Sunday Pictorial Reflection

I know all these are valuable but you must also think of the boat, the oar, the assistants,.....Otherwise we may all end up at the bottom of the sea.

Confusing confusion

I like the way Charles Dicken wrote the first sentence of his famous novel  A Tale of Two Cities. He was describing the dual nature prevalent in France before the French Revolution in the 18th century. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going to direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way . . ."

Though the background of the above story is now a well known lesson in history, I somehow, inevitably, feel that there are many parallels, in the events that occur around us whether directly or indirectly involving us. Everyday we are exposed to barrage of news, happenings, promises, rhetorics,... that can easily be fluctuating between belief and disbelief like a pendulum that swings non-stop so much so that at the end of the day scepticism takes over and we are left confused, unable to make a clear conclusion for the day.

At a more personal level, the person who character assasinates you, insults you, uses all kinds of strong words to make sure these words will still appear clear and loud to haunt you in your dream may afterall not be the one who really hates you. The very words or concepts you use and share with others may be used, and in most cases, inappropriately and incorrectly, to hit back at you. You are left with a dilemna, not sure whether to laugh or to cry. On a more positive note there is someone who pays attention to your lesson and try to apply the theory that you hope to share. On the other hand that application comes back to you like a ball that bounces of the wall and hit your nose. At times your kindness and intention can be so twisted and distorted, and you are even unsure any more whether it is intentional or unintentional, due to hatred or love, maturity or foolishness.......

At another level, the power-that-be who once appreciated your talent may now finds that same virtue threatening and uncomforting. People who likes to remind others to keep up with new skills and knowledge may be looked upon with suspicion and controlled with care so as not to threaten the doldrum nature of the harmonious ignorance. To many, truth hurts, so why bother to listen to it after all due to some skewed nature of situations these may not be important to certain advancement . Why not listen to more sweet music rather than the annoying siren of warning? Why the trouble to look at the macro when the micro can win you fame and honour with much less efforts?

Friends who admire you, support you, cooperate with you may not really understand what you are actually doing. Nice words may please you but may ring hollow when it comes to a real test. People who understands you may not actually understand you. People who frequently misunderstands you, doubts you and query you may afterall understand you better.  You may grumble and think that you should not bear the burden of inefficiency and unnecessary red tapes but you continue to break your back with the loads. You may like to share ideas but at the same time dislike the idea of acting like a  clown infront of a crowd whose only intention is to be entertained, just that.

So, in this state of confusion and ever swinging pendulum of mood, recalling the beautiful yet tragic story told by Charles Dicken, I wrote this confusing article to at least entertain myself.

Bengkel Pengajaran Sains, 30-6-2012, UKM (2)

Sering kita dapati pelbagai seruan, cogan kata, panggilan, desakan,.... yang berhenti pada situ sahaja, iaitu pada bunyi sahaja. Oleh itu, 'Science is Fun' tidak harus menjadi satu tambahan kepada kategori di atas. 'Science is Fun' harus menjadi satu usaha, satu amalan, satu misi dan satu tindakan profesional yang berterusan. Untuk tujuan itu, perlu kita takrifkan apa itu 'fun'. Mengikut Wiktionary, Fun - Enjoyable, amusing....; Fun - amusement, enjoyment or pleasure..... Kata-kata kunci yang boleh dikaitkan dengan 'Fun' ialah keseronokan, ketawa, gembira, mudah, jenaka, terlibat, buat, faham,....
Tidak dinafikan bahawa mengajar sains bukan sesuatu yang mudah. (Teaching of science is an intellectually rigorous job.) Belajar sains lagi mencabar. (Learning is even tougher.). Antara cabaran guru sains ialah menjadikan sesi pengajaran sains itu menarik dan juga berkesan. Kita tidak boleh menganggap korelasi positif yang automatik antara menarik dan berkesan. Sesuatu sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran boleh menarik tetapi tidak berkesan. Tiada satu kaedah adalah sesuai untuk semua keadaan.Terdapat banyak pemboleh ubah yang perlu diambil kira dalam melaksanakan sesi pengajaran dan pembelajaran. Antaranya ialah faktor sosio budaya, keadaan fizikal, kemampuan intelek murid-murid, kedudukan geografi dan trend atau fesyen terkini.
Kalau hendak menjadikan sains itu seronok, kita mesti boleh mengaitkan unsur-unsur keseronokan dengan sains. Ahli psikologi menggunakan istilah 'priming' untuk menerangkan  kesan implisit pada ingatan di mana sesuatu pendedahan kepada suatu rangsangan mempengaruhi respons kepada satu rangsangan yang lain kemudian. Jika kita menggunakan satu rangsangan yang menarik seperti gambar, kartun, cerita untuk mengaitkan sesuatu konsep sains yang diajar, pembelajaran sains akan menjadi lebih kontekstual dan bermakna. Penggunaan kartun yang sesuai dapat membantu dalam banyak aspek pengajaran sains, antaranya termasuk memudahkan murid-murid untuk melihat (visualise), melibat (engage), berimaginasi, berfikir, berkomunikasi dan berkreatif. Peranan kartun dalam mengkontekstualkan konsep sains untuk memudahkan (simplify), menarik minat (arouse interest), mengkonsepsikan  dan beresonans amat penting dalam usaha untuk memupuk pengajaran yang kreatif dan efektif. Setiap orang guru harus ingat bahawa minat murid menjadi penentu yang penting dalam keberkesanan sesuatu sesi pembelajaran.

