Save Maryam

Approximately 2 million people in Indonesia leave Islam for Christianity every year.

Why is this the case? Why are people not satisfied with Islam? Why are they willing to abandon Allah?

Join us in our mission to save a generation of Indonesians and help us bring Islam back into their lives. Spread the word. Save Maryam.

Website: http://savemaryam.com
Donate: http://savemaryam.com/donate.php
Like us: http://facebook.com/whoismaryam
Follow us: http://twitter.com/savemaryam

Some major math sites

Mahukan perubahan dalam teknik pengajaran dan pembelajaran? 

Marilah ber'Glog'!

Top 100 tools for learning 2011

What is a “learning tool”? This could be a tool you use to create or deliver learning content/solutions for others, or a tool you use for your own personal learning.

KEY:
Previous years rankings shown in grey | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
F = free, P = paid for, D = download, O = online

Top 30

1. Twitter - micro-sharing site   |  1 |  1 | 11 | 43=    F O 
2. YouTube - video-sharing tool | 2 |  3 | 18 | 22=   F O 
3. Google Docs – collaboration suite (incl Google Forms) |  3 | 5 | 7 | 14    F O 
4. Skype - instant messaging/VoIP tool  |  6 |  11= | 4 | 3=    F/P D  
5. WordPress - blogging tool  | 8 | 6 | 5 | 6=6=    F O/D
6. Dropbox - file synching software   | 13 | 71= | – | -   F/P O/D
7. Prezi - presentation software  | 12 | 28 |  - |  -   F O
8. Moodle - course management system  |  10 | 14= | 9 | 12=    F/D
9. Slideshare - presentation sharing site  | 5 | 7 | 20 | 31   F O
10. (Edu)Glogster - interactive poster tool  | 25 | 55= | – | -  F O
11. Wikipedia - collaborative encyclopaedia  | 16 | 17 | 13 | 26=  F O
12. Blogger/Blogspot - blogging tool  | 14 | 14= | 10 | 9  F O
13. diigo - social annotation tool  | 15 | 22= | 35= | 72=  F O
14. Facebook - social network   | 9 | 31= |  24 | 17=  F O
15. Google Search - search engine  | 11 | 8 | 6 | 3  F O
16. Google Reader - RSS reader   | 7 | 4 | 3 | 7=  F O
17. Evernote - note-taking tool  | 23 | 27 | – | 16=  F D
18. Jing - screen capture tool   | 17 | 20 | 26= | -  F D
19. PowerPoint - presentation software  |  21 | 13 | 8 | 5  P D
20. Gmail - web-based email service   | 31 | 21 | 14 | 7=  F O
21. LinkedIn - prof social network  | 30 | 38= | 30= | 31=   F O
22. Edmodo - edu social networking site  | 46 | 88 | – | -   F O
23. Wikispaces - wiki tool  | 17 | 29 | 19 | 15   F/P O
24. Delicious - social bookmarking tool  |  4 | 2 | 1 | 2  F O
25. Voicethread - collaborative slideshows  | 19 | 19 | 23 | –   F/P O
26. Google+ - social network  - F O   Highest placed new tool
27. Animoto - videos from images  | 28 | 31= |  - |  -  F O
28. Camtasia- screencasting tool   |  27 | 26 | 26= | 50=  P D
29. Audacity  - sound editor/recorder  | 24 | 9= | 12 | 11  F D
30. TED Talks - inspirational videos   F O  New

31- 65

31. Yammer - private microsharing platform  | 68 | 71= | – |  -  F/P O
32. Google Earth - virtual globe  | 41 | 43= | 40=| 40=  F D
33. Scoopit - curation software – F O  New 
34. PBWorks - wiki tool  | 33 | 34 | 35= | 43=  F/P O
35. Google Apps - branded app suite  | 34 | 38= | 68= | -  F/P O
36. flickr - photo sharing site   |  20 | 18 | 15 | 16   F O
37. Tweetdeck - Twitter client  | 37 | 43= |  - | -  F D
38. Google Maps - online maps  | 58 | 67 | 34 | 36=  F O
39. Wordle - word cloud generator   |  22 | 30 |  - | –   F O
40. Voki- speaking avatar creator  | 75 |  - | – |  -  F O
41. Symbaloo - Internet portal/dashboard  F O  New
42. Word - word processing software  | 60 | 36= | 22 | 10  P D
43. Google Sites - wiki/website tool  | 39= | 71= | 59= | -  F O
44. iPad and apps -   New 
45. Google Chrome  - web browser   | 44 | 55= | – | -  F D
46. Articulate  – e-learning software  | 43 | 24 | 25 | 22=  P D
47. Snagit - screen capture tool   | 42 | 25 | 21 | 26=  P D
48. Adobe Captivate - demo/scenario tools | 38 | 22= | 30= | 17=   P D
49. Vimeo - video sharing site  | 70 | – |  - | -   F O
50. Geogebra - maths software for schools – F D  New 
51. Screenr - screencasting tool  | 58 | 55= | – | –   F O
52. Mindmeister - mindmapping software  | 73= | 55= | 42= | -  P D
53. Picasa -  photo organiser  | 46 | 63 |  - | 57=  F D
54. Wallwisher - online noticeboard  | -  26 |  - |  - |  -  F O
55. iPhone/iPod Touch and apps   | 39 | 31= | 50= | 43=
56. Scribd - document sharing tool  | 54 | 71=| 83= | 50=  F O
57. Ning - private social networking plat form  | 31 | 11= | 16 | 31=  P O
58. eFront - course management system   F/P D/O  New 
59. Adobe Connect - web conferencing tool  | 61 | 41= | 66= | 72=  P O
60. Elluminate/Blackboard Collaborate - web conferencing  | 35 | 43= | 50= | 50=  P O
61. OpenOffice - office suite  | 61 | 71= | 41= | 31=  F D
62. Storybird - collaborative storytelling   | 71 | – | – | -  F O
63. Knol - share what you know –  F O  New 
64. LiveBinders - 3-ring binder for the web  | 61 | – | – | –  F O
65. Sharepoint - intranet platform   | 75= | 50= | – | -  P D

