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izz aty

Ice Breaker Ideas! - 0 views

  • In the Bag (submitted by Goodman Middle school @ WACA It's a Steal) This activity is one that isperformed without rehersal or preparation. The studenr relies on personal knowledge and experience to give a quick, impromptu speek to the groupc/class. Decorate a bag with the words "In The Bag" and make it look fun and creative. Copy phrases on strips of paper and place them in the bag. Students draw their topics from the bag and give a quick speech to the class. let each student pick a topic and remind them that they have 30 seconds or less to talk.
  • In the Bag (submitted by Goodman Middle school @ WACA It's a Steal) This activity is one that isperformed without rehersal or preparation. The studenr relies on personal knowledge and experience to give a quick, impromptu speek to the groupc/class. Decorate a bag with the words "In The Bag" and make it look fun and creative. Copy phrases on strips of paper and place them in the bag. Students draw their topics from the bag and give a quick speech to the class. let each student pick a topic and remind them that they have 30 seconds or less to talk. Examples of phrases that can be used as topics for a speech: Why students should never have homework An unusual animal The ideal age should be How to be happy My idea of a perfect day The worst type of pollution A fun way to travel The best bargain The best job in the world The greatest book ever written My favorite Olympic sport How to avoid doing the dishes How I view the future The worst habit to have How to clean a bedroom in ten minutes How to mess up a bedroom in five minutes The best place in the world to live A great gift The most important invention Something I couldn't live without
izz aty

Teacher Nuha's English Blog | PMR - Summary Tips - 0 views

  • Awarding of marks Content - 5 marks  Language - 5 marks Total - 10 marks
  • Your summary will be assessed based on the following: Ability to identify main contents. Ability to write the main contents in your own words without changing the original meaning.
  • Things to remember: Use the 10 words (introductory line) given. Make sure the spellings are correct. Leave out unnecessary details like explanations and repetitions. Check the pronoun to be used (I, you, she, he). Do not write more than 60 words. If your summary is longer than the words allowed, you might have included irrelevant points. If your summary is too short, you might have missed out important points.
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  • How to earn maximum marks for summary? 1) Rearrange the sentence This hobby enriches one's geographical and historical knowledge of a country. (Arranged as) One's geographical and historical knowledge of a country can be enriched. 2) Replace some words with synonyms This would enhance family ties. This would strengthen family ties. (but make sure the new word does not change the meaning or the idea presented by the content point) 3) Add sequence connectors & conjunctions Example of sequence connectors: Firstly, Secondly, Next, Then, Moreover, Besides, etc. Example of conjunctions: and, or, etc. Example of sentence: Next, collecting coins enables us to widen our circle of friends and enhance our family ties. (arrange the points as they appear in the original text)
  • REMEMBER! Use simple and precise sentences to present your content points. Write the number of words at the bottom right of your answer. Do not exceed the word limit.
izz aty

MY BLOG...AS IT IS...: catch us if you can - themes - 0 views

  • 1. Family and     relationships 1.       There was only Granda and me. Were the two of us enough to make a family?2.        We still had each other (chap. 12)3.       He can behave anyway he wants. He’s the best granda in the world. (chap. 12)4.       ‘I’m only here till my granda gets out of hospital.’- ‘No grandson of        mine is going to Castle Street. Not when I’m alive.’
  • 2. Growing up /       Adolescence 1.     My granda never forgot to take his pills; because I made sure he took them.2.    ”OK, Big Man, I need some help here. I can’t do this on my own.”
  • 3. Social and civic     responsibilities  1.   People are kind Rory. I thought the whole world was going to the dogs, and then         you meet kindness like this. It’s a wonderful world, Rory.’ 2.   A wonderful world – Passing us like the baton in a relay race. People who didn’t        even know us, but who were willing to help anyway.
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  • 4. Social bias 1.  TV reporter - -  the question is how can an old man and a boy disappear like this?       The answer had to be that people are helping them out. The public are very much      on their side. 2.  Ruby’s response: “People are taking sides about you, arguing about the rights and       wrongs of your case. That’s good. The more people who know your plight, the       better chance of you staying together.”
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    Write down other themes and find words or evidence to support the themes
izz aty

