Do you have Facebook Addiction Disorder?
2010/08/01
CHANDRA DEVI RENGANAYAR
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Many people are setting up profiles, uploading photos and adding friends on social networking sites. For some, it is a means to keep in touch and share events with friends. But there are those who are addicted to such sites, especially Facebook, writes CHANDRA DEVI RENGANAYAR
NOT taking their bath for days, forgetting to eat and not getting enough sleep are some of the signs of being addicted to Facebook.
It has become so widespread that psychologists in the United States have labelled it as a new mental health disorder known ominously as Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD).
The number of Malaysian youths exhibiting similar symptoms is on the increase, says Professor Dr Mohamad Hussain Habil, director of Universiti Malaya Centre of Addictive Sciences (UMCAS).
"It is similar to Internet addiction. It is a type of behavioural addiction similar to pathological gambling, sexual and shopping addiction. It is a brain disorder as a result of neurochemical dysfunction where normal behaviour becomes abnormal."
Besides teenagers and young adults, he says Internet addiction is also common among working adults. Although the problem is not as serious as it is in China where the government has taken measures to prevent Internet addiction, Dr Hussain says Malaysia will see the effect soon.
He says the centre has seen an increase in the number of such "patients" over the years.
Dr Hussain says parents have brought their teenage children to the centre thinking that they were under the influence of drugs.
"When they noticed their teenagers performing poorly in school and not interacting as usual, the parents assumed their children were addicted to drugs. The fact was these children were addicted to the Internet.
"These teens were so obsessed with their virtual activities that they were willing to forego their meals, sleep, responsibilities and leisure activities. They felt life was not complete without online connections.
"There was a constant craving and they did not care when they went online. Some even had sleep disorders because they stayed up late at night to go online to avoid their parents."
Like any other addiction, he says, being in denial of their addiction is a common characteristic of Internet addicts.
"Although they know there is a problem, addicts will not acknowledge it and will look for justification to continue their habit."
He says early identification is important to ensure Internet users do not become addicted.
"We cannot eliminate such technologies altogether. What we can do is encourage the usage in a healthy way.
"Parental supervision is important. There must be monitoring and regulations about computer use. If advice and parental punishment does not work, it is best for parents to refer their children for counselling.
"Employers can take measures to detect and identify employees who spend many hours on social networking sites.
"If they continue with irresponsible surfing despite many warnings, it will be advisable to ask these employees to seek treatment."
Read more: Do you have Facebook Addiction Disorder? http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/02cdsns2a/Article#ixzz0vMPgxJXK
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Should online chatting be allowed?
Why networking sites can be addictive
HUNDREDS of online social networking sites (SNS) are available these days catering to various interests -- friendship, dating, business networking, among others.
Sites like Facebook, MySpace, Urkut, hi5, Bebo and Friendster are very popular.
Almost 85 per cent of Malaysia's online population belongs to one or more of these sites. Of the many SNS, Malaysians have taken a liking to Facebook which has a 77.5 per cent reach of the web population.
This phenomenon, states a report on social networking activities by comScore Inc, is common in most Asia Pacific countries such as the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Singapore.
What drives online users to Facebook?
The ability to establish and maintain relationships is the primary drive, says Dr Adrian M. Budiman, a senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia. It could be real contacts (established in real life), virtual contacts (established online), or old relationships.
Adrian, who conducts research in new media and culture, says there are several interesting reasons why Facebook appeals to the online population.
"It is a tool for members to boost their self-esteem. The more friends they have, the more popular they feel. They receive feedback for the content they publish though the site.
"There is a sense of constantly being surrounded by a circle of friends."
Another reason, he says, is the voyeuristic tendency to view other people's information in private.
"People want to explore other people's personal lives without suffering negative social consequences. It also provides a platform to rekindle old relationships.
"The ability to search for old friends and colleagues, former romantic partners, and discover their current status is quite appealing for some members."
He says the majority of the younger generation (21 years and below) embrace social networks more comfortably than the older generation, and tend to be more liberal in revealing personal information through the site.
While younger people are interested in making new friends, the older generation is more interested in maintaining existing friendships through this medium.
"For younger people, it is their primary method of communication in some cases. In my study, I have discovered that the older generation still has a tendency to value human communication as superior and have greater respect for traditional values and morality," says Adrian.
He believes it is not all bad.
"It may enhance social interaction. The ability to communicate through interactive media allows more options and more frequent interactions with our contacts. I have found that existing relationships formed in real-life may be strengthened through Facebook."
Nonetheless, he agrees that some relationships initiated through Facebook may be superficial.
"Before the popularity of interactive media, a 'friend' was associated with a person with whom he had a positive relationship with. This is no longer true with the advent of new media.
"The idea of 'friend' itself degrades the value of friendship since a Facebook 'friend' can be as distant as a friend of a friend of a friend whom we know nothing about."
Julian Hopkins, a doctoral student at Monash University Sunway Campus who researches social media, says for some people, retreating into the virtual world to make friends can be a means to overcome social awkwardness or loneliness.
"I think that is in the minority, and is not the main reason for people using SNS."
The fascination with self-display as seen on SNS is not unusual says Hopkins. It only seems more obvious because it's online and archived.
"We all self-display all the time. With technological advances, especially digital photography, a lot more of that is happening now.
"Doing something such as posting photos of a party online is a way of reinforcing ties with other people who went to the party."
One of the biggest mistakes in the public debate on SNS, says Hopkins, is that it is assumed the generation of "digital natives" are not concerned about privacy.
While these platforms offer users the ability to disclose a wide variety of personal information it also differentiates between public and private, where public means that a profile is available to anyone and private means that it is only for selected friends.
"Facebook is popular because users think that they are only sharing with people they want to share with.
"Teenagers, for example, may want only people like them to see their profile but they do not want the same attention from an adult.
"One noticeable trend in this regard is that, as more and more parents go into Facebook, young people are creating multiple profiles -- one for the 'parent public' which includes their school, potential employers and one for their own public."
Generally, he says, people are ignorant about the risk factors when using these platforms. Many don't understand that their indiscretions will be online indefinitely.
"Users must realise that anything that goes online may be seen by their parents, their teachers, their future partners, their future employers and even their children.
"I don't think social networks are damaging. It only becomes a problem when people reveal things that come back to haunt them or they become addicted to it."
Read more: Why networking sites can be addictive http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/02cdsns1a/Article#ixzz0vMOZwm00
HUNDREDS of online social networking sites (SNS) are available these days catering to various interests -- friendship, dating, business networking, among others.
Sites like Facebook, MySpace, Urkut, hi5, Bebo and Friendster are very popular.
Almost 85 per cent of Malaysia's online population belongs to one or more of these sites. Of the many SNS, Malaysians have taken a liking to Facebook which has a 77.5 per cent reach of the web population.
This phenomenon, states a report on social networking activities by comScore Inc, is common in most Asia Pacific countries such as the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Singapore.
What drives online users to Facebook?
The ability to establish and maintain relationships is the primary drive, says Dr Adrian M. Budiman, a senior lecturer at Universiti Utara Malaysia. It could be real contacts (established in real life), virtual contacts (established online), or old relationships.
Adrian, who conducts research in new media and culture, says there are several interesting reasons why Facebook appeals to the online population.
"It is a tool for members to boost their self-esteem. The more friends they have, the more popular they feel. They receive feedback for the content they publish though the site.
"There is a sense of constantly being surrounded by a circle of friends."
Another reason, he says, is the voyeuristic tendency to view other people's information in private.
"People want to explore other people's personal lives without suffering negative social consequences. It also provides a platform to rekindle old relationships.
"The ability to search for old friends and colleagues, former romantic partners, and discover their current status is quite appealing for some members."
He says the majority of the younger generation (21 years and below) embrace social networks more comfortably than the older generation, and tend to be more liberal in revealing personal information through the site.
While younger people are interested in making new friends, the older generation is more interested in maintaining existing friendships through this medium.
"For younger people, it is their primary method of communication in some cases. In my study, I have discovered that the older generation still has a tendency to value human communication as superior and have greater respect for traditional values and morality," says Adrian.
He believes it is not all bad.
"It may enhance social interaction. The ability to communicate through interactive media allows more options and more frequent interactions with our contacts. I have found that existing relationships formed in real-life may be strengthened through Facebook."
Nonetheless, he agrees that some relationships initiated through Facebook may be superficial.
"Before the popularity of interactive media, a 'friend' was associated with a person with whom he had a positive relationship with. This is no longer true with the advent of new media.
"The idea of 'friend' itself degrades the value of friendship since a Facebook 'friend' can be as distant as a friend of a friend of a friend whom we know nothing about."
Julian Hopkins, a doctoral student at Monash University Sunway Campus who researches social media, says for some people, retreating into the virtual world to make friends can be a means to overcome social awkwardness or loneliness.
"I think that is in the minority, and is not the main reason for people using SNS."
The fascination with self-display as seen on SNS is not unusual says Hopkins. It only seems more obvious because it's online and archived.
"We all self-display all the time. With technological advances, especially digital photography, a lot more of that is happening now.
"Doing something such as posting photos of a party online is a way of reinforcing ties with other people who went to the party."
One of the biggest mistakes in the public debate on SNS, says Hopkins, is that it is assumed the generation of "digital natives" are not concerned about privacy.
While these platforms offer users the ability to disclose a wide variety of personal information it also differentiates between public and private, where public means that a profile is available to anyone and private means that it is only for selected friends.
"Facebook is popular because users think that they are only sharing with people they want to share with.
"Teenagers, for example, may want only people like them to see their profile but they do not want the same attention from an adult.
"One noticeable trend in this regard is that, as more and more parents go into Facebook, young people are creating multiple profiles -- one for the 'parent public' which includes their school, potential employers and one for their own public."
Generally, he says, people are ignorant about the risk factors when using these platforms. Many don't understand that their indiscretions will be online indefinitely.
"Users must realise that anything that goes online may be seen by their parents, their teachers, their future partners, their future employers and even their children.
"I don't think social networks are damaging. It only becomes a problem when people reveal things that come back to haunt them or they become addicted to it."
Read more: Why networking sites can be addictive http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/02cdsns1a/Article#ixzz0vMOZwm00
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Primary School Winner SIR 2010
Rivals again, but Nur Akmal wins this time
2010/07/18
By Suzieana Uda Nagu and Sim Bak Heng
Nur Akmal Sharizal of SK Jejawi, Perlis’ SIR Challenge champion in the primary school category, acknowledging the gallant efforts of her spelling bee rival, first runner-up Nadine Qathira Sahzan of SK Sena (right). — Picture by Rizal Braim
Nur Akmal Sharizal of SK Jejawi, Perlis’ SIR Challenge champion in the primary school category, acknowledging the gallant efforts of her spelling bee rival, first runner-up Nadine Qathira Sahzan of SK Sena (right). — Picture by Rizal Braim
Hariharan Raj Muniandy pulls off a win in a tiebreaker round to be declared Johor’s SIR Challenge champion in the primary school category. — Picture by Zulkarnain Ahmad Tajuddin
Hariharan Raj Muniandy pulls off a win in a tiebreaker round to be declared Johor’s SIR Challenge champion in the primary school category. — Picture by Zulkarnain Ahmad Tajuddin
KANGAR: Nur Akmal Sharizal liked to spell along with RHB New Straits Times National Spell-It-Right (SIR) Challenge contestants whenever she watched the pre-recorded episodes on TV3.
