November-December 2013

November/December 2013
Newsletter
CfBT Education Services Brunei Darussalam
from the
Country Manager
Greg Keaney
[email protected]
Our final newsletter for 2013 once
again shows the scale of our work in
Brunei. With CfBT teachers working in
over 75% of Brunei schools with over
90% of Brunei’s school age learners we
can be justifiably proud of the enormous
improvement in English language
performance during our tenure here.
I very much hope that everyone in
CfBT looks back on 2013 with pride.
We are swiftly moving on from being
300 glowing embers to being a mighty,
purposeful educational fire. As Socrates
said “Education is not the filling of a
vessel but the lighting of a flame.”
My heartfelt thanks to all CfBT teachers,
managers and administrators who have
contributed to project work, materials
development, educational improvement
and support activities this year. Your
achievements in 2013 are indeed
something to be proud of and I’m sure
that you share my desire to make 2014
even better.
By December 2014 we will have been
in Brunei for thirty years - an incredible
feat of international educational
cooperation that should make all those
who have worked with CfBT over the
years feel immensely proud. Thank you
to all for your dedication, hard work and
efforts.
To our departing teachers many thanks
for all your contributions to Brunei. We
are always delighted to welcome back
former teachers (we have already had
quite a few 2012 leavers returning during
the year with even more returnees
recommencing in 2014. We wish you all
the best in your future endeavours - stay
in touch via the CfBT Brunei Facebook
Page.
I wish all of you a wonderful end of year
break. Safe travels.
My thanks again. Merry Christmas and
a Happy New Year!
NovDec 2013
1
from the
HR Department
Head - Excellent Performance
increased effort in recruitment will (as it stands today) ensure
that we are 90% recruited in January with the remaining
vacancies filled by March.
Tracey Packer
[email protected]
It’s that time of year again to say goodbye to teachers who
are moving on from their lives and work in Brunei. We will be
saying goodbye to 28 secondary and 12 primary teachers. I
would personally like to wish everyone a successful next
phase in their personal journey whether that is in work or
retirement. I would also like to wish everyone a very pleasant
and well deserved December term break.
Behind the scenes we have been working hard to ensure that
the shoes left behind by our colleagues that are leaving are
filled in time to ensure continuity for their schools and full
teaching teams for their colleagues. Recently CfBT appointed
a Global Recruitment Manager to carry out recruitment
specifically for International Projects. Paul Thorley worked in
Brunei some years ago so we have the advantage that he is
very familiar with Brunei’s context and is able to convey an
accurate picture of what it means to live and work in Brunei
to potential recruits. Other initiatives have been put in place
to ensure fuller recruitment including the identification of new
recruitment partnerships with agencies; the production of a
series of recruitment videos that give recruits a better sense
of what it means to live and work here; and, using
social media to advertise positions available as well as raise
awareness of the geographical location of Brunei. The
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NovDec 2013
In October it was announced that a Shari’ah Penal Code will
be enforced in phases from April 2014. The gazetted Penal
Court Order was released in Malay and English and can be
found at the following link on the Attorney General’s Website.
http://www.agc.gov.bn/agc1/index.php?option=com_content
&view=article&id=73&Itemid=166. We have been advised
that the order will have little effect on our day to day lives and
has been implemented to promote a continued peaceful law
abiding society. If you are concerned I would urge you to read
the act so that you can decide for yourself if the introduction
of the Shari’ah Penal Code is likely to have any effect on your
lifestyle in Brunei. I have read the document and would like
to point out that it would become unlawful to have sexual
intercourse between a mixed faith couple who are unmarried
(i.e. Muslim and non-Muslim) and the law will also make a
same sex relationship, whether Muslim or not, unlawful. To
be convicted of these offences, as listed in the Shari’ah Penal
Code, would require four Muslim witnesses to observe an
actual act of sexual intercourse. My Muslim colleagues
inform me that discussions around the implementation of the
law are very sensitive and advise that it would be better not
to discuss this issue in public but if you have concerns please
do come into the office to discuss them with me and I will
also have a copy of the Gazetted Order and The Shari’ah
Penal Code, An Introduction if you would like to read a paper
copy.
HR Manager
Noel Fe’ao
Suzanne Pentacost
Rob Vohan
Kerry Williams
Maia Aziz
[email protected]
We say goodbye to the following teachers
at the end of 2013
Primary
Jill De Boer
Simon Green
Chris Hogarth
Rachel Kelly
Tracey King
Andrew Mildenhall
Sonya Mildenhall
Patricia Valois
from the
Secondary
Emma Akca
Alan Birimac
Rod Harvey
Tim Keneally
Rachel Kroon
David Moro
Sarah Murray
Jacqueline Rhind
Suzanne Rust
Martha Moloney
John Wolstenholme
Mitchell Burke
Marian T Gavaghan
Simon Carter
Bronwyn Heka
Kimberly MacDonald
Elizabeth Lawson
Kent Harrison
Jane Harrison
Tim Jenkinson
Kim Geddes
Claire Sayner
Aaron Taylor
Dawn Gray
David Ashley
Emma Rooney
Willie Moeke
Rainer Wuthrich
Thank you all for your many contributions
to our work. We wish and your families
well in your future endeavours and
exciting new beginnings.
IT Department
Will Lobb
[email protected]
We are nearing completion of the first stage of our
communications upgrade and will be rolling out the improved
email facilities in late November/early December 2013.
All of your current emails are in the process of being migrated
to the new servers in a staged process. Once switch over to
the new system takes place, you may notice a small number
of messages that are missing. These messages will appear
either later that day or the next day.
You will notice a different login screen when accessing CfBT
Webmail, which will look like the following:
Before switching over, I will email all staff one day in advance
of making the changes with information about the new system
and how to log in for the first time. Any staff who connect to
email through their phones and tablets will need to remove
their old CfBT account and reconnect to the new server by
adding a new account (email addresses and passwords will
remain the same).
The second stage of Staff Communication Upgrades will
come in the form of a Resources Sharing site, based on the
Microsoft SharePoint platform. I have already received requests
from staff that are interested in knowing more about this project
and who would like to have some input into how the system
will be designed. If you would like to know more or to join a
knowledge sharing session, please get in touch.
