http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1233531/The_challenge_of_leadership

The beauty of Wordle

Further to a brief post-meeting chat in the carpark, I thought I would send you an example of the wonders of Wordle. I pasted in the text from my Malaysia evaluation document and this is the 'Wordle' that emerged. I obviously felt somewhat relieved when 'Learning' turned out to be the most frequently used word! Click here to use it: http://www.wordle.net/

Dan's reflection on the Impact of Malaysia 2009

DLW Malaysia Impact Presentation

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Claire's reflection

Malaysia 09 Cn

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Apologies

Just wanted to send a massive apology for not being there this afternoon. I am just about to head to my Diploma planning day and feeling really terrible for not being with you all today. Caroline's post made me think just how important it is that we all stay in touch and really develop our network by continuing to support and inspire each other. I have left the presentation I would have given today on here in the form of three video files. I hope you all have a great day and I hope to see you soon.

A 'very-sad-to-be-missing-out' Liana x

"Malaysia 2009" has inspired me to research the impact that a close network of teachers (like us!) can have on promoting improvement and change. In August 2009, I enrolled in a M.Ed in Leading Teaching and Learning at the University of Cambridge with the aim of trying to create networks of teachers in my school along the lines of our network in Malaysia. What I hope to do is to measure whether such networks can develop a more collaborative culture. Below is an extract from my first M.Ed essay about how the Malaysia visit has inspired me to reflect on teacher networks. Thank you Claire, Sarah, Liana, Jo, Nikki, Tremaine, Mark, Dan and Geraldine for inspiring me to enjoy the visit, feel part of a team and going further, reflect on the value of teacher networks.

In 2009 I participated in an educational study visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The visit was organised by CfBT and the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT) in order to give an opportunity to Fast Track alumni to learn about school leadership in a range of Malaysian schools as well as attend the 17th Commonwealth Conference for Education Ministers. Despite a fascinating programme, the aspect of the trip that I found most powerful was the opportunity to spend a week with likeminded school leaders and create a blog together to document our experiences. There were so many reflection opportunities on the trip, both formal and informal. Formally, we had reflection time factored into our programme, on the last day particularly. During this time the group thought about what they had gained from the experience, what they have learned from their peers and from the Malaysian teachers and leaders we had met. All feedback from the group was positive and many, including myself, were particularly struck the fact that we had almost learned as much from each other as from the Malaysian school leaders. Informally, almost straightway, we were sharing ideas, engaging in debate and reflecting on a variety of issues from managing staff, classroom management and primary to secondary transition. Had we all been on an INSET course at a hotel in London, I am confident such exchanges would not have taken place! I believe that we formed an identity as a group of likeminded professionals from the start and interacted professionally and positively. We had a purpose – to learn and document our findings on a blog – and learnt much being together. Therefore, this experience made me consider more carefully the importance and value of building small communities of teachers who learn from each other as well as to share and develop good practice.

My reflections on the fantastic study visit to Malaysia

Tremaine Baker

Nikki's Summary

Nikki's Reflection

Since returning to work and starting a new academic year, the Malaysia visit feels like a lifetime ago. The forthcoming meeting with the group members has given the opportunity for me to reflect on the impact the visit has had to both my own professional development and my school.

IMPACT-SCHOOL

• Raised awareness of Malaysia through whole school assembly and display. (Year 2 pupil- I think Malaysia is wonderful and is the best place in the world!)


• Contributed to evidence for International Award. We now have level 1 and are working on the intermediate level.


• Other staff inetersted in international links. The reception teacher is going to India in October and the Year 1 and Year 3/4 teachers are going to Switzerland in February 2010.

IMPACT-MY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Opportunity to reflect on and appreciate my achievements so far.


• Increase in motivation.


• Awareness of global education issues and diversity.

IMPACT -PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

• Ability to feel proud of my achievements.


• Increased global awareness.


• More motivated at work.


• Made me want to travel more and explore different cultures.

Malaysia Visit Reflections

Here is an introduction video containing some of my reflections and others from the blog in general.

Mark

Sarah's Impact

Malaysiasummary

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Liana's Key Learning

Lianas Malaysian Key Learning Quotes

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Jo Lindon - Impact

Malaysia Study Trip, Impact - Jo Lindon

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Liana's colleague discussing the impact of the visit on their school

Liana's Next Steps

Liana's Reflections on the Study Visit

Leadership Matters

The Malaysia Study Visit has been reported on in the latest edition of 'Leadership Matters'.

Leadership Matters

Sri KDU High School

Mrs Chang showed us through from the primary school following our excellent buffet and we crossed the University style campus over to the Socndary school. Here, as with the primary, the facilities were impressive; characterised by wide, cool corridors with hundreds of rooms, many of which appeared empty, a sign of the space available in Malaysian school system. We were later to find this was not exclusive to the private schools, but also in the rural schools. In the UK, this sort of space is a luxury unheard of!

We met with the management team before embarking on the school tour. The children were still on their lunch hour for part of the tour so we had the opportunity to see them making the most of their facilities; badminton, table tennis and other sports were all going on informally.

The school have recently introduced the International Baccaulaureate programme and IB students were busy at work using their state of the art library. Here the students have the non uniform status that sixth formers aspire to back home. The secondary students shared the smart uniform of their primary counterparts with even the socks being Sri KDU issue with stitching with the school's name on.