Most of the time, the 12-year-old from SK Jejawi would get them right.
The Year Six pupil did not pass up the chance to represent her school at the SIR Challenge when it was held at Dewan Kapitol here yesterday.
The first-time contestant in the primary school category emerged victorious in the competition and walked away with RM2,000, a plaque and certificate.
She will represent Perlis at the National Challenge on Aug 7 at the Malaysia Tourism Centre in Kuala Lumpur.
The soft-spoken eldest child of university lecturers attributed her spelling prowess to reading extensively.
"I have been reading since I was 6," said Nur Akmal. "I read books and newspapers as well as surf the Internet to find new words to add to my vocabulary."
She said her English had improved greatly since she attended school in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia between 2005 and 2009 while her parents -- Universiti Utara Malaysia lecturer Rohana Abdul Rahman and Universiti Teknologi Mara, Arau lecturer Sharizal Hasan -- were completing their doctorates (in law and chemistry respectively) at the University of Queensland.
The family returned to Malaysia last June.
"However, reading widely can help anyone do well in the SIR Challenge," added Nur Akmal.
Her younger sister, Nur Aiman, 10, also took part but was knocked out in the preliminary rounds.
Nur Akmal breezed through words such as "methodical", "procession", "souvenir" and "combustible" at the finals.
She was announced the winner after her opponent, first runner-up Nadine Qathira Sahzan of SK Sena, misspelled her final word "proficiency" despite sailing through "gelatinous", "notable" and "hexagon".
Nur Akmal and Nadine Qathira had both taken part in another state-level spelling contest earlier this year. While Nur Akmal was eliminated in the first round, her 10-year-old opponent became the state champion.
Yesterday, Yeng Yong Kai of SJKC Khoon Aik came in third in while Nur Dania Dayini Muhammad Yusri of SK Kayang seized the fourth place in the SIR Challenge. They won RM1,000 and RM800 respectively.
Anis Md Soki of SK Putra was in fifth place and took home RM500.
In Johor Baru, it was a heart-stopping moment for Hariharan Raj Muniandy, 12, after he spelled "lexicographer" correctly in the final tiebreaker round of the primary school category of the SIR Challenge at Johor Baru City Square yesterday.
It was the first time the Year Six pupil of SK Taman Bukit Indah had encountered the word and he could not read the expression on presenter Jeremy Lee's face after he spelt the word.
It was a tense moment that quickly gave way to joy when Lee congratulated him and declared him Johor champion.
"Luck was on my side," said Hariharan, who walked away with the first prize of RM2,000.
He defeated Nurul Inani Ab Samad, 11, of SK (P) Sultan Ibrahim and Siow Zhi Jie, 11, of SJKC Foon Yew 2, who took the second and third prizes respectively.
Isaac Mok Kai Xiang, 12, of SK Taman Impian Emas and Lim We Ting, 12, of SJKC Pandan came in fourth and fifth respectively.
Hariharan, who ranked the difficulty of the challenge as "medium range", attributed his skill in spelling to his love for reading since he was 5.
He reads an average of 90 to 100 books a year and has a particular liking for novels. Robinson Crusoe and The Swiss Family Robinson are his top favourites.
"I will use the prize money to buy plenty of reference books," said Hariharan, who liked tigers and jaguars and hoped to become a zoologist.
His father, Muniandy Kannan, 43, a quality assurance manager, said he liked to buy plenty of books to inculcate the reading habit in Hariharan and his two younger brothers.
Muniandy said that as Hariharan liked reading the sports section of the NST, he made it a point to pick up words from the newspaper to test his son's spelling regularly.
"He did well when I tested him. That's why I had confidence in him today," he said, adding that he had bought The Book of Knowledge for his sons six months ago.
Hariharan's happiness was also shared by his mother Latha Ramachandran, 42, and his younger brothers, Hrishheekesh Raj, 11, and Shreeram, 4.
New Straits Times Press corporate governance general manager Mohd Hisham Mohd Shazli and RHB Bank Berhad Alor Star 1 branch manager Lian Su-Ching presented the prizes in Kangar.
NSTP event management manager Shamsaini Salim and RHB Bank Berhad area manager (southern region) Asoka Balan gave away the prizes in Johor Baru.
McDonald's Malaysia sponsored lunch for the pupils and their teachers.
Read more: Rivals again, but Nur Akmal wins this time http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/28badfish/Article#ixzz0u27XJLnG
Spell It Right 2010
Bad luck this time but next year we will try harder.. make sure read a lot ... Better luck next time..
Friday, July 16, 2010
S.I.R competition 2010
To those who are interested in SIR.... Spell It Right.... the competition will be held on Sunday, 18 July 2010 at Dewan Capitol at 9.00am. Please come early to secure seats... Good luck to our students who are participating : Hamdi Ayman, Mudzaffar B Zoher, Zaidatunnajla and Dhiyauddin.. May all of you become the winners.., inshaAllah... and Amin..
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Among the entries....(Star Mag Inc .. Pizza Hut..) by SMSTSP students
There will be more pictures soon....
Using Mind mapping in writing
It's a great idea.. Thanks ELTC lecturers..
Yesterday we did an essay entitled "Computer and its benefits "
The mind mapping proved useful for the students who didn't have ideas when writing. Try it. MM is very useful. You can even use power writing technique at the same time. Just imagine the branch that goes out from the topic as P1. The next level will be P2 which is elaboration of the main ideas. P3 is the details which is the third level or branch...
Paragraph Building using power writing.
p1: Computer has a lot of benefits.
p2: One of the benefits of computer is it can help you search for information.
p3: For example, you can easily find information on Thomas Edison by just typing the keyword "Thomas Edison" in the search engine. After clicking the "enter" key, a list of websites will appear on the screen.
p3: In other words, you can find whatever information you need using the computer.
p4 : Thus, computer is indeed useful in our life.
Comments... anyone??
Yesterday we did an essay entitled "Computer and its benefits "
The mind mapping proved useful for the students who didn't have ideas when writing. Try it. MM is very useful. You can even use power writing technique at the same time. Just imagine the branch that goes out from the topic as P1. The next level will be P2 which is elaboration of the main ideas. P3 is the details which is the third level or branch...
Paragraph Building using power writing.
p1: Computer has a lot of benefits.
p2: One of the benefits of computer is it can help you search for information.
p3: For example, you can easily find information on Thomas Edison by just typing the keyword "Thomas Edison" in the search engine. After clicking the "enter" key, a list of websites will appear on the screen.
p3: In other words, you can find whatever information you need using the computer.
p4 : Thus, computer is indeed useful in our life.
Comments... anyone??
Thursday, July 1, 2010
"Mapping for better writing " A course I attended - 29 June - 1 July 2010
Course "Mapping for better writing"
This course stressed that we do the pre-writing process first before we ask the students to write.
a) We may start our writing lesson by giving them prose model. (This can also be reading lesson).
b) then we give the students the topic for them to think of the ideas.
c)The ideas can be generated using graphic organizers like fish bone or mind map.
d) Later we rearrange the organization of ideas. The process writing approach should use PDREP and RAFTS.
PDREP (P= Prewriting to generate ideas, D=Drafting; R=Revise the ideas and contents; E=Edit; P=Publishing)
RAFTS.(R=Roles, A=Audience, F=Format of writing ..speech,article etc, T=Topics, S=Strong verb - to entertain, amuse, inform, invite , persuade)
RAFTS is a reminder about decisions you make before drafting any piece of writing.
e) do peer conferencing on the graphic organizer to probe more questions / give more pictures to the students so that they can elaborate their ideas.
f) Then students write their first draft.
g) TAG Conference - We TAG their draft... Tell, Ask question, Give advice..
Eg of an outline on
Healthy Lifestyle
1) The types of food that we should take
a) The food pyramid
i) vitamins
ii) proteins
iii) carbohydrates
iv) fats
b) Junk Food
2) How to practise good Hygiene
a) Personal Cleanliness - How to keep yourself clean
i) Hair
ii) Body
iii) Fingernails
iv) Oral hygiene
v) Clothes
b) Surrounding area
i) Residential Area
ii) School
iii) Classroom
iv) Canteen
3) Social life
a) Relationship
i) neighbours
ii) friends
iii) family
b) Leisure activities
i) entertainment
ii) drug free
iii) enough rest/ sleep
iv) hobbies
4) What type of exercise should you do to stay healthy
a) types of exercise – jogging, cycling , swimming
b) duration/ no of times per week
c) benefits of exercises
This course stressed that we do the pre-writing process first before we ask the students to write.
a) We may start our writing lesson by giving them prose model. (This can also be reading lesson).
b) then we give the students the topic for them to think of the ideas.
c)The ideas can be generated using graphic organizers like fish bone or mind map.
d) Later we rearrange the organization of ideas. The process writing approach should use PDREP and RAFTS.
PDREP (P= Prewriting to generate ideas, D=Drafting; R=Revise the ideas and contents; E=Edit; P=Publishing)
RAFTS.(R=Roles, A=Audience, F=Format of writing ..speech,article etc, T=Topics, S=Strong verb - to entertain, amuse, inform, invite , persuade)
RAFTS is a reminder about decisions you make before drafting any piece of writing.
e) do peer conferencing on the graphic organizer to probe more questions / give more pictures to the students so that they can elaborate their ideas.
f) Then students write their first draft.
g) TAG Conference - We TAG their draft... Tell, Ask question, Give advice..
Eg of an outline on
Healthy Lifestyle
1) The types of food that we should take
a) The food pyramid
i) vitamins
ii) proteins
iii) carbohydrates
iv) fats
b) Junk Food
2) How to practise good Hygiene
a) Personal Cleanliness - How to keep yourself clean
i) Hair
ii) Body
iii) Fingernails
iv) Oral hygiene
v) Clothes
b) Surrounding area
i) Residential Area
ii) School
iii) Classroom
iv) Canteen
3) Social life
a) Relationship
i) neighbours
ii) friends
iii) family
b) Leisure activities
i) entertainment
ii) drug free
iii) enough rest/ sleep
iv) hobbies
4) What type of exercise should you do to stay healthy
a) types of exercise – jogging, cycling , swimming
b) duration/ no of times per week
c) benefits of exercises
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Youngsters must be trained to think to succeed in life
THE STAR Sunday June 6, 2010
Time to train youngsters to think
EMPLOYERS and those involved in recruiting graduates lament that many of our local graduates have resumes that boast of Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) of between 3.5 to 4.0, but tend to underperform and fail miserably when it comes to real work.
When businessmen lament that our graduates are not creative at work, it really means that they are not thinking persons.
Therefore, we have to create environments to produce thinking individuals who use their grey matter to understand and analyse.
Such traits can be acquired if they are instilled from a young age.
To create thinking individuals, we have to take into consideration one’s culture, parental habits, the mindset of teachers and professors, and the type of stimuli in the classroom.
Only by looking into these factors, can we hope to produce graduates who can think, instead of graduates who learn by rote.
First, the environment or setting must be right to raise thinking individuals.
We, as parents, also need to change the way we bring up our children.
