What is SSAEM?
Sharing Stories on Asia-Pacific Education Movement is also known as SSAEM in short.
By gathering various stakeholders and the general public together, the conference aims to spread and maximize the impact of APTE by sharing experiences of all parties concerned,including the representatives of partner countries and coordinating institutes along with the participant teacher, schools and communities.
They also aim to enhance the effectiveness of the programme by strengthening common understandings and collaboration network among stakeholders and also to establish a sustainable and solid venue for teachers to continue capacity building for global citizenship education.
This year, teachers were invited to present in this conference. 28 teachers from all over Malaysia; 12 from KOMTEP 2014's batch, 10 from 2015's batch and 6 from 2016's batch; were given the chance to represent our country to present in the conference.
Only 6 teachers handed in their draft for the presentation. And from the 6, 2 were selected to represent Malaysia in the conference, even though we were told earlier that there is only 1 place offered by APCEIU-UNESCO, which will be fully funded by them.
I was overjoyed when I received an e-mail to notify me that I was selected to share my best practices in this international conference. Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity to share what I've done for the students and school from what I've learnt in Korea last year. :)
The Malaysian Delegation
The were 7 delegates from Malaysia all together. Each of us are from different positions and levels in the Malaysian education system.
Arrival and Welcoming Dinner
This time, we flew with Korean Air. :)
This journey was slightly longer than usual, 7 hours compared to 6 1/2 hours previously. Maybe it's because of the turbulence that was quite strong at times as we near South Korea. Nevertheless, we arrived safely at our destination.
We were lead by the agent to check in to Sheraton Seoul D-Cube City Hotel. I have been here before last year just before flying back to Malaysia after our final presentation. So, it's kinda familiar place to me. I really like their room and shower~
Alright! This is actually the highlight of this blog entry - what I've presented on stage~
1. Introducing myself to the audience.
4. Best practices that was successfully done in SJKC Keh Seng.
I began explaining about the 4 best practices that we have managed to do in SJKC Keh Seng.
First is of course the 10 minutes break which we manage to adjust accordingly to our situation to be implemented.
The second is about supplementing each class and science laboratory with smartTV and visualizer.
Third is about collaboration which is something encouraged in the 21st century learning and in line with the objectives of GCED. As I am teaching English, I did the pen-pal programme with Jangdo Elementary School in Incheon. This programme is really great to allow students to actually practice using the language in live situation. I have not only done this for my school, but also have been helping other teachers across Malaysia to be connected with the Korean teachers and students who are interested.
Fourth, is the setting. In Malaysia, we are using streaming where we group students according to their average marks for all subjects combined. Setting is where we group students according to grades per subject. We tested setting during the final month of extra class in school for UPSR (Elementary Year 6 national exam) students. We noticed that students can learn better and it is easier for the teacher to teach when we use setting.
5. Student's appreciation.
Last but not least, this is really meaningful to me because my students really thank me for what I have done for them this year. They were more aware of the education system and the world even just at their young age. They were more cooperative, enjoyed lessons more, are more positive and gained big improvement in their studies this year. Most importantly, they enjoyed schooling more than before and being empowered in the right attitude.
Sharing Stories on Asia-Pacific Education Movement is also known as SSAEM in short.
By gathering various stakeholders and the general public together, the conference aims to spread and maximize the impact of APTE by sharing experiences of all parties concerned,including the representatives of partner countries and coordinating institutes along with the participant teacher, schools and communities.
They also aim to enhance the effectiveness of the programme by strengthening common understandings and collaboration network among stakeholders and also to establish a sustainable and solid venue for teachers to continue capacity building for global citizenship education.
The Malaysian delegation to SSAEM Conference 2016 in South Korea
This year, teachers were invited to present in this conference. 28 teachers from all over Malaysia; 12 from KOMTEP 2014's batch, 10 from 2015's batch and 6 from 2016's batch; were given the chance to represent our country to present in the conference.
Only 6 teachers handed in their draft for the presentation. And from the 6, 2 were selected to represent Malaysia in the conference, even though we were told earlier that there is only 1 place offered by APCEIU-UNESCO, which will be fully funded by them.