The facilties continue to impress us along our tour; drama rooms, swimming pool and sports facilities accomodating all known team sports. There was even a drumming studio with full drum kits set up. The teachers are keen to share their enthusiasm for the school with us.

We then split into groups to see a number of lessons, on offer we are invited to Science, Maths, English and Madarin. Myself and Nikki go into a year 9 maths lesson. The students are hard at work as we enter and they stand to welcome us 'Good afternoon teachers'. The desks all face the front and they are working on plotting algebraic functions on graphs. They were all very studious as we moved round to talk to them, they appeared shy and a bit nervous at our attention. We consider how this lesson is not dissimilar to maths lesson you would expect to see in high schools in the UK; there is use of the intereactive whiteboard and some paired discussion during the independent work. This is more interactive than the chalk and talk we may have expected. Although following the primary science lesson I had observed at Sri KDU primary earlier that morning, where meal worms were being examined with magnifying glasses to teach the topic of life cycles, that myth had already been dispelled.

After our short lesson visit we return to the meeting room where a forum had been set up. This is a very interesting element ot our visit. We have the opportunity to sit in small gorups with staff, school leaders and students themselves. I sit with Azhar Abdullah, the IB Business and Management teacher and one of the students, a very articulate young man who is very enthusiastic about both his school and on expressing his views on the Malaysian education system. Both are very interested in hearing Liana and me share our views on what we have seen and on our comments on the obvious differences we have observed.

What comes across most clearly is the extreme pride both teachers and students share in their school. Whilst in any formal set up such as this, the students would be carefully handpicked, it is difficult to be anything other than impressed with the caliber of this student and the way he articulates his comments on the issues being discussed. We talk about the issue of language and multi-cultural society in Malaysia which is so beyond where we are in the UK. They are interested that in the UK we are now assessed in Ofsted terms on the effectiveness of our Community Cohesion provision. We also share our awe of the Malaysians' approach to language learning.

Here the majority of students are Chinese Malaysians and many speak English at home. We had learn fromHugh that Chinese Malaysians make up some 30% of the Malaysian population. This is an interesting statistic in terms of what percentage is being represented here in a private school. Languages here may be less of an issue than in other Malay schools we visit later in the week but we must give them credit for the range of other languages they have on offer. We have already seen students in a language lab learning Mandarin at primary level.

Following the forum, Mrs Chang made some closing comments and Caroline presented the school with our gifts. We were delighted to receive gifts ourselves with momentos of the school for us to take away with us. as we leave I manage a photo opportunity with two (I suspect polite rather than willing) students to have a photo with our school mascot to post on our school VLE. I regret not having done this at the primary school at this point as I m aware of how I am compromising their street cred, and my own, by having them pose with the stuffed toy!

We all leave Sri KDU excited that we have one Malaysian school visit under our belts and eager to learn more as the week progresses. The question of how this will compare with state schools is considered by all of us over the course of the evening.

Sri KDU

Sri KDU - http://www.srikdu.edu.my/main.php

Our first experience of Malaysian schools was Sri KDU Primary school,  is a private school that follows the Malaysian National Curriculum.

My first impression of the school was how open and modern it looked, with the architecture   maximising open spaces.  This helped us in the very high humidity!  We were greeted by Mrs Chan, the Principal of both the Primary and the Secondary schools.  In our welcome briefing, we were told about the aims and the vision for the school, which was to nurture the mind, the heart and the soul.  From this they aimed to develop learners with Malaysian hearts and global minds.

Mrs Chan was keen to share with us her education philosophy of interactive teaching through group work and presentations.  From this, she hoped pupils would be better placed as they entered the work place, with the confidence to offer opinions and conduct presentations.  In light of this, the school offered character building programmes to embed values and promote positive attitudes.  

At this point, I think I speak for the group when I say that we were very keen to have the opportunity to get into the classrooms, speak to the pupils and teachers, and actually get a taste of the Malaysian school.  Up to this point, our induction sessions had set the scene and we were desperate to actually experience it.  We all leapt up eagerly when the headteacher of the primary school, Mr Roderick, offered us the opportunity to split up and visit various lessons.  

I chose to visit an English class of pupils who were nine and ten.  The lesson was fascinating to observe, both in the similarities as well as the differences.  When we entered we were greeted by twenty beaming faces, all of whom stood behind their chairs and chanted loudly “Good morning teacher!”  It was a phrase that became very familiar over the next few days!  The children were sitting in pairs facing the front of the class, where the lesson was being delivered through an interactive whiteboard.  

The objective of the lesson was plurals, and it followed a fairly standard Literacy hour format.  It was the first experience of a Malaysian classroom, and the children certainly impressed us with their bright enthusiasm. One of the key differences was the use of children chanting instructions and answers and every time the children were asked to read or recite, they did loudly and clearly.  

We then joined back with the rest of our group for the tour of the school, the highlight of which was the ballroom dancing lesson - yes, ballroom dancing!  It was wonderful to watch the professional dance instructor leading the class in the Cha-cha-cha.  We were able to see the incredible facilities, including a swimming pool, tennis courts and drama studio.  One very noticeable difference, was the teams of cleaners who did an fantastic job constantly cleaning the building, ready to sweep a leaf aside the second it swirled to the floor.  