We cannot limit our children by allowing them to be completely influenced by other people’s opinions; not allowing them to question adults; expecting them to blindly obey adults; and subscribing to the adage that “children should be seen, not heard”.
Lacking in confidence
Such a culture has unknowingly brought about a lack of self-esteem in our children.
They also lack the confidence to experiment with new ideas and concepts, and are unable to think out of the box.
We should not be bound by what others say in coming up with bold measures and ideas, and should instead, be strong enough to put forth our own ideas and stick by them.
For example, we should not be afraid to ride a bicycle, instead of driving a car to work, if the intention is to save energy.
While others may think it is a crazy idea and criticise or ridicule us, we should be bold enough to stick by our decisions without being disrespectful or offensive to them.
We must also bear in mind that we have to be sensitive to others when it comes to issues concerning morality, discipline, respect and decency.
This country is made of people of different races, and we should capitalise on our multi-cultural and multi-religious backgrounds to hone our creative skills and thoughts.
Look at the United States — its success is due to its “thinking people’’ of diverse backgrounds.
We, too, can emulate the global power in this area.
The second effective change is for parents to drill the importance of reading into their children.
This can be attained if parents themselves pick up the reading habit, as their children will naturally follow them.
Try to have libraries at home, not collections of toys. Your children will soon become voracious readers.
Thinking is best done in silence. Parents should control the noise level at home by not switching on the TV, music and other forms of entertainment all day long.
There are studies saying that our brains work best at its lower waves.
Good decisions are made and creativity works best during the alpha brainwave, which can be attained only when we have quiet surroundings. Great religions preach about the power and strength of silence. There is science involved in such teachings.
Activating the mind
Thirdly, the education system should offer a curriculum that promotes thinking instead of rote-learning.
Thinking helps an individual to develop the habits of inquiry.
It will also cultivate skills of expression and effective communication. All these in turn will produce active citizens.
Similarly, we can add other methods of academic engagement to our traditional methods of teaching, such as lectures, seminars, distance learning, field trips and computer-assisted activities.
Also, it is about time that professors and lecturers learn to accept and respect queries raised by students.
They should not intimidate their students, but instead, treat them as equals and encourage them to have intellectual discourse.
The fourth element is providing the stimuli in class to make students think.
This can be done through activities that, among others, involve the metaphorical power of language, logical thinking, the centrality of thinking, misthinking, the role of expectation, and sharpening our senses.
After all, education means developing one’s mind from emptiness. We rely on education to develop thinking and appreciate wisdom.
Educators should also emphasise and instil in students an attitude that the best-educated man is the one whose mind never ceases thinking.
Make them see education as a process of constant and perpetual self-improvement.
Develop a stance that education is to educate, not train, as training involves rote-learning, which does not promote thinking.
DR MEGAWATI OMAR and DR ABU BAKAR ABDUL MAJEED
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
UiTM, SHAH ALAM
Time to train youngsters to think
EMPLOYERS and those involved in recruiting graduates lament that many of our local graduates have resumes that boast of Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) of between 3.5 to 4.0, but tend to underperform and fail miserably when it comes to real work.
When businessmen lament that our graduates are not creative at work, it really means that they are not thinking persons.
Therefore, we have to create environments to produce thinking individuals who use their grey matter to understand and analyse.
Such traits can be acquired if they are instilled from a young age.
To create thinking individuals, we have to take into consideration one’s culture, parental habits, the mindset of teachers and professors, and the type of stimuli in the classroom.
Only by looking into these factors, can we hope to produce graduates who can think, instead of graduates who learn by rote.
First, the environment or setting must be right to raise thinking individuals.
We, as parents, also need to change the way we bring up our children.
We cannot limit our children by allowing them to be completely influenced by other people’s opinions; not allowing them to question adults; expecting them to blindly obey adults; and subscribing to the adage that “children should be seen, not heard”.
Lacking in confidence
Such a culture has unknowingly brought about a lack of self-esteem in our children.
They also lack the confidence to experiment with new ideas and concepts, and are unable to think out of the box.
We should not be bound by what others say in coming up with bold measures and ideas, and should instead, be strong enough to put forth our own ideas and stick by them.
For example, we should not be afraid to ride a bicycle, instead of driving a car to work, if the intention is to save energy.
While others may think it is a crazy idea and criticise or ridicule us, we should be bold enough to stick by our decisions without being disrespectful or offensive to them.
We must also bear in mind that we have to be sensitive to others when it comes to issues concerning morality, discipline, respect and decency.
This country is made of people of different races, and we should capitalise on our multi-cultural and multi-religious backgrounds to hone our creative skills and thoughts.
Look at the United States — its success is due to its “thinking people’’ of diverse backgrounds.
We, too, can emulate the global power in this area.
The second effective change is for parents to drill the importance of reading into their children.
This can be attained if parents themselves pick up the reading habit, as their children will naturally follow them.
Try to have libraries at home, not collections of toys. Your children will soon become voracious readers.
Thinking is best done in silence. Parents should control the noise level at home by not switching on the TV, music and other forms of entertainment all day long.
There are studies saying that our brains work best at its lower waves.
Good decisions are made and creativity works best during the alpha brainwave, which can be attained only when we have quiet surroundings. Great religions preach about the power and strength of silence. There is science involved in such teachings.
Activating the mind
Thirdly, the education system should offer a curriculum that promotes thinking instead of rote-learning.
Thinking helps an individual to develop the habits of inquiry.
It will also cultivate skills of expression and effective communication. All these in turn will produce active citizens.
Similarly, we can add other methods of academic engagement to our traditional methods of teaching, such as lectures, seminars, distance learning, field trips and computer-assisted activities.
Also, it is about time that professors and lecturers learn to accept and respect queries raised by students.
They should not intimidate their students, but instead, treat them as equals and encourage them to have intellectual discourse.
The fourth element is providing the stimuli in class to make students think.
This can be done through activities that, among others, involve the metaphorical power of language, logical thinking, the centrality of thinking, misthinking, the role of expectation, and sharpening our senses.
After all, education means developing one’s mind from emptiness. We rely on education to develop thinking and appreciate wisdom.
Educators should also emphasise and instil in students an attitude that the best-educated man is the one whose mind never ceases thinking.
Make them see education as a process of constant and perpetual self-improvement.
Develop a stance that education is to educate, not train, as training involves rote-learning, which does not promote thinking.
DR MEGAWATI OMAR and DR ABU BAKAR ABDUL MAJEED
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE
UiTM, SHAH ALAM
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Resepi untuk Lamb Chop Alumni BBQ
Thank You MLan For this Recipe..... Hanya Allah yang dapat membalasnya.. Resepi yang sungguh sedap..
Utk yang berminat...Zurina, Norlida, Almin, Kamsari, Mood, dan yang lain2...
>Dengan lafas Bismillahhirrahmann irrahim.. .saya dengan ini merasmikan.. ..
>
>Main ingredient;
>Sos BBQ ...yang halal dan selera tuan/puan
>Pure Honey...Yang bagus madu Tualang...bukan Madu...Madu 3
>Kicap soya cair
>Sos Tiram
>Lada hitam Serawak...ditumbuk atau blend..kalau malas sos lada hitam pun boleh...
>
>Cara;
>Sukatan ikut selera dan lihat kuantiti daging nak diperap...biar pekat dan jika lebih boleh dibuat sos dan di ulang guna..
>campur kesemua dalam bekas yang sesuai
>rasa mengikut selera masing2.
>Celupkan daging kambing kedalam adunan..
>kemudian angkat dan susun dalam bekas bertutup dan masukkan kedalam peti sejuk..(bukan tempat ais)
>perap sekurang2nya 24 jam...lebih lama lagi meresap...( jangan terlalu lama hingga rosak)
>Sos lebihan dimasak sehingga pekat untuk dijadikan sos...atau dibuat celupan sebelum dipanggang..
>Sila pastikan anda memanggang guna Bara bukan membakar...guna api...or Pan Fry...
>
>Cara memanggang;
>Guna Arang yang sepertimana Ron beli...(rujuk Ron)
>bakar arang sehingga tinggal Bara...
>Daging Kambing "slice" cepat masak...maka kerap balik2kan...
>sekiranya api mula menyambar..maknanye daging dah masak...
>pastikan air daging yang keluar jernih tanpa darah...
>pastikan hasilnya daging panggang dan bukannye arang..(rentung)
>
>Rahsia;
>membasuh daging dan perap ...
>perlu di marinade dan serinade dengan penuh perasaan kasih sayang kpd yang nak diberi makan ...InsyaAllah. ..
>
>Selamat Mencuba...boleh dipraktik untuk segala jenis daging kecuali ikan...
>
Utk yang berminat...Zurina, Norlida, Almin, Kamsari, Mood, dan yang lain2...
>Dengan lafas Bismillahhirrahmann irrahim.. .saya dengan ini merasmikan.. ..
>
>Main ingredient;
>Sos BBQ ...yang halal dan selera tuan/puan
>Pure Honey...Yang bagus madu Tualang...bukan Madu...Madu 3
>Kicap soya cair
>Sos Tiram
>Lada hitam Serawak...ditumbuk atau blend..kalau malas sos lada hitam pun boleh...
>
>Cara;
>Sukatan ikut selera dan lihat kuantiti daging nak diperap...biar pekat dan jika lebih boleh dibuat sos dan di ulang guna..
>campur kesemua dalam bekas yang sesuai
>rasa mengikut selera masing2.
>Celupkan daging kambing kedalam adunan..
>kemudian angkat dan susun dalam bekas bertutup dan masukkan kedalam peti sejuk..(bukan tempat ais)
>perap sekurang2nya 24 jam...lebih lama lagi meresap...( jangan terlalu lama hingga rosak)
>Sos lebihan dimasak sehingga pekat untuk dijadikan sos...atau dibuat celupan sebelum dipanggang..
>Sila pastikan anda memanggang guna Bara bukan membakar...guna api...or Pan Fry...
>
>Cara memanggang;
>Guna Arang yang sepertimana Ron beli...(rujuk Ron)
>bakar arang sehingga tinggal Bara...
>Daging Kambing "slice" cepat masak...maka kerap balik2kan...
>sekiranya api mula menyambar..maknanye daging dah masak...
>pastikan air daging yang keluar jernih tanpa darah...
>pastikan hasilnya daging panggang dan bukannye arang..(rentung)
>
>Rahsia;
>membasuh daging dan perap ...
>perlu di marinade dan serinade dengan penuh perasaan kasih sayang kpd yang nak diberi makan ...InsyaAllah. ..
>
>Selamat Mencuba...boleh dipraktik untuk segala jenis daging kecuali ikan...
>
How To Improve My Language Proficiency In English?
There are a number of ways every person can improve his/her language skills. Whether you are a professional or just a beginner, learning is a part of life. Here are some tips to help improve your English:
1) Reading - Spend time in reading. Whether it is books, magazines, or newspaper, reading is an excellent way to improve your vocabulary, and understanding of the language. Choose a book that meets your level of understanding of the language. Gradually, you can move on to more difficult ones as your English improves. Also, if you need to improve your basics, there are many grammar books that teach you how to make sentences etc. If you come across some words you don't know the meaning of, be sure to look them up in the dictionary.