Wandering thoughts lane: Tips for writing Spoken Word - 0 views

  • 1. Start off with something easy. Sarah Kay gave some suggestions on how you should start writing poetry by writing lists. For example, start writing a list of 5-10 things I know to be true, or I should've learned by now. Also try 10 things I love/want/had.
  • 2. Don't try too hard.  Don't try to write super complicated filled with emotions and metaphors poems from the beginning, you'll only end up waisting time and feeling disappointed. Your first poems should go naturally, easy, that way you'll be amazed to see how far you've come after a while.
  • 3. Inspire yourself Look around you for things to inspire you. For example you can listen to some poetry, maybe one word or one phrase someone recites triggers something inside your brain. Listening to music is also a great inspiration source -at least for me. When I listen to music I can picture the story behind the song (but mostly only when I listen to instrumentals). Also, try to look at the world from a different perspective. When you take a walk try to observe as many things as possible, a funny incident, a person you like, a beautiful view on the landscapes. Inspire yourself from everything around you.
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  • 6. Revise and rewrite your poems  If it doesn't sound very good right after it's done that's alright, just give it some time. Focus on writing other poems and come back to revise this one after a while, you'll have a different perspective after you took a brake from it. It'll help you see the bigger picture.
  • 5. Read your poems out loud  I know it sounds like no big deal but trust me it makes a difference.
  • 4. Read/watch as many spoken word/poems as possible Pay attention to what suits you better, which artists do you like most and why. Understand it and go in that direction. For example if you like an artists that always has funny poems you may be prone to write funny poems, it's likely they'll make you feel more comfortable. You can always experience other types of poems if you want to!
  • 7. Use your imagination. That's what I love most about artists, they CREATE their world however they want it to be, and they can drag you into their stories faster than you can even realize it. So use your imagination, create whatever you wish and do your best to convince the audience (even if the audience is just you or a couple of friends of yours.) that world you're writing really exists. 
  • 8. Spoken word doesn't have to rhyme So don't struggle to find rhymes. But, if you have a good rhyme in mind. don't hesitate! Make it part of your poetry, find your flow.
  • 9. Make a special notebook for poetry writing. I bought my poetry notebook just because I liked the cover of it. Every time I pull it out of my bag it makes me smile. Also one more thing I did was to write quotes from my best poems on colored post it notes and stick them on the first page of the notebook. That way every time I open the notebook to write I can read pieces of my best creations and feel proud. It really boosts up your morale. 
  • 10. Be honest with yourself If something hurt you and it still does let it out, don't back from your thoughts and feelings. If you worry your poem will be too cheesy or too sad, stop worrying! just let it be. Acknowledge the fact that those thoughts were haunting your brain for some time now. Get to know them and set them free...and what better way is there to set thoughts free than by poetry?
  • 11.  Write as often as possible And this is, the most important thing of all. Write constantly, even if you have just one or two sentences in mind, just write them down. Also, carry the notebook with you all the time. You never know when something will trigger the inspiration in you.
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    "the spoken word has been an outlet for people to release their views outside the academic and institutional domains of the university and academic or small press. The spoken word and its most popular offshoot, slam poetry, evolved into the present day soap-box for people, especially younger ones, to express their views, emotions, life experiences or information to audiences. The views of spoken word artists encompass frank commentary on religion, politics, sex and gender, often taboo subjects in the world of contemporary academic poetry. Spoken word is used to inform or make an audience conscious of some human aspect pertaining to life*"
izz aty

Quotation Marks: Where Do the Periods and Commas Go--And Why? - 0 views

  • use a question mark or an exclamation point with a sentence that ends in a quotation, we follow the dictates of logic in determining where the question mark or exclamation point goes
  • part of the quotation itself, we put it inside the quotation marks, and if it governs the sentence as a whole but not the material being quoted, we put it outside the quotation marks
  • Universal American usage places commas and periods inside the quotation marks, regardless of logic.
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  • rule applies even when the unit enclosed at the end of the sentence is just a single word rather than an actual quotation
  • British don't do it that way.  They are inclined to place commas and periods logically rather than conventionally, depending on whether the punctuation belongs to the quotation or to the sentence that contains the quotation, just as we do with question marks and exclamation points.
  • if another set of words or a parenthetical citation gets between the quoted material and the end of a sentence, then the comma or period will follow the intervening elements
  • this comma and period inside the quotation marks business is strictly American usage
  • when that last little item enclosed in quotation marks is just a letter or a number, in which case the period or comma will go outside the closing quotation marks
  • even more important is the matter of consistency
  • if you are an American, you need to keep your commas and periods inside your closing quotation marks
  • only American printers were more attached to convenience than logic, since British printers continued to risk the misalignment of their periods and commas
izz aty