A number of staff have enquired about the copy of MS Office
Professional that CfBT will provide to all staff that Greg mentioned
at the AEM early in the year. We are waiting for confirmation
from Microsoft on the availability of this becoming commercially
available in Brunei and expect that we will be able to offer
the service at the beginning of the new year. A web page will
be set up that will allow you to apply for a copy of MS Office
and you will be sent instructions on how to download and install
the applications once your account has been adjusted to
include the license.
NovDec 2013
3
Senior Education
Project Managers
from the
invited teachers to apply for the following
project leader and coordinator positions.
Dave Laming
[email protected]
Sue Trpčić
[email protected]
Alisa Gin
[email protected]
Welcome to the final newsletter of the
year which once again features the
complete Senior Education Project
Management team.
We are delighted to welcome Sue back
into the CfBT Brunei office and can
confirm that following successful briefing
meetings she is once again up to speed
with work being undertaken in Brunei.
Sue will resume the responsibilities for
her 5 government secondary schools
and 3 religious schools.
Sue’s timely return saw her attending the
annual Education Department planning
day during which the EPM team reviewed
progress against key performance
indicators and identified key objectives
for the coming year. Teaching Plus
modules, educational projects, budgets,
and Special Interest Groups were all
discussed. As a result, we recently
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NovDec 2013
Secondary Project Leaders
O Level Standardised Assessment
IGCSE Exam Writing
SCOPE
IGCSE Student Programmes
Vocational
Lower Secondary SBAfL
Upper Secondary SBAfL
CLIL
We are pleased to announce that the
newly appointed CfBT International
Director Dr Patrick Brazier visited
Brunei for one week from 4 - 10
November. The usual Brunei hospitality
was extended to Patrick and he visited
schools, teachers and projects along
with MoE officials and members of the
diplomatic community. He was greatly
impressed with the wide range of
educational activities in Brunei and the
warm welcome that was extended to him.
Secondary Project Coordinators
ECA Development
IGCSE Listening Exam
Vocational
DELTA
CLIL
Gifted & Talented
Mentoring Programme
In closing we would like to express our
sincere thanks to all of you for your
outstanding and dedicated work
throughout the year. We trust that you
will enjoy a well-earned December
holiday. To all those who are seeking
new challenges, we wish you well in
your new endeavours.
Primary Project Leaders
CLIL
Primary Project Coordinators
Programme Writing
Standardised Assessment
PD workshop facilitators (Pra - Year 3)
Music and Media
Film/Teacher Training
We can also confirm that we anticipate
that the transfer process will be complete
by the time you read this newsletter.
EPMs will be in contact soon to brief
transferring teachers on their new
schools so they are able to arrange a
visit before the end of the year.
Sue Trpčić
[email protected]
MENA Secondment
I recently returned from secondment to our CfBT Middle East
North Africa (MENA) office and since the end of October
have been busily settling back into my Brunei role.
My recent work in Abu Dhabi over the last half year and role
as Programme Director was a professionally stimulating and
challenging experience that allowed me the opportunity to
manage one of our CfBT projects in a completely different
but strategically significant region and at the same time also
provided an excellent opportunity to build active and
collaborative working relationships between CfBT regional
projects. I would like to use this occasion to share with everyone
the scope and outcomes of my recent work in the region.
As some of you may already know, our client and partner in
Abu Dhabi is the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC),
established in 2005 by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
CfBT has worked closely with ADEC since 2006, supporting
a variety of initiatives to assist ADEC in the implementation
of its educational change and development programmes.
The Education Council’s mandate is to elevate the level of
education to match international standards, to increase student
performance and learning and to shape excellent learners
who embody a strong sense of culture and heritage and are
prepared to meet global challenges and who will support the
future social and economic development of Abu Dhabi.
and capability in pedagogy, curriculum and language of
instruction, and an audit of Professional Development
experiences, needs and expectations, and beliefs about
teaching and learning. Together with this was the design and
delivery of an action and development programme, Action
for Excellence, for Emirati teachers. Identifying and mapping
actions for individual success was a key part of this support
and development programme and was achieved through
peer-coaching and personal action planning. Our work on
this project also encompassed the design of a client-specific
one-year teacher development programme, Excellence in
Pedagogy and English Readiness for Transition (ExPERT),
reflecting the benchmarks necessary for successful transition
to the NSM. English language for communication and the
classroom, for subject content as well as pedagogy and
Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) were all
central features of this eight month-training design. The final
piece of work for this project involved writing an Emirate-wide
three-year transition plan for ADEC.
I would also like to use this space to acknowledge the valuable
work that Robyn Elmi and Sam Nagorcka contributed to this
project during the two weeks they spent in Abu Dhabi. They
both worked in Al Ain supporting the teacher action and
development programme and did an outstanding job in
introducing and integrating our work with peer-coaching
(QuILTs) in a different educational context.
To achieve these ends, ADEC is implementing a visionary
programme of ambitious educational reform called the New
School Model (NSM). Not dissimilar from SPN21 in Brunei,
Abu Dhabi teachers and students are in the process of
transforming their teaching-learning model to reflect
learner-centred pedagogy, reflective-learning through self
and peer-assessment and 21st century skills. An additional
and significant feature of the ADEC NSM is the move towards
bi-literacy meaning that core subjects (English, Mathematics
and Science) are delivered through the medium of English
while the remaining subjects are taught in Arabic. This shift
in the language of instruction has also meant that teachers
have had to comprehend their roles not only as teachers of
subject knowledge but also as teachers of language and
literacy as their classrooms have transformed from first
language to second language environments.
The recent project work undertaken in Abu Dhabi was connected
to the transition to this NSM.
CfBT was charged with meeting a number of specific outcomes
including the assessment of existing teacher NSM knowledge
NovDec 2013
5
from the
Education Department
We hope that revised Unit 1 programmes
for Year 2-4 and Unit 1 Year 5 will be in
schools ready for the beginning of
January.
Alisa Gin
[email protected]
Mandy Woods
[email protected]
Primary
Congratulations on the completion of
another successful year!
This has been a very busy, very productive
year for everyone, and you have all
contributed commendably. We would
like to take this opportunity to thank you
all for your outstanding efforts this year,
and to wish you all safe and relaxing
holidays with your family and friends
over December.
For those of you who are finishing with
the project this year and returning home,
or moving on to new adventures, our
best wishes for your future endeavours.
