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BRIGHT KIDSStarSpecialTHE STARTuesday 14 January 2014

A new light

for education

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


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2BRIGHT KIDSStarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014

By Anushia Kandasivam

J

ust how the British talk about

their capricious weather,Malaysians talk about ourwonderful food and how theountrys education system isutdated and needs a change.

There has been a lot of talkbout change this past year, and

with all the advocacy out there,parents and students are alreadyware that a more well-roundedducation system is what theountry needs.

The best bet to bring abouthis change is the Malaysian

Education Blueprint 2013-2025.The Blueprint plans to increasehe quality of education deliveredo Malaysian children, and bringquity to the system in terms ofccess.

What needs to change

The current education systems exam-oriented. This meanshat everything the student andeacher do in the classroom isocused on getting the student tocore above a certain mark in aingle end-of-year examination.

While this method ofssessment has been the normor decades even centuriesn certain countries modernducationalists and academics seet as being inadequate in actuallymparting an education. Scoringcertain mark may mean that

he student has the knowledge

f the bare facts, but it certainlydoes not mean that there isny understanding of the facts,

knowledge of their application,nor effect on the student, society,

r modern life.This makes the system closed

ff from the real world; a highcore is no indication that thetudent will also succeed in higherducation, secure a good job, orven forge a career.

Understanding and the abilityo apply knowledge, especially inateral thinking, has never been

more desired in todays globalisedworld where bare knowledge is

asily available to anyone throughhe Internet. They are seen as

lmost essential to success inareer and consequently in life.

So what is needed is a moreontemporary and comprehensiveystem that shifts focus awayrom acquiring knowledge forts own sake and testing by

way of regurgitation to realunderstanding and application ofknowledge and an emphasis onhe learning experience.

Tracks

The Programme fornternational Student AssessmentPISA) 2012 report released in

December last year revealed thatMalaysian students scored better

n mathematics compared to threeyears previously, but scores forcience and reading had dropped.

PISA is a global assessmentonducted by the Organisationor Economic Cooperation and

Development (OECD) once everyhree years that tests 15-year-oldtudents from 65 countries onheir reading, mathematics andcience abilities.

In this latest PISA report,

though the average score recordedby Malaysian students formathematics 421 was higherthan the score of 404 recorded inthe 2009 report, it is still belowthe 494 mean for countries withinthe OECD. Reading ability plungedfrom 496 to an average of 398

where the mean was 490, and thescience score declined from 422 to420 where the mean was 501.

Malaysia now has an overallranking of 52 out of the 65countries OECD countries testedby PISA in the bottom third ofthe survey and lower than its

regional neighbours.The average person may think

that these scores are surprising

given the amounts of straightAs scored by students in majorexams every year. But as PISAtesting questions specificallyexamine the levels of studentliteracy and critical thinkingskills, it can be argued that thisphenomenon proves the pointthat achieving high scores in thenational examinations does nottypically equal the existence ofunderstanding and the abilityto apply knowledge and thinkcritically outside of familiaracademic contexts.

Doing something about it

One of the aims of the blueprint

is to put Malaysia in the top thirdtier of the PISA benchmark. TheEducation Ministry has stated thatit hopes the country will show asignificant improvement in thenext report, due out next year,which would reflect educationalreforms enacted under theBlueprint.

Moving up to the top sectionof the global ranking in sucha short time will certainly bea monumental task. Already,LINUS (Literacy and NumeracyScreening) testing has beentaking place to assess literacy andnumeracy skills among Malaysiaschool students and PEMANDU,the Performance and Delivery

Unit of the Prime MinistersDepartment, has initiated severalstudies of various aspects of theeducation system as groundworkfor the implementation ofimprovement and overhaulingplans.

One of the most significantchanges the blueprint plansto bring about is shifting thefocus from the centralisednational examination system to

school-based assessments (PBS- Penilaian Berasaskan Sekolah).This new system has been

designed so that PBS scores willbe added to central examinationscores at certain milestone years,and to replace the national thirdform PMR exams.

Last year saw the last cohort ofthird form students sit for the PMRexams; the new PBS-based thirdform exam, called PentaksiranBerasaskan Sekolah MenengahRendah, will start this year. ThePBS will be factored into the UPSRlevel grades by 2016.

The PBS system will contain anincreasingly higher percentage ofquestions that test higher-orderthinking.

The plan is that by 2016, 80%of exam questions for the UPSR

exam, 80% of questions for theFrom 3 central assessment, 75%of the questions for SPM coresubjects, and 50% of questionsfor SPM elective subjects will behigher-order thinking questions.

The change in examinationdesign is aimed at eliminatingthe need for content recall andthe instances of teachers andstudents spotting questions in thecentralised examinations.

Instead, students will haveto be trained to think criticallyand to apply the knowledge theygain in the classroom in differentsettings.

New roads

As the requirements of thePBS system are quite differentfrom the centralised examinationsystem, there has been muchspeculation and questions aboutit from parents and teachers.Under the new system, teachersare basically required to be botheducator and examiner.

> Turn to page 7

Beating new paths in education


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StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014 BRIGHT KIDS 3

AS the leading nutrition,

health and wellnesscompany, Nestl has always

put health and nutrition at theorefront. The large-scale andncreasing global health and

development burden posed bynon-communicable diseases is aoncern to Nestl, and was onef the reasons it launched the

Nestl Healthy Kids Programme.This programme is made up ofwo modules a primary school

module known as the NestlHealthy Kids Programme and theecondary school module knowns Program Cara Hidup SihatHealthy Lifestyle Programme).

