INFO - PROGRAM SEEDS

S

choolwide

E

nglish

E

nrichment &

D

evelopment

S

trategies

(

SEEDS

)

What is

SEEDS

?

SEEDS stands for Schoolwide E nglish E nrichment & Development S trategies. It was designed in response to the need to overcome the declining standard of English among MRSM (MARA Junior Science Colleges). It is modeled on the principles of Schoolwide Enrichment Model by Joseph Renzulli and IRP (Intensive Revision Programme) by Matias Francisco de Menezes while the programme content is the work of the English Language staff of the SEEDS team.

SEEDS is a comprehensive programme that takes into account every facet of language

learning and the unique problems faced by these students. Since learning English should not be confined only to the classroom, SEEDS involves the whole school

population, that is, administrators, academic and non-academic staff and, of course, the students.

The three major principles underlying SEEDS are:

# Vocabulary forms the basis of all language learning. Therefore, the first task of

language teachers is to build a stable foundation of words, thus enabling students

to communicate in the target language.

# Language learning involves the major components of acquisition, retention, practice

and reinforcement. Therefore, the language learning environment should provide

maximum opportunities for students to acquire and practise/use the target

language.

# Maximum commitment and support from the entire school community is important

in order to provide the most conducive climate for learning the target language.

SALIENT FEATURES OF

SEEDS

Resources used are cheap and easily available Duration of the programme is short

Specific behavioural targets are easily quantifiable

TARGET OF

SEEDS

Accumulate a minimum of 1500 words Listen to and understand spoken English

Communicate meaningfully in local and international contexts Read and understand prose and poetry

COMPONENTS OF

SEEDS

SEEDS consists of three components:

Plan for Improving English in Schools (PIES)

Formal English Classes (FEC)

English Immersion Activities (EIA)

PIES (P

lan for

I

mproving

E

nglish in

S

chools

)

Introduction

PIES is a 20-week programme that serves as the foundation upon which SEEDS is built. As vocabulary forms the basis of language acquisition, PIES concentrates on vocabulary building activities. Special strategies involving simultaneous practice and reinforcement exercises are implemented through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Texts used in the activities are specially selected to cater for different levels of students. It is estimated that at the end of the programme, students would have accumulated 1,500 words.

Implementation

1. A team of staff is selected to be responsible for PIES. 2. Each member of the team is given a specific role to play.

3. A pre-test is conducted to gauge the participants' standard of English.

4. Upon the implementation of the PIES programme, a list of 15 words with their approximate

meanings in Bahasa Melayu (Malay) is given out to all members of the school community.

5. At a prescribed time, a broadcast activity is conducted to teach and practise the 15 words for

the day.

6. Reinforcement exercises using special techniques start in the second week of the programme.

7. Monitoring of the programme is done at 2 levels:

- at school level by the Principal

- externally by the programme designers

8. A final evaluation is done at the end of the 20-week period through a post-test.

FEC (F

ormal English

Classes)

Introduction

FEC is a 2-year programme that takes into account the present classroom situation and attempts to realign the focus of our attention from the syllabus and examination to

English proficiency. The belief underlying this strategy is that if a student is proficient in the language he or she would perform well in the required examination. Another

concern that FEC addresses is the level of motivation of students learning a foreign language. FEC attempts to overcome this problem through student-centred learning and activity-oriented classes.

Implementation

1. A pre-test is conducted to gauge the level of English among students.

2. Teacher training sessions are carried out in stages to expose teachers to innovative teaching

methods.

3. Workshops are conducted to prepare lesson plans for the classroom.

4. A compilation of selected lesson plans is sent to the participating schools to be used as models

in their effort to prepare lesson plans for the year.

5. Monitoring is done through visits to the participating schools by programme designers.

6. A final evaluation is carried out at the end of the 2 year period by conducting a post-test.

EIA (E

nglish

I

mmersion

A

ctivities

)

Introduction

EIA is a 2-year programme that concentrates on activities outside the formal classroom. Its objective is to restructure the school environment, making it conducive for acquiring the target language. Opportunities in the form of daily, weekly and annual activities are generated that require students to use and be exposed to English constantly.

Eventually, English becomes part of the school culture, thus making it bilingual. Implementation

1. A pre-test is conducted to gauge the level of English proficiency among students. 2. A list of possible daily, weekly and annual activities is sent to the participating schools.

3. The participating schools choose the required number of activities and implement them for a

2-year period.

4. Monitoring of these activities is done by the Principal at school level and by the programme

designers through visits to the participating schools.

5. A final evaluation is done at the end of the 2-year period through a post-test.

PROGRAMME TIME PARTICIPANTS ACTIVITIES EVALUATION

PIES

(Plan for Improving English in Schools) January - May > 1. Forms 2 & 3 2. Form 5 3. Principal, Asst. Principal, teachers, admin. staff & support

staff

15 new words a day Broadcasts Reading articles Reinforcement exercises Assemblies Role Calls Announcements Pre-Test (January ) Post-Test (May ) FEC (Formal English Class) January of the 1st year - November of the third year OR January of the 1st year - November of the second year Forms 1, 2 & 3 Forms 4 & 5 Regular English classes - structural approach - activity-oriented - student-centred - Teacher as facilitator - Concentrate on language proficiency - Not too rigid

with syllabus

Pre-test (January ) Post-Test (Sept of the 1st, 2nd & 3rd years) Pre-Test (EPT) (February ) Post-Test (EPT) (September of the 1st & 2nd years) EIA English Immersion Activities) January (of the 1st year) - November ( of the 3rd year) OR January (of the 1st year) - November (of the 2nd year) 1.Forms 1, 2 & 3 2. Forms 4 & 5

Structuring the school environment (Daily, College, National Activities) Daily/Weekly Activities - Notices - Newspapers on boards

- Message board/ tree - Graffiti sheet - Riddles - Broadcast - Newsletters - Court Buzz - English Day - English Night - Journal Writing/ scrapbook - Reading Corner/ Programme - Language Games Conclusion

It is envisaged that SEEDS works on the premise that successful acquisition of English involves the assimilation of the language into the learners' world. In this manner, retention of what is learnt is enhanced.

SEEDS

TEAM

2. Stephen Ambrose - Master Teacher, MARA College, Banting 3. Loh Mei Lin - Head Of Language Department,

MARA College, Banting

4. Noor Aziah Bt A. Karim - English Language Officer, MARA

Secondary Education Division,

Kuala Lumpur

5. Haniza Bt Husain - English Language Officer, MARA

Secondary Education Division,

Kuala Lumpur

6. Lee Chai Poe - English Teacher, MARA College, Seremban 7. Rodina Bt Kamaruddin - English Teacher, MARA College, Seremban