THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHIP CENTRE MINISTRY OF EDUCATIONSTEP FORWARDJune 2009 Issue : 6Tel/Fax : 2335963. E-mail: [email protected] Club in Schools launchedBy: Zulbahri Achee The Energy Club for Schools was launched on 24th May 2009 during the Energy Day by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office. The main aim of setting up this Energy Club is to penetrate the minds of the younger generation, fostering their mindsets towards an energy-saving cultu
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THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHIP CENTRE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION STEP FORWARD STEP FORWARD STEP FORWARD STEP FORWARD June 2009 June 2009 June 2009 June 2009 Issue : 6 Issue : 6 Issue : 6 Issue : 6 Inside STEP Newsletter STEP Newsletter STEP Newsletter STEP Newsletter Tel/Fax : 2335963. E-mail: [email protected]Page 1 Energy Club in Schools launched By: Zulbahri Achee The Energy Club for Schools was launched on 24 th May 2009 during the Energy Day by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office. The main aim of setting up this Energy Club is to penetrate the minds of the younger generation, fostering their mindsets towards an energy-saving culture and to become "ambassadors" in raising the awareness of energy saving. The honourable Minister of Energy launching the Energy Club Present at the function were Datin Paduka Dayang Apsah binti Haji Abdul Majid, Permanent Secretary of Core Education and Awang Haji Mohd Daud bin Haji Mahmud, Permanent Secretary of Higher Education. There were 26 schools pledging to set up the Energy Clubs. Some of the activities to be conducted by these clubs include Energy Trail, poster drawing, forums, debates and drama. Group photo, Guest of Honour, the honourable Minister of Energy with members of Energy Club and the two Permanent Secretaries from the Ministry of Education Olympiads Awarding Ceremony [See page 8] Energy Trail on Energy Day [See page 19] Recycling Awareness @ STEP [See page 21] PPPS Explorace [See page 37] APhO Bangkok [See page 32]
Transcript
THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT PARTNERSHIP CENTRE
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
STEP FORWARDSTEP FORWARDSTEP FORWARDSTEP FORWARD June 2009June 2009June 2009June 2009
The Energy Club for Schools was launched on 24th May 2009 during the Energy Day by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office. The main aim of setting up this Energy Club is to penetrate the minds of the younger generation, fostering their mindsets towards an energy-saving culture and to become "ambassadors" in raising the awareness of energy saving.
The honourable Minister of Energy launching the Energy Club
Present at the function were Datin Paduka Dayang Apsah binti Haji Abdul Majid, Permanent Secretary of Core Education and Awang Haji Mohd Daud bin Haji Mahmud, Permanent Secretary of Higher Education. There were 26 schools pledging to set up the Energy Clubs. Some of the activities to be conducted by these clubs include Energy Trail, poster drawing, forums, debates and drama.
Group photo, Guest of Honour, the honourable Minister of Energy with members of Energy Club and the two Permanent Secretaries from the Ministry of Education
Foreword from The Acting Head of STEP Centre Hj Metali bin Hj Mirasan
Editorial Board
Patron
Datin Paduka Dayang Apsah binti Hj Abdul Majid Permanent Secretary [Core Education] Ministry of Education. Advisor
Dayangku Hajah Mastoli binti PSI Pg Hj Ismail Director General, Ministry of Education Awang Hj Metali bin Hj Mirasan Acting Head of STEP Centre
Chief Editor
Awang Zulbahri bin Achee Education Officer, STEP Centre.
Editors
Dayang Sarimah binti Abu Bakar Senior Education Officer, STEP Centre. Awang Nor Erawadi bin Haji Ibrahim Senior Education Officer, STEP Centre. Awang Azahan bin Hj Abd Wahab Education Officer, STEP Centre. Awang Hj Fadzil bin Hj Mohd Salleh Education Officer, STEP Centre. Awang Syed Rozman bin Syed Hj Abd Rahim Education Officer, STEP Centre.
Welcome to the 6th edition of STEP FORWARD, January - June 2009. The Influenza A H1N1 affected our programmes/ activities and some had to either be postponed or cancelled.
This year we managed for the first time to organise the INFORAMA and xPLOMATHS. We would like to congratulate the hosting schools; Sekolah Menengah Rimba (INFORAMA), Sekolah Menengah Pengiran Jaya Negara Pengiran Haji Abu Bakar and Sekolah Rendah Pengiran Setia Jaya Pengiran Haji Abdul Momin (eXPLOMATHS). As for the PPPS (Programmes To Raise Science Achievement) Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Umar Al Khattab has successfully organised the Science Fair. Congratulations must also go to this year’s winners of the Mathematics and Science Olympiad. Six Olympiads were contested; the Primary School Mathematics Olympiad, the Primary School Science Olympiad, the Secondary School Mathematics Olympiad, the National Mathematics Olympiad and the National Physics Olympiad. We also worked closely with the Energy Division at the Prime Minister’s Office during the Energy Week and launched the Energy Club. In addition, the Department of Environment and Recreation (JASTRE), Ministry of Development and STEP Centre jointly organised the National Youth Environment Forum. Finally I would like to thank everyone involved in publishing the 6th edition of the STEP FOREWORD. Last but not least, we would like to extend our own gratitude towards Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd for their continuous advice and financial support. Wassalam.
