Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Comment: The Effects of Using English as the Medium of Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary School

The first time WE heard the suggestion from the GOV to use English as a medium of instruction for Math and Science subjects, we both thought, "Oh dear!..this will definitely bring a problem afterwards...=(". It seemed to me that the Gov was desperate to improve the English usage in this country and they insisted to proceed it with these reasons in mind:
1. To strengthen the foundation of gaining the knowledge sources in Math and Science since the reference materials for both subjects are widely available in English and

2. To enhance the capability of using English and therefore mastering it as a second language

AND our early prediction now has been proven by the recent research conducted by a team of researchers from UPSI. The research entitled "The Effects of Using English as the Medium of Instruction for Mathematics and Science in Primary School" was lead by Prof Emeritus Dato' Isahak Harun. The data were established from students of standard 5 and the samples were taken from various primary schools within three main locations: city, big town and rural area.

It sadden me as I read throughout the report presented by the team. The main findings of the research revealed that the use of English as the main medium for teaching Math and Science subjects was undoubtedly, failed. Furthermore, it was found that the students especially Malay and Orang Asli were facing difficulties to understand the questions or instructions in English. The students achievement in the Math tests as depicted in the figure below was taken from the above research findings.




I don't intend to comment further on the above research findings as I believe, my blog readers are more critical thinking than I am. Nevertheless, I just want to voice out my opinion in this matter from my very own perspective.

Let me bring you guys back to the past. My next door neighbour which is happened to be my mum's 3rd cousin already married and is blessed with 2 children(and now three). Each time when I went back home for semester break, she would send, both her elder son, Akip and the little sister, Pika to my mum's house straight after finishing the Quranic class. I was asked to teach her children in Math and English homeworks. I took no bills for that as it was more like teaching your own brothers or sisters in study. So why should I charge her for that?

From time to time, I heard a loads of complaints from her husband, Usu Jelani upon the use of English in these two subjects. At that time, I tried to convince him that this is for good reason. When the semester break was over and I was back in Parit Raja, I would receive several calls from Mak Usu asking me for instance; What this instruction means: "Round of these numbers to the nearest tenth". Thank God Mak Usu finished her secondary school and at least able to read the sentences in English though not really understand the meaning. So, I tried to help to the best I could.

The situation narrated above was real as it occurred 3 years ago. I saw the struggles of Akip and little sister Pika to understand and catch up the learning pace in English-oriented system. This has low down the confidence level and study-esteem in Akip himself which eventually brought him to the state of bored; he found that Math subject was boring because he could not understand the meaning! I was not blaming him for this as he still a child and not mumayiz yet. He still couldn't differentiate which was good or bad though you already told him a few times. Therefore, interesting games(related with these subjects) always help to enlighten his spirit and boosting his hidden critical mind when studying these subjects.

Big Brother Akip with my sec sis

There will be numerous reasons why the implemented scheme proposed by the Gov couldn't achieve to the satisfactory level. However, the main reason which is close to what my neighbour has suffered is because the English usage is not practice daily within the family itself. You see, they live in kampung, so do I and therefore, I understand that without everyday practice, it's difficult to master the English. As an old saying,"Melentur buluh biar dari rebungnya" and therefore, being exposed to the daily English in early stage for example; 2 or 3 years may beneficial beforehand.

But the real issue now is: How can they being exposed to the use of English words if their parents are not mastering the language itself? And the second issue is: even the teachers are also struggling to use the English in class since all of them underwent the Bahasa system during their kiddos lives!

Contrary to expectations, the scheme should deal with realistic situation confront by the lower-class citizen. Indeed, English is vital since learning sources are mostly in English basis and is important when communicating with others. Therefore, from the standpoint of my own experience, maybe a dual-language can be used...Well, at least, it opens more flexibility in learning process. At the same time, extra English classes should be conducted from time to time. Meanwhile, teachers also should be sent to English classes frequently to brush and sharpen their knowledge though it's easy now to get the free and reliable sources of learning English via internet!

But what if for instance; The Math test results illustrated above were actually direct consequences of laziness and lack of competitiveness and self-awareness to advance own selves? To me, these are just a bunch of mere excuses created by people who believe that everyone is super-duper 101% excellent! These children need to be pushed always, give sincere motivation and also advices, not put them aside and just have a full concentration to the brilliant one!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Lat Ta Li Lat..or 0-zoom?

