IELTS WRITING - LINKING

Linking words and expressions help the reader follow our ideas and arguments. They are the glue that hold a piece of academic writing together and they show the relationship between ideas you present in your argument. Here are some common lingking words and expressions. How many do you know?

Source : http://www.ieltswithfriends.com/1/post/2014/01/ielts-writing.html

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DNA Structure

Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy8dk5iS1f0&list=PL0CCC6A59B92B2A99

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Teaching Math with Technology

By :Larissa Shatalova

Teaching with Technology

The technology available today has made a wealth of knowledge available to all of us, which offers great potential for style of learning and teaching.

The effective use of any technology requires thoughtful consideration and planning. Teaching and learning benefits depend on when, where, how, and why we use it

This preview presents fragments of several sections. You may see one entire section later during 1 hr session.

Our presentation is about a unique and innovative approach based on the Socratic method of teaching and learning, enhanced by using technology. 

As you see, information is presented in simple ways that any type of learner, whether gifted or disabled, can use our materials.

Visual comprehension based teaching style is well suited for students of any age who are visual learners as well as those with limited English such as international students.

Our goals are to promote critical thinking and develop a new concepts on the basis of prior knowledge, moving from the known to the unknown. Our teaching methods are a combination of the two approaches: inductive and deductive.

Presentation will show several examples of materials while giving special emphasis to the pedagogically effective ways you can harness these new technologies in your courses.

We will discuss the different roles that technology and its limitations might play in a classroom, for on-line students, for homeschool students, or for international students. 

Our materials go beyond how to work with specific software. We believe that educators need to understand the ways in which these new tools can be used to make a significant difference in student learning.

Even when we do look at how technology is being used in the classroom, we see that much of the recent developments have been around traditional ways of teaching and learning. We need to go beyond the idea of simply just converting from print into electronic form in order to get the full benefit of technology in education. 

We hope that our presentation will help you create a richer learning experience for your students and a more rewarding teaching experience for yourself.

When making decisions about using educational technologies remember that technology is just a tool.

Human touch is the key to success and you, teachers, instructors are the heart of the Educational Universe.

Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhmugSgBLAk

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3 Tips for Sounding like a Native Speaker

"That'll be 66 cents please." "Sikysi... what?" Having a hard time understanding native speed English? This lesson will give you some tips on how to sound like a native speaker as well as how to understand what you hear by breaking down expressions into their individual word and sounds.

Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZJ1Q3GSuI

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Gesture Around the World

A video created for Yangpyoeng English Village in South Korea to give a visual of different gestures around the world. Educators around the world are welcome to use this video.

Source : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa_GCK-Czqs

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Smart Learning with Smart Technology

Ahmad Faizuddin, Selangor, Malaysia | Education | Technology | Opinion 

Indonesia is one of the world’s largest consumers of technological gadgets. When a new “smart” product is launched, Indonesians are most likely the first in line to get their hands on it. Despite the high price, many have high-tech televisions, smart gadgets and other advanced devices. 

Everything today is “smart”. Smart phones, for instance, have surely increased the smartness in our daily life. 

Likewise, in the field of education, smart learning and smart classrooms have been implemented at smart schools. Here students are engaging with computers, smart-boards and the latest — smart books. 

Does all this supporting equipment help students perform better? What are the challenges in implementing this kind of innovation? Should technology be integrated into the new curriculum?

Quoting EducompOnline, let us imagine “What if books could talk, numbers could form equations, Achilles could fight the Trojan War, Caesar could die saying ‘Et Tu Brute’, Earth could tilt planes?” 

Through such 3D multimedia modules and animated lessons, students do not just read a book or calculate a formula or learn history and science, but they are involved: Constructing and reinventing subjects in the classroom. Wouldn’t learning this way will be better and more fun?

Why make learning fun? It is because the essence of learning is the joy. Moreover, learning is about exploring new things. The new age learner is also tech savvy. We can see people everywhere busy with gadgets exploring the Internet and other new innovations. 

Information and communication technology has also solved the space limitation issue, especially at schools. The machines grow smaller, yet contain more information. We used to bring many books to school, but now most of them are online or are eBooks.

The Internet and eLearning are among the new visions in education that will become common in the future. They change our boring system into smart and interactive environments. But are educators ready to take part in this new innovation? This is actually one of the challenges facing educational managers.

Some might argue that our education is incompatible with technology and innovation. We can see it at the university level, with many educators continuing to hold on to print and deliver lectures without a computer presentation. 

  

They might question the need to change the old methods: “I enjoy teaching this way as my students do”. 