Bengkel Pengajaran Sains, 30-6-2012, UKM (3)

Kartun mempunyai banyak potensi untuk digunakan sebagai medium komunikasi idea dan konsep sains. Seorang guru seharusnya menerima realiti bahawa bukan semua murid pada asalnya minat atau cenderung kepada mata pelajaran sains. Malahan yang sebaliknya sering berlaku. Ramai murid yang fobia tentang sains. Mengapa? Barangkali soalan ini boleh menjadi satu aspek kajian ilmiah yang baik tetapi bukan fokus perbincangan saya di sini. Seorang guru sains yang berkomited untuk membantu murid-murid suka, minat dan ingin belajar sains perlu mengambil langkah dan usaha yang lebih daripada rutin. Sebagai contoh, adalah mudah untuk menerangkan kepentingan mengadakan kepiawaian unit dalam pengukuran dalam definisi saintifik. Tetapi, berapakah orang murid boleh faham? Sesi p&p atau p titik? (Maksud: P&p - pengajaran dan pembelajaran. P. - pengajaran sahaja, pembelajaran tak pasti.) Walau pun p&p atau p titik tetap menerima gaji yang sama. Tetapi kita sering dengar 'Teaching is a commitment, a calling and much depends on one's conscience.' Apa kata jika kita cerita tentang kelemahan sistem di mana kepiawaian unit bergantungan kepada ukuran yang berasaskan tubuh badan raja? Apa akan terjadi jika anak yang kecil mengambil alih tempat menjadi raja? Lukisan raja lama dan raja baru serta perbandingan ukuran panjang yang jelas dapat memudahkan kefahaman keperluan kepiawaian unit pengukuran di samping lebih menyeronokkan.
Dalam menerangkan daya yang boleh mengubahkan bentuk, menukar arah, menggerakkan atau memberhentikan sesuatu objek, mengapa tidak boleh menggantikan perkataaan 'objek' yang begitu umum dengan sesuatu yang murid-murid lebih biasa dengan? Cuba anda gantikan perkataan 'objek' dengan 'roti canai', 'teh tarik' atau 'peha ayam' dan perhatikan emosi murid-murid khasnya sewaktu sebelum rehat atau pada waktu akhir. Jangan salah faham, gambaran seperti ini hanya merupakan satu 'kenderaan' untuk destinasi kefahaman konsep. Apabila konsep difahami, secara umum, perkataan 'objek' akan digunakan semula dalam takrifan.
Sila baca artikel-artikel lain yang saya tulis lebih awal lagi. Antaranya:
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/ilustrasi.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/relativity.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/belajar-purata.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/kapal-selam.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/dikejar-oleh-dinosaur.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/locus.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/et.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/04/bijak_27.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/many-students-face-problem-of.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/hukum-newton-ke-3-newtons-third-law.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/illustration-and-teaching-1.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/illustration-and-teaching-2.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/kecekapan.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/illustration-and-teaching-4.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/05/science-around-us-6.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/06/illustration-and-teaching-5.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/06/illustration-and-teaching-6.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2008/11/blame-it-on-newton.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2010/11/kreativiti-dan-inovasi-dalam-p-4.html
http://thinkingallowed1.blogspot.com/2010/12/chalk-n-talk.html

Bengkel Pengajaran Sains, 30-6-2012, UKM (1)