That doesn't work for me now when making any critical decisions. Haha. Dulu2 time kecil2, klu tak main O-zoom, kene Lat Ta Li Lat laa jwbnya..tgok sapa yg kenaaaa...(^_^)..Zaman tu dah lama berlalu,zmn kanak2 yg xlah berapa nak indah tapi bermakna utk diingati...h0h0!

Anyway, it was decided that we will gonna celebrate the first Hari Raya in my husband's family house. Okay, I know I'm gonna miss the syahdu moment with my parents but thinking that I can spend the rest of the Hari Raya days with them, so why not celebrate it first in my hubby's family house?! At least, this time I am in Malaysia not like last year. Have to suffer the first day of Hari Raya in class...Sob sob sob...Very Pathetic, innit?

Yesterday, I chatted with Syarfa about Baju Kurung to be worn during Hari Raya. Speaking about Baju Kurung, I'm thinking to buy online from any online haberdashers but is it worth to do so? never try before. I found one: cemarabiru.com but it seems like there's no size for me...i'm a petite girl and therefore, size S or SS or 36 usually works best for me but the smallest size available there is 38! huhu. Hopefully, I will have enuff time to do the shopping once I return to Msia!

sampul uthm


I just checked the UTHM email, and booked the Angpow Sampul designed by the...errr not sure, maybe the UTHM staff. Anyway, i booked for 40 pieces, rm2.50/10 pieces, very affordable price, isn't it?

Sunday, September 14, 2008

We like the first and the last one!(^_^)





Celoteh Bahasa: Siri 2: Tupai oh Tupai!

Si Tupai!

Kat Malaysia jinak jgk kew? Selama ni, tk terhingin lak aku nk bermain2 dgn tupai2 yg slalu merobek buah durian, manggis, cempedak-nangka yg mak aku tanam dpn rumah tu...hoho, utk makluman pembaca budiman sekalian, tupai adalah musuh ketat mak aku time musim buah melanda! Hahaha. Owh, ckp psl musim buah, aritu aku rasa mcm seluruh Msia duk sebut2 musim buah masa bulan 6-7 mcm tuh termasuklaa mak aku. Baiknya mak aku, snggup simpankn 1 tupperware besar yg berisi buah durian tembaga dlm icebox tuk aku n suami aku mkn bile balik nnt...terharunya...betul2 laa mak aku nii apply prinsip: sharing is caring...

Arini aku n hubby pi Hyde Park, nk mkn x boleh kn so kita org makan angin laa...tp perut maintain x kembung yaa...hehe...On the way nk balik tu, nmpak satu couple ni dok layan tupai2 ni dgn beri biskut...tp tupai ni cam jinak2 merpati dan malu2 kucing sungguh laa...or should I change them to: Jinak2 tupai dan Malu2 tupai sungguhlaa...Eerk, buruknya peribahasa Melayu klu guna tupai?..ohoho, pencinta bahasa jgn marahkn aku...

So,aku cam geram2 gak laa tgok squirrel yg takut2 tp dekat2 mcmtu...Biskut xde bawa sbb kami puasakan so terbatal la niat nk menggoda si squirrel tu. Namun, hajat tertunai jugak bila kami berehat jap kat bangku sbb kaki aku lenguh dah berjalan. Hubby aku dok pnggil2 squirrel tu guna bunyi cam tikus bising buat sarang atas loteng. Then,ada respon baik punye dari squirrel tu. Pandang kami dan mula bergerak ke arah kami. Sambil tu, hidung dok kembang kempis, cuba hidu kami ada bawa mknn tak or sekadar nk mengacah2 jew. Haha. Mujur teringat ada beli kuih muih tadi kat Msian Hall, so dgn excited tp cuba control ayu, akupun cubit sikit kuih lapis tu. Hubby aku kata jgn campak tp sbb aku ni ada sindrom "takut jari kena gigit", maka tercampak jugaklah mknn tu atas tar jalan.