After our tour, we were then invited to a delicious buffet, where the school prefects sternly kept other pupils away (which was a shame, as we would all have enjoyed a further opportunity to chat to the children).  This relaxed lunch allowed to ask the teachers about their school.  One element which greatly impacted on me, was the pride that was taken in their school, whether through academic achievement or winning various competitions.  This was reflected in the prefect system, which was very evident in every school that we visited through the week.  The prefects were very important members of the school community, who were developing early leadership skills and the ones who I spoke to were very proud of their responsibilities.

We left Sri KDU primary with an insight into how the private education system functioned in Malaysia and eager anticipation to compare this with the rest of the schools to be visited during the week.

SK Menjarala Primary School

On our fourth day we visited an average sized primary school on the outskirts of the city. The group were given the opportunity to split to focus their visits, half of the group spent the morning at the primary base and the other half at the secondary base.

We received a very warm welcome and were shown around the school by the senior leadership team. The school has 350 pupils, 28 rooms, 12 classes and their year groups are streamed and taught in ability groups. There is also a pre-school unit attached to the school where the children start from the age of 6.There was a real sense of space and warmth about the school. The children were very enthusiastic to meet us and asked lots of questions!

A large part of our reflection was focussed on the strong sense of moral teaching and the importance of values. The school have their own song which talks about groups, team work, family units, working hard and the children talked about this with pride.

It was interesting for us to note that the senior leadership team was male dominated, which was very refreshing. The Malaysian Education system is similar to the English in the sense that there are many more female primary teachers than male. The SLT were proud to show us around their school and appeared to have a good working relationship with the rest of the staff.

During our visit we impressed to observe the busy lunchtime environment, the children were all eating in a very sociable manner and were encouraged to take responsibility for tidying up their space. There were also food triangles on the tables to help children make healthy food choices.

The pre-school was a real highlight for us, the children were delightful and ery excited to perform a song and dance for us. Their teacher was very enthusiastic and appeared to be very dedicated to her job. The children has a very well resources classroom with lots of exciting games and objects for counting and learning. The displays were of the brightest that we observed in any of the schools. The children were extremely happy and their environment was bright and busy.

The teaching and learning was quite different from that in England, still very chalk and talk, however the school leaders were forward thinking and were aware that the move to group work and indepenent learning was important.

The school was a thriving community of happy children, hard working staff and strong morals. The visit was a wonderful experience and the warmth of the staff and pupils will be remember by us all.

Malaysia's 'The Star Online' Covers Study Visit

Nikki's reflection

I have always viewed the Fast Track teaching programme as being an excellent opportunity to broaden my skills, experience and leadership abilities, particuarly with the access to the residential training which is exclusively for Fast Track Teachers. When I was invited to be part of the Malaysia study visit with CfBT and LECT I was delighted as I have always been interested in International links and am always looking for experiences to develop as a professional and a person. The visit came at a particulary ideal time for me as my role in school was becomming very demanding (yes teachers do work hard!) and I was feeling as though everything I did was 'just in time' always trying not to trip over!

The main outcome for me, besides the wonderful insight into the Malaysian Education system, was the realisation of how hard I have worked over the past 4 years and the impact this has had on me as a professional. The daily challenges and very busy terms had left me unable to reflect on my performance and I lacked the ability to be proud of my achievements. Spending time with like-minded, successful professionals also gave my motivation a boost and although I am exhausted, I have a refreshed vision on my career for the future.

Visiting the schools was extremely interesting, from this I will take away many many aspects and memeories. I was particularly impressed with the philosophy and ethos of the schools, placing an importance on developing the 'whole child' within an education system which is standards driven. The quotes and mission statements were not only on display, but fully shared with the staff, pupils and parents.

The respect and care for resources was first class and viewed as an important skill for children. Seeing the way libraries were presented, how children cared for their personal belongings and how staff presented their work spaces awakened me to the fact that in my school there is not the same ethos towards caring for the resources and environment. As part of our school improvement plan for next year, we will be looking at improving pupils personal development. I hope that I will be able to support our pupils in improving the way they care for their belongings.

The study visit was an emotional, informative and inspiring opportunity which I feel very lucky to have been part of. Being able to reflect on performance is so important in teaching if we want forward thinking leaders for the future. I will look back to the skills and knowledge gained on this trip in many years to come. I would highly recommend an experience such as this to anyone who is given the opportunity. Thank you.

SK PETASEH

It was a long journey, into the hills and rainforest, and at times the coach crawled its way up the winding roads, past landslides and water buffalo. Everywhere was fresh and bright, and there was evidence of replanting where logging had occurred. We were on route to SK Petaseh, a remote primary boarding school.

Once again we met with a warm Malaysian welcome, and this time the receiving line included officials from the state education department and heads from other schools. Everyone was dressed in stunning batik clothing, which we learnt is always worn on Thursdays. I am uncertain whether this is a state or national initiative, but it is yet another example of how Malaysia creates a sense of belonging and pride. As with every school, the visi and missi and motto (vision and mission statements and school motto) were clearly on display throughout the complex. The Petaseh vision is “to become excellent and produce excellence” and its mission is "to develop a world-class quality education system which will realise the full potential of the individual and fulfil the aspiration of the Malaysian nation."

The most striking feature of this school is the learning environment. Firstly, set on top of a hill, it has a panoramic view of the rainforest canopy and is cooled by a refreshing breeze. Secondly the buildings are bright and spacious. As the school is not full there is plenty of space in classrooms, and specialist rooms and spare rooms. In many areas the tables and chairs have silk valences in bright colours. The complex had also been freshly painted during the school holidays – a grant having made available because of our visit! Thirdly, the outdoor environment was brought into the school with plants and water features tucked in corners and courtyards. The school seemed very well organised and members of the UK team were particularly taken by the learning tables used in the library and religious instruction room. The table tops had news articles and other learning prompts covered with clear plastic.

