Lesson 5 (23 August 2022) 

Delivering a Speech

Simple 2-minute speech

Assalaamualaikum warahmatullaahi wabarakatuh! And a very good afternoon to everyone. Duly respected Principal, Ustaz Mohd Haniff bin Harun and fellow teachers.

 I am honoured to be invited to deliver a speech by the committee. And I promise that it will be short for fear that some of us will fall asleep.

It is undeniably true that, there are more vehicles on the road than pedestrians or cyclists. We seldom see people walking or cycling distances to reach their destinations. Most of us make it a point that we even drive to the nearby store which is only a hundred metres away. Then, we begin to complain about traffic jams and air pollution. How many of us have ever tried to walk or cycle to destinations? I think there are very few or none at all.

If we happen to be at places like shop-houses or eating outlets, we will find it difficult to find parking lots. There will be so many vehicles parked around the mentioned areas. If only those who stay nearby had walked or cycled, the places will not be congested with cars and motorbikes. But who would be casual enough to walk or cycle? It very unusual to find someone who just walk or cycle to these places. It has not become a trend for us to make an effort to spend our energy or to burn calories to travel short distances. Then, why should we complain about obesity or heart problems?

Just think about it ladies and gentlemen. The choice is yours. Thank you.

 DARUL HADITH PULAU PINANG

ENGLISH COMMUNICATION FOR STAFF

Lesson 4 (9th August 2022)

Delivering a Speech

1. Watch the following videos

2. Try to conclude the content

Taylor Swift speech at 

NYU (New York University) Convocation

Shereen Salama giving speech at

16th Annual MAS-ICNA Convention Place,USA

Dec 28, 2017

Formal Speech:

Introduction (Salutation)

-addressing Royal Figure

-addressing the dignitaries

-adressing the audience

Content

-purpose

-strategies

-instances

-hope

-closure/conclusion

Sample speech text

Salutation/Introduction

His Majesty, Tuanku...., YAB....., YB....

Why teachers should be paid more?

Introduction

Every one of us recalls fond memories of childhood every once in a while. And in our memories, some of our favorite and unforgettable teachers often get into the scene to paint a smile on our face. They have taught us the basics of surviving the ever-demanding society. And even if things weren’t perfect between us and our teachers, we can never deny the fact that a part of who we are had been strongly influenced by our teachers. As Henry Adams once said, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Yet, they don’t seem to get the respect they deserve from this nation. Why do I say that? Just take a look at their average salary. It is true that most teachers get into the profession of teaching for reasons nobler than monetary benefits. But that doesn’t mean they should not be compensated well. Let me give you three reasons why teachers definitely deserve a raise.

Body

I.        It will save MALAYSIA billions of ringgit.

First, let’s look at the most practical side of the issue. The New Teacher Project (TNTP) estimates that over 10,000 of the nation’s highest performing teachers leave the classroom every year and among the reasons is low compensation. In fact, thousands of Malaysian teachers are projected to leave their profession in the next several years.  Once these teachers leave, we also lose the chance of developing experience among these professionals. Furthermore, the cost of attrition would range from five million ringgit to over seven million per year. The government will have to spend so much on training new and inexperienced teachers.

Instead of having to spend much for repairing damages, why don’t we just increase their pay so they stay in the field and we enjoy better services from more experienced professionals?

II.     Increasing teachers’ salary will encourage the brightest students to pursue a career in education, attracting the talent we need for this important job.

Since teachers have such a significant impact to society and to our nation’s future, it is only imperative that we have the best and brightest talents in the field. When our teachers are skilled and smart, the products of our educational system will also be skilled and smart. With the current rate of teachers’ pay, however, the brightest students often do not see teaching as a desirable career.

Although teaching can be a very rewarding job, its low financial incentives make it look less respectable, compared to higher earning careers such as medicine and law. Malaysian teachers today make only 67 to 72 percent of what bachelor holders usually earn. So, even if some brilliant students with so much to share would want to take up teaching as a lifetime career, they might be discouraged to live their dream because they would also like to secure some financial freedom in their lives.

III.  Teachers spend their own money for work-related expenses.

Aside from being paid lower than other bachelor holders, teachers’ income become even smaller once the cost for their work-related projects and expenses are deducted from their net pay. First, most of them will have to pay for their own graduate studies and ongoing professional trainings.  Second, 72% of them buy supplies for their classroom and students with their own money. To make ends meet, 60% of teachers have been reported to engage in second jobs.

Conclusion

We need to pay teachers more because the future of Malaysia depends on how we see education today. Continuing to offer salaries that discourage rather than encourage our brightest students from entering and staying in the profession will put future of this nation in jeopardy.

 DARUL HADITH PULAU PINANG

ENGLISH COMMUNICATION FOR STAFF

Lesson 3 (26 July, 2022)

Dramatizing Dialogues

1. Watch the following videos and create your own dialogue in pairs. Your dialogue should be short, about eight exchanges.