The Second Regional Science and Technology Camp 2009 Phnom Penh, Cambodia By : Zulbahri Achee & Sarimah Abu Bakar
The camp was held at the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Centre (CJCC), Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The 10-day camp began on 25th February and ended on 5th March 2009. This Camp was jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Cambodia, Royal University of Phnom Penh, UNESCO and JICA and supported by Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Indonesia and Lego Company in Singapore.
There were altogether eight ASEAN countries taking part in the event, namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and the host country Cambodia with the total number of participants of 52 students. The camp was officially opened by the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, His Excellency Im Sethy. In his speech, he hoped that for the next generations, the issues on “Development and Equity” will be bettered and addressed soundly in a sustainable way, and the attitude “Can-Do” will be fostered with no boundary and difference of the nations, economy, society, culture and politics, especially in science, technology and engineering among our children and youth.
Brunei Darussalam was represented by five students namely, Hamirul Anak Belitang and Hazim bin Masri both from Sekolah Menengah Sultan Hassan Bangar. Austin Ngalanag Baring Anak Melayu and Zulkimin Mesa from Sekolah Menengah Muda Hashim, Tutong as well as Muhamad Hazwan bin Suhaini from Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Umar Al-Khattab, Lumapas. These students were ac-companied by two officers from STEP Centre, Dayang Sarimah binti Abu Bakar and Awang Zulbahri bin Achee.
There were two main robot activities introduced in the camp, i.e. Lego Education Robots Activities and the Scavenger Robot Activities. In both activities, students of different nationalities were mixed together to form a group. For the LEGO Education activities the facilitator’s were students from University of Indonesia headed by Professor Wahidin Wahab while for the Scavenger Robot activities the facilitators were students from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
Continue to page 4
Brunei delegates before departing to Cambodia Guest of honour and other guests at the opening ceremony
Besides attending the workshop, the participants were also taken to places of interest around the Phnom Penh area, such as The Royal Palace and the National Museum.
From page 3
The Lego Education Robot Activities consist of two main activities: the walking robot and the renewable energy. The participants did the above robot activities by using Lego Kits. The above activities were conducted by the students and lecturers from University of Indonesia. [Picture above]
Scavenger robot activities. In this activity each student created his/her own robot which would pick as many ping-pong balls as possible. The robot kits were specially prepared and designed by the Tokyo Institute of Technology for this camp. The scavenger robot activities were facilitated by the students and lecturers from Tokyo Institute of Technology . [Picture above]
Policy Designed To Increase Science Skill In Brunei Darussalam
By: Haji Metali bin Haji Mirasan
Introduction: Science and technology are key vehicles to achieve global sustainable development. There is declining interest in science among young people in the developed as well as in the developing countries. One of the main agenda of the Ministry of Education is to design a policy that will increase students’ science skills, thus increasing enrollment of students in science. The New Education System (SPN21) has introduced the New Science Curriculum for all Lower Primary School levels beginning January 2009. It uses a scientific approach, with English as the medium of instruction. In the previous system Science was taught from Year 4 onwards. Literature Review; The American Association for the Advancement in Science identifies two science skills; a) Basic science skills - observing, classifying, measuring, inferring, predicting, communicating and
using number relationship. b) Integrated science skills - making models, defining operationally, collecting data, interpreting data,
identifying and controlling variables, formulating hypothesis and experimenting. Singapore has consistently excelled in international comparative studies in Mathematics and Science. In the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS), their students are ranked first in Science and Mathematics for 7 & 8 graders. This is because Singapore Ministry of Education has introduced a national curriculum ‘Thinking Schools, Learning Nation’. The students have to do project works to acquire science skills for such as; creative and thinking skills which foster collaborative learning skills, improve as well as communication skills and develop self directed inquiry and life long learning skills. Likewise China and Japan are also undergoing curriculum reform to increase the science skills of their students.