Nestl Healthy Kids

Programme

Launched in August 2010 inollaboration with the Nutritionociety of Malaysia, the Nestl

Healthy Kids Programme (theprimary school module) aims atmproving nutrition knowledgend promoting an active lifestylemong students aged between 7nd 12 years old.

The programme takes awo-pronged approach thewareness component reachesut to the masses through its

website (www.healthykids.org.my) and various workshopswhile the research component is

longitudinal research study to

develop, implement and evaluatehe effectiveness of an educationalpackage.

The Nestl Healthy Kids websiteprovides children with interactive

ames that make learning fun andasy. There are also articles andecipes that parents will find very

useful.The three-year research

omponent began in 2011 wherepproximately 200 children

Encouraging healthystudent lifestyles

from six schools in the KlangValley were selected for theintervention group. A similarnumber of children from six otherschools were identified for thecontrol group. The interventionsession consists of six educational

modules that were developedbased on the basic principles ofhealthy eating and active living aswell as basic hygiene and diseaseprevention.

The main findings from thestudents from the first yearrevealed that the knowledgescore in nutrition increased inall six topics and their nutritionknowledge, attitude and practicesalso improved after six months.

At the end of the three-year research component, theeducation modules will bepresented to the Ministry ofEducation, enabling it to beutilised by other schools in thecountry. This set of educational

tools that have been developedbased on local dietary guidelines,and tested and proven to beeffective, can serve to impartnutrition knowledge to allchildren in Malaysia.

Program Cara Hidup Sihat

The Program Cara Hidup Sihatwas launched in collaborationwith the Ministry of Education

and Universiti Putra Malaysiain Dec 2012. This programmeis aimed at enhancing theknowledge and practice of healthyand active lifestyles.

This three-year interventionprogramme targets lower

secondary school students from100 day-boarding schools acrossthe country, their teachers andwardens, and also the foodoperators who prepare and servetheir meals on a daily basis.

The programme is made up ofsix elements, the first of whichincludes conducting introductorytalks with senior assistants ofstudent affairs and wardens of theboarding schools to brief themabout the content and execution ofthe programme.

Three hundred and thirty-two food operators were trainedto prepare healthier and tastierfood using ingredients that arelower in salt and fat. Two hundred

and three teachers and wardensalso received training to conductthe educational module HEBAT(Healthy Eating and Be Activeamong Teens) that will be taughtto students.

The HEBAT module is madeup of 10 topics. Phase one ofthe module saw four topics onunderstanding body weight,changes in different life cycles,the balance between energy

consumption and usage, andthe importance of healthy eatingand ways to keep active beingintroduced.

In phase two of the programme,six topics on how to stay activethe safe way, choosing and

eating wisely, reading food labelsand easy menu planning wereintroduced.

Before and after theintervention programme,nutritional statuses of the studentsincluding Body Mass Index (BMI),dietary intake and physicalactivity levels and knowledge,attitude and practices of healthylifestyles were measured.

The education module ismonitored by senior assistants ofstudent affairs and wardens fromthe schools. It is also reviewed byparticipating researchers fromUniversiti Putra Malaysias Medicaland Health Sciences Faculty. Theresults of the phase one research

revealed that the interventiongroup is able to maintain theattitude score while is theresignificant increase in scores forknowledge and practice of healthylifestyle, when compared to thecontrol group.

The findings from these reportswill eventually be applied to allschools and its approach andfindings will be shared with thenation.


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SIMPLY put, bullying is anaggressive behaviour that isintentional and malicious. The

nternational Bullying PreventionAssociation states that thisbehaviour is usually repeated overime and can inflict grave long-erm problems on the victim as

well as the perpetrator.Children who are bullied are

known to experience changes

n their sleep and eatingpatterns, feelings of lonelinessnd depression, and decreasedcademic achievement. The US

National Crime Victimisationurvey dating back to 2001 foundhat students who were bullieduffered detrimental effects toheir well-being and development.

Most victims are known to noteek revenge or hit back early ons they may be afraid or just nottrong enough. However, a small

number of children bullied inchool have been found to retaliateery violently. Twelve out of 15hooters of the US school shootingases in the 1990s experienced

being bullied in school.It is imperative that bullies

et called out early on becausehildren who engage in this

practice tend to get involved inprecarious and dangerous actss adults. When the bullies grow

up, they are likely to involvehemselves in early sexual activity,andalise property, becomebusive, and indulge in alcohol and

drugs.

What, why and how

An imbalance of power isne of the main characteristics

nvolved in bullying. The bullydoes not necessarily need tobe bigger or stronger than the

ictim but merely have access to

mbarrassing information such asphotos, or be influential enough tobully someone.

The advent of technologyertainly has made our livesasier but it has also given rise torelatively new form of bullying

alled cyber bullying. An act ofharassment is deemed as cyberbullying when a bully threatens,orments or embarrasses theictim through text messaging,mailing or social media websitesuch as Facebook, Twitter,nstagram, Snapchat, and the like.

A study posted onCyberbullying.us found thathandphones were the mostrequently used devices among

dolescents between the ages of 10nd 18. Smartphones enable userso access social networking sitesust like they would on a computer.

This means that adolescents arexposed to cyber bullying aroundhe clock and not just when theyo to school.

