Goodbye and Good Luck!!

Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to our friend and mentor Matthew Windom. The Bentong cluster thanks Matthew for his hard work during the short time he was working with us. Matthew worked with SK Janda Baik, SJKC Bukit Tinggi, SJKC Ketari, SK Bukit Piatu and SK Sungai Marong.  I know I’m not alone when I wish him all the luck and happiness for the future! 

Thank You!

As we approach the end of the school year the TELL2 team would like to thank all the teachers and the Bentong PPD for making 2014 so productive and enjoyable.  The TELL2 teachers and schools have been welcoming, enthusiastic and responsive since the programme began in February ensuring that this year has been a success!

Highlights of the year include the 'TELL2 Teacher Workshop' in May.  The Bentong district was the first to carry out such a workshop and it was a challenge.  A lot of hard work went in to preparing the presentations and by working together and making use of individuals' strengths and talents the workshop was a complete success...and a lot of fun!

A major highlight and source of pride for all participating schools has been the 'English Display Competition'.  The results were really incredible. School communities came together to create informative and interactive displays throughout the school grounds.  

School environments have improved, empty spaces have been converted in to inspiring language learning zones where all pupils can learn independently.  We cannot stress how inspirational and innovative these displays were and all those who participated should be very proud of what was achieved.

We have worked together to create and carry out interesting and effective lessons and pupils have reacted well to all the new materials and activities.  Next year we can move onwards and upwards, but for now relax, refresh and enjoy the holidays, see you in 2015!!

Bentong English Display Competition

Throughout the year Bentong teachers have been working hard to create informative, fun and interactive English displays in and around their schools…the results have been amazing!  The Bentong English Display Competition 2014 has been very successful with school communities working together to improve school environments while promoting English language learning.

This year nineteen schools from TELL1 and TELL2 participated in the competition; SK Sertik, SK Mempaga 1, SK Mempaga 2, SK Lebu, SK Lurah Bilut, SJKT Bentong, SJKC Perting, SJKC Khai Mun Pagi, SK Tuanku Fatimah, SK Sulaiman, SK Sungai Marong, SJKC Ketari, SK Bukit Piatu, SK Janda Baik, SJKC Bukit Tinggi, SK Sungai Dua, SJKC Karak, SK Karak and SK Jambu Rias.

English teachers from participating schools attended a workshop in April, the workshop served as an introduction to the project and offered teachers an opportunity to think about what they wanted to achieve when creating a display and what would be suitable for their schools and their pupils.  

Clear goals were decided upon to provide guidance in the creation and construction of the displays.  The displays were to be interactive most importantly, this meant that  pupils were to be able to access them easily and they were to be visually attractive.  The displays were to reinforce language concepts and skills previously taught whilst supporting the learning process with clear targets.  When the judges visited the schools they were also looking for pupils’ contributions making the displays more meaningful and relevant.

The teachers had to keep all of the above factors in mind when deciding on the content and designs of their school displays.  When the judges visited the completed displays the thought, consideration, creativity and hard work that had gone into the project was plain to see and all the participating schools produced work that exceeded expectations.

We saw colourful vocabulary murals, giant board games, interactive puzzles, reading corners, inspiring poetry, grammar ball games, an ‘English Kitchen’, telephone booths, phonics hopscotch and in the case of SK Sungai Marong a refurbished, redecorated, remarkable English language room complete with it’s own grocery store!

These are just a few of the wonderful creations we saw as we visited schools- it all contributed to making judging a very difficult task…after a lot of deliberation the top five schools were decided upon and announced during a ceremony on October 16^th at SK Bukit Piatu.

Runners Up : SK Mempaga 2 and SK Bukit Piatu 

3rd Place : SK Sungai Marong

2nd Place : SK Tuanku Fatimah

1st Place : SJKT Bentong

It’s important to state that all the schools achieved something very special and all deserve a massive congratulations.  Parents, pupils and teaching staff all came together to improve learning environments with powerful results.  It was a pleasure to visit each school and witness the dedication of teaching professionals throughout the Bentong district.

The real winners of this competition are the hundreds of pupils who we witnessed playing, laughing and learning with their peers in constructive, creative and informative environments.  Due to the dedication of their English teachers and schools, informal and inspired spaces had been made for their pupils to progress, learn and grow.  