As the teaching year draws to an end
we can reflect on some of the great
work and key achievements for the year.
The editing of the Year 1 programme is
entering its final stage in preparation for
official publication next year. Year 2-4
programme editing is entering next
phases, and work has begun on the
Year 5 programme writing for next year.
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NovDec 2013
SiGs and projects for 2013 are tying up
loose ends, with some wonderful
resources produced again this year.
We have received proposals for SiGs
for 2014. We will be reading over these,
and making decisions, in the next few
weeks.
All assessments for PRA - Year 3
should now be complete and results
e-mailed to the respective JSS officers
and to [email protected]. Again,
thanks to you all for completing these
assessments and returning your results
on time. We gain some useful insights
into our project wide student achievement
through the analysis of this data so the
more results we have, the more useful
the data. Initial trial EGRA assessments
are complete and we will be analysing
the data from these.
The final sharing session for the year
run by Jayne Hill on the implementation
of the Learning Support Kit was well
attended and feedback has been
extremely positive.
A number of Professional Development
workshops were held across the nine
venues this year. We would like to express
our thanks to you for your attendance
and contributions to these throughout
the year. Our appreciation also goes to
all of you who took on facilitator roles
this year. Feedback from all workshops
was very positive about the delivery and
support provided by the facilitators.
Finally, a quick ‘End of Year Checklist’
to jog your memory as you wind down
for the December holiday:
• Complete all assessments and hand
in results to appropriate people;
• Tidy
resource
areas/prepare
resources for next year;
• If you are leaving your school, try to
ensure resources are easily accessible
for your replacement;
• Ensure Record Books are up-to-date
and all required action plans, planning,
assessment records, evaluations are
completed;
• Prepare Record Book for next year include Action Plan, timetable (if
available), planning for week 1 (if you
know your class level) and SoW;
• Obtain copies of class lists for next
year (if available) and begin preparing
name tags (if applicable);
• Put together the evidence of the
Teaching Plus+ modules you have
completed in preparation for
Performance review meetings at the
beginning of next year.
Happy holidays!
Erin Kennedy
[email protected]
iSoW-CLIL at SM Berakas
As the year comes to a close, so too
does the iSoW-CLIL programme at SM
Berakas for 2013. Throughout the year
we have expanded upon our programme,
including more staff and creating new
teams. With the principles and ideals of
iSoW-CLIL now firmly embedded in our
school culture the focus has been on
continuing to ensure these are being
used in all aspects of our teaching.
When it became time to look back on
our successes and difficulties I decided
to focus one of our sessions on reflections
and goal settings. To focus the participants
thoughts on what they have learnt in
their time in the iSoW-CLIL programme
I gave them a short quiz that asked
them about things that should be very
familiar to them now such as the Five
Pillars of the Framework, what a CLIL
classroom is, and the principals of
iSoW-CLIL. After a lot of chatting, laughter
and cheating it became time to mark
the tests. Funnily enough no-one was
willing to admit their final scores!
Due to the overlapping nature of iSoWCLIL and SBAfL we have utilized the
in-school expertise of Heather Dallas
who ran a workshop on SBAfL for the
iSoW-CLIL participants in August. The
participants were given a reminder of
the SBAfL methodology before then
doing a number of hands-on activities
to demonstrate the possible ways of
incorporating SBAfL into their teaching
and learning programmes. As with
iSoW-CLIL, all of the activities were
demonstrated in such a way as to show
how they can be used in any curriculum
area.
A main focus for the last half of the year
has been student-centred activities and
the ways these can be used across the
curriculum areas. In the first few sessions
the activities were introduced and
explained by me as if I was the teacher
and the participants would take part in
doing the activities as if they were the
students. The participants then had to
do some homework - they had to take one
(or more) of the activities that were new
to them and trial them in their classes.
In later sessions it became the participants
turn to be the “teacher”. They were asked
to bring new activities and demonstrate
them to their colleagues. This was a
great way of sharing knowledge with
our colleagues as well as getting a
chance to become familiar with a range
of different student-centred activities we
can use in our future planning and
teaching.
Throughout the year I have had the
opportunity to chat with a number of
teachers from other schools who are
either involved in CLIL at their own
schools or who are interested in
introducing CLIL into their schools. It
was a pleasure to welcome John
Thorpe, the head of the CLIL primary
programme, to our school. He attended
a couple of workshops to observe and
collect ideas he could take back into his
own school and use.
One thing I have to do in this final report
for 2013 is acknowledge the hard work
of all of the iSoW-CLIL team at SM
Berakas. The enthusiasm and participation
of all of them has made this programme
a success in our school. Also without
the support and commitment of the SM
Berakas Admin team it would not be
possible to run this programme in our
school. I especially have to thank
Heather Dallas, Ismail Patel and Ed
Keefe for their help with planning and
running a number of the workshops
throughout the year.
With such great results coming out of
the iSoW-CLIL programme I look forward
to 2014 with high hopes and anticipation.
If you have any questions or would like
any further information about iSoWCLIL please do not hesitate to contact
me at [email protected]
NovDec 2013
7
Zoë Evans
[email protected]
Heather Dallas
[email protected]
Jean Kiekopf
[email protected]
Lower Secondary SBAfL
2013 has been an exciting year for
Lower Secondary SBAfL. The start of
the year was particularly busy with a
highlight in February being the launch
of the Magic Moments in SBAfL
resource kit at SM PAP Hjh Masna with
Dr Hj Junaidi bin Hj Abdul Rahman (MoE
Permanent Secretary Core Education)
as the guest of honour. It was great to
see the positive reactions from him and
all the other guests when they visited the
live displays from students and teachers
who featured in the video from the kit.
Students enthusiastically demonstrated
and talked about how they and their
peers have been benefitting from the
use of SBAfL in their learning. Their
comments can be viewed, along with
the Magic Moments DVDs at www.
cfbtvideos.org in the Education Department
section. In March, Year 7 and 8 teachers
attended a Magic Moments in SBAfL
workshop to introduce teachers to the
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NovDec 2013
resource kit. Presenters, including a
CfBT Education Project Manager
alongside two CfBT Project Leaders,
explained how to use and adapt the
SBAfL strategies outlined in the kit
including the section on planning and
running a successful SBAfL Bootcamp.
teachers who will be involved in this:
Heather Dallas, Zoe Evans, Mike
Hibberson, Allison Rajab, Mark Draga
and Lucy Knowles and their EPM Jean
Kiekopf who is pleased to report the
expansion of the Dream Team to include
even more dedicated SBAfLers in 2014.
