8 Comments// Posted in conference, melta by Nor Fadzleen Sa don on 05.26.11.
I’m heading off to Kuala Terengganu this weekend for the 20th MELTA International Conference. I’ve been attending this conference for the past three years and I perceive it as a lifelong investment to my professional development. This year, I’ll be presenting a paper on the pedagogical approach in ESL classroom. I’ll be talking on The Fun Theory and how it could be beautifully adapted in igniting creative sparks, promoting thinking skills and arousing students’ interest in learning. I honestly look forward to learning and sharing new ideas with the local and international delegates. I’ve discovered that the conference rejuvenates my interests towards learning and rekindles my passion towards teaching. I do hope I could network with other teachers and perhaps, go shopping? Heh. Yeah, there’s a lot of marking to be done for sure but I think I deserve to take a breather. Guess I need to plan my holiday carefully.
Happy holidays!
No Comments// Posted in award, public speaking, reflection, teaching by Nor Fadzleen Sa don on 05.23.11.
I was on a long hiatus as I was dealing with a lot of work-related and personal issues. Robbers broke into my house more than three weeks ago and it left a traumatic impact on my family and I. It is a painstaking task to deal with such horrendous experience especially when my husband and I were tied up by the robbers and threatened with life-death situation. However, I believe that eventually, I need to toughen up and move on with my life. Below are some of the other events that happened in the month of May.
Date : 7th May 2011
Event : Public Speaking Competition (district level)
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| 24 schools took part in the competition, held at SMK Taman Sutera. All of the participants displayed their verbal prowess and some of the participants could really speak their minds out. I was one the judges for the semi-final and the final round of the competition. Had the chance to work with Aishah Goh (SDARY) and Mr. Abd. Rahman (SMK Nusajaya). I had a pleasant surprise when a student from SMK Taman Universiti approached me and introduced himself as a follower of this blog. It was certainly a pleasure meeting you, Faiz. All the best in your upcoming SPM! |
Event : Student Leaders Board’s Meeting & Recycling Project
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| The Student Leaders Board held their 3rd meeting to discuss on upcoming projects. The first project is the 2nd Recycling Project that will be carried out at Titiwangsa Apartment. The second project is the Speak Like A Leader Programme that will be held on weekly basis. I am proud of my students as they are attentive and keen on improving their leadership skills. The students were presented with the Johor International Student Leaders Conference’s certificates of participation by Ali Asyraf Mohamed, one of the SLB’s advisers. |
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| The Recycling Project in progress. L-R: Adam Daniel, Roshini, Yi Wen (Project Manager), Jasmin and Bernard. Kudos! |
Date : 14th May 2011
Event: General Meeting of Majlis Guru Cemerlang JB
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| The meeting was held at Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar’s mini auditorium. The first session was a talk on Lesson Study, a collaborative teaching practice that is carried out widely in Japan, Indonesia and Thailand. The next agenda was the AGM meeting where new committee members were elected and I’m humbled and honoured to be elected as a committee member. Hopefully, I can learn more from the more experienced GCs especially under the leadership of the new President, Pn. Nor Rizah Bongkek (STF). |
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Date : 16th May 2011
Event: Teachers’ Day
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| I had a splendid time celebrating Teachers’ Day with all my beloved colleagues and students. I love the T-Day’s theme for this year. I believe that as teachers, we need to constantly learn from our mistakes, be humble and upgrade ourselves to be professionally competent as each year progresses. I’ve learned that you need to persevere and stay optimistic despite the challenges that you may face along the way. At times, I felt so frustrated when my sincere effort in conducting action researches, presenting paper and writing was misjudged by some unfortunate souls. Why can’t we support each other rather than spread unsavoury accusations? A good friend once told me that we cannot control other’s actions but we can certainly control how we react towards them. I am glad that I have found solace in finding really good friends and mentors who inspire me to be a better teacher. We are the unsung heroes!
Date : 21st May 2011
Event: Innovation Day & Teachers’ Day (District Level)
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| Alhamdulillah, I am chosen as the recipient of the Leadership Award for Secondary School Teacher Category during the Innovation Day & Teachers’ Day Celebration recently. This award only fueled me to improve myself and hopefully, to ignite the teaching drive within me. The pinnacle of awesomeness is when my school won 5 awards ; Anugerah Kepimpinan PK1, Anugerah Kepimpinan PK HEM, Anugerah Kepimpinan PK Koko, Anugerah Kepimpinan Guru Penolong & Pengurusan Kokurikulum. Go Tasek! |
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4 Comments// Posted in competition, debate, NIE, workshop by Nor Fadzleen Sa don on 04.15.11.
