How should we judge a government?

In Malaysia, if you don't watch television or read newspapers, you are uninformed; but if you do, you are misinformed!

"If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." - Malcolm X

Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience - Mark Twain

Why we should be against censorship in a court of law: Publicity is the very soul of justice … it keeps the judge himself, while trying, under trial. - Jeremy Bentham

"Our government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no
responsibility at the other. " - Ronald Reagan

Government fed by the people

Government fed by the people

Career options

Career options
I suggest government... because nobody has ever been caught.

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?

Corruption so prevalent it affects English language?
Corruption is so prevalent it affects English language?

When there's too much dirt...

When there's too much dirt...
We need better tools... to cover up mega corruptions.

Prevent bullying now!

Prevent bullying now!
If you're not going to speak up, how is the world supposed to know you exist? “Orang boleh pandai setinggi langit, tapi selama ia tidak menulis, ia akan hilang di dalam masyarakat dan dari sejarah.” - Ananta Prameodya Toer (Your intellect may soar to the sky but if you do not write, you will be lost from society and to history.)

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Education: what we can learn from The Shanghai Secret... which is no secret

Excerpt:

"When you sit in on a class here and meet with the principal and teachers, what you find is a relentless focus on all the basics that we know make for high-performing schools but that are difficult to pull off consistently across an entire school system. These are: a deep commitment to teacher training, peer-to-peer learning and constant professional development, a deep involvement of parents in their children's learning, an insistence by the school's leadership on the highest standards and a culture that prizes education and respects teachers.
Shanghai's secret is simply its ability to execute more of these fundamentals in more of its schools more of the time."

"Take teacher development.
Shen Jun, Qiangwei's principal, who has overseen its transformation in a decade from a low-performing to a high-performing school, even though 40 per cent of her students are children of poorly educated migrant workers, says her teachers spend about 70 per cent of each week teaching and 30 per cent developing teaching skills and lesson planning."

"Peer review, parent training
Education experts will tell you that of all the things that go into improving a school, nothing -- not class size, not technology, not length of the school day -- pays off more than giving teachers the time for peer review and constructive feedback, exposure to the best teaching and time to deepen their knowledge of what they're teaching.
Teng said his job also includes "parent training". Parents come to the school three to five times a semester to develop computer skills so they can help their kids with homework and follow lessons online. Christina Bao, 29, who also teaches English, said she tries to chat either by phone or online with the parents of each student two or three times a week to keep them abreast of their child's progress."

"China still has many mediocre schools that need fixing. But the good news is that in just doing the things that US and Chinese educators know work, but doing them systematically and relentlessly, Shanghai has in a decade lifted some of its schools to the global heights in reading, science and math skills.
Oh, and Shen Jun, the principal, wanted me to know: "This is just the start." - NYT"

More:
http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=178922:the-shanghai-secret&Itemid=2#axzz2icUGV7fU

Link

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