In Term 2, a team of SBAfL presenters
from both primary and secondary, plus
the intrepid CfBT media team, headed
to the wilds of Temburong for special
workshops especially geared towards
the needs of local students. Temburong
teachers responded very positively to
the helpfulness of the workshops. They
gave the team a warm welcome - as
well as comfortable beds for the night!
It is hoped this will become an annual
event. A short film about this event can
also be viewed at www.cfbtvideos.org
in the Education Department section.
We have also got a team of dedicated
CfBT teachers assisting CDD in evaluating
the SPE examination and reviewing the
oral element of the exam. We will keep
you posted on the outcomes of this
collaboration as the information becomes
available.
The second half of the year has seen
an interesting initiative being planned
for 2014 by the Ministry of Education (in
conjunction with CfBT) in the form of
workshops for lower secondary English
medium subject teachers (English,
maths and science). These practical
workshops will be designed to build on
the initial SBAfL training undertaken
back in 2010 and 2011 and support
teachers in further improving their use
of classroom SBAfL strategies to
empower student learning. Due to the
successful collaboration between CfBT
and Curriculum Development department
in supporting the implementation of
SBAfL, CfBT has been called upon to
help design and deliver these workshops.
Congratulations to the team of six
One exciting aspect of the year has
been the interest shown in schools in
holding a SBAfL Bootcamp. A total of 50
teachers, including 35 of our local
colleagues, attended the November
SBAfL SiG meetings in Bandar and
Kuala Belait and the SBAfL Bootcamp
training at SM Sayyidina Othman in
Tutong. These sessions focussed on
holding a Bootcamp, with the aim of
starting the new school year off for their
Year 7 students with a fun morning to
introduce SBAfL methodology consistently
across all subject areas. What a great
way to encourage and support teachers
and learners in all areas of the curriculum
in using SBAfL!
Brunei has many teachers who use
SBAfL so creatively in the classroom to
enhance learning. The SBAfL team
thanks all the teachers who have
attended the SiGs and shared their
ideas. We are looking forward to another
great year in 2014.
Currently Victoria Abbs is developing a separate revision
programme for students in Sixth Form Colleges who are
repeating O level. Victoria is very appreciative of the efforts
of those Sixth Form teachers who have provided suggestions
and materials. Both Ann Baille and Vikki Adam have had
significant input into the development of this resource.
Robyn Elmi
[email protected]
Victoria Abbs
[email protected]
SCOPE 2013
This was another exciting year for the SCOPE programme
which saw many more students participating in the programme
and hopefully reaping the benefits. SCOPE has many broad
ranging aims which include:
In the second half of the year, the two SCOPE inputs for
students were the SCOPE Survival Kits for Year 10 students
and the SCOPE Exam Kit for Year 11 students. I would like
to acknowledge the outstanding work of Project Leader,
Victoria Abbs, for the many hours she has invested in writing
materials and collaborating with other teachers to produce
high quality resources. Secondly, a huge thank you to Vikki
Adam who put in many hours in her role as Chief Editor.
This is the first year that SCOPE has been delivered in
schools rather than run externally as a roadshow and I want
to congratulate the CfBT teachers, Bruneian teachers and
non-CfBT teachers who successfully coordinated the two
programmes in their respective schools. It was very pleasing
to see teachers carefully select those sessions that were
most needed or suitable for their students and modify sessions
as appropriate to ensure the programme was a best fit for
their school and students. The skillful practitioner knows
instinctively that sound methodology and a passion for learning
are the key ingredients that the best teachers bring to their
classes.
• Improving student outcomes through targetted inputs
• Modelling student focused interactive teaching methodology
to build capacity
• Embedding assessment for learning best practice
• Increasing the number of students involved in the
programme
The Department of Schools is very keen to have SCOPE
integrated into the school calendar and to support this objective,
Principals were sent a memo from the Acting Director of
Schools, Awang Hj Kassim, to ensure that time was made
available to deliver this student input. In his letter to CfBT he
stated:
“We strongly support this initiative which will benefit a lot of
students and also to provide more opportunities to build local
capacity.”
It is wonderful to have this level of support and those CfBT
Coordinators who have SCOPE embedded into their school
calendar found it much easier to implement the programme.
It was also extremely helpful to have very detailed feedback
from teachers to ensure the materials are improved and
refined for 2014. Editing is now underway and through popular
demand, the SCOPE booklets will be in schools much earlier
next year.
NovDec 2013
9
One teacher commented that: “The interactive activities
worked well. We supplemented them with an internet activity
during which students found, played and shared verb tense
online games which they could use at home. This was in
response to an identified need in the target setting phase.”
Thank you to the following teachers who coordinated the
SCOPE Exam Kit (Year 11) in their schools:
This year there was also a much greater involvement of
CfBT, Bruneian and non-CfBT teachers in delivering SCOPE.
Sixty-five CfBT teachers were responsible for Coordinating
SCOPE in their school and forty-six Bruneian or non-CfBT
teachers worked alongside CfBT teachers to deliver SCOPE
workshops.
Thank you to the following teachers who coordinated the
SCOPE Survival Kit (Year 10) in their schools:
Alan Fletcher
Some comments from Year 11 teachers:
MacLean
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Good examples and checklist for writing genres
Mostly useful teacher notes/answers throughout
Supportive for teachers less au fait with ‘O’ level
Well produced and user friendly format/design
Particularly good as revision/reminder of key areas
Lent itself to ‘teachers-decided’ way/degree of usage
A neat pot pourri of exam - centred material/task
The following teachers coordinated the SCOPE Exam Kit
(6th Form) in their schools:
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NovDec 2013
Most importantly, the hard work of all these people meant
that a staggering 2572 students were involved in a SCOPE
programme this year. This is more than double the number
of students who participated in SCOPE in 2012. Added to
that, a number of teachers have reported that they use the
writing checklists or other parts of the SCOPE materials with
students who did not participate in their in-school SCOPE
programme. The writing checklists in particular have become
a popular tool to embed assessment for learning principles
in upper secondary. My sincere thank you to Elaine Anderson
for her rigorous attention to detail in editing the writing checklists
and Vikki Adam who designed the grammar checklist.