Saya dijemput untuk memberi ceramah bertajuk 'Teaching Science Through Cartoon' sempena Bengkel Pengajaran Sains yang dianjurkan oleh Fakulti Pendidikan, UKM. Tema bengkel itu ialah 'Science is Fun'. Walau pun perjalanan dari Kluang, Johor ke UKM di Bangi boleh kata agak jauh dan bengkel ini diadakan pada hujung minggu yang ditunggu-tunggu untuk berehat selepas kesibukan kejohanan olahraga tahunan sekolah, namun demikian, atas prinsip perkongsian idea demi untuk 'merebak jangkitan minat dalam sains', satu seruan yang kuat dalam hati saya untuk melaksanakan tugas ini sebagai satu misi yang murni. Sekitar 90 orang peserta yang terdiri daripada pelajar ijazah sarjana dan guru-guru sains menghadiri bengkel ini. Turut serta bersama dalam slot saya ialah Prof. Dr Lilia Halim, Dekan Fakulti Pendidikan UKM dan Dr Zanaton Iksan, pensyarah fakulti tersebut. Kalau sistem pengredan digunakan untuk menilai penyertaan peserta bengkel, saya tidak teragak-agak memberi gred A kepada mereka. Ini adalah berasaskan respons and penglibatan mereka. Usaha mereka untuk melukis, memberi tepukan, ketawa, menanya, menjawab dan menumpukan perhatian pada waktu yang paling bermotivasi, iaitu 2:30 - 4:30 petang sungguh memotivasikan saya.
 
Mengapa saya menganggap jemputan ini sebagai satu peluang keemasan kerana tidak banyak organisasi sama ada kerajaan atau swasta mengambil inisiatif seperti ini walaupun kerajaan sering menegaskan kepentingan pendidikan sains dan membangkitkan masalah tentang kekurangan minat murid-murid dalam mata pelajaran sains. Saya juga menghargai usaha pihak UKM menjemput saya, seorang 'kecil' yang mengginap di sebuah bandar yang 'kecil' di satu tempat yang 'jauh'. Saya menghargai fakta bahawa orang dari jauh pun nampak saya walaupun orang-orang dekat...... Saya menghargai usaha Prof. Dr Lilia, dalam kesibukan beliau, meluangkan masa khas untuk mengikut ceramah saya. Semua ini kekal dalam kenangan manis apabila saya bangun pada pagi ini dan mendorong saya untuk menulis blog ini. Oleh kerana rakan-rakan peserta tidak sempat mendapat bahan ceramah saya, saya cuba memberi sedikit imbasan tentang kandungan ceramah saya dalam blog saya, dipecah kepada beberapa bahagian untuk memudahkan penulisan dan bacaan.

Please read: 'Raja Nazrin paints bleak picture of most schools'

The issue: Nothing new
The difference: Told by a VVIP
The result: More attention given
The hope: More positive actions
The future: More promising

Please read:
http://www.mmail.com.my/story/raja-nazrin-paints-bleak-picture-most-schools

Thank you Raja Dr Nazrin Shah.

Kelas2020

Baru habis baca berita tentang sekolah-sekolah menerima anugerah kerana peningkatan akademik dalam surat khabar Sunday Star (StarEducate, Sunday 20 May 2012, Page 2: Schools rewarded for academic progress). Seronok membaca sekolah-sekolah mencapai mencapai GPS kurang daripada 1.5 dalam SPM. Macam-macam program seperti kelas tambahan, latihan intensif, bengkel, 'Young Tutors Programme',..... Good students are chosen to lead and tutor weaker students....196 students sitting for SPM.....Excellent teachers setting worksheets..... Tahniah, tahniah dan tahniah. Pasti boleh dijadikan 'benchmark', pasti boleh dikongsi amalan terbaik dan patut dijadikan contoh untuk semua sekolah yang lain.
Cuma, kalau nama sekolah yang terlibat, iaitu termasuk SM Sains Rembau, Sekolah Seri Puteri, Kolej Tunku Kursiah, Sekolah Tun Fatimah......Saya rasa artikel itu tidak lengkap tanpa menjelaskan tentang jenis pelajar yang dipilih untuk belajar di sekolah-sekolah tersebut supaya sekolah-sekolah dengan 400 calon SPM yang datang daripada seluruh lapisan masyarakat tetap boleh rasa bangga walau pun tidak mencapai GPS kurang daripada 1.5 dan tidak menerima anugerah daripada VVIP. Yang penting tetap cuba sebaik yang mungkin untuk meningkatkan prestasi pelajar dan mengembangkan potensi mereka dengan sepenuhnya. Anugerahkan diri di kedai kopi dengan kopi kurang-kurang manis, roti gandum (lebih sihat untuk jantung) dengan kurang kaya (baik untuk kencing manis) jika mencapai GPS (Gred Pujuk Sendiri) kurang daripada 1.5 mengikut kiraan berikut:

GPS dalam SPM bahagi dengan GPS dalam UPSR, dengan mengambil skala kedua-dua GPS SPM dan UPSR 1 hingga 5 (boleh diformulakan dengan mudah jika perlu).