Girls also are just as likely tobully and harass as their maleounterparts. The study showedhat girls are more likely to spreadumours while boys on the other

hand, post hurtful pictures orideos.

Like any other form of bullying,yber bullying is motivated

by jealousy, revenge or anger.topcyberbullying.org explains

hat many people do it for fun ando get a reaction from the chosenictim. The bully continues to

harass the same person or theame group of people to show that

he or she has some sort of powerver them.

Though cyber bullying has beenn the rise, the more traditionalorms of bullying are still commonmong children and teenagers.

The most common forms of

Rise of the bully

bullying are verbal, social,physical, and of course cyberbullying. Verbal bullying involves

making mean comments aboutones ethnicity, culture, genderor sexual orientation whilephysical bullying involves theobvious such as hitting, poking,stealing or sexual harassment.Social bullying on the otherhand encompasses humiliation,exclusion from a group, andscapegoating.

In our own backyard,motivational speaker Nick Vujicic

mentioned that up to 80% ofMalaysian teenagers admittedto being bullied. R.AGE in this

very paper compiled statisticspertaining to bullying in Malaysiaand found that name calling,labelling and teasing was whatMalaysian teenagers are guilty ofdoing the most.

Intervention andprevention

According to Helpguide.org, research shows that 25%

of children experience bullying.Bullies do not just pick anyone tobe their victim. The motivationsbehind bullying are usually tied to

someones physical appearance orsocial standing in a peer group.Most of the time for the

victims, it feels like they arefighting a losing battle butthere are many ways to combatbullying. It is always best to notrespond to the bullys harassment.The more the victim reacts, themore gratification the bully feelsand this only motivates the bullyto come back. Bullies seek tocontrol their victims emotionsas and when they like so it is bestnot to react with anger or physicalforce because this is exactly whatthey want. Victims should walkaway and show the bully that theyare not interested and to establishthat the bully does not havecontrol over their victim.

For parents, it is important totalk to children about bullyingbecause bullies usually frightentheir victim into being quiet aboutthe matter. Parents can also learnhow to identify the different signsof bullying such as changes inthe childs diet, keeping secrets, adecline in academic performance,bed-wetting, damagedpossessions, and avoiding school.

On the other hand, parentsshould never think that their childcould never be a bully. Children,especially younger ones, do notunderstand what they are doingsometimes and may not evenknow that they are bullying.

Rejecting the possibility that achild is able to hurt someone elsemakes it tougher for the child toget the help that is needed to growup and develop properly.

In order to combat this socialproblem effectively, everybodyfrom parents to the media needto get involved. If bullying can bequickly identified and addressedbefore it reaches more advancedstages, communities will flourishand lives will be saved.

Nowadays, adolescents are exposed to cyberbullying around the clock and notjust when they go to school.


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children with the aim of buildinga strong foundation for goodcharacter within them, and togive them a head-start in their

education and development.The centre helps the childlearn and play while initiatingcreativity through projects andactivities that are child-centred.Maximum attention is given tothe childs social and emotionaldevelopment.

The curriculum focuses onallocating children time to pursuetheir own interests so that theycan develop and utilise curiosity,creativity, resourcefulness,independence, initiative and asense of responsibility throughtheir interactions with otherchildren.

UCSI-CDC offers:lPlayschool (18 months - 2 yearsold)lNursery (3 years old)

and professional skills.This is why its two campuses, at

Bandar Springhill and Subang Jaya,each offer two globally recognisedacademic programmes - theInternational Baccalaureate andthe British International GeneralCertificate of Secondary Education(IGCSE) respectively.

The Springhill campus is builton an eight-hectare stretch of landand offers the option of boardingto its students. The Subangcampus was opened with learnersin the Klang Valley in mind.

The schools aim is to groomstudents into global citizens thatwill shape the future.

Building strong foundationslPre 1 (4 years old)lPre 2 (5 years old)lPre 3 (6 years old)

Sri UCSI Primary andSecondary School

A private, co-educationalschool, UCSI School offers classesfrom Standard 1 to Form 5 anduses the National Curriculum.

The school focuses on providingquality education with genuinecare. Special emphasis is givento languages in the curriculum,especially the mastery of English.Mandarin classes are also offered.

One of the schools aims is toproduce tri-lingual students whoare proficient in Bahasa Malaysia,English and Mandarin.

The school is equipped withair-conditioned classrooms, acafeteria, laboratories, a library,a music room, a computerlaboratory, a basketball court, andother facilities.

It is also just 300m away from asports complex where additionalfacilities like a swimming pool,tennis courts and squash courtsare available to the students.

UCSI International Schools

The guiding principle behindUCSIs international school isthat education is not aboutacademics alone, but should be aholistic experience that developsintellectual, creative, social, civic

THE UCSI Group started in1986 as the Canada Instituteof Computer Science and

within three years grew into a full-

fledged college, renamed SedayaCollege.Through the years, the

nstitution continued to evolveuntil it was awarded universitytatus by the then Ministry of

Higher Education in Oct 2008 andenamed UCSI University.

The UCSI Group has expandednd is also involved in pre-school,

private primary and secondarychool education, executiveraining and lifelong learning.

