Classroom rules 2012!

"I am sorry, I am sorry teacher! I am sorry, I am sorry, teacher!, I am sorry, I am sorry, teacher! I will not repeat...peat...peat...peat...peat!"

p/s: This year the name of my year 1 pupils are very uniques. We have Maradonna, Mecsviera, Israfael, Gina, Sanjena, Suli and some more! :D

easy reading...

If you are in a difficult situation, I hope that you will be patient...soon the difficulties will begin to go away. I know it will be difficult for anyone to handle difficult situation but believe it or not there will be solutions for it... What type of solution? That we do not know...

I think there were many difficult times that you face before and I believe they already solved by you and maybe you forget about it already. Maybe tonight you can think about it for a while, just to check what the problem and what happened to it? I think some of it just solved by it's own and you just do nothing!

Sometimes it's too easy for us to forget what has happened. Then, when something start to happen again, we started to be so sad, nervous, worry and so on. Just to make sure that things can be handle, you need to reflect on problems in your life...but as I said before, do not reflect too much or else suddenly you will be sad of things that already happened. What I suggest here is to learn from your past experiences...

No matter how hard things will be, how difficult the assigments are (special for students...haha), just do it, just face it... As soon as you started to move forward, there will be a way for you to follow , there will be somebody will lend their hands for you...

p/s: it is easy to talk than do :D

Stairs...you go up, you go down...

 "No running, no rushing! Wait for my orders! Stop! You! Listen to me!" me, keep shouting to my year 1 kids...wahaha

Today, I brought my year 1 pupils outside of their class. We went to the hostel buildings. Yeah...we went to find a stair. Since the year 1 class is only on the ground level, so there is no stairs there plus all level one classes are advisable to be on the groud level to prevent bad things to happen.

Today, we learnt to arrange numbers up and down. I just want to give the kids the clear view of going up and going down. Ehehehe...I think it much more easy to show them by using the stairs instead of just telling them.

 They pupils count up and down while stepping on the stairs. I helped some of them by placing numbers cards. As the stairs is not so big, so this activity cannot be done in a big group. So, just a small group of pupils can do it at once.

I think they were very excited to try out the activity. Even the one that not really response to me before suddenly so excited to try and he can't even count correctly...ehehe...I guess it's a good start to him. Maybe I should bring him to the stairs everyday then...ehehe...

For some advance learners, I gave them a bundle of number cards and then asked them to arrange it on the stairs up and down. Then the other say it out and check it out... I think this activity just a normal activity but because my pupils do not really have access to stairs especially the one that not staying in the hostel, that makes their eyes open and excited to step on it! Just need to be a bit strick so that they not gonna be too wild! ehehhe

Before we left the stairs, I let all my pupils climb on the stairs in group of 3 so that nobody will go back home and feeling sick that they did not have chance to try it! :D

p/s: School on Saturday!!!

Indoor Numbers Hunt!

I know it's late already now and I should go to bed....what to do... I thought I will not update this blog tonight as the internet connection was so bad. But I just can't sleep if I did not update this entry first...hehehe...so luckily now internet go better (even it takes so long to upload andonly 2 pictures survive!)

Today, I prepared another interesting activity with my year 1 class. We played "Numbers Hunt"! (Something like treasure hunt...I think so...wahaha). I prepared a number sequence and the pupils need to fill it up with correct numbers.

I divided the pupils into 5 groups according to the colours that you can see in the picture. Then, I hide the numbers in the computer lab and the pupils need to search the number. When they find it, they need to glue the number to the sequence. (This is lame...sleepy writing...wahaha)

Of course the pupils went wild: they run, jump, look here, look there, climb the table, go down the table, blur here, think there and many more acts that I can't really describe! Too much! :DI thik it's fun and great to see them very excite d and very commited to find the numbers and finish the task. I think I did not really hide the numbers in a difficult place. But because they were too excited, even the numbers were just on the white board, they cannot find it! Wahahaha…over excited plus confident I guess :P

But at the end they manage to finish it. It was interesting too to see how this year 1 pupils work together to finish the task. Work in group to finish it and you can hear they discuss in Temiar language… it’s fine, as long as I know they were discussing about the activity…

I thought the searching part is the wildest part, but I was wrong…when they finish it, they went out of control! The first group that finish the activity screamed very loud to celebrate their victory!!! Egh…what to do….I’m the one who prepared the activity, so can’t complaint that they make that noise…hehe
It’s fun! ;) Sleep now!
p/s: welcome to my world ;) and yes, I made the poems myself ;)

Mathematics formula for life :D

Take a plain life, let’s add, subtract, multiply and divide:


Add some smiles to your face and heart; it makes you look beautiful in and out
Add courage and bravery, to make you dare to move forward
Add discipline to your routine, you have proper steps to follow
Add gratitude and thankfulness, never forget where you come from

Subtract some doubts from your heart, makes you less worried
Subtract jealousy, prevents you becoming mean
Subtract procrastination; wasting time is not your cup of tea
Subtract despair and sadness; keep your tears for joy

Multiply efforts, it creates magic
Multiply patience, strong shield to protect you from falling down
Multiply thinking, which is how you become creative
Multiply kindness, there you will find honesty

Divide knowledge and experiences you have, don’t keep them to yourself
Divide your time, as time goes away and never comes back
Divide your wisdom, so that it flows to people in need
Divide temptation, so you are always in control of yourself

Add, subtract, multiply and divide your life
Equals to no more plain life!