66-100

In this the bottom 1/3rd of the list, there are a lot of tied places.

66.  iTunes and iTunesU - music/podcast player/site  | 51 | 41= | 28 | 26=  F/P D
67. Mahara - e-portfolio platform  F D    New
68. lino - online stickies  F O  New
69. Outlook - email client  | 95 | 67= | 38= | 17=  P D
69. Posterous - blogging software  | 36 | 55= | – | -  F O
69. Storify - makes stories using social media  F O  New
69. Udutu - collaborative course authoring tool  | 95 | 64= | – | -   F/P O
73. Hootsuite - social media dashboard  | 74= | – | – | –  F D
74. BigBlueButton - web conferencing   F O  New
74. Edublogs - educational blogging tool   | 48 | 49 | 59= | 72=  F O
74. Etherpad + clones - real-time text collab  | 50 | 71= | – | -  F O
74. iGoogle - personalised start page  | 44 | 16 | 17 | 17=  F O
74. iMovie - Video editing software   | 95 | 88= | 66= | -  P D
74. Khan Academy - learning platform   F O  New
74. SurveyMonkey - survey tool   | 48= |  88= | 54= | -  F/P O
81. Excel - spreadsheet software   | – | 50= | 27  P D
82. Google Calendar - online calendar  |  53 | 50= | 29 | 36=  F O
82. Kindle - ebook reader   New
82. Poll Everywhere - instant audience feedback   F/P O/D  New
82. Quizlet - flash card and study games website   F O  New
82. Screencast-0-matic - online screen recorder  F O  New
82. TeacherTube - edu video sharing site | 90 | 64= | 80= | 57=  F O
82. Zotero - collect/manage research  | 57 | – | 66= | 72=  F O
89. Blackboard - course management system  | 68 | – | – | -  P D
90. Android phones and apps   | 85 |  - |  - |  -
90. bubblus - collaborative mind mapping tool  | 89 | 55= | 83= | -  F O
90. Buddypress - social networking software  F D  New
90. Composica - social e-learning authoring system   P D  New
90. Adobe Flash - animation authoring  | 81= | 38= | 38= | 43=  P D
90. Fuze meeting - web conferencing  P O  New
90. Netvibes - personal start page  | 61 | 55= | 37 | 26=  F O
90. Paper.li - daily digest of tweets   F O  New
90. ReadItLater - save pages for later   F O  New
90. Weebly - website/blog software   F O  New
100. OneNote - personal information manager | 85= |  – | 66= | - P D

http://c4lpt.co.uk/top-100-tools-for-learning-2011/
 

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2011 from Jane Hart

Lebih baik tidak sekolah

Lebih baik Tidak Sekolah!

Begitulah tajuk sebuah buku kecil nukilan Bapak Sujono Samba yang memperkatakan tentang tragedi dan masa depan pendidikan di Indonesia. Dalam perkembangannya, sekolah ternyata tidak menjadi media pembebasan dan penanaman nilai-nilai kemanusiaan. Sekolah sudah menjadi penjara yang memisahkan anak didik dari dinamika persoalan masyarakatnya. Semakin lama seseorang bersekolah semakin besar jarak antara dirinya dan realiti kehidupan yang sebenarnya. 

Sekolah bukan lagi tempat untuk belajar melainkan tempat siswa diarahkan dan di”design” menurut pola yg sudah baku. Dengan demikian, lembaga pendidikan gagal menjalankan tugasnya yang paling dasar iaitu membantu seorang menjadi manusia yang bebas dan merdeka. Sekolah sudah sepertinya “factory” atau kilang yang tugasnya hanya mencetak watak-watak manusia A+ dan menolak manusia lain yang hanya mendapat B dan C. Malah yang berstatus D dan F akan terus tersingkir dengan sendirinya.


Di Malaysia tidak kurang keresahannya. Dalam keributan kita menentukan sistem yang terbaik kita mula meminggirkan aspek teras bangsa dan budaya apabila berterusan meminggirkan Bahasa Melayu dan tulisan jawi. Keranda Bahasa Melayu diusung secara simbolik tanda protes bahawa watak bangsa akan terhapus dengan peminggiran Bahasa Melayu.


Sudah nampak riak akan berlaku kebobrokan dalam aspek nilai serta produk manusia dalam masyarakat dengan meningkatnya gejala sosial di kalangan anak muda saban hari. Dari memaknai soal mendidik asalnya ia sudah menjadi mencetak, di kala sekolah diperjuangkan untuk rakyat dan pendidikan percuma adalah hak asasi rakyat, aspirasi itu dimatikan dengan pembinaan institusi pendidikan swasta yang terus mematikan hasrat rakyat kononnya ia dibina demi kualiti pendidikan.


