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I’ve long been an advocate of student-centered learning and approaching material from a variety of perspectives. We hear so many buzzwords describing the ways we should teach or the ways our students learn, and we deal increasingly with issues of plagiarism and academic dishonesty. In a classroom of adult learners who frequently view themselves as consumers, we balance the need to meet their demands with the need for them to meet ours. Getting back to the basics can intrinsically incorporate kinesthetic, collaborative learning, and nearly eliminate plagiarism while promoting critical thinking.

In introductory collegiate writing courses, we teach students the writing process. Some texts and programs I’ve used insist that the process has four steps; others, five. The names may vary, but the steps are all important, and the process is recursive. The five that I talk about with my students are Prewriting/Invention, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Reflecting. In addition to sharing this process, we ask that our student writers pay careful consideration to purpose, audience, and tone. Point-of-view occasionally makes this elite list, as well.

Demonstrating (modeling) the writing process and guiding students through each step naturally incorporates successful learning strategies while providing a variety of feedback that builds confidence and increases accountability while developing writing and thinking skills. The step-by-step process can be used with any essay length or type and with any research component.

I have students begin prewriting in class by listing potential subjects. I give either a number or time capacity; for example, each student must list ten topics or as many topics as she or he can in three minutes. Specifying the number of items or length of time to write helps counter writer’s block. Each student then selects three of the ten topics, conferring with classmates if needed. Next, for each of those three topics, the student completes a five-minute freewrite. This invention activity can take place in the classroom or at home, but I find that with less motivated students, the immediacy of the classroom produces better results.

During the next class meeting, we hold a full-class workshop. In turn, each student shares her or his three subjects with the rest of the class members, who are encouraged to respond. This incorporation of classmates from the very outset helps the student writer understand the important role of writing to your audience and its interests, and discussions about purpose and tone begin to take root. Student writers ask one another questions. They disagree, they share experiences, and they encourage one another. Their response lets the writer know that the essay has meaning outside of fulfilling an assignment. Each writer notes not only the question she or he has about the subject, but also the questions or concerns of the increasingly apparent audience. As students take ownership of their ideas, the propensity to plagiarize also decreases.

Students frequently cite both procrastination and an underdeveloped understanding of the assignment as their reasons for resorting to plagiarism. If, however, we are both giving the adequate, guided time for the writing process and sufficient feedback on their ideas (as opposed to criticism of their structure, grammar, and mechanics,) then we are eliminating these excuses. I encourage students to answer the questions they generated during the invention phase from wherever they can, focusing on research as a means of “finding out” rather than meeting an arbitrarily set quota of sources. Whether they search academic journals, interview a professional in their field of study, or reach into the recesses of their memories, these student writers are actively engaging in their own learning.

by Carmen Hamlin.

Read more @ http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/the-writing-process-step-by-step-approach-curbs-plagiarism-helps-students-build-confidence-in-their-writing-abilities/

Kuala Lumpur: Teaching methods in schools are more in favour of female students.

Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) deputy vice-chancellor Professor Dr Noraini Idris said teaching methodologies have to cater to both genders to avoid disparity once they reach tertiary education.

“The government must implement a variety of teaching techniques which entails more practical education rather than theoretical.

“The boys are more inclined towards visuals and graphics and our education system is focused more on rote-learning,” she said.

She said that most teachers are also females, and their teaching styles also tend to be more effective for the female students.

“Teachers should understand the psychology of male students and include teaching methods that are more appealing to them.

Read more @ http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/teaching-methods-slant-towards-females-1.12537

Every approach in teaching has its pros and cons. In the similar manner, the concept of ability grouping had certain advantages and disadvantages. But, before we go over the ability grouping pros and cons, let’s have a look at the concept of ability grouping.

As the name suggests, ability grouping is a concept where teachers, group together students having the same ability. The ability grouping is usually done by the teachers on the basis of the aptitudes of the students, that is if a certain number of students show a good aptitude for mathematics, then these students are grouped together for fine tuning and enhancing their skills as mathematicians. Though, this methodology has proved to be very successful in many cases, advocates of equality in education have staunchly opposed the method of ability grouping.

