AUTHOR’S BACKGROUND (FORM 1 - FORM 3)

1.      VALERIE BLOOM

Valerie Bloom was born in 1956. She is a Jamaican. She came to England in 1979 and it was her first time in England. She is currently settle down in Kent but she always travel around UK and abroad to deliver her performances, attend workshops and visiting schools. Her origin has much influenced her poetry which is the Jamaican environment. Her poetry is famous around the world through the publications of her books, the edited poetry and anthologies of her own and her novel. On the 13^th of February 2003, Richard Carrington had produced her recording at the Audio Workshop, London.

2.      M SHANMUGHALINGAN

M Shanmughalingan was a successful debater during his era. He involved actively in debating, literary and drama. As a brilliant person he possesses an Honours Degree from the University of Malaya, a Master from Harvard and a Doctorate from Harvard University. He had won the Getrude Hartley Memorial prize for poetry and second prize for Short Story competition. M Shanmughalingan is currently holding the post of the Managing Director of Trilogic Sdn. Bhd. He also holds lots of other posts. According to http://viweb.freehosting.net/vilit_M-SHAN.htm “Shan's literary publications include poems and short stories in Commonwealth Anthologies (London) international anthologies (Singapore), in universities (Harvard, Malaya, Oxford and Singapore) and in national literary journals. He is co-editor of an anthology of Malaysian poetry. He was an interviewer/commentator on international and current affairs, and film critic on Malaysian television, and radio and a member of the advisory panels to the leading national literary and cultural journals and the informal advisory panel to TV3. He was invited to be Session Chairman, Commonwealth Writers Seminar for Papers on literature from Jamaica to New Zealand in Sept 1998. He has been invited to read his poems and short stories at several national and international readings. The latest was at the Maybank series led by the national poet, Dato Dr Usman Awang with the Deputy Prime Minister in April 1999. Shan's works have been the subject of theses in universities in Malaysia and Germany and of a movie to be made in New Zealand. A video recording of his performance poetry with thirteen of his own poems has just been made for an Autralian website on international poets.”

3.      MARZUKI ALI

Marzuki Ali was born in 1945 in Terengganu. He moved to Sabah and set up theatre group called “Grup Teater Asyik”. He also set up another group in Terengganu later. He continued his study in Art Directing in Jakarta, Indonesia. As an active poetry recite, stage actor and theatre director he had his works widely published. Among them are a few anthologies such as Desir Angin Pantai Timur (1984), Lia (1988), Mantera (1991), Bangau Payang Kolek Sekoci (1993) and etc. Utusan Malaysia, Berita Minggu, Dewan Sastera, Dewan Budaya and lots other are among the media which had helped in publishing his works. Marzuki Ali also works as a part-time lecturer at the National Arts Academy and the Performing Arts Faculty, Mara Technological University (UiTM).

4.      WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES

William Henry Davies (W.H.D.) was born on the 3^rd July 1871 at Portland Street. When he was 2, his father died and he was taken care by his grandparents after his mother remarried. On the 5^th of February 1923, he married Helen Payne. W.H.D. was known as a Welsh poet and writer. His work was based on nature, life hardships, his life’s experience and those whom he met. His first book of poetry “The Soul Destroyer” was published by himself using his own money in 1905. In 1918, his “Poet Pilgrimage” portrayed the life when he was at the age of 14. It was the time when he was living with his dying grandfather. W.H.D died on the 26^th of September 1940.

REFERENCES

1.      http://www.poetryarchive.org/childrensarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=2807

2.      http://viweb.freehosting.net/vilit_M-SHAN.htm

3.      Understanding New Lit LITERATURE COMPONENT for Form 1 to Form 3 (2010) by Christine Tan, Rahmah H.S. and Rose Latiff

4.      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._Davies

Issue of Streaming in School

·         Students sleep in class.

·         Students do their own stuffs while teacher is teaching.

·         Teachers nag for at least half an hour before the learning session begins.

·         Students have their own groups in class.

·         Students pay no attention to teacher.

·         Students fail to understand the instruction.

These are a few situations in some schools in Malaysia nowadays. While some students come to school to study, some come without purposes. The only thing that a teacher normally does is to nag at the group of the delinquent students, and this will usually lead the teacher to have not enough time to teach what he or she has planned earlier. The question is whose fault is this? Is it the teacher or the students themselves? Or is it the organization?

Have you ever heard of the issue of streaming classes? I am sure the term of streaming classes is very familiar among us. It is the act of separating high-rank students from lower-rank students. There are pros and cons to every action and so does this method. While some believe that this approach may help in producing a more knowledgeable and competence generations, some are wise enough to spot its defects. Nevertheless, it also has its own advantages. Through some observations, I have listed down the pros and cons of streaming in school.

A better learning environment is one of the advantages of streaming in schools. It helps to prepare appropriate materials to teach students according to their abilities. Streaming also helps to lessen the feeling of inferiority among students as they are all at the same level. Indirectly, this will help in boosting their confidence. Apart from that, this system could help students to understand better by learning step by step.

