The
Kuala Krai, Gua Musang Cluster, consists of 15 schools, and three Mentors,
Scott, Anthony, and Mark. Scott is an
accomplished puppeteer, musician, and songwriter, Anthony is a speech &
drama specialist, whilst Mark is a writer, as well as a Cambridge speaking
examiner.
Our Mentee’s
(Teachers), come from a wide range of backgrounds, from dedicated teachers, who
have just started in the profession, to more experienced teachers, who all have
ideas, and individual skills to share, and implement with our Mentors, as a
team.
The Area
The
area itself is in one of the more
remote, and diverse parts of Kelantan,
and stretches for over 200 km. Much of the area is covered by natural rain
forest, and is known for its high quality palm, and rubber, which is grown in
plantations throughout the region. The towns of Kuala Krai, and Gua Musang are
better known as administration, tourism,
and trading centers .
The Schools
Many of
the schools our Mentors visit are remote,
and the majority of the children’s parents usually work in the nearby
Palm, and Rubber plantations. This makes this area particularly special,
because it is often the first time, the children have met Mentors from English
speaking countries, and many of the year one students have just started to
learn the English language.
Our
Mentee’s are often hardworking, and dedicated teachers, who generally need more resources, given the remoteness of the
areas they work in, and the limitations
of the Internet, whilst the schools are constantly being improved to create a
more learner- friendly environment, for both the children, and the teachers.
Our Program
Our Mentors
work in partnership with their teachers (Mentee’s), who together are constantly
developing ideas to enhance the learning environment, and language skills of
the children, at each school.
Most of our
activities are focused on “Fun through learning,” with mini projects
like puppet shows, role plays, storytelling, singing, games, and
competitions like story writing. This focus on activity based learning,
is often seen, by all the school, in 'on the stage activities'
like Choral Speaking, and Storytelling during Teacher’s Day
celebrations, and English Days.
The aim of
our blog is to highlight some of the vast activities in our program, and the
creative skills of both the children, and the teachers, who are turning a
simple English lesson, into a fun, pro-active learning environment, in one of
the more remote areas of Kelantan.
