January 2013

CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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English Student Performance Database
The ESP Database provides access for all schools and English
language teachers across Brunei. It allows greater precision in the
documentation and analysis of student performance in English
and literacy. It records all standardised English language exam
results across Brunei for students in Years 7 – 11. It also records
five standardised Cloze tests per student per year. By the end of
2012 data had been submitted for approximately 20 000 students
nationwide . The database enables teachers to more effectively
differentiate instruction and track student progress. It allows
schools to target literacy resources more efficiently and to
monitor improvements. It also affords school and national level
diagnosis of strengths and weaknesses in English language
learning.
Cloze Test Kit
CfBT Education Department and a Special Interest group have
produced a Cloze Test Kit that contains five graded cloze tests for
each year level from Years 7 - 11. The tests are standardised fixed
rate deletion clozes. Each passage is approximately 250 words
with 20 deletions. Each passage is linked to relevant schemes of
work and coursebooks. The tests provide approximate
vocabulary and reading grade levels as well as approximate CEFR
(Common European Language Framework) ratings. This enables
tracking of student improvement and standardised performance
data for students across Brunei. Results are submitted online to
the ESP database which allows systematic tracking of student
progress in English language through secondary school.
Standardised Exams
CfBT develops and moderates standardised upper secondary end
of year English language exams for use nationwide. The national
qualifying examinations for Years 10 and 11 IGCSE Core and
Extended and Year 9 Applied, as well as the national qualifying
examinations for Years 11 and 10 O level and Year 9 General are
written following CIE processes and standards and delivered to
the MoE for approval and distribution. The initiative improves
student learning outcomes by providing all schools with high
quality formative and summative assessment checkpoints. In
addition it builds local capacity in the writing and reviewing of
standardised examinations. In 2012 more than 95% of teachers
across Brunei using the standardised exams rated them as good
or excellent.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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IGCSE ESL [Upper Secondary] Steps to Success
The 2012 IGCSE student intervention/support programme (Steps
to Success) helped 500 students to develop a termly study plan
leading up to their final exams. It also helped students to develop
‘learning to learn’ strategies and foster learner independence.
Attendance and other impact data are exceptionally positive.
Capacity building workshops were provided for all teachers new
to the IGCSE course in BSB, Tutong for Tutong and KB districts.
Teacher feedback, through anonymous evaluation forms, has
been very positive with over 90% of participants rating the
sessions as either Very Good or Excellent.
Discovering the World IGCSE SiG Resource Development
The IGCSE SiG group met monthly focusing on the further
development of support units and differentiated materials for
the Years 9-11 coursebooks. The SiG group also distributed the
Discovering the World resource. This resource has been well
received by IGCSE ESL teachers around Brunei. One enthusiastic
teacher commented: I love the use of non-fiction - ideal for
encouraging the boys, most of whom are frightened by the idea
of reading a book. I take all the repeater 'O' and 'IGCSE' classes so
this resource is ideal for general knowledge and to get reluctant
readers to widen their vocabulary. So again I want to say I'm
impressed.
SCOPE O Level Exam Clinics
The aims of the SCOPE Exam Clinic are to boost the confidence
and hone the skills of students in a target band near to achieving
Credit in the English O level examination. The Exam Clinic was
well received by students around the country. Nur Hayatul
Faizah Binti Haji Marsidi from SM Sayyidina Abu Bakar said: These
sessions taught me a lot. SCOPE is a good idea because it helps
us to prepare, especially now because the exam is getting close. I
would recommend this to Year 11 students! While her classmate
Dk Nurun Nazihah Bte Pg Hj Ayub observed: Personal Preparation
and Directed Writing helped me the most. Before this, I wasn’t
sure how to prepare for the exam.
To help build capacity MoE teachers were invited to attend the
sessions for their own professional development. Seven local
teachers sat in on sessions for the Exam Clinic.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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SCOPE O Level English Study Packs
SCOPE Year 10 O level Roadshows have been redesigned as Study
Packs to be implemented in schools in the last few weeks of the
year. The change ensures the maximum amount of students can
benefit from this input as well as providing greater capacity
building. The objectives for the SCOPE Year 10 Study Pack
initiative include supporting students with identifying their key
strengths and weaknesses, enabling students to set personal
learning targets, helping to embed AfL best practice in upper
secondary, building students’ skills in the relevant key areas to
achieve success in their O level examinations and providing a
guided homework programme to support students’ exam
preparation. A CfBT teacher from each school coordinated and
implemented the programme. Each school was provided with
two sets of teacher notes and a class set of student booklets.