The SiG team have also been working on “talk and write”
activities and continue to contribute to an Action-Research
project looking at the clear links between oral activities and
writing. With this in mind, a new resource is just beginning,
and will continue into 2014. The resource will be shared
through the CfBT website and will include pictures, links,
newspaper articles and other lesson activities and stimulus
for use with the SCOPE booklets and beyond. Many thanks
to Barry Johnson and David Emerton for their contribution
and continuing support of this initiative. Please look out for
emails as to how you can help build this exciting new resource.
A SiG working party will also be created to look at the O level
Scheme of Work. A team of teachers will be invited to join
this working group with the aim of writing a new SoW that
reflects changes to the syllabus, the new resources available
and that takes into account the three-year approach to O level
from Years 9 to 11.
I look forward to another successful year in 2014 and would
welcome enquiries from any teachers interested in contributing
to the projects outlined for 2014.
Once again, many thanks to all those other teachers who
assisted in implementing SCOPE in 2013, without their
behind-the-scenes efforts, the students would not have had
the opportunity to take part in this programme.
Victoria Abbs
[email protected]
Samantha Nagorcka
[email protected]
Baju Shop
With the end of the year rapidly approaching I would like to
say thank you to all who have very kindly cleaned out their
closets and donated Baju Kurong’s that are no longer needed
to the Baju Shop.
Each year, the Baju Shop donates all of the money collected
to the Breast Cancer Support group and we were very
pleased to make a $200 donation to our very own Biqun as
he took part in raising awareness for Breast Cancer by shaving
his head earlier in the year.
O Level SiG Round-up 2013
Many thanks to the many, many O level teachers who have
contributed both time and energy to the O level SiG this year.
I would also like to thank all the teachers who were involved
in the co-ordination and delivery of the SCOPE projects in
both Years 10 and 11. The feedback received was
overwhelmingly positive and constructive. We have made
changes to both kits following your comments and look forward
to early publication in 2014.
The Year 11 Exam Kit will stay the same for 2014, with some
minor tweaks only. The Year 10 Survival Kit will see some
changes this year, and the Sixth Form pack will be brand
new. All three SCOPE initiatives should be in schools in the
first half of the year as we aim to meet demand for earlier
delivery!
This year the Baju Shop has donated $355.00 in total to charity
and it is all thanks to you, for donating and buying the Buju’s
we have on offer. Our new recruits are very pleased when
they arrive in country to have the option to ‘kit themselves
out’ in the first few days so that they are ready for school visits.
If you have Baju’s in your cupboard (good condition) that you
no longer want, please bring them into the CfBT office where
they will be gratefully received. We are also in need of any
MIB shirts that are no longer needed for our new male teachers.
Please drop off your items to me in the Education Department
and I hope that you have a wonderful holiday and come back
refreshed and ready for 2014.
NovDec 2013
11
Robyn Elmi
[email protected]
Nik Clark
[email protected]
Jennifer Fell
[email protected]
Samantha Nagorcka
[email protected]
IGCSE
Congratulations to all teachers of IGCSE for a successful
2013 exam period and thank you for all your efforts for the
students in Brunei Darussalam.
Andrew Dowling
[email protected]
Standardised Examinations
As the year draws to an end, I would like to thank the
Standardised Examination writers and the Examination
Review Committee for their outstanding work in 2013. This
team produced Standardised Examinations for both IGCSE
and O level for the Year 11 Qualifying Examination and the
Years 9 and 10 End-of-Year Examinations.
Once again we have had a very dedicated assessment team
headed up by our Project Leaders, Nik Clark and Andrew
Dowling, who were ably supported by the Review Committee
which included Harry Hansman, Freya Mair, Wong Yean,
Suzanne Rust, Ida Rafidah Hj Dzolkefflie, Dominic Sbresni,
Ben Cuff, Zaiton Hj Metussin and Hjh Mariah Hj Ahmad. In
addition, the following teachers also made contributions to
the writing of the Standardised Examinations: Tania Canton,
Heather Alder, Claire Sayner, Malcolm Paul, Cheryl Reid and
Linda Galbraith.
Examination writing is a very challenging task as the writer
must ensure all aspects of the assessment tasks hit the mark
in terms of content and level of difficulty. The writers also
need to anticipate how students will approach the task and
they must ensure that no ambiguities slip through the net.
I would also like to thank all of those teachers who provided
feedback to the Project Leaders. This input has proved to be
very valuable to ensure the highest standards are achieved
and in many cases the ensuing dialogue has enabled the
Project Leaders to clarify what students need to do to be
successful and how Cambridge Mark Schemes should be
interpreted and applied.
Next year CfBT will also produce the IGCSE Listening
Examinations for Year 10 (Core) and Year 11 (Core and
Extended). If you are interested in being involved in any aspect
of assessment writing or reviewing in 2014, please forward
your expression of interest to Robyn Elmi at [email protected]
12
NovDec 2013
Our final SiG was held on October 22 in the CfBT conference
center and Sam Nagorka kicked it off with an overview of the
Steps 2 Success (S2S) program 2013 and an overview of
the new in-school format for 2014. Next year we are expecting
that the in-school S2S formula will be put into all schools
(except Temburong District) and it will be rolled out in the
early part of 2014. Thank you to our S2S coordinators for
making it happen this year and for all your helpful feedback.
We were also joined by Reena Lim from the Curriculum
Development Department who is currently undertaking a review
of the usefulness of the IGCSE titles in use in our schools.
By now many of you will have completed the CDD Survey
that was sent out at the end of October. If you have not done
so already, please take time to complete this valuable survey
carefully as it will have a significant impact on our resources
in IGCSE going forward. Thank for your contributions to this
project.
The Year 9 Supplementary Materials package created by the
SiG should be ready for electronic distribution early next year
so watch this space! I would like to thank the team for all your
efforts in this project which has seen the creation of Year 9
exercises in Reading and Writing based on the IGCSE exam
format. The purpose of this was to give teachers a bank of
resources for exam training to determine programming. Next
year we hope to expand this project into Listening and
Speaking skills development. If you have any area of need
you would like to see developed, please contact me at
[email protected].
I would like to wish all of you a wonderful December holiday.
For all of our colleagues that will be leaving CfBT Brunei, best
of luck in your future endeavours.