Background Information; a) A report to the Ministry of Education from the UNESCO Jakarta office in July 2005 proposed for
Brunei Darussalam to set up a Brunei National Science, Technology and Innovation Council. b) Brunei Darussalam’s Long Term Development Plan 2007 - 2035 has an educational vision of
accomplishing highly educated and skilled citizens. c) The Summary Report on Science Education Provision in Secondary Schools in Brunei produced by
the Department of Planning, Research and Development 2000 by 2 research experts from the International Research, Paris. One of the findings was low student enrollment in science; i.e. 20.8% in 1995.
d) The Ministry of Education’s Strategic Plan 2007 - 2011, has a vision to provide quality education
towards a developed, peaceful and prosperous nation. e) The Ministry of Education has introduced and promoted various strategies to increase students’
enrollment in science, for example, the establishment of Science College in 1979, the National Science Committee 1994, the Science Task Force, the Committee for Improvement of Science Education 2006, and Science, Technology and Environment Partnership Centre (STEP) 1999. As for staff development, science teachers are given opportunities to attend seminars and workshops locally and overseas.
Statistic on the percentage of students’ enrollment into science stream; Year No of Students % 2001 2201 19.47 2002 2211 18.71 2003 2260 18.25 2004 2066 15.95 2005 2085 15.54 2006 2229 16.04 f) There are media reports highlighting shortages of doctors in the local hospitals, and Brunei Shell
Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd is facing difficulty in recruiting local chemical engineers.
The SPN21 will be fully implemented in 2010 with partial implementation at year 7 in 2008, as well as the trialing of a New Science Curriculum for the lower primary level for 10 selected schools. The Policy Making Process; One of the main aims of the new Lower Primary Science Curriculum is to increase students’ science skills, so that they will be more aware and motivated to learn science. The Policy Making Processes are as follows; Agenda Setting To increase science skills in Brunei Darussalam Formulation of Policy SPN21 Committee was set up to formulate the policy, through discussion, meetings, researches and consultation Decision Making To introduce the New Lower Primary Science Curriculum Implementation The New Lower Primary Science Curriculum is implemented in 2009. Evaluation There will be continuous evaluation and assessment once the new curriculum is implemented. Conclusion; The SPN21 was implemented in 2009. The introduction of the New Lower Primary Science Curriculum will hopefully address some of the public as well as the Ministry concerns, and will increase students’ science skills thus increasing students’ enrollment in science. Science teachers will play a vital role in ensuring success of this new policy.
Recommendations; Several recommendations should be followed to ensure successful implementation of the new curriculum. a) Strategies
- continuous training for the science teachers - continuous feedback from the teachers - continuous information to parents and the public
b) Monitoring - continuous monitoring should be done by various departments in the Ministry such as the Department of Schools, the Department of Curriculum Development, Department of Examinations, the Department of Schools Inspectorate and the STEP Centre. c) Indicators
- improved Mid Year and End of Year science results - improved Primary Six School Examinations science results to 85% by 2014. - increase in students’ enrollment in science stream at year 9 to 49% by 2018 - significant increase in the number of students enrolled in science related subjects at higher
institutions.
d) Evaluation - there should be continuous evaluation and revision of the curriculum. References; a) Brunei Economic Development Board, Brunei Darussalam Long Term Development Plan
2007 - 2035 b) Ministry of Education Brunei Darussalam Strategic Plan 2007-2011. c) Ministry of Education Singapore website d) Summary Report on Science Education Provision in Brunei Darussalam 2000. e) The American Association for the Advancement of Science f) UNESCO Report to the Ministry of Education, July 2005.
QUOTES “If someone feels that they had never made a mistake in their life, then it means they had never tried a new thing in their life”
Albert Einstein (1879 -1955) German-Swiss-U.S. scientist
"Science is the great antidote to the poison of enthusiasm and superstition."
Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) Scottish moral philosopher and a pioneer of political economy
Students Awarded For Achievement in Science and Mathematics Olympiads
By: Syed Rozman bin Syed Hj Abd Rahim
A total of 52 students were rewarded for their outstanding performance at this year's National Science and Mathematics Olympiads during an award-giving ceremony organised by the STEP Centre, Ministry of Education which was held at the Ballroom, Hua Ho Mall, Manggis on 20th May 2009.
During the event, the Permanent Secretary (Higher Education) at the ministry, Haji Mohd Daud bin Haji Mahmud was present as the guest of honour. He expressed his satisfaction at the level of student participation in the international olympiads, such as the International Mathematics and Science Olympiad in Indonesia, the International Mathematics Competition in Thailand and the International Junior Science Olympiad in Korea, from which the country's contestants have brought back medals. "This proves that our students are highly capable in competing at international levels," said Haji Mohd Daud. He further added that in light of STEP Centre's 10th anniversary, he hopes that the centre will take on this role to help contribute to the efforts of the ministry in further improving students' achievements in Mathematics and Science subjects. Six Olympiad categories were held this year, namely, the Primary School Science Olympiad (PSSO), the Primary School Mathematics Olympiad (PSMO), the Secondary School Science Olympiad (SSSO), the Secondary School Mathematics Olympiad (SSMO), the National Mathematics Olympiad (NMO) and the National Physics Olympiad (NPO). The winner of each category received a gold medal award, $200 cash prize and a certificate, while first runner-ups each received a silver award, $150 cash prize and a certificate. Second runner-ups each received a bronze medal award, $100 cash prize and a certificate.