These include:lUCSI UniversitylSri UCSI SchoollUCSI International SchoollUCSI Child Development CentrelUCSI Extension

UCSI Child DevelopmentCentre

The UCSI-CDC provides holistic,hild-centred and enjoyableearning experiences to young


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NILAI International School(NIS) advocates high-qualityCambridge education coupled

with a strong foundation ofmoral integrity. Its caringstaff and world-class facilitiesoffer opportunities for growthacademically, physically, andsocially.

Academically, the Cambridgecurriculum and assessmentschedule provide the contextfor which its highly-qualifiedteachers carefully bring out thebest in each student through

interaction, projects, andactivities.

Students will benefit from

the schools excellent librarystock, state-of-the-art SmartBoards, and Gifted and TalentedProgramme. Its EducationService Unit, through its uniquerelationship with WesternAustralia Autistic School, givesspecialised attention to studentswith special needs.

The English ProficiencyProgramme at NIS is designedto immerse students who come

from non-English-speakingbackgrounds in English as asecond or other language so

that they can interact with theirteachers and classmates withconfidence.

NIS students will developphysically through a high-quality physical education andco-curricular department.Playing fields, basketballand badminton courts, anda beautiful fully coveredswimming pool provide studentswith exciting outlets for exercise

and learning new life skills.Socially, students will

be challenged to grow into

productive, caring, andrespectful citizens throughdirected assemblies, educationaltrips, and interaction withour caring and creative multi-national staff. NIS staff isselected not only for theirexpertise in their respectivefields, but also for theiroutstanding character.

NIS is situated in an ideallocation as it is a quick drive

from Seremban and the southernsuburbs of Kuala Lumpur. Nilaialso boasts fresh air, green

hills, wide boulevards, friendlypeople and it is only a 15-minutedrive from the Kuala LumpurInternational Airport.

NIS is also of the best pricedalternatives in the southernKlang Valley and northwesternNegri Sembilan. The schoolscaring faculty will help tobring out the best in your childenabling them to let their lightshine.

School offers challenging, high-quality education

GONE are the days when wewould go to school with abackpack full of books and

a well-stocked pencil case. Mostclasses now come furnishedwith a projector for teachersto teach through their laptops.The classrooms landscape haschanged even more since thenternet has become more widely

available, affordable and faster.Storing information to the

cloud has also become moreaffordable or even free at times.What is the cloud? Accordingto Infoworld.com, it is a wayto increase capacity or addcapabilities on the fly withoutnvesting in new infrastructure,

training new personnel, oricensing new software. Cloud

computing encompasses anysubscription-based or pay-per-use service that, in real time overthe internet, extends ITs existingcapabilities.

Schools do not need to pass outnotices on paper to a classroomanymore; instead they can emailvarious updates to students and

parents. This way, notices will notget lost or be undelivered and asubstantial amount of paper willnot go to waste.

ICT in the classroom

Malaysian students acrossthe country will soon be doingtheir homework and preparingpresentations through the cloud.On April 10 last year, Google saidthat Google Apps will be adoptedby 10 million Malaysian students,parents, and teachers.

In line with this, thegovernment is planning to furnishMalaysias 10,000 schools with 4GInternet access and to meet theminimum ratio of 10:1 of studentsto computers.

Googles official blog statedthat Malaysia will also be givingout Chromebooks to primary andsecondary schools throughoutMalaysia. The total amount ofChromebooks to be given out wasnot stated.

> Turn to page 10

Technologyand the futurenation builder


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THE newly renovated KualaLumpur campus of TaylorsInternational School opened

ts doors last week to 1,600tudents and their teachers, whotarted their first day of school inhe new year.

The campus was unveiled forhe very first time with a smalleremony. The atmosphere

was celebratory as it markedhe day the school completedts transformation from Sri

Garden International to Taylorsnternational School, Kualaumpur (TISKL).

Peter Wells, Principal ofTaylors International School,Kuala Lumpur remarked thathe amazing transformation was

not merely the school faade butmore importantly in the constantmprovement in the schoolseaching principles and learning

pedagogies within the classrooms.With the exciting birth of

Taylors International School,Kuala Lumpur, the students cannow enjoy a seamless educationpathway from pre-school througho university with the Taylors

Education Group, said B.K. Gan,President of Taylors Schools at theeremony.

International school

opens new campus

SCHOOL REPORT

The highlight of the event tookplace when Datuk Loy Teik Ngan,Group CEO of Taylors EducationGroup declared the campus open,released balloons and warmlywelcomed the students andparents to TISKL

TISKL is the first campus underTaylors International School

and will be followed by a secondcampus in Puchong, opening inJanuary next year.

As part of Taylors EducationGroup, which also comprisesof Taylors College and TaylorsUniversity, the school strivesto continue its heritage ofeducational excellence.

> From page 2

Teachers will be required

to key in student achievementassessments and otherinformation through an onlinesystem. The online systemis meant to streamline theadministrative processes ofassessments and recording,but smooth implementationwill certainly mean some sortof training for school staff andteachers. It will also meanan increase in desk work forteachers, who are alreadyburdened with looking afterlarge classes and, as somecritics say, distract them fromclassroom commitments, whichare supposed to be their greatestfocus.

Another danger of the newsystem is that teachers whoare used to the centralisedexamination system that placesemphasis on achieving highmarks will resort to skippingcontent that will not be testedand completely cutting outnon-examination subjects ina bid to ensure high scores inthe assessments, thus defeatingthe whole purpose of the newsystem and inadvertentlyreverting to the Malaysiandefault of exam-basededucation.