2) Watch TV - Watching documentaries, sitcoms can help you improve your English. Pay special attention to how they speak.
3) Speak out loud, in front of the mirror or maybe with a friend or sister. This will improve your speaking skills and boost your confidence.
4) Try writing small essays, stories, or paragraphs on a regular basis. You may want to get it checked by a trusting individual who can provide positive criticism as to where improvements can be made.
5) Lastly there are some good websites that can teach you English for free. Be sure to search some up in Google and find one that meets your needs. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Written by Rocksolid
1) Reading - Spend time in reading. Whether it is books, magazines, or newspaper, reading is an excellent way to improve your vocabulary, and understanding of the language. Choose a book that meets your level of understanding of the language. Gradually, you can move on to more difficult ones as your English improves. Also, if you need to improve your basics, there are many grammar books that teach you how to make sentences etc. If you come across some words you don't know the meaning of, be sure to look them up in the dictionary.
2) Watch TV - Watching documentaries, sitcoms can help you improve your English. Pay special attention to how they speak.
3) Speak out loud, in front of the mirror or maybe with a friend or sister. This will improve your speaking skills and boost your confidence.
4) Try writing small essays, stories, or paragraphs on a regular basis. You may want to get it checked by a trusting individual who can provide positive criticism as to where improvements can be made.
5) Lastly there are some good websites that can teach you English for free. Be sure to search some up in Google and find one that meets your needs. Hope this helps, and best of luck.
Written by Rocksolid
Alumni 1980 Programme on 29 Mei 2010 - SPG30
It is a joy to see old friends and to be able to work together again. Hoping that all of us will be blessed by Allah and hoping that we will be able to organise a better event next time...
SPG 30 - ALUMNI 80
This is the third event for SPG30, organised by batch80 of SMSTSP alumni. The purpose is to serve the school which has done a lot for us. We are very grateful indeed to the school for moulding us into what we are today. By having this event, we also take the opportunity to meet one another whom we haven't met for 30 years. Surely there are lots to talk about. The day ended with a barbeque dinner held at the canteen. The menu was lamb chop, grilled chicken and fish, mee hoon, fried rice, papaya, etc. It was indeed a successful day for the alumni .
Saturday, May 22, 2010
How Can I Improve My English.
How Can I Improve My English...
That is a question asked by many students. For me, to improve one's English, there are four important ways to do so.
As we all know, learning a language is not like learning other subjects. This is because to score in most subjects, you need to expose yourself (by doing a lot of exercise)to the topics that are in the syllabus. Questions that will be asked are taken from the syllabus, without exception . The difficulties will be because you are asked to think before answering when the question is not straight forward.
However, it is different with languages especially English. To learn a language and to be good in a language, you need to be able to listen , speak, read and write well in English. You need to excel in these skills. Usually , you will be considered proficient in the language if you are able to express your opinion well in the language. This is done when you speak or write.
Many students are not able to either speak or write well.. There will always be errors everywhere. So we wonder what is wrong here. On the average,our students learn English for at least 11 years. Still , many are not able to write even one accurate paragraph.
Who is responsible for this low proficiency in English?
Well for me, both the teachers and students are to be blamed. Why? Teachers, because they are not able to provide suitable environment for the students to learn the language. Students also should be blamed because they should try their best to learn the language. This is because learning a language does not require you to study the language only, but you need to practise using the language. Practice Makes Perfect!
Consider this example. A eight year old, a Malay boy.. can speak English well. You might be wondering why. Well, actually he was raised in UK and go to school there. He doesn't have 11 years of schooling , still he talks like a British.
Well , what happen here? What makes him different from other Malay boy. Actually, it's the surrounding. He lives in London, and hears English being used all the time, and he has to use the language to communicate. So , what is important here is you have to use the language often (if not all the time) to be good or proficient in the language..
So , girls and boys.. you know now..how to improve your English. Please start right away..
From me, your teacher, Pn Norlida Abu Bakar..
That is a question asked by many students. For me, to improve one's English, there are four important ways to do so.
As we all know, learning a language is not like learning other subjects. This is because to score in most subjects, you need to expose yourself (by doing a lot of exercise)to the topics that are in the syllabus. Questions that will be asked are taken from the syllabus, without exception . The difficulties will be because you are asked to think before answering when the question is not straight forward.
However, it is different with languages especially English. To learn a language and to be good in a language, you need to be able to listen , speak, read and write well in English. You need to excel in these skills. Usually , you will be considered proficient in the language if you are able to express your opinion well in the language. This is done when you speak or write.
Many students are not able to either speak or write well.. There will always be errors everywhere. So we wonder what is wrong here. On the average,our students learn English for at least 11 years. Still , many are not able to write even one accurate paragraph.
Who is responsible for this low proficiency in English?
Well for me, both the teachers and students are to be blamed. Why? Teachers, because they are not able to provide suitable environment for the students to learn the language. Students also should be blamed because they should try their best to learn the language. This is because learning a language does not require you to study the language only, but you need to practise using the language. Practice Makes Perfect!
Consider this example. A eight year old, a Malay boy.. can speak English well. You might be wondering why. Well, actually he was raised in UK and go to school there. He doesn't have 11 years of schooling , still he talks like a British.
Well , what happen here? What makes him different from other Malay boy. Actually, it's the surrounding. He lives in London, and hears English being used all the time, and he has to use the language to communicate. So , what is important here is you have to use the language often (if not all the time) to be good or proficient in the language..
So , girls and boys.. you know now..how to improve your English. Please start right away..
From me, your teacher, Pn Norlida Abu Bakar..
You Alone Can Decide How You Want To Live... The Choice is Yours...
Sunday May 16, 2010
When teaching grows on you
TEACHER TALK
By MALLIKA VASUGI
Sometimes we are thrust into a job that we may have no interest in, only to find that we begin to take a liking to it, over time.
THEY say that life turns out pretty much the way you choose it to be, and most of the time, we feel that it is true.
“The choice is yours,” they tell us.
“You alone can decide how you want to live.”
We hear these phrases almost all the time, in different variations perhaps, and usually we just nod in agreement even when we know that they have been glibly uttered by people whose most major decisions in life alternate between the choice of holiday destinations or designer handbags.
Still, we do know that being able to choose is by itself a gift, a symbol of free-will which lends dignity to the human state. But we also know that life doesn’t always give us the freedom to choose. That in itself may not necessarily be a bad thing, especially when you are not entirely sure about the choices you have to make.
Sometimes we rationalise that it is better to have the choices made for us, because if they turn out to be less than perfect, at least we are absolved from the guilt or responsibility of being the one who made the wrong choice.
It is also sometimes the almost-perfect excuse to use when we feel a lack of commitment towards a cause or a career, like teaching for example.
“We were not given a choice. We were thrust into it,” we often justify to whoever is within earshot. More often than not however, if we think about it enough, we know that the words are really an attempt to subdue the uneasy twinges of conscience that surface when you feel you’ve not performed according to what has been required of you.
With sufficient repetition, there comes a time when we may no longer feel any more twinges or pricking of conscience altogether, and hence there is no longer any need for any form of justification for the substandard work we present. Quite simply, we no longer see ourselves as what we should be against what we are.
“I became a teacher because I had no other choice. I wasn’t allowed to choose. My parents wanted me to become a teacher.”
We didn’t ask to be teachers so don’t blame us if we get it wrong, or even if we stop trying to get it right.
But, there are still many of us who have grown into our jobs even if we didn’t ask for it in the first place. Even if you don’t see them everywhere, there are countless teachers, who, despite having had their career choice made for them, have come to the happy discovery that they had really been called to teach.
An arranged marriage?
“It’s like the arranged marriages of long ago,” says one teacher, who in his own words “was dragged kicking and screaming into the teaching profession.”
“Think of our parents or grandparents. Some of them had never even seen the person whom they were going to spend the rest of their lives with. But most of the marriages worked, didn’t they? Compared to now? Love grows you know. Like teaching.”
It was the first time I had heard anyone compare teaching with a marriage. But it is true. Teaching does grow on you — but even that is a choice.
Perhaps that is why we sometimes have teachers in the same work-settings and pay-scales with completely opposing perspectives of their jobs.
There are those who remain because they know that teaching defines them — that it is what they do best and that they cannot imagine leaving when there are still so many students out there to impart an education to. And then there are those who have never allowed their position as teacher to reach anywhere deeper than the surface of their skin.
But there are times also that we all vacillate between the two extremes. There are moments when we feel so bonded to our job and to our students that we cannot conceive of how life would be like otherwise.
Then there are times when we question whether we have been too stupid or just plain cowardly for not wanting to take on something else like some others we know.
There are questions that flit through all our minds every once in a while. What could I have been doing if I were not doing this? Is the rest of my life going to be spent in some classroom, grading exercises and filling out senseless forms? How much do I really want to teach?
Then, quite unconsciously, we do a frustration level check. Are we frustrated enough to want to leave? Or is the genuine passion you have for teaching strong enough to transcend the boundaries of bad-mannered students, mismatched curriculum, or even chewing gum that gets stuck on to your shoes every day?
Do you come out of a class that had gone rather badly, breathing fire and vowing to yourself that you are going to – that very minute – call up your friend regarding that other job offer, and then completely disregard it when just one student comes up to you with a note saying that you are his favourite teacher?
But maybe it has nothing to do with frustration levels after all.
Perhaps you have reached the point in your career where you feel you really should be moving on. You have given your very best in your years as a teacher, enjoyed every step of the way, have absolutely no regrets about it, but now you just want to move on to something else. The choice is again yours, and no one else is able to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do with your life.
Sometimes, though, all it needs to make some of us to stay on is a little reaffirmation of our role as teachers.
To one who is not a teacher, it may seem like a dismal state of affairs or even come across as pathetic. But to us who have grown into teaching after having either made the conscious choice or having the choice thrust upon us, the significance of our role is indisputable.
We know who we are and what we do. And if our fire is fuelled by a few seemingly feeble words of affirmation from the unlikely bunch of students we teach, so be it.
It is after all, we, who among many other professions in the world, who have the privilege of being able to say:
“Hey, I taught this kid his multiplication tables”, “I showed him how to write a letter to his grandfather”, “I taught him how to play badminton”,
“I told him what a good job he did as a monitor”, “I allowed him to believe in himself”, and “I touched his life.”
Happy Teachers Day.
When teaching grows on you
TEACHER TALK
By MALLIKA VASUGI
Sometimes we are thrust into a job that we may have no interest in, only to find that we begin to take a liking to it, over time.
THEY say that life turns out pretty much the way you choose it to be, and most of the time, we feel that it is true.
“The choice is yours,” they tell us.
“You alone can decide how you want to live.”
We hear these phrases almost all the time, in different variations perhaps, and usually we just nod in agreement even when we know that they have been glibly uttered by people whose most major decisions in life alternate between the choice of holiday destinations or designer handbags.
Still, we do know that being able to choose is by itself a gift, a symbol of free-will which lends dignity to the human state. But we also know that life doesn’t always give us the freedom to choose. That in itself may not necessarily be a bad thing, especially when you are not entirely sure about the choices you have to make.
Sometimes we rationalise that it is better to have the choices made for us, because if they turn out to be less than perfect, at least we are absolved from the guilt or responsibility of being the one who made the wrong choice.