Congratulations to Juniza!

Juniza Binti Juhid from SK Tuanku Fatimah prepared a fun, interactive and informative lesson for Year Three.  The topic was 'In School' and the pupils really enjoyed the materials and activities that Juniza had prepared.  It was great to see a teacher preparing their own flashcards and worksheets and tailor making a lesson plan to suit her class of very able, active pupils!

"I like to prepare materials for the lessons to see how the children react.  By preparing materials I can see how they learn.  Pupils who are not normally interested enjoy the lessons." (Juniza Binti Juhid)

Juniza typed up her lesson plan so that it can be easily stored and shared with other English teachers in the school.  The accompanying materials were of a high quality and laminated so they could also be added to a library of shared resources that can be used time and time again by the English teachers in SK Tuanku Fatimah.

The class started with pupils fitting together the pieces of a jigsaw, the complete picture (a school) would hold the answer as to what would be the topic of the day's lesson.  The pupils were evidently excited about this idea and the whole class reacted positively to the activity.

Juniza went on to use a matching flashcards activity to practise using full sentences about the different places in a school and the activities that take place in each of them.  Pupils really enjoy getting involved with the language so this matching activity was perfect for such a lively class.  

The visual impact of incorporating images relating to the target vocabulary in an English lesson helps pupil visualise the concepts being taught.  Juniza's preparation really did pay off and as she told me it didn't take that a time to do.  When we are faced with large classes of pupils with individual learning styles the more colourful and interesting the lesson the better the reaction and content comprehension will be.

This listening and speaking lesson was about the pupils using full sentences to talk about the different places in a school and their functions. Juniza introduced the topic in an interesting and novel way, followed by pupils interacting with and enjoying the target language.  She then created a tailored worksheet so that her pupils could practise what they had learnt individually as well as with the rest of the class.

Juniza's preparation means that she has a ready made, tested lesson to use again next time she teaches this topic.  It also means that she can easily share her lesson plan and materials with other teachers. GO JUNIZA!

Materials Preparation at SK Tuanku Fatimah!

The TELL2 teachers at SK Tuanku Fatimah got together with Charlotte Lewis to print, laminate and cut all the materials they would need for the up and coming units in the respective text books.  Their mentor, Charlotte, provided the print outs whilst Shafida Hazlin Bt Safee, Azimah Bt Yusoh, Juniza Binti Juhid, Noraniah Mohd Yusof and Nor Ashikin Bt Hussin provided the laminating film and the scissors!

We arranged a date and stayed after school to focus on material production.  Working together meant that materials for Year 1, 2 and 3 classes were produced in a short amount of time- it also allowed us the opportunity to converse in English and to enjoy time together outside of the classroom.  

Laminating the flashcards ensures that they will last for many English classes to come.  It was discussed and decided upon to steadily build on the materials unit by unit, then to find a safe place to store them.  The idea is to organise the materials by year group and by unit so that teachers can easily access and share the materials they need for their lessons.

Putting in some extra effort to produce colourful, adaptable and sustainable flashcards means that you are saving yourself time in the future and that you are ensuring an improved learning experience. 

Simple flashcards can be used for many language games and activities, they can be displayed to support teaching and they can be used to review what has been previously taught. Pupils respond well to the colourful pictures and prompts so keep up the hard work SK Tuanku Fatimah...that resource library is just around the corner!

If your school is interested in building on materials please feel free to get in contact...

English Display Competition 2014!

Work is under way to complete the English displays for this year's competition and there is some INCREDIBLE work being produced! So first and foremost a huge applause for all those teachers and schools that have been working tirelessly to really make a difference to the school environment and to promote English language learning beyond the classroom.

Twenty schools from TELL1 and TELL2 are creating interactive, informative and decorative English displays that will benefit Level One Pupils.  A workshop was carried out in April to encourage teachers to think about what they want their pupils to gain from the displays, what would work in their school and what they were capable of achieving.  

There are ten factors to take into consideration when designing and creating the displays and these factors will be what the judges are looking for when they visit the schools. 