Panduan Bahasa Melayu: Adalah vs Ialah & Dari vs Daripada - 0 views

  • kata pemeri ‘ialah’ hadir di hadapan frasa nama
  • seperti yang terdapat dalam ayat-ayat berikut:   1) Namanya ialah Ali Baba. 2) Makanan kegemarannya ialah mi goreng. 3) Minuman kegemarannya ialah teh 'O'.
  • Kata pemeri ‘adalah’ pula hadir di hadapan frasa adjektif dan frasa sendi
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  • seperti yang terdapat dalam ayat berikut: 1) Bersenam adalah penting untuk kesihatan. 2) Hadiah tersebut adalah untuk datuknya. 3) Bermain komputer terlalu lama adalah buruk kepada mata.
  • Kata sendi nama 'dari' digunakan di hadapan kata nama atau frasa nama yang menyatakan arah, tempat, waktu atau masa
  • Contohnya, 1) Dia berasal dari Bangladesh. 2) Dia baru pulang dari sekolah. 3) Dia bekerja dari pukul 5 pagi hingga pukul 10 malam.
  • Kata sendi nama 'daripada' hanya digunakan di hadapan kata nama atau frasa nama yang menyatakan punca bagi manusia, haiwan atau benda; asal kejadian dan sumber atau unsur perbandingan atau perbezaan.
  • 1) Dia menjauhkan anak tunggalnya daripada barang yang tajam seperti pisau dan parang. 2) Dia terima surat daripada neneknya di Amerika Syarikat. 3) Dia lebih gemuk daripada gajah.
izz aty

English Proverbs and Proverb Humor - 0 views

izz aty

An Ecological Approach to Life: Urie Bronfenbrenner - 0 views

  • We often don't think about people in a historical context: we should. It is from within our contexts that our selves develop.
  • Dr. Bronfenbrenner developed an Ecological Systems theory to human development. It was revolutionary at the time--and in many ways still is. He wrote about about development as something occurring within five systems
  • Micro system: This is the setting in which I live. My family, peers, school, and neighborhood all populate this system. It is within the micro system that I spend most of my life and have most of my direct interactions. It's important to know that within this theory, I am not a passive recipient of experiences in these settings. I actively am involved in creating and deciding the contours of these experiences.
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  • Mesosystem: Refers to relations between microsystems or connections between contexts. This is the in between system. An example is the relation of family experiences to school experiences. If I don't feel safe at home for example, or my humans don't provide me with positive interactions, I'm not likely going to be successful in school. I won't have the skills from home to use and be skillful in school.
  • Exosystem involves the links between a social setting that I don't have an active role in and my immediate context. For example, I'm not directly involved in my human's marathon running. I'm influenced by it because when he's deep into training, I'm left alone more often and go on less walks. The exosystem, in this case marathon training, changes patterns of interaction with me. Involves links between a social setting in which the individual does not have an active role and the individual's immediate context.
  • Macrosystem: Describes the culture in which I live. Cultural contexts include developing and industrialized countries, socioeconomic status, poverty, and ethnicity.
  • Chronosystem: The final system involves the effect of time and transitions across a lifespan. Marriage, divorce, or the birth of a baby all are transitions in the human world that fall into the chronosystem.
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    "In the United States, it is now possible for a person eighteen years of age, female as well as male, to graduate from high school, college, or university without ever having cared for, or even held, a baby; without ever having comforted or assisted another human being who really needed help... No society can long sustain itself unless its members have learned the sensitivities, motivations, and skills involved in assisting and caring for other human beings." - U. Bronfenbrenner
izz aty

The Helping Verb Song - 0 views

  • Helping Verbs!  Helping Verbs!  There are 23.... Am, is are!  Was and were!  Being, been, and be! Have, has, had!  Do, does, did!  Shall, should, will, and would! There are 5 more helping verbs:  may, might, must, can, and could! 
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    (sing to the tune of "Jingle Bells")
izz aty