I was overjoyed when I received an e-mail to notify me that I was selected to share my best practices in this international conference. Praise the Lord for this wonderful opportunity to share what I've done for the students and school from what I've learnt in Korea last year. :)
The Malaysian Delegation
The were 7 delegates from Malaysia all together. Each of us are from different positions and levels in the Malaysian education system.
The Malaysian delegation to SSAEM Conference 2016 in South Korea
1. Datuk P. Kamalanathan (Deputy Minister of Education 1)
2. Dato' Sulaiman bin Wak ( Director of Education Planning and Research Division (Penalist))
3. Dr Noor Zaila bt Abdul Wahab (Deputy Director of Teacher Education Division)
4. Ms Siti Mariam bt Sulaiman (Assistant Director Teacher Education Division)
5. Mr Sazali bin Mohd Karli (Principal of SM Pendidikan Khas Vokasional Shah Alam)
6. Mr Norhailmi bin Abdul Mutalib (KOMTEP 2015/ SMK Jerlun, Kedah)
7. Ms Pauline Foong (KOMTEP 2015/ SJKC Keh Seng, Melaka)
Datuk P. Kamalanathan, whom is our head of delegation this time was given the opportunity to give an opening speech as the main VIP in this conference.
Arrival and Welcoming Dinner
This time, we flew with Korean Air. :)
Inside Korean Air plane
This journey was slightly longer than usual, 7 hours compared to 6 1/2 hours previously. Maybe it's because of the turbulence that was quite strong at times as we near South Korea. Nevertheless, we arrived safely at our destination.
We were lead by the agent to check in to Sheraton Seoul D-Cube City Hotel. I have been here before last year just before flying back to Malaysia after our final presentation. So, it's kinda familiar place to me. I really like their room and shower~
View from the Lobby on 41st Floor
Room and shower
We then rested while waiting for other delegations from other countries that are part of this APTE Programme to arrive. They are from the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia and Vietnam. 3 delegates from Cambodia were invited too as they will be joining APTE in 2017.
In the evening,after everyone arrived, we had the welcoming dinner. Not the kind of 9 course meal but rather finger food. Welcoming speech was short and light to allow more time for delegates from each countries to mingle around with others.
The Malaysian delegation with Jay and Han
And what a surprise I got when I saw Mr Kim Jae Hong or better known as Jay, our focal point last year in Korea there at the dinner! We had some catching up at the dinner. He is now no more handling the Malaysian team as he was promoted to another division where he prepares curriculum for GCED (Global Citizenship Education) for the few countries which uses the service of UNESCO. And so, his previous position is now taken over by Mr Han. All the best, Jay!
Mr Kim Jae Hong or Jay, the familiar face and name in KOMTEP
The Conference Day
The day has come! 8th December 2016. Time for us to present what we've done back in Malaysia.
The conference started off with performances from the students and some Filipino teachers who are still there for the exchange programme. Then, we had the plenary session just before lunch.
My friend, Hailmi was scheduled to present during the plenary session which was done in a discussion style due to time constraints.
The plenary session
I was scheduled to present in the concurrent session after lunch. In the concurrent session, presenters were asked to share their best practices done back in their homeland.
The feeling when you see your name and the school's name on the screen
Me presenting~
1. Introducing myself to the audience.
2. I have set 2 aims to be achieved.
First, to inspire and to motivate others to bring forth their best in the education field. Second, to create opportunities for students to experience a new education environment. In this case, to allow my students to experience the Korean education system to the maximum extend of emulation that can be done.
3. Inspiring and Motivating others.
Teachers need to be inspired and motivated. Teachers are always on the giving end, thus their emotional welfare needs to be taken care of too. One way is through inspiration where new hope and light can be seen. Sharing of ideas to inspire and motivate others has been done through sharing sessions from school to national level and also through social media sites such as this blog and my YouTube channel.
I began explaining about the 4 best practices that we have managed to do in SJKC Keh Seng.
First is of course the 10 minutes break which we manage to adjust accordingly to our situation to be implemented.
The second is about supplementing each class and science laboratory with smartTV and visualizer.
Third is about collaboration which is something encouraged in the 21st century learning and in line with the objectives of GCED. As I am teaching English, I did the pen-pal programme with Jangdo Elementary School in Incheon. This programme is really great to allow students to actually practice using the language in live situation. I have not only done this for my school, but also have been helping other teachers across Malaysia to be connected with the Korean teachers and students who are interested.