Vocational SAP resource Kit
The Special Applied Programme (SAP) Resource Project Book for
Functional English and Communication was launched by the
Permanent Secretary (Core Education) of the Ministry of
Education who said that the use of this book will make students
realise that English is a useful tool for many aspects of their lives.
He added that the subject is part of the local content
requirements for SAP courses offered by the ministry in
collaboration with EDEXCEL. Since this SAP subject is relatively
new in school, the CDD's collaboration with the CfBT Vocational
Special Interest Group to produce the resource book will certainly
help to supplement the list of locally developed resources, he said,
adding that this initiative highlights the synergy and benefits of
working together towards a common goal.
Primary English Resources
The Pre-school English Programme is a unique literacy initiative
that makes use of the similarities and relationship between
Bahasa Melayu and the English language. By virtue of the fact
that the Malay and English languages share the same alphabetic
system, early English reading and writing is taught using the
foundation laid in Malay Children start reading in Malay in Term
1 and Term 2 while developing their oral language in English
language classrooms. The Pre-school English teachers then start
teaching reading from a point where children have already learnt
and know the sounds of 18 consonants from their Malay lessons.
CfBT teachers have led materials development to support both
the listening and speaking, and reading and writing programmes.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Quality Improvement Learning Teams [QUILTS]
Quality Improvement Learning Teams (QuILTs) are a
performance and development improvement strategy. The
QuILTs initiative is designed to encourage teachers to reflect on
and share best practice with colleagues in order to build capacity
in the Brunei education system. It develops and embeds best
teaching and learning practice, establishes a supportive culture of
challenge and growth and improves student outcomes by using
data and evidence to drive instruction. Importantly it also values
the breadth of experience and expertise teachers bring to the
project. Teachers plan, observe, gather data and reflect on their
teaching practice with their peers according to prescribed
protocols. A Quality Improvement Learning Team consists of
three or more core CfBT teachers and one or more local
observers/participants. Feedback has been strongly positive.
Teaching Plus
CfBT Brunei commenced implementation of the Teaching Plus
programme in 2011. At present there are 10 areas of professional
development with a number of possible modules or activities in
each area. Teachers follow relevant units and submit evidence in
order to record achievements and align them with competency
frameworks based on current best practice in vocational and
career development. The ten Teaching Plus areas are:
Practitioner Skills and Mentoring, Materials Development,
Assessment and Evaluation, Curriculum Development, Research,
Training and Professional Development, Coordination and
Administration, CCA and ECA Coaching Educational Innovations
and Personal Projects
Certificate in Teaching English as an International Language
The Certificate in Teaching English as an International Language is
a 120 hour face to face to face intensive course designed to train
new teachers to the field. The course is very. Participants who
complete all four modules of the course are rewarded with the
satisfaction of acquiring the skills and knowledge required to
commence work in the ELT field as a professional. The C-TEIL also
offers a professional portfolio assessment of initial teaching work
in the six months following the course to endorse mastery of
classroom and professional practice in international teaching
contexts.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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SEAMEO Voctech Seminar and Workshop Series
At the invitation of the British High Commissioner to Brunei, CfBT
– an integral part of Brunei's education success story - provided
CfBT with professional inputs for a series of VTET workshops and
seminars hosted by SEAMEO Voctech. The series further
demonstrated CfBT’s commitment to education in Brunei not
only in the traditional field of English language as well as in the
area of vocational education where CfBT brings both experience
and expertise from around the globe. The keynote address on
Day One, Innovative Approaches to Teaching Vocational and
Technical Subjects Using English as Medium of Instruction, was
delivered by Dr Greg Keaney, CfBT Country Manager. The
keynote address on Day Two, Using 21st Century Media and
Technology for Teaching and Learning Vocational and Technical
Courses in English, was delivered by Jean Kiekopf, Education
Project Manager (Media) and Jennifer Law, Director of Studies,
CfBT Brunei LC.
Oxford Research Project
As part of the CfBT Brunei Education Department commitment to
evidence-based practice a joint research project with Professor
Pamela Sammons from Oxford University commenced in 2012.
This research project forms part of our contractual commitment
to the partnership with the Ministry of Education. The study
seeks to document the change and improvement processes
related to bilingual education in Brunei and to identify and
investigate features of effective practices that have helped to
improve pupils’ attainment of English from the perspectives of
key stakeholders in the education system. Professor Sammons
and her team visited Primary and Secondary schools and Preuniversity Colleges around Brunei as well as interviewing senior
Ministry of Education officers and the British High Commissioner
to Brunei Darussalam.