Indeed, technological innovation has shaken old traditions, yet one thing to remember is that it cannot exist without theory. Therefore, the old philosophy remains, but the method should be modified as technology advances. Why should we resist?

Another challenge is putting the right man in the right place. In Indonesia, as is true in many countries, we tend to talk about “technicality” but rarely touch on the issue of “expertise”. For example, assigning a librarian to resource center might change the effectiveness of the center. 

The uphill challenge is whether students can afford sophisticated technology such as smart books? Schools actually could provide the stuff if they manage their budgets. 

Educators need creativity to use their available resources. Even with a simple word processor we can develop creative learning activities. 

Regarding the new 2013 curriculum that eliminates science, some parents have expressed concern that it will lead to technological underdevelopment. Science is a practical subject and students understand new things through science. But of course we should instill good values into its teaching and content.

I agree that smart gadgets will help students improve their learning experiences, although it does not mean they will become smarter. Hence, let us use smart gadgets smartly. 

Consider those with diverse needs, but do not forget those with no needs as well.

The writer is a graduate of Ar-Raniry State Islamic Institute in Banda Aceh and Ohio University, the US.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/09/smart-learning-with-smart-technology.html

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Orangutans Go To School

Severianus Endi, The Jakarta Post, Ketapang, West Kalimantan | Environment 

JP/Severianus Endi

Nine orangutans, all under two-and-a-half years in age, can be seen playfully hanging from trees and ropes. Nearby, Ahmad Ridho sat on a plank between the branches, looking after them.

The 25-year-old politics and social sciences graduate was training his “students” at the Orangutan Rehabilitation Center’s school, run by the Indonesian branch of the International Animal Rescue Foundation (YIARI), in Sungai Awan Kiri village, about 13 kilometers from Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

As YIARI program director Karmele Llano Sánchez approached, Ridho climbed down the tree. His tiny charges followed. “They can’t be too far from me,” Ridho said. Some were afraid, sporting goose bumps. Two of the apes, male Rocky and female Rikina, clung to each other, slowly moving toward Ridho’s legs.

Training: Veterinarian Karmele Llano Sánchez from Spain holds orangutans Rocky and Rikina. “We have to make sure that they can find their own food and build their own dens where they rest.” JP/Severianus Endi

“Now I’ve got to take them back to the tree. At ‘baby school’ they must accustom themselves to living in the trees,” said Ridho. Sánchez helped him carry several orangutans, lifting them up into the branches.

“I’m happy to have local people like Ridho working here. There’s been the notion that only white personnel are engaged in orangutan rescue,” said Sánchez, a veterinarian from Spain.

The orangutans are trained to get their food in the wild. Ridho hides four kinds of fruits in different locations for the primates to find. “It’s not educational to give the fruit directly. They must be trained to feed from nature themselves.”

When the animals, who come from Kalimantan and Sumatra, have adapted, they will “graduate” and be released into their original habitats.

Spanning almost 60 hectares, the center has 15 pens, a clinic, a warehouse and an office, apart from the baby school for young orangutans and a forest school for adults. About 60 people, including 25 trainers and 5 veterinarians, work there.

The huge enclosure for the adults holds soaring trees and huge shrubs.

 “This zone is not open to public, as contact between orangutans and people must be reduced. If they get very intimate with people, they may search for people instead of orangutans when released,” Sánchez said.

The shelter, which opened in November 2009, began with 85 orangutans, several of which have since been released. Currently, 70 of the animals are under care: 55 in the adult enclosure, 15 in the sheds.

There’s no definite timetable for training the apes, according to Sánchez. “We have to make sure that they can find their own food and build their own dens where they rest,” she said, pointing to the acacia trees, mangroves, shrubs and weeds in the enclosures.

At the height of the tree canopy, several orangutans were seen sitting amid shady lush green foliage. They will live in the enclosure until ready for release into the wild.

In the clinic, one baby orangutan was seen with an intravenous drip through in its arm, lying in a cradle and hugging a doll. “This baby was diagnosed with typhoid and requires intensive care. There’s no such disease in its habitat, so it may have been transmitted by people,” Sánchez said.

In the baby quarantine ward, shrieks and cries were heard. Several newly rescued young orangutans were getting checkups before joining their peers in the orangutan shelter.

According to Sánchez, land clearing for large-scale estates has been intense in Ketapang regency, worsening things for the orangutans, whose numbers have been reduced by hunting. Most of the apes rescued were originally raised by local residents and seized during raids.

