The Curse, Catch Me If You Can and Step By Wicked Step

Hi,
As today is our last meeting for this semester, i would like you to look at the 3 novels prescribed for form 5 students. Please compare and contrast the values of these 3 novels.

Youth and Old Age in Dylan Thomas' Fern Hill

Dylan Thomas shared with us his childhood days in Fern Hill.
How does he describe his childhood
and why does he end the poem with the following lines?

And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

Among School Children by William Butler Yeats

Among School Children by William Butler Yeats has once been prescribed
as one of the poems in Literature in English Programme.
Imagine, those 17 year old kids have to study this poem for their SPM examination.
I'm sure as you are older and more experience than those kids,
you would have better insights into this poem.
Please write here in this space your thoughts on Among School Children.

Sonnet 2, Sonnet 116 and Sonnet 30 by William Shakespeare

We studied 3 sonnets by William Shakespeare this semester.
To understand Shakespeare's sonnets requires several close readings
as the imageries used are quite challenging especially for ESL learners.
I would like you to share with me your understanding of these 3 sonnets.
Which of these sonnets closely portray your idea of love?

Among School Children among us, the ESL learners

Among School Children by William Butler Yeats has once been prescribed as one of the poems in Literature in English Programme. Imagine, those 17 year old kids have to study this poem for their SPM examination. I'm sure as you are older and more experience than those kids, you would have better insights into this poem. Please write here in this space your thoughts on Among School Children.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Evaluation for the course is not 100% based on the final performance.
What did most of you do in the language lab?
Update status on your fb?
Sorry I didn't award any points for updating status in fb!
I really hope that you would focus on the learning experiences rather than banging on the quarrels.
I so wanted everyone to soar way up in the sky. But, I guess you are more interested in soaring way up elsewhere.
Apologies. You are so very much still in my B.Ed TESL world!!!!
WAKE UP!!!!!!
I think I'm just wasting my time.

I know The River by Valerie Bloom

Hi,

I'm not sure whether I would have any students for this course this semester. Since first face to face is in second week of February, i have to plan earlier for you people. Read carefully the instructions.

This semester in LHE 3211, we are going to look at all the texts prescribed for Literature Component in English Language syllabus.
Please remember in this class we are going to plan activities for secondary school students from various levels of English language proficiency.

Before you plan for classroom activities you need to understand the text from A to Z and beyond. The first text we are going to read, understand, and love is one of the poems prescribed for form 1 students - The River by Valerie Bloom.

You should have no problem in understanding this poem. I forbid you from looking at what other netizens have said about The River. If you discover the meaning of the river through your own interactions with the text, you will be able to plan for many interesting classroom activities - activities that will work in real classroom environment.

2 things I want you to do here.
i) share with us your discovery of The River.
(do you experience difficulties in understanding this poem? if you do then i fear for those
students in form 1)
ii) please commune with nature - to the rivers- and bring along your phones, digital cameras or
whatever relevant gadgets-
Take as many pictures of the rivers and post it along your analysis.

I know The River by Valerie Bloom

TESL 6, I officially announce that your vacation is over.
I am going to start semester 2 2011 very much earlier.
This semester in LHE 3211, we are going to look at all the texts prescribed for Literature Component in English Language syllabus.
Please remember in this class we are going to plan activities for secondary school students from various levels of English language proficiency.

Before you plan for classroom activities you need to understand the text from A to Z and beyond. The first text we are going to read, understand, and love is one of the poems prescribed for form 1 students - The River by Valerie Bloom.

You should have no problem in understanding this poem. I forbid you from looking at what other netizens have said about The River. If you discover the meaning of the river through your own interactions with the text, you will be able to plan for many interesting classroom activities - activities that will work in real classroom environment.

2 things I want you to do here.
i) share with us your discovery of The River.
(do you experience difficulties in understanding this poem? if you do then i fear for all those
students in form 1)
ii) please commune with nature - to the rivers- and bring along your phones, digital cameras or
whatever relevant gadgets-
Take as many pictures of the rivers and post it along your analysis.

Due date for this entry: 26 February 2012

Modern Theories of Performance

"Modern Theories of Performance" in pdf format can be downloaded at this link temporarily.

The file size is approximately 60MB. The download process will take some times.