It has certainly been a busy year for teachers in the IGCSE
programme and I would like to reiterate Jen’s comments and
congratulations to all for a successful year with your students.
Our Steps 2 Success programme has begun the transition
back into schools and the feedback has been positive, despite
the later than anticipated roll out. Also, this year saw Steps 2
Success programme being delivered at PTEM and PTEK
with Ann Baillie and Christine Kendrew leading the way at
these two colleges and I look forward to building the programme
in this area. The Steps 2 Success programme for 2014 will
be given to schools early in the new academic year so that
you can begin earlier with your students.
As the year draws to a close I would like to thank you all for
your hard work, dedication and support of the programme.
In particular I would also like to thank Dawn Gray who has
been working hard this year to edit the resources published
by the SiG in recent years. Dawn has spent a great deal of
time this year to ensure that the publications are ready for
distribution. I will be sending out the soft copy versions of
these edited resources in the New Year, so please watch this
space!
Dawn will be leaving CfBT at the end of this year and she
has been a very valuable member of the IGCSE team. We
will miss her greatly and wish her well for her return to
Canada with her family.
Thank you Dawn, your work and attention to detail will be
missed!
Thank you to all the teachers who have also made the integration
of Steps 2 Success into schools successful. Please remember
that if you have not returned your feedback please do so as
soon as possible. Your coordination and organisation within
your schools is very much appreciated by both CfBT and
your students.
Thank you to the following teachers who coordinated the
programme in their schools:
August 2013
NovDec
13
Kim Geddes
[email protected]
Gifted and Talented Project
The fifth round of workshops recently took place in early
November. As with the previous workshops, the response
from students across Brunei was one of joy and enthusiasm.
In this article, we will shine the spotlight on two of the workshops
- ICT and Maths.
ICT: Presenters: Cikgu Noreen and Cikgu Rohaiza
Objectives:
1. Work in a group
2. Learn something new - animation software
3. Have fun
What the students will learn?
Creating animation
Software used?
Pencil 2D animation
14
NovDec 2013
What is Pencil?
Pencil is animation software for Mac OS, Windows and Linux.
It lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation (cartoon)
using both bitmap and vector graphics. Pencil is free open
source.
Mathematics Workshop: Kite Making
Presenters: Dawn Gray and Norazalina Hj Panjang
Objectives: Revise mathematics such as: Trig; percents;
algebra through the making of kites
Method:
Students will a. work through calculations in package
b. build kite to specifications
c. Complete assessment (workshop; student performance)
d. Fly kites!
With one more round of workshops, the whole project this
year has been one of sheer positives, both for the students
and the presenters. A big thank you to everyone who has
helped to make this project a huge success.
brunei.weebly.com or you can see Sam
for a CD copy if you would like one.
Tania Murphy
[email protected]
Samantha Nagorcka
[email protected]
Vocational
Welcome to the end of the year to all
SAP teachers. I hope that this year has
gone smoothly for all. As we look forward
into 2014 there might be some who are
leaving the SAP world for now and of
course there are likely some joining us
in the teaching of SAP classes.
For those joining us please be sure to
check with leaving teachers or HoD’s
for the SAP resource book. Should you
not be able to find the materials all of it
is located on this website: www.pave-
The site has undergone a number of
changes over the past two years and
contains an immense array of resources,
ideas and downloadable materials. If
you can’t find what you are looking for
be sure to contact myself or Sam
Nagorcka for help.
The PHOTO S.C.R.O.L.L is also shaping
up to be a phenomenal resource for all.
To date we have over 900 photographs
for use in SAP classes and curriculum
in 2014, with solid progress being made
of associated passages and texts. To
the following people, I would like to say
a big THANK YOU for photo contributions
to the project:
Greg Keaney, Kay Williams, Kylie
Bishop, Allison Praeger, Helen O’Brien,
Barry Johnson, Brendhan Haynes,
Bruce Rhind, Emma Rooney, Hannah
Moorhouse, Jonathan Hammer, Kim
Van Der Weerd, Malcolm Orsborn,
Melanie Vinett, Robyn Elmi, Rosalind
Thornbury, Samuel Hyman, Suzanne
Pentecost and Tracey Lineberry.
Still happy to receive any photos you
think might be of great use. They can be
forwarded to myself of Sam at any time.
I really hope I have not left anyone
out… without your photos the project
would not be as extensive and varied
as it is now. The photos cover all avenues
of life in Brunei and all ages.
I look forward to seeing fellow SAP
teachers in the VOC SiG meetings in
2014. Thank you and have a fantastic
December break.
N O T I C E B O A R D
4th Term School Holidays
CONGRATULATIONS
Sunday, 1 December to Tuesday, 31 December 2013.
Congratulations to Alex and Isthen on the birth of their
son Dominic Thomas, born on 30 October 2013.
Have a safe and relaxing break!
PUBLIC HOLIDAY
The office and Education Centres will be closed for
the following public holidays:
Christmas
Wednesday, 25 December to Saturday, 28 December
2013.
Please take note that the opening hours for CfBT
Offices and Education Centre in BSB on Saturdays
(with effect from Saturday, 23 November) are as follows:
BSB Education Centre : 1.00pm to 4.00pm
CfBT Offices (1st and 2nd Floor) : 8.00am to 5.00pm
with a closure for lunch from 12.30pm until 2.00pm.
Teachers are still able to collect mail from their pigeon
hole when the Education Centre open at 1.00pm.
NovDec 2013
15
Ian Wiseman
[email protected]
ICT SiG
This year members of the ICT SiG tried out various kinds of
technology in their classrooms. Our goal was to experiment
with technology and see what it could do for our teaching.
The future of technology in education is beyond anything we
can really imagine. My own early ICT explorations in the
classroom began simply from a problem solving point of view.
Years ago, I wanted exemplars for speeches so used titles
on movie software to make comments on student work. In
Brunei, I wanted students to interact while doing practice
exams so I used powerpoint to create group work activities;
and I wanted students to have good reading feedback so I
used excel to graph individual vocabulary levels and created
formulas to make reading recommendations. Now I am looking
to the future. It is very exciting from a teaching perspective.
For instance, picture a teaching world where you could:
• get immediate feedback from all your students about every
lesson - and have it collated for you.
