1st Annual ASEAN English Language Teaching Conference - Melaka 2018

It was my good kismet, I got to participate in the 1st Annual ASEAN English Language Teaching Conference- Maxamizing the Potential in ASEAN Diversities Through English. It occurred on the 15 -17 March, 2018. Melaka was the host site of the inauguratory event, it plans to rotate every year through all the ASEAN countries. Next year, it heads to Palembang. The event's main sponsors were University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Universitas Islam Negri (UIN), and the US Embassy KL.

This conference can trace its roots from an event last year in Jakarta. UIN, UPM, and US Embassy Jakarta sponsored the Indonesian Malaysian English Language Teaching conference. It was aptly named, "Breaking Boarders, Enriching the ELT Experience." The event took a regional approach to teaching English. It was the Geist of this event that birthed the ASEAN ELT Conference. You can check out the blog for reference ( click here IMELT blog ) Side-note:  I ran into my fellow musketeers, Ma Vin and Ikhsanudin, in Jakarta and Melaka.

Glen Richards and US Ambassador Kamala Lakhdhir were the keynote speakers. A brief summary of their talks. Mr Richards took the audience through the last 40 years of English Teaching to the present day importance of core dimensions of teacher development, language proficiency, applications of pedagogic content knowledge, content knowledge, repertoire of teaching skills, expert teachers, conceptions of teaching, cultures of learning, developing one's sense of identity as a language teacher, and developing Learner Focus Teaching. He was a eloquent and succinct.

The US ambassador is originally from Brooklyn, NY and she began with background information about her career. She is a former English teacher herself, having taught in China and other places. She had been assigned to the Middle East and other Asian countries before coming to Malaysia. She spoke about an inspiring Malaysian Educator who is the top Polar research scientist in the country, Dr Siti Aisyah Alias. She concluded he talk telling us more or less, her impact as an ambassador is less and more short-lived than our long lasting and potentially life changing impacts we have as educators. It was a powerful message, given the source.

My co-presenter for the session was Maddam Farah, we were teammates previously in Langkawi and Sabah. Our presentation was a fast and furious hands-on session, the Giddy Game-Based Learning Lab. We had a 55 minutes session with about 75 minutes with material, lol. We met the afternoon of the presentation for the final huddle and we hatcheted excess material. We started our session early and ran a wee bit late. We were pleasantly surprised to have a packed room by the end of the presentation, standing room only. We began our session with a pre-toon, that  projected only green due to a weak bulb in the projector, and brief introductions of ourselves. Madam Farah set the parameters for the session by explaining the differences between gamification and game-based learning. Next, I led a quick review and discussion on the benefits of game-based learning.

Since the theory portion of our presentation was over, it was time to roll up the sleeves and get busy. We split into 2 groups. Madam Farah facilitated one group (G1) and I facilitated the other one (G2). G1 had fun making and playing parts of speech cootie catchers. G2 had trail run with the Past Progressive Freeze Game. Like a healthy classroom, the conference room was buzzing with the hum of activity and participants milling about with interactions. The second round included G1 playing a Grammar Game on Contractions and Possessives (Their, They're, Its, It's, Your, You're). Participants were intrinsically motivated by the gamification technique of giving Apostrophe Badges as a reward. G2 was engaged with a Living Sentence task.

The clock was ticking, so we divided into 4 groups a played a round of digital version of Grammar Jeopardy. Even though are participants hailed from different parts of ASEAN countries, apparently Jeopardy was not a popular show and this was their exposure to the format of the game. Like any good designed game, it has all the mechanisms to elicit participation and competition, with low/no stakes for failure. The group quickly learned to give their answers in a form of a question, as per Alex Trebek's rules. The group found a useful tool for making grammar more fun and less dry in Jeopardy.

With the buzzer about to sound, we went into hyper-speed mode. I briefly recommended a few cool apps they can use in the classroom, or more importantly share with their learners who can use it outside of the classroom. Madam Farah wowed the participants with a demonstration of of Plickers. Time was up, we officially dismissed the participants with a positive firsthand experience to use digital and non-digital games in the classroom. All the resources presented were accessible via Google.Drive to the participants. The dynamic duo had left a mark that would travel back with the participants to various classrooms throughout the AESAN region. See you in Palembang 2019!

