StarSpecial BRIGHT KIDS

THE STAR Tuesday 14 January 2014

A new light for education

Beating new paths in education > 2 Technology and the future nation builder > 6

2 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

Beating new paths in education

By Anushia Kandasivam

ust how the British talk about their capricious weather, Malaysians talk about our wonderful food and how the countrys education system is outdated and needs a change. There has been a lot of talk about change this past year, and with all the advocacy out there, parents and students are already aware that a more well-rounded education system is what the country needs. The best bet to bring about this change is the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025. The Blueprint plans to increase the quality of education delivered to Malaysian children, and bring equity to the system in terms of access.

What needs to change

The current education system is exam-oriented. This means that everything the student and teacher do in the classroom is focused on getting the student to score above a certain mark in a single end-of-year examination. While this method of assessment has been the norm for decades even centuries in certain countries modern educationalists and academics see it as being inadequate in actually imparting an education. Scoring a certain mark may mean that the student has the knowledge of the bare facts, but it certainly does not mean that there is any understanding of the facts, knowledge of their application, nor effect on the student, society, or modern life. This makes the system closed off from the real world; a high score is no indication that the student will also succeed in higher education, secure a good job, or even forge a career. Understanding and the ability to apply knowledge, especially in lateral thinking, has never been more desired in todays globalised world where bare knowledge is easily available to anyone through the Internet. They are seen as almost essential to success in career and consequently in life. So what is needed is a more contemporary and comprehensive system that shifts focus away from acquiring knowledge for its own sake and testing by way of regurgitation to real understanding and application of knowledge and an emphasis on the learning experience.

regional neighbours. The average person may think that these scores are surprising given the amounts of straight As scored by students in major exams every year. But as PISA testing questions specically examine the levels of student literacy and critical thinking skills, it can be argued that this phenomenon proves the point that achieving high scores in the national examinations does not typically equal the existence of understanding and the ability to apply knowledge and think critically outside of familiar academic contexts.

Doing something about it

One of the aims of the blueprint is to put Malaysia in the top third tier of the PISA benchmark. The Education Ministry has stated that it hopes the country will show a signicant improvement in the next report, due out next year, which would reect educational reforms enacted under the Blueprint. Moving up to the top section of the global ranking in such a short time will certainly be a monumental task. Already, LINUS (Literacy and Numeracy Screening) testing has been taking place to assess literacy and numeracy skills among Malaysia school students and PEMANDU, the Performance and Delivery Unit of the Prime Ministers Department, has initiated several studies of various aspects of the education system as groundwork for the implementation of improvement and overhauling plans. One of the most signicant changes the blueprint plans to bring about is shifting the focus from the centralised national examination system to

Tracks
The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2012 report released in December last year revealed that Malaysian students scored better in mathematics compared to three years previously, but scores for science and reading had dropped. PISA is a global assessment conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) once every three years that tests 15-year-old students from 65 countries on their reading, mathematics and science abilities. In this latest PISA report,

school-based assessments (PBS - Penilaian Berasaskan Sekolah). This new system has been designed so that PBS scores will be added to central examination scores at certain milestone years, and to replace the national third form PMR exams. Last year saw the last cohort of third form students sit for the PMR exams; the new PBS-based third form exam, called Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah Menengah Rendah, will start this year. The PBS will be factored into the UPSR level grades by 2016. The PBS system will contain an increasingly higher percentage of questions that test higher-order thinking. The plan is that by 2016, 80% of exam questions for the UPSR exam, 80% of questions for the From 3 central assessment, 75% of the questions for SPM core subjects, and 50% of questions for SPM elective subjects will be higher-order thinking questions. The change in examination design is aimed at eliminating the need for content recall and the instances of teachers and students spotting questions in the centralised examinations. Instead, students will have to be trained to think critically and to apply the knowledge they gain in the classroom in different settings.

New roads
As the requirements of the PBS system are quite different from the centralised examination system, there has been much speculation and questions about it from parents and teachers. Under the new system, teachers are basically required to be both educator and examiner. > Turn to page 7

though the average score recorded by Malaysian students for mathematics 421 was higher than the score of 404 recorded in the 2009 report, it is still below the 494 mean for countries within the OECD. Reading ability plunged from 496 to an average of 398

where the mean was 490, and the science score declined from 422 to 420 where the mean was 501. Malaysia now has an overall ranking of 52 out of the 65 countries OECD countries tested by PISA in the bottom third of the survey and lower than its

StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

BRIGHT KIDS 3

S the leading nutrition, health and wellness company, Nestl has always put health and nutrition at the forefront. The large-scale and increasing global health and development burden posed by non-communicable diseases is a concern to Nestl, and was one of the reasons it launched the Nestl Healthy Kids Programme. This programme is made up of two modules a primary school module known as the Nestl Healthy Kids Programme and the secondary school module known as Program Cara Hidup Sihat (Healthy Lifestyle Programme).

