Alternative to give Exercises ;)

I want to share my other way of giving exercises to my Year 3 pupils. Instead of giving them exercises in a book, I found that this type of exercises helps a lot especially in attract the pupils to do the mathematics exercises.

For your information, some of my pupils in Year 3 were not really like to finish up their exercises in their work book. They always did not finish the exercises that I given to them. Other than that, the ability of the pupils also did not same. Some of them can perform in basic operation well, some of them always do careless mistakes and some of them just can do addition. So, I introduce a new way of giving exercise that can help me focus to the pupils and help them to improve.

It is not difficult to prepare. First of all, you need to prepare the mathematics questions. I use different colours to represent different basic operation like green for addition, yellow for subtraction, red for multiplication and purple for division. Then, you give the paper to all the pupils started with addition. If the pupils can do it correctly, they can paste it on the wall that you must prepare and labeled. After that the pupils that had paste their work on the wall can continue with subtraction and so on. You just need to repeat the activity when they finish the four basic operations. This activity can be done daily. I already prepare lots of questions to make sure that I can encourage my pupils to answer the question.

For your information, the pupils were so excited to paste their work on the wall. They were so happy if the answer it correctly and have the chance to show what their doing in the class. Now, this exercises had turn into a reward for them. Whenever I teach another topic and asked them to do exercises in the book, I will tell them that if they finish doing it they will get another colourful question to paste on the wall. It had be a mechanism for them to be motivated to do exercise in the work book.

After a few weeks, the wall was quite full. But, I observed that the addition and subtraction space is more that the subtraction and division. Just a few people can really perform in both multiplication and division. It is fine for me. I think its better to strengthen their ability in what they can rather than push them to do something that they cannot get.

By the way, the question that had been prepared can also be use in any topic that involved addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. You just need to prepare a variety of questions from all the topics related. it is better to make connection rather than just use the number to represent the questions.

***

A few days ago, I was walking by the class to go to another class. Suddenly I saw a girl was sitting on the floor with a green question on her hand. She did not realize that I was behind her. She was busy copying the answer from the wall. I did not recognize her for a while but I took her picture first before asking her what she was doing. After that, I touch her back and she saw me. Oh, it was one of my low achiever pupils. She was copying the answer so that she also gets the opportunity to paste her work. I told her that copying is one of the ways to learn but she needs to know what she had copy. I help her and let her paste her work on the wall.

P/s: All children are so cute ;)

Learn to say "NO"

- “No” is a hard word to say. But it is sometimes a way of saying “Yes – you can” to another person.-

That is the extract of the email that I had received from one of my best friend. Such a great advice he had sent to me. Thank you very much for always giving me great advises.

As a new teacher in a new place, we need to learn so many things. We need to learn about school organization, classroom control, managing pupils' behaviour, managing the class, communicate with other adults, filing system and many more. Time by time, we will meet with a new task that we never get before. It is no doubt that we need to learn all of this and get as much experiences as we can.

But as a normal human being, we will have our limitation in doing work. Different people can manage different work load. Sometimes, as a new person, people expect you to learn and get as much as experience in a short time. They forgot to consider your feelings and your ability towards the work given. You just need to be strong and be patient and try to handle the work as good as you can. However, when you think that you cannot do it anymore or you think that you need to step back one step, you better learns to say no.

I found that it so hard for me to say no sometimes. I honestly admit that I will always do whatever things given to me. I just do not want people give a bad perception to me as a new comers. But after a while, I learn that sometimes we need to step ahead and say No whenever its needed. It is not about you ignore the order given to you, it about defending yourself. Sometimes people always use the same excuse which is a new teacher need to get experiences". But sometimes it is not relevant in a short period of time, you need to learn everything. Is it really experiences to you or else?

I do not want to blame anyone in this issue. Maybe sometimes people forget to think what other people ability and how far can a person learn in a period of time. Its better if we learn a bit by a bit and give a great impact in the performance rather than give everything but the performance is not well.

So, to anyone out there including myself, let us learn to say no for sometimes (I mean sometimes and according to the situation) and make a better result in our performance in life and work. Just like the advice that I get before, telling no is so hard but when you are able to say it, you are learning a new experience!

p/s: life is about learning and discover new things

Should I feel frustrated with them?

I entered year 5 class to teach Mathematics as usual today. I begin the class as usual to teach multiplication of money. The class today will focus on multiplication of fractions with money. I asked them what operation involved with the numerator when it comes to multiply the number. They started to play around. The note about my question is just on the wall behind me. I tried to tell them but they were still not trying to answer my question seriously.

I was a bit frustrated with them. Then I asked all of them to stand up and I just be quiet. I told them to reflect on what they had done that make me feel hurt. I also take time to gain strength again to forget what had happened. I do not want to waste my time either. i know that some of them know the answer (especially the advance learners) but they were too comfortable before.

