Teachers’ construction of meaning and expansion of ideas while sharing teaching strategies during teacher literature circles: A Malaysian school context / Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo

Studying literature can be challenging for ESL learners. When the new novel wasintroduced by the Ministry of Education Malaysiain 2015, the teachers’ responses included concern over how they were going to teach their students who found literature difficult and boring. The teachers were also concerned that they would have to look for books to read and add to their own knowledge and understanding, apart from looking for new resources for tests and examination questions. Hence the researcherasked for volunteers to form a Teacher Literature Circle, an informal gathering of teachers to discuss a literary work on a regular basis, in order to facilitate better understanding of the text. Four teachers from an urban school participated in the study. The Teacher Literature Circle (TLC) discussions took place weekly for seven consecutive weeks, each session varying from two to four hours each. Four months after the TLC discussions had ended, the researcher interviewed the teachers.The purpose of the study was to find out how teachers made meaning of the new text during TLC discussions which may also have impacted their classroom teaching experiences and what went on in the classrooms as well as after the teaching was over. Data comprised the transcripts of every TLC discussion and the interview data of the teachers, 4 months later on, after they had completed the teaching of the new text. The findings revealed that from sharing teaching strategies during the TLC, the teachers brought these strategies into the classroom and together with their students’ responses, built on their meanings from the time of the TLC. The teachers con-constructed meaning and expanded earlier ideas from the TLC

Learning grammar the ‘Monster’ Way ‘Monster Back to School-Parts of Speech Board Game’ / Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo and Roslina Mohd Jani

Learning grammar can be difficult for learners but this can be changed through interactive activities. Language games are an excellent way to make learning grammar fun among learners Although the use of language games is not a new tool in the teaching and learning of grammar, employing the right game for a specific grammar item is vital. Hence, this study aims to experiment, using a language game - ‘Monster Back to School -Parts of Speech Board Game, in efforts to enhance the learning of the parts of speech more effectively. This game is designed to provide practice in identifying the parts of speech in the English Language, from word level, through sentence level to making decisions on whether the parts of speech have been correctly identified. By playing this game, it is believed that learners will be able to engage and learn grammar in a fun-filled way. Methodology comprised quantitative and qualitative methods, using a questionnaire and interview, with the participants, who were college students. The results of the survey demonstrate the effectiveness of the game in the identification and learning of parts of speech. The pedagogical implications are that suitable language games can enhance grammar competence

Motivating reluctant readers using the bibliotherapy technique : a case study in UiTM Melaka / Josephine Lourdunathan and Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo

Aliteracy has become a widespread concern in our country. Our young generation has become a group of reluctant readers due to the learning environment, among other factors. The learning environment focuses on academic achievement and most reading au/comes expected are confined only to academic success, neglecting the aesthetic appreciation oftextsfor its own sake. The researchers set out on a quest to find ways of motivating adolescent students in the ESL classroom, to begin /0 enjoy the pleasure of reading and through this, the other benefits of reading which they have deprived themselves of: knowledge. developing a personality, becoming a more interesting and wholesome individual, an asset to the community and workplace. The researchers believe that reluctant readers can be reached. given motivation and guidance. It is this thatformed the basis ofthis current research which aimed at investigating the potential role ofbibliotherapy, in encouraging unmotivated young adults to read extensively. Basically, bibliotherapy is a process/treatment which focuses on personalized and meaningful reading. A case study was conducted with five participants from the Pre-Teslgroup ofUiTM Melaka. Themethodology included uestionnaire. face-to-face interviews and log sheet. Thefindings ofthis research indicated the effectiveness and success ofbibliotherapy in motivating reluctant readers. All participants responded encouragingly to the sessions and have begun reading independently. The researchers recommend that bibliotherapy be used as an alternative method in teaching reading

Choral speaking: perceptions and challenges in an ESL context / Evelyn Sharminnie Vasuthavan... [et al.]

Choral Speaking is known for its’ numerous benefits in the enhancement of the English Language in the ESL context. However, it has been found that both – learners and teachers alike, perceive Choral Speaking to be arduous. Hence, when performances and competitions are organised, there is a dual resistance and anxiety from the learners and teachers. This study looked at perceptions and challenges on Choral Speaking, of learners from a public university, and that of teachers from secondary schools in Malaysia. Methodology comprised qualitative and quantitative methods, where questionnaires and interviews were administered to the participants. Hence, data comprised responses from these two instruments. The findings showed that though the majority of the learners and teachers perceive Choral Speaking as beneficial, the challenges identified, caused reluctance in participation. This paper provides recommendations to address these issues

'Parts of speech' - 'drop a card' board game / Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo … [et al.]