Sambil-sambil menulis artikel ini, minda terayau ke khayalan tentang kelas pada tahun 2020. Cepat-cepat menterjemahkan khayalan itu kepada lukisan untuk dikongsi sama. Lagipun, melukis 'Kelas 2020' lebih menyeronokkan daripada menulis perkara-perkara sebelum perenggan ini. Oleh kerana minda telah diganggu, bahagian berkenaan dengan bacaan siaran akhbar itu berhenti di situ sahaja. Lebih seronok saya membayangkan kelas pada tahun 2020 yang tidak perlu ada papan hitam atau putih; tidak perlu ada meja (banyak menjimat cas telefon, kertas, toner komputer dan petrol untuk membuat rayuan berulangan untuk mendapat bekalan meja); tak perlu beg atau buku. Tetapi, semua wajib ada iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab,.....dan banyak jenama yang akan muncul, yang peka kepada wifi, diisi dengan e-book, mudah untuk 'cloud-computing' dan tidak lupa, rantai untuk dikunci pada waktu rehat atau waktu PJK.

Robocop Experience

All it took was a wrong turn and the incorrect positioning of the pillow to result in a loud cracking sound. All the sudden I realised that my neck could not support the weight of my head. After a night enduring the excruciating pain, my wife drove me to the nearest specialist hospital to consult an orthopedic surgeon. On the way, I was practically propping up my head with both my hands to reduce the burden the neck had to bear. Every brake my wife pressed and at every turn of the road I was actually screaming from pain. (Since I have the privacy being in the own family car rather than in a public place, I took this opportunity to behave a little like a small boy. Where else do I have such an opportunity? Further more, screaming seemed to provide a soothing effect, at least psychologically.) However, holding one's own head can actually look funny. Try holding you head with both your hands and look into the mirror and I can tell you something--you can look quite foolish. At the hospital, after the X-ray was taken and while waiting for the doctor, I got to torture my neck without the hands support to avoid being laughed at just in case there were some unsympathetic people around. Luckily, as the doctor convinced and comforted me, it was due to neck muscle pull and not the bones and it should be alright after a painful jab on the neck, some pain killer and a few days of rest.
For the whole of the first day I was lying down more than at the vertical position and it was actually a good opportunity to catch up with my reading. It was sort of a record that I could cover nearly 80 pages of 'The Social Animal' by David Brooks. It was on the second day that the robocop feeling or experience came about. On this day I got tired of lying down so I sat and walked a lot, started using my computer and meeting some dear colleagues who were so kind to come to visit me. I may be wrong about the latest robocop technology but I got a feeling like one because though my neck recovered fast enough to support my neck it was still painful to turn or to nod (so I could not gesture yes or okay if someone happened to ask for certain affirmations). To look in a certain direction at eye level, I got to turn my whole body and to look down, I got to bend my knees. Of course an advance robot may be able to turn its neck, perhaps even at 360 degrees. My perception of robocops is those of the previous century. Whatever it is, with this experience I think I can contribute a little in case the Star Wars producer decides to shoot another episode of the film in Malaysia.
Today, the third day, I am almost back to normal, except that I got to go back to the hospital for follow-up checking and I am sure the doctor will give me a good report. With this experience, to look from the positive side, though I will have a rare entry in my service record booklet of 2 days of mc (medical certificate), I feel refresh after a much needed break that continues with a weekend, from my job in a 'pressure cooker'. More importantly, I got the comfort and nice feeling the genuine care and concern of friends and relatives.