There are separate boarding houses for the boys and girls. The girls’ block is set around a courtyard, big enough to play. On the ground floor there is a recreation room with TV and video and a homework room, and then dormitories with bunk beds are on the floors above. There are two ladies looking after the girls, and when we visited their washing was pegged out at the back. As you might expect, many of the beds had a cuddly toy! The boarding fees are government subsidised and cost 1RM a day, the equivalent of 20p. Currently 100 boys and 47 girls are resident and they are drawn from many districts. Most are year 3 (our year 4) and above, but a few are younger, but from next year no younger pupils will be accepted. This is because the boarders are expected to be very independent. The children can see their parents twice a month.

In Malaysia, teachers are posted to schools rather than choosing to apply! This means it is commonplace to have a staff accommodation block. Being a rural area, many of the staff at Petaseh live on-site. In the main school there is a comfortable staffroom and large workroom with ceiling fans, where every teacher has their own desk. The office areas were also comfortable, attractive and highly organised, and we were all envious of the head teacher’s office. Her furnishings included an elaborate three piece suite around a coffee table.

The children were immaculately dressed, well-behaved and seemed very happy. Teachers took pride in telling us of their successes, including a year 4 boy and year 6 girl who had won state storytelling competitions and five students who have reached national level in football and hockey. The staff attribute these results to a greater emphasis placed on co-curricular activities in the first term of the year, before the academic focus kicks in as the year 6 UPSR tests approach. Like some other schools we visited, there was an impressive trophy cabinet.

The Head Teacher explained that the school year was 288 days, which is structured into two terms, with a mid-term holiday, a mid-year holiday and a final-year holiday. The four half terms were very similar in length. Each day the children have lessons from 7.45-1.35 and then 2.30-5. Afternoons were devoted to religious studies and co-curricular activities. In addition, on Saturdays and Sundays, 8.30-12, special government-funded tuition is available for pupils in years 4-6. No doubt this reflects the importance of the UPSR results. In 2008, 4.3% of pupils got 5As, which would give them a scholarship place to a state boarding school. Overall the data suggests Petaseh is a good school. I have based this judgment on the criteria we were given in Seremban for being part of the cluster of excellence - primary schools need an average of 80% plus across all subjects and a point average below 2. At Petasseh, in most subjects the 2008 results are in the high 80s and low 90s and most years the point score is 2 or 3.

This was the only school where I saw evidence of differentiation by task. The focus on a specific curriculum and test outcomes seems to remove desire or need for this. However, in one class the children were working around nested tables, doing a writing task in Bahasa, and the worksheets were clearly different levels. The teacher confirmed the children were seated by ability. It was a writing and spelling activity and I was amused to recognise the word “durian” on the board. I then learnt “bola” means ball – rather than, as I had thought, being the spelling for "boleh" which means "can do". Another example was the well resourced remedial room. Here a small group of children, who need to catch-up in Bahasa, were being taught. The children came to each of us, taking our hands and touching them to their heads, and then delighted in reading to us in Bahasa. They had laminated cards with a simple title and picture, and a series of simple sentences below. One was labelled chi-chi, but I cannot recall if this was about sheep or goats! The boys appeared to read confidently and fluently but, as Bahasa is such a phonic language, it was impossible to tell if they were reading with meaning. They certainly gave the impression they were enjoying learning. In another area of the room, a few older girls were working on a separate task. This part of the visit touched many of our hearts.

Having toured the school, we went to the school hall, a large modern building with staged area, which would be the envy of UK primary schools and even some secondary schools. We were treated to a banquet including chicken in spicy sauce, noodles and delicacies such as curry puffs, rambutan (a spiky red fruit with juicy white flesh inside) and durian (a pungent fruit which seems to have an acquired taste!) Next there was a display of traditional music and dancing. One dance was about the moon and the kites, and two children were playing a bamboo instrument, where the tubes were rattled to make the notes. The performance was of a very high standard and I’m sure will be a lasting memory for us all.

Being a truly rural school, where the majority of staff and children are Malay, English is not as widely spoken. In contrast to the urban primary schools, the school leaflet and website is in Bahasa, and the Head Teacher, Puan Latifah, had hours of special tuition to rehearse her extensive welcoming speech! The website is still worth a visit http://skpetaseh.50webs.com/ and by selecting “Kenali SKP(B)” then clicking on “Prasarana SKPB” or “Berita dan Peristiwa” it is possible to view slide shows of all areas of the buildings and events such as hockey tournaments in which the school has participated. In the “Akademik” section you can view the school’s data: with graphs and targets, and even individual pupil scores.

The visit ended with a lengthy photo-call, giving and receiving of presents and many good-byes.

Liana's Reflections and Learning

When I received the email inviting me to apply for a place on a study visit to Malaysia, I didn’t know quite what such a visit would entail and wasn’t sure if I wanted to submit an application. However, it seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so I completed the form and was very grateful to my Principal for writing my supporting reference. A week or so after applying, I received a phone call to say I had been given one of the nine available places. At that point, it all seemed quite unreal and I still didn’t really know what to expect. Every time someone asked ‘Why Malaysia?’ or ‘So, what are you doing out there?” I gave the vague response, ‘I don’t really know’. Having no expectations meant I was completely open-minded and ready to absorb everything I saw and heard.

