What are we teaching?

Lesia and I are working with grade 7, 8, 9 and 10 at Tenby Penang. We've been planning with teachers to take existing curriculum and enrich it with hands on activities, more paired and group work, inquiry, discussion and presentations, and lots of scaffolding. I've been teaching kids to snap and it's taking off in some of the classes! In grade 7 students are learning about classification and variation and are then dissecting owl pellets! In grade 8 we're building on human reproduction by comparing chick development and human embryo development and then dissecting unfertilized chick eggs. In grade 9, students are working in groups to learn about the characteristics of life and adaptations, researching different biomes and then creating aliens adapted to their specific biomes. They will then present their work. In grade 10, students are researching different human impacts on the global and local environment and then doing group presentations to teach their peers. The kids in all classes have been really lovely. They call us Ms. Uzma and Ms. Lesia. I think they've really been enjoying our lessons and especially the hands on activities. Students in other classes seem disappointed that we're not teaching their classes. Hopefully the teachers we're working with will try some of our approaches after we leave. Like teachers back home they are challenged by having to finish content and preparing for exams. We're trying to impart that these approaches will help them in the long run though they may seem like a sacrifice initially. Whatever happens we know this: Kids are kids wherever you go. They are similar developmentally, socially, and behaviorally and we love teaching kids who are curious and eager to learn science, whether in the States or here in Malaysia.

Agenda. Keep in mind 2-7 is 7-2 back home. 

Note-taking. No binders here. Notebooks which are left in the classroom. Students don't seem to get much HW as a result.

Egg dissection. Breaking through shell to see air sac and membrane.

Observations must always include measurement if possible. Thankfully the students use the metric system all the time here.

Owl Pellet: Collecting and separating bones from fur.

Observations.

"We found four skulls!!"

"Do we have even one skull? 

Skull. Rodent or Shrew? Use the dichotomous key. 

Happy 4th of July! - Kek Lo Si Temple

Today we helped chaperon a school trip to Kek Lok Si, the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia. It was built in 1890 (though construction seems to be ongoing) and is situated high on a hill. Our school bus barely made it up the long and winding road, at one one point wanting to reverse down the hill and to take an alternate route! It was a beautiful temple, but for me lacked a feeling of spirituality. Dotted throughout the temple were numerous gifts shops and vendors and the commercialism just took away from the overall appeal. The kids were like students on any trip, some intently working on the assignment, others wandering away and all of them more interested in buying candy and gifts than anything else. Overall, it was a great trip and a wonderful opportunity to see students in a different setting as well as learn more about the rich culture and heritage of the Malay people.

The students.

The turtles.

The Temple

The gifts.

A wishing ribbon. Buy one for 1RM and place on the wishing tree.

The giant buddha at the top. Must take a funicular to get to this point.

Floating Mosque of Tanjung Bunga

Traveling and fasting during Ramadan is always a challenge. But with Ramadan falling during the summer months these past few years I've had no choice but to make it work. Though Malaysia is not an Islamic State (it's a constitutional monarchy-royal family plus elected officials), the majority (60%) of Malaysians are Muslim, making it relatively easy to fast here. Well not easy but rather there are many accommodations for the fasting ones. My hotel for example is open for suhoor (the pre-dawn/pre fasting meal). So I just head down to the hotel restaurant and have a buffet at hand. I don't really want to eat porridge, noodles or chicken rendang at 4:30am but do appreciate the offerings. I usually end up with toast, watermelon, coffee and at least six glasses of water. For iftaar, there are several restaurants and hawker stands in the area. While we've had some delicious food here I do miss the Ramadan foods of my family, and especially all the delicious food prepared by my mom. Thank you Ami! Even more I miss the shared experience of celebrating with family and loved ones.  I'm really fortunate, however, that there is an amazing masjid nearby, the Floating mosque. Built in 2004, it is partially on land and partially over water. It is stunning and peaceful and simply divine. The waves crash nearby and that gentle, cool breeze moves through all the doors and windows making it a transcendental experience on many levels. The locals there have been especially kind, one woman even offering me a delicious bag of dates (which have been hard to come by in Penang). I hope Ipoh will have something half as nice...

First day of school! Monday, June 30, 2014

Though we just concluded our school year at home, Lesia and I are still teaching! We're here in Malaysia to teach model lessons and share best practice. We'll be working at two different Tenby schools, one here in Penang and the other in Ipoh. Today was our first day of school in Penang! We toured the school, observed classes and planned with science teachers. The campus is lovely with a courtyard in the center. The classrooms all open up into exposed hallways and the contrast between the uber air conditioned classrooms and the hot and humid outside is striking. To be honest, sometimes I prefer the outside, though my hair always prefers the inside. :) The school and classrooms are well equipped with Smartboards, projectors and ample lab supplies, though there seems to be a noticeable lack of paper. The classes are coed with about 20-25 students in each class. The school is comprised of an international school (where we'll be teaching), a secondary school (where classes are mostly taught in Malay) and a primary school for the little ones, who are just too cute! We start teaching tomorrow and we're eager to get to the know the students and share some fun lessons with them.