Fourth, is the setting. In Malaysia, we are using streaming where we group students according to their average marks for all subjects combined. Setting is where we group students according to grades per subject. We tested setting during the final month of extra class in school for UPSR (Elementary Year 6 national exam) students. We noticed that students can learn better and it is easier for the teacher to teach when we use setting.
Last but not least, this is really meaningful to me because my students really thank me for what I have done for them this year. They were more aware of the education system and the world even just at their young age. They were more cooperative, enjoyed lessons more, are more positive and gained big improvement in their studies this year. Most importantly, they enjoyed schooling more than before and being empowered in the right attitude.
Many teachers came to interview me after I presented my best practices. I felt overwhelmed to see how excited they were to listen to my presentation. The conference ended with the closing ceremony in the evening. We then proceeded to Han River to have dinner at one of their newly opened floating restaurant.
With other delegates from Philippines (Danilo, Ophelia) and Indonesia (Rina, Enik)
With the Korean exchange teachers to Malaysia this year ~
Missing all of you~
Hee Eun, my mentor teacher last year
Cultural Visit
The weather is getting colder. It's -5 degree Celsius but with the wind blowing, it feels like -11 degree Celsius. Brrrrr....
I love winter despite the freezing temperature
Early in the morning, I went for morning walk around the nearby area with Hailmi, Mr Kim Dong Cheol, Mr Bae Ki Jeong and Mr Sazali. Mr Kim and Mr Bae was Hailmi's mentor teacher and school principal who came all the way from Daegu last night just to meet him when they get to know about his coming to Seoul. They even remembered me even though we have only met a few times. Such wonderful people who treasure friendships!
Posing for a photo as we went for morning walk
Our morning walk ended with us going for coffee, something the Koreans love to do. We went to "think Cafe" near the hotel. The Koreans like cold drinks during cold weather, but not us. We still prefer a cup of hot drink especially when it's cold outside there. We discussed matters on education and humanity. I like what Mr Principal said in summary:
"Even though each one of us looks different from the outside, different skin colour, different nationalities, different background, religion, culture, language; we have similarity from the inside. The goodness, the empathy, kindness, love, feelings....are all the same. It's universal"
-Mr Bae Ki Jeong-
The last round of coffee before saying goodbye for this time
Later at noon, we were brought to have lunch at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). After lunch, we were given about 3 hours to go free and easy around that area. There were many plazas selling clothes. They were beautiful but not practical for me to get them as they're in for winter season.
Walking around DDP area. It's freezing!!!
Last Day in Seoul
Time really flies when we are enjoying our life the most. Huhu.
Today will be the last day of my stay in Korea.
Good morning, Seoul. Sunshine and cold wind greeting me
Ally came all the way from her city to Sindorim (1 hours plus away) to meet me for the last time before I depart back to Malaysia. Just a short time. Maybe about 30 minutes as I have to check out soon. Nevertheless, we had a good 30 minutes spent together chit chatting and taking wefies~
We met at TechnoMart, Sindorim
Our last photo together this year before my depature.
Kamsahamnida, Ally! You are a wonderful friend! See you again soon!
The journey back home was okay despite the few turbulence again here and there. We landed safely at Kuala Lumpur International Airport about 10.35 p.m. And there, I had one more great wefie of the year, which was with our Deputy Education Minister 1, Datuk P Kamalanathan.
Let's give a thumbs up! Wefie with Deputy Education Minister 1
Last but not least, it is an honour for my best practices to be published in the SSAEM 2016 book, carrying Malaysia, Melaka and the school's name along internationally.
My best practices in this publishing
Even though this sharing may be short, I hope that every ears that listened and every eyes that read will benefit from it, be it idea or inspiration. To my Malaysian teachers, and to those who have read till the end of this entry, thank you for reading my blog. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. Do not hesitate to ask me anything you wish to ask.
"Ask and it shall be given to you; Seek and you shall find"
Hopefully, the best practices here will be spread throughout Malaysia for the benefits of all, especially the 10 minutes break which got applauded by the Koreans themselves.
All the best and Happy New Year , educators!