Sharing the experience with other Fast Track teachers

The visit to Malaysia came at a perfect time for me as it gave me the opportunity to step back from my own school and consider education in a global context. It has been a difficult year as I offered to take on the additional role of Head of English after the teacher in that position stepped down suddenly, as well as being Director of the Performing Arts Specialism and Head of Drama and I knew I was becoming increasingly tense at work. Spending time with eight other FastTrack graduate teachers was incredibly inspiring and I returned from the trip knowing that I want to work in an environment where I can work closely with similarly positive and proactive people.

Seeing the similarities

As with almost any experience, it was the people who made this trip have meaning. Visiting schools, talking with teachers and students, as well as having a meeting with the Ministry of Education and spending an intense week with the teachers from the UK, gave me a new perspective and a fresh enthusiasm for education. Perhaps the most striking aspect of the trip for me was how very similar teachers and students are, no matter where they are in the world. We met lots of smiling, happy children and hard-working, caring teachers. It seemed to me that despite working in a rather different system, because the Malaysian system is so centralised and controlled by the Ministry, in contrast to the UK where we have much more freedom, the issues facing students, teachers and parents in both countries are very similar and I am sure that increased dialogue between teachers across the world would be extremely beneficial for everyone involved in education.

Extending appreciation of leadership

The educational leaders we spoke to - the Headteachers, Assistant Headteachers and the Minister – all shared a profound philosophy and understanding of education in its widest, deepest and most fundamental context and it was this, combined with their engaging and authentic style, which made them such special leaders. I realised that I have perhaps lost some of this sense of perspective over the last few months where I have become absorbed by the minutiae of day-to-day irritants at work and the trip has led to me thinking again about the real reasons why I believe in education. I am now making a deliberate and conscious effort to focus on what I believe to be the right action for the students I am responsible for, rather than worrying so much about what other teachers are thinking or saying. One of the headteachers we met spoke of the need to have faith and conviction in the decisions you make as a leader and to follow them through, not giving up when you face complications or resistance: this is one of the lessons I will remember from the trip.

Focusing on developing teachers

In my role at school, where I focus on improving learning, I am often frustrated when I try to understand how I can most effectively support teachers, particularly teachers who are struggling with planning and delivering effective lessons. Dr Lee, the Minister of Language and Literature, made some poignant comments on this matter, explaining that if we want curriculum consistency and compliance, we have a responsibility to take “teacher readiness and capability” into consideration. Since returning to school, this has been at the forefront of my mind and I have decided to focus more on improving teachers’ subject knowledge rather than always training teachers on matters of pedagogy, as I realised that unless the teacher understands the subject content, no learning will take place, regardless of how many innovative teaching strategies they employ. Several lessons we observed in Malaysia were very traditional in terms of their delivery – with a teacher standing at the front of the room and the students following in a text book – however, it has to be admitted that academic standards in Malaysia are very high. The Headteachers and the Ministry spoke about the desire to make teaching more active and interactive and while I agree with this as it is something I have spent the last six years promoting, I have also learnt there can be a danger in sacrificing pace, challenge and actual learning for simply getting the students to be busy in an activity. Again, Dr Lee, offered some illumination on this when he explained that the teacher is fundamental in ensuring that all student-centred learning is effective. Independent and collaborative learning require a great deal of planning and preparation in order to ensure that learning actually takes place and that progress is made and I have already discussed this with my team.

Developing extra-curricular learning

Another aspect of the Malaysian schools that impressed me was the structure of the leadership teams, which included an Assistant Headteacher responsible for “Co-Curricular” (extra-curricular activities). The Ministry organises a multitude of interschool, regional and national competitions including enterprise, public speaking, music, dance, drama, sport, essay writing, inventing, marketing and story writing. Before leaving the UK, I hadn’t known whether or not I would see much evidence of Performing Arts being taught and I was amazed when I discovered that all students in Malaysia have to participate in four hours of co-curricular activities every week and that, while these subjects are not assessed or examined, they are given high status and prominence within all schools (every school had a huge display of the trophies their students had won and we saw many students engaged in their co-curricular activities). In one school, we were treated to a music and dance performance while we ate lunch, in another, a group of students taught us how to play a simple sequence on the gamelan and we saw students working on inventing a new, all-natural deodorant. I found the co-curricular programme available to Malaysian students to be extremely exciting and am already planning to increase the number of competitions and public performances in my school.

Being proud of education

All the schools we visited in Malaysia gave us what I can only describe as an unexpectedly grand welcome; we were given gifts at the end of each visit and were followed by large teams of teachers, the leadership teams and students, all eager to answer questions and take photographs. I wondered if visitors to schools in the UK would receive anything like this and, having decided that it would be unlikely, I began to wonder what this meant. It seems that in Malaysia there is a much greater sense of pride in, and an understanding of, the importance of education; not only are the teachers and school leaders proud to show their school, but educational matters are reported prominently in the newspapers every day and students are motivated to succeed. While here in the UK we have much to be proud of, it often feels that in the media, education is criticised rather than discussed and there is an embarrassment and limiting modesty amongst teachers and students. I think we can afford to take more pride in our schools and educators and, in particular, I think we can learn from the way the Malaysian schools were celebrating Teachers’ Day.