Tenby School Motto

Core Values (similar to Baruch)

 

Primary School kids getting ready for P.E.

Bas=Bus, Sekolah=School (They are even yellow in Malaysia!)

Being silly on playground equipment. This one was fun!

Getting Acquainted with the Neighborhood-Sunday, June 29, 2014

We arrived in Penang this afternoon, via NYC-Dubai-Singapore for me and NYC-Frankfurt-Singapore for Lesia. Once we checked in, we needed to stay awake (12 hours ahead of NYC!) and get a lay of the and. We got our feet wet in the Indian Ocean/Straits of Malacca and then took a stroll around the neighborhood. We are in the Tanjung Bunga section of Penang. It's mostly residential with several beach hotels scattered here and there (ours being one). There are a few restaurants and a hawker center down the way. To get to more commercial areas we'll need to hop on the 101 Rapid Penang (public) bus or take a teksi (taxi). Some observations so far:

• As a former British colony, people drive on the left side (this means you need to look right not left). It also means you need to walk on the left side of the sidewalk and left going up and down stairs. Difficult!!
• Everyone here is obsessed with LiteFM, particularly Phil Collins and Celine Dion. We hear the same 20 songs everywhere we go! And the hotel plays each song twice in succession before moving on. Even our cab driver was singing along to Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins. We would welcome some punk or hip hop.
• Swallowtail moths are everywhere. A recent infestation due to warm, rainy weather. Giant Moths Creating a Stir Across Malaysia
• A religiously diverse place!: Masjids, Buddhist Temples, Hindu Temples, and Churches!
• Many people speak English and are quite friendly and helpful!
• Lots of infrastructure: well made roads, highways, sidewalks, etc.
• The water is potable (AND delicious)!
• This is peak durian season, so durian and its pungent smell are ubiquitous!

Mural

Egg shells??

Another crazy use of placentas. 

Rambutan

Stray Kitty (one of many).

Swallowtail moth. The size of a small hand. 

"No Durian" sign in hotel. 

Putting my feet up after the long walk. :)

Malaysia!

Last summer took me to South Sumatra and this one has brought me to an island just across the way: Malaysia. I'm traveling with my partner in crime and teacher extraordinaire, Lesia K. We were invited by the Columbia Summer Research Program and the Tenby International School to collaborate with their science teachers, teach model lessons, and share best practice. Our first stop, Penang! Penang is an island off the northwest corner of western Malaysia and is a major tourist destination for Malays, Australians and Middle Easterners. We're staying right near the beach and I can hear the waves crashing on the shore. It thunders and rains violently at night but is generally dry during the day. Temps have been in the high 80's  and humidity always at 100%. But cool and gentle breezes make weather quite pleasant at times. The staff at our hotel is friendly, the ac is lovely, the food mediocre and the Wi-Fi downright awful. I mention this so you know it is difficult to blog and even harder to add photos and format appropriately. Please forgive the appearance for now.


Where in the world is Malaysia?

Malaysian Flag: 14 Stripes for 14 states. 14 pointed star for 14 states. Cresent for Islam (source: vendor at night market). 60% of Malays are Muslim.

Beach behind hotel.

Remembering Old Friends

Indonesian students excitedly displaying postcards made by my students.

During these first days of school it's easy to get lost in the shuffle of papers, students, lesson plans, and Sisyphean  to-do lists. Amid today's chaos, I was quietly reminded by one of my Muslim students that perhaps we should take a moment to remember all those lost that fateful day twelve years ago. And so we took a moment of silence. My mind raced back to that day; our collective loss and anguish and the many heroes in and out of school that put others before themselves. Then suddenly it jumped to a day not too long ago in Indonesia. Julie, Lauren, Jacqueline and I were visiting an Islamic Boarding school in South Sumatra. It was an elite high school and students from all over the nation traveled to attend the school. We were greeted warmly by students and staff clad in hijabs and uniforms and asked to speak on a panel in front of students. During the panel a student asked what Americans think of Muslims today and if the events of September 11th made them fearful that Indonesia is full of terrorists. She also wanted to know how she might be treated if she came to the States. I responded that the U.S. was an enormous country and that opinions were wide and varied. While there was hate and fear among some, that many more had grown to understand and appreciate Islam and Muslims, and that at my school she would be welcomed by Muslim and non-Muslim students alike. Such moments remind me of the impact of teachers, the wisdom of students and cherished moments of beauty (and of course the need for global education). Two students thousands of miles apart but connected in myriad ways. I thank you.

Islamic School in Ogan Ilir