Now Everyone Can Study

When I read the article 'Time to move on' by P. Gunasegaram, in Star BizWeek, Saturday 12 May 2012, I was actually seeing a lot of similarity between what he said about the Malaysian Airlines (MAS) and the teaching profession that I am directly involved in. I will highlight those parts mentioned by the author that is related to my field without the risk of quoting out of context. In that article, the author was commenting on the unwinding the so-called strategic share swap between MAS and AirAsia and the subsequent rebranding effort by MAS to prop up its sagging fortune after much time loss in the ill-hatched plan eight months ago. I hope the author is not exaggerating in mentioning that the rebranding of MAS is just about changing a two-colour vibrant on to a single colour with no discernible improvement in overall dynamics, an extravagance and distraction at a time when real effort should be concentrated on operational improvements. Furthermore, according to the author, it is only logical that rebranding comes after improvement, not before. Otherwise it will be rebranding of the same product which simply makes no sense.

In the field that I am involved in over a period of twenty over years, I see a lot of so-called new ideas, innovations, paradigm shifts, all kinds of high-sounding labels for selected schools, all kinds of awards, incentives (as well as punishments) in the name of improvement, paper works, perpetual keying-in of data, filing and endless rounds of evaluations and re-evaluations but always wonder how such branding or rebranding can improve when such exercises seldom touch on the factors of clear-cut operational improvements just as mentioned by Mr Gunasegaram about MAS. Perhaps he is not getting the whole picture and perhaps I am also not getting the whole picture. But when I see the crucial training for teachers as implementers in the newly minted school-based assessment for the secondary 1 being carried out in a rather haphazard manner 4 months after the system is supposed to be implemented (January) and the new system for the sixth form being implemented for the lower six students under a layer of thick haze, I tend to think of a strong parallel between our beloved golden airline system, MAS and my profession. Further more, the insular mode of some officers-in-charge who feel more irritated by queries rather than being helpful and proactive create further doubts about the actual state of preparedness at the implementation stage. Neither do many people volunteer to give opinion or criticism beyond coffee shop talks, perhaps to play safe. However, I hope and certainly like to see people irrespective of position and power to work together to give the best possible service. Just like MAS, an education system cannot effort to fail too many times. There are many people at the grassroots level who actually see the real things, beyond the glossy covered brochures or beautifully bound reports and can tell very good real-life stories if given the chance to do so without fear or favour.

So, rebranding is not just about dumping money, providing more physical facilities, more trips, more self-congratulatory banners or more flower pots and gold-rimmed skirting. It should be accompanied by higher competency, better leadership, better teaching skills and so on. It is not just about more checking, questionings, forms-filling, and similar activities. Simple logic tells us that just testing, evaluating or whatever form of squeezing without teaching do not make a person more learned or skillful. Neither is it logical by thinking that more checks and evaluations will make an organisation improve if the people who man the organisation simply do not have the skills and the wills to do so. Perhaps it just create more awareness only. In other words, to have improvements, we must have more trainings rather than just more checking and evaluating. Short-cuts like reducing student intake, selecting only high achievers, providing extra fund....may after all improve results but not necessarily increase the competency of the leaders or teachers to make lasting impact.

Coming back to airlines, I will prefer to emulate the philosophy of AirAsia : Now Everyone Can Fly. Faced with real challenge of putting ordinary folks in an airplane for their dream flight under various constraints and obstacles, yet to make profit, it is no wonder that AirAsia came out with various genuine innovations and succeeded under difficult conditions. In the school context it should be 'Now Everyone Can Study', at least in enough 'ordinary' schools. Certainly it is good news for parents whose children somehow or rather do not excel in their academic studies that there are still airplanes....oop....sorry....schools who are willing to accommodate them.

Do not get me wrong. I am genuinely concerned and interested in seeing and helping either directly or indirectly to improve the well-being of our education system and this article is written in  good faith. Please do not get angry. It is just 'Thinking Allowed' after all. Those with powerful English, please do not be too strict with my English unless you really do not understand what I write, in  which case, may not actually be my fault too. Those with power or authority, just do a bit of reflection which is better than getting angry--trust me.

The Chinese Bamboo

Yesterday my friend Paul Tham gave me a timely reminder. He said I have not been updating my blog since February 2012. I told him that the period from February till April was a busy one for me. Too many things to catch up since I came back to...... (Never mind for those who do not know what I mean by this.) Further more, I told him that during this time I have a lot of thoughts and feelings which I prefer not to put in words, just in case there are ‘vultures’ waiting with ever alert eyes for any wrong words I may use or any misinterpretations and misquotes to exploit. Within the same breath I also told him that I am still busy finishing my writing assignment (Physics books).

Looking back just a day later, on this auspicious Wesak day, I think what I mentioned yesterday was not totally or 100% true. I should have added one more reason which is probably even more convincing. That is, some elements of laziness have crept in. That is why, on this special day, I have to remind myself to write and there is no better way than to start off immediately because procrastination is another more dangerous disease.