1. The displays should support the learning process.
2. The displays should be easily accessible.
3. The displays should be interactive.
4. The displays should be meaningful to the pupils.
5. The displays should reinforce skills learnt by the pupils in English lessons.
6. Pupils should be able to contribute work to the displays.
7. Visuals are used in the creation of the displays.
8. The pupils can actively engage with the displays.
9. The displays should have clear learning targets or learning intentions.
10. The displays should be decorative. 

There is a lot to consider and teachers are having to think outside of the box in order to incorporate these factors into the final designs.   

Of course at this point what is being produced in schools is top secret. There are some original and imaginative concepts and it's understandable that schools want to keep these under wraps!  

It's been a challenge that has brought school communities together creatively and pupils are eagerly awaiting the time when the work is finished so they can use the language games and challenges.  

It's too soon to share pictures of what is going on but we can take a look at what was achieved last year.  The schools that were involved with TELL1 took on the challenge with enthusiasm and their mentors were very proud of what accomplished.

SJKT Karak were the winners of the English Display Competition 2013.  English was visible everywhere and in a way that pupils could really engage and interact with.  They made a large 'Phonics Tree' that pupils used to make words in recess or if they had completed their work.

Bright and colourful murals were painted to support the teaching and learning from English lessons.

SJKT Karak also created a relaxing reading corner where pupils could access and read English language storybooks.  There was also a place for pupils to look at up to date newspapers and complete language challenges using the reading materials provided.  The pupils enthusiasm to do so was evident, the fact that they were using the materials meant that the teachers had achieved what they were meant to...the displays were facilitating independent language learning!

Other schools involved were SK Sertik, SK Mempaga 1, SK Mempaga 2, SK Lebu, SK Lurah Bilut, SK Karak, SK Jambu Rias, SK Sungai Dua and SJKC Karak.  All the schools produced brilliant work which was sure to benefit their pupils and their schools.  

After such amazing results last year we eagerly await to see what will be carried out in 2014.  All the hard work is worth it when pupils grow, learn and enjoy discovering English language learning outside of the textbooks.

The completion date for the displays is 1st October 2014.  Good luck and please do not hesitate to get in contact with your TELL2 mentor, Charlotte Lewis, if you need help or if you have any problems!

TELL2 Program Helps Pupils Learn English

From: Mdm. Ng Wee Gwek, SJKC Bukit Tinggi, Bentong, Pahang

This year level-one students at SJKC Bukit Tinggi in Pahang have had the pleasure of an extra English teacher every week.  TELL2 is a program placing native English teachers in mentor rolls. Each mentor has five assigned primary schools in a given region, and all level-one English teachers are paired with the mentor. Mentors help with lesson-planning, material creation, and creating a more learning centered environment for the students.

Mentor Evan Eames from the USA comes every Monday to work with SJKC Bukit Tinggi’s level-one English teachers. The kids get to sing songs, play language games, role-play and also write poems in English. Students find their time with Mr. Eames as exciting as getting a new toy. Having a day of the week to change up the common lessons gives teachers and students an opportunity to gradually shift the teaching style to a more learner-centered atmosphere.

Bringing his guitar to the lesson, Mr. Eames guided the students through a song and story. According to Mdm. Ng the year 5 class is rather hard to tackle; they are despondent and uninterested. Mr. Eames’s style is animated and humorous. He gives the students nicknames and helps them feel like they are all peers in the classroom.

Mdm. Ng said she was very surprised by the change in attitude when in the presence of a native speaker. The students learn English in English, and they know that he will not be translating anything that he says into Mandarin. “I noticed that even the sleepy boy, Hin Hin, sings happily with [Mr. Eames]” Making the students feel like the class was more of a group effort than a teacher centered lecture allowed the children to have a wonderful time, all the while learning.

Mr. Eames also took the time with Mdm. Ng to teach the students how to write Haiku poems. At first they had a hard time grasping the concept of the 5-7-5-syllable structure, but after using examples of the students themselves they caught on. They even had fun.

Once again, Mdm. Ng was impressed that the students understood so quickly. “I dare not try,” she admitted, ”guiding the children to write Haiku poem.” However, after seeing the step-by-step guidance, and the kids gain in confidence, Mdm. Ng had no problem participating in the lesson and having the students come up with pomes for the English walls throughout the school.

