Saturday, May 8, 2010

Revision.

5KB girls, please download the Angles Between Lines And Planes as a revision exercise from the Form 4 Revision Questions side link. Do the exercises in your Maths Book 2. The questions will be discuss in class on Monday.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Am I Going Too Fast

Finished chapter 6 (Gradient And Area Under A Graph) with my 5SA girls. A student asked me whether we're going too fast- doing 6 chapters in a period of only 2 months. Well from my observation, the girls are doing fine. What I feel is most of the students are doing well except maybe a couple of them. These students just need to do more exercises on their own as I think I usually don't give much homework compared to the other teachers. In fact, I did not even give any homework for the long Chinese New Year Break coz I believe a holiday should be a break for the students. I do pity students nowadays, having tons and tons of homework almost everyday. I don't remember having this problem when I was in school (that's was eons ago). So on Thursday, I took a break from teaching but instead let the students discuss the online assignment on matrices that was given out before the CNY break. The assignment is as follows :

During an advertising campaign, Pepsi, Coke, and Eldora Cola tried to increase their share of the area's soda pop market. Prior to the campaign, Pepsi had 30% of all sales, Coke had 50%, and Eldora Cola had 20% of all sales.

At the end of the 6 month ad campaign, a telephone survey was conducted, and the following results were determined:

a) Of the original Pepsi drinkers, 10% switched to Coke, and 15% switched to Eldora Cola.

b) Of the original Coke drinkers, 12% switched to Pepsi, and 20% now prefer Eldora Cola.

c) Of the original Eldora Cola drinkers, 8% switched to Pepsi, and 5% switched to Coke.

Determine the effect of the ad campaign on the market share of Pepsi, Coke, and Eldora Cola. In other words, after the 6 months, what percent of sales does each company have?

Method: Set up a 1x3 matrix representing the original percentages.

Then, set up a 3x3 matrix representing the share of the market lost, or maintained.

Multiply the two matrices. The resulting 1x3 will indicate the new market shares

Students were divided into 6 groups comprising 5-6 students each. They were supposed to apply the knowledge and skills that they have learned in the topic of matrices to solve the given problem. The answers have to be uploaded by the group leader to the Sri Aman On-Line School portal.

2 groups (Aini's and Natashiya's) were able to come up with the solution without my help. I'm quite impressed with them. Giving these type of activities really make the students think about what they've learned. I wish I could carry out more on this type of activities.

I'm going a bit slower with my 5KB girls. I will only be starting chapter 5 (Variations) next week. Just found out recently that one of the students in this class is already an established recording artise but my advice to her is, finish her form 5 studies first, then decide the next course of action. I wish her all the best in her singing career. As this is my first year teaching this class, I'm not really familiar with the girls and their mathematical capabilities. There are a few very good students here who I feel won't have any problems at all but there are some who really need closer supervision. My biggest problem is how to make sure that every student is able to understand and apply what I have taught them on that day. Well I'll know better when I get the results of the March test which is coming soon. I'm very hopeful that most of them will do well.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

I'm Alive And Well

I'm back after 3 weeks of absence from blogging. It's not that I've been away, its just that the urge to blog is not there. Today is the last day of holiday that the school took for Chinese New Year. The plan was to go back to my hometown for the holidays. The idea had to be scrapped coz three of my children will be having their major exams right after the holidays. They prefer to rest at home.

School has been busy for the last one month. I finally managed to finished all the trainings on 'Online School' and SPS with the teachers and administrators. Teachers have started to give out online assignments to students via the school portal. The teachers also seems to be happy with the SPS especially on doing the teaching plan online. Everything went well during the training. Hopefully everything will be smooth when we start to use the SPS fully in March. I've also introduced the ThinkQuest portal to my ICT and ICTL teachers. I'm hoping that they will be able to use this portal for their ICTL lessons.

As for my Math classes, everything is going on as scheduled. The March test will be on from 9th to 12 March 2010. I'm sure most of the students in 5SA will ace this one. As for the 5KB girls, I need to work harder with some of them. The problem with Math is you need to do lots of exercises to be good at it. There's a limit of what can be done in the 1 hour slot given in class. They have to continue on their own at home. This year the Math department has been kind enough to provide free workbooks for the students to practice on.