Feeling inspired

Having been home for a week, I am still processing the experiences I had in Malaysia, continuing to reflect on what I learnt and looking back at photographs and notes in order to analyse and evaluate the trip. In some ways, I have found it difficult to be back at work because I realised that I was much happier and more relaxed while in Malaysia. Although the days were long and we were all suffering from sleep deprivation, we were thinking about education in the widest sense, rather than problem-solving and dealing with the constant frustrations in our own contexts. The trip highlighted the importance of individuals in making changes that lead to progress and improving the education of the country and I have returned with a new enthusiasm for school leadership and feel more determined than ever to become a Headteacher, or educational leader on a national level.

Finally, thank you to everyone who made this trip so valuable and meaningful. Geraldine, Pauline, Mark, Caroline, Dan, Nikki, Claire, Sarah, Jo and Tremaine - you all inspired me and, as Caroline said, it was sharing this experience with you that made it so special for me.

Liana

Sarah’s reflections and learning.....

“Malaysia boleh!” Malaysia can do! This parallels my own school’s motto: “We can do it!” and I was profoundly influenced by the positive sense of drive, belief and aspiration that permeated every school, classroom and conversation. Head teachers demonstrated clarity in self-evaluation and teachers were keen to celebrate successes. This was embedded in a strong sense of belonging: immaculate uniforms with club members and prefects clearly identified; school branded products promoting the desired image; highly visible mission and vision statements, echoing the government’s ambitions for the nation; and strong community support. This powerful philosophy was succinctly summarised by one school’s strap-line: “Malaysian Hearts, Global Minds” Furthermore, the multilingual competency of students and the wider community can only be described as inspirational. My personal outcome is a determination to widely celebrate the achievements of our rapidly improving school and promote our public image, and to undertake new and challenging projects, even those others deem impossible. Currently, I am a organising a return trip, taking a small group of upper juniors and five staff to benefit from the Malaysia experience.

My Head Teacher considers that I have returned more relaxed and confident, with a subtly enhanced quality of interaction. I believe this is a result of the opportunity for peer appraisal, with likeminded colleagues from the UK and Malaysia, grounded in the knowledge that in Malaysia education is highly valued, with teachers and school leaders held in high esteem - and that their system and practise is in many ways modelled on ours! In Malaysia the need “to save face” is a key cultural behavioural driver and a week of practising soft language and sensitive phraseology has added a new dimension to my communication skills.

My study-visit focus was pupil voice, choice and participation. Malaysia offered limited examples to model but never-the-less the opportunity for “inch-wide” mile deep consideration of this aspect has already impacted on our school practise, and ripples have influenced colleagues in other schools. One aspect of Malaysia’s curriculum that has influenced my thinking is the ministry of education’s new teaching sequence for English - each week’s study is themed and includes sessions devoted to “listening and speaking” and “language arts”.

Finally, one Malaysian Head talked of the need for us to be prophets and see the future our children must fit into. In this exponential age this is the greater need we all seek to serve.

Dr Lee, the Ministry of Education and Dancing!

On Monday, we were given the opportunity to meet Dr Lee Boon Hua, Principal Director of the Languages and Literature Department of the Curriculum Development Division at the Ministry of Education in Putrajaya, Malaysia.

Putrajaya itself is a stunning newly-built city that serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. Pristine buildings and futuristic bridges stand proudly alongside the traditional mosque in a way that reflects the country's pride in its heritage and its ambitions for the future.

A centralised system

One of the most significant differences between the education systems of Malaysia and the UK is the centralisation of the Malaysian system. Everything about the curriculum is shaped by the Ministry of Education, developed with practitioners and implemented in all schools in the country.

Types of school

We were introduced to the two main types of school: State Schools where the teachers are employed by the government and the students follow the National Curriculum and National-Type Schools where the land is owned privately but the students follow the National Curriculum. The education system itself appeared, to me, to be much clearer than the system in the UK and we all found Dr Lee, a previous teacher and head-teacher to be an inspiring educational leader.

Language of instruction

In almost all schools the principal language of instruction is Bahasa Malay; however, some primary schools use Mandarin or Tamil as the language of instruction and teach Bahasa Malay as a language. In all cases, English, Maths and Science are taught in English, and this – which language to use in schools, as we discovered, continues to be a contentious and complex issue.

Whilst in Kuala Lumpur itself, students and teachers tend to have an excellent grasp of English, beyond the city and particularly in more rural areas, this is not necessarily the case. This was something we certainly discovered on our visit. The goal is to teach all children English as a second language.

Curriculum Development and “Curriculum Fidelity”

The Ministry of Education develops, plans and produces curricular support materials because, as Dr Lee explained, “We need to ensure that what we have put into the curriculum is actually delivered at the chalkface. The more materials we produce, the more compliance there is.” I personally found this a fascinating concept as, in my context, we strive to encourage teacher innovation and creativity and often have to deal with the consequences of teachers’ choices of unsuitable resources or inappropriate activities. The Ministry monitors and evaluates curriculum compliance across the country.

Dr Lee explained that there are three principles of curriculum development: Equity, Quality and Sustainability. These key principles are then broken down further into a series of underpinning concepts:
· Consolidation
· Rationalisation
· Enhancement
· Sustenance
· Collaboration
· Evaluation
· Networking
· Team Building

Many of us could see the similarities here between what we are working towards in our own schools with regards to curriculum transformation.