Learning grammar can be difficult for learners but this can be changed through interactive activities. Language games are an excellent way to make learning grammar fun among learners. Although the use of language games is not a new tool in the teaching and learning of grammar, employing the right game for a specific grammar item is vital. Hence, this study aims to experiment, using a language game - ‘Parts of Speech’ - ‘Drop a Card’ board game, in efforts to enhance the learning of the parts of speech more effectively. This game is designed to provide practice in identifying the parts of speech in the English language. By playing this game, it is believed that learners will be able to engage and learn grammar in a fun-filled way. Methodology comprised quantitative and qualitative methods, using questionnaire and interview, with the participants, who were college students. The results of the survey demonstrate the effectiveness of the game in the identification and learning of parts of speech. The pedagogical implications are that suitable language games can enhance grammar competence

Poetricks a game to engage Malaysian secondary school ESL learners in understanding poetry / Angeline Ranjethamoney Vijayarajoo … [et al.]

Studying literature can be challenging for ESL learners. With the new cycle of poems introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2015, the teachers responded with great concerns over how to teach their students, who found poetry difficult and boring. Furthermore, the teachers found poetry less favourable compared to other literary genres. In order to fill the gap of a better understanding of the poems, in more engaging ways, the researchers designed a board game. The compulsory (new) poems for Forms Four and Five were used. 20 students and 40 teachers participated in this study. Data comprised the responses of the students and teachers, to the questionnaire and interview after the game. The game sessions were videotaped. The analysis of the data showed that the participants responded positively to the game. Hence, this game served as a supplementary tool in the teaching and learning of poetry in more engaging ways

An exploratory study of the satisfaction towards the learning environment among adult distance learners in Mara University of Technology, Alor Gajah Campus / Rozman Md Yusof...[et.al]

The aim of this study is to measure the level of satisfaction(if present), of the distance learners towards the learning environment in UiTM Alor Gajah Campus. Five aspects of learning satisfaction are looked at: rewards, social life, learning condition, recognition and quality of education. The researchers also looked at six independent variables : age, gender, marital status, working experience, income and program. A total of 186 questionnaires were distributed but only 178 were received. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The results revealed that the majority of the respondents indicated an intermediate level of satisfaction towards the five aspects of the learning environment provided by the campus. Many adult learners met the satisfactory level of the CSSQ scale except for the learning condition aspect which was slight. It was also discovered that age, study level and marital status played a significant role in influencing learning satisfaction levels. Based on these results, it is recommended that the physical, psychological and sociological environment be improved. With all these, it is hoped that a conducive climate to adult learning will be established

Interaction and meaning making in teacher literature circles / Angeline Ranjethamoney a/p Vijayarajoo

This study investigates interactions among three in-service teachers, in a teacher literature circle [TLC], as they tried to make sense of a new literature text, which they had to teach to their students. The new text was introduced by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia in 2011 and the teachers needed to make sense of it first. It is within this context that the researcher studied the ways in which teachers made meaning of the new text through their interactions in the teacher literature circles. This study addresses the following questions: How do teacher interact ion a TLC during discussions of a new literature text and how do teachers make meaning of the new text? The participants comprised three experienced teachers, who had taught the English language syllabus since the introduction of the literature component. The study addresses the interaction between the three in-service teachers as they discussed the new literature text in teacher literature circles. The teachers discussed the new literature text, “Catch Us If You Can” by Catherine Macphail. Data collection comprised transcripts of teacher literature circle discussions, group and individual interviews, written participant reflection forms and researcher field notes. The data were analyzed, described and interpreted, to show the processes and complexities involved in trying to make sense of the new literature text through the interactions of the teacher during the TLC. Findings showed that in-service teachers in TLCs played multiple roles – that of facilitator, leader, active listener etc. The review of literature shows that these roles were also played out by the teachers in classroom with their students. Apart from these roles, the talk was exploratory in nature where the teachers supported one another in their collaborative efforts to understand the new text. During the teacher interactions, various themes arose helped the teachers to negotiate meanings of the text. This make sense of the text. The research offers insights into the complexities of teacher interactions and the multi-tiered nature of the meaning making processes of teachers as they make sense of a new literature text in a teacher literature circles

‘WAIT’ … A Mobile App To Navigate and Assist Towards Polite and Effective Online Communication.

Increasingly, most communication in current times are online and this characteristic has been heightened due to restrictions caused by the Pandemic. During online communication, the art and etiquette of communication is often omitted. We, the researchers observed that online interactions tend to be careless and too quick with expressions of anger or just, communication that is quick, resulting in sometimes inadvertent rude, abrupt and ambiguous communication.  Hence, to address this problem, we designed a mobile app called, “Wait”. The objectives of this app are to enable students and members of the public, to “wait”, think and refer to alternative ways on how to begin, end and use specific keywords in response to various general situations using polite expressions. This app is an easy- to- use mobile app. The researchers conducted a preliminary study with school and college students whereby they were given online questionnaires before and after using the Apps. The results showed positive feedback, in the form of polite and effective communication after the use of the app.