It is also sometimes the almost-perfect excuse to use when we feel a lack of commitment towards a cause or a career, like teaching for example.
“We were not given a choice. We were thrust into it,” we often justify to whoever is within earshot. More often than not however, if we think about it enough, we know that the words are really an attempt to subdue the uneasy twinges of conscience that surface when you feel you’ve not performed according to what has been required of you.
With sufficient repetition, there comes a time when we may no longer feel any more twinges or pricking of conscience altogether, and hence there is no longer any need for any form of justification for the substandard work we present. Quite simply, we no longer see ourselves as what we should be against what we are.
“I became a teacher because I had no other choice. I wasn’t allowed to choose. My parents wanted me to become a teacher.”
We didn’t ask to be teachers so don’t blame us if we get it wrong, or even if we stop trying to get it right.
But, there are still many of us who have grown into our jobs even if we didn’t ask for it in the first place. Even if you don’t see them everywhere, there are countless teachers, who, despite having had their career choice made for them, have come to the happy discovery that they had really been called to teach.
An arranged marriage?
“It’s like the arranged marriages of long ago,” says one teacher, who in his own words “was dragged kicking and screaming into the teaching profession.”
“Think of our parents or grandparents. Some of them had never even seen the person whom they were going to spend the rest of their lives with. But most of the marriages worked, didn’t they? Compared to now? Love grows you know. Like teaching.”
It was the first time I had heard anyone compare teaching with a marriage. But it is true. Teaching does grow on you — but even that is a choice.
Perhaps that is why we sometimes have teachers in the same work-settings and pay-scales with completely opposing perspectives of their jobs.
There are those who remain because they know that teaching defines them — that it is what they do best and that they cannot imagine leaving when there are still so many students out there to impart an education to. And then there are those who have never allowed their position as teacher to reach anywhere deeper than the surface of their skin.
But there are times also that we all vacillate between the two extremes. There are moments when we feel so bonded to our job and to our students that we cannot conceive of how life would be like otherwise.
Then there are times when we question whether we have been too stupid or just plain cowardly for not wanting to take on something else like some others we know.
There are questions that flit through all our minds every once in a while. What could I have been doing if I were not doing this? Is the rest of my life going to be spent in some classroom, grading exercises and filling out senseless forms? How much do I really want to teach?
Then, quite unconsciously, we do a frustration level check. Are we frustrated enough to want to leave? Or is the genuine passion you have for teaching strong enough to transcend the boundaries of bad-mannered students, mismatched curriculum, or even chewing gum that gets stuck on to your shoes every day?
Do you come out of a class that had gone rather badly, breathing fire and vowing to yourself that you are going to – that very minute – call up your friend regarding that other job offer, and then completely disregard it when just one student comes up to you with a note saying that you are his favourite teacher?
But maybe it has nothing to do with frustration levels after all.
Perhaps you have reached the point in your career where you feel you really should be moving on. You have given your very best in your years as a teacher, enjoyed every step of the way, have absolutely no regrets about it, but now you just want to move on to something else. The choice is again yours, and no one else is able to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do with your life.
Sometimes, though, all it needs to make some of us to stay on is a little reaffirmation of our role as teachers.
To one who is not a teacher, it may seem like a dismal state of affairs or even come across as pathetic. But to us who have grown into teaching after having either made the conscious choice or having the choice thrust upon us, the significance of our role is indisputable.
We know who we are and what we do. And if our fire is fuelled by a few seemingly feeble words of affirmation from the unlikely bunch of students we teach, so be it.
It is after all, we, who among many other professions in the world, who have the privilege of being able to say:
“Hey, I taught this kid his multiplication tables”, “I showed him how to write a letter to his grandfather”, “I taught him how to play badminton”,
“I told him what a good job he did as a monitor”, “I allowed him to believe in himself”, and “I touched his life.”
Happy Teachers Day.
Friday, May 14, 2010
THE PQRST METHOD - way to get A+ in your exam
P- PREVIEW the content of the chapter you are going to learn tomorrow
Q- QUESTION yourself about the content, close the book and ask yourself questions
to test whether you understand the content
( TEACHING & LEARNING IN CLASS)
R- REVIEW the content taught by the teacher
S- STATE the points learnt - it would be better if you can teach your friends about
what you have learnt
T- TEST yourself to see that you understand the new knowledge / concept learnt
Q- QUESTION yourself about the content, close the book and ask yourself questions
to test whether you understand the content
( TEACHING & LEARNING IN CLASS)
R- REVIEW the content taught by the teacher
S- STATE the points learnt - it would be better if you can teach your friends about
what you have learnt
T- TEST yourself to see that you understand the new knowledge / concept learnt
THE PQRST METHOD OF STUDYING
The method that many students who like to add an overt structure to their learning to keep them on track is the PQRST method. It helps the student focus on studying and prioritizing the information in a way that relates directly to how they will be asked to use that information in an exam.
Step 1
Preview: Look at the topic you have to learn by glancing over the major headings or the points in the syllabus.
Step 2
Question: Formulate questions that you would like to be able to answer once you have finished the topic. It is important that you match as much as possible what you would like to know to your syllabus or course direction. This allows a certain flexibility to take in other topics that may aid your learning of the main point or if you are just interested. Make sure that your questions are neither more specific or more open-ended than they might be in an exam.
Step 3
Read: Read through your reference material that relates to the topic you want to learn for your exam being mindful to pick out the information that best relates to the questions you wish to answer.
Step 4
Summary: This is the most flexible part of the method and allows individual students to bring any ways that they used to summarize information into the process. This can include making written notes, spider diagrams, flow diagrams, labeled diagrams, mnemonics, making a voice recording of you summarizing the topic, or any method that feels most appropriate for what has to be learned. You can combine several methods as long as this doesn't extend the process too long as you may lose sight that you are merely seeking to use the information in the most appropriate way.
Step 5
Test: Use this step to assess whether you have focused on the important information and stayed on topic. Answer the questions that you set for yourself in the Question section as fully as you can as this using of the information is another way of using the information and remembering more of it. This section also reminds you to continually manipulate the information so that is focused on whatever form of assessment that it is needed for. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of the point of learning and see it as a task to be completed mundanely. Try to avoid adding questions that you didn't formulate in the Q section.
Reference : unknown
Step 1
Preview: Look at the topic you have to learn by glancing over the major headings or the points in the syllabus.
Step 2
Question: Formulate questions that you would like to be able to answer once you have finished the topic. It is important that you match as much as possible what you would like to know to your syllabus or course direction. This allows a certain flexibility to take in other topics that may aid your learning of the main point or if you are just interested. Make sure that your questions are neither more specific or more open-ended than they might be in an exam.
Step 3
Read: Read through your reference material that relates to the topic you want to learn for your exam being mindful to pick out the information that best relates to the questions you wish to answer.
Step 4
Summary: This is the most flexible part of the method and allows individual students to bring any ways that they used to summarize information into the process. This can include making written notes, spider diagrams, flow diagrams, labeled diagrams, mnemonics, making a voice recording of you summarizing the topic, or any method that feels most appropriate for what has to be learned. You can combine several methods as long as this doesn't extend the process too long as you may lose sight that you are merely seeking to use the information in the most appropriate way.
Step 5
Test: Use this step to assess whether you have focused on the important information and stayed on topic. Answer the questions that you set for yourself in the Question section as fully as you can as this using of the information is another way of using the information and remembering more of it. This section also reminds you to continually manipulate the information so that is focused on whatever form of assessment that it is needed for. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of the point of learning and see it as a task to be completed mundanely. Try to avoid adding questions that you didn't formulate in the Q section.
Reference : unknown
MAKANAN UNTUK PELAJAR CEMERLANG
Kerap makan makanan
1. 21 kismis sehari ( 7 biji 3x sehari ) – sekurang-kurangnya 9 biji
( 3 biji 3 x sehari ) / 3 biji sekali
2. Air kacang soya sekali sehari
3. 2 biji kurma
4. 3 biji kacang pistachios sehari
Elakkan makan makanan
1. Jajan
2. Air atau makanan ada semut padanya
3. Makanan fast food seperti nuggets, burger, sosej
4. Makanan yang masam seperti jeruk
5. Otak ikan
6. Makanan yang berajinomoto
7. Makanan yang berbau busuk seperti- petai, jering dan bawang mentah
8. Air yang terlalu manis seperti air berkaibonat –air coke , pepsi,f&n
1. 21 kismis sehari ( 7 biji 3x sehari ) – sekurang-kurangnya 9 biji
( 3 biji 3 x sehari ) / 3 biji sekali
2. Air kacang soya sekali sehari
3. 2 biji kurma
4. 3 biji kacang pistachios sehari
Elakkan makan makanan
1. Jajan
2. Air atau makanan ada semut padanya
3. Makanan fast food seperti nuggets, burger, sosej
4. Makanan yang masam seperti jeruk
5. Otak ikan
6. Makanan yang berajinomoto
7. Makanan yang berbau busuk seperti- petai, jering dan bawang mentah
8. Air yang terlalu manis seperti air berkaibonat –air coke , pepsi,f&n
Adab Belajar Mengikut Imam Al-Ghazali
1. Mendahulukan salam kepada guru dan bersalaman dengan bercium tangan sebagai tanda penghormatan- ikut jantina
2. Jangan banyak bercakap di hadapan guru
3. Jangan bercakap jikalau tidak ditanya
4. Jangan bertanya melainkan jikalau diarah oleh guru
5. Jangan menyangkal kata-kata guru
6. Jangan mengumpat pelajar lain
7. Jangan berbisik di hadapan guru
8. Jangan berpaling kiri dan kanan
9. Jangan menyoal semasa guru kepenatan
10. Berdiri apabila guru bangun
11 Dengar dengan khusyuk ilmu yang disampaikan walaupun diulang 1000 kali
12 Rujuk guru dalam memilih ilmu
13 Jangan duduk tempat guru
14. Jangan berjalan dihadapan guru kecuali darurat
15. Jangan ketuk pintu berulang kali hingga guru keluar menemuinya
16. Sentiasa mendapat keredhaannya dan jauhkan kemurkaannya
17. Muliakan anak-anak guru
18. Selalu berhubung dengan guru
19. Elakkan tidak menziarahi guru lebih 40 hari. Ini boleh mengurangkan keberkatan ilmu
20. Selalu mendoakan guru selepas setiap solat lima waktu.
2. Jangan banyak bercakap di hadapan guru
3. Jangan bercakap jikalau tidak ditanya
4. Jangan bertanya melainkan jikalau diarah oleh guru
5. Jangan menyangkal kata-kata guru
6. Jangan mengumpat pelajar lain
7. Jangan berbisik di hadapan guru
8. Jangan berpaling kiri dan kanan
9. Jangan menyoal semasa guru kepenatan
10. Berdiri apabila guru bangun
11 Dengar dengan khusyuk ilmu yang disampaikan walaupun diulang 1000 kali
12 Rujuk guru dalam memilih ilmu
13 Jangan duduk tempat guru
14. Jangan berjalan dihadapan guru kecuali darurat
15. Jangan ketuk pintu berulang kali hingga guru keluar menemuinya
16. Sentiasa mendapat keredhaannya dan jauhkan kemurkaannya
17. Muliakan anak-anak guru
18. Selalu berhubung dengan guru
19. Elakkan tidak menziarahi guru lebih 40 hari. Ini boleh mengurangkan keberkatan ilmu
20. Selalu mendoakan guru selepas setiap solat lima waktu.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Having trouble with thetheme for the magazine?