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| Last Monday, my students and I attended the Mag Inc. 2011 Contest Workshop at Olympia College, JB. This is the final leg of the workshop series organised by The Star-Pizza Hut. This year, our school decided to take part for the first time after discovering the multiplier advantages that this contest would offer the students. |
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| My beloved students. L-R: Shafiqah, Fara, Iman and Darshan. |
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| The main facilitator was Nithya Sidhu, the columnist for Teacher’s Talk. I’m an ardent follower of her column since I could relate and emphatise with her musings. It was a privilege to finally meet her in person and even a pleasant surprise when she asked me to share my views during her session. |
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| The debonair Miss Natasha shared her expertise on magazine publication. |
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| The workshop participants. It was wonderful to see familiar faces such as JSL Sara Adriana and JSL Sarvind. I’ve also met some fellow teachers such as Sui Liang , Mdm. Tan, Mdm. Ho and Mr. Adib. Everyone seems to be immersed in the workshop. |
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| Think, think, think! |
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| A snapshot with Mrs. Nithya Sidhu, the workshop facilitator. |
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| Fara with one of the last year’s winning mags. |
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If you are interested to participate in this year Mag Inc. 2011 Contest, you can refer to this site for more information. It’s time to unleash your creativity and put on your thinking cap and your hard work would be rewarded with delectable pizzas!
The next day, I drove to SMK Bandar Putra, Kulai as I was appointed as the Chief Adjudicator for the Final round of the District Level English Parliamentary Debate. I had the chance to work with Kara from SMK Bandar Selesa Jaya 2 and Hemma Roshenny from UTM JB. Unfortunately, I didn’t had time to snap any photo but it was indeed wonderful to see students being so enthusiastic in presenting their arguments. Thank you PPD Kulai for giving me this opportunity.
No Comments// Posted in environment, jsl, talk by Nor Fadzleen Sa don on 04.11.11.
Date: 9th April 2011
Venue: SIGS
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| Last weekend, I was given the opportunity to attend the Leaders In Action programme at SIGS, JB. Organised by the school’s Student Leaders Board, the event was officiated by YB Tun Jeanne Abdullah, the chairman of Landscape Malaysia and ENO (Environment Online) Mother of Malaysia. |
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| My students who attended the programme. Syafiq, member of the Johor Student Leader Council, Shahiman, the Head Prefect and Azizah, the President of the Pre-U Students Council. |
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| The forum in action. The topic was Mission Go Green For Green Living. It was brilliantly executed. Kudos! |
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| I represented my school in accepting a tree seedling from YB Tun Jeanne Abdullah, in conjuction with the Hutan Kita@School programme. 75 schools in the district of Johor Bahru took part in this programme. The programme aims to spread awareness on the importance of maintaining our greenery and inculcating love towards Mother Nature. |
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| Tun Jeanne during the tree planting ceremony. |
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| She is so down to earth and motherly. A staunch supporter of global biodiversity. |
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| This programme opened my eyes on various environmental issues. There are many ways that a teacher can spread awareness on the importance of sustaining the natural resources. Apart from that, students can also play a pivotal role in taking care of our environment. Do check out WWF Malaysia, ENO Malaysia and Lanskap Malaysia for more information on preserving our lush floras and fabulous faunas. In the word of Captain Planet “THE POWER IS YOURS!!” |
No Comments// Posted in debate, e-lab, module, writing by Nor Fadzleen Sa don on 04.10.11.
Due to hectic schedule, I was on writing hiatus but I finally manage to update this blog of mine. Some of the updates are not really that up-to-date but well, something is better than nothing, no? Two weeks ago, I was the Chief Adjudicator of the quarter-final round of the Parliamentary English Language debate of Johor Bahru district. The venue was at SMK Taman Tun Aminah. I had trouble finding the school, I was in the vicinity of Tmn. Tun Aminah but I ended up in the wrong school and had to make another turning. Thank god, I finally managed to locate the school and be there to judge the competition.
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| SMK Sultan Ismail vs SMK Sri Rahmat. pic credit: Zainal Yusof |
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| The adjudicators. L-R: Zainal (SMK Taman U), Tamil Selvi (SETA) and I. pic credit: Zainal Yusof |
This year, I was chosen by
Utusan Malaysia to be the Content Developer for
E-Lab, their weekly education pull-out. I was elated and grateful for I was given the chance to share my ideas and materials with all the students and teachers on a national scale. I am entrusted to develop the materials for the SPM section. Thank you Utusan Malaysia for giving me this golden opportunity! E-Lab provides lively language learning that enhances meta cognitive skills and broadens the students’ perspective on a particular topic. Apart from reading materials, there would be word games, interactive activities, speaking and writing activities that are related to the weekly topic. Do check it out!