Vocabulary-Lesson Plans and Activities | ESL Voices - 0 views

  • Guessing Meanings From Context Learners who can guess the meanings of words from context are able to read and decipher words independently, outside of class and are prepared for the vocabulary included in standardized tests such as the TOEFL. Linguist Paul Nation suggests teaching students the following procedure for guessing the meaning of words in context. 1. Look at the unknown word and identify its part of speech. For example, is it a noun, verb, or adjective? 2. Next, look at the sentence containing the unknown word. If the word is a noun, what adjectives describe it? If it is a verb, then what nouns go with it? 3. Study the relationship between the sentence containing the unknown word and the other sentences. Are there cues like conjunctions (because, but, if)?  Are there any adverbs (however)? The possible types of relationships are cause and effect, contrasts, and summary . 4. Try to guess the meaning of the word. 5. Use an English-English dictionary to see if you were correct. New Ways in Teaching Vocabulary by Paul Nation.
  • Using  Graphic  Organizers Another effective strategy for teaching the meanings of words is the use of graphic organizers. There are literally dozens of styles, and each has its unique purpose. One example would be a vocabulary map for analyzing new words and their associations: On the board draw a circle or a square and write the word: Draw a circle next to it and place the part of speech Draw another for a synonym Draw one for antonym Underneath draw a square for a sentence using the word, another square for a picture representing the word, and another square for the definition of the word. Have students work in groups on one of these charts and then share their work with the class. Find more ideas for graphic organizers at Graphic Organizers Enchanted Learning.
  • Antonyms, Synonyms and Homophones Whenever students encounter a new word, they should record it into their vocabulary notebooks (see introduction) and add not only the meaning but as many associations as possible, including antonyms, synonyms, and homophones related to the word. Antonyms are words that mean the opposite of each other. Example: The antonym of long is short. Synonyms are words that have similar meanings. Example: Some synonyms for long are lengthy and elongated. Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently. Examples: new, knew Homographs (or homonyms) are words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently and have different meanings. Examples: wind (noun, air current) and wind (verb, operate by turning a key or handle). Not all words have homophones or homographs. Additional Sources: Online Thesaurus Synonyms, Antonyms, Homonyms
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  • Breaking Down Compound Words A compound word is a word made up of two other words. An effective method for understanding the meaning of a compound word is to break the compound word down into its components. Examples: drugstore (a store that sells drugs), lifeboat (a boat that preserves life)
  • Affixes: Roots, Prefixes, Suffixes Students can also learn the meanings of words by breaking them down into their roots and affixes. The root is the base word; the affix can be a prefix placed before the root or a suffix placed after the root. Some roots can appear alone, as well as with affixes; others appear only with affixes. Examples: port = to carry prefix ex = out, out of ex + port = export, to carry something out of an area im = in, into im + port = import, to carry something into an area suffix able = to be able transport + able = portable, able to be carried ex + port + able = something that can be carried out of an area Additional Sources: Wikipedia List of PrefixesMichigan Proficiency Exams-List of Prefixes Michigan Proficiency Exams-List of SuffixesList of Suffixes (UK) Wikipedia List of Latin words with English derivatives (Latin roots) Online Etymology Dictionary
  • Idioms and Phrasal Verbs Students need to master idioms and phrasal verbs if they are to feel at home in English. Idioms (idiomatic expressions) An idiom is a phrase or an expression with a special meaning that cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its words. For example, to fly off the handle means to lose one’s temper or to get angry. You can find more idioms at http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/ Phrasal verbs A phrasal verb usually consists of a verb and a preposition, that together have a special meaning. For example, put off means to postpone. Sometimes a phrasal verb may consist of three parts. E.g., put up with means to tolerate. Note: Some phrasal verbs can be also be considered idioms (like put up with) when the meaning of the individual words is different from the meaning of the sum of its parts. You can find more phrasal verbs at http://www.learn-english-today.com/phrasal-verbs/phrasal-verb-list.htm Terminology  the technical vocabulary of a particular area. Terminology or jargon are words used to identify the technical vocabulary of a particular area or subject. For example, stethoscope, and blood pressure cuff, are terms used in the field of medicine. Word Games and Crossword Puzzles In addition to teaching your students strategies for dealing with learning new vocabulary, provide your students with vocabulary games and puzzles so they can practice. There are several great vocabulary games and puzzles in the word games area. ESL Voices Word Games
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    When it comes to teaching vocabulary, one challenge is knowing which words and phrases to teach. There are several areas that should always be included in vocabulary instruction. In addition to single words, idioms: (time on my hands, getting cold feet) and phrasal verbs (get in, go out).  It's especially important for students to learn idioms, phrasal verbs, because there's no logical way to figure out their meaning from the individual words. Also keep in mind that reading is a channel for new vocabulary growth, so always include vocabulary exercises whenever you assign new reading material. It's also a good idea to have students keep a vocabulary notebook. The notebook could be organized into sections for words from novels, selected readings, or news articles, as well as vocabulary they've encountered at random. However the vocabulary books are organized, make sure everyone has the same plan. In this section there are several good strategies you can use for teaching vocabulary. There are also activities you can try with your students to increase their knowledge of English vocabulary.
izz aty