Then I started to teach again and try to forget what had happened. i told them not to repeat the same action again. It is not good for them. They should try to remember what they learn before instead of just playing. Maybe this situation is the situation that the other teacher always told me before why teachers always frustrated teaching orang asli people. They did not take serious what you had taught to them. They act like they never learn it before.

I just do not want to take this too serious and I still have believed in them especially to some group of pupils. I know that some of the good pupils feel so comfortable in the class until they do not feel they need to learn hard. They know that they are advance in the class. If they did not work hard, they still the one that will get the good marks although the marks just enough pass.

I believed that this situation make them feel so comfortable in their zone. I just hope that they will realize that they should try harder to learn in the class. I will keep my eye on them and hopefully will stay strong to motivate them and make them realize how important to learn and study.I do not want to let my frustration today take control. I want to try.

p/s: I am planning to go to Johor to meet some friends. I want to hear some stories from them. Must be so great!

A Butterfly Story :P

I had a chat with Puan Habsah (PK 1) this afternoon. She told me that she saw a year 2 girl scream loudly and running outside the classroom like something terrible happened to her. So, as quickly as she can, Puan Habsah ran to see the girl to ask what had happened to her. The girl stop screming and she looked at Puan Habsah and said “the butterfly had chasing me!”. Puan Habsah was quiet confuse for a while than she saw a butterfly at a flower tree.

The girl show the butterfly to Puan Habsah and told her that it was the butterfly that chasing her.So, the girl go near to the butterfly and try to touch it. Then the butterfly fly toward her and she scream again. Now, Puan Habsah know what the girl means. She just smile and said "This butterfly did not chasing you dear, it fly because you try to touch it”

Actually, Puan Habsah was going to asked the children to stay in the classroom. Maybe the girl found that she had been on=observed playing outside so that she give a funny excuse. Or maybe she just imagine that butterfly is a monster try to chase her. Whatever the reason is, it make me smile thinking of it.

p/s: no butterfly in the picture above, so don't try to find one :P

Money: From year 1 Temiar pupils' eyes (2)

As what I planned yesterday, I had carried out the teaching and learning about money focusing on Malaysia's coins to Year 1 pupils. The class was quite similar like yesterday. I started the class by discussing about the similarities and the differences in the coins of 10 cent, 20 cent and 50 cent with them. Oh, I forgot to tell that yesterday before I ended my class with them, I already told them to bring a coin that they have whether 10 cent, 20 cent or 50 cent. So, some of them bring it today but some don't especially the pupils that stay in the hostel. They did not really have any coins with them. I already expected the situation, so I had bring some coins to let them borrow.The activity was so simple. The pupils need to trace the coins using the plain paper given to them. They will put the coin under the paper and then use the colour pencil to trace the coin. I let the pupils use any colour that they like to make the activity more fun and the result more interesting. however, I still stressed to them to make sure that the features on the coins still can be seen and can be read.

Some of the pupils struggle to do this activity. maybe they never done it before so I need to go to them and show to them individually to make them know how to do it. it so great to see they try hard to finish the task given to them. After they finish I asked them to paste on the wall as usual. I did not expect that the pupils will count the coins that they had draw, but it happened. Although some of them just said any value that they like but it already generate their thinking.

p/s: be patient! Expect the unexpected...

Money: From year 1 Temiar pupils' eyes (1)

Starting this week, my year 1 pupils will start to focus on learning new topic which is Money. Although I had introduced to them about money before but this time they will learn about it deeply. I started the class for this week by doing a simple exploration on the things that they will find on the Malaysian's notes.

I begin the class by discussing about the Malaysian's notes which were RM1, RM5, RM 10, RM 50 and RM 100. I asked them simple questions like the similarities and the differences that they can find from all the notes. I also asked them about the numbers that appears in each notes so that they can aware about the value of the notes too.

After that, I divided the pupils into group of 5. Then, I gave each of the group a fake money with different value from RM 1, RM5, RM 10, RM 50 and RM 100. I also provided them with a small plain paper. I asked them to discuss in their group about the features in the notes that their group got by drawing it on the paper. They need to discover what are the important things that they need to remember on the notes given to them.

Observing my pupils try to draw the money as good as they can, it makes me happy. I can see that they try to make sure that they did not forget to draw important features of the notes given to them. Some of them will tell their friends if they found that their friends doing mistakes on the drawing or forget something. I just let them do by their own and sometimes I just tell them to make sure that they do not forget to write the number clearly. It represent the value of the money. The other important thing is that the colour of the notes given to them need to be memorized so that they will not confuse on the value of the money.