Encouraging healthy student lifestyles

and Universiti Putra Malaysia in Dec 2012. This programme is aimed at enhancing the knowledge and practice of healthy and active lifestyles. This three-year intervention programme targets lower secondary school students from 100 day-boarding schools across the country, their teachers and wardens, and also the food operators who prepare and serve their meals on a daily basis. The programme is made up of six elements, the rst of which includes conducting introductory talks with senior assistants of student affairs and wardens of the boarding schools to brief them about the content and execution of the programme. Three hundred and thirtytwo food operators were trained to prepare healthier and tastier food using ingredients that are lower in salt and fat. Two hundred and three teachers and wardens also received training to conduct the educational module HEBAT (Healthy Eating and Be Active among Teens) that will be taught to students. The HEBAT module is made up of 10 topics. Phase one of the module saw four topics on understanding body weight, changes in different life cycles, the balance between energy consumption and usage, and the importance of healthy eating and ways to keep active being introduced. In phase two of the programme, six topics on how to stay active the safe way, choosing and eating wisely, reading food labels and easy menu planning were introduced. Before and after the intervention programme, nutritional statuses of the students including Body Mass Index (BMI), dietary intake and physical activity levels and knowledge, attitude and practices of healthy lifestyles were measured. The education module is monitored by senior assistants of student affairs and wardens from the schools. It is also reviewed by participating researchers from Universiti Putra Malaysias Medical and Health Sciences Faculty. The results of the phase one research revealed that the intervention group is able to maintain the attitude score while is there signicant increase in scores for knowledge and practice of healthy lifestyle, when compared to the control group. The ndings from these reports will eventually be applied to all schools and its approach and ndings will be shared with the nation.

Nestl Healthy Kids Programme

Launched in August 2010 in collaboration with the Nutrition Society of Malaysia, the Nestl Healthy Kids Programme (the primary school module) aims at improving nutrition knowledge and promoting an active lifestyle among students aged between 7 and 12 years old. The programme takes a two-pronged approach the awareness component reaches out to the masses through its website (www.healthykids.org. my) and various workshops while the research component is a longitudinal research study to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of an educational package. The Nestl Healthy Kids website provides children with interactive games that make learning fun and easy. There are also articles and recipes that parents will nd very useful. The three-year research component began in 2011 where approximately 200 children

from six schools in the Klang Valley were selected for the intervention group. A similar number of children from six other schools were identied for the control group. The intervention session consists of six educational modules that were developed based on the basic principles of healthy eating and active living as well as basic hygiene and disease prevention. The main ndings from the students from the rst year revealed that the knowledge score in nutrition increased in all six topics and their nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices also improved after six months.

At the end of the threeyear research component, the education modules will be presented to the Ministry of Education, enabling it to be utilised by other schools in the country. This set of educational tools that have been developed based on local dietary guidelines, and tested and proven to be effective, can serve to impart nutrition knowledge to all children in Malaysia.

Program Cara Hidup Sihat

The Program Cara Hidup Sihat was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Education

4 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

IMPLY put, bullying is an aggressive behaviour that is intentional and malicious. The International Bullying Prevention Association states that this behaviour is usually repeated over time and can inict grave longterm problems on the victim as well as the perpetrator. Children who are bullied are known to experience changes in their sleep and eating patterns, feelings of loneliness and depression, and decreased academic achievement. The US National Crime Victimisation Survey dating back to 2001 found that students who were bullied suffered detrimental effects to their well-being and development. Most victims are known to not seek revenge or hit back early on as they may be afraid or just not strong enough. However, a small number of children bullied in school have been found to retaliate very violently. Twelve out of 15 shooters of the US school shooting cases in the 1990s experienced being bullied in school. It is imperative that bullies get called out early on because children who engage in this practice tend to get involved in precarious and dangerous acts as adults. When the bullies grow up, they are likely to involve themselves in early sexual activity, vandalise property, become abusive, and indulge in alcohol and drugs.

Rise of the bully

of children experience bullying. Bullies do not just pick anyone to be their victim. The motivations behind bullying are usually tied to someones physical appearance or social standing in a peer group. Most of the time for the victims, it feels like they are ghting a losing battle but there are many ways to combat bullying. It is always best to not respond to the bullys harassment. The more the victim reacts, the more gratication the bully feels and this only motivates the bully to come back. Bullies seek to control their victims emotions as and when they like so it is best not to react with anger or physical force because this is exactly what they want. Victims should walk away and show the bully that they are not interested and to establish that the bully does not have control over their victim. For parents, it is important to talk to children about bullying because bullies usually frighten their victim into being quiet about the matter. Parents can also learn how to identify the different signs of bullying such as changes in the childs diet, keeping secrets, a decline in academic performance, bed-wetting, damaged possessions, and avoiding school. On the other hand, parents should never think that their child could never be a bully. Children, especially younger ones, do not understand what they are doing sometimes and may not even know that they are bullying. Rejecting the possibility that a child is able to hurt someone else makes it tougher for the child to get the help that is needed to grow up and develop properly. In order to combat this social problem effectively, everybody from parents to the media need to get involved. If bullying can be quickly identied and addressed before it reaches more advanced stages, communities will ourish and lives will be saved.

