tuesday 17 June 2008
UN Best Poem of 2006
This poem was nominated by UN as the best poem of 2006,
Written by an African Kid
When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black
And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray
And you calling me coloured?
Written by an African Kid
When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black
And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you gray
And you calling me coloured?
Wednesday 28 May 2008
westerners VS easterners way of communication
Hello!!
I've been trying to find proof saying that Malaysian students in higher education prefer to communicate through online as compared face-to-face. Especially when it involves with higher authority such as lecturer, professionals etc..
I’ve look into Geert Hofstede research but it is too generalise and there is no study in Malaysian context. I’m hoping any of you could help me with suggesting some article or reading that could lead to the answers……
But do ask yourself, do you prefer to communicate through online or face-to-face when dealing with higher people????
Cheers!
I've been trying to find proof saying that Malaysian students in higher education prefer to communicate through online as compared face-to-face. Especially when it involves with higher authority such as lecturer, professionals etc..
I’ve look into Geert Hofstede research but it is too generalise and there is no study in Malaysian context. I’m hoping any of you could help me with suggesting some article or reading that could lead to the answers……
But do ask yourself, do you prefer to communicate through online or face-to-face when dealing with higher people????
Cheers!
Monday 7 April 2008
Wednesday 26 March 2008
Essay Writing: Between Practice and Reality
Just to share an action research I did in class today :)
BACKGROUND:
We've spent 10 weeks exploring different approaches to essay writing and practicing writing each essay types.
Students have been exposed to 7 different approaches to essay writing namely chronological order, spatial order, topical order, problem solution, cause and effect, comparison and contrast.
Students have been practicing writing each essay type based on the organized note and received feedbacks on their written essay practice.
Today (Thursday, March 27, 2008) the students are tested on their writing essay skill in class (8:30 - 9:40 a.m.). They have to choose one of the two topics and write a 300-word essay based on an unorganised note provided.
After the test, the students are in so involved in discussion. They are saying how they have so many things (ideas) rushing to their minds based on the notes provided in the test that they need more time to write. They have an hour to write the essay. From my initial impression of the answer booklet, I find that the length of the essay is more than 2 pages long and more than half of the students needed extra time to complete their writing.
PURPOSE:
1) Do the students make use of the strategies or approaches to essay writing they have learned?
PROCEDURES:
14 students, 11 female and 3 male of MLT group at UDM kampus Kota were involved in a this survey. They were asked these two questions after they submitted the answer booklet for the test.
The TWO questions asked:
1) How many students actually thought about which approaches to use for writing the particular topic that they have chosen?
2) How many of them actually prepare a diagram or flow chart to organise the ideas that were rushing to their head when they see the notes provided in the test questions?
RESULT:
NONE thought about the approaches or strategies or way or what ever when they read the test questions.
NONE prepare any sort of diagram or flow chart to help organise their ideas and present those ideas in a proper essay write-up.
CONCLUSION
The students do not make use of the strategies or approaches to essay writing they have learned during the test. There maybe several probabilities why the students do not make use of these strategies when they are sitting for the test. One of the possibility, as some of them mentioned was that they don't even relate to what they have learned when they begin to write the essay. Their focus was just to write down all those ideas that come to mind when they get the test question.
RECOMMENDATION
Thus, as a teacher, probably we should consider making the directions or instructions in the test question more explicit. Perhaps it would serve as a cue to the students that they should consider those before begin to write the essay.
An illustration of this is...
The original direction in the test was "Choose ONE of the two topics and write an essay in about 300 words". Now consider the new and improved direction: "Choose ONE of the two topics below and write an essay in about 300 words based on the unorganised note provided by making use of appropriate strategy." I'm sure that the new and improved version of the instruction is more precise.
Your two cents worth of thought on the matter please?
BACKGROUND:
We've spent 10 weeks exploring different approaches to essay writing and practicing writing each essay types.
Students have been exposed to 7 different approaches to essay writing namely chronological order, spatial order, topical order, problem solution, cause and effect, comparison and contrast.