Actually, by doing this activity, I believed that it will make my pupils become aware of the features in the notes. They will be more sensitive towards what should appear in a notes of Malaysian's currency.

After that, I let the pupils paste their work on the wall so that everyone in class can share their work. Most of all, the pupils in the different group also can see the features of the money in other notes. Tomorrow, I will do another activity which is quite similar but using the coins.

p/s: Should I worry or not to worry about my future? hm...

Children and Imagination

Young kids' imagination are so amazing. To be a teacher means to celebrate pupils' imagination not to brought it down. Today, after finished to teach Mathematics to year 3, I walked out to head to the Teacher's room. Suddenly at the corner of the building, I met with a year 1 girl holding a stick on her hand. She did not realized at all that I was standing right behind her. So, I choose to be quiet and observed what she is doing there alone with the stick on her hand. I saw she moved her hand while saying something. I cannot really understand what she said because she just like whispering in Temiar language mixed with Malay language. But I knew what she was doing. She was acting like a teacher who is giving an advices to her student. I smile to myself seeing what she was doing. She was so focus to what she was doing until she did not realized at all that I was taking her pictures. Maybe she tried to control her friends in the class before but they ignored her so she decided to act it out all by herself at the corner of the building. So cute!

After a few minutes, some of her friends observed what I was doing. They came to me and she realized because they make noisy. I hide my camera as fast as I can so that she will not know that I was already there observing her behavior. She saw me and give her cute smile. I just smile back to her without asking her any questions. I do not want to make her feel shy. she just ran back into the class....

*****

A few weeks ago, I entered Year 4 class to teach Living skills. After doing some activity I gave a note for the pupils to write in their Note's book. Then, I walked around the class to observed my pupils doing the work given to them. Suddenly, I saw a boy was busy with his small book. I do not interrupt him. I just took his book and see what he is doing. He was drawing a car! I did not nad at him because he is doing something. Although he did not doing what I asked him, at least he was focusing on something. Actually, he did not really know how to read and write. That is why he do what he wanted to do. I told him to continue his work after I found that his book is full of drawings. And it was a nice drawings with colours! He is so talented and draw using his imaginations.
I believed that although these Temiar kids found that it is so difficult to them to learn in formal class, they still children with lots of imagination and creativity. We just need to encourage them to their ability and their interest so that they will feel accepted and happy to be in the school. We cannot 100% judge our pupils on their ability to answer examinations. Its better to celebrate their abilities and creativity!

Arden, P stated in his book 'whatever you think, think the opposite' - "Good marks will not secure you an interesting life. Your imagination will" pg. 115


p/s: Let's go home this weekend! I miss my mom's cook :P haha

Welcome Ramadhan ;)

Tomorrow all Muslims in Malaysia will start fasting for a month. Yay! So, this year I believed that it will be a new great adventure to be fasting in orang asli village. Staying with the pupils in the hostels can let me feel and observed the way people celebrate Ramadan here. I really want to see some of the kids learn to fast. And then we will break the fast together in the evening. I believed it will be a great experience. I hope I can encourage some of the pupils to be patient to learn fasting.

I miss my childhood day when I was learning to fasting. It hard to do at the first time but after a while it not a problem to me. I learn to fast from my age 7 years old. It is not necessarily for a kid to fast actually but because all the people around me celebrate and fasting like my family and neighbours, so I also feel happy to do it. The other best thing to do when Ramadhan when i was kid is to go to the mosques with friends for tarawikh prayer...I do not know how it will be here but i still remember the feeling of happiness of the night in Ramadhan.

It must be so cute to see small children try as hard as they can to complete the fasting at least for a day. especially for this Temiar people, I believed it is new to them too. do not worry dear, I believed you can ;) Let us take the challenge of fasting and adapt it in our real life situation too.... ;)

I hope this Ramadhan will bring lots of happiness and joy to me, to my family, to all my friends and all the Muslims people around the world. I hope that the future will be great and let do all the things in life as honest as we can and as good as we can ;)

Welcome ramadhan! Ahlan Ramadhan! Maduh Ramadhan!

p/s: I decided to find a rent a house. I plan to stay in a rent house starting this September ;)

A Tribute To Puan Mariam Bt. Yahya

We celebrate our headmistress retirement today, Puan Mariam Binti Yahya. The ceremony was held successfully. So many guests from other schools come to celebrate her retirement. She deserved it because she is friendly to other people. Although we all were happy with the celebration but I know that deep inside each of the people today was sad to let Puan Mariam go.

Although she just be my headmistress for 7 months, but she will always be stated in my history as the first headmistress that I had work with in the first school. for me, Puan mariam is so dedicated to her work. She had done a lot changes to Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Kenang and to education world.