What, why and how

An imbalance of power is one of the main characteristics involved in bullying. The bully does not necessarily need to be bigger or stronger than the victim but merely have access to embarrassing information such as photos, or be inuential enough to bully someone. The advent of technology certainly has made our lives easier but it has also given rise to a relatively new form of bullying called cyber bullying. An act of harassment is deemed as cyber bullying when a bully threatens, torments or embarrasses the victim through text messaging, emailing or social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, and the like. A study posted on Cyberbullying.us found that handphones were the most frequently used devices among adolescents between the ages of 10 and 18. Smartphones enable users to access social networking sites just like they would on a computer. This means that adolescents are exposed to cyber bullying around the clock and not just when they go to school. Girls also are just as likely to bully and harass as their male counterparts. The study showed that girls are more likely to spread rumours while boys on the other hand, post hurtful pictures or videos. Like any other form of bullying, cyber bullying is motivated by jealousy, revenge or anger. Stopcyberbullying.org explains that many people do it for fun and to get a reaction from the chosen victim. The bully continues to harass the same person or the same group of people to show that he or she has some sort of power over them. Though cyber bullying has been on the rise, the more traditional forms of bullying are still common among children and teenagers. The most common forms of

bullying are verbal, social, physical, and of course cyber bullying. Verbal bullying involves making mean comments about ones ethnicity, culture, gender or sexual orientation while physical bullying involves the obvious such as hitting, poking, stealing or sexual harassment. Social bullying on the other hand encompasses humiliation, exclusion from a group, and scapegoating. In our own backyard, motivational speaker Nick Vujicic

mentioned that up to 80% of Malaysian teenagers admitted to being bullied. R.AGE in this very paper compiled statistics pertaining to bullying in Malaysia and found that name calling, labelling and teasing was what Malaysian teenagers are guilty of doing the most.

Intervention and prevention

According to Helpguide. org, research shows that 25% Nowadays, adolescents are exposed to cyberbullying around the clock and not just when they go to school.

StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

BRIGHT KIDS 5

Building strong foundations

T
HE UCSI Group started in 1986 as the Canada Institute of Computer Science and within three years grew into a fulledged college, renamed Sedaya College. Through the years, the institution continued to evolve until it was awarded university status by the then Ministry of Higher Education in Oct 2008 and renamed UCSI University. The UCSI Group has expanded and is also involved in pre-school, private primary and secondary school education, executive training and lifelong learning. These include: l UCSI University l Sri UCSI School l UCSI International School l UCSI Child Development Centre l UCSI Extension children with the aim of building a strong foundation for good character within them, and to give them a head-start in their education and development. The centre helps the child learn and play while initiating creativity through projects and activities that are child-centred. Maximum attention is given to the childs social and emotional development. The curriculum focuses on allocating children time to pursue their own interests so that they can develop and utilise curiosity, creativity, resourcefulness, independence, initiative and a sense of responsibility through their interactions with other children. UCSI-CDC offers: l Playschool (18 months - 2 years old) l Nursery (3 years old) l Pre 1 (4 years old) l Pre 2 (5 years old) l Pre 3 (6 years old)

Sri UCSI Primary and Secondary School

A private, co-educational school, UCSI School offers classes from Standard 1 to Form 5 and uses the National Curriculum. The school focuses on providing quality education with genuine care. Special emphasis is given to languages in the curriculum, especially the mastery of English. Mandarin classes are also offered. One of the schools aims is to produce tri-lingual students who are procient in Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin. The school is equipped with air-conditioned classrooms, a cafeteria, laboratories, a library, a music room, a computer laboratory, a basketball court, and other facilities. It is also just 300m away from a sports complex where additional facilities like a swimming pool, tennis courts and squash courts are available to the students.

UCSI Child Development Centre

The UCSI-CDC provides holistic, child-centred and enjoyable learning experiences to young

UCSI International Schools

The guiding principle behind UCSIs international school is that education is not about academics alone, but should be a holistic experience that develops intellectual, creative, social, civic

and professional skills. This is why its two campuses, at Bandar Springhill and Subang Jaya, each offer two globally recognised academic programmes - the International Baccalaureate and the British International General Certicate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) respectively.

The Springhill campus is built on an eight-hectare stretch of land and offers the option of boarding to its students. The Subang campus was opened with learners in the Klang Valley in mind. The schools aim is to groom students into global citizens that will shape the future.