Pros and Cons of Ability Grouping
The debate between the advocates of ability grouping and the people who staunchly oppose ability grouping, is almost never-ending, due to the fact that ability grouping is not at all a wrong method, but it certainly goes against the principles of equality. Critics of this methodology have wasted no time in raising a question mark against the ‘appropriateness’, of this methodology. As mentioned above, there are certain ability grouping pros and cons.

Pros
The ability grouping is basically aimed at enhancing the capability of a particular group of students who show aptitude towards a subject or skill. The basic advantage of grouping these students together is that these students are able to ‘fly’ in their own subjects. This not only trains students in the subjects of their aptitude, but the students also develop capabilities and become the would-be experts in their fields. Their choice of career also gets decided at a young age and their capabilities get polished in the right manner. Indirectly, this method does the nation a great favor, by making the students experts on the subjects that they have an aptitude for.

Masters and masterpieces can thus be created and by the time, these students pass out from the educational system, they have a huge amount of knowledge that is certainly greater and more accurate than an average human being of the same age, who has studied the same subject. The earlier educational systems that used this technique have managed to influence the minds of people who became legends, Beethoven, Mozart, Leonardo Da Vinci and many others. All of them started receiving early knowledge, as their abilities were recognized.

Cons
As every coin has two sides, there are also some negative aspects or cons of ability grouping. The first and most noticed con of ability grouping is that it breaches the principle of equality. The students with greater ability at a particular subject, go on to obtain more knowledge on the subject, while the regular students may not be able to get the same amount of knowledge. There is a risk of lack of motivation in students, in such cases. The second disadvantage is that there is a strong possibility of students getting permanently grouped. This might eventually lead to a series of quarrels and problems within the class. Another drawback is that ability grouping increases the responsibility of a teacher. To know more about the different ability, IQ, and aptitude, you may also read more on:

• Career Test for High School Students
• Career Test for Kids
• Legitimate IQ Test

The debate whether ability grouping is a positive teaching method or a negative one, cannot be concluded by assessing the pros and cons of ability grouping.

by Scholasticus K.

Read more @ http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ability-grouping-pros-and-cons.html

Knowing formal categories such as the Classes and Parts of Speech will give learners clues as to how words are used correctly.

FOR years, words and word groups that perform a similar function or role in the English language have been placed together into distinct categories that are often referred to as Classes of Speech. While this has also been an academic pursuit, the outcome has been that people have been able to communicate with greater accuracy and understanding.

The most important categories or classes are called Parts of Speech. In English, there are eight traditional Parts of Speech: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, conjunction and interjection.

Words belonging to these different Parts of Speech categories all perform the same, distinct role that usually can be readily distinguished. For example, when a word is the name of someone or something, it is easily recognised as a noun. Other words that depict an action are classed as verbs.

Other Classes of Speech and grammatical terminology that will be encountered in this column series include: affix, anagram, antonym, article, auxiliary, case, clause, connective, demonstrative, descriptive, determiner, exclamation, gerund, infix, mood, particle, participle, phrase, prefix, proverb, punctuation, suffix, synonym, tense and voice.

Consideration is also given to the fact that many of the various Classes of Speech can be further defined into sub-categories that are more specific and exacting in grouping words according to their special characteristics or more precise purpose.

For example, nouns can be put into the sub-categories of proper nouns, common nouns, collective nouns and abstract nouns. They can also be distinguished according to their gender and number.

A general characteristic of the English language is that words can be related. From a grammatical aspect, this “relationship” pertains mainly to their function and their meaning.

Having a detailed, practical knowledge of the Classes of Speech – especially the eight traditional Parts of Speech – is advantageous particularly when one is endeavouring to use alternative words and phrases to raise the quality or significance of a comment.

by Keith Wright, author and creator of the 4S Approach To Literacy and Language (4S)

Read more @ http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/11/27/education/9538610&sec=education

Promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle among students will reap results only if teachers are adequately trained and the authorities recognise and address the existing shortage of PE teachers.