• have whole groups of students work together on the same
document in real time. Even if they aren’t in the same room…
• carry all student work with you on a device of some sort like an iPad.
• have students complete reading homework that marks
itself.
• run asynchronous discussions and then collate individual
participation.
In fact, that world is already here. Almost. I experimented with
every single one of the activities above this year in my
classrooms. All of them are simple tools that we can all use.
The "almost" part is the internet. However, with increasing
speed and access, we will soon be able to do these things
as part of our everyday repertoire. Teachers in the future will
not know how we did without them.
All the things mentioned are relatively easy to implement and
run. Increasingly, simply a desire to use technology is all you
need to get started. Online providers, iPad and android apps,
and various web-based tools all aim to make our experience
with technology as simple as possible. Indeed, It is in their
interests to do so. We are the lucky recipients.
August 2013
NovDec
13
15
from the
Media Unit
Jean Kiekopf
[email protected]
CfBT Brunei - Media Unit
What have we been up to in 2013?
CfBT Brunei has one of Asia’s most experienced and creative
educational media units, particularly in the area of teacher
professional development in multilingual learning environments.
In recent years much of the CfBT Media Unit’s work has been
in the Magic Moments series of Teacher Professional
Development DVDs. These are based on ‘critical incident’
case study approaches to professional development and
improvement - one of the most effective methods of occupational
learning. The Magic Moments DVDs consist of one minute
films of best practice ‘incidents’ that are designed to foster
discussion, a sharing of ideas and can be used as models
which can be recreated in teachers’ classrooms. They are
designed to inspire teachers and give them confidence to
develop their own strategies and classroom methodology.
Four DVD’s have been created in the series and are being
used to share active teaching and learning activities and to
underpin professional development sharing sessions and
SiG discussions.
• 21 Magic Moments in the English Classroom, ©2012 is in
every secondary school in Brunei.
• Magic Moments in SBAfL (School based assessment for
learning) ©2013 has been reproduced by Curriculum
Development Department and given to all secondary
schools in Brunei via a launch attended by Dr Junaidi, the
Permanent Secretary for Education
• 21 Magic Moments in the Primary English classroom,
©2013 demonstrating student centred activities in the
primary classroom.
• Magic Moments - Living in Brunei. ©2013 This collection
of short films consists of teachers, the welfare department
and EPMs speaking about their life and work in Brunei with
CfBT. Charlie Packer (Media Unit apprentice) filmed and
edited Expat kids in Brunei which has had (at the time of
writing) over 5000 viewings on YouTube. The recruitment
videos are used on recruitment roadshows in UK, New
Zealand and Australia and have been uploaded onto the
CfBT Video website www.cfbtvideos.org
Magic Moments in BfL - Behaviour for Learning - A series of
21 film clips in classroom behaviour management and the
use of behaviour for learning strategies specifically focussed
on the Bruneian system. We are lucky to have a team of
three experienced secondary teachers are leading this project
- Wong Chiu, Ed Keefe and Ben Cuff.
A website has been created for the uploading and sharing all
of these film resources: http://www.cfbtvideos.org
Our World Song
On Saturday 2 November the Media Unit team, Klaus and
Jean Kiekopf, supported by CfBT teachers Jamie Hutchinson
and Kay Williams, went out onto Kampong Ayer to capture a
bit of film with a difference. Immaculately dressed in their
traditional dress, Bruneian students from SR Sungai Kebun
and SM Awang Semaun made a music video for a song written
for them. Aged between 5 and 14 years old, with the traditional
village and water as the backdrop, the visual impact was
quite stunning.
The song, which focuses on the value of education for children
all around the world, made for a very cute bit of filming and
an extraordinary day out on the Ayer! The video, which we
hope to edit with children from other schools, is a work in
progress, but we thought you might like a glimpse at some
of the still photos taken on the day.
Next filming is scheduled for the end of term as we ask teachers
to join us to sing the teachers’ verse and call upon the students
and parents of Hornbill for our second filming and recording
session. If you would like to get involved in this project,
please do contact EPM Jean Kiekopf [email protected]
We are currently filming and editing two more DVDs in the
Magic Moments series:
Magic Moments in Pre - School. A teacher training resource
(along the lines of Magic Moments in SBAfL) to assist in bilingual
phonics as taught in Brunei along with other pre-school teaching
strategies. This features many of our Primary colleagues and
will continue to be filmed in 2014.
NovDec 2013
17
18
NovDec 2013
Inspirational Teachers …
Innovative Activities
CfBT Supporting English inside and
outside the classroom
Allison Praeger
[email protected]
Regional Pra Convocation 2013
On the 31st of October our region (Zon Liang Lumut &
Pedalaman) held their first annual joint PRA Konvokesyen/
graduation showcase. Included for our area were Sungai
Liang, Lumut, Sungai Tali (Lumut II) and Pedalaman (remote)
schools including my school SR Labi. The students were all
very excited and patient through the whole proceedings from
the bus trip down to LLRC Lumut for the rehearsal day to the
event it self (though some were a bit tired by the end!).
Students from the different schools also worked on creating
a gift for the invited guest that was presented at the end of
the ceremony. Overall the event was considered a great
success and gave all the students a chance to feel very
grown up and important for their special day.
NovDec 2013
19
Shelley Maere Williams
[email protected]
Sekolah Menegah Perdana Wazir
Shelley Maere Williams and Alison MacDonald recently took
a group of students from Sekolah Menengah Perdana Wazir
on a school trip to Kampong Sungai Teraban as a part of a
school project entitled Issues in Brunei Darussalam.
The purpose of the visit was to interview the knowledgeable
elderly villagers about the decline of native animal species
and suggest the possibility of an eco tourism venture.
Eco tourism would not only provide a sustainable income for
the village, but it would serve to ensure the survival of animals
that are today listed as endangered. Research shows that
tourists travel far and wide to participate in caring for endangered
animal programs. A bonus for the tourists is that they would
get to experience the “real” Brunei by staying with the locals.
Cikgu Shelley says that this project has given these gifted
students the chance to develop their critical thinking and
problem solving skills. The program of learning was very
much student led where the teacher poses a question to the
students and they go about finding a viable solution. The
problems identified by the students were limited income
opportunities and disappearing native species.