1. Meh meh, suapan kedua, meh..!


2. Sense of danger...?


Si Tupai tadipun punyalah excited, dok gigit2 mknn tuh, cutenyaa! cubitan mknn tu agak besar la klu nk dibandingkn dgn jari tupai yg comel tu so dia ambil masa dlm 7-8 saat tuk habiskan! Aduuh geramnyee aku tgok dia mkn, siap hadap muka aku lagi tuu, x lari! Tp second time aku bagi,dia mcm dpt sense aku takut kat dia, so dia pun lari bawah bngku mkn kat situ pulak. 3rd time bagi, dia cam berani pun ada, siap lompat kat bangku, minta lagi. Haha, Klakar laa tupai nii. Tapi dia mcm taw jer yg hubby aku nk ambil gmbar dia, dia hadap muka aku memula tu pastuh bile hubby aku nk snap gmbar, trus hadap hubby aku...hoho...comel2...comelnya ciptaan Ilahi...buat aku rindu betul nk main2 dgn kucing yg mak aku ternak kat umah tu...ada lah dekat 15 ekor yg berjaya hidup sehingga kini....wahahaha!


3. Alahai, comelnyaa...smngat tul makan!Look, she's looking at the camera!So clever!



Some more to share!: First Picture: First trial. Second Picture: She wants more!


Celoteh Bahasa: Siri 1: Ramadhan & Balik Kampung

Okay, this time I write my blog using Bahasa Melayu. Try to write it in a proper way but seriously, I do loads of rojak here and there so, please forgive me for my bahasa rojak kay?...huhu

Ramadhan Datang Lagi...

H0h0,ni kali kedua aku jalani ibadah puasa kat sini. Mnggu pertama puasa, time tu aku tgh berada pd tahap kritikal gak laaa...Siapkn dissertation n then prepare for ViVa...ohohoho..bukan kereta ViVa itu, aku lum ade lesen lagik..hehe, tp yg dimaksudkan ialah persiapan utk mnghadapi soalan2 maut drpd penyelia aku, 2nd examiner and another external examiner. Ingtkan ada spectators, rupe2nye, hanya aku dan mereka2 yg disebutkn tadi shj yg terlibat...phew, nsb baik...!And million thanks to my hubby...tulun aku beri idea best cket bab2 buat ayat teknikal ni..Allah jua yg mampu membalas pertolongan dan pengorbanan yg tlh dilakukan !!

Mind the mind. View in front of the Queen Mary Main Building. This was shot right after completing the ViVa session!!!


Masuk mnggu kedua,adalah masa tuk aku berehat-rehat slpas penat memerah otak memikirkan cara2 nk selesaikan problem dlm projek tu...mujur masih siuman lagi...hehe. Tp cycle tidur dah tk betul daa...aku kene reset diri aku balik...mcmmana nk reset aku pun tk taw! Pagi masa tdo, mlm masa kerja? owh, owl kew?

Mnggu pertama tu, buka puasa beli luar. Owh, klu kat Msia maksud aku klu aku di Prt Raja, sure aku da pi Bazar Ramadhan kt Parit Raja tu...Mcm2 ada...tp kt sini, pilihan yg ada cukup terbatas...Bazar Ramadhan sure x delah...yg ada plng hmpir dgn umah aku, Pando's...bkn Nando's kay..Pando's jew yg ada hidang cuisine dr Msia dan ayam yg ala2 Nando's tuh..camnapun, masih x lei kalahkan mak aku bab2 masak bihun goreng nii...adeeh...Mnggu kedua ni laa br start masak2 balik...Mskn pertama sure Daging masak pedas...sebabnya: it's my fav. laa..=)

Ibadah puasa thn ni lebih dan tersngt istimewa sbb kali ni aku x puasa sbg org bujang tp sbg PUAN...ehehehe...lain rasanya...lebih bermakna hidup lebih2 lagi bab2 ibadah ni sbb ada org yg nk ingatkan dan nasihat selalu...!Owh terasa benar sungguh sabda Nabi berkenaan dgn hal2 nikah kahwin nii...Demikian jugak berkenaan dgn ibadah puasa ni..