Paulo Celho is one of my favourite authors and I have read few books of his like ‘The Alchemist’, ‘By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept’ and ‘Like the Flowing River’. These books certainly provide useful lessons on life, especially those concerning faith, spiritual renewal, love and courage. Recently I have just finished reading another very thought provoking book of his called ‘Aleph’ and I would like to share with you a story told in this book. It is about the Chinese bamboo. Paulo Celho shared with his readers an insight he received concerning the Chinese bamboo while skimming through a magazine in a hotel room one day. According to the article related by him, when the seed has been sown, we see nothing for about five years, apart from a tiny bamboo shoot. Actually all the growth takes place underground, where a complex root system reaching upward and outward takes place. However, at the end of the fifth year, the bamboo suddenly shoots up to a height of twenty-five metres.

I went through several websites to confirm this fact and got more inspired by more other facts I unearthed about the magic plant called the bamboo (not necessary the Chinese bamboo). I would like to share with you some of the sites:

1.) http://www.midatlanticbamboo.com/bamboo-info/bamboo-grow.htm

This site quotes the following:

Bamboo grows more rapidly than any other plant on the planet, It has been clocked surging skyward as fast as 47.6 inches (121 cm or 1.21 metre!) in a 24-hour period.

David Farrelly - The Book of Bamboo

This site also confirms the fact that it take many years for the underground root system to develop before the plant shoots up vertically at a tremendous rate.

2.) http://www.lewisbamboo.com/growth-chart.html

This interesting site charts the growth bamboo plants in two weeks.

Let us go back to the fact that it takes years for the bamboo plant to set up a complex root system. The root mass usually doubles in size each year to provide enough energy for the stem to increase in diameter and height. The energy that comes from the process whereby the leaves transpire water that the roots provide and in return the leaves convert sunlight into food and send it to the root system will be used for the growth of more leaves. Apart from being an energy storage system that enables rapid growth above the ground, the root system also provide a strong hold for the bamboo plant to the ground. Otherwise, with a height reaching twenty-five metres or more, a bamboo plant may not withstand the onslaught of strong wind.

Having read Paulo Celho’s writing and various websites concerning bamboo, I am tempted to relate these facts about the bamboo plants to us, human being. Isn’t it true that in whatever we do, the foundation is of utmost importance and that we need to spend years to increase our knowledge and improve our skills to lay solid ground work and foundation just as the complex root system of the bamboo plant before we can expect to ‘shoot-up’ in our career? So, the next time you think you can just put up a show, do some gimmicks, impress some ‘power that be’, do some superficial packaging without sufficient ground works, you better think twice. Some people may believe you but most of the majority will not. (However, to some, this is more than enough.) To end this article before my family members get irritated waiting for me to go for evening tea, let me quote the famous Phua Choo Kang: ‘Don’t play-play.’

Kelebihan Seorang Guru

Mungkin tiada profesion lain selain guru yang dapat menikmati kemewahan menerima kunjungan daripada orang-orang muda yang bukan saudara-mara semasa perayaan besar seperti Tahun Baru Cina. Anak-anak muda ini dapat memberi kita rangsangan pada ketika kita amat memerlukannya. Orang-orang muda ini yang nampak 'simple' sebenarnya bijak melihat keadaan. Mereka pandai mengambil hati, mereka prihatin, mereka sensitif, mereka mempunyai simpati dan empati. Mereka tahu ada masa mereka perlu ambil alih peranan untuk memotivasikan guru. Senyuman mereka tulin. Ada kala kita, orang dewasa, boleh belajar daripada mereka.
Bagi anak-anak murid yang tidak begitu muda (dalam 30+ dan awal 40), walau pun telah lama meninggalkan bangku sekolah dan sudah berjaya dalam profesion masing-masing, mereka tetap tidak lupa bersama-sama dengan 'Ah Sir' mereka, mendengar cerita guru lama mereka dengan penuh perhatian. Itulah antara kelebihan menjadi seorang guru. 
(Setelah beberapa bulan tidak menulis, saya cuba tulis artikel-artikel yang pendek sebagai 'warming-up'.)