The students are now busy writing a book in the hope that it
will be used in schools to raise an awareness of the endangered
animals in Brunei. They are also writing a proposal to be
presented to the Head Villager outlining the benefits of Eco
Tourism.
20
NovDec 2013
Jean Kiekopf
[email protected]
KB Connection
Many thanks to all the Kuala Belait teachers for your
enthusiasm at school, energy in engaging learners and
contributions to CfBT projects throughout 2013. I would like
to wish you all a wonderful end of year break and look
forward to seeing you again ready for action in 2014. Safe
travels and happy holidays.
Temburong Primary and Secondary
Snap of the Month: November 2013
KB Snap of the Month: November 2013
The SM Sultan Hassan’s team ‘Young and Dangerous Gals’ consisting of
Year 10 and 11 students, were the Champions of the Group B under 18
Temburong District Netball Tournament held as part of the Sultan’s Birthday
Celebrations. The team is featured here with their coach Fatimah Hj
Timbang and guest umpire Suzie Rust. (Suzie Rust, SM Sultan Hassan)
Kuala Belait teachers enjoying the chance to meet Patrick Brazier - CfBT’s
newly appointed International Director.
The Year 3's from Negalang feeling deservedly proud of their successful
completion of a Word/Meaning match. A first for us - totally unassisted by
the teacher! (April Cook SR Negalang)
NovDec 2013
21
from the
Housing Department
Utilily Bill Payments
Tenancy Agreements
I am sorry to say that increasingly we are
being asked by landlords to chase up utility
bill payments by teaching employees. Some
of our colleagues have run up bills which
leave them with an enormous burden to pay
in one payment and leaves CfBT Housing
Department in the embarrassing situation of
trying to explain to the landlords why bills
have not been paid. It also makes it harder
to maintain our reputation as an organisation
that can provide good tenants. Everyone is
individually responsible for ensuring they
have an up to date bill. Most utility bills
(some of which are in the landlord’s name)
are delivered to the house and if for any
reason you do not receive them, please let
us know and we will follow this up with your
landlords. Alternatively, for water and electricity,
we would advise you to take a meter reading at the end of the month and present this
together with a copy of a bill (any old bill
would suffice just so the authorities know
what the account number is) to the respective
departments to make payment for your
usage for that particular month.
Please note that as CfBT signs the tenancy
agreement for houses that we take on for
our teachers, CfBT is the legal tenant. All
housing issues (eg maintenance and repairs,
etc) should be reported to CfBT's Housing
Department via the Housing Helpdesk and
not directly to the landlords. CfBT will liaise
with the landlords on your behalf.
Utility bills in Brunei are affordable and I
would like to remind you to ensure that they
are paid promptly every month. HSBC provides
a simple to use online payment facility that
takes literally seconds to use; you can pay
at any post offices; and, directly at any of the
payment counters. Telbru and BMobile now
have payment counters in most shopping
areas.
Stamp Duty Deductions
For most of you who are not aware of what
the Stamp Duty is for, it is a tax which is charged
on a commercial and legal document which
record and give effect to certain transactions
as stated in the First Schedule of the Stamp
Act (Chapter 34). Payment at an ‘ad valorem
duty’ rate or ‘fixed rate’ is made to the Brunei
Government at the High Court.
Please note that the Stamp Duty clause has
always existed in our Policies and Procedures
document which is handed out to all teachers
on their arrival in Brunei Darussalam.
Teachers are also briefed about this during
their Orientation Course.
However, with effect from 1 April 2013,
Stamp duties on house rents under $2000
are waived.
22
NovDec 2013
Security
Following recent outbreaks of burglary in
Bandar and KB, please ensure your house
is securely locked at all times. Please also
ensure valuable items (jewellery, mobile
phones, laptops, wallets, cast, etc) are not
exposed (ie visible through an open window)
to invite temptation of possible break-ins. As
mentioned in our Policy and Procedures
Handbook, it is recommended that teachers
take out content insurance on personal
belongings but do take note that insurance
companies will not provide cover if the houses
do not have security grilles or alarms. It is
also advisable to bolt your bedroom doors
to prevent intruders from entering your
bedrooms while you are asleep.
We would like to remind all teachers about
security matters during school holidays.
In order to protect your house and
belongings from break-ins, please
follow a few simple precautions:
• Leave an outside light on at night
(preferably on a timer).
• Have a friend/neighbour bring in any
post and check your mailbox regularly.
• Ensure all doors/windows are
securely locked (use blocks of wood
for sliding doors and windows).
• Have your grass cut and compound
cleared of garbage.
• Padlock your compound gate if you
have one.
While none of these precautions guarantee
that a break-in will not occur, they will help
reduce the possibility or slow down an intruder.
Landlords are asked to make their houses
as secure as possible. However, if you feel
your house is not adequately secured, please
contact the Housing Department for a security
inspection. We will follow up with requests
to landlords.
It’s always a good idea at this time to ensure
that your home or contents insurance policy
is up to date.
May we also remind you to empty your
refrigerators and cupboards of all perishables
- it is not very nice to come home to a decaying
mess if there is a power cut or circuit trip
during a thunderstorm. It is your responsibility
to replace refrigerators that are damaged in
this way. Please also turn off all fans, air
conditioners and gas bottles before leaving
your home.
Do notify us through the Housing Helpdesk
or e-mail us if you have any problems with
your house. Telephone calls are welcome
but this has to be followed up in writing. This
will ensure every request is attended to and
action taken speedily and efficiently.
Utility Bills (Reminder)
May I remind all teachers,to take accurate
meter readings for all your utilities. For those
on prepaid electricity meters, this does not
apply.
As occupants, you are responsible for taking
your own meter readings on the 1st of each
month, and for sending them to the relevant
utility departments (no postage stamps
required), to reach them before 7th of the
month. If they do not get the readings by 7th
you will, in most cases, get only estimated
bills. This would have been mentioned during
the OC.
Hired Cars
Please take note that it is not permissable
to drive a hired car across the border, unless
you obtain the permission to do so from the
hire company. This may involve paying an
extra fee for Insurance Coverage. You are
responsible for damages to the hired car
which is in your possession. Please report
any mishaps to the Housing Department as
soon as possible.
EVERY
STUDENT
MATTERS
NovDec 2013
23
EVERY
TEACHER
MATTERS
24
NovDec 2013
EVERY
MOMENT
MATTERS
NovDec 2013
25