Tropical English Teacher Fellowships
The TET Fellowship Programme is a pilot scheme to evaluate
ways of sharing teacher professional expertise developed in
Brunei with other ASEAN countries. In 2012 CfBT Brunei
sponsored three qualified and experienced native speaker
teachers from the Brunei project to spend a week in selected
schools in Serang, West Java, Indonesia. The teachers were
provided with accommodation by their hosts with in country
costs borne by the participants. The teachers were accompanied
by the CfBT Media Unit to record the programme. The teachers
spent the first week of December in Indonesia. During their stay
they were involved in collaborative teaching and teacher training
workshops at the local primary and two secondary schools. In
addition they participated in the Lessons from the Classroom
Conference organised by the Indonesian University of Education.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Primary CLIL Project
Content and Language Integrated Learning is the teaching of a
subject in the target language rather than the first language of
the learners. The Primary CLIL project aims to promote more
communication amongst English medium subjects as well as to
ensure an integrated and co-operative approach to language and
content learning covering the following topics: project
goals/outcomes, Common Framework, CLIL theory, learning in a
foreign/second
language,
sharing
teaching
practice
(maths/science/English) and high impact teaching and learning
(planning and word walls). By deliberately planning and
introducing subject matter in a way that supports each other’s
topics/themes, concepts and language can be introduced and
reinforced at higher levels of complexity.
Magic Moments in SBAfL DVD Series
In 2012 the CfBT Brunei Media Unit continued the production of
the highly successful Magic Moments DVD series. The Magic
Moments in SBAfL DVD introduces Assessment for Learning in
‘bite size pieces’ ensuring that teachers across Brunei can
comfortably adjust their teaching methodology to incorporate
the best Assessment for Learning techniques. In January 2012 the
first footage for Magic Moments in School Based Assessment for
Learning was taken at the SM Hajah Masna SBAfL Bootcamp. This
Bootcamp was the first of its kind in Brunei and attracted a great
deal of interest from the local press, television and newspaper,
the CEO of Optimise International, and RTB, television talk show
Rampai Pagi. The second Bootcamp was held in April in Lumut.
The footage from these two events provides the material for Part
2 of the Magic Moments in SBAfL resource. Part one consists of
ten assessment strategies that teachers can watch being used in
Bruneian classrooms and then recreate themselves.
Magic Moments in the English Classroom
21 Magic Moments in the English Classroom provides secondary
English language teachers with the inspiration to make their
lessons more interactive and enjoyable. The activities,
demonstrated on DVD and written up as instruction sheets, tutor
teachers in how to engage their students by employing a variety
of approaches. These activities support their written and spoken
use of English. Each of the 21 Magic Moments is represented in a
ONE MINUTE film snapshot of what happens in the English
classroom. The first in the Magic Moments series has been used
across Brunei in 2012. In selected schools CfBT teachers have
been acting as Magic Moments Mentors ensuring that local
colleagues feel supported trialling and evaluating MM activities.
Impact data from CfBT and Bruneian teachers and officials has
been extremely positive.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Integrated Schemes of Work, Content and Language Integrated Learning [iSoW CLIL]
Content and Language Integrated Learning is the teaching of a
subject in the target language rather than the first language of
the learners. The project is tracking both teacher and learner
development in terms of self-concept and applied knowledge. It
has dual goals: (i) to support, develop and extend the quality of
teaching as well as (ii) to raise student achievement in both
language proficiency and content knowledge and understanding.
The Brunei CLIL project involves 14 MoE Year 7 teachers
representing the English (3), Maths (3), History (2), Geography
(2), Science (3) and Home Economics (1) subject areas with nine
Y7 classes with a total of approximately 225 students.
Commented one participating Year 8 Science teacher: It was
satisfying to see how the students were enjoying their lessons and
at the same time learning the content of the lesson.
Tropical English Teacher
The research and practice journal Tropical English Teacher is
available on-line for all CfBT teachers in Brunei and beyond. An
informative and eclectic mix of research, practice and theory.
Tropical English Teacher was first published in December 2009
and is published quarterly. It emphasises a ‘tropo-centric’
approach to English language teaching with articles and research
favouring practitioner reports and experiences from nonWestern environments. The journal combines classroom research
with practical ideas for lessons and activities. It also discusses
issues of interest to teachers as well as commenting on schools
and learning experiences in surrounding countries. The journal
also captures teacher insights and ideas for permanent archive.