What do I consider a better life? (Pizza Hut & The Star joint competition)
Well, for me , having a better life means being able to be with my family on a trip to a holiday destination every holiday. Why? Well , I need the rest and quality time with my family.
so students, the topic would be tourism.. but is this topic included in the list.That means I have to check first..
Well, for me , having a better life means being able to be with my family on a trip to a holiday destination every holiday. Why? Well , I need the rest and quality time with my family.
so students, the topic would be tourism.. but is this topic included in the list.That means I have to check first..
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Toward a better life - related articles
Content of this article
Towards a better life
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3 : original article
=============================
Article 1
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Students share a ‘better life’
PETALING JAYA: An end to child abuse. Less time spent on social media. More time for personal interaction.
These were among the suggestions from students who were asked on what they thought would contribute to a better world.
Twelve students, who were given 10 minutes to depict their version of “A Better Life”, highlighted these elements in a mock magazine at The Star-NiE-Pizza Hut’s Mag Inc launch yesterday.
The contest this year invites students to share their views on how their lives would be better through a three-page mini magazine. A “better life” could be in areas such as relationships, environment, education, social work and health.
Holistic development: (From left) Ee, Jamaludin and Yeoh launching The Star-NiE -Pizza Hut contest at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet Monday.
Students have to work in teams of four or five under the supervision of an English teacher for the competition, comprising three categories – Primary Four to Six, lower secondary and upper secondary.
For their efforts, winners in the upper secondary category will walk away with pre-university scholarships worth a total of RM100,000 from Taylor’s University College. The winning teams in each category will also be feted to a four-day, three-night stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with flight tickets sponsored by AirAsia; while the runners-up will enjoy a trip to Resorts World Genting and receive Pizza Hut vouchers.
Students submitting entries under the video clip category will have the chance to walk away with gadgets like iPods in addition to Pizza Hut vouchers worth RM100.
Education Ministry sports division director Ee Hong said the Mag Inc contest could help spur students to think critically as they would need to learn how to put together a mini magazine.
“Sports and co-curricular activities are important to students’ holistic deve¬¬lopment,” she said when launching Mag Inc 2010 at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet here yesterday.
Star Publications (M) Bhd managing editor David Yeoh said the newspaper was pleased to find that its hard work over the past 12 years had made a lasting impression on the local school community.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Pizza Hut, our partner in NiE, as well as the Education Ministry,” he said.
Managing director Jamaludin Md Ali of QSR Brands Bhd, which operates Pizza Hut, said the contest was part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the education sector.
“Pizza Hut is committed to spending more than RM1.4mil on newspaper pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes on the contest this year.”
The first contest workshop will be held in Tafe College, Seremban, on Wednesday and subsequently in Stamford College, Malacca, the following day.
See StarEducation for the full report on Sunday.
Posted by N.A.B at 10:04 AM
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Older Post Home
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Article 2
Sunday May 9, 2010 THE STAR
Edited from Star Online.. A possible future.. COURTING CHANGES
By Dr THEVA NITHY
The technology and resources are already available for electronic readers to transform our education landscape.
Picture this — Malaysian students walking into school compounds with light bags that require just one finger to carry. As they walk in, the day’s and week’s lessons, complete with lesson plans, notes, web links, assignments and problems for collaborative actions, are instantly downloaded into a gadget that looks suspiciously like an old-fashioned slate, but with an LED screen.
Is this a plausible scene, or is it a ridiculous notion?
An electronic reader is a computer in the form of a book, and has the potential to be immensely beneficial in the classroom. — AP File photo
Let me pose the following questions:
• Why destroy the earth and the environment with the unsustainable action of destroying trees to print books, all to create books that will be outdated the day they are sent for printing and obsolete when published?
• Why pay more to have books that can only be used in one way, when ER (Electronic Readers) could cheaply replace books, provide means for innovative classroom pedagogies, and could be updated continuously for almost forever?
• Why have books when ERs could be the catalyst for the development of broadband access for every school — hence transforming Malaysian education?
• Why force our children to carry heavy bags that damage their bodies when all they need is a lightweight ER?
The ER, a simple technological innovation, has the potential to completely transform Malaysian education, and only requires professional and political will to happen – with perhaps a dash of forward thinking and real concern for learners and educators.
It requires the Education Ministry to completely change their approach, and for our printing and publishing companies to retool themselves to offer a new service.
It also requires perhaps the Engineering and Computer Science experts at our universities and industries to build Malaysian-made ERs that are cheap, adaptable and most of all, completely sustainable.
An ER is simply a computer in the form of a book, with minimal capabilities except to read and write on and with web browsing capabilities. It has a local area connection, has plug and play upgradable components and best of all, it could easily be manufactured locally.
So, why does this amazing device not exist in Malaysian schools?
Long-term gain
In terms of purely financial commitments, the ER is much cheaper than textbooks. We believe that local technology could, albeit with some difficulty, create an ER for RM500 or so.
Keep in mind that the device is usable for at least five to 10 years, and updates to content and syllabus could be done hourly if necessary.
For comparison’s sake, what is the financial cost of 15 years worth of obsolete, un-updatable textbooks, from primary school right up to university?
Sure, it will involve a huge expenditure of capital to start-up, but we have the talent and the resources.
With the billions we are spending on weapons, food subsidies and textbooks, this would be an easy buy if we were to just divert funds from “needless” programmes to this crucial one!
With the ER, even exercise books could be done away with, as assignments could be completed on the device and sent directly to the teacher when logged on to the school network.
Realise that the important event that we want to transpire is to get everyone to have access to learning.
Reading from a textbook is just a different experience than reading from an ER. The important thing is the text, not the medium.
The introduction of ERs into every school in Malaysia, rural schools included, will spur the growth of broadband and access to truly cater to all Malaysians, especially to those who need it the most in rural schools.
We know that there will be detractors who will say that staring at a computer screen for long periods will cause eye-strain and related problems — but that is expected with any new technology.
Before ERs, everyone said that the textbooks strained students’ eyes because the texts were too small and students were reading for too long with bad lighting.
ERs are backlit, have almost zero glare due to the latest LED technology, text size can be customised and can feature animated movies to demonstrate dangerous experiments and create new learning experiences.
We also must point out that the application of this technology is not completely new — we are all already using ERs in one form or another in the likes of PDAs, mobile phones, paging devices and so on.
Why not evolve to the next stage where it can be used to enhance not just our social lives and comfort levels, but our education systems as well?
In spite of the proven track record of the role of technology and its capability to greatly enhance teaching practices, many traditional educators are not convinced simply because it really is difficult to access technology in our schools – and this certainly is a case of seeing is believing.
With easy access, implementation and operationalising of ERs in classrooms, learners, teachers, parents and stakeholders will start thinking and incorporating technology into teaching and learning in a whole new way.
We are confident that authors, publishing companies and other parties with financial interests and political clout will raise a huge stink should this materialise.
As such, we need the support of someone with the highest levels of power and with focused attention to our nation and our national interests.
Conducted properly, this would aid tremendously in the development of the New Economic Model and achieve buy-in by Malaysians for the eight Strategic Reform Initiatives.
Stakeholders would clearly see that our future talent is being placed on the right track and that the powers that be are in touch with global educational developments, objectives and expected outcomes.
Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Through this fortnightly column and through the ENGAGE Programme – Education for Sustainable Global Futures – USM has started, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted through
theva@usm.my.
Article 3 : original article
What makes for a better life?
STUDENTS... TAKE NOTE OF THIS ... YOU COULD WIN RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest
Sunday March 14, 2010 EDITED ARTICLE FROM THE STAR - Towards a better life
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
A FEW STUDENTS FROM SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life - Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better. Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others. Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
CONCEPT OF A BETTER LIFE
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional. Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
- trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
-iPods offered for the video-clip category
- competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into. “Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.” He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28). The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
BELOW IS THE COMPLETE ARTICLE FROM THE STAR ONLINE DATED 14 MARCH 2010
Sunday March 14, 2010
Towards a better life
What makes for a better life? Your ideas could just win RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest.
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM
educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
Syahana Azhari, Vanessa Chip Shiao Ven, Ainaa Aiman Mohd Mashrique, and Aaron Luke of SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
Excited: Pupils celebrate with mock-ups of their magazines and pizzas.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life
Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Pizzalicious: Students of SMK Bandar Baru Petaling and SK Sri Hartamas enjoying their pizzas.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better.
Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others.
Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
Yeoh (second from left), Jamaludin, Wong and Ee Hong listening to students of SMK Damansara Utama as they explain their concept of “A better life”.
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
After an encouraging submission of 800 entries for the video clip category last year, this part of the contest has been retained for students who want to try their skills at this genre.
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional.
Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
Sathappan Somasundaram, 12, from SK Sri Hartamas, said that a trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
“I really hope to win a trip to Siem Reap so I can see the Angkor Wat, which is one of the wonders of the world,” he said, adding that he would like to learn about the history and culture of Cambodia.
His classmate, Puteri Alisa Alishsal said that the iPods offered for the video-clip category was a good incentive for students to participate in that additional category.
“I also think the competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
“Not only are we learning something new, but are in the running for exciting prizes too!”
New ideas, anyone?
For the second consecutive year, Taylor’s University College is sponsoring the awesome grand prize of pre-university scholarships totalling RM100,000.
Five lucky students can choose to enrol in any one of the following programmes — South Australian Matriculation (SAM), International Canadian Pre-University (ICPU) or Cambridge A-Levels (CAL) — offered by Taylor’s Pre-U studies.
Taylor’s Institutional Marketing vice-president Loy Teik Inn said that it had always been a practice for Taylor’s University College to give scholarships as a means of recognising achievements.
“A competition like this requires a different set of skills.
“Winning a contest like Mag Inc is an accomplishment of a different kind.”
He added that when a scholarship was offered as one of the prizes, it would usually heighten the level of competition among students.
Taylor’s School of Communications dean Josephine Tan is optimistic that the contest would receive an even better response this year.
“The contest theme is an avenue for students to showcase their creativity.
“Since it focuses on aspects that can improve their lives through even the simplest of changes, students would find ample room for expressing their ideas.
“These young minds have many interesting and innovative ideas which we may not have even thought about,” added Tan.
Gracious support
Present to officially launch Mag Inc 2010 was Education Ministry sports director Ee Hong.
In her speech, Ee thanked corporate companies like The Star and Pizza Hut who generously lent their expertise to nation-building efforts.
“Formulate your thoughts and express your observations in ways that can help make this country better as we work towards values and morals that are relevant to our social order and, ultimately, One Malaysia,” she advised students.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into.
“Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.”
He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
“It is a good avenue for students to brush up on their English language skills.
“It makes the learning process a fun and interactive one.”
Jamaludin said that he was appreciative of the strong support shown by the Education Ministry over the past years.
“I am very grateful for the interest generated by the ministry.
“What we are doing I believe, is just a small contribution to the bigger picture.”
He added that he looked forward to the finals in September, where six shortlisted teams will present their mini magazines to a panel of judges.