TEN minutes was the minimum time taken by Ruxyn Tang and her classmates when changing into their sports attire for their Physical Education (PE) lesson in secondary school.

That took up a third of their 30-minute lesson, thanks to a rigid school rule which did not allow students to be dressed in sports attire from home unless the PE lesson was in the first period.

“The girls had to change outside the toilet cubicles most of the time. We were then left with 20 minutes for ‘exercise’, typically warm-up exercises while the boys were roaming the field doing whatever they pleased,” said Ruxyn, now 18.

Serious talk: Dr Wee (left) conducting an interview for his study.

Form Five student Kathy Chong* had similar complaints.

“One student will be picked to lead the class to do the stretching exercises. After that, we were left to our own devices until the bell rang.

“I wish my teacher would allow us to play more games during PE,” she said.

However, not all students look forward to physical activities and playing in the field.

Form Four student Sabrina Yaakob* said she liked PE as it was when she could catch up with her friends.

“We get to sit and chit-chat for an hour; what is there not to like?,” she said.

Lack of facilities

The complaints of the students are not unfounded.

Lack of proper changing rooms, shower facilities and incompetent teachers teaching PE are factors that can demotivate students from taking an interest in the subject.

Still, such inconveniences should not be the excuse for students to do their Maths homework in the classroom or idling their time away chatting under the trees during PE lessons.

Unique game: Students participating in a sitting volleyball event during the Mini Olympics.

With the syllabus covering athletics, games and gymnastics, PE is in sync with the purpose of the National Education Philosophy to stimulate the holistic development of a child.

On the other hand, health education has been taught in schools since 1988 when the combined subject of Physical and Health Education (PHE) was introduced.

by Kang Soon Chen.

Read more @ http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/11/27/education/9947588&sec=education

PARENTS are continuing their calls for the Teaching of Science and Mathemathics in English (PPSMI) policy to be retained.

Concerned Parents of Selangor (CPS) coordinator Shamsudin Hamid said the group was planning to submit petitions signed by parents to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Tuesday.

“We’re targeting 10,000 signatures and I think we can easily achieve this.

“These signatures represent parents in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and the petitions will be submitted en masse,” he said, during a meeting with CPS members last Saturday.

Signed and to be delivered: Members of CPS sorting through the petitions by parents in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur calling for the policy to be retained. — AZHAR MAHFOF/ The Star

Around 20 parents turned up at Shamsudin’s home in Petaling Jaya, Selangor to sort through petitions and letters supporting the PPSMI policy.

On Nov 4, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced that students who have started learning Science and Mathematics in English will continue to do so until they complete their studies in Form Five.

Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, added that schools would have the option to teach Science and Mathematics fully in English, Bahasa Malaysia, or bilingually.

Shamsudin added that the group also hoped to take five primary school pupils to submit their own letters of support for the PPSMI.

“Of the 100 handwritten letters we have received from pupils, we will select five to be handed over by the children themselves, with their parents’ consent.

“We hope that the Prime Minister will be able to meet these children in person,” he said.

During the meeting, parents proposed to seek permission to hold a banner highlighting the issue outside the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 30.

by Priya Kulasagaran.

Read more @ http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/11/27/education/9941215&sec=education

The job interview is the first step for a young graduate before being gainfully employed, and he needs to convince his prospective employer that he is the right candidate for the job.

THIS is a first in a series of articles on employability for young people.

This article will focus on what fresh graduates need to look out for during an interview with a prospective employer.

Scene One: Interviewer walks into the room, and takes a look around at applicants – mostly fresh graduates – seated at the office foyer. He has been assigned to hire a marketing and sales executive for the company.

Esf t t !up! jn qsf t t ; One needs to dress appropriately and should not be in jeans or a T-shirt when called for an interview.

Scene Two: Interviewer calls out the name of one of the applicants and she walks in.

She is dressed in a blouse, jeans, sneakers and carrying a backpack.

She politely greets the interviewer and shakes his hands.

She sits down and before she rummages through her bag for her documents, she takes out a tumbler.