I very much enjoy perusing Tropical English Teacher which mixes
the irreverent with the serious very well. Andreas Pohl, Pegasus
International
Conferences
Alongside CfBT’s traditional support for conferences within
Brunei, the Education Department also promotes Brunei’s
successful bilingual education model in the South East Asian
region. Jean Kiekopf presented on the Magic Moments project at
the MELTA conference in Malaysia in 2012, Alisa Gin also
presented on the Bilingual Lower Primary Literacy Programme at
MELTA in KL while Robyn Elmi presented on the QuILTs initiative
at MELTA in Kuching. Greg Keaney has presented in both Phnom
Penh and Kuala Lumpur on the successes of bilingual education in
Brunei.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Visit of Sir Jim Rose
Sir Jim Rose is the head of the CfBT UK Education Committee. He
was responsible for the reforms of the UK national primary
curriculum and is a distinguished educator and educational
thought leader. Sir Jim visited Brunei in April 2012 to audit the
work of the CfBT Brunei Education Department. He visited a
number of Primary and Secondary schools and was incredibly
impressed with what he saw, particularly in early years
education. Sir Jim Rose also presented to senior figures at the
Ministry of Education and gave his thoughts on current trends in
the Bruneian bilingual system.
Visit of Dr Harry Patrinos
As well as direct capacity building for
teachers during 2012 CfBT Brunei was
delighted to host a number of special
capacity building presentations and
seminars for Ministry Harry Patrinos,
the Lead Education Economist at the
World Bank presented to Ministry of
Education officials and University
academics on 20th February 2012. The
following day Dr Patrinos presented to
officials at the Ministry of Finance.
Visit by the Egyptian Professional Academy for Teachers
Following a request from the Egyptian Ministry of Education’s
Professional Academy for Teachers for an overseas study visit to
gain experience of educational initiatives outside Egypt, it was
decided that a study visit to Brunei should be arranged to
showcase CfBT’s highly successful partnership with the Bruneian
Ministry of Education and demonstrate CfBT’s proven expertise
in the areas of English language teaching and school
improvement initiatives. The Egyptian study visit to Brunei took
place between 23rd and 29th September 2012. The delegation
consisted of Dr Ramadan Anouma, Director of the Professional
Academy for Teachers (Cairo), Dr Alaa Sabra, Deputy Director of
the Professional Academy for Teachers (Cairo), Mr Ahmed Torki,
Director of the Professional Academy for Teachers (Alexandria)
and Mrs Zeinab Saleh, Office Director of the Professional
Academy for Teachers (Cairo) and two CfBT representatives.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Primary English Songs
The Primary Music and Media SiG has produced a wide range of
songs to accompany the Pra, Year 1, Year 2 and now Year 3
schemes of work in English for use around Brunei. The songs,
which have been adapted to suit the Bruneian context, are
carefully integrated both thematically and phonologically with
the relevant course programmes. Most importantly from the
student point of view though – the songs are an enormous
amount of fun. Said Siew Lin, an MoE teacher from SR Anggerek
Desa: Thank you so much for making the lyrics and the songs. I
don't know how much effort you guys have put in. You make
learning a whole new wonderful experience for children. I see
them enjoying every minute of it. I couldn't ask for more & I still
have a lot to learn. Who makes our children dream and reach??
That's you! :)))
Kids Time Radio Show and Song Animations
With the consent of the Ministry of Education the Primary Music
and Media SiG have produced a series of commercial radio
programmes recorded in English. Children around Brunei will
soon be able to tune in and listen to ‘Kids Time’. Recording and
editing for the first 11 episode series consisting of familiar
stories, songs and sound bites fused into a 3-4 minute show has
been completed. Kids Time features vocabulary, structures and
phrases inherent across the English Listening and Speaking
programmes from Pra - Year 2. The show is hosted by one CfBT
and one Bruneian Primary teacher.
Babble On Writing Journal
Babble On: My Journal is an EL student writing journal aimed at
teenage learners of English. It aims to promote extensive writing
by teenagers in school English classes. It also aims to enable even
the most reluctant writers to ‘want to write’. It allows students
to produce an ongoing ‘product’ that is intrinsically motivating
for them. Careful thought has gone into the design of each page
and the overall text to allow a range of differentiated approaches
with classes and students of varying abilities. Weaker learners
can focus on models and the core writing task while stronger
learners can respond to a range of interesting facts, suggested
books and movies, quotes and internet sites. Babble On has been
trialled at Government schools in Brunei since 2010 with
overwhelmingly positive outcomes and feedback from both
teachers and students. I am mastering the skill which is thinking
in English… I have a feeling of excitement and joy when I’m
writing the entries in my journal...
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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Sixth Form Wordplay 2012
The competition, which was a first for Sixth Form Centres in
Brunei, had five Sixth Form Centres competing from Tutong,
Meragang, Katok, Sayyidina Ali of Kuala Belait and Maktab Duli.