Again, the thing that can

prevent this from happeningis training and planting anunderstanding in teachers,

students and parents that thepoint of the new system is toensure a holistic educationexperience for the Malaysianchild in order to prepare themfor life in the real world.

Ensuring smooth sailing

Malaysias education ministerTan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin statedlate last year that the PBSsystem will be rolled out slowlyand in an effective manner sothat the changes implementedwill not be burdensome toteachers. He also gave anassurance that the system willbe improved and the technicalglitches that have been plaguingit addressed.

Though there has been muchdebate about the blueprint ingeneral and the new school-based assessment system inparticular, the idea is soundenough that proper andsystematic implementationand follow-through, along withregular and consistent studiesand improvements will see itworking for the nation.

It only remains to be seen starting with this years thirdform exams how successfullyit will work.

Ready for life outsidethe classroom


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Common centsM

ONEY makes the world goround, though many of usare yet to master the skill

f managing money efficiently.Therefore, it is never too early totart educating young ones on themportance of being wise with theinggit, with experts agreeing thathildren should be taught money

matters while they are still in pre-

chool.Children can do simple

mathematics even before theybecome aware of monetaryoncepts. They will know thathere is always money paid inxchange for goods or services.

The key thing to do is to lethem know that while moneys exchanged for goods, it is notnfinite and therefore they need to

know how to manage it.

Budgeting and saving

One of the more importantspects of financial literacy is

knowing how to budget. Mostpeople who do not budget end up

with unpaid bills and more oftenhan not find that the decimal

place on their bank statement hasmoved forward a point.

The first thing you should do asparent is be a good role model.

When a child watches her parentdo something, it automaticallyegisters as the right thing to do.o if you want your child to saven a piggy bank, you should, too.

According to Michael Reyes, CEOf Moneytree Asia Pacific, whenhildren receive their allowancehey should decide how much toave first instead of how much topend.

Slip money into a piggy bank orjar after making sure that your

hild is watching, or if your childs slightly older, sit down to shownd explain to her how you budgetor the month ahead.

Show your child how muchyou allocate sufficient fundsor each type of expenditureo that she gets a rough ideaf how to prioritise spending.

Also, compare prices while outhopping for groceries and askor your childs opinion on which

products are most worth buying.This encourages critical thinkingin children, which is a veryimportant quality to have whengrowing up.

Be sure to also allocate moneyfor savings as children are atthe most impressionable stageof their lives when they are intheir pre-teens. A parent could

also introduce an incentive-based savings system by offeringrewards for different amounts ofsavings achieved. This gives a childthe drive to save more money toreach their goal faster.

Boundaries

As a parent, limits should beestablished so the child knowswhat exactly she can expectfrom you. When a child asks forsomething, first determine if it isa need or want, because fulfillingall her needs is your responsibilitybut fulfilling all her wants is not.

By fulfilling all the childswants, you are giving her

something that will not be alwaysavailable to her, which is notexactly the best thing you cangive your child. That being said,not all the childs wants should berejected.

Decide if the child deserveswhat she is asking for, and if shedeserves it by all means give herwhat she wants.

Another behaviour that hasrecently become disturbinglycommon especially in MillennialGeneration or Generation Ychildren is impulse buying. Youshould never accommodate achilds impulsive wants nor shouldyou be impulsive yourself, at leastnot in front of a child. Impulse

buying is a main contributingfactor to depleting your bankbalance and piling on more debt.

Money management

There are various interestingways to teach older teenagechildren to be independent andmanage money wisely. One wayto do it is to sit the child down anddiscuss (maybe negotiate too) all

the expenses that will be incurredby the child for the duration ofone month. Expenses may includeclothes, food, drinks, leisureactivities and petrol, among manyothers.

Once an amount is agreedupon, make it a point to depositthat amount into the childs bank

account at the beginning of everymonth.

This is where it can get a bittricky. For the first couple ofmonths at least, with all thatmoney available to them atonce, a child will most probablyoverspend and end up with nomoney at the end of the month or

even sooner.This is where you as the parent

can make them take responsibilityfor their actions and let them learnfrom their mistakes. After oneor two months, the child will getused to it and will start budgetingmore wisely.

Earning money

It is inevitable that your childwill eventually ask for a raise inher monthly allowance. Insteadof just agreeing with your childor saying no, you may suggestalternative ways of making money.

There are more ways forchildren and young adults to makemoney these days than there were10 years ago and they should makeuse of the opportunities available.

Teens can earn extra moneytutoring other children.

Alternatively, they could recycleold newspapers and make a tidyprofit out of it.

Some parents make dealswith their children to do extrachores in exchange for monetary

compensation while othersencourage their kids to organisegarage sales to sell off old,unwanted things. This is goodpractice as it encourages kids todevelop an entrepreneurial spirit.

It is imperative that parentsteach children to be financiallyliterate at as young an age aspossible. Though it may be a littletough at first, its the best gift youcan give your children.


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StarSpecial, Tuesday 14 January 2014 BRIGHT KIDS9

EPSOM College in Malaysiawill be opening its doors forthe first time in September.

teeped in 150 years of rich UKheritage, the school offers students

first-class British day school andboarding experience.Epsom College in Malaysia will

be Epsoms first overseas campus.The co-educational boardingchool (full or weekly board) and

day school is for 3-18 years oldsnd is located just south of KL in

Bandar Enstek.Following the Cambridge

nternational ExaminationCIE) syllabus, Epsom Collegen Malaysia aims to mirrorhe academic excellence of

Epsom College in the UK, whichonsistently achieves 84% of

A-level grades at A*, A or B grades.We have handpicked our

eachers from the UK. Theyach have the qualificationsnd experience to deliver a UKurriculum at their relevant level,

be that Prep School level or to pre-university students studying forheir A-levels.