6 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

Technology and the future nation builder

G
ONE are the days when we would go to school with a backpack full of books and a well-stocked pencil case. Most classes now come furnished with a projector for teachers to teach through their laptops. The classrooms landscape has changed even more since the Internet has become more widely available, affordable and faster. Storing information to the cloud has also become more affordable or even free at times. What is the cloud? According to Infoworld.com, it is a way to increase capacity or add capabilities on the y without investing in new infrastructure, training new personnel, or licensing new software. Cloud computing encompasses any subscription-based or pay-peruse service that, in real time over the internet, extends ITs existing capabilities. Schools do not need to pass out notices on paper to a classroom anymore; instead they can email various updates to students and parents. This way, notices will not get lost or be undelivered and a substantial amount of paper will not go to waste.

ICT in the classroom

Malaysian students across the country will soon be doing their homework and preparing presentations through the cloud. On April 10 last year, Google said that Google Apps will be adopted by 10 million Malaysian students, parents, and teachers. In line with this, the government is planning to furnish Malaysias 10,000 schools with 4G Internet access and to meet the minimum ratio of 10:1 of students to computers. Googles ocial blog stated that Malaysia will also be giving out Chromebooks to primary and secondary schools throughout Malaysia. The total amount of Chromebooks to be given out was not stated. > Turn to page 10

School offers challenging, high-quality education

NILAI International School (NIS) advocates high-quality Cambridge education coupled with a strong foundation of moral integrity. Its caring staff and world-class facilities offer opportunities for growth academically, physically, and socially. Academically, the Cambridge curriculum and assessment schedule provide the context for which its highly-qualied teachers carefully bring out the best in each student through interaction, projects, and activities. Students will benet from the schools excellent library stock, state-of-the-art Smart Boards, and Gifted and Talented Programme. Its Education Service Unit, through its unique relationship with Western Australia Autistic School, gives specialised attention to students with special needs. The English Prociency Programme at NIS is designed to immerse students who come from non-English-speaking backgrounds in English as a second or other language so that they can interact with their teachers and classmates with condence. NIS students will develop physically through a highquality physical education and co-curricular department. Playing elds, basketball and badminton courts, and a beautiful fully covered swimming pool provide students with exciting outlets for exercise and learning new life skills. Socially, students will be challenged to grow into productive, caring, and respectful citizens through directed assemblies, educational trips, and interaction with our caring and creative multinational staff. NIS staff is selected not only for their expertise in their respective elds, but also for their outstanding character. NIS is situated in an ideal location as it is a quick drive from Seremban and the southern suburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Nilai also boasts fresh air, green hills, wide boulevards, friendly people and it is only a 15-minute drive from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. NIS is also of the best priced alternatives in the southern Klang Valley and northwestern Negri Sembilan. The schools caring faculty will help to bring out the best in your child enabling them to let their light shine.

StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

BRIGHT KIDS 7

SCHOOL REPORT

International school opens new campus

T
HE newly renovated Kuala Lumpur campus of Taylors International School opened its doors last week to 1,600 students and their teachers, who started their rst day of school in the new year. The campus was unveiled for the very rst time with a small ceremony. The atmosphere was celebratory as it marked the day the school completed its transformation from Sri Garden International to Taylors International School, Kuala Lumpur (TISKL). Peter Wells, Principal of Taylors International School, Kuala Lumpur remarked that the amazing transformation was not merely the school faade but more importantly in the constant improvement in the schools teaching principles and learning pedagogies within the classrooms. With the exciting birth of Taylors International School, Kuala Lumpur, the students can now enjoy a seamless education pathway from pre-school through to university with the Taylors Education Group, said B.K. Gan, President of Taylors Schools at the ceremony.

Ready for life outside the classroom

> From page 2 Teachers will be required to key in student achievement assessments and other information through an online system. The online system is meant to streamline the administrative processes of assessments and recording, but smooth implementation will certainly mean some sort of training for school staff and teachers. It will also mean an increase in desk work for teachers, who are already burdened with looking after large classes and, as some critics say, distract them from classroom commitments, which are supposed to be their greatest focus. Another danger of the new system is that teachers who are used to the centralised examination system that places emphasis on achieving high marks will resort to skipping content that will not be tested and completely cutting out non-examination subjects in a bid to ensure high scores in the assessments, thus defeating the whole purpose of the new system and inadvertently reverting to the Malaysian default of exam-based education. Again, the thing that can prevent this from happening is training and planting an understanding in teachers, students and parents that the point of the new system is to ensure a holistic education experience for the Malaysian child in order to prepare them for life in the real world.

Ensuring smooth sailing

Malaysias education minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stated late last year that the PBS system will be rolled out slowly and in an effective manner so that the changes implemented will not be burdensome to teachers. He also gave an assurance that the system will be improved and the technical glitches that have been plaguing it addressed. Though there has been much debate about the blueprint in general and the new schoolbased assessment system in particular, the idea is sound enough that proper and systematic implementation and follow-through, along with regular and consistent studies and improvements will see it working for the nation. It only remains to be seen starting with this years third form exams how successfully it will work.