Pizza Hut will be spending more than RM1.4mil on Star-NiE pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes for the contest this year.
Also present at the contest launch was The Star’s managing editor David Yeoh and QSR Brands Bhd (KFC/Pizza Hut Division) director Wong Sooi Kheong.
The Mag Inc 2010 contest workshops are currently running throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28).
The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
Towards a better life
Article 1
Article 2
Article 3 : original article
=============================
Article 1
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Students share a ‘better life’
PETALING JAYA: An end to child abuse. Less time spent on social media. More time for personal interaction.
These were among the suggestions from students who were asked on what they thought would contribute to a better world.
Twelve students, who were given 10 minutes to depict their version of “A Better Life”, highlighted these elements in a mock magazine at The Star-NiE-Pizza Hut’s Mag Inc launch yesterday.
The contest this year invites students to share their views on how their lives would be better through a three-page mini magazine. A “better life” could be in areas such as relationships, environment, education, social work and health.
Holistic development: (From left) Ee, Jamaludin and Yeoh launching The Star-NiE -Pizza Hut contest at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet Monday.
Students have to work in teams of four or five under the supervision of an English teacher for the competition, comprising three categories – Primary Four to Six, lower secondary and upper secondary.
For their efforts, winners in the upper secondary category will walk away with pre-university scholarships worth a total of RM100,000 from Taylor’s University College. The winning teams in each category will also be feted to a four-day, three-night stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with flight tickets sponsored by AirAsia; while the runners-up will enjoy a trip to Resorts World Genting and receive Pizza Hut vouchers.
Students submitting entries under the video clip category will have the chance to walk away with gadgets like iPods in addition to Pizza Hut vouchers worth RM100.
Education Ministry sports division director Ee Hong said the Mag Inc contest could help spur students to think critically as they would need to learn how to put together a mini magazine.
“Sports and co-curricular activities are important to students’ holistic deve¬¬lopment,” she said when launching Mag Inc 2010 at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet here yesterday.
Star Publications (M) Bhd managing editor David Yeoh said the newspaper was pleased to find that its hard work over the past 12 years had made a lasting impression on the local school community.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Pizza Hut, our partner in NiE, as well as the Education Ministry,” he said.
Managing director Jamaludin Md Ali of QSR Brands Bhd, which operates Pizza Hut, said the contest was part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the education sector.
“Pizza Hut is committed to spending more than RM1.4mil on newspaper pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes on the contest this year.”
The first contest workshop will be held in Tafe College, Seremban, on Wednesday and subsequently in Stamford College, Malacca, the following day.
See StarEducation for the full report on Sunday.
Posted by N.A.B at 10:04 AM
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Older Post Home
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Article 2
Sunday May 9, 2010 THE STAR
Edited from Star Online.. A possible future.. COURTING CHANGES
By Dr THEVA NITHY
The technology and resources are already available for electronic readers to transform our education landscape.
Picture this — Malaysian students walking into school compounds with light bags that require just one finger to carry. As they walk in, the day’s and week’s lessons, complete with lesson plans, notes, web links, assignments and problems for collaborative actions, are instantly downloaded into a gadget that looks suspiciously like an old-fashioned slate, but with an LED screen.
Is this a plausible scene, or is it a ridiculous notion?
An electronic reader is a computer in the form of a book, and has the potential to be immensely beneficial in the classroom. — AP File photo
Let me pose the following questions:
• Why destroy the earth and the environment with the unsustainable action of destroying trees to print books, all to create books that will be outdated the day they are sent for printing and obsolete when published?
• Why pay more to have books that can only be used in one way, when ER (Electronic Readers) could cheaply replace books, provide means for innovative classroom pedagogies, and could be updated continuously for almost forever?
• Why have books when ERs could be the catalyst for the development of broadband access for every school — hence transforming Malaysian education?
• Why force our children to carry heavy bags that damage their bodies when all they need is a lightweight ER?
The ER, a simple technological innovation, has the potential to completely transform Malaysian education, and only requires professional and political will to happen – with perhaps a dash of forward thinking and real concern for learners and educators.
It requires the Education Ministry to completely change their approach, and for our printing and publishing companies to retool themselves to offer a new service.
It also requires perhaps the Engineering and Computer Science experts at our universities and industries to build Malaysian-made ERs that are cheap, adaptable and most of all, completely sustainable.
An ER is simply a computer in the form of a book, with minimal capabilities except to read and write on and with web browsing capabilities. It has a local area connection, has plug and play upgradable components and best of all, it could easily be manufactured locally.
So, why does this amazing device not exist in Malaysian schools?
Long-term gain
In terms of purely financial commitments, the ER is much cheaper than textbooks. We believe that local technology could, albeit with some difficulty, create an ER for RM500 or so.
Keep in mind that the device is usable for at least five to 10 years, and updates to content and syllabus could be done hourly if necessary.
For comparison’s sake, what is the financial cost of 15 years worth of obsolete, un-updatable textbooks, from primary school right up to university?
Sure, it will involve a huge expenditure of capital to start-up, but we have the talent and the resources.
With the billions we are spending on weapons, food subsidies and textbooks, this would be an easy buy if we were to just divert funds from “needless” programmes to this crucial one!
With the ER, even exercise books could be done away with, as assignments could be completed on the device and sent directly to the teacher when logged on to the school network.
Realise that the important event that we want to transpire is to get everyone to have access to learning.
Reading from a textbook is just a different experience than reading from an ER. The important thing is the text, not the medium.
The introduction of ERs into every school in Malaysia, rural schools included, will spur the growth of broadband and access to truly cater to all Malaysians, especially to those who need it the most in rural schools.
We know that there will be detractors who will say that staring at a computer screen for long periods will cause eye-strain and related problems — but that is expected with any new technology.
Before ERs, everyone said that the textbooks strained students’ eyes because the texts were too small and students were reading for too long with bad lighting.
ERs are backlit, have almost zero glare due to the latest LED technology, text size can be customised and can feature animated movies to demonstrate dangerous experiments and create new learning experiences.
We also must point out that the application of this technology is not completely new — we are all already using ERs in one form or another in the likes of PDAs, mobile phones, paging devices and so on.
Why not evolve to the next stage where it can be used to enhance not just our social lives and comfort levels, but our education systems as well?
In spite of the proven track record of the role of technology and its capability to greatly enhance teaching practices, many traditional educators are not convinced simply because it really is difficult to access technology in our schools – and this certainly is a case of seeing is believing.
With easy access, implementation and operationalising of ERs in classrooms, learners, teachers, parents and stakeholders will start thinking and incorporating technology into teaching and learning in a whole new way.
We are confident that authors, publishing companies and other parties with financial interests and political clout will raise a huge stink should this materialise.
As such, we need the support of someone with the highest levels of power and with focused attention to our nation and our national interests.
Conducted properly, this would aid tremendously in the development of the New Economic Model and achieve buy-in by Malaysians for the eight Strategic Reform Initiatives.
Stakeholders would clearly see that our future talent is being placed on the right track and that the powers that be are in touch with global educational developments, objectives and expected outcomes.
Dr Theva is a senior lecturer at The School of Educational Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Through this fortnightly column and through the ENGAGE Programme – Education for Sustainable Global Futures – USM has started, he and his colleagues hope to help transform the Malaysian schooling and higher education systems. He can be contacted through
theva@usm.my.
Article 3 : original article
What makes for a better life?
STUDENTS... TAKE NOTE OF THIS ... YOU COULD WIN RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest
Sunday March 14, 2010 EDITED ARTICLE FROM THE STAR - Towards a better life
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
A FEW STUDENTS FROM SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life - Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better. Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others. Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
CONCEPT OF A BETTER LIFE
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional. Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
- trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
-iPods offered for the video-clip category
- competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into. “Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.” He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28). The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
BELOW IS THE COMPLETE ARTICLE FROM THE STAR ONLINE DATED 14 MARCH 2010
Sunday March 14, 2010
Towards a better life
What makes for a better life? Your ideas could just win RM100,000 worth of scholarships at Pizza Hut and The Star’s annual NiE contest.
By SHARON OVINIS and ALYCIA LIM
educate@thestar.com.my
At a time when the five C’s (Cars, Credit Cards, Condominium, Cash and Career) are priority to Generation Y, it’s refreshing to hear how four 14-year-olds concocted the five F’s for a better life.
Syahana Azhari, Vanessa Chip Shiao Ven, Ainaa Aiman Mohd Mashrique, and Aaron Luke of SMK Damansara Utama vouched that “Family, Food, Fun, Friends and Freedom” were sure tickets to quality living.
Excited: Pupils celebrate with mock-ups of their magazines and pizzas.
“What makes for a better life are face-to-face interactions. Social websites or gaming consoles are merely distractions,” said Syahana, while teammates Vanessa and Ainaa nodded in agreement — wise words indeed, from youngsters who have never known life without the Internet, mobile phones or social networking sites.
Vanessa added: “We should be grateful because we have everything that we need, and I feel it is time we do something to help those who do not even have basic necessities.”
A better life
Such enthusiasm to inspire change marked the start of The Star-Pizza Hut’s annual Newspaper-in-Education (NiE) contest which was launched last Tuesday in the Pizza Hut restaurant outlet in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
The contest concept, which requires students to produce a three-page mini magazine, is running for the second year. Last year’s theme “Teenage angst” saw 74,000 students submit entries to win Pizza Hut vouchers.
This year’s contest, jointly sponsored by The Star and Pizza Hut, in cooperation with the Education Ministry, centres on the theme “A better life”.
Pizzalicious: Students of SMK Bandar Baru Petaling and SK Sri Hartamas enjoying their pizzas.
Students, in teams of four or five, design a three-page mini magazine on an issue that changes their lives for the better.
Topics could centre on health, safety, racial integration and environment, among others.
Each team will have to conduct research on a selected topic, interview peers and write a feature article.
Students are also encouraged to to be more creative in their presentation by using a myriad of writing forms such as poetry, anecdotes, statistics, or comic strips for a more exciting presentation.
This year’s theme allows plenty of room for creativity. As student N. Nagulan, 12, of SJKT Rri Sungai Buloh puts it: “A better life for me is having a car that can be transformed into a radio.
Yeoh (second from left), Jamaludin, Wong and Ee Hong listening to students of SMK Damansara Utama as they explain their concept of “A better life”.
“Not only will I then have a radio to listen to, the car folds neatly into my pocket as well. Parking will no longer be a problem!”
After an encouraging submission of 800 entries for the video clip category last year, this part of the contest has been retained for students who want to try their skills at this genre.
Teams will shoot a three-minute clip based on their perception of what makes a better life for them. While the team with the best video presentation will receive iPods, participation in the category is optional.
Qualification for the merit and the grand prize awards depends solely on the mini magazine category.
Great prizes
While the students came with noble ideas, it was undeniable that a major motivation factor for participating in the competition were the attractive prizes offered.
Sathappan Somasundaram, 12, from SK Sri Hartamas, said that a trip to Cambodia made the competition all the more enticing.
“I really hope to win a trip to Siem Reap so I can see the Angkor Wat, which is one of the wonders of the world,” he said, adding that he would like to learn about the history and culture of Cambodia.