Education for All : Country Reports : Access by country - 0 views

izz aty

EdTech Toolbox: Top 10 Web Tools April - 0 views

  • Webspiration is a free Web 2 tool that allows you to create online mind maps. These mind maps are easy to use in groups and the tool also has a chat function that allows students to remotely discuss aspects of the mind map before committing themselves online.
  • BlogBooker allows you to produce Pdf blog books from all your blog entries and comments. These can be generated from any blog running on Wordpress, Livejournal or Blogger.
  • SpeakingImage allows you to create interactive images on online and then share them with others. You can also create groups, add wikis and set different permissions to manage collaborative work.
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  • Gickr.com lets you instantly create Animated GIF online, free, right now! Just upload pictures or grab them from your Flickr. Create funny flashy slideshows with you and your friends, cartoons, previews, banners, etc.
  • I had another little play with Blabberize and I think I could also use it as a topic specific talking avatar that gives students hints or explanations of different parts of a task or an assignment.
  • Make a huge poster out of any image you like. It is as simple as selecting your image, uploading to the Web 2 tool, deciding how it gets split and then downloading it again. The tool slices the image into the correct number of individual pages so you just hit print and each one is printed ready to be lined up on the wall.
  • DragONtape is a Web 2 tool that enables you to create mixtapes of your favorite online or YouTube videos, so you can watch them as one continuous video. 
  • ScribbleScreen is a presentation tool allowing you to write directly onto the screen, drawing the attention of the audience to items which can be in windows from completely separate applications, high-light items as you speak about them, sketch a quick diagram or type some text.
  • Wix allows you to browse 100s of site templates and find one that is similar to the one you want. You then customise the template, adding your own media, fonts and colours.
  • Issuu is a Web 2 tools that allows you to publish PDFs. You can produce the documents in any program that you like
izz aty

Advice to writers by Vonnegut: How to Write With Style - 0 views

  • In Sum: 1. Find a subject you care about 2. Do not ramble, though 3. Keep it simple 4. Have guts to cut 5. Sound like yourself 6. Say what you mean 7. Pity the readers
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    Newspaper reporters and technical writers are trained to reveal almost nothing about themselves in their writings. This makes them freaks in the world of writers, since almost all of the other ink-stained wretches in that world reveal a lot about themselves to readers. We call these revelations, accidental and intentional, elements of style. These revelations tell us as readers what sort of person it is with whom we are spending time. Does the writer sound ignorant or informed, stupid or bright, crooked or honest, humorless or playful --- ? And on and on. Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you're writing. If you scribble your thoughts any which way, your readers will surely feel that you care nothing about them. They will mark you down as an egomaniac or a chowderhead --- or, worse, they will stop reading you. The most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not. Don't you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for what they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an emptyheaded writer for his or her mastery of the language? No. So your own winning style must begin with ideas in your head.
izz aty

Language and power - 0 views

  • Introduction What do the examiners say? What is it all about? Persuasive techniques in language Influential power - advertising Advertising and special lexis Grammar and advertising Semantics and advertising Pragmatics and advertising Discourse structures in advertising Finding more Influential power - politics Political rhetoric Parliamentary language Special lexis in politics The sound bite Influential power - media Lexis and semantics in the media Pragmatics in the media Grammar in the media Structures in media texts Influential power - culture Instrumental power - law The lexicon of law The structures of legal language Advocacy Instrumental power - education Classroom management Instrumental power - business Special lexis in business Buzzwords Forms of address in business Business discourse structures Corporate language Specimen exam questions Example texts with interpretation Printing and copying this guide Maximize
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    This guide is written for students who are following GCE Advanced level (AS and A2) syllabuses in English Language. This resource may also be of general interest to language students on university degree courses, trainee teachers and anyone with a general interest in language science. On this page I use red type for emphasis. Brown type is used where italics would appear in print (in this screen font, italic looks like this, and is unkind on most readers). 
izz aty

Evan Hastings: Shadow Puppets for Social Justice - 0 views

  • A collaborative shadow puppet performance dialogue, engaged issues including: racism with low expectations for urban youth, gang pressures and influence in elementary school, and the need for safe clean parks and playgrounds.
  • Facilitated by Arzu Mistry & Evan Hastings
  • How can we use the arts as a medium for dialogue?Teachers brought stories and dreams illuminating the space between shadows they navigate on a journey for justice.
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    "CREATING EQUITY: INQUIRY & ART MAKING FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE"
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Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011 - 0 views