The highlight of the event took place when Datuk Loy Teik Ngan, Group CEO of Taylors Education Group declared the campus open, released balloons and warmly welcomed the students and parents to TISKL TISKL is the rst campus under Taylors International School

and will be followed by a second campus in Puchong, opening in January next year. As part of Taylors Education Group, which also comprises of Taylors College and Taylors University, the school strives to continue its heritage of educational excellence.

8 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

Common cents
M
ONEY makes the world go round, though many of us are yet to master the skill of managing money eciently. Therefore, it is never too early to start educating young ones on the importance of being wise with the ringgit, with experts agreeing that children should be taught money matters while they are still in preschool. Children can do simple mathematics even before they become aware of monetary concepts. They will know that there is always money paid in exchange for goods or services. The key thing to do is to let them know that while money is exchanged for goods, it is not innite and therefore they need to know how to manage it. products are most worth buying. This encourages critical thinking in children, which is a very important quality to have when growing up. Be sure to also allocate money for savings as children are at the most impressionable stage of their lives when they are in their pre-teens. A parent could also introduce an incentivebased savings system by offering rewards for different amounts of savings achieved. This gives a child the drive to save more money to reach their goal faster.

Boundaries
As a parent, limits should be established so the child knows what exactly she can expect from you. When a child asks for something, rst determine if it is a need or want, because fullling all her needs is your responsibility but fullling all her wants is not. By fullling all the childs wants, you are giving her something that will not be always available to her, which is not exactly the best thing you can give your child. That being said, not all the childs wants should be rejected. Decide if the child deserves what she is asking for, and if she deserves it by all means give her what she wants. Another behaviour that has recently become disturbingly common especially in Millennial Generation or Generation Y children is impulse buying. You should never accommodate a childs impulsive wants nor should you be impulsive yourself, at least not in front of a child. Impulse buying is a main contributing factor to depleting your bank balance and piling on more debt.

Budgeting and saving

One of the more important aspects of nancial literacy is knowing how to budget. Most people who do not budget end up with unpaid bills and more often than not nd that the decimal place on their bank statement has moved forward a point. The rst thing you should do as a parent is be a good role model. When a child watches her parent do something, it automatically registers as the right thing to do. So if you want your child to save in a piggy bank, you should, too. According to Michael Reyes, CEO of Moneytree Asia Pacic, when children receive their allowance they should decide how much to save rst instead of how much to spend. Slip money into a piggy bank or a jar after making sure that your child is watching, or if your child is slightly older, sit down to show and explain to her how you budget for the month ahead. Show your child how much you allocate sucient funds for each type of expenditure so that she gets a rough idea of how to prioritise spending. Also, compare prices while out shopping for groceries and ask for your childs opinion on which

even sooner. This is where you as the parent can make them take responsibility for their actions and let them learn from their mistakes. After one or two months, the child will get used to it and will start budgeting more wisely.

Earning money
It is inevitable that your child will eventually ask for a raise in her monthly allowance. Instead of just agreeing with your child or saying no, you may suggest alternative ways of making money. There are more ways for children and young adults to make money these days than there were 10 years ago and they should make use of the opportunities available. Teens can earn extra money tutoring other children. Alternatively, they could recycle old newspapers and make a tidy prot out of it. Some parents make deals with their children to do extra chores in exchange for monetary compensation while others encourage their kids to organise garage sales to sell off old, unwanted things. This is good practice as it encourages kids to develop an entrepreneurial spirit. It is imperative that parents teach children to be nancially literate at as young an age as possible. Though it may be a little tough at rst, its the best gift you can give your children.

Money management
There are various interesting ways to teach older teenage children to be independent and manage money wisely. One way to do it is to sit the child down and discuss (maybe negotiate too) all

the expenses that will be incurred by the child for the duration of one month. Expenses may include clothes, food, drinks, leisure activities and petrol, among many others. Once an amount is agreed upon, make it a point to deposit that amount into the childs bank

account at the beginning of every month. This is where it can get a bit tricky. For the rst couple of months at least, with all that money available to them at once, a child will most probably overspend and end up with no money at the end of the month or

StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

BRIGHT KIDS 9

New school poised to lead the way

E
PSOM College in Malaysia will be opening its doors for the rst time in September. Steeped in 150 years of rich UK heritage, the school offers students a rst-class British day school and boarding experience. Epsom College in Malaysia will be Epsoms rst overseas campus. The co-educational boarding school (full or weekly board) and day school is for 3-18 years olds and is located just south of KL in Bandar Enstek. Following the Cambridge International Examination (CIE) syllabus, Epsom College in Malaysia aims to mirror the academic excellence of Epsom College in the UK, which consistently achieves 84% of A-level grades at A*, A or B grades. We have handpicked our teachers from the UK. They each have the qualications and experience to deliver a UK curriculum at their relevant level, be that Prep School level or to preuniversity students studying for their A-levels. With a maximum class size of 24 students in the Senior School and 16 in Pre-School nursery, we are perfectly poised to provide a world-class education here at Epsom College in Malaysia, says Martin George, Headmaster of Epsom College in Malaysia. Epsom College in Malaysia is limiting the rst years intake to 200 students and is currently holding entry assessments for

Testing and interviews for 2014 intake

l Early Years to Year 2: By short interview and age appropriate tasks l Years 3 to 6: By academic testing and interview l Years 7, 8, 9 and 10: By testing in mathematics, English and nonverbal reasoning along with an interview

pupils aged 3-17 years at the colleges KL oce in Publika, Solaris Dutamas. We are very excited to announce that we will begin our school tours in February. These tours will enable families to fully experience what Epsom has to offer for their children, says George. The Epsom College vision embraces the personal development of each student through innovation and creativity to achieve academic excellence and aspire to secure places at the worlds top universities. Epsom College in Malaysia, as with its sister college in the UK, will not only stress academic excellence but also an allround holistic co-curriculum to

maximise students full potential. Epsom College has a long tradition of excellence in the provision of boarding and pastoral care for its students. The closeknit house system is renowned and has become one of the contributing reasons parents choose Epsom College for their children. The team of experienced housemasters and housemistresses live alongside the students and are responsible for a student welfare and progress at Epsom, whether that be academic, co-curricula, social or personal. This home away from home setting has become an integral part of the college life and ensures that students receive the guidance and support they need in a safe

and supportive environment. Epsoms approach to student boarding fosters a community atmosphere among students. In seven months, the doors to Epsom College in Malaysia will be open to students from Malaysia and around the world. The values I learnt whilst at Epsom College in the UK have shaped who I have become today. They have nurtured my personal growth and given me the ambition, condence, and leadership to never give up in the face of adversity, shares Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Chair of Governors, Epsom College in Malaysia. Old Epsomians include British Secret Intelligence Service Head Sir John Scarlett, geographer

l Year 12: By interview, testing in mathematics and English or consideration of results from IGCSE/O-levels

Sir Halford John Mackinder and Britains former Lord Justice of Appeal Sir Anthony McCowan. The nal touches to the 20.2-hectare acre site will be completed in time to welcome the inaugural student intake. The campus will boast a wireless Internet infrastructure, a 650-seat theatre, 80 classrooms, recording studios, a recital hall, a sports centre and cricket, rugby, tennis, netball and squash facilities.
n For more information:

www.epsomcollege.edu.my

10 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

Brain food for the young

A
S school reopens for the new year, most parents will be looking for that special something to improve their childs performance in school. Most will register their children for tuition classes, while other may sign their children up for ballet lessons, selfdefence classes and so on to ensure that their child stays competitive in school and later on in life. While these extra-curricular classes are important, it is also important for the child to be properly nourished as a healthy child will absorb and digest what is being taught in school and in tuition classes better. It is therefore important to give your child the extra nutritional edge. An important nutrition for schoolgoing children is omega-3 sh oil. Research has shown it is important for the healthy growth of the brain especially the Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA) component of the sh oil. This does not come as a surprise as human brain cells comprise 30% fat, primarily essential fatty acids, which are also known as good fat. In a well-researched clinical study conducted in Australia, 230 underperforming children were assigned to two groups. One group was given 500mg of omega-3 supplements daily and the other was given a placebo for three months. The results revealed that the children who were given 500mg of DHA daily showed improvements in their reading and spelling ability, while the placebo group showed only average progress. It was later reported that the omega-3 sh oil given to the children comprised 140mg DHA and 28mg of Eicosapentanoic Acid. This ratio led to the creation of the Golden 5:1 Rule for Optimum Brain Development. processed in the brain as electrical impulses. Omega-3 fatty acids, in particular DHA, ensures the healthy and complete growth of these nerves in the brain. Having good and ecient nerves enables information to be processed at a faster speed. This improves a childs ability to read and spell better. Scientists recommend giving a child omega-3 as early as possible. This is because a childs brain grows at a fast rate and having omega-3 in the diet ensures the nerves are well formed.

Suitable omega-3 fish oil for children

Not all omega-3 sh oil is suitable for children. It is therefore important to choose a product that is specially formulated for them. Most of these products are available for sale in pharmacies or health food stores. Here is a brief guide: l Most products are for children above the age of three. The labels will give you more information. l Choose omega-3 sh oil that has the Golden 5:1 Ratio Rule of DHA:EPA. It is advisable to choose a product with a low EPA content, preferably below 40mg. l Choose omega-3 sh oil that is sourced from tuna oil as the oil extracted from tuna contains a higher DHA content than most sh oils. l Choose a non-shy tasting omega-3 sh oil. Most children dislike the shy taste. There are special products that are formulated to naturally mask the shy taste. l Choose a product that is recognised and trusted by parents worldwide. This gives you the condence and peace of mind that the products are sold and given to kids around the world.