Students have been practicing writing each essay type based on the organized note and received feedbacks on their written essay practice.
Today (Thursday, March 27, 2008) the students are tested on their writing essay skill in class (8:30 - 9:40 a.m.). They have to choose one of the two topics and write a 300-word essay based on an unorganised note provided.
After the test, the students are in so involved in discussion. They are saying how they have so many things (ideas) rushing to their minds based on the notes provided in the test that they need more time to write. They have an hour to write the essay. From my initial impression of the answer booklet, I find that the length of the essay is more than 2 pages long and more than half of the students needed extra time to complete their writing.
PURPOSE:
1) Do the students make use of the strategies or approaches to essay writing they have learned?
PROCEDURES:
14 students, 11 female and 3 male of MLT group at UDM kampus Kota were involved in a this survey. They were asked these two questions after they submitted the answer booklet for the test.
The TWO questions asked:
1) How many students actually thought about which approaches to use for writing the particular topic that they have chosen?
2) How many of them actually prepare a diagram or flow chart to organise the ideas that were rushing to their head when they see the notes provided in the test questions?
RESULT:
NONE thought about the approaches or strategies or way or what ever when they read the test questions.
NONE prepare any sort of diagram or flow chart to help organise their ideas and present those ideas in a proper essay write-up.
CONCLUSION
The students do not make use of the strategies or approaches to essay writing they have learned during the test. There maybe several probabilities why the students do not make use of these strategies when they are sitting for the test. One of the possibility, as some of them mentioned was that they don't even relate to what they have learned when they begin to write the essay. Their focus was just to write down all those ideas that come to mind when they get the test question.
RECOMMENDATION
Thus, as a teacher, probably we should consider making the directions or instructions in the test question more explicit. Perhaps it would serve as a cue to the students that they should consider those before begin to write the essay.
An illustration of this is...
The original direction in the test was "Choose ONE of the two topics and write an essay in about 300 words". Now consider the new and improved direction: "Choose ONE of the two topics below and write an essay in about 300 words based on the unorganised note provided by making use of appropriate strategy." I'm sure that the new and improved version of the instruction is more precise.
Your two cents worth of thought on the matter please?
Tuesday 18 March 2008
Anything wrong with these sentences grammatically?..Error Analysis
i. The interview was done by almost 4 English teachers from Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang and Sekolah Kebangsaan Maras. The respondents were asked about 11 questions regarding their English teaching and learning process in school.
ii. The Al Mukhtar Library in UDM and Terengganu Public Library are the main source of the research. Other materials are also own by the researchers or borrowed from lecturers or colleagues or from Internet.
iii. Answer the questionnaires and interview given.
iv. The interview has been done to 4 teachers who have been in the teaching English profession in about 8- 17 years.
v. The teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang said that the students of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang is lack of vocabulary, no self confident, shy to speak English because they not read a lot and do not have English background at home. While teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Maras stated that the students gave a good co- operation but it was using their mother tongue.
vi. One of the teachers at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang stated that rural area students did not have English background and they more rely on teachers.
v. The teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang said that the students of Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang is lack of vocabulary, no self confident, shy to speak English because they not read a lot and do not have English background at home. While teachers of Sekolah Kebangsaan Maras stated that the students gave a good co- operation but it was using their mother tongue.
vi. One of the teachers at Sekolah Kebangsaan Ladang stated that rural area students did not have English background and they more rely on teachers.
Wednesday 12 March 2008
Writing in ENGLISH...but thinking in MALAY
As the world is now entering the era of globalization, English is now part and parcel of T&L in Higher Education in Malaysia including UTM. Not all educators specifically lecturers posses an acceptable level of english writing compentency...indeed many of the lecturers are practising writing in English but thinking in Malay. I believe that this is not a problem to Malaysian students since Malaysian are belong to more than two speech communities...the only thing that really matters is when that particular piece of writing going into global english...what do you think?
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