Aku ada terbaca: Doa org2 berpuasa ni Allah makbulkan tak kira siang atau malam spnjng bulan Ramadhan dan ttg 10 mlm pertama adalah mlm rahmat, 10 mlm kedua adlh mlm pengampunan manakala 10 mlm ketiga adalah mlm lailatul qadar. So buat kwn2 semua,sebelum Ramadhan kali ini meninggalkn kita, rebutlah segala kebaikan pahala yg ada pd bulan Ramdahan ini yaa!

MAS: 26/09/08-12pm

Yahoooo...BALIK!haha, x sabo nye aku nk balik! Best sungguh dpt beraya di Msia nii! Tiket dah ditempah..bagus betul kak Noi ni, arini ckp trus tempah, besoknye da dapat itinerary! Kan bagus klu semua staf Unit Cuti Belajar(UCB) buat mcm kak Noi. "Fast & Reliable"! Mungkin UCB perlu guna tagline tuh kot baru smngat sikit semua staf utk melaksanakan kerja secepat mungkin dan penuh berdedikasi...owh, Mungkinkah?...

MH:Malaysian Hospitality: a mere theory than practical? Or the other way round?



Anyway,smlm dah calling2 parents aku...mak aku laa org plng gmbira pas dgr aku nk balik..double gembira pas dgr anak dia yg selama ni dok mengadu kat dia asyik kene buli kat sini dan takut x lepas MSc ni, akhirnya berjaya gak habiskan MSc ni dgn 1001 cabaran! Zillion thanks to mak n abah for the endless pray! Sob sob sob...Aku hanya anak yg tk punya apa2 jika tnpa doa dan restu dr mereka berdua yg sntiasa mendoakan aku semenjak aku belum lahir lagi ke dunia smpailah dah berkahwin ni, mereka ttp x putus2 mendoakan aku...Sob sob sob...syahdunyee...

Aku harapkan semoga Allah permudahkn dan selamatkan perjlnn kami nnt bermula dr Heathrow hinggalah ke Kuala Lumpur...oho, 12 jam lebih perjlnn tnpa henti, sure boring tp at least kurang penat kot klu nk dibndingkn time aku balik skjp arituh, kene transit kat Dubai la pastuh S'pore lak, penat dan pening sbb jet lag...tp akan boring kew klu balik berdua?=)...

And ni juga adlh pngalaman pertama berpuasa di dalam kapal terbang wktu siang2 nii..Last year dtg sini time puasa gak tapi mlm so, boleilaa mkn2 dan mkn sahur skali..tp this time, hurmmm...tgok mcmna nnt..To be honest, aku pening sikit bab2 garis masa nii...klu ikut pemahaman dan logik aku yg x seberapa ni, rasa2nya mmg akan masuk malam laa bile merentasi India sblum smpai ke Msia...sbbnya, aku nnt smpai Msia jam 7 pagi waktu tmpatan..eih merentasi India kew?Tapi rsnye lalu kot area tuh,aku pun x ingtlaa...owh puasa, mmg mnguji iman dan kesabaran...aku bakal tgok je kew org2 sekeliling aku mkn mknn yg sedap2 tuu?! owh...Sabarlaah yeee...=(

Friday, September 12, 2008

Errrr...The Perfect Husband?...(^_^)

Got it from my email inbox...=)

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen.

MAN: 'Hello'

WOMAN: 'Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?'

MAN: 'Yes'

WOMAN: 'I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only RM1,000. Is it OK if I buy it?'

MAN: 'Sure, go ahead if you like it that much.'

WOMAN: 'I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2008 models. I saw one I really liked.'

MAN: 'How much?'

WOMAN: 'RM390,000'

MAN: 'OK, but for that price I want it with all the options.'

WOMAN: 'Great! Oh, and one more thing...the house I wanted last year is back on the market. They're asking RM2,950,000' for it.

MAN: 'Well, then go ahead and give them an offer of RM2,800,000. They will probably take it. If not, we can go the extra R150,000 if it's really a pretty good price.'

WOMAN: 'OK. I'll see you later! I love you so much!'

MAN: 'Bye! I love you, too.'



The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are staring at him in astonishment, mouths agape.

He turns and asks: 'Anyone know who this phone belongs to?'

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Apa itu Istidraj?

A very good article I got from a friend of mine. Do circulate around. Happy Reading!