Begitulah seterusnya episod -episod menyayat hati dalam isu pendidikan Negara yang kemudiannya menjadikan anak-anak kita sebagai eksperimen dan tikus makmal bagi menguji keberkesanan setiap kali dasar pendidikan baru dirombak.


Semua menjadi kalut dan cemas! Ibu bapa sudah tidak ketahuan jadual peperiksaan anak-anak. Guru-guru menggalas beban dengan kelas tambahan dan tuisyen. Anak-anak sudah terobses dengan kecemerlangan akademik atas permintaan pasaran dan prosedur dunia. 


Ivan Illich pernah mengejutkan masyarakat dengan gagasan kontroversinya tentang “deshcooling society” (masyarakat tanpa sekolah).Illich meramalkan bahawa jika pengetahuan dan tingkat kedewasaan masyarakat sudah berkembang dengan wajar maka institusi-institusi pendidikan formal tidak lagi diperlukan.


Masyarakat akan mampu menjalankan fungsi pendidikan lewat elemen sosial dan budaya yang luas tanpa harus terikat dengan autoriti kelembagaan seperti sekolah. Ertinya dalam masyarakat ini sekolah sudah tidak diperlukan lagi. Gagasan ini sampai sekarang masih belum terbukti dalam kehidupan konkrit. Tetapi jika dilihat dengan mendalam,maka betapa tepatnya Illich dalam menilai dan mendiskripsi kewujudan lembaga pendidikan.


Dalam serba ketidaktentuan arah pendidikan ini, terbitnya buku “Excellence Wihout Soul “ karya Harry. R. Lewis yang membicarakan tentang Universiti Harvard yang sudah kehilangan ruh dan menghadapi bencana kehilangan arah tujuan. Ketika Harvard memikul jenama Universiti tertua, ternama dan terunggul di dunia, mereka telah melupakan “the fundamental job of undergraduate education”~tanggungjawab dasar terhadap anak didik termasuk “to help them grow up, to learn who they are, to search for a larger purpose for their lives and to leave college as better human beings”.


Oleh yang demikian, sistem pendidikan Negara sewajarnya menjaja pendidikan keinsanan yang mana seharusnya ia memaknai sabda nabawi” kharu ‘n-nas anfa’uhum li n-nas (orang yang terbaik adalah yang paling berguna kepada orang lain). Anak bangsa ini harus didik untuk terus menjadi warga yang baik, anak yang meletakkan sifat keinsanan serta mengangkat darjat Karamah Insaniyyah serta menjadi manusia yang terus memanfaatkan manusia lain.Ini juga nyata bertepatan dengan kata pujangga Melayu dalam menggambarkan erti manusia yang baik dan bermanfaat itu adalah;

Bagaikan kayu besar di tengah padang;
Rimbun daunnya tempat berteduh;
Kuat dahannya tempat bergantung;
Kukuh batangnya tempat bersandar;
Besar akarnya tempat bersila.


Fadhlina Siddiq
Naib Presiden (HELWA)
Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia

Memorandum ABIM Selangor berkaitan Kajian Semula Pendidikan

MEMO Transformasi Pendidikan ABIM SELANGOR

Steve Jobs' killer presentation Skills

 

"My presentation was supposed to knock your socks off. I guess I got carried away."

 

Genius. Legend. Visionary.

These are but a few of the superlatives that have been used to describe the late, great Steve Jobs. But beyond his business acumen, the man behind Apple^® computers and Pixar Animation Studios was perhaps the greatest keynote speaker of our time. There are more than 57,000 links to his presentations on YouTube.

What made his presentations so amazing that people all over the world want to see them? More importantly, how can the rest of us learn from Steve to inspire our audiences the way he did?

In her excellent book, The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience, Carmine Gallo takes us behind the scenes and offers Steve's ten secrets that you can use for presentations that will inform, engage and, yes, astound your audience.

Here are Steve Jobs' ten secrets for insanely great presentations.³ 

1. Plan in analog. Brainstorm in advance of creating your presentation. You can use pen and paper, a whiteboard or, better yet, a mind map.
   
   
   
   DO NOT use PowerPoint^®to create your presentation—it will be used only in the final step! (More on this later.) 
2. Create Twitter-friendly headlines. Describe your product or service in 140 characters or less. Preferably, a lot less. Steve introduced the MacBook Air^® as simply, "The world's thinnest notebook." About the first-generation iPod^®, he tweeted: "It's one thousand songs in your pocket."
3. Introduce the villain. Steve saw a presentation as a three-act play that must tell a story, but what is a story without a hero and a villain? Before he introduced the famous 1984 ad to a group of Apple salespeople, he set the stage, casting "Big Blue" as Goliath. "IBM wants it all," he warned, and defiantly asserted that only Apple stoodin its way. His dramatic moment sent the crowd into frenzy.
   
   While the villain doesn't have to be a competitor, it must be a common foe that your audience will want to join with you in rallying against. Your product is then revealed as the conquering hero.
4. Create visual slides. As Carmine writes, "Neuroscientists are finding that the best way to communicate information is through text and pictures, not text alone." As for bullet points, Steve never, ever, used them and neither should you. Carmine has a section in her book titled, "Bullets Kill" that describes why you should avoid using PowerPoint to create your presentation.
   