The 3 Musketeers

Intan and AB representing

38th Thai TESOL Conference in Chiang Mai-2018

I'll begin with a massive acknowledgement of appreciation to the Regional Language Officer (RELO) who supported my presentation at the 38th Thai TESOL Conference. The conference's theme was Digital Literacy In English Language Learning And Teaching. The event was held on January 26 -27, at the Empress Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It was co-sponsored by US Embassy Bangkok, British Council, Australian Department of Education, and New Zealand Education. There were educators from all over Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and North America. It was also teeming with all the dynamic English Language Fellows who are sponsored by the US State Dept. and are spread throughout Southeast Asia.

I had a 45 minute session on Thursday, January 26, at 11:20 - 12:05 in Chiang Mai Room 4. My session was titled Blends and Trends in the 21st Century Classroom. The fact of the matter was, I had prepared for a 60 minutes session. It required some creative Edward Scissors Hands type cutting of content and a Speed Racer approach of delivery. It was attended by over 50 educators from multiple countries. A Toon was played in the beginning to highlight  the workshop's agenda. Next, I gave a brief introduction of myself as a teacher, but I emphazied my preferred terminology: Educational Rockstar. Moreover, I impressed this notion upon all the participants, they are Educational Rockstars too.

With the mood set, we posed the first question. What is the most important thing in the 21st Century Classroom? The participants discussed with each other and came up with some brilliant answers, then we converged on the unanimous decision the teacher is the most important feature of the 21st Classroom. Then we collectively compared the 20th vs 21st Centuries classrooms. We concluded this segment with a 2 minute video on the Role of the Teacher in 21st Century Classroom.

Afterwards, we dived into the Blends segment of the presentation. It was an opportunity to showcase some of the potent and practical free English Language resources offered by the US Dept. of State. The deal gets sweeter, because they are all free and easily accessible. Our first task was to look at Voice of America- Learning English website in the Photo of the Day section (VOA-Learning English Photo of the Day ). We sampled a few photos to demonstrate a Visual Literacy task. Subsequently, a professor from Tokyo was roused by the task and he planned to take it back to his University classroom in Japan as a lead-in activity.

Go, Go Speed Racer! As we shifted into higher gear, I highlighted the American English Youtube Channel. We took a few minutes to pour over the digram and catalog of resources for teachers and students available. The advantage of the AE Youtube channel is it well organized and it's not overloaded with resources. It is navigable and applicable for blending your classroom or doing some professional development in the English language teaching skills. Most of the participants got on their smartphones and went to the AE Youtube channel to experience it firsthand, by my prompting. It was time to put the resource in action.

The selected 2 minutes long video was from one of my fave series on AE, Grammar Andy. It is an animated instructional English grammar video with 11 episodes. Grammar Andy is ideal for blending in or out of the classroom. These short videos can be used as instructional or review tools. We watched Grammar Andy: The Past Progressive together (Grammar Andy: The Past Progressive ). It was meant as review tool to prep for our Past Progressive Freeze Game. The crowd split into 2 groups as they took turns acting out scenes, while the other group's back is turn. When I yell,"Freeze!" Group 1 stops mid-motion and group 2 turns around to ask questions in the past progressive what they were doing. It had all the elements of good game, the target language and grammar was applied with laughter, smiles, and excitement.

Oh no Speed Racer, we have about 12 minutes left. It was time to shift into high gear and show some Trends. Digital Books were introduced as way to gap the digital divide with younger generation of learners and still promote literacy skills. The group viewed  My Fin is Fine (PT My Fin is Fine ) as a sample of applying synthetic phonics in a digital story format for the mobile generation. FrogAsia's E-bahan files were noted. Next, I discussed the world of online teaching and my experience with VIPKID, Uber like teaching platform. Time was running out, there was a break before the next session. I concluded with reminding them, they are Educational Rockstar. The session was dismissed on time, but the majority hung back as we watched the emotional 3 minute video on the importance of the teacher to solidify the main premise, the teacher (aka Educational Rockstar) remains the most important feature of the 21st Century classroom.