Scene Three: During the interview, the applicant is asked about the company.

She admits that she doesn’t know much about the company and flashes a smile.

She also tells the interviewer that “selling products” is what the job requires of her.

Scene Four: She offers a few more monosyllabic answers and the interviewer, clearly unimpressed with her, waits for her to leave before he makes known his observations to the rest of his peers in the room.

He regrets that she is not up to the mark as a candidate — despite her impressive exam results!

The scenarios mentioned above are very typical and experienced by many companies and young graduates seeking employment after earning a diploma or degree.

Prevailing attitude

It presents the prevailing attitudes of fresh graduates, their demeanour, their level of preparedness and everything else that will make them stand out – or otherwise – in the job market.

Quite often, many of them are clueless about what their potential employers want or expect of them.

If this is the situation, then the applicant’s best bet would be to walk into the room exuding confidence.

An interviewer is more likely to sit up and listen to a person who speaks with confidence, even though he may tend to talk too much, then to sit in awkward silence with a candidate who gives monosyllabic answers.

Don’t expect empathy from the interviewer to get you through this interview because his main intention is to hire the right person to do the job.

I have often heard my clients who are senior managers in their respective organisations utter in disgust at the attitude of the “young workforce today”.

“They feel that society owes them a living and feel they have the right to come into a room and ask about their expected salary,” says one manager.

“They also demand that they should have adequate work-life balance and they make no qualms about wanting to know about the company’s annual leave policy.

“All this when they cannot even describe to me in more than a sentence what they think the job entails,” another manager told me.

Hence, knowing basic information about the organisation and knowing what the position entails will be one good way when starting out at an interview.

In the case of a person applying for the job of a sales and marketing executive, he is not only expected to know that he is required to sell but to believe in the product the company is selling.

Plus points

Enhanced persuasive skills, good communication, confidence and sincerity are qualities required in all fields.

These may seem intangible but are in fact the cues that the interviewer is hoping to catch.

An experienced interviewer will already know from the resume the basic details like whether the candidate is organised or not, whether he has an eye for detail, or is sloppy.

by Paul Kam.

Read more @ http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/11/27/education/9958240&sec=education

Sociology is the systematic study of human social life, groups and societies. Sociology is a member of Social Sciences which includes Anthropology, Economics, Human Geography and Political Science.

The purpose of sociological study is to gain knowledge and understanding the changes that took place in human societies in the past decades and on what is happening in our current modern world such as in the area of globalism, urbanism, religious changes and world politics that is continually shaping the face of our modern social world.

Sociologist try to understand this by studying our culture, socialization, life cycle, conformity, deviance, gender, sexuality, power, class structure, ethnicity, race, politics, government, kinship, marriage, family, war, military, education, communication, media, religion, work, social change, urbanism, revolutions, social movements, population, health, aging and much more.

There are many ways theoretical approaches sociologist uses in trying to answer sociological questions. Among the popular approaches includes functionalism, structuralism, symbolic interactionism and Marxism. Important figures in sociological studies include Aguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber. Their sociological perspectives and ideology holds an important place in modern sociology study.

Sociologist investigate the social life by asking distinct questions and try to find answer to it by formulating systematic research. The questions used may be factual, comparative, developmental or theoretical.

Sociological research involves the use of reliable approach for analyzing a particular social phenomena. For example, the sociologist use proper

1. research strategy which involves the planning of the research,

2. research methodology which involves the logics and principles of research,

3. research method which is concerned with how the research is carried out i.e. survey, participant observation etc.

The sociologist also understand the difference between intended and unintended results of human actions. This means, sociologist detach themselves away from their own preconceived notion about social life and study it objectively which brings out reasonably acceptable conclusions from studies conducted.

Modern Sociologist consider Sociology as a scientific field because it uses systematic methods of investigations and evaluation of theories in the light of evidence and logical arguments just like modern scientific research. However, sociology cannot be compared directly with natural science due to the difference of studying the natural world and human behavior.

Read more @ http://www.allwhatis.com/what-is-sociology/