The role of Omega-3

The brain is made up of a complex network of nerves. Information is

Opening a door to possibilities

> From page 6 A Chromebook looks and feels like a laptop but Google claims it is a new type of computer that works faster and will be easier to use. Chromebooks run on Chrome OS, which is an operating system that ensures multiple layers of security and cloud storage. These plans for the Internet to permeate our classrooms are part of the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, which aims to evaluate the performance of Malaysias education system against historical starting points and international benchmarks. Introducing the Internet into classrooms enables students to acquire learning material and references faster than before. Students will also be able to browse numerous sources of a subject in one sitting compared to studying one source from one or the same authors. This teaches students how to incorporate the different materials they nd online into their work. Currently, this is how college and university students go RM6billion on information and communication technology with initiatives such as Smart Schools. The Ministry feels the need to push for more ICT usage in schools, as quantities and quality are not at expected levels. A study conducted by the Ministry in 2010 found that 80% of teachers spent less than an hour a week on ICT. What is more shocking is that a 2012 United Nations Educational, Scientic and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) review found that the usage of ICT by Malaysian teachers was limited to merely word-processing applications. Plans, however, have been put in place to change this worrying trend by improving the content online with a video library that delivers daily lessons in science, mathematics, Bahasa Malaysia, and the English language. The blueprint states these online videos can be a source of inspiration for teachers or a revision tool for students. students learn at the same pace. The Ministry has taken this into account and has included plans in the blueprint to maximise the use of ICT for distance and self-paced learning. Expanding further, students will get to relish in the fact that they will be able to experience a more personalised education. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace and also study subjects that are not taught in their school. Malaysian students can expect the pilot programme for these plans to start in 2016 on a small scale. The successful programmes will then be introduced nationwide. The future of Malaysia and its students looks bright with the implementation of ICT in the education system. Using technology makes learning methods endless and makes it possible for teachers to mould young minds of students and turn out national builders and global leaders that are capable of critical thinking and have the ability to form their own opinions.

about their assignments and coursework but why should it be conned to them? Allowing primary and secondary students to study and incorporate different sources into their work only makes them well prepared and armed with the the skills

they will need when pursuing a higher education. The blueprint states that the Ministry of Education is looking to leverage ICT to scale up quality learning across Malaysia and over the past decade, they have spent more than

Bespoke learning
It has been found that not all

StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

BRIGHT KIDS 11

Learning in the real world

By Clare Sweeney

N the primary school at Nexus, recently accredited at mastering level, we understand the importance of making learning meaningful, relevant and engaging for learners. In Year 1, this half term, the children are learning about the world of work through the IPC theme The Things People Do. In order to hook the children on this theme, we took them to Kidzania. Through role-playing the learners were able to know and understand more about various jobs and professions within society as well as the activities and responsibilities that go along with these. This was an excellent opportunity for children to understand the purpose of work not only for their own personal monetary gain, but also to provide a service to society. Many of our learners have never had to take responsibility for their own money, and have never had the opportunity to earn money nor use this money earned to purchase goods. It was amazing to see those who were more reluctant to spend their hard earned cash. The trip to Kidzania allowed children

to explore these concepts and come to an understanding that money, in fact, does not just appear from the ether, it has to be earned and it should be spent wisely. Additionally, they quickly learned that certain jobs were more desirable to them, because they earned different amounts for different jobs. Some children showed real drive to bank in more than their friends so that they would be able to purchase the item they wanted at the end of the day. This learning experience has proved to be extremely purposeful for our learners as through working with their peers, role playing and having fun, they have learned so much more about jobs in society today than they could have within the constraints of a traditional classroom. By learning by doing they are bound to remember the learning experience that has taken place. Our learners are now completely enthused and ready to learn more about The Things People Do within and across the different curricular subjects. l Clare Sweeney is a Year 1 teacher at Nexus International School.

Athletic skills on show

PRIMARY sports at Nexus has seen a wonderful development over the past term and the schools skills-based programme is beginning to pay dividends. Motivated children are developing their all-round sports and athletic skills in individual and team sports. Nexus competes well in international schools sporting events and many events are held within the school itself. One such event recently was the primary school indoor athletics competition. All learners from Nursery through to Year 6 were involved and cheered on by their parents. Sixty-seven fun yet competitive races took place in total, from 1-lap sprints to 4-person obstacle relays. Still to come this month, the secondary school basketball and rugby teams compete for medals as they complete

their respective seasons. Meanwhile, our primary learners get another chance to lace up their boots as they kick-off their football season with four teams in action through January, February and March. The wide range of co-curricular activities on offer will also help to keep the Nexus learners active and enjoying their sports.