The TELL2 program is still new to the teachers of Bukit Tinggi, but they are learning that they can change the students attitudes as well as their own. Learning a language doesn’t have to be an arduous task that teachers and students dread; it can be fun, motivational, and an all around good time.

TEACHING TIP! Courtesy of Mrs. Yogesveri Tangavellu (SJKT Bentong)...

Reading

'Jigsaw Reading' is always a popular activity amongst the pupils.  It's an activity that encourages team work and focuses attention on meaning; pupils have to understand what they are reading in order to correctly arrange the text.

For all it's advantages a major disadvantage of this activity is the preparation time especially with large classes or more complex texts.  Mrs.  Yogesveri Tangavellu has found an ingenious way to combat the amount of time spent on preparing this particular reading activity...

In this instance the text was 'Ben the Bottle' from the Year Three textbook.  The story was broken down into seven parts and these sections of text were written in random order on a piece of A3 paper. Boxes were drawn next to each sentence.

The class was divided into groups and each group was designated a piece of paper.  Individuals from each group then took it in turns to approach the board, read the sentences on their teams' paper, find and number the next sentence.  The first team to correctly sequence the text wins!

This was a great way to simplify a popular reading activity.  The preparation time to include this reading task in an English lesson is minimal so please give it a try and share your experience!

LINUS Classes at SJKC Khai Mun Pagi!

Every week in Khai Mun Pagi the Year Two LINUS pupils spend some time with their mentor Charlotte Lewis.  Mr Foong Tow Choong and Madam Choong Wei Ping wanted to offer their pupils some extra support so weekly sessions were organised with the mentor.  These sessions give the pupils the opportunity to review and revise the basics of phonics, segmenting and blending in a more focused environment. Extra time is spent on making the sounds and recognising the graphemes.  As groups are smaller errors can be corrected more effectively and individuals have more opportunities to be actively involved in the learning process.

There has been a great increase in confidence amongst the participating pupils and this is having a direct effect on their improvement.  Pupils are now quick to try new sounds, face challenges and work together to complete activities.  The sessions have only been taking place for a few weeks but now these pupils can cope in a learning environment where there first language is completely absent and can follow directions and commands in English.

The nerves and reluctance that were present during the first sessions have gone.  The pupils are experiencing a new sense of conviction and self assurance.  Due to the simplified lesson content and hands on activities learning English is not as daunting as it once was.  

Large sets of grapheme cards are used to teach the pupils new sounds and their corresponding actions, smaller sets of cards are used for a variety of activities.  Activity examples include identifying the grapheme after hearing the sound, asking each other for certain sounds to collect a set and making simple CVC words. Once time has been spent preparing these materials there really is no end to the ways in which you can use them to support teaching and learning.

The process is in the initial stages but if the pupils continue to engage with the material and grow in confidence their English language abilities are sure to improve greatly.  This is an exciting project and all successes will be recorded and shared amongst the TELL2 teachers so that the LINUS pupils from all participating schools can improve their language schools and further their enjoyment in the subject.

If you have any tips, questions, activities or materials you would like to share relating to LINUS then please get in touch!

TEACHING TIP! Courtesy of Mdm. Yee Lai Charn (SJKC Perting)...

Classroom Control

Madam Yee's Year Two class are an energetic and enthusiastic group!  When it's time for pupils to volunteer to answer a question or take part in an activity their response is overwhelming and at times a little disruptive...

Madam Yee has found a way to combat this problem.  

This may appear to be just an envelope but it is actually a successful tool in combating the problem of over enthusiastic pupils!

All the pupils in the class have their names written on slips of paper which are folded and put into the envelope.

When it's time to choose an individual pupil the teacher chooses a name from the envelope.

Pupils eagerly anticipated who would be called upon and disagreements over who should be chosen came to an end.

A great tip for those teachers who's pupils' energy and spirited interest can sometimes prove to be disruptive...it's also a simple and objective way to include those who avoid centre stage :)

TELL2 Workshop...WE DID IT!!