Add, subtract, multiply and divide your life
You will appreciate life as you only have one!

p/s: attracted to the way of writing down mind map in front of the hall while speaker giving his speech as I experienced in Thailand. Impressed by the quick and fast digesting the points...

A visit to SK Pos Kemar

A few days ago, I went to visit another rural area school in Perak, Sekolah Kebangsaan Pos Kemar. I am really glad to been given a chance from JPN Perak and PPD Hulu Perak (Credit to Pn. Norhaini and En. Manan) to join the trip there.

The journey to get to the school was challenging. You need to drive like 30 minutes to the jetty, then, take a boat for 40 minutes and then once you arrive take a ride on 4 wheel drive, and then you arrive at the school! That still sound easy but its challenging than my descriptions...

Once we were there, we been celebrated by the school community, lead by the wonderful headmaster, En. Zul Azhar. Thank you for such a great and warmth welcome. Actually, the main purpose of this visit was to sit and work together to create a good lesson plan to use in teaching and learning of pupils in literacy and numeracy. More than that, we were actually doing Lesson Study! (Ask Pn. Norhaini for more details...she the expert! hehe)

I think that we have worked together very well. We managed to create a few lesson plans (much work done by some SK Pos Kemar teachers-claps!) , apply it to the class, review and reflect! It's a great way to get much more ideas. We have the same experience with the Temiar kids, so I think maybe that is one reason why we can work well.

Back to the school story, this school is bigger 3 times than my school. The Temiar kids in this school are about 6oo+. Even though it is in a rural area, but the community there is very large and if not mistaken, the larger orang asli school in Perak. Teachers in the school are about 40+ and they all live and stay in the school. Because of the journey to go in and out to the school is challenging and take time, they just go back to their hometown only on weekends! I really respect them and I hope that they will always be strong and be patient in teaching the kids...

p/s: after almost two weeks go out from my school, going back today make my eye opened widely to see a bundle of files and some other works waiting for me to do! (no sigh...huhu...)

Flight through my eyes

I am about to drive to Gerik now. I will go visit another rural area school in Perak. It will be exciting experience I guess... :)

One day only at my own school for this week which is yesterday make me used the time with my pupils as good as I can. I managed to share some of my experiences in Bangkok with them. It was very excited to show to them some photos and videos that I brought back special for them just to let them see what I see through my eyes...

The best one was when I showed to them a video of the flight taking off from the Suvatnabhumi airport. Although it just a 3 minutes, no sounds and just from my seat but it was very amazing to see the kids can feel the flight. We were in the computer lab, I closed the doors, windows and lights. So, we were in the dark and the focus that we have just the screen. Once the video started, my pupils were giving their full attention to the video. Making some sounds and ready to feel the flight starting to move and fly and touch the sky! Even I feel excited to see them excited!

I can't bring them on the flight yet so at least I can let them experience seeing what I see!

p/s: One kid one elephant choclate from Thailand! hehehe

Congratulations!!!

Last night, I have attended a Gala Dinner NEF-Awani ICT Award 2011 in PWTC, KL. It was a great event that celebrate ICT industry for Bumiputera in Malaysia.

This blog also been awarded with NEF-Awani ICT Award 2011 - Merit Award. I am so happy for this blog and the achievements so far. I dedicated the achievements of this blog to all the teachers in Malaysia for their hard work and dedication. I believe that this achievements will inspire us as teachers to give and contribute much more to education.I am so grateful and thankful that this blog connects teachers around the world and I believe the impact will open people's eyes to the teaching profession.

I am also dedicated this awards to the pupils in my school. I am so proud to show and share them and apart of their life using Life through my eyes!

Thank you for all the related people for the NEF-Awani ICT Awards 2011 - Merit Awards :)

p/s: Great opportunity to meet and chat to Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad :)

Time to go back ;)

It's very late at the moment. 2:46 a.m in Thailand (minus one hour to get time in Malaysia), and I have to wake up earlyin the morning tomorrow for the flight. I have a good time here. Even though this is just a short visit and busy meeting but I learnt a lot from this trip.