Every three weeks, foreigners arrive to volunteer at the center. They come from Australia, the US and Europe. Several were seen pushing carts loaded with equipment and tools.

Reaching out: Monte, a 15-year-old orangutan, will live at the center until he reacclimatizes to life in the rainforest. JP/Severianus Endi

They’re seeking the opportunity to contribute to the effort. It’s better than coming to Indonesia just for vacationing as tourists,” said Sánchez. The volunteers were painting walls and building a wooden bridge. They were forbidden to interact directly with orangutans.

Legiono, 50, a security guard at the center, said that he found three orangutans one day while on duty. “The orangutans broke the lamp in my guard post.” 

The center lacks a complete fence, although a 3-meter-wide ditch helps, Legiono says. “Orangutans can’t cross the ditch. It’s quite safe,” he said.

It seems to work: Orangutans have broken out only once, making it as far as the settlements nearby before local residents contacted the center to bring the animals back unharmed.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/29/orangutans-go-school.html

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Indonesian Teachers Need More Training

Niken Prathivi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Education 

School teachers take a competence test online at SMA Negeri 68 state high school in Central Jakarta last year. The government conducted the test to find the skills profile of teachers. (JP/P. J. Leo)

Teachers reveal that the real problem in Indonesian education is the poor quality of the country’s teachers.

This is because teachers, mainly those in elementary schools, rarely participate in training to update their skills and knowledge.

Retno Listiyarti of the Indonesian Teachers Union Federation (FSGI) said the government should schedule a longer preparation period before implementing Curriculum 2013. Both England and Singapore, she said, spent three years in preparing, doing trial runs and evaluating their new curriculums before applying them.

“I heard that the government plans to create 40,000 national instructors in a limited time period. How can that be possible? Even UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] spent five years creating 10,000 similar teachers in Indonesia,” she said.

Retno cited Education and Culture Ministry data that showed that 62 percent of elementary school teachers nationwide had not undertaken any training at all, including those teachers who were about to retire.

“By way of comparison, a teacher in Singapore is obliged to take 100 hours of training per year,” said Retno.

Amid such conditions, Retno, who is also a high school teacher in Jakarta, said that she considered the government’s plan to implement the new curriculum an impossible mission.

“The new curriculum applies a ‘thematic and integrated’ approach, which we already have in the current curriculum [implemented in 2006]. The concept is not working in the country, especially in remote areas, because teachers there don’t have the skills or supporting materials to adopt such an approach,” she said, adding that the new curriculum would become yet another of the ministry’s paper tigers.

“The upcoming curriculum is going to be another document on the shelf, and it won’t be perfectly implemented across the country.”

Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh said that around 49,000 teachers from 30 percent of the 148,000 elementary schools nationwide would be participating in a national training on how to implement the new curriculum, according to reports by Antara news agency.

The training, which will total 52 hours, comprises 33 hours of face-to-face sessions and 19 hours of mentoring sessions.

Deputy Education and Culture Minister for Education Musliar Kasim said that his team had been working on producing teachers’ guidance books, which underwent a massive print run on March 17.

Itje Chodidjah believes the government must be very careful in its selection of trainers, should it insist on implementing the new curriculum within the next four months.

“Let’s just say that the implementation is a done deal. The next important thing is for the government to select master trainers in this limited time,” she said.

The government, said Itje, has to be certain that it can find highly qualified national instructors who really understand how to impart the new curriculum’s concept to the master trainers.

“Furthermore, the government must also ensure that the master trainers have the ability to swap concept language with functional language when they deliver the curriculum concept to teachers who have varying levels of ability,” she explained.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/03/24/indonesian-teachers-need-more-training.html

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Oxford Chooses 'Omnishambles' as Word of the Year

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press, London, UK | Education 

Britain's media are in a meltdown and its government is gaffe-prone, so Oxford Dictionaries has chosen an apt Word of the Year: "omnishambles."

Oxford University Press on Tuesday crowned the word — defined as "a situation that has been comprehensively mismanaged, characterized by a string of blunders and miscalculations" — its top term of 2012.

Each year Oxford University Press tracks how the English language is changing and chooses a word that best reflects the mood of the year. The publisher typically chooses separate British and American winners. This year's American champion is "gif," short for graphics interchange format, a common format for images on the Internet.

Coined by writers of the satirical television show "The Thick of It," omnishambles has been applied to everything from government PR blunders to the crisis-ridden preparations for the London Olympics.

Oxford University Press lexicographer Susie Dent said the word was chosen for its popularity as well as its "linguistic productivity."