The daunting task of creating a presentation in a foreign language and being judged by a room full of your peers combined with having to drag yourself into work on a Saturday after a long week of mid-terms and classes forms a pit in the stomach of anyone. However, on Saturday May 17, 2014 the level one English teachers of Bentong did just that. What’s more? They achieved it with flying colours!

The Brighton Education TELL2 Teachers Workshop, the first of its kind in the district, was designed to share and circulate the ideas being presented in the TELL2 classrooms. The entire workshop was presented at Bentong’s new PPD office. By showing teachers that English can be fun to teach, TELL2 is allowing room for innovation. Classes and activities with adaptable templates can be used to help students at all levels.

Bentong is no stranger to the TELL program, which places native English speaking mentors in Malaysian schools to help create a more learner centered classroom environment for students, and Saturday was a chance for the new TELL2 teachers to demonstrate activities they have been using in their classrooms. Each school in the current program arranged a 20-minute presentation, covering a specific teaching method, to present to the English teachers of the non-TELL2 schools. The schools presenting included SK Bukit Piatu, SK Sulaiman, SJKC Ketari, SK Tuanku Fatimah, SJKC Bukit Tinggi, SK Janda Baik, SJKC Khai Mun Pagi, SK Sungai Marong, SJKC Perting and SJKT Bentong.

"This gives us more ideas," said Tan Beng Tatt an English teacher from SJK(C) Perting—this was very much the overall consensus for the workshop.

The teachers in attendance made for a lively, enthusiastic crowd. They happily volunteered to participate in all activities creating uproarious laughter and an overall positive learning environment.

The TELL2-teachers presented on different methods; ranging from songs in the classroom to language arts, phonics activities and much more. One activity had the teachers playing the roles of a farmer, a herd of sheep and a mama sheep. The farmer’s job was explaining to the herd how to find their mother. The directions needed to be specific or the herd would get lost. From there, the mother and the herd needed to follow directions to the correct shed/coop. Needless to say, the room echoed with the laughter of all in attendance. The confident teachers executing this activity proudly proclaimed, “Our activity is the best!”

Confidence! A key element that any good teacher puts into practice. This workshop not only helped Brighton’s TELL2 teachers with their teaching and presentation abilities, through peer acceptance and approval they also built the confidence that is so important to teaching. It is no secret that many public school English teachers throughout Asia are coy when demonstrating their language abilities, resorting to bland worksheet based lessons and rote memorization. It is exercises like the Brighton Education TELL2 Workshop that give teachers that chance to build self-approval, which they can then take to the classrooms.

Another favorite activity reinforced shapes, adjectives, vocabulary, and the moral value of working as a team. Participants were divided into groups and handed two envelopes filled with shapes of different colors. For the first activity they had to follow the directions given by the presenters, i.e. “paste the big red circle in the middle of your paper.” When finished, the students compare their final picture with the picture the teacher has. The second envelope was a test of creativity. The teacher tells the students to make a person using all the shapes, and the students work together to figure out which shapes should go where. Mustaffa Bin Said of SK Simpang Pelangai said, “I’m going to use [this method] in my class.”

The entire workshop was overseen by Bentong’s ELO Cik Nurmasnita Binti Kamaluddin and Brighton’s Pahang manager Ryan Harb. Nurmasnita has shown great support for Brighton’s TELL2 mentors and teachers, always keeping the lines of communication wide open and motivating the teachers to keep an open mind. Mr. Harb showed equal support and a motivating attitude for all the teachers and mentors.

Brighton’s mentors, Charlotte Lewis, Stephen-Peter Jinks (Jerantut), Michel Demyen (Pekan) and Evan Eames mediated the event. The mentors made sure that all the presentations had smooth transitions. They were also assisting with material creation in the weeks leading up to Saturday’s workshop.

The workshop also gave Brighton’s mentors a chance to display the English fun fair games and activates they have been building over the last two months.

These games will be exchanged between the TELL2 clusters of Pahang and Terengganu throughout the duration of the TELL2 Program. During break time the teachers had a blast trying the activities and various language challenges.

All those involved rose to the occasion and delivered beyond expectations. TELL2 teachers and mentors worked together making the entire event a complete success! 

If you would like to offer feedback, share your opinion or photos of the day please get in touch.  Your input is appreciated and always welcome!