   "Think about what happens when you open PowerPoint. A blank-format slide appears that contains space for words—a title and subtitle. This presents a problem. There are very few words in a Steve Jobs presentation. Now think about the first thing you see in the drop-down menu under Format: Bullets & Numbering. This leads to the second problem. There are no bullet points in a Steve Jobs presentation. The software itself forces you to create a template that represents the exact opposite of what you need to speak like Steve!"⁴
   
   Take a look at the following comparison of bullet-point slides compared to the same information, presented visually.
   
5. Practice, a lot. Most people read their presentations off of their PowerPoint slides. This is why most presentations are boring. Steve treated every slide as piece of poetry and every presentation as a theatrical event. He wasn't a natural presenter; he worked very hard at it. Rehearse your presentation, toss the script and look at your audience. Practice at making it look effortless.
6. Obey the ten-minute rule. It's a scientific fact that the brain gets tired after ten minutes. Steve's presentations typically lasted an hour and a half. He would break them up into short intervals of ten minutes or less by interspersing videos, demonstrations, or guest speakers. Don't let your audience get tired or you'll lose them.
   
   A great way to keep your audience's attention when presenting information is though sequencing, which builds the story within a visual one step at a time, making the information much easier to digest.
   
7. Dress up your numbers. We often deal with large numbers or data that an audience can't comprehend without context. Breaking them down and presenting numbers visually can overcome this. Notice how much more effectively the chart below illustrates sales figures as opposed to a matrix of data.
   
8. Reveal a 'holy smokes!' moment. Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them fe el." Steve Jobs always produced a memorable moment in a pre sentation. When he introduced the MacBook Air, he told his a udience that while everyone had seen manila envelopes floating around the office, what they had never seen was someone pulling a notebook computer out of one—which is precisely what he did. The audience went wild and images of that moment remain emblazoned in people's minds four years later.
9. Sell dreams, not products. When it looked at the iPod, the world saw a music player. What Steve Jobs saw was a tool to enrich people's lives. Howard Schultz of Starbucks didn't have a passion to sell coffee; his vision was to create an experience: a 'third place' between home and work where people would want to gather. The dream met the customer's need and the product sales took care of itself.
10. Have fun! When was the last time you saw someone enjoying giving a presentation? Steve Jobs had fun in every keynote. He made jokes at his own expense. While most people give presentations to deliver information, Steve always created an experience that his audience would enjoy and remember. Most importantly, he sold them on becoming a part of his dream, not his product.

(Source: SmartDraw presentation groupmail)

Contoh P&P Matematik strategi konstruktivisme

Mathematic Lesson for Thinking

Perihal Masa Depan Pendidikan: Konteks Bahan Sokongan P&P

Kebergantungan kepada buku teks rasmi sebagai bahan sokongan utama dalam pembelajaran menimbulkan kejumudan dalam melestarikan bahan sumber yang ada di mana-mana dan lain-lain sumber pembelajaran seperti di internet, buku-buku akademik antarabangsa, dan lain-lain sumber yang bersifat berasaskan teknologi. Kebergantungan ini jelas apabila di KPM, terdapat Bahagian Buku Teks, suatu bahagian yang khusus untuk membina dan menguruskan buku teks yang ongkosnya memakan jutaan wang ringgit. Begitu juga masa yang diperlukan untuk menghasilkan satu-satu buku teks. Ini tidak termasuk sekiranya terdapat isu-isu luar jangka seperti kesalahan ejaan, fakta, konsep dan perlanggaran sensitiviti yang akhirnya menambah tugas dan akauntabiliti berpusat kepada KPM. Bahan sumber sokongan lain seperti CD dan penghasilan daripada Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan juga menambah ruang lingkup tugas KPM yang pastinya berniat murni dan harus dipuji. Persoalannya bukan kepada objektif penghasilan, tetapi kepada keberkesanan penggunaan di dalam bilik darjah. 

Justeru, satu mekanisme yang lebih luwes (fleksible) namun efisien perlu difikirkan; Mengambil model pembelajaran di peringkat Kolej dan Universiti; yang mana pensyarah dan pihak universiti menyediakan senarai cadangan bahan/buku yang perlu dimiliki murid sebagai teks utama di dalam kelas; ini memungkinkan murid untuk lebih berdikari dalam mendekati gudang buku, pusat sumber, dan bahan internet yang pastinya lebih luas pengisian ilmunya di samping latihan terbaik dalam menggunakan teknologi terkini dalam pendidikan. Fungsi bahagian dalam kementerian boleh digabung dan dikecilkan sebagai Bahagian untuk membantu guru/sekolah menyediakan bahan tersebut secara hands-on atau lebih dekat dintegrasikan dengan badan seperti Perpustakaan Awam di setiap negeri. Secara tidak langsung, transformasi bahan sumber akan juga merancakkan kembali Perpustakaan sebagai tempat sumber ilmu yang disegani dan didekati golongan murid sekolah.

Lain-lain faedah sudah tentunya kepada kredibiliti guru sebagai pakar sumber pembelajaran yang mampu menyediakan dan mencadangkan murid apa yang terbaik untuk bacaan mereka yang seterusnya dapat disesuaikan dengan kaedah dan strategi Pembelajaran dan Pengajaran guru di kelas masing-masing. Bukankah kali ini guru akan mentaksir sendiri pencapaian murid masing-masing? Maka, ini merupakan kaedah dan strategi yang baik yang boleh diguna pakai untuk aplikasi self-learning (Belajar sendiri), self-assess (Taksir sendiri) dan self-access (Capai sendiri). Sebagai makluman, salah satu unsur penting dalam Pentaksiran Berasaskan Sekolah (PBS) adalah penilaian terhadap proses pembelajaran murid, bukan sekadar terhadap hasil akhir pembelajaran.