Nonetheless, the disadvantages of this system surpass its advantages. The streaming of classes could be risky as study has proved that it promotes little mobility between each stream [Feehan, C. (2007, October 31)]. Students in low-ranks classes will stay weak while those in high-ranks will move up. This could bring negative impacts to most of the students as they will never improve their abilities throughout the schooling years. During my school years, I had witnessed lots of students who stayed in the same low-rank class until the end of the schooling year. In the end, they still failed to move up beyond their low-rank level. Studies also have proved that students in low-rank classes are likely to not be able in achieving their full potential. In low-ranks classes, students will normally be given average learning materials suitable to their learning needs. Without teachers noticing, they are actually pampering the students by only giving them average materials to work with. This causes students to prefer to stay in their comfortable zone and do not have the initiative to go further beyond their abilities. Apart from that, students may find learning is troublesome and boring because there is no competition involves between the students since they are of the same level. This may likely occur in low-rank classes. The students will eventually start to disengage themselves from study and may develop negative impression about school and studies.

Understanding the concept of functional theory will help the school system to organize a better classroom environment. Studies have proved that a class with mix-abilities students can contribute to success among students. In a mix-abilities classroom, teachers can asks the elite group of students to aid the average students in their studies. For example, teachers can assign the students to work in groups so that they can assist one another in completing the task. Having mix-abilities classes in schools can help in tightening the bond between the elite and the average learners and thus this will help in promoting a balance society among the students.

Apart from that, it is essential for us to apply our knowledge of the conflict theory in this matter. In this case, it deals with the inequality of abilities among the group of students. With the implementation of mix-abilities classes, students can have a healthy competition among themselves. It challenges the weaker students to strive harder in order to put themselves alongside the elite group of students, while the elite students will compete among themselves and others in order to maintain their elite status.

Throughout this observation, I have found out a few essential elements that could help me to get closer to society especially students. First, it helps me to understand more about parents’ expectation of their children learning needs. By understanding their expectation, I can explain to them the benefits of placing their children in a mix-abilities classroom. Second, it helps me to deal with students of different level of ability. Thus, I can use variables of teaching methods to match the learning needs of students. Third, this observation has taught me that students are interdependent with one another and therefore I must not group them into their respective abilities when teaching them. Instead, I should let them mingle so that they can complement one another in carrying out the learning process. In conclusion, although streaming in schools may bring benefits to students, it prevents the interaction between the high-rank and the low rank students. It is important for us to let students with different levels of intelligence to mingle with each other so that they can assist one another and promote a healthy competition among them. We should be aware that if a group of the students fail to do well in their studies, it will affect the whole system. For example, if they score low marks in examination, the percentage of students who pass the examination will be lowered too.  

Preposition

Preposition

A preposition may is a connecting word that shows the relation of a noun or a noun substitute to some other word in the sentence. (words that specify relationship between people or thing or people and thing) Prepositional phrase = preposition + object (noun)

Two Forms of Prepositions

Simple prepositions	Compound preposition
-          Single-word preposition Ex: on, at, in, without, beside	-          Complex-word preposition Ex: (adverb + preposition) along with, away from, next to (Prep. + noun + prep.) in front of, in relation to, on top of

Position of Preposition

Before it’s object Take the pan of the stove. She must have good reasons for her decision. After the music lesson I have mathematics tuition.

At the end of a sentence (‘left behind’ at the end of a clause or sentence) What is this thing used for? Sarah is the girl they were talking about. Tell me what to look at.

Types of Preposition

Prepositions of Time	On (I saw him on Saturday) At (We are going to have the meeting starts at 3pm) In (She gave birth in September) Before (We reached the mansion before dusk) Up to (Up to now, I have never thought of borrowing a            study loan)
Prepositions of Place or Direction	On (She puts her purse on the table) At (I am at school) In (The book is in the box) To-From (He walks to school from his home) Towards (They headed towards the leader’s house)
Prepositions with other uses	Against (I have nothings against you) But (I have packed everything but our passport) Between (There is no secrets between us) In spite of (She joins the competition in spite of what                    people say)

Differences

People often make mistakes when comparing preposition to conjunction.

Conjunction joins clauses, phrases, or words in a sentence. eg. "The dog ate the burger AND the pie"

Prepositions link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. eg. "The cat sat ON the table" " The dog was sitting BESIDE the couch"

Langi Julang

Langi julang is one of the ritual dances of the Bidayuh tribe. It marks the end of the harvest festival. The dance is led by a shaman with two other warriors. The shaman will be accompanied by his ceremonial sword while the warriors, each will carry a jerok (spear) and a pinangin (shield).

The dance is performed for various reason, but the real intention is to show a great appreciation to tampa (god) for giving them a good harvest and health. Besides that, it is performed to please the muat mindu (bad spirits) who may jeopardize or disturb the village and its people. Apart from that, it is performed as a mean to help loss souls of people and padi to find their way back.

Traditionally, this dance was also performed during the election of a new chief so that he would be a good ruler. Besides that, it was also to thanks to tampa and ask for blessing.

Bidayuh Traditional Dance (Ritual Dance)

Ritual dance has always been associated with every culture in the world. It is performed to worship spirits and several other functions. Each body move and gesture are important to deliver messages which cannot be spoken in ordinary words.