With a maximum class size of4 students in the Senior Schoolnd 16 in Pre-School nursery, were perfectly poised to provideworld-class education here at

Epsom College in Malaysia, saysMartin George, Headmaster ofEpsom College in Malaysia.

Epsom College in Malaysia isimiting the first years intakeo 200 students and is currently

holding entry assessments for

New school poised to lead the wayTesting andinterviews for 2014

intakelEarly Years to Year 2: By shortinterview and age appropriatetasks

lYears 3 to 6: By academic testingand interview

lYears 7, 8, 9 and 10: By testingin mathematics, English and non-verbal reasoning along with aninterview

lYear 12: By interview, testing inmathematics and English or con-sideration of results fromIGCSE/O-levels

pupils aged 3-17 years at thecolleges KL office in Publika,Solaris Dutamas.

We are very excited toannounce that we will begin ourschool tours in February. Thesetours will enable families to fullyexperience what Epsom has tooffer for their children, saysGeorge.

The Epsom College visionembraces the personaldevelopment of each studentthrough innovation and creativityto achieve academic excellenceand aspire to secure places at theworlds top universities.

Epsom College in Malaysia, aswith its sister college in the UK,will not only stress academicexcellence but also an all-round holistic co-curriculum to

maximise students full potential.Epsom College has a long

tradition of excellence in theprovision of boarding and pastoralcare for its students. The close-knit house system is renownedand has become one of thecontributing reasons parentschoose Epsom College for theirchildren.

The team of experiencedhousemasters andhousemistresses live alongside thestudents and are responsible fora student welfare and progress atEpsom, whether that be academic,co-curricula, social or personal.This home away from homesetting has become an integralpart of the college life and ensuresthat students receive the guidanceand support they need in a safe

and supportive environment.Epsoms approach to studentboarding fosters a communityatmosphere among students.

In seven months, the doors toEpsom College in Malaysia will beopen to students from Malaysiaand around the world. The valuesI learnt whilst at Epsom Collegein the UK have shaped who I havebecome today.

They have nurtured mypersonal growth and given methe ambition, confidence, andleadership to never give up inthe face of adversity, sharesTan Sri Tony Fernandes, Chairof Governors, Epsom College inMalaysia.

Old Epsomians include BritishSecret Intelligence Service HeadSir John Scarlett, geographer

Sir Halford John Mackinder andBritains former Lord Justice ofAppeal Sir Anthony McCowan.

The final touches to the20.2-hectare acre site will becompleted in time to welcomethe inaugural student intake.The campus will boast a wirelessInternet infrastructure, a 650-seattheatre, 80 classrooms, recordingstudios, a recital hall, a sportscentre and cricket, rugby, tennis,netball and squash facilities.

nFor more information:www.epsomcollege.edu.my


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Brain food for the young

> From page 6

A Chromebook looks and feelslike a laptop but Google claimsit is a new type of computerthat works faster and will beeasier to use. Chromebooksrun on Chrome OS, which is anoperating system that ensuresmultiple layers of security andcloud storage.

These plans for the Internetto permeate our classrooms arepart of the Malaysia EducationBlueprint 2013-2025, which aimsto evaluate the performanceof Malaysias education systemagainst historical starting pointsand international benchmarks.

Introducing the Internet intoclassrooms enables students to

acquire learning material andreferences faster than before.Students will also be able tobrowse numerous sources of asubject in one sitting comparedto studying one source from oneor the same authors. This teachesstudents how to incorporatethe different materials they findonline into their work.

Currently, this is how collegeand university students go

about their assignments andcoursework but why should itbe confined to them? Allowingprimary and secondary studentsto study and incorporatedifferent sources into their workonly makes them well preparedand armed with the the skills

they will need when pursuing ahigher education.

The blueprint states that theMinistry of Education is lookingto leverage ICT to scale upquality learning across Malaysiaand over the past decade,they have spent more than

RM6billion on information andcommunication technology with

initiatives such as Smart Schools.The Ministry feels the needto push for more ICT usage inschools, as quantities and qualityare not at expected levels.

A study conducted by theMinistry in 2010 found that 80%of teachers spent less than anhour a week on ICT. What is moreshocking is that a 2012 UnitedNations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) review found thatthe usage of ICT by Malaysianteachers was limited to merelyword-processing applications.

Plans, however, have been putin place to change this worryingtrend by improving the content

online with a video library thatdelivers daily lessons in science,mathematics, Bahasa Malaysia,and the English language. Theblueprint states these onlinevideos can be a source ofinspiration for teachers or arevision tool for students.

Bespoke learning

It has been found that not all

students learn at the same pace.The Ministry has taken this into

account and has included plansin the blueprint to maximisethe use of ICT for distance andself-paced learning. Expandingfurther, students will get torelish in the fact that they willbe able to experience a morepersonalised education. Studentswill be allowed to learn at theirown pace and also study subjectsthat are not taught in theirschool.