Sesame Street-inspired English programme

LETZHOP is a mind enrichment centre, that enrolled its rst batch of students in February last year with its core programme LETZHOP Sesame Street English. This is a multimedia English language learning programme for children between 3 and 12 years old. It is the rst ESL (English as a Second Language) programme developed by Sesame Workshop, the producers of the Sesame Street TV programmes. The programme uses an internationally acclaimed methodology to introduce young children to English language in a fun and engaging way. The programme has proven to be an effective medium of learning for children through its content-based learning approach that enables them to learn and apply English language in a real-life situation. An interactive multimedia device is used as the main medium of teaching. This involves the use of a smart panel that is also known as a giant tablet. This giant tablet is used to deliver the lessons content, which is made up of video clips and songs from the Sesame Street TV programme as well as other new multimedia content that is specially designed for the programme. This year, LETZHOP is offering several other programmes in addition to LETZHOP Sesame Street English. The programmes are LETZHOP Three-2-Six, LETZHOP Zero-2-Three, LETZHOP Ready-2-Learn, LETZHOP Autism Early Intervention Programme, LETZHOP Al-Hira Islamic Education Programme, and LETZHOP School Holiday Programme. LETZHOP is currently operating in ve locations Bandar Baru Bangi, Klang, Damansara, Shah Alam, and Selayang.
n For more information:

www.letzhop.com or contact them at 03-9055 3999

12 BRIGHT KIDS StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

By Ruth Arunasalam

NDERSTANDING Aspergers may be dicult for parents, but it is very important that they know what it is, what to expect, and exactly what decits, skills and abilities their child has before they decide on the right early intervention programme. The child with Aspergers, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, exhibits the following characteristics under the new Austism Spectrum Disorder denition: l Challenges with social interactions l Conned interests with intense and focused, and repetitive behaviours l No signicant language delay l No cognitive impairment l Symptoms presenting a signicant impairment in day-today functioning This implies the existence of a social and communicative decit. A limited ability to learn or apply socially relevant information is considered by some to be a social cognitive learning disability. There are three models that help to describe decits in social cognition for these children, including the Theory of Mind, the Theory of Central Coherence and the Executive Dysfunction Theory.

Into the minds of children with Aspergers

ability to appreciate the mental states of oneself and other people, which is a prerequisite to effective functioning in social groups. This adaptive behaviour is usually evident in children from the age of 4 onwards. Children with autism seem to lack the ability to think about thoughts, suggesting they are impaired in specic, but, crucially, not all, areas of socialisation, communication and imagination. Children with autism cannot get inside other peoples heads. Therefore their understanding of others is profoundly limited. This decit includes early developmental diculties, which are associated with mind blindness such as not showing joint attention skills, which is usually evident by 14 months of age, and the failure to engage in pretend play, which normally emerges between 20 and 24 months old. emerges as highly distracting and disruptive behaviour coupled with a dependence upon ritual and routines and an apparent disregard for the school timetable or the completion of tasks.

What parents should know

These decits result in autistic children developing skills unevenly, omitting some stages or appear not to follow the usual developmental order. It is the unstable area of emerging skills and the relationship between the various aspects of development that must be identied. Therefore, therapy must be prescriptive and it depends on a careful assessment of each childs function rather than on medical categories. Parents should be aware that tests are unsuitable as the childs behaviour is too idiosyncratic and immature. Instead, there must be structured and systematic observation from which a prole of each individual can be developed. No two autistic children are alike: they differ from each other in their abilities and skills just as ordinary children do. l Ruth Arunasalam is a doctoral candidate who is conducting research on linguistics education for children with autism spectrum disorders. She also conducts seminars and educates teachers on the subject.

Central Coherence
This theory relates to our natural impulse to place information into a context in order to give it meaning. It is usual for human beings to take an overview of things, to look for the big picture and assimilate the detail into that whole. However, people with autism tend to focus on the detail rather than the whole, picking out the minutiae rather than understanding the big picture. Compared their non-autistic peers, they are only able to recognise the identity of familiar faces from a part of the picture. Educators may detect the lack of central coherence in the narrowed interests of children with autism such as in the ways in which pupils with autism are often unable to generalise skills, or the way in which they may display areas of relative strength, known as islets of ability.

Executive Function
Executive Function is the mechanism that enables us to move our attention from one activity or object to another exibly and easily. It allows

Theory of Mind
The Theory of Mind is the

us to plan strategically, solve problems and set ourselves objectives so that we can control our behaviours in planned and meaningful ways. The absence of such a mechanism determines that all our actions are controlled by the environment in response to cues and stimuli, leading to apparently meaningless activity. In a school setting, this