                In Bidayuh tradition, they are several ritual dances which serve as a mean to bring goodness in their lives. In ancient times, the Bidayuh believed that the world was being inhibited by good and bad spirits. These spirits were believed to cause disaster and hardship if they were being disturbed. To ensure their safety, the ritual dance was performed as a medium to communicate with the spirits. There are eight types of ritual dances namely langi julang, nguguoh or simutur, tulak bala, rejang nyijikau bayang, wek jongan, langi nantang sirige? - purom, nantang julang sambuh and rejang padi or ngirindang.

Bidayuh

The Bidayuh is the second largest ethnic group in Sarawak. They are found mostly in Kuching and Samarahan. The Bidayuh can be divided into five groups according to their respective dialect which are the Bukar-Sadong, the Biatah, the Jagoi, the Selako and the Rara. The Bukar-Sadong is found mainly in Serian, while the Biatah is found in Kuching and the Jagoi in Bau. Both the Selako and Rara are found in Lundu. The Bidayuh is known as Land Dayak. In older times, most of them were farmers. But now they are found in public services and business sectors. Traditionally, the Bidayuh also lived in longhouses just like the Ibans. Nowadays, they prefer to live in individual houses. 

The Ngajat Dance

Accompanied by the melody of gong, engkeromong, bebendai and others traditional musical instrument, the Ngajat dance is performed during Gawai Dayak celebration which is one of the Ibans' festival. Apart from that, it is also performed in other occasions such as welcoming guests and during formal dinner.

Traditionally, the Ngajat dance was performed by male dancers to celebrate warriors who had just returned home from war. The dancers would wear loincloth and their heads would be accessorized with feathers on their headgears. A sword and a shield would accompany each of them in the dance. The moves are swift and fierce as if the dancers are on the battle field.







 Nowadays, the dance is performed by both men and women. The female dancers will wear "sugu tinggi"(headdress) on their heads, handmade beads covering their necks, heavy chains of coins and a knee-length weaved dress. The moves are more soft and graceful. When I was a kid, I used to help my mother to weave the Ngajat dress. She also had made the handmade beads for me to wear during my performance in 2001.

Era of the Headhunters

Skulls of the enemies 

Centuries ago the Ibans were feared because of their bravery in war and were acknowledged as the headhunters. This tradition of headhunting is called "ngayau" in Iban language. The Ibans practiced the tradition in order to protect their land from being populated by others. They also believed that whoever managed to chop off their enemy's head the most would be recognized as "Bujang Berani" (brave man). The elders would choose a brave man to be their son-in-law in order to ensure he could guard his family as well as to maintain their family social status. However, the bachelors were not merely the ones who need to prove themselves but also married men because the Ngayau tradition was not merely acted as a symbol of bravery but also as a symbol of manliness and social status. 

Other than protecting their own land, the Ibans were known as cruel warriors as they tend to wipe out their enemies during war. Researchers had found out that certain ethnics had been wiped out by the Ibans such as Seru and Bliun while others were forced to move away.

Nowadays, this tradition has been completely banned. In fact, the Iban are known because of their good attitude when welcoming guest to their place.   

The Origin of the Iban Tribe

               

The origin of the Iban tribes still remain mysterious until today since they have no written record about their history. Everything about the tribe was told from generation to generation in the form of poem, story and song. Once in a while my grandparents would told us, the youngsters about those stories of our origin. However, many writers believe that the Iban ethnic is originated from Batang Kapuas, Kalimantan, Indonesia. This is proven by the fact that there are Iban settlements in Indonesia. One of the Iban writers said they migrated to the land of Borneo long time ago because of some reasons. There are also some other theories that said the Iban tribe is originated from the main land of China and some said that the Iban is the original inhabitant of the Borneo island. The Ibans are also known as Sea Dayak because their settlements are placed nearby rivers. According to researchers, they also got the name because of their history as pirate.

Land of the Hornbills

Located on the north-east of Borneo across the South China Sea from the Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is a home to various races and ethnics. It is the largest state in Malaysia with 11 divisions in total. The list starts with Kuching as the capital state and follows by Betong, Bintulu, Kapit, Limbang, Miri, Mukah, Semarahan, Sarikei, Sibu and Sri Aman. Sarawak is also known as the Land of the Hornbills as various species of hornbills inhabited its forest. 

Different hands had ruled Sarawak before the formation of Federation of Malaysia. The state was originally ruled by the Brunei Sultanate from 15^th century to early 19^th century. In 1841, Sarawak fell into Rajah Brooke control for quite a long period of time before being invaded by the Japanese during World War II. Then, Sarawak was again colonized by the British before it finally gained its freedom on the 16^th of September 1963 during the formation of Federation of Malaysia.

There are more than 30 ethnic groups which made up the Sarawakian community. These ethnic groups are not merely different in terms of language but also in their way of living and culture. Among the ethnic groups, the Ibans are the largest community of all. Besides Iban, the other ethnics include Bidayuh, Melanau, Kayan, Kenyah, Kelabit, Penan, and the list goes on. 

For the next entry, I will introduce about the Iban culture. Stay tuned. ;)