Kaya dgn harta dan kemungkaran

Minggu lepas, kawan seofis Fendi tanya "Kenapa kadang kala kita lihat
seseorg insan tu sentiasa dapat kegembiraan spt dapat naik pangkat,
murah
rezeki dll sedangkan dia tu selalu melakukan kemungkaran? ".

So,Fendi pun jawablah yang kdg kala sesuatu anugerah Allah swt kpd
seseorg
individu tu bukanlah sebab Allah sayangkan hambanya itu tetapi kerana
Allah
nak tengok sejauh mana keikhlasan orang itu. Allah nak tengok adakah
hambanya itu akan menyedari bahawa Allah amat bermurah hati dengannya
jadi
sepatutnya dia bersyukur dan berubah menjadi baik. Tapi jika individu
itu
masih tidak reti bersyukur maka sesungguhnya dia telah menimbulkan
kemurkaan Ar-Rahman.Teringat juga Fendi pd satu penjelasan ustazah
sekolah
rendah dulu.

Ada member tanya kenapa kdg2 kita dah banyak kali berdoa tapi belum
dapat
apa yang diimpikan. Ustazah kata itu tandanya Allah sayang pada
kita.Sebabnya Allah tahu kalau kita lambat atau belum dpt yg diimpikan,
kita akan terus berdoa dan mengingati Ilahi. Sebenarnya Allah amat
rindukan
suara hamba-hambaNya merayu dan memujiNya. Kalau sekali berdoa terus
dapat,
kemungkinan besar lepas tu kita kita taksub dan lupa utk bersyukur pd
yg
Esa.

Tup-tup dpt pula artikel ni drp seorg rakan. A very relevant and
interesting article. Semoga Allah beratkan timbangan ibadah kita drp
timbangan dosa di Pdg Mahsyar nanti. InsyaAllah..

Apakah dia istidraj itu?


Ianya adalah pemberian nikmat Allah kepada manusia yang mana pemberian
itu
tidak diredhaiNya. Inilah yang dinamakan istidraj.

Rasullulah s. a.w. bersabda :"Apabila kamu melihat bahawa Allah Taala
memberikan nikmat kepada hambanya yang selalu membuat maksiat
(durhaka),ketahuila h bahawa orang itu telah diistidrajkan oleh Allah
SWT."


(Diriwayatkan oleh At-Tabrani, Ahmad dan Al-Baihaqi)


Tetapi, manusia yang durhaka dan sering berbuat maksiat yang terkeliru
dengan pemikirannya merasakan bahawa nikmat yang telah datang kepadanya
adalah kerana Allah berserta dan kasih dengan perbuatan maksiat mereka.

Masih ada juga orang ragu-ragu, kerana kalau kita hendak dapat
kebahagian
didunia dan akhirat kita mesti ikut jejak langkah Rasullulah saw dan
berpegang teguh pada agama Islam.

Tetapi bagaimana dengan ada orang yang sembahyang 5 waktu sehari
semalam,
bangun tengah malam bertahajjud, puasa bukan di bulan Ramadhan sahaja,
bahkan Isnin, Khamis dan puasa sunat yang lain. Tapi, hidup mereka
biasa
sahaja. Ada yang susah juga. Kenapa? Dan bagaimana pula orang yang
seumur
hidup tak sembahyang, puasa pun tak pernah, rumahnya tersergam indah,
kereta mewah menjalar, duit banyak, dia boleh hidup kaya dan mewah.

Bila kita tanya, apa kamu takut mati? Katanya, alah, orang lain pun
mati
juga, kalau masuk neraka, ramai-ramai.

Tak kisahlah! Sombongnya mereka, takburnya mereka.

Rasullulah s. a. w. naik ke langit bertemu Allah pun tak sombong, Nabi
Sulaiman, sebesar-besar pangkatnya sehinggakan semua makhluk di muka
bumi
tunduk di bawah perintahnya pun tak sombong! Secantik-cantik Nabi Yusof
dan
semerdu suara Nabi Daud, mereka tak sombong. Bila sampai masa dan
ketikanya, mereka tunduk dan sujud menyembah Allah.