Malaysian students canexpect the pilot programmefor these plans to start in 2016on a small scale. The successfulprogrammes will then beintroduced nationwide.

The future of Malaysia and

its students looks bright withthe implementation of ICT inthe education system. Usingtechnology makes learningmethods endless and makes itpossible for teachers to mouldyoung minds of students andturn out national builders andglobal leaders that are capableof critical thinking and havethe ability to form their ownopinions.

Opening a door to possibilities

AS school reopens for thenew year, most parents willbe looking for that special

omething to improve their childs

performance in school. Most willegister their children for tuitionlasses, while other may sign theirhildren up for ballet lessons, self-

defence classes and so on to ensurehat their child stays competitive inchool and later on in life.

While these extra-curricular classesre important, it is also important forhe child to be properly nourished ashealthy child will absorb and digest

what is being taught in school and inuition classes better.

It is therefore important to giveyour child the extra nutritional edge.An important nutrition for school-

oing children is omega-3 fish oil.Research has shown it is importantor the healthy growth of the brainspecially the Docosahexanoic AcidDHA) component of the fish oil.

This does not come as a surprise ashuman brain cells comprise 30% fat,primarily essential fatty acids, which

re also known as good fat.In a well-researched clinical study

onducted in Australia, 230 under-performing children were assignedo two groups. One group was given00mg of omega-3 supplements dailynd the other was given a placebo forhree months.

The results revealed that thehildren who were given 500mg of

DHA daily showed improvementsn their reading and spelling ability,

while the placebo group showed onlyverage progress.

It was later reported that the

mega-3 fish oil given to the childrenomprised 140mg DHA and 28mg of

Eicosapentanoic Acid. This ratio led tohe creation of the Golden 5:1 Rule for

Optimum Brain Development.

The role of Omega-3

The brain is made up of a complexnetwork of nerves. Information is

processed in the brain as electricalimpulses. Omega-3 fatty acids, inparticular DHA, ensures the healthyand complete growth of these

nerves in the brain. Having good andefficient nerves enables informationto be processed at a faster speed. Thisimproves a childs ability to read andspell better.

Scientists recommend giving a childomega-3 as early as possible. This isbecause a childs brain grows at a fastrate and having omega-3 in the dietensures the nerves are well formed.

Suitable omega-3 fish oil forchildren

Not all omega-3 fish oil is suitablefor children. It is therefore importantto choose a product that is speciallyformulated for them. Most of theseproducts are available for sale inpharmacies or health food stores.

Here is a brief guide:lMost products are for children abovethe age of three. The labels will giveyou more information.

lChoose omega-3 fish oil thathas the Golden 5:1 Ratio Rule ofDHA:EPA. It is advisable to choosea product with a low EPA content,preferably below 40mg.

lChoose omega-3 fish oil that issourced from tuna oil as the oilextracted from tuna contains a higherDHA content than most fish oils.

lChoose a non-fishy tasting omega-3fish oil. Most children dislike the fishy

taste. There are special products thatare formulated to naturally mask thefishy taste.

lChoose a product that is recognisedand trusted by parents worldwide.This gives you the confidence andpeace of mind that the products aresold and given to kids around theworld.


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ETZHOP is a mind enrichment centre,hat enrolled its first batch of studentsn February last year with its core

programme LETZHOP Sesame StreetEnglish. This is a multimedia Englishanguage learning programme for children

between 3 and 12 years old.It is the first ESL (English as a Second

anguage) programme developed byesame Workshop, the producers ofhe Sesame Street TV programmes. The

programme uses an internationallycclaimed methodology to introduce

young children to English language in a funnd engaging way.

The programme has proven to be anffective medium of learning for childrenhrough its content-based learningpproach that enables them to learnnd apply English language in a real-lifeituation. An interactive multimedia

device is used as the main medium ofeaching. This involves the use of a smart

panel that is also known as a gianttablet. This giant tablet is used to deliverthe lessons content, which is made up ofvideo clips and songs from the SesameStreet TV programme as well as othernew multimedia content that is speciallydesigned for the programme.

This year, LETZHOP is offering severalother programmes in addition to LETZHOPSesame Street English. The programmesare LETZHOP Three-2-Six, LETZHOP

Zero-2-Three, LETZHOP Ready-2-Learn,LETZHOP Autism Early InterventionProgramme, LETZHOP Al-Hira IslamicEducation Programme, and LETZHOPSchool Holiday Programme.

LETZHOP is currently operating in fivelocations Bandar Baru Bangi, Klang,Damansara, Shah Alam, and Selayang.

nFor more information:www.letzhop.comor contact them at03-9055 3999

Sesame Street-inspiredEnglish programme

By Clare Sweeney

IN the primary school at Nexus,recently accredited at mastering level,we understand the importance of

making learning meaningful, relevantnd engaging for learners. In Year 1, this

half term, the children are learning abouthe world of work through the IPC theme

The Things People Do.In order to hook the children on

his theme, we took them to Kidzania.Through role-playing the learners wereble to know and understand more aboutarious jobs and professions withinociety as well as the activities andesponsibilities that go along with these.

This was an excellent opportunity forhildren to understand the purpose of

work not only for their own personalmonetary gain, but also to provide aervice to society. Many of our learners

have never had to take responsibility forheir own money, and have never had thepportunity to earn money nor use this

money earned to purchase goods. It wasmazing to see those who were moreeluctant to spend their hard earnedash.