His classmate, Puteri Alisa Alishsal said that the iPods offered for the video-clip category was a good incentive for students to participate in that additional category.
“I also think the competition makes learning English a lot of fun because we get to carry out activities we don’t normally do in class.
“Not only are we learning something new, but are in the running for exciting prizes too!”
New ideas, anyone?
For the second consecutive year, Taylor’s University College is sponsoring the awesome grand prize of pre-university scholarships totalling RM100,000.
Five lucky students can choose to enrol in any one of the following programmes — South Australian Matriculation (SAM), International Canadian Pre-University (ICPU) or Cambridge A-Levels (CAL) — offered by Taylor’s Pre-U studies.
Taylor’s Institutional Marketing vice-president Loy Teik Inn said that it had always been a practice for Taylor’s University College to give scholarships as a means of recognising achievements.
“A competition like this requires a different set of skills.
“Winning a contest like Mag Inc is an accomplishment of a different kind.”
He added that when a scholarship was offered as one of the prizes, it would usually heighten the level of competition among students.
Taylor’s School of Communications dean Josephine Tan is optimistic that the contest would receive an even better response this year.
“The contest theme is an avenue for students to showcase their creativity.
“Since it focuses on aspects that can improve their lives through even the simplest of changes, students would find ample room for expressing their ideas.
“These young minds have many interesting and innovative ideas which we may not have even thought about,” added Tan.
Gracious support
Present to officially launch Mag Inc 2010 was Education Ministry sports director Ee Hong.
In her speech, Ee thanked corporate companies like The Star and Pizza Hut who generously lent their expertise to nation-building efforts.
“Formulate your thoughts and express your observations in ways that can help make this country better as we work towards values and morals that are relevant to our social order and, ultimately, One Malaysia,” she advised students.
QSR Brands Bhd managing director Jamaludin Md Ali said: ”I feel that the theme this year is a good platform for students to express their creativity, as it gives them a wider scope to delve into.
“Students can produce their magazine about almost anything, from issues about economics to their personal life.”
He added that competitions like Mag Inc also made learning English more interesting.
“It is a good avenue for students to brush up on their English language skills.
“It makes the learning process a fun and interactive one.”
Jamaludin said that he was appreciative of the strong support shown by the Education Ministry over the past years.
“I am very grateful for the interest generated by the ministry.
“What we are doing I believe, is just a small contribution to the bigger picture.”
He added that he looked forward to the finals in September, where six shortlisted teams will present their mini magazines to a panel of judges.
Pizza Hut will be spending more than RM1.4mil on Star-NiE pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes for the contest this year.
Also present at the contest launch was The Star’s managing editor David Yeoh and QSR Brands Bhd (KFC/Pizza Hut Division) director Wong Sooi Kheong.
The Mag Inc 2010 contest workshops are currently running throughout Peninsular Malaysia.
Online registration for schools will open on April 1, and contest templates will be available on April 7 (with reprints on April 28).
The contest is limited to schools and is open to primary (Years Four to Six), Lower Secondary and Upper Secondary teams.
Students share a ‘better life’ from Star Online march 9 2010
Tuesday March 9, 2010
Students share a ‘better life’
PETALING JAYA: An end to child abuse. Less time spent on social media. More time for personal interaction.
These were among the suggestions from students who were asked on what they thought would contribute to a better world.
Twelve students, who were given 10 minutes to depict their version of “A Better Life”, highlighted these elements in a mock magazine at The Star-NiE-Pizza Hut’s Mag Inc launch yesterday.
The contest this year invites students to share their views on how their lives would be better through a three-page mini magazine. A “better life” could be in areas such as relationships, environment, education, social work and health.
Holistic development: (From left) Ee, Jamaludin and Yeoh launching The Star-NiE -Pizza Hut contest at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet Monday.
Students have to work in teams of four or five under the supervision of an English teacher for the competition, comprising three categories – Primary Four to Six, lower secondary and upper secondary.
For their efforts, winners in the upper secondary category will walk away with pre-university scholarships worth a total of RM100,000 from Taylor’s University College. The winning teams in each category will also be feted to a four-day, three-night stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with flight tickets sponsored by AirAsia; while the runners-up will enjoy a trip to Resorts World Genting and receive Pizza Hut vouchers.
Students submitting entries under the video clip category will have the chance to walk away with gadgets like iPods in addition to Pizza Hut vouchers worth RM100.
Education Ministry sports division director Ee Hong said the Mag Inc contest could help spur students to think critically as they would need to learn how to put together a mini magazine.
“Sports and co-curricular activities are important to students’ holistic development,” she said when launching Mag Inc 2010 at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet here yesterday.
Star Publications (M) Bhd managing editor David Yeoh said the newspaper was pleased to find that its hard work over the past 12 years had made a lasting impression on the local school community.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Pizza Hut, our partner in NiE, as well as the Education Ministry,” he said.
Managing director Jamaludin Md Ali of QSR Brands Bhd, which operates Pizza Hut, said the contest was part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the education sector.
“Pizza Hut is committed to spending more than RM1.4mil on newspaper pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes on the contest this year.”
The first contest workshop will be held in Tafe College, Seremban, on Wednesday and subsequently in Stamford College, Malacca, the following day.
See StarEducation for the full report on Sunday.
Students share a ‘better life’
PETALING JAYA: An end to child abuse. Less time spent on social media. More time for personal interaction.
These were among the suggestions from students who were asked on what they thought would contribute to a better world.
Twelve students, who were given 10 minutes to depict their version of “A Better Life”, highlighted these elements in a mock magazine at The Star-NiE-Pizza Hut’s Mag Inc launch yesterday.
The contest this year invites students to share their views on how their lives would be better through a three-page mini magazine. A “better life” could be in areas such as relationships, environment, education, social work and health.
Holistic development: (From left) Ee, Jamaludin and Yeoh launching The Star-NiE -Pizza Hut contest at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet Monday.
Students have to work in teams of four or five under the supervision of an English teacher for the competition, comprising three categories – Primary Four to Six, lower secondary and upper secondary.
For their efforts, winners in the upper secondary category will walk away with pre-university scholarships worth a total of RM100,000 from Taylor’s University College. The winning teams in each category will also be feted to a four-day, three-night stay in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with flight tickets sponsored by AirAsia; while the runners-up will enjoy a trip to Resorts World Genting and receive Pizza Hut vouchers.
Students submitting entries under the video clip category will have the chance to walk away with gadgets like iPods in addition to Pizza Hut vouchers worth RM100.
Education Ministry sports division director Ee Hong said the Mag Inc contest could help spur students to think critically as they would need to learn how to put together a mini magazine.
“Sports and co-curricular activities are important to students’ holistic development,” she said when launching Mag Inc 2010 at the Pizza Hut Kota Damansara outlet here yesterday.
Star Publications (M) Bhd managing editor David Yeoh said the newspaper was pleased to find that its hard work over the past 12 years had made a lasting impression on the local school community.
“This would not have been possible without the support of Pizza Hut, our partner in NiE, as well as the Education Ministry,” he said.
Managing director Jamaludin Md Ali of QSR Brands Bhd, which operates Pizza Hut, said the contest was part of its ongoing Corporate Social Responsibility programme in the education sector.
“Pizza Hut is committed to spending more than RM1.4mil on newspaper pullouts, workshops, incentives and prizes on the contest this year.”
The first contest workshop will be held in Tafe College, Seremban, on Wednesday and subsequently in Stamford College, Malacca, the following day.
See StarEducation for the full report on Sunday.
Being preseverance... dont give up..
Sunday May 9, 2010
Don’t give up
PERSEVERANCE can be defined as the art of trying again until you get what you are aiming for, despite a series of failures — a common attribute in successful people.
As such, WynKids Research and Development dean Yvonne Lim thinks that good parenting involves preparing children to face obstacles by helping them develop perseverance skills.
“Whether a situation requires physical endurance or emotional maturity, the ability to ‘go on’ ensures success,” she says.
“This why perseverance is one important value we focus on in our six-month programmes, where we motivate children through activities and games.”
WynKids is a learning institute which provides holistic programmes for children between the ages of seven and 17, with the aim of encouraging each participant’s full potential.
According to Lim, one way parents can help model and encourage perseverance in their children is by providing encouragement.
“Positive and honest feedback goes a long way in helping your child see situations realistically.
“By doing so, your child can have the confidence to continue moving forward,” she says.
For instance, if a task appears overwhelming to a child, parents can help show support by giving reassurance that he or she is going in the right direction.
Additionally, by teaching children how to break large tasks into small and achievable goals, children will find it easier to stick to finishing the said task.
“For example, if your child is learning swimming, celebrate each step; from learning to float to doing proper leg movements,” says Lim.
“That way, your child won’t be overwhelmed with the pressure of having to achieve something large all at once, but feels that things can be done step by step.”
Lim also advises parents to stress the importance of completing a task, even if the results are less than stellar.
“Instead of looking at something as a failure, credit your child for his resilience in pulling through rather than giving up,” she says.
There are two intakes per year for WynKids programmes, and registration for the June session is currently open.
A promotional fee and a free one- or three-day camp will be offered for a limited period, depending on the participant’s age.
For further information, log on to
www.wynkids.com or call 03-6142 8133 or 016-368 8861.
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Don’t give up
PERSEVERANCE can be defined as the art of trying again until you get what you are aiming for, despite a series of failures — a common attribute in successful people.
As such, WynKids Research and Development dean Yvonne Lim thinks that good parenting involves preparing children to face obstacles by helping them develop perseverance skills.
“Whether a situation requires physical endurance or emotional maturity, the ability to ‘go on’ ensures success,” she says.
“This why perseverance is one important value we focus on in our six-month programmes, where we motivate children through activities and games.”
WynKids is a learning institute which provides holistic programmes for children between the ages of seven and 17, with the aim of encouraging each participant’s full potential.
According to Lim, one way parents can help model and encourage perseverance in their children is by providing encouragement.
“Positive and honest feedback goes a long way in helping your child see situations realistically.
“By doing so, your child can have the confidence to continue moving forward,” she says.
For instance, if a task appears overwhelming to a child, parents can help show support by giving reassurance that he or she is going in the right direction.
Additionally, by teaching children how to break large tasks into small and achievable goals, children will find it easier to stick to finishing the said task.
“For example, if your child is learning swimming, celebrate each step; from learning to float to doing proper leg movements,” says Lim.
“That way, your child won’t be overwhelmed with the pressure of having to achieve something large all at once, but feels that things can be done step by step.”
Lim also advises parents to stress the importance of completing a task, even if the results are less than stellar.
“Instead of looking at something as a failure, credit your child for his resilience in pulling through rather than giving up,” she says.
There are two intakes per year for WynKids programmes, and registration for the June session is currently open.
A promotional fee and a free one- or three-day camp will be offered for a limited period, depending on the participant’s age.
For further information, log on to
www.wynkids.com or call 03-6142 8133 or 016-368 8861.
Ads by Google
Be a Good ParentProtection for every stage in your child's life. Find out morewww.prudential.com.my
Learn to SwimFind Swimming Lessons in Your Area Connecting You To Swimming -www.Swim.com/Swimming-Lessons
Music Helps Reading, How?Kindermusik Can Help Your Baby Signup for a Trial Class Today!www.kindermusikatsim.com.my
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