  • This is the 5th annual Top 100 Tools for Learning list we have build  based on the contributions of learning professionals worldwide.   We are now compiling the Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011
izz aty

ADMC HD Common Year English Writing: Process - 0 views

  • Process: How something happens, takes place. Often uses Passive tenses Procedure: Giving Directions or Instructions. Usually in Active voice
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    Describing a process means writing about how something is made or how something happens. Examples: the rainwater cycle, how coffee is grown, how glass is made, getting a driving license, starting a business.
izz aty

Study: Malaysia has best English language speakers in Asia - Nation | The Star Online - 0 views

  • Malaysia apparently has the best English language speakers in Asia, beating out Singapore, India, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, China and Kazakhstan - according to a Singapore-based English Language school.
  • The school, Education First, which released the findings of their English Proficiency Index on their website Wednesday, ranked Malaysia as having the highest level of English proficiency out of 13 countries in Asia.
  • On the global scale, Malaysia was ranked 11th out of 60 countries, with four of the top five slots going to Scandinavian countries, with Sweden and Norway taking the top two spots and Malaysia outperforming Singapore, Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Switzerland - countries which took the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th spots respectively.
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  • "China has also improved, although less dramatically. Japan and South Korea, despite enormous private investment, have declined slightly.
  • Across the board, English language skills are improving in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China). "This year, India and Russia have moved ahead of China, and Brazil is closing in fast," said Education First.
  • The school went on to say that their Index found the Middle East and North Africa to be the regions with the weakest English proficiency.
  • On the mechanics of the Index, the school said the Index calculated a country's average adult English skill level using data from two Education First tests.
  • The second is a 70-question online placement test used by EF during the enrolment process before students start an English course. Both include grammar, vocabulary, reading, and listening sections
  • One test is open to any Internet user for free
  • The open online test is a 30-question adaptive exam, so each test-taker’s questions are adjusted in difficulty according to his or her previous correct and incorrect answers
izz aty

What's So Special About Special Education in Finland? - Taught by Finland - 0 views

  • Up to half of those students who complete their compulsory Finnish education at the age of 16 will have been in special education at some point in their school careers. Just chew on that for a moment. Given this reality, Pasi Sahlberg -- the author of Finnish Lessons -- concludes that special education “is nothing special anymore for students.” (Sahlberg, 2011) When students witness many of their classmates receiving extra support, special education loses its stigma. It’s not just the children who think differently about it. Teachers are more comfortable with the idea of students receiving extra help when they need it.
  • aided by a special education teacher for two hours of lessons each week. Although this teacher constantly has his eyes on students with documented special needs, he’s regularly working with other students in my class.  The special education teacher works flexibly. Sometimes he’s circulating around the classroom, offering help to those who need it. At other times, he’s working with a student one-on-one at a desk in the hallway.
  • my colleague is not a paraprofessional. When I worked at a public school in Massachusetts, paraprofessionals were the ones who most commonly worked with students with special needs in the general classroom.. Oftentimes, these were adults without formal teacher-training. Furthermore, they were paid about half as much as classroom teachers. These two factors seemed to make it difficult for teachers and paraprofessionals to see eye-to-eye and collaborate. Although they were both expected to care for the students in the class, one adult had more professional authority than the other.
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  • It’s a different story with my colleague. He actually has more formal training than me. Finland is famous for its highly selective 5-year teacher-training programs. A master’s degree is required of special education teachers, too.
  • it’s expected that classroom teachers collaborate with special education teachers. Primarily, we discuss ways to better support those students with documented learning needs. These meetings help me to make sure that I’m not letting any of my students fall through the cracks. 
  • we’ve been co-writing individualized learning plans (ILPs) for several of my students
  • In the United States, I worked with many students who had individualized learning plans (IEPs), which are similar to ILPs.
  • Although an American classroom teacher has a role in crafting an IEP, the plan is largely determined by professionals outside of the general classroom (e.g., occupational therapists, speech pathologists, etc.). At my Finnish school, I have more ownership of individualized learning plans since I’m writing them with my special education teacher. This does not mean that other professionals are excluded from the process of crafting this plan. It just means that the classroom teacher (along with the special education teacher) has the responsibility of writing the first draft
  • common at my school for teachers to offer remedial teaching sessions for students who are struggling
  • I'm assisted though a student-welfare team, in-class support, after-school meetings, and remedial teaching sessions offered to my students. I'm experiencing special education that addresses the needs of students and teachers.
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