Artikel ditulis untuk dihantar kepada myedureview.com
Dihantar pada 10:36 pagi, 9 Julai 2012

(https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!topic/myedureview/IJixS3W5o00)

Perihal Masa Depan Pendidikan Negara : Konteks Keguruan

Malaysia perlu menaik taraf kependidikan di malaysia dengan mengiktiraf dan menghargai modal insan yang berpengetahuan sedia ada untuk menjadi pendidik di sekolah-sekolah kebangsaan setanding dengan negara-negara maju. Negara-negara maju terutama yang mempunyai sistem pendidikan terbaik di dunia seperti Finland, Singapura, atau Taiwan, telah meletakkan syarat asas untuk menjadi guru dengan mempunyai kelayakkan sekurang-kurangnya ijazah sarjana. Malahan, bagi mereka yang mempunyai ijazah doktor falsafah, diletakkan untuk mendidik kanak-kanak di peringkat pra-sekolah. Malah, kerjaya keguruan menjadi idaman dan cita-cita utama anak-anak kecil di sana.

Dalam SBPA dan kini SSM Yang Ditambah Baik, skim yang ditawarkan dalam perkhidmatan awam dalam sektor pendidikan, bermula dari lepasan PMR, sehingga ijazah pertama sahaja. Ini bermakna, sekiranya seorang guru di sekolah mempunyai ijazah yang melebihi ijazah pertama, gred gaji yang diterima adalah sama, tidak mendapat apa-apa kenaikan tangga gaji atau apa-apa kelebihan dari aspek senioriti atau kekananan. Ini sangat ironik kerana dalam sektor pendidikanlah sewajibnya meletakkan standard yang tinggi untuk pendidik dan pada masa yang sama menyediakan dan mengiktiraf peluang kenaikan pangkat berasaskan kesarjanaan yang sudah pastinya berlandaskan faktor keilmuan. Adalah lebih wajar untuk mempertimbangkan skim yang bermula daripada lepasan STPM / Diploma sehinggalah kepada Ijazah doktor falsafah. Lantaran itu, apalah kiranya cadangan untuk diberikan insentif kenaikan tangga gaji tertentu, 4 hingga 8 tahun untuk pemegang ijazah sarjana atau permulaan DG48, dan kenaikan 8 hingga 12 tahun untuk pemegang ijazah doktor falsafah atau permulaan DG52. Alternatif lain mungkin ada laluan kerjaya lain yang boleh difikirkan. 

Di negara maju, kesarjanaan yang tertinggi seorang guru akan ditempatkan untuk mendidik murid pra-sekolah dengan alasan untuk memberikan asas (foundation) yang kukuh sebelum memasuki pendidikan perdana. Pengistilahan ‘perdana’ di sini dinisbahkan kepada peringkat ‘sekolah rendah kebangsaaan’ bagi penggunaan biasa di Malaysia. Istilah ini menjadi satu lagi ironi dalam pendidikan kebangsaan. Bagaimana ‘primary school’ apabila diterjemahkan menjadi ‘sekolah rendah’? Daripada aspek falsafahnya, bukankah terdapat perbezaan bumi-dan-langit antara nilai ‘perdana’ dan ‘rendah’?

Artikel ditulis untuk dihantar kepada myedureview.com

Dihantar pada 10:13 pagi, 9 Julai 2012

(https://groups.google.com/forum/?hl=en&fromgroups#!topic/myedureview/j5lrdBSOumM)

Syria - 12 month revolution The Uprising

Wacana Islam dan Masyarakat Majmuk

WACANA ISLAM DAN MASYARAKAT MAJMUK

Orang Muda, Perubahan dan Jihad

Menjadi orang yang biasa tetapi kotak fikir diri sentiasa berfikir secara luar biasa. Natijah kepada tindakan adalah juga luar biasa. Bukan bermakna lebih baik, bukan juga bermakna tidak baik; bukan itu soalnya. Yang pelik dan jelik, bukan bermakna salah. Yang pelik barangkali membawa obor kebenaran yang tidak pernah diungkaikan sebelum ini. Bukankah nabi SAW adalah pelik dengan membawa ajaran untuk mentauhidkan Allah. Sedangkan sebelum itu, bertuhan banyak dengan mentaati dan menyembah nenek moyang adalah tradisi yang patut dan sepatutnya diikuti tanpa banyak soal. Adalah lebih pelik dengan membawa fenomena masyarakat membaca sedangkan dalam waktu itu terbatas dengan masyarakat oral semata-mata. Itulah kisah pelik dalam masyarakat.Yang utama dan penting, carilah kebenaran waima pelik sekalipun di mata manusia.