The Katok Sixth Form Centre and Sayyidina Ali Secondary School
emerged as finalists to contend for the grand prize, which was a
trip to the United Kingdom. Sayyidina Ali Secondary School came
out as the winner for this year's Sixth Form Centre Wordplay
National English Quiz with only one point ahead of the Katok
Sixth Form Centre. Present as the guest of honour was Dr Hj
Junaidi bin Hj Abdul Rahman, Permanent Secretary (Core
Education) at the Ministry of Education. Also present were Dr
Greg Keaney, the Country Manager of CfBT, officials from the
Ministry of Education and CfBT, as well as teachers and students.
Lower Secondary Wordplay 2012
Wordplay 2012, organised by CfBT Brunei, is a collection of
English Language games in which teams of students battle for
English language supremacy. It is open to all non-selective
government secondary schools in Brunei. Twenty-four schools
from Brunei sent teams for the competition. Each school chose
its team of four with two students from Year 7 and two from Year
8. There are six different types of word games, each posing a
different type of puzzle that plays with the language in its own
particular way. The categories were Vocabulary, Definitions,
Spellings, Anagrams and Connections, Word Bricks and General
Knowledge. The grand final consisted of the top two teams STPRI
(Sekolah Tinggi Perempuan Raja Isteri) and Pengiran Anak Puteri
Hjh Masna Secondary School (SM PAP Hjh Masna) with STPRI
emerging the 2012 champions.
Sixth Form Wordplay Winners Trip to Cambridge University
Students from SMSA won a UK trip as champions of the Sixth
Form Wordplay competition organised by CfBT Brunei. The
winning team comprised Bazielah Nabelah Hj Mohd Faderin Lee,
Khairunnisa Hj Yakob, Md Syazwan Hj Sufri and Voo Yu Tong. Led
by CfBT Wordplay Senior Teacher Malcolm Orsborn the team
visited historical places and landmarks in London. In addition to
that, the students were hosted at the House of Lords by Lord
Knight. They were also hosted at Corpus Christi Cambridge
University by former UK High Commissioner to Brunei and
current Master of Corpus Christi Stuart Laing. Voo Yu Tong could
not hide his excitement as he will be the first one in his family to
ever visit England. He felt humble and grateful to have won the
competition.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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CCA Coaching
In 2012 CfBT Brunei commenced offering a CCA Coaching module
as part of the Teaching Plus suite of professional development
offerings. This module recognises the ongoing contribution of
teachers to sporting team development and the need and desire
of many teachers to upgrade their skills in this area. The CCA
Coaching module prepared participants for coaching in a range of
team sports including safety and health considerations, effective
training drills, methods to develop student talent. The module
also included a basic first aid certificate.
SLAM Poetry
PADUKA Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (Maktab Sains)
hosted slam poetry workshops for students around Brunei
organised by CfBT teacher Emma Rooney. Emma was
instrumental in obtaining the services of inspirational UK poet
Dreadlock Alien to visit Brunei to work with students from
around the country. Nicola Chan, a Year 10 student, found the
workshops “very inspiring”. Nicola's poem was 'I am nobody'. She
describes it as "a poem about how someone feels when they are
treated like a nobody. I write about how it feels to be left behind
and forgotten." Pg Shahrudin Pg Dato Hj Mustapha, father of
Shafiq Shahrudin in Year 7, said he looks forward to more
workshops and performances being held, as he views Slam
Poetry as a very positive development. The workshops not only
help the student's English but also their performance skills which
are very important. The learning experience doesn't solely come
from a textbook.
MS Sayang Programme
In 2012 CfBT Brunei supported an initiative led by a CfBT 6th Form
teacher at Maktab Sains school. Ray George, a literature and
language teacher, has also been involved with student
preparation for university admission. The pilot stage of the 'MS
Sayang 2012' project had 25 pre-university students from Maktab
Sains become mentors to 25 younger students from Pengiran
Pekerma Setia Diraja Sahibul Bandar Primary School, Pehin Dato
Jamil Primary School and Hj Tarif Primary School. The primary
school pupils had been selected based on their potential for
excellence in their upcoming PSR examinations. The mentors
helped the pupils through seven tutorial sessions. The pupils,
fondly referred to as 'little rising stars', worked with their
mentors in four PSR subjects Malay, English, Mathematics and
Science. The Acting Director-General of Education Pg Hjh Sarah
Pg Hj Kamaluddin was most impressed with the conduct and the
outcomes of this project.
CfBT Brunei Education Department 2012
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