A curriculum which addresses the needs of the teachers as well as the students

One idea which held particular resonance for me, was when Dr Lee spoke of the need for a curriculum that must address the needs of both the students and the teachers because the teachers are also learners. He explained that, particular in the case of the English language, lessons had to be incorporated into the curriculum so that teachers can learn at the same time. This has had an immediate impact on my practice as I am currently working on transforming the curriculum for English and Literature in my school and am now looking at it in a very different way, thinking about how best to ensure the curriculum supports and develops the teachers’ subject knowledge, rather than assuming they already have that knowledge securely in place. We are, after all, lifelong learners. The challenge now is how to combine a prescriptive curriculum with innovative teaching and teacher satisfaction. What I have taken away from this concept, is the ideas that everything needs to be extremely clear so that teachers themselves aren’t confused. I am sure many of us have sat in a lesson where it is evident the teacher isn’t entirely secure with the content or skill they are delivering and ultimately, what the children are left with, is a state of confusion and insecurity. As Dr Lee said, we must always bear in mind “teacher capacity and readiness.”

In order to achieve this aim, the Ministry provides five days of training for all teachers at the start of the new school year. Additionally, the government employs state trainers and district trainers who support teacher development and some individual schools even employ a dedicated ‘Teacher Trainer’.

The professional development in Malaysia is based upon needs-analysis and is provided to help teachers feel more confident. It was clear in everything Dr Lee said, the his focus is on improving teachers in order to improve learning for the students.

The New English and Literature Curriculum

The new curriculum for English in Malaysia aims to:
· Clarify purpose
· Set clear learning standards
· Redistribute priorities
· Provide opportunities for innovation and creativity
· Bridge classroom life and the outside world

I absolutely agreed with these key concepts and aims and felt it showed how the Ministry of Education were engaged with learning and pedagogy, considering the whole child and not merely focussing on data and attainment.

On our school visits, however, many teachers spoke of the continuing conflict between wanting to provide a creative and holistic education and the parents’ desire for “Straight A grades”. Several teachers spoke of the competitive attitude of parents regarding how many A grades their son or daughter had compared with another parents’ son or daughter and while the co-curricular (extra-curricular) programme across the country (also organised by the Ministry) seemed extremely impressive, everyone seemed to say that, ultimately, parents want their students to get top grades, rather than develop life skills or talents in areas beyond the traditionally academic.

Grades vs. Values

Towards the end of his presentation, Dr Lee spoke of the need to reduce the stakes of the central exams as only then will other types of assessment be considered important. As in the UK at the moment, there is a push towards innovative and exploratory learning and we are looking for ways to develop learners who are confident, creative, independent, articulate and good at working in teams; yet, the exams in both countries are still largely based upon the written and spoken word and it will require a huge culture-shift before all companies, universities and parents will accept that vocational courses are equal to more traditionally academic A levels and GCSEs.

Dr Lee mentioned an interesting development which will look at assessing students’ potential and leadership skills, rather than focussing purely on raw scores.

Learning Standards not Outcomes

The new English Curriculum, which Dr Lee had recently developed, moves away from learning outcomes to learning standards because, he explained, that is what the assessment division (exam board) uses.

Back to Basics

Dr Lee explained that they have decided to return “back to basics” by building a strong foundation of competencies in basic literacy skills, reading through phonics, penmanship, basic listening and speaking.

Learning is fun, meaningful and purposeful

During his time with us, Dr Lee spoke very highly of the primary schools in the UK. He children had attended schools in England while he completed his PhD at Exeter University and he had clearly been inspired by the way primary teachers facilitate learning through exploration and play. As such, he provided three key underpinning principles for learning:

· Activities are contextualised, meaningful, purposeful and fun-filled
· Language skills are integrated as a means to an end
· Language is learnt in meaningful contexts

During our school visits, we found a wide range of learning experiences, including those that very clearly used group-working and fun activities, such as inventing and marketing a brand new, all-natural deodrant and observing worms in petri dishes. We also saw several 'teaching from the front' and 'text book centered lessons' - I imagine a similar experience would be encountered if we visited any six schools in the UK. What is important is to reflect on our roles as leaders as we all strive for more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for our young people.

Student-centred learning

One of the statements which many of us held onto was “The student is the most important concern but the teacher is the most important agent”. With so much emphasis on student-centred learning, it is possible to wonder what the role of the teacher is and we felt that Dr Lee explained this perfectly by emphasising that the teacher is the person who creates the learning and enables the student to flourish. He stated, “No teacher equals no learning” and he said that the teacher’s role is to create the learner-centred learning.

Salient Integration of ICT

As in the UK, one of the problems found in some lessons in Malaysia, is the use of ICT merely as an add-on, whiteboards being used as little more than an OHP. Dr Lee spoke of the need to integrate ICT into lessons and to ensure that it is used in a meaningful way. As Daniel pointed out, this issue of ICT in education is being explored by teachers and educational leaders across the world.

Teaching and Learning Moral Values

As well as the continued focus on academic standards and students’ achievements, the Malaysia Ministry of Education are emphasising the need to build character and moral values. Similar, in some ways, to the new PLTS in the UK’s curriculum, the Malaysian teachers are encouraged to integrate moral values and character-building into their lessons. The aim of the government is to create learners who are articulate, confident and of good character. This was exemplified in many of the schools we visited where corridors and classrooms, as well as outside spaces were adorned with inspiring quotations and mantras.

Interestingly, Dr Lee also spoke of the need to select classroom resources carefully, explaining that we, as teachers, have a responsibility to read between the lines in order to ensure that our chosen resources highlight positive moral aspects and that students will not pick up on any negative messages.