She said "a notable coinage coming from the word is Romneyshambles" — a derisive term used by the British press after U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney expressed doubts about London's ability to host a successful Olympics.

Omnishambles was chosen over shortlisted terms including "mummy porn" — the genre exemplified by the best-selling "50 Shades" book series — and "green-on-blue," military attacks by forces regarded as neutral, as when members of the Afghan army or police attack foreign troops. (For American English speakers, it's "mommy porn.")

The Olympics offered up finalists including the verb "to medal," ''Games Maker" — the name given to thousands of Olympic volunteers — and distance runner Mo Farah's victory dance, "the Mobot."

Europe's financial crisis lent the shortlisted word "Eurogeddon," while technology produced "second screening" — watching TV while simultaneously using a computer, phone or tablet — and social media popularized the acronym "YOLO," you only live once.

The final shortlisted term is an old word given new life. "Pleb," a derogatory epithet for lower-class people, was alleged to have been uttered to a police officer by British Cabinet minister Andrew Mitchell. He denied using the term, but resigned.

All the shortlisted words have made a splash in 2012, but editors say there is no guarantee any of them will endure long enough to enter the hallowed pages of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/11/13/oxford-chooses-omnishambles-word-year.html

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Start Sex Education Early at Home and at School

Sudirman Nasir, Makassar | Education | Opinion

Despite our shock at the recent report of sexual abuse against a kindergarten student allegedly perpetrated by outsourced cleaning staff at the Jakarta International School (JIS) in South Jakarta, the case could unfortunately be merely the tip of the iceberg, as there could be many other such unreported incidents across the country. This reveals the urgent need for safer environments and more supportive schools, including by initiating sex education at school and at home — where children spend most of their time.

Regardless of research on the benefits of starting sex education at an early age, and definitely before puberty, we must also realize the numerous barriers to providing sustainable sex education to young people. 

Taboos, myths and misunderstandings related to sexuality and sex frequently hinder many parents and teachers in discussing these topics in a constructive way; many are not comfortable and not well-equipped to talk about such issues with young people.

 Worse, high ranking officials, religious leaders and community leaders share misinformation regarding sex education and express their objections to wider sex education, particularly in schools. Education and Culture Minister Muhammad Nuh has said that children do not need formal sex education as they learn such information naturally. Such a response denies children, adolescents and young people their right to adequate information, knowledge and a healthy environment — including the skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse. 

Of course, there are also researchers and activists who have proposed a more mature approach, including the urgent need for earlier, wider and more comprehensive sex education, to equip children and adolescents with relevant information about sex, sexuality, reproduction and relationships. Numerous studies have shown that early and comprehensive education on these issues positively impacts young people. 

Such education prepares and better equips children, adolescents and young people to grow healthily and responsibly as well as reducing the harmful consequences of rampant myths and misconceptions related to sex and sexuality, such as sexual abuse, teen pregnancy, unwanted and unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections.

The fact that ignorance and misconceptions about sex and sex education are still prevalent in our society and among our officials, religious and community leaders, parents and teachers indicates the need for more intensive advocacy programs for sex, sexuality and reproductive health issues by public health and social researchers, medical practitioners, activists, community organizations and mass media.

In the home, it is vital that we learn about these topics and equip ourselves with sufficient knowledge and skills to start sex education early for our children. We should realize that the first time a parent names parts of the body correctly, including the genitals, with a toddler or preschooler, sex education has actually begun. We can also begin when our young children ask what can be profound and sometimes difficult-to-answer questions like “Where did I come from?” and “Why is my body different from your body?”.

Additionally, many health experts believe that the earlier we start talking with our children about sexuality, even our very youngest, the better. Experts believe this will increase our opportunities to continue discussions about sexual issues with them throughout puberty and adolescence. Furthermore, it is important for parents and teachers to provide books, pictures and other practical tools for children to better understand their bodies and important health issues related to sexuality and privacy. 

Today, there are many good books available for children and teenagers about sexuality, which can help parents and teachers to figure out the information that children need at every age and stage, and can give adults the language they require to talk to with their children about this complicated issue. 

Sharing books with young children, or letting older children read them independently, often leads to questions and valuable conversations about sexual health. 

Moreover, books written for children and teens are a useful way to discuss this issue directly, honestly and in an age-appropriate way, and to give young people straightforward and accurate information. This is important to enable our children to grow up healthily, including giving them the ability to protect themselves from sexual abuse. 

The writer is a lecturer at the Faculty of Public Health at Hasanuddin University, Makassar.

Source : http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/27/start-sex-education-early-home-and-school.html

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