The trip to Kidzania allowed children

to explore these concepts and come to anunderstanding that money, in fact, doesnot just appear from the ether, it has tobe earned and it should be spent wisely.

Additionally, they quickly learnedthat certain jobs were more desirableto them, because they earned differentamounts for different jobs. Some childrenshowed real drive to bank in more thantheir friends so that they would be ableto purchase the item they wanted at theend of the day.

This learning experience has provedto be extremely purposeful for ourlearners as through working with theirpeers, role playing and having fun, theyhave learned so much more about jobsin society today than they could havewithin the constraints of a traditionalclassroom.

By learning by doing they are boundto remember the learning experiencethat has taken place. Our learners arenow completely enthused and ready tolearn more about The Things People Dowithin and across the different curricularsubjects.

lClare Sweeney is a Year 1 teacher atNexus International School.

Learning inthe real world

PRIMARY sports at Nexus has seen awonderful development over the pastterm and the schools skills-basedprogramme is beginning to pay dividends.Motivated children are developingtheir all-round sports and athletic skillsin individual and team sports. Nexuscompetes well in international schoolssporting events and many events are heldwithin the school itself.

One such event recently was theprimary school indoor athleticscompetition. All learners from Nurserythrough to Year 6 were involved andcheered on by their parents. Sixty-sevenfun yet competitive races took placein total, from 1-lap sprints to 4-personobstacle relays.

Still to come this month, the secondaryschool basketball and rugby teamscompete for medals as they complete

their respective seasons. Meanwhile, ourprimary learners get another chance tolace up their boots as they kick-off theirfootball season with four teams in actionthrough January, February and March.The wide range of co-curricular activitieson offer will also help to keep the Nexuslearners active and enjoying their sports.

Athletic skills on show


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UNDERSTANDING Aspergersmay be difficult for parents,but it is very important that

hey know what it is, what to

xpect, and exactly what deficits,kills and abilities their child hasbefore they decide on the right

arly intervention programme.The child with Aspergers,

ccording to the Diagnostic andtatistical Manual of Mental

Disorders, exhibits the followingharacteristics under the new

Austism Spectrum Disorderdefinition:lChallenges with socialnteractionslConfined interests with intense

nd focused, and repetitivebehaviourslNo significant language delaylNo cognitive impairmentlSymptoms presenting aignificant impairment in day-to-

day functioningThis implies the existence of a

ocial and communicative deficit.A limited ability to learn or applyocially relevant information isonsidered by some to be a socialognitive learning disability.

There are three models thathelp to describe deficits in socialognition for these children,ncluding the Theory of Mind, the

Theory of Central Coherence andhe Executive Dysfunction Theory.

Theory of Mind

The Theory of Mind is the

Into the minds of childrenwith Aspergers

By RuthArunasalam

ability to appreciate the mentalstates of oneself and other people,which is a prerequisite to effectivefunctioning in social groups. Thisadaptive behaviour is usuallyevident in children from the age of4 onwards.

Children with autism seemto lack the ability to think aboutthoughts, suggesting they areimpaired in specific, but, crucially,not all, areas of socialisation,communication and imagination.Children with autism cannotget inside other peoples heads.Therefore their understanding ofothers is profoundly limited.

This deficit includes earlydevelopmental difficulties,which are associated with mindblindness such as not showingjoint attention skills, which isusually evident by 14 months ofage, and the failure to engage inpretend play, which normallyemerges between 20 and 24months old.

Executive Function

Executive Function is themechanism that enables us tomove our attention from oneactivity or object to anotherflexibly and easily. It allows

us to plan strategically, solveproblems and set ourselvesobjectives so that we can controlour behaviours in planned andmeaningful ways.

The absence of such amechanism determines that allour actions are controlled by theenvironment in response to cuesand stimuli, leading to apparentlymeaningless activity.

In a school setting, this

emerges as highly distractingand disruptive behaviour coupledwith a dependence upon ritualand routines and an apparentdisregard for the school timetableor the completion of tasks.

Central Coherence

This theory relates to ournatural impulse to placeinformation into a context in orderto give it meaning. It is usual forhuman beings to take an overviewof things, to look for the bigpicture and assimilate the detailinto that whole.

However, people with autismtend to focus on the detailrather than the whole, pickingout the minutiae rather thanunderstanding the big picture.Compared their non-autisticpeers, they are only able torecognise the identity of familiarfaces from a part of the picture.

Educators may detect thelack of central coherence in thenarrowed interests of childrenwith autism such as in the waysin which pupils with autism areoften unable to generalise skills, orthe way in which they may displayareas of relative strength, knownas islets of ability.

What parents should know

These deficits result in autisticchildren developing skillsunevenly, omitting some stagesor appear not to follow the usualdevelopmental order. It is theunstable area of emerging skillsand the relationship between thevarious aspects of developmentthat must be identified.

Therefore, therapy must beprescriptive and it depends on acareful assessment of each childsfunction rather than on medicalcategories. Parents should beaware that tests are unsuitableas the childs behaviour is tooidiosyncratic and immature.

Instead, there must bestructured and systematicobservation from which a profile ofeach individual can be developed.No two autistic children are alike:they differ from each other in theirabilities and skills just as ordinarychildren do.

lRuth Arunasalam is a doctoralcandidate who is conductingresearch on linguistics educationfor children with autism spectrumdisorders. She also conductsseminars and educates teachers onthe subject.

bright kids issue01

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