2. Present your dialogue about hotel reception in pairs.

Sample Dialogue:

CONVERSATION BETWEEN HOTEL RECEPTIONIST AND A GUEST

Receptionist: Good Morning! How can I help you, Sir?

Guest: Good Morning. Actually I am looking for a room in your hotel. So can you provide me information regarding that?

Receptionist: Sure Sir. We have a room which will cost you RM300 per day. In which you will get breakfast buffet complimentary.

Guest: Is the price negotiable?

Receptionist: If you will pay by debit or credit card so you will get 10% cash back.

Guest: Will I get discount on online booking?

Receptionist: Yes, Sir you will get 15% discount on that.

Guest: So how much will it cost?

Receptionist: It will cost you around RM255 plus taxes per day

Guest: OK.

Receptionist: How long are you planning your stay?

Guest: For three days.

Receptionist: So when will you check-in?

Guest: Today.

Receptionist: Thank you, Sir. Have a nice stay.

Guest: Thank you.

Receptionist: You’re welcome.

DARUL HADITH PULAU PINANG ENGLISH NETWORK

 The English Network

This network is initiated to support the learning and usage of English among the small community of Darul Hadith. 

Lesson 2 (29 June 2022 )

English Language Material links:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8spRutWnNTg

(Tips nak pandai bertutur dalam B. Inggeris) 

*Please use the tips given as a basis to form an English speaking habit.

1. Speak to your ownself in BM but speak out in English.

2. Switch to English on handset, radio and TV channels and movies.

3. Speak to other people in English as far as possible e.g. in a restaurant.

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF_aM4ZWfk

(Look at how amazing this little girl is. Are you motivated?)

What do you think about the little girl (Ariana)?

1. She is a fluent speaker.

2. She is intelligent (she even launches an online store and writes a song for her mother)

3.  She owns a wide vocabulary for example, she was talking about A.I. (artificial intelligence and explained what it means)

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOTD7E7KqHk

(Bella, a polyglot or multilingual little girl from Russia. You should be motivated!)

What do you think about the little girl, Bella?

1. She is multilingual or polyglot as she speaks seven languages.

2. She has wide knowledge and could mention the name of a type of dinosaur through description.

4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uH1aDCjypKg

(How to improve your listening skills by delaying the subtitles using an apps)

1. Try watching movies with delayed subtitles.

2. Try watching movies without subtitles by pausing the track.

5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNTCM7cbrsc

(Without subtitles, how much can you catch from this 'small talk' between an old man and a small kid?)

1. The boy annoyed the old man.

2. The boy greeted the old man and started the conversation.

3. He found that the old man was sad and lonely. He missed his deceased wife.

4. The boy in the end managed to change his attitude towards life.

6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saTZ6TRS_HE

(British vs American Accent

Listen carefully and enjoy it)

* Certain words are spelt and spoken differently in both accents.

7. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIwU-9ZTTJc

( A speech in British accent by Emma Watson)

What was she talking about?

Lesson 1 (26 January, 2022)

1. Look at the newspaper cutting

Click on the link below and read the news focussing on the matters below;

a) What is the headline about?

b) Who is the person passing the statement?

c) What are the steps taken to launch the endemic phase?

d) What is the implication brought about by the endemic phase?

The Public Sector Apps

I was wondering why there are such weaknesses with the public apps. I had used quite a few apps but the the Penang Smart Parking is one of those with quite a few weaknesses.

1. Downloading the apps from google play took such a long time

2. When it's time to fill up the final particulars and click, then a notification saying " No network 

     coverage, try again later" popped up. I was using a 100MBPS unifi.Trying that multiple times but the result is the same. What a

     shame; trying to keep up with the current IT trends but not well prepared.




Please test the apps a million times before launching it, what a shame!

Most students hate writing expository essays

To Write or Not  to Write?

      Writing factual essays may not be easy for certain people; be it a student or even a candidate for Masters Degree unless one is a language student or scholar. Why is it so? The answer is simple; both have not been exposed to expository writing. They might be reading some articles but not sensitive enough to realize the form of the piece of writing. Facts are dry subjects, so the form they have been laid misses attention.  
      Currently, I am working on a writing module for MUET candidates. It will come in the form of a simple format layout for writing factual essay. Most of my students do not have this knowledge since they had not attempted answering factual essays before. Some of them never had factual essay sessions since they had been advised not to answer this kind of essay. So, the practice has proven to be risky on the part of the students' future academic writing. If they had been exposed to writing factual essays, I am sure they will not have much problem in expository writing.
      In MUET, the students are supposed to write factual, expository, argumentative essays.

PLC 2018 NEWSLETTER

THE ARENA
May 23 2018