Terima Kasih SMKTHO

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Another Sunday Reflection (23-10-2011)

It has been a challenging week. Certain unexpected events unnecessarily drained away my energy that otherwise could have been put into better use. Well this is part of my occupational risk and every leader is to expect some disturbances and obstacles some how or rather, sooner or later.
Yet when it came to weekend, it was again a happy occasion when the whole family could gather together to have a sumptuous dinner. The restaurant was crowded and as usual, I was reading while waiting for food to be served. (Sorry to my family members who preferred me to talk and listen rather than reading quietly.) It was at that moment while I was reading the article 'Practices that Distinguish High-Performing Leaders' by Joan Bragar (from the magazine 'Management-Voice of Leadership Issue Volume 46, No. 4) that I found some answers to my present predicament from that article. The main point of this Sunday reflection is not to highlight my challenges but to share with you some valuable points about leadership just in case you have not read this article.
This article highlights the results of a research by Forum Corporation, a workplace consultancy based in Boston. Forum's effort includes study into the undeniable fact of new and more diverse workforce, diminished institutional loyalties and less reverence for authority. (So true and relevant.) Faced with such challenges, managers around the world began to push authority downward and experiment with empowerment management. Forum undertook an extensive research in various stages and came out with a number of important conclusions that I would like to share with you. However, with my limited knowledge and ability, I may not be able to interpret the message intended by the author to readers with 100% accuracy. Hence, it will be good for those who are interested to read the actual article. (Those sentences in brackets are my personal comments.)

The findings:

• Without leadership, organisations falter in times of change. Strong leaders see clearly and act decisively in times of turbulence. Continually seeking information from all levels of the organisation and from outside sources is critical to building the confidence needed to overcome organisational paralysis.
• During periods of rapid change in technologies, markets and competitive conditions, progress depends on personal initiative and leadership skills throughout the organisation. A few lone individuals at the top cannot implement strategies successfully. (See that?)
• Position and titles bear no relationship to leadership performance. (So true and so relevant. The most unfortunate and dangerous scenario is that of high position but low leadership performance.)
• Leadership involves interdependence more than individualism. Leadership has less to do with individualism than the ability to build and maintain relationship across the organisation. (Gone are the days when leaders think they know best and know all. Unfortunately such mentality still exists in the modern world.)
• Leaders inspire others to take on leadership tasks. A leader is not simply someone who can win followers but more to that, a leader can show others that they themselves can lead, by giving them power and support to do so. (We have to acknowledge that this effort takes time. Only short-sighted and narrow-minded people think this can be done quickly, and make faulty decisions based on unilateral self-deceiving thoughts. Or, perhaps sometimes it is intentional or even a conspiracy?)
• Outstanding management skills are an essential component of leadership. Corporations do not move from stability to change in a clearly delineated junctures. In reality, conditions swing back and forth from day to day, even hour to hour. Coping with the pendulum of change does not mean parcelling out the "leadership" work for leaders and "management" work for managers. Instead, the leadership and management skills should be fostered within each individual.
• Leadership is contextual. Effective leadership is grounded in an extensive knowledge of the business environment, the company, the workgroup, culture and values. (To think that a certain success can be quickly and easily replicated in another organisation is just wishful thinking.)
• Leadership can be learned. It is not just a question of native talent. The skills of effective leadership can be acquired. (Hence, transferring of a weak leader to another organisation will not solve the problem of that organisation. It may result in the downfall of yet another organisation. Neither is transferring of a strong leader to that organisation a solution because the fact that 'leadership is contextual'. Moreover it will send a wrong signal that the good leader is being punished and this can further be complicated due to the complex social and cultural factors. A better solution is to provide an opportunity for the training of weak leaders either through training, mentoring and consultancy as supported by the Forum research. A more direct means will be to require the weak leader to acquire necessary skills and perform, after all he or she is paid to do the job well, nothing less than that. So, why tolerate people who continue to go up without increasing competency and try to circumvent the situation by other means that may result in lose-lose situations in whatever way we may look at---if we are genuine and sincere about it.)    
• Leadership training can improve participants' abilities. It is statistically proven that almost everyone can develop and improve his or her leadership skills through training. (In this context, it is wise to recruit people who can help out in the training and provide a multiplier effect than to assign that person to a very narrow confine. A leader who can see the forest other than just the trees will want to optimise the conditions for improvement of leaderships through trainings, unless of course, he or she has other unspoken agendas.)
• Leadership is not style, it is action. Forum's data indicate that the roots of effective leadership are more practical, and that leadership is based upon a set of observable behaviours. Whatever a person's personalty or character, they can improve as a leader simply by mastering these behaviours. These behaviours include the ability to interpret external and internal conditions; shaping, communicating and creating a positive picture of the future; mobilising and inspiring people.