Briana's session

American English Live: Teacher Development Series

There is still time to signup for free teacher's professional development online. The series has already started, there are 6 sessions. The second session is on Wednesday. If you attend 4 out of 6 sessions you are eligible for a certificate. Follow the link to register.



clink link to register!

Access School Teacher Training 2.0 - Sabah

Access School Teacher Training 2.0 was sponsored by the US Embassy KL (thanks Intan) as a follow up to an Access School Teacher Training that occurred about 3 months earlier in Langkawi. It was organized byYanti, Hasilah, Rafek, and Iza Bakhtair of SMA Rompin. Currently they are the sole providers of an Access School in Malaysia. They have recently started with a new batch of students after successfully concluding the 2 year program with a different set of students. The goal was to inspire a select group of remarkable teachers to considering hosting an Access School in their states. Professional Development was an inevitable benefit of the training.

The site of the venue was a remote resort located on the coast outside of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The environment was conducive to severing the on-site triggers of stress, promote team building and aide in thoughtful reflection. The trainers were: Alice, Madam Farah, Rose, Sirhajwan and AB. Every participant was a presenter of their own personal progress report of developments since the Langkawi training. The kindles this group generated here are going to spark educational forest fires throughout Malaysia and beyond. Not to mention that this event quickly turned into an educational Lollapalooza of Educational Rockstars.

Let's get down the nitty-gritty of the training. 


Alice presented an outstanding and groundwork laying session on:
1. Review of Phase 1 of Access Teacher Training in Langkawi

Madam Farah presented 3 excellently engaging sessions on:
1. The Word Whisperer’s Spell
2. Dazzlingly Digital Literacy Works (Part 1)
3. Mini Projects to Boost Language Arts 

Rose presented some fab sessions on:
1. American English Pronunciation 
2. Helping Students Enjoy Reading
3. Speaking Activities to Get Students Talking 

Sirhajawan presented some awesome sessions on:
1. Motivational Talk 
2. The Reinvention of Literacy

AB presented some amazeballs sessions on:
1. American English- Your One-stop Shop For Resources & Training 
2. Dazzlingly Digital Literacy Works (Part 2)
3. Knock Knock! Who’s There? Humour In The Classroom 

One of the highlights of Sabah 2.0 was each Educational Rockstar (participant) did a 15 minute presentation on How's It Going? They shared what skills they applied from Langkawi into their classrooms, including any adaptions to fit their specific needs. Not only did they give a progress report, they shared some of their experiences and aspirations since the Langkawi catalyst. Everyone was up to amazing things. A brief sample, Pravin and Shahida won a highly competitive (only 5 granted nationally)  YTL digital initiative grant. 

In keeping with the Access School's community service spirit, Team Rompin organised an English activity with a local orphanage. The youngsters were mixed boys and girls and ranged from 7 -15 years in age. Luckily the children humored us with their participation in our group rendition of BabyShark Dance (DooDooDoo). Afterwards all the Educational Rockstars worked their finesse on small groups students doing various fun level appropriate English activities. As with any grassroots community project, there is a synergy. We were rewarded with 2 performances by students. The farewell got a bit emotional on sides. 

All in all, Ralph Waldo Emerson summed it the best, 
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no pathand leave a trail."

AE Webinar Series 7 Concludes

The awesome gang of educators completed American English Webinar on the evening 15/11. Class started at 9 pm, an hour later than normal to adjust for time change in Washington D.C. A humongous thanks to USEKL, UniTAR KB, Intan, Tn Hj Ramlan Awang, Aswari and the Teachers. It was through cooperation and mutuality mindsets at all levels that made the programme a success.

The final episode was based on Business English. It was an interesting topic and focused mostly on the importance of cultural awareness in teaching business people English. Unfortunately, we had some technical difficulties with the visuals till about midway; however, the audio was fine throughout the webinar. This particular webinar (7.6) was less applicable to the classrooms in Kelantan than previous ones.

Based on feedback of the group, the most popular webinars in AE Series 7 were:

To correct or not correct? Ideas for Subtle Correction During Speaking Tasks
Wednesday, September 20, 2017

click here to view

Empowering Your Students with Media Literacy
Wednesday, October 4, 2017

click here to view
Nonetheless, we had another batch of certificate accomplishers this round. Fantastic job squad!