How to download the file?

1. Move your mouse pointer to "Download PDF file"
2. Click on your right mouse button and select "save file as" into your laptop.

Download PDF file

TESL Rockers Rock the Nights: 9 and 10 December 2011

Hi Rockers,

I am so proud of you people. You people smashed the rocks on both nights. I usually would be sitting back with evaluation sheets and pen but on those 2 nights I just want to absorb the emotions reverberating on stage and all around the hall. I laughed, i cried and there were times when the emotions were just too much. Rockers, thank you for the unforgettable semester. I LOVE you.

Augosta Boal and His Ideas

There are just too many theater theorists whom we met this semester. Many of their ideas ,if we looked closely, are valuable for ESL classroom.
In this space I would like you to look at Boal's ideas on theater. What are his ideas and do you think these ideas are different from the ideas of other theater theorists? Which of his ideas in your opinion is beneficial for students, teacher trainees and teachers of ESL?

A Note for Matin: I had been hungry, all the Years -

Is it wrong to want more in life?
Should we be satisfied with what we have and
Should we be contented with the situation we are in at present?
What does Emily say about her unsatiated hunger in " I had been hungry, all the Years -"

A Note for Matin: Byzantium, Yeat's Utopia.

Today, we traveled from Serdang to Byzantium. And from Byzantium, we flew off to Iran, Europe, States and back to Serdang. The road to Byzantium was a choppy, arduous one and there were colossal walls we had to climb over. But once we reached the other side, the experience was awe inspiring. We get to discover William Butler Yeat's Sailing to Byzantium. Alas, Matin one special request, could you share this journey with the rest of people who are trying to crack the code of Yeat's Byzantium.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Microteaching

Here is the list of topics for micro teaching. Try to get it off your shoulder before the final. If you can't, you have the month of October to complete whatever required assignment.

Bil Name Topics
1 Nurida Binti Che Mahmood Sonnet 64
2 Kwan Wei Kuen Sonnet 55
3 Sivasanghari a/p Nadarajan Sir Patrick Spens
4 Norul Faraliza Binti Abdul Ghani Bright Star
5 Saria Binti Limpot To Autumn
6 Hema Latha a/p Narayanasamy Ode to Nightingale
7 Barisha a/p Ootharakumaran Ode on Grecian Urn
8 Mogana a/p Gunasekaram My Last Duchess
9 Puteri Marina Binti Mostafa Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister
10 Baby Teh Ling Chee The Tyger
11 Chua Wei Ting Negro
12 Girija a/p Ramdas Chicago
13 Gan Siaw Fui Wild Swan at Coole
14 Kumaran a/l Balasundram Sailing to Byzantium
15 Nur Hafiza Binti Hasan Mending Wall
16 Tan Kai Lynn Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
17 Premitha a/p Mohan Desert Places
18 Sia Nga Yea Anthem for Doomed Youth
19 Yong Mei Shis Dover Beach
20 Zizie Ardina Lim Abdullah Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night
21 Yap Geok Peng The Man He Killed
22 Thayamal a/p M. Raman Because He Could Not Stop For Death

Racing for 10.10.2011

Hello,

Winter came down on me from middle May to last weekend. Like any other creatures of winter I had burrowed deep into a world of my own making. Promises and plans were left at the entrance of this world and thus my silence since May.
Last weekend I scrambled into the real world trying to make up for the lost days. Friends here is the list of topics for assignment 2 on micro teaching.


Name /Topic
Tham Yee Khin /WH narrators
Karpakam a/p Ratinavelu /WH plot
Huh Lai Yee /WH characters and traits
Lim Shin Yee /WH setting
Wan Azira Binti Abdul Jalil /WH imagery (weather and seasons)
Mohd Ridzuan Bin Ismail /WH imagery dreams and supernaturals
Hasliza Ayu Ismail /WH theme of love
Chooi Wing Lock /WH theme of revenge
Deeba Malar a/p Noriraju /WH theme of death
Mohd Rohaizad B. Mohd Raduan /TA imagery sea
Mohamad Norhafizi B. Abu Talip /TA imagery colors
Tan Hui Chean /TA theme of awakening

* WH refers to Wuthering Heights
TA refers to The Awakening