 The most powerful conclusion of Forum's research is that leadership is not magic. (So, do not expect magic.) Although outstanding leadership can effect miraculous change, it is not itself mysterious, inborn quality. It is linked to learnable behaviours. (So, please do not look for short cut.) Selective recruitment is not the answer. (Neither is discriminative recruitment.) To link leadership development to corporate strategy, employees must be helped to overcome deep-seated patterns of thought and actions. They must learn more than tactical leadership skills. To be effective leaders, they must know where the group is headed, understand that they have control over its direction, and feel that the direction is consistent with their own belief systems.

(Despite my effort to be as close as what is actually written in the article, I am afraid I may not provide a very thorough picture intended by Joan Bragar, the author. So do read that article. However, I find this article very inspiring and soothing while I recuperate from two simultaneous stabs on my back, one from the top and another from the bottom. If you do not quite comprehend this part, I am afraid I cannot elaborate further. Otherwise it will not be just a stab or two but a deep slash with a parang. (' : ') Thank you.)
 

Kelestarian Kepimpinan Pengetua Cemerlang

Berikut ialah ringkasan ceramah bertajuk 'Kelestarian Kepimpinan Pengetua Cemerlang' oleh Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Dr. Wan Mohd Zahid bin Nordin pada 21 September 2011 di Institut Aminuddin Baki, Genting Highlands, sempena Persidangan Kebangsaan Pengurusan Pendidikan Pengetua Cemerlang Malaysia Kali Ke-4.

Yet another Sunday reflection

People who like books will frequent the book stores and comb the rows of racks. Occasionally we will find one or two good books. I got one that I liked two weeks ago but did not start reading until recently. This book with the title That Used To Be Us - What Went Wrong With America-And How It Can Come Back by Thomas L. Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum is an interesting book for those who like to keep themselves updated with the latest happening especially in the US which actually affects almost everybody in and out of the US. The content of the book is actually relevant to any country on the verge or even have fallen into the trap of complacency and self-deceiving good-feeling of greatness. As for this morning, I am just going to write a bit about the book because I have many more pages to go and I hope to be inspired to write more the next time. Let me start with three interesting quotes (all on the same page).
Under the title : Ignoring Our Problems, chapter two starts with the following two quotes:

• It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one most adaptable to change.-- Evolutionary theory
• We are going to do a terrible thing to you. We are going to deprive you of an enemy. -- Georgi Arbatov, Soviet expert on the US, speaking at the end of the Cold War.

In the first paragraph of the chapter we are reminded by Oscar Wilde's admonition : "In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it."
While the focus is on the US, the timely reminder of the book on being complacent, arrogant, immersed in self-delusion and refuse to acknowledge the strong undercurrent of advancing events may eventually bring about a lot of sufferings. Also, it is also stressed that competition is an important drive towards excellency, hence the advice from Oscar Wilde that while we are threatened by having to struggle to get something, we are equally threatened when if have already got that something...and be happy about it.....Full stop.

Another Sunday reflection

It has been a very busy week with many decisions to be made and  plenty of things to be carried out. However, it was a difficult week full of confusion and frustration triggered by jobs that needed to be done yet could not be started, actions needed to be taken yet could not be carried out despite all the correct procedures being followed. Amidst this feeling of helplessness probably due to personal nature of taking things too seriously and too critically, as well as being unable to think of a proper cause of this miserable predicament, I turned to page 21 of today's Sunday Star to read the article 'Risky venture for promoters'  by Mr Wong Chun Wai. Unexpectedly, some words in the article popped out like the special effect of  a 3-D film to help me to answer my mystery of the week. Not that these words can make me happier but at least I can laugh to myself sadly. These words can be found in the following partial sentences. I guess it is not too difficult to guess which are the words I meant. However, it is more difficult to know what the real issues are that prompted me to write this article. I know I am not being too clear cut but then after so much of exposure to things that are not too clear cut, how can I possibly not being infected?  I am not going to write about the issues here (thousand of apologies) but if you were to ask me personally, I may tell you. So where are the words? Patient, the two partial sentences are:

1. ......when..... get carried away in imposing their prejudices and jaundiced view of things.
2. Flip-flop moves, indecisiveness, fickle-mindedness and incompetency.....

Thank you Mr Wong Chun Wai for helping me to solve this puzzle of finding the correct description. I hope next week you will be able to provide me with some more appropriate words to describe the week that will start tomorrow.