Orang muda perlu menjadi kelompok umat perobah umat. Kelompok yang berfikir di luar minda kebiasaan dengan tekad mencari dan menegakkan kebenaran dan keadilan sosial. Fikir secara besar. Fikirkan dan capai keadilan sosial agar terbina suasana yang mampu membantu diri menjadi lebih baik dan akhirnya menjuarai kebenaran dan keadilan individu. Dengan kata lain, hak individu atau istilah yang popular, hak asasi individu hanya akan dapat diperjuangkan setelah keadilan umat dapat dilunaskan. Menjadi orang berbeza bukan kerana ingin berbeza. Tapi, biasanya, yang benar itu tidak popular. Yang popular itu biasanya tidak benar. Yang majoriti itu biasanya ada yang tidak kena. Biasanya begitu. Bukan pastinya begitu, cuma biasanya saja. Pendek kata, jangan mudah gembira apabila berada dalam kelompok ramai. Tidak pula bermakna minoriti itu benar. Ramai atau sedikit sebenar-benarnya tidak memberikan apa-apa makna dalam soal mencari kebenaran dan keadilan.

Sejarah manusia tertulis bahawa dunia berubah atas tangan kelompok muda. Baik dari awal mula Adam sehinggalah dunia melihat kebangkitan rakyat Arab yang barat memanggil sebagai Arab Spring, satu konotasi yang menunjukkan lonjakan maksimum apabila ditekan-tekan sebegitu rupa. Begitu juga dengan sejumlah sejarah tamadun besar dunia yang lain. Orang muda adalah kunci kepada perubahan umat. Dengan kata lain, orang muda perlu bawa agenda perubahan. Orang muda harus dan perlu sinonim dengan perubahan; Tradisi orang muda adalah berubah! Bukan sekali-kali mengekalkan tradisi orang yang pernah muda dahulu pada tika mereka sudah tua. Justeru, suatu tamadun perlu bimbang sekiranya orang muda mereka tidak mahu berubah dan peduli dengan umat mereka. Apa lagi apabila membawa budaya suka-suka atau hedonisme yang mana juga adalah budaya lama masyarakat jahiliah yang rosak dan merosakkan umat.





Justeru, perubahan apa yang membawa kepada kemajuan yang mana menjurus kepada kebenaran dan keadilan? Sudah tentu jawapannya ada di dalam Al-Quran. Memahami bahawa perkara pertama yang diwahyukan kepada Nabi SAW adalah berkenaan dengan membaca. 'Bacalah dengan nama Tuhanmu.." dan seterusnya sehinggalah 'yang mengajar dengan pena'. Perhatikan dengan teliti; tema yang dibawa adalah membaca. Perhatikan isu umat pada tika itu; jelas adalah isu kemunduran, perpecahan, dan tiada ilmu baru dicipta dengan mengekalkan amalan nenek moyang mereka. Umat pada waktu itu adalah umat lisan. Umat yang menghafal dan berpuisi apa yang mereka dengarkan, dan diperturunkan kepada generasi selepas itu dan begitulah seterusnya.

Sehinggalah nabi SAW membawa desakan untuk membaca. Baca apa kalau tiada apa yang hendak dibaca. Maka, seterusnya didesak juga dengan menghasilkan ilmu dan mengajar ilmu dengan bahan bacaan yang ditulis; analoginya adalah dengan menggunakan pena. Suatu alatan yang sangat penting bagi merekod dan menterjemah sebarang maklumat yang berlaku dalam minda, melalui proses berfikir. Melalui panca indera, ditambah dengan panduan syariat serta contoh ar rasul, maka, akan terhasillah dan terciptalah makna yang meresapi ruh manusia atau apa yang dipanggil ilmu. Apa sahaja isu yang timbul dalam masalah umat, jawapannya ada dalam Al-Quran. Quran bukan sekadar di baca dan dialunkan dibibir, malah untuk difikirkan sedalam-dalamnya dalam konteks tertentu dalam isu umat. Konklusinya, perubahan kepada kebenaran dan keadilan adalah perubahan yang berlandaskan kepada pemikiran dan seterusnya diterjemahkan kepada tindakan. Tindakan yang berpaksi kepada kebenaran dan keadilan sudah pasti membutuhkan pertolongan Illahi; Itulah manifestasi jihad. 

Effective meeting

"There's no way we can come to a decision yet - this meeting has only lasted 30 minutes."

Three Steps to a Successful Meeting:

Your meetings will be shorter and more productive if you use this simple formula.

1. Create an agenda ahead of time. Display it on the conference room projector
2. Assign action items to each person in real time, displaying the agenda in visual format. Everyone in the meeting sees the action item assigned. There is no room for different interpretations of action taken and the person assigned the task is publically accountable for completing it.
3. Distribute the action item document, in visual format (which becomes the minutes of the meeting), to each attendee.

Ensuring that a Meeting is Profitable

A successful meeting is one that produces real, tangible results. Schedule a follow-up meeting. Start it by displaying the same action item document publicly. Review the status of each action item. Anyone who has promised to get something done is now accountable to everyone else. You'll soon find that:

• Meetings are shorter and to the point.
• What's promised actually gets done.
• Everyone is on the same page.

(Source: SmartDraw template advertisement)

Mengira ketinggian bangunan

Have fun!

(Sumber : http://www.virtualmaths.org/activities/topic_shapes/tower/resources/height-of-building.pdf )

Amalkan Budaya Politik Matang, Tolak Keganasan Politik: Presiden

Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) ingin melahirkan kesal dan kecewa dengan beberapa insiden keganasan politik yang berlaku semenjak kebelakangan ini.Berdasarkan dari pengamatan pihak ABIM,  gejala keganasan politik ini tampak semakin menggejala terutama sekali dalam suasana teka-teki tarikh  Pilihanraya Umum Ke-13 yang semakin rancak diperkatakan. 