Teaching Grammar

Grammar continues to be an area of concern for teachers across the world – how can we make such a seemingly dry, but absolutely fundamental part of the curriculum accessible and motivating. Having spend some time looking at this issue myself in recent years (see video evidence here! http://www.teachers.tv/video/12115), I was very interested in Dr Lee’s philosophy. He explained that teachers are encouraged to create learning through the Arts, through role-play, for instance. He also explained that their approach to teaching grammar is based upon the following concepts:
· Grammar should be learnt in context
· There should be an emphasis on form and function
· Grammar should be acquired through a multi-sensory and multi-modal approach
· There should be clear links to an on-going theme or topic
· Grammar lessons should be structured in terms of complexity, relevance and frequency.

Teaching is Dancing

Throughout his presentation, Dr Lee showed us his love of and belief in education. We learnt as much about him as we did about the Malaysian education system and it highlighted for us future leaders, the idea that a good leader is about more than the words he speaks; a true leader is someone who truly believes in and lives their ideas. Dr Lee revealed that his PhD was in Metaphor, so towards the end of our meeting, one of our group asked which metaphor Dr Lee would use to describe teaching. His answer struck a chord with us all: “Teaching is dancing. As head teacher, I saw my role as overseeing the ballroom and ensuring the room and the music was beautiful so that learning could take place.” I know I will take this with me throughout my career. Every now and then, someone says something that illuminates your own core values, and for me, this was the moment of the trip, that changed me as a leader.

Liana Swanton, June 2009

Sri KDU Secondary

Having been given the tour of the primary school earlier in the day, the secondary school was equally impressive with the facilities even going up a notch. There were classess with full drum kits; enough for twenty children and amazing library and computer facilities, drama studios, swimming pool and sports pitches and language labs.

Whilst we tour the school, the children are on their lunch break and are aking part in a number of activties; tab le tennis, badminton etc. We are told there is also a talent corner where they can take to the stage.
The school is offering the International Baccalaureate for the first time this year, and there is a separate department and resource centre for these students. The staff are enthusiastic about the facilties they are showing us and there is so much that we feel as if we are only scratching the surface as the polished corridors stretch out in front of us.
The fees at Sri KDU are 15,000RM which is about £3000 per year. Whilst this is could be considered reasonable in comparison to private schools at home, in comparision to other costs in Malaysia it is extremely expensive (more than the average yearly wage) plus many families have 3 or 4 children here, as Malaysian families tend to be larger than back in the UK.
The majority of children here are Chinese Malaysians and speak English at home, therefore their English is excellent and they are very keen to talk to us.
We have the opportunity to view a number of lessons; Maths, Chemistry, Mandarin and English. the maths lesson that I saw was along similar lines to what you would expect our year 9 children to be doing. There was a mental starter of sorts and then an activity that the children were working on i pairs. The interactive whitboarad was used to support the learning at several points during the lesson. Perhaps in British schools, the children may have been taking more of an active role in the lesson, but there were some opportunities for children to share their thinking with one another.
Following the tour, there was a forum for staff and students which was held for us where we got to speak to staff and pupils. For me, this was possibly the most productive part of the day as we got an opportunity to talk in small groups and really explore some isues. The pupils were very impressive in terms of their knowledge of educational issues and in their mastery of English and there was no shortage of conversation.

Jo's Reflections

I am finding at the moment that I am trying to summarise the trip to a number of different people; parents, governors, friends, family, children, staff are all asking about my experiences. I am finding that I have a different answer to everyone. Whilst this may say something about my butterfly personality (to use a Dr Lee metaphor), I think it is mainly symptomatic of an experience that has been so rich and diverse, in that it can not be characterised by a synoptic sentence.
I had high hopes for the study trip, in terms of the list of aims I had itemised on my application form, and also what I hoped to take from the experience on a personal level. It did not fail to live up to these.
What I left Malaysia with was a deeper understanding of how we can learn from leadership examples and how to become the fulcrum of change in our own schools. I spent a lot of time reflecting on my own approach to leadership and what I could learn from the different approaches I observed while we were there. What I admired in leaders was their inter personal skills and the way they could speak with such passion on educational issues. Here, the leaders did not just embody the title they were given, but personified what it was to lead, to motivate change.
We observed huge diversity between the different school settings we visited but each was characterised with friendly, enthusiastic children. It helped us to remember that whatever our cultural, social or geographical setting, that we are all working for the same reasons. This is true child-centred learning.
Culturally, I think we have much to learn from the Malaysians about how communities work together in what appears an effortless symbiosis, rather than an action planned effort at community cohesion as we strive for Ofsted gradings. The culture and the people were welcoming and hospitable everywhere we went. I only hope visitors to British schools could leave with the same experience.

Back to school...

Back in school following our study trip. The children have been fascinated by the different Malaysian customs we have spoken about. I am delivering a school assembly tomorrow for teachers, children and governors to feedback some of the key learning points and to talk them through the highlights of the trip.

The children have also been following my blog on our VLE - I hope this is now accessible to everyone (much mithering of ICT technician - thanks!). Check below, fingers crossed...
http://www.school-portal.co.uk/UserCommunityOverview.asp?GroupID=513139

The display in the entrance hall looks great and is encouraging a lot of interest. We are currently looking into a collaborative art project linked to Community Cohesion and I'm pushing a Malaysia link with that.