Jerantut Cluster TELL2: Teachers Rising to the Paper Plate Challenge

Now that's what I call implementation! Ask me how!



Jerantut Cluster TELL2: Teachers Rising to the Paper Plate Challenge:   ... at SK Pulau Mansok The Year 1 teacher used the paper plate challenge to give her pupils the opportunity to develop an understanding ...

Why classroom management is your friend...

The new ideas Mentors are discussing with MTPs are very different from the teaching methodologies of the past. Trying a new game, or a role play, or a group/pair activity can be frustrating if you don't apply the proper classroom management techniques alongside of the new activity! Remember, in most classes in rural schools in Malaysia, a pattern exists. It has been established by previous teachers, and also by choices you have made (and are making) in approaching instruction time.

So how to break the cycle? Below are a few websites and videos which may be useful in determining ways to manage the behavioural issues which can arise when implementing student-centred techniques.

Teaching Ideas - Resources, ideas, tips...it's all there! Challenge: can you take 1 or 2 new ideas from this resource and implement them in your class? Post your success (or struggle) in the comment section below! You may post anonymously....

Top 10 Classroom Management Ideas - a Youtube video that sums up useful ideas for classroom management. 

Classroom Management for Early Learners - a Youtube video highlighting classroom management ideas to implement in kindergarten, but still VERY useful for Years 1 - 3 classes.

New Teacher Survival Guide - a video discussing seven (7) classroom management techniques that assisted a new teacher in the United States. All techniques, with adaptation, are applicable to Malaysian classrooms!

Lack of Motivation Guide - tips for what to do when pupils lack proper motivation for learning. Remember, oftentimes, it begins with you!

As you are making attempts to implement new learning strategies in your classroom, don't forget to consider how classroom management tips and tricks can help transform your class. The name of the game is to never give up, have confidence in yourself in trying new things, and take authority over the classroom in a way that understands that they are just children, after all. Good luck!

What's the deal with Phonics?

Phonics, phonics, phonics. They are found throughout the KSSR curriculum. But what does it mean??? And how can we understand and teach them better?

Well, just like Bahasa Melayu has syllables that can be used to sound out words, English has the same in the form of phonics! The basic idea is to have children learn the sounds of the letters, then piece those sounds together to 'decode' (or unlock) the new words independently, without excessive assistance from their teacher. It's a basic building block of reading programmes throughout the Western world.

So, what other options for materials exist for phonics other than the KSSR Textbook and Workbook? Many! Below are a few links to get MTPs started on creating a thorough and engaging phonics library for pupils.

Starfall.com - interactive and engaging, the letter sounds are reinforced in exciting ways! Please look at this link, especially if you are unsure of the sounds the different letters make. If possible, include your young children when you look at it!

Toolsforeducators.com - this site provides models for teachers to make supplemental phonics worksheets that will correspond with the chapters in the KSSR Textbooks. Also, it's a good idea to have extra worksheets on hand (with different words) for faster learners.

MES English - an excellent resource for free games, worksheets, flashcards and other assorted materials guaranteed to make phonics lessons exciting and more memorable for pupils!

Loving2learn - another resource that allows for more variety in materials for lessons of all kinds!

This list is just a start for MTPs to begin to discover a larger world of English materials proven to aid in the instruction of phonics (among other things). Please discuss what you've found with your Mentor and other English teachers in your school. Happy hunting!

Ready, set, go!

This week sees the initial visit to schools by the Mentor of the Kuala Rompin sub-cluster. SK Tanjung Gemok, SK Sarang Tiong, SK Pianggu, SK Denai and SJK(C) Rompin all met with their new Mentor, Adam Freeman. To ease the transition, Brighton Education created a PowerPoint explaining the TELL 2 programme.

Since materials development is part and parcel of the TELL 2 programme, the Mentor felt it reasonable to provide new TELL 2 MTPs with new material applicable to classroom instruction. To that end, he distributed five (5) USBs with 2.5GB of digital resources to each English Panel Head. The USBs distributed are an excellent array of both digital and print resources, which MTPs can take advantage of in lesson planning, both now and in the future. More materials/resources will be developed and distributed as the project continues; however, it's always a good idea to start with a wealth of applicable, student-centred materials. Best of luck to all MTPs as they explore their new resources! As always, Mentors are available for questions about how to make these new resources suitable to KSSR curriculum syllabi and standards. Enjoy!

TELL 2 is a wonderful opportunity to transform your teaching

Welcome to TELL (Teaching English Language and Literacy), Phase 2!!!

This blog will serve as a space where mentors from Brighton Education's TELL 2 project can celebrate the relationships, successes, materials developed and English events created by teachers of Rompin, Pahang during the TELL 2 project, which began January 2014 and terminates September 2015.

Through this blog, Mentors will also provide information, links, resources and examples of teachers in the TELL 2 programme (or MTPs) who are making great efforts in their classrooms. It can sometimes feel as though you're stuck, alone, in a classroom with 30+ children, and you just don't have the energy or know how to give your best.

As Rompin MTPs support each other by sharing 1) successes, 2) developed materials,  and 3) problems encountered in the classroom (hopefully with solutions!), a new dynamic may emerge, in that, you may begin to feel that you are no longer alone. As members of a Professional Learning Community (PLC), it's always a good idea to share what you're learning with other MTPs, empowering each other and allowing you to cement your own learning! We're all in this together, and it can't hurt to discover new methods, materials and resources, not only from the Mentors, but also from your fellow MTPs! Remember, everyone and everything around you is your teacher!

Most of you have not participated in the TELL project. Over the next two years, there will be many wonderful things to learn about improving our teaching methods and English proficiency. The Mentors of Rompin will consistently seek information that will ease your efforts in making a difference in the lives of children. We look forward to participating with your community in encouraging strengthened English ability in the pupils of this area. Now, let's get to it!

For your consideration: a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson on education and creativity. TED comes highly recommended by your Mentors, especially as it highlights innovators in many fields. This talk is roughly 19 minutes, with a transcript provided in English, if necessary.