Manusia istidraj - Manusia yang lupa daratan. Walaupun berbuat maksiat,
dia
merasa Allah menyayanginya. Mereka memandang hina kepada orang yang
beramal. "Dia tu siang malam ke masjid, basikal pun tak mampu beli,
sedangkan aku ke kelab malam pun dengan kereta mewah. Tak payah
beribadatpun, rezeki datang mencurah-curah. Kalau dia tu sikit ibadat
tentu
boleh kaya macam aku, katanya sombong." Sebenarnya, kadang-kadang Allah
memberikan nikmat yang banyak dengan tujuan untuk menghancurkannya.

Rasullulah s. a. w bersabda: "Apabila Allah menghendaki untuk
membinasakan
semut, Allah terbangkan semua itu dengan dua sayapnya" (Kitab Nasaibul
æIbad) Anai-anai, jika tidak bersayap, maka dia akan duduk diam di
bawah
batu atau merayap di celah-celah daun, tetapi jika Allah hendak
membinasakannya, Allah berikan dia sayap. Lalu, bila sudah bersayap,
anai-anai pun menjadi kelkatu. Kelkatu, bila mendapat nikmat(sayap) ,
dia
akan cuba melawan api. Begitu juga manusia, bila mendapat nikmat, cuba
hendak melawan Allah swt.

Buktinya, Firaun. Nikmatnya tak terkira, tidak pernah sakit, bersin pun
tidak pernah kerana Allah berikannya nikmat kesihatan. Orang lain
selalu
sakit, tapi Firaun tidak, orang lain mati, namun dia masih belum
mati-mati
juga, sampai rasa angkuh dan besar diri lantas mengaku dirinya tuhan.
Tapi
dengan nikmat itulah Allah binasakan dia.

Namrud, yang cuba membakar Nabi Ibrahim. Betapa besar pangkat Namrud?
Dia
begitu sombong dengan Allah, akhirnya menemui ajalnya hanya disebabkan
seekor nyamuk masuk ke dalam lubang hidungnya.

Tidak ada manusia hari ini sekaya Qarun. Anak kunci gudang hartanya
sahaja
kena dibawa oleh 40 ekor unta. Akhirnya dia ditenggelamkan bersama-sama
hartanya sekali akibat terlalu takbur. Jadi kalau kita kaya, jangan
sangka
Allah sayang, Qarun lagi kaya, akhirnya binasa juga.

Jadi, jika kita kaji dan fikir betul-betul, maka terjawablah segala
keraguan yang mengganggu fikiran kita. Mengapa orang kafir kaya, dan
orang
yang berbuat maksiat hidup senang /mewah.

Pemberian yang diberikan oleh Allah pada mereka bukanlah yang
diredhaiNya.
Rupa-rupanya ianya adalah bertujuan untuk menghancurkannya. Untuk apa
hidup
ini tanpa keredhaanNya? Tetapi jangan pula ada orang kaya beribadat,
masuk
masjid dengan kereta mewah kita katakan itu istidraj.

Orang naik pangkat, istidraj. Orang-orang besar, istidraj. Jangan!
Orang
yang mengunakan nikmatnya untuk kebajikan untuk mengabdi kepada Allah
bukan
istidraj. Dan jangan pula kita tidak mahu kekayaan. Kalau hendak
selamat,
hidup kita mesti ada pegangan.

Bukan kaya yang kita cari, juga bukan miskin yang kita cari. Tujuan
hidup
kita adalah mencari keredaan Allah. Bagaimana cara untuk menentukan
nikmat
yang diredhai Allah? Seseorang itu dapat menyedari hakikat yang
sebenarnya
tentang nikmat yang diterimanya itu ialah apabila dia bersyukur
nikmatnya.

Dia akan mengunakan pemberian ke jalan kebaikan dan sentiasa redha dan
ikhlas mengabdikan diri kepada Allah. Maka segala limpah kurnia yang
diperolehi itu adalah nikmat pemberian yang diredhai Allah. Bila tujuan
hidup kita untuk mencari keredhaan Allah, niscaya selamatlah kita di
dunia
dan akhirat.

Wallahualam.

"Dari Abdullah bin ' Amr R. A, Rasulullah S. A. W bersabda:

" Sampaikanlah pesanku biarpun satu ayat.."