She always encouraged me to be a good teacher. She also give lots of motivations and advises that you like and easy to hear. I just want to wish that happiness and success will always be with her. She inspired me to be a good teacher as she was. May Allah always blessed you and always heathy with your family. Thank you for everything! I believed that all the things that she had done will always in our memory.


As Paul Arden said in his book, "This is not the end. It is a new beginning". So, I hope that the retirement will be a new start for a new great things! Thank you one more time to Puan Mariam, my first headmistress. Go! Go! Go! :)


p/s: Sometimes we just need to ignore what people may think about us... Rather than asked what people had contributed, better we asked ourselves what we had contributed ;) That's sounds more positive...haha

Dr. Kit's visit to SK Kampung Kenang

On 30 July 2010, our school was so lucky to get a visit from Dr. Kit and his colleagues from UCSI, Ms Mas and Ms Sara. They came to see this school because they were so attracted to know about Orang Asli School and the surroundings and of course to see the use of ARM and active learning in my teaching and learning session here. They wanted to see how much ARM can help the pupils in learning especially in Mathematics. I felt so great and happy to get the opportunity to have a visit from him. This visit was an addition of a new interesting experience in my journey in education world.

I know Dr. Kit because he is one of my lecturers when I was studying in Teacher Teaching Institute. The Degree was given by University of Hertfordshire, UK in Primary Education. So, Dr. Kit is one of the lecturers from Uh that always came to visit his students in Malaysia. Right now, Dr. Kit is the Dean of faculty of Education UCSI, Terengganu Campus. After the study in Teacher's Training Center in Kota Bharu was finished, I still have contact with some of my UH lecturers via emails. Luckily Dr. Kit was here in Malaysia. He likes to encourage me to be a good teacher and then he interested to give a visit to my school after read about it from this blog.

During the visit, Dr. Kit had been welcomed by the headmistress, Puan Mariam Bt., Yahya and also all of the other teachers and staff here. I can saw that every one was so glad with the visit. They looks excited because it was a first visit that we get from UK.

The pupils were so excited more than the teachers to meet Dr. Kit since the day that I told them about the visit from people from UK. They really want to meet Dr. Kit and see themselves. Sometimes in the class, I always tell them that if they study and perform successfully, they can further their study not only in Malaysia but also in overseas. So, this is a perfect time for them to see clearly what I had said before and I believed it can open their eyes widely.

Dr. Kit had go through all the classes and met with all the pupils during the visit. I was so glad that Dr. Kit was so cool to visit class by class and try to communicate with the pupils. Although the pupils were so shy but I know that deep inside they were so happy and excited from their facial expression and body language. It shows!

Then, after that, I brought Dr. Kit to the computer lab for interview session with year 5 pupils. A day before the visit, I already give a task to the pupils to fill up their Origami Book with the information that they got by interviewing Dr. Kit. The questions were simple and easy but it really can help the pupils to be brave to use English language and also can make them realized that English is important language rather than Malay language. My pupils always believed that English language is not important to them because no one in the village use it. it just a third language. After this visit, I have a point now that English is important for them to learn too.

I observed that my Year 5 pupils were trying hardly to communicate with Dr. Kit in English. The best thing to see was that they suddenly be so brave to gather around Dr. Kit and approach him although they know that Dr. Kit speaks English. i just smile to when I observed they act like that. It was so rare to see but it was good for them.

After the session with year 5 pupils, I bring Dr. kits and hiscolleagues to visit the village. we went to see the houses around the school, the surroundings and the river. The visit had given a great impact to the school especially to the pupils. I believed that it can open their views and ideas widely and I hope that it can motivate them to study and to change their community in the future. To Dr. Kit, Ms Mas and Ms. Sara, thank you very much for spending some time in Sekolah Kebangsaan Kampung Kenang. we were so happy and hopefully in the future all of you will come again here. By the way, this is the feedback from Dr. Kit after the visit:

Kit Thomas "I have just been to visit Hafiz's school in Kampung Kenang, Sungai Siput. This was a wonderful privilege for me, Miss Sara and Miss Mas. We were made so welcome by Hafiz, his colleagues and pupils. The Head Teacher, Puan Mariam, is simply an inspiration and we wish her every success on her forthcoming retirement after ...a work life dedicated to education. Hafiz and Miss Ikin were first rate tour guides and showed us the surrounding areas and places of interest. We will always remember the smiling faces of the pupils who were pleased to see us and tried out their English on us. We were able to visit their classrooms, see them learning and developing using ARM and ICT. We loved their singing and lively rhythmic performance of 'The lion sleeps tonight'. What a wonderful school this is: dedicated staff and a school with a clear vision and leadership, enhanced by Hafiz's professionalism and ability to bring people together. We will keep in touch and I hope that we can bring this blog to a wider..."

p/s: Let's do the things that people rarely wants to do...the road not taken ;)