Monday, February 1, 2010

FEDERAL TERRITORY DAY

Today, 1st of February is the Federal Territory Day, so its a day off for those working in Kuala Lumpur. The journey to school today was a breeze compared to the other days. Reached school quite early, thus managed to do some work before school starts at 7.30. Did the PATS program with my 5SA girls on Transformation (The PATS Question can be downloaded from the Extra Worksheet Link). Most of the girls are able to solve problems on this topic, a very important topic since every year it will come up in the SPM Exam. Some girls are still struggling with this topic, so I suggested that they do extra questions on it.

Today we also had a celebration in the school hall for being awarded the High Performance School. There was a video clip shown by the Interact Club on the sad conditions that students have to undergo in other countries. Students here especially in Sri Aman must count their blessings. We're given so much but yet we still complain.

"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country."
John F. Kennedy

This attitude applies not only to the country but also to your family, your school, your job or business, your customers, friends etc. Sri Aman Spirit lives on.....

Friday, January 29, 2010

HELLO 2010

It's already the end of the first month of 2010. How fast time seems to fly. It's been quite a while since my last update. Actually my original plan was just to let this blog die its natural death but today I accidently mention it to my 5KB class (i didn't plan it actually). Looks like it will be given another life line.

Well, what has happened in the last one month in school. Lots, actually. Firstly I'm very proud to say that my school was selected as one of the 20 schools nationwide that was awarded the status of High Performance School. The success is the culmination of all the hard work done by the students, teachers, school administrators , non-academic staff and not forgetting the parents. An organization can only achieve success if every one played their role to their best of abilities. Now, we have to work doubly hard to ensure that the trust put on us is fulfilled. It's scary actually..

This year I'm only given to teach Form 5 classes, namely 5SA and 5KB. I got to meet most of my 4SA girls again. In a way, I'm glad. Hopefully the feeling is mutual but I did mention to them that they have to bear with me for another year. This year is the first time I'm teaching the 5KB girls. It has been exciting coz there's lots of interesting characters in this class. So far so good (i think). I realized that i need to monitor some students more closely. Sometimes this is difficult given the 1 hour slot given to me each day for 3 days a week to be with them.

I've also started my training sessions with the teachers. You see, as an IT Coordinator, I'm suppose to train the teacher in using ICT. So far i've done 2 sessions with about 60 teachers on 'Online School' i.e showing teachers ways of giving online assignments to students using the school portal. Hopefully the teachers and students can really gain some benefit from this. I have one more session to go next Monday.

I've also given 2 talks on "Smart School" to parents during the orientation day and students right after the morning assembly. The response has been encouraging. Now the school portal seems to be more alive with new members.

Next on my agenda will be the SPS (Sistem Pengurusan Sekolah). The system is now ready with the school time table successfully uploaded with the help of En Saiful, the facilitator from Rebound Asia. There's been a lot of discussions on the SPS but from my personal point of view, I'm quite confident with this system compared to the earlier systems that were introduced to the Smart Schools. Me with a few of my fellow IT Coordinators have been reviewing the system for the whole of last year to ensure that it will be able to fulfill the school's need. Hopefully by March, we'll be able to use the system fully especially for teachers to do their lesson plans online.

Wow!!! This must be the longest post i've done so far. Got to go. It's time for the Maghrib prayer.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Mantap Minda Programme

The 'Mantap Minda Programme' for the Form 5 started 2 weeks ago and tomorrow will be the last day. I'm glad to see that some of the girls are taking this programme seriously. Today I managed to give some tips in answering the transformations question in Paper 2. I know quite a number of the students find this topic a bit difficult. Thank you for two girls in the front row for making my day. I didn't even got their name (they're not my students). They really showed their appreciation after I explained how to tackle this question easily. It's easy to make teachers happy. A show of appreciation is all that it takes. I wished all the Form 5 girls all the best for the SPM Examinations especially 'my 5KA girls'. May God Bless You Always.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Final Exam's Over