I met with lots of great people here in Bangkok. I met with the wonderful Andrew Bathell, the important person in Teachers TV and also have spend time to listen to his speech and discuss with him personally. I am so happy too to meet lots of great people from Thai Teachers TV and PICO. What a fantastic, warmth and extraordinary welcome from them. I also managed a day meeting and speech session with the dean and lecturers from the Education Faculties from 5 universities which were Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, Silpakorn University , Srinakharinwirot Prasarnmit University and Taksin University. I think everybody were so happy and have a good time in that session.

I was so glad that I done my presentation to them successfully too. I thought I will be so nervous until cannot talk too much but I was wrong...haha...maybe the welcome and the smiles from all the audiences makes me feel comfortable, or maybe the help that provided by Dr. Kit takes out the worries that scratching my heart! Thank you ;)

I'm looking forward to bring back the good things that we shared here to my kids later in the same time I believe I also left something for them to take and keep and spread to their students...(Good things I suppose...hehehe)

By the way, as the same region and the look that I have, sometimes people that I met here just speak Thai to me! It was great to know that...I wish I can speak Thai back to them, but I'm so sorry, I don't learn it yet! Hehehe... Maybe next time eh...?

p/s: Have a really good time standing, chatting, and watching some performances tonight! Now packing home!

Teacher Education Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand

I'm in Kuala Lumpur at the moment. That means no school for few days. Tomorrow I will fly to Bangkok to attend a Teacher Education Meeting: How to apply enriched resources in teacher's education classroom for an improvement in professional teaching. This meeting is organized Pico (Thailand) Public Company Limited.

I have been given a session together with Dr. Keith

Thomas on "Using Teachers TV in teacher training in the UK and Malaysia. When we were doing the degree before, we used Teachers TV a lot to see how teaching and  learning conducted in a classroom outside of Malaysia. We gain lots of knowledge and and idea to start a discussion about issued that maybe appear in a classroom and much more. I will share my experience during my study before and also share with them about this blog.

I can't wait to meet with new peoples in Thailand. It will be so great to share experiences and see teaching and learning in other country. I been to Thailand last year actually to Pattaya, so this is my second trip to Thailand but this time will be in Bangkok.

Let's hope everything will be great and more good things can be achieved :)

p/s: Practising using English language tonight so that I will not be tongue tide (so long did not use English for a while, just Malay and Temiar...wahaha)

Multiplication table: As fast as you can, write it down on a paper!

I still struggling with the electrical problem in my rent house. So, these few days I just staying in the school for few days...in and out actually. The electrician already came yesterday and said to me that the problem is quite serious. I already contacted the landlord and hope he will help to sort this problem out as soon as possible.

Ok, that is not my main purpose of this entry for this time. Actually I just want to share something that I do with my year 6 pupils in learning and teaching mathematics. I believe that lots of mathematics teacher in Malaysia used multiplication table a lot to help their pupils to tackle mathematics problems for multiplication, division and fraction.

So do I. I used multiplication table a lot and really stressed the importance of it to my pupils too. Instead of let them memorize the multiplication table, I let my pupils write down on paper. I trained them to write down the multiplication table as fast as they can on paper. Practice makes perfect! So how to do this?

Everyday in my mathematics lesson for year 6, I will start the class by having 'writing down the multiplication table on paper' competition. It is very simple. You teach them how to do the multiplication table, asked them to do it themselves even though they need to count using their fingers and then you can start to do the competition everyday. (this is quite simple explanation but I believe if you are a math teacher, you know how to make the multiplication easier, as what you see on the picture above)

At first few day, maybe only the high achievers will do it correctly and quick. But once the other kids gets the idea, suddenly the competition will become very competitive. The high achiever can do the multiplication table only in just a few minutes! And then the others just left behind a few seconds... :D

As an encouragement to the class, every time they do the competition I will promote them with a sticker to the pupil that can finish it first! :D And pupil will the most sticker collections later will get surprise present...hehehe...Just to add some spice to the competition...

I have some reasons why I prefer my pupils write the multiplication table on paper rather than just memorize it in their head. I think after 2 years teaching in this school, I believe that my pupils will response a lot to the things that they can see in front of them. It avoid them from doing careless mistakes such as wrong place value and so on.

By doing it very fast, they can save their time when they were facing the examination paper for mathematics. As soon as they can start answering the questions, first thing to do is to write down the multiplication table and further with answering the questions!

I think it help them a lot! It maybe take some time and some effort at the beginning but I believe it worth it. Maybe it also sound familiar and simple, but day after day these Temiar pupils will be very confident in writing the multiplication table! This year, I will still use the same method for my year 6 pupils... :) Maybe other mathematics teacher have their own great ways in teaching their kids. As long as it will help your pupils in your place, just go with it! :D

p/s: having a glass of Milo O Ice while writing this entry in a restaurant! :D