Insiden-insiden bermotif politik semakin kerap berlaku kebelakangan ini seperti mengganggu ceramah dan penerangan politik, mengakibatkan kecederaan fizikal dan kemusnahan harta benda, serta memecah masuk premis dan rumah tokoh politik, telah menyorot perhatian dan mencetuskan kebimbangan para pengamat politik serta rakyat secara umumnya.

Ini jelas menunjukkan ketidakmatangan budaya politik di peringkat akar umbi dan keluhuran demokrasi. Tambah mendukacitakan perkembangan ini terjadi ketika negara sedang menyaksikan keterbukaan wacana politik di kalangan para pemimpin serta parti-parti politik di negara ini. Insiden-insiden keganasan politik yang berlaku kebelakangan ini seharusnya menyedarkan para pemimpin politik bahawa para pendukung politik di peringkat akar perlu dididik serta dilatih, untuk mengamalkan budaya politik terbuka serta matang.

Dalam erti kata lain, gagasan serta idealisme politik yang sering dicanangkan oleh para pemimpin politik tidak ubah sebagai retorik kosong semata-mata sementelahan amalan politik akar umbi terus-terusan dizahirkan menerusi kebobrokan akhlak, gejala fitnah memfitnah yang mengaibkan seteru politik, keganasan, caci maki dan ugutan.    

Justeru ABIM menyeru pimpinan politik supaya mendidik serta mengawal perilaku serta akhlak tindak tanduk politik para penyokong masing-masing agar menjunjung tinggi prinsip Kedaulatan Undang-undang sepertimana yang digariskan dalam Rukun Negara. 

Selain integriti kepimpinan politik, amalan demokrasi yang positif turut menekankan peri pentingnya budaya kepengikutan yang bersandarkan nilai-nilai moral dan keagamaan yang menghormati tidak sahaja kawan tetapi juga lawan.

ABIM berharap agar insiden-insiden ini tidak berulang di masa hadapan taktala Negara sedang meniti detik-detik getir menjelang Pilihanraya Umum Ke-13. Kita tidak mahu insiden-insiden keganasan politik yang sering berlaku di luar Negara menggejala lantas mencemarkan kestabilan, keamanan dan keharmonian negara kita.

Justeru ABIM menggesa agar pihak berwajib memelihara hak-hak bersuara serta berhimpun seperti yang termaktub di dalam perlembagaan persekutuan serta mengambil tindaka keras terhadap mana-mana pihak yang cuba mencetuskan keganasan politik secara adil dan tanpa memilih bulu.

Sesungguhnya rakyat sudah jelik dengan amalan politik “matlamat menghalalkan cara” yang semakin berleluasa dan menyeru semua pihak memainkan peranan untuk membawa rakyat kembali  berpegang kepada prinsip “Negara Barakah” yang menjunjung tinggi prinsip, nilai akhlaq serta etika dan moral.

Amidi Abd Manan, Presiden Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM)

rote learning or reasoning

Rethinking pedagogy

By AMINUDDIN MOHSIN
educate@thestar.com.my

An education system that emphasises rote learning rather than understanding has no place in a world that demands students to be equipped with reasoning, analytical and problem-solving skills.

Are education systems across the world still relevant to the needs of our society and future? One expert from the United States (US) is not afraid to say that the system – in the US, at least – is obsolete.

According to Tony Wagner’s book, The Global Achievement Gap, there is a huge chasm that divides what Americans are teaching and testing in their schools versus the actual skills students need to further their studies and pursue their careers.

Wagner is co-director of Change Leadership Group (CLG) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, which is a research and development centre charged with helping teams to be effective leaders in schools and districts throughout the US.

To keep up with the pace of information and technology, students must be taught how to process and analyse the information. — File photo

“Wagner points out that the relevant skills needed for the 21st century is no longer taught in classrooms and lecture halls,” said Victoria University vice-chancellor Prof Peter Dawkins.

In his lecture, a part of the Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Distinguished Speakers series held at Sunway University, Prof Dawkins uses Wagner’s book to discuss the skills required for employment in the new workforce.

“Today, employers are not just looking for ‘domain skills’ and knowledge relevant to their field in a potential employee.

“They are also looking for ‘generic skills’ like problem-solving and teamwork. Focus on these skills is lacking in our education systems,” said Prof Dawkins.

Even when the study is transposed onto the Australian education system, it points to many areas where changes can be made to better prepare students for transitions – from school to college, then to work, said Prof Dawkins.

In the book, Wagner noted that there was no curricula or teaching method in place to teach students how to reason, analyse and write well.

He explained how the American education system was on the verge of crisis as most of the tests it uses for accountability comprise multiple choice assessments, which require more memorising than thinking.

A teacher playing a board game with her students to give them a practical understanding of accounting. —File photo

Different minds

The concern that an overwhelming emphasis on exam grades, which in turn encourages students and teachers alike to get through the syllabus and memorise key points – rather than taking the time to understand concepts – is all too familiar in Malaysia.

So what can be done to narrow the gap between what is taught and and what is needed?

In his lecture, Prof Dawkins drew upon Howard Gardner’s Five Minds for the Future to identify what students need to learn and how to teach them those essential skills.