This Thursday will be the Open Day for my 4SA class. Overall, most of them did very well in the final exam. As I mention earlier, Maths is not a problem for my 4SA girls. Amanda even scored 100. I was expecting Aini to do the same but because of one careless mistake, she only scored 99. Sometimes I do wonder, did I have a hand in their success or they're just plain smart. I would say teaching the 4SA class is a pleasure. Not only they're smart, they're very pleasant and hardworking too. I've no problem getting them to do or pass up their assignments. I'm sure they will do well in Form 5. I wished them all the best. Maybe I'll see some of them again in Form 5 next year.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Angles of Elevation and Depression

This is the last topic I taught before the final exam. This is a very simple topic that can be taught in one sitting. It involved trigonometry which the students are exposed to in lower forms.

The angle of elevation of an object as seen by an observer is the angle between the horizontal and the line from the object to the observer's eye (the line of sight).

If the object is below the level of the observer, then the angle between the horizontal and the observer's line of sight is called the angle of depression

Word Problems: Angles of Elevation and Depression
In order to solve problems involving angles of elevation and depression, it is necessary to

* use basic right triangle trigonometry
* solve equations which involve one fractional term is also important to know.
* find an angle given a right triangle ratio of sides.
* the fact that corresponding angles formed by parallel lines have the same measure.

A typical problem of angles of elevation and depression involves organizing information regarding distances and angles within a right triangle. In some cases, you will be asked to determine the measurement of an angle; in others, the problem might be to find an unknown distance.

Suppose a tree 50 feet in height casts a shadow of length 60 feet. What is the angle of elevation from the end of the shadow to the top of the tree with respect to the ground?

First we should make a diagram to organize our information. Look for these diagrams to involve a right triangle. In this case, the tree makes a angle 90ยบ with the ground. A diagram of this right triangle is shown below.

In the diagram, known distances are labeled. These are the 50 and 60 foot legs of the right triangle corresponding to the height of the tree and the length of the shadow.

The variable q is chosen to represent the unknown measurement, the object of the question.

To relate the known distances and the variable, an equation is written. In this case the equation involves the lengths of the sides which are opposite and adjacent to the angle q. Using the ratio of opposite to adjacent sides, we have

We use inverse tangent of or

which is the angle of elevation.

Watch Video on Word Problems on Angle of Elevation & Depression

Final Exam

I can't believe it! It's already nearing the end of the year.Personally, it has been a good year for me. I'm very thankful for all the things God has bestowed on me. My view on life have gradually changed over the years. The worldly gains are not as important to me as it used to be. Being a teacher is something that I really treasure. Hopefully in the 18 years of teaching, I was able to touch some of my student's life.

This week is the study leave for the Form 5 but some of my 5KA girls were called back for extra classes. On Wednesday, they had a six hours session on mathematics with Pn Chan, En Cheah and Pn Yeap. I really hope these extra sessions will help them. They must realize that nobody is able to help them if they are not willing to help themselves. To Amirah Azhar and Nani, I'm really proud of both of you. You've shown that you can really do it if you work hard for it. To Syuhadah, Farhain and Sara, you can always come in for extra sessions with me after school. To Azreen and Azzin, you still have time to make improvement. It's better late than never.

The final exam for the Form 4 started on the 7th of October. I still have one more chapter to go, but I decided to finish it after the final exam coz this chapter won't be tested in the exam. I'm not worried about my 4SA girls coz I know they can do well in Mathematics.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Hari Raya Holidays

Last week, from 19 to 27 of September, school was off for the Hari Raya Aidil Fitri holidays. Hopefully everybody enjoyed their raya holidays.

This week school starts again. All students will have to buck up coz all the major exams are just around the corner. The form 5 are finishing their trial exam tomorrow. I've checked through some of my students mathematics paper 2 answer scripts. They didn't do as well as I expected them to. Every time I marked my student's paper, the same question will pop up. What did I do wrong? The students were not able to answer the same type of questions that were discussed in class. Sometimes the only conclusion that I can make is not all people are able to do math.
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