Visit the 13th Private & International School Fair in Kuala Lumpur this June!

There are over 150 international schools in Malaysia today. Approximately 100 international schools have opened in the last decade, reflecting the demand of international education by local and expatriate parents alike. The number of schools started to catapult when the quota for local students in international schools was lifted in 2012. Parents today have more options than ever before when it comes to their children’s education.

However, the search for the right school can be overwhelming for parents who are new to the international school scene. Each school operates independently and differ from one another in terms of curricula offered, location, fee structure, teaching staff, ethos and learning environment. Choosing a suitable school is a time-consuming process involving research, school visits and financial planning.

Organised by Mint Communications, the Private & International School Fairs aim to help parents in their search for the right school by connecting them with leading international schools in Malaysia in convenient locations in Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Penang. The upcoming 13^th Private & International School Fair in Kuala Lumpur will be held on 22 and 23 June 2019 at the Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur. Opening hours are from 11am to 7pm, and admission is free.

Visitors will have the opportunity to speak to representatives from international schools, preschools, learning centres, pre-university providers and special educational needs centres from all over Malaysia. There will also be special discounts, fee waivers and scholarship offers exclusively for visitors to the fair. In addition, the fair will feature the 2nd PISF Poetry Slam 2019 and other exciting activities!

The 2019/2020 edition of the Education Destination Malaysia guidebook will be sold at the fair at a discounted price. The guidebook is an in-depth and comprehensive guide to international education in Malaysia. It contains detailed information on schools, useful articles, infographics and insightful advice to help parents decide on an international school for their children.

Register at www.pisf.asia to receive the latest updates on the fair via email!

Event details at a glance:

13th Private & International School Fair in Kuala Lumpur

Date    : 22 - 23 June 2019 (Saturday and Sunday)

Time    : 11:00am - 7:00pm

Venue  : Mid Valley Exhibition Centre

For media enquiries, please contact the following:

Caron Lai

MINT COMMUNICATIONS SDN BHD

(Company No. 701835-T)

TEL: +603-7986 0070 FAX: +603-7986 0072

Email: caron.lai@mint-communications.asia

Sri Emas International School Free Trial Class

Last April, Sri Emas International School had its first Open Day of the year! Over the weekend, parents and kids got the opportunity to get involved and be immersed in their unique educational experience.

Their creative workshops ranged from getting people to channel their inner Mozart and constructing a piano with just electrical components to reliving history and understanding historical beauty standards through Post-It notes!

Below are some pictures of the activities during the school's recent Open Day.

Don't worry if you missed it! Because you can always just drop by their school and get your kids to sign up for their FREE 3-Day trial classes for a chance to experience the way they teach!

To schedule an appointment, contact them through: tel (03-7865 5787) | email: enquiry@sriemas.edu.my

How Reading Can Prepare Your Child For Exams

“What do you want the children we are teaching in school to be like as adults?”

This was the question of Leslie Mann, a training consultant at the Teaching Development Centre asked the participants on a course. Mostly composed of teachers and parents, the room was abuzz with answers like happy, curious, passionate, resilient, empathetic, kind, creative, ability to problem solve, a risk taker, a critical thinker, a lifelong learner. At no point did anyone mention a ‘good test taker’ or a ‘top-notcher in exams’.

This is what most people want for children, especially parents. However, there is a big disconnect between what the education community say and what they do. Children spend a lot of time focused on tests. The literature and research around test preparation shows that this kind of work has very little impact. In fact, some can even argue that it is detrimental in developing the attitudes and dispositions that the community wants education to promote.

Fear of tests is real and undeniably tests do, unfortunately, have ramifications for the opportunities of children. However, it has been suggested that educators take a different approach that serves both the higher goals of education to put a capable, well-adjusted adult into the world and the more immediate goal of needing to do well in tests.

This is where effective reading techniques can come in and be a helpful tool in teaching children how to overcome their anxiety regarding exams. Below are some tips on how to make reading a useful ally in achieving both test-taking goals and preparing for life, in general.

TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE READING YOUR HELPFUL TOOL

· Read. A lot. Children who read are exposed to a significantly wider range and greater quantity of words than students who don’t read. When it comes to developing vocabulary, it’s simple; you can’t know words you have not seen before.

· By reading whole texts, students will have a sense of how texts are organised and the kinds of features that they can expect. When they encounter a snippet of text on an exam, they can understand how this piece fits into the bigger picture and that gives them a lot of information.

· Reading supports writing. Professionally written texts are the best model for writing. Not only are children exposed to a wide range of vocabulary but also grammar structures, turns of phrase, expressions and a sense of personal style and voice.

· Use the amazing resources of your public library system. Let your child pick a book. Read it together. Help your child understand that they are in the driver’s seat of the reading process by asking questions:

Ø Why did you pick this book/ article/ comic?

Ø What attracted you to it?

Ø What did you notice as you were reading?

Ø At what point in the text did you decide whether you liked it (or not)?

Ø Were they any parts that confused you?

· Use the text as a springboard for writing. Have them write a letter to a character or as a character or keep a reading journal.

Sometimes, children are under the impression that reading is a tedious process of trying to understand a decontextualised piece of writing and answer boring questions about it. They don’t get to experience texts as a reader – as someone who has reactions, forms opinions and makes connections with other things they know and have experienced. However, with the above mentioned practices, we can help our children become better readers and test-takers. Ultimately, by instilling in them this kind of discipline, we also prepare them for other life challenges.

These tips were brought to you by British Council Malaysia. 

British Council Malaysia provides courses for kids and teens aged 5 - 17.  To learn about our courses, visit British Council at https://www.britishcouncil.my/english/courses-children