“Gardner identifies the types of intelligences we should develop, and points to the various different faculties of the mind,” he said.

The “five minds” include the disciplined mind, which is the ability to focus and develop a deep knowledge of at least one subject matter; the synthesising mind, which allows one to process information from various sources to combine it in a way that makes sense; and the creating mind, which puts forth new ideas and fresh ways of thinking.

The other faculties of the mind are respectful and ethical thinking, which are critical in developing students who not only welcome and respect different people and opinions, but understand them and work to benefit society at large beyond their own self-interests.

“By developing these faculties, we can produce students that can think creatively, bridge knowledge from different fields and act ethically,” said Prof Dawkins.

Although he conceded that not everything can be taught in classrooms, the classroom should take efforts to adapt to the needs of society.

Prof Dawkins shared that when he was a member of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority board, he chaired a committee tasked with writing out a declaration of educational goals for Australian children.

“I was part of the committee that produced the Melbourne declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians.

“One of the goals was developing successful learners by teaching them how to think and draw upon a wide range of different learning to solve problems,” he said.

Meanwhile, trainee teacher Nur Hidayah Shukor was of the opinion that there was nothing lacking with Malaysian students.

“Malaysian students have abundant potential and given the opportunity, they can be as expressive, creative and critical as any student out there.

“They only need to be given a platform to do so — something which could be better incorporated in our schools,” said Nur Hidayah, who is studying at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).

During her three months of practical training at SMK Taman Mutiara Rini, Johor, Nur Hidayah said she saw what teaching in non-conventional methods could do to boost the students’ interest and morale.

“You should see how even the weakest students who refused to speak a word of English became confident speakers with the correct methods.

“I used drama to get them to speak and detective work to get them to write reports. Eventually they spoke and wrote English comfortably,” she said.

However, she admitted that as a trainee teacher, she could teach students in creative and interesting ways without worrying about finishing the syllabus in time.

“On the other hand, full-time teachers are often worried about completing the syllabus in time, whereas my only concern was impressing my lecturers,” she said.

Some lessons need not even be taught in the classroom. Here, students are learning the history of kites. — File photo

Changing perceptions

According to veteran educationist and Kirkby College Alumni president Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, it is precisely the teachers’ burden of finishing the syllabus in time that needs to change.

“The concept of finishing the syllabus must change — in fact, the syllabus must be malleable and robust enough that it can fit the needs of any situation.

“Teachers should not succumb to tunnel vision when teaching. If they are looking at the syllabus, they are not looking at their students growth or decline,” said Dr Yahaya.

He added that teachers go through four stages of teaching — they start off “telling” as a new teacher, then they progress to “explaining” as they gain experience.

“After that point they educate – a good teacher educates. And the final transformation is the inspirational teacher who inspires,” he said.

On a different front, UTM vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Zaini Ujang says that students learn more outside the classroom.

“That is why we encourage students to partake in summer school programmes, conferences, summits and other events held outside the classroom.

“While out of campus, they are expected to learn not just from the programmes they attend but also through mingling with peers and professors abroad,” he said.

In his 2011 new year address, Prof Zaini highlighted what he expects new academia to look like after changes to conventional academia.

“We want to move from the traditional paradigm of having only professors filling up teaching positions to having policy makers, practitioners and entrepreneurs fill some of those spots.

“We also need to change our outlook on what we use as teaching materials — we cannot narrow it down to just academic journals and books,” said Prof Zaini.

Prof Zaini points out that it is important to learn through experience and that failure is a great teacher.

“We need our students to be versatile enough to be able to gain as much as possible through experience,” he said.

As information and technology moves faster and faster, it becomes ever more important to teach students how to think critically and synthesize information.

“We need to develop inquisitive minds. We can’t have students just jotting down notes from their teachers without pondering over what they have written.

“We are transitioning from traditional learning to e-learning at a fast pace, and we must teach our students how to think,” said Dr Yahaya.

As the adage goes, knowledge is power — but this is assuming the person with knowledge knows how to use it.

This is why how we teach is as important as what we teach. Students must know how to relate to what they learn and implementation of the knowledge learned is as important as understanding it, said Dr Yahaya.

A respectful and ethical mind is developed when students are exposed to various people and opinions from a young age. These children are participating in a play to learn about and showcase Scottish culture. — File photo

A shared view

Many policy makers, education planners, deans of faculty, principals, lecturers and teachers have pointed towards a tectonic shift in pedagogy – the art of teaching – to fit global trends.

During the launch of EzLearn2u at SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the “chalk and talk” method of teaching used by teachers in the past no longer fits the students of this generation.

Taylor’s University School of Communication dean Josephine Tan said the advent of new channels of information makes Gen-Y students less likely to be receptive to one-way learning.

“With so many avenues open for them to obtain information, classrooms must adapt,” she said, adding that students must be allowed to use their smartphones, iPads and laptops to access information relevant to their class.

She also said the short period of three to five years in tertiary education was not enough to fully develop the thinking skills of student.

“These thinking skills must be developed from early education,” she added.

Even with all these little initiatives by various education institutions, the question remains, is it enough? Or is nothing short of an overhaul of they way we teach necessary for pedagogy to catch up with the needs of our times?

Dr Yahaya, who has served under various Education Ministers and Prime Ministers, said he has always posed one question to them: “What kind of Malaysian do you want to produce?”

Perhaps it is only after we answer that question can we choose a path to walk down.