Guest of Honour and Acting Head of STEP Centre with the Prize Recipients
THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD) – Moving Into The Second Half Of The UN Decade, Bonn, Germany (31st March to 2nd April 2009)
By: Nor Erawadi Hj Ibrahim
From 31st March to 2nd April 2009, I had the opportunity to attend and represent Brunei Darussalam to the World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Bonn, Germany along with Cikgu Hajah Razia binti Haji Muhd. Shariff from the International and Public Relations Unit and Cikgu Hajah Noridah binti Abdullah from the International Unit, Department of Schools, Ministry of Education Brunei Darussalam. It was organized by UNESCO and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO. The conference brought together almost 900 participants including over 50 ministers and deputy ministers from other countries. Ms. Annette Schavan, the German Federal Minister of Education and Research launched the conference alongside Mr. Nicholas Burnett, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Education, who delivered a speech on behalf of Director-General Koichiro Matsuura. Ms.Graca Machel, the former Minister of Education and Culture of Mozambique, gave a keynote presentation and Her Royal Highness Queen Rania of Jordan sent a message by video to the opening ceremony. At the end of the conference, Member States adopted a declaration referred to as The Bonn Declaration which reflected the debates and proposed guidelines for the implementation of the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development in its second half.
The Brunei delegation to the ESD mid-decade conference in the Plenary Hall of the World Conference
Centre, Bonn Germany
Posing at the main entrance of the Conference Centre, which used to be the Parliamentary Hall for Germany before it was moved to the new capital city Berlin.
The United Nations (UN) has declared 2005 to 2014 as the UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (UN DESD) and this world conference was a platform for “mid-term review” of the UN Decade. It was also aimed at reaching out to the governments of the member countries especially on policy endorsements and finance apart from bringing together leaders, practitioners, interest groups and business communities in sharing ideas and good practices on ESD. The goal of DESD is to emphasise the role of education as an integral part towards achieving sustainable development in all the regions and countries in the world through integration of the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. From this conference, the Bruneian contingent learnt best practices from other countries’ experiences as well as participated in workshops (during side-events) on different aspects of ESD with their own contextual frameworks. I had a chance to listen to Professor Danielle Tilbury in one of the side-events’ workshops. She is a leading expert on environmental education and a member of Advisory Group involved in the development of ESD monitoring and evaluation indicators for UNESCO. I also had the opportunity to visit a UNESCO-affiliated English-speaking German school where our delegation witnessed some Year 9 and Year 10 students engaging in role plays addressing several issues in their school and the mitigation actions suggested.
Ms. Annette Schavan, German Federal Minister of Education and Research gave a welcoming
speech before officially opening the conference
Her Royal Highness Queen Rania of Jordan, well-known for her philanthropic work and also an advocate for women’s and children’s rights, sent a
message by video to the opening ceremony
How did we benefit from this experience? Personally, it helped me to become more adaptive towards the discussion and reporting of updates on ESD in Brunei Darussalam which I would need to access information and coordination as well as cooperation from other agencies in promoting Education for Sustainable Development. I hope that these efforts would also help to strengthen STEP Centre’s roles in the discourse of ESD and reach out to the intended parties. This will be made possible through the set up of our own ministry’s ESD taskforce committee with close involvement of member representatives from the Department of Schools, the Private Education Section, Technical Education, Curriculum Development and higher institutions. We can have better coordination of current and new ESD projects in schools and other relevant stakeholders which con-tribute to the purpose. In a nutshell, workshops on mapping ESD for Brunei Darussalam with the help of UNESCO personnel are already in the pipeline apart from conducting briefings for principals and headmasters / headmistresses whom we hope could lead and encourage their own schools to engage in the concept of ESD in relevant teaching-learning processes involving teachers and students either through their own teaching or activities in CCA. STEP Centre would monitor the progress of those schools which intend to be involved from time to time so that they can make progress which, I believe, they will succeed in. Indeed, it will be a daunting task for them and ourselves but together we can reach a greater height.
Ms. Graca Machel, former Minister of Education and Culture of Mozambique and currently an
international advocate for women’s and children’s rights giving her keynote speech
Professor Danielle Tilbury, an expert involved in ESD giving a workshop on monitoring and
The National Mathematics Olympiad is an individual academic competition, which consists of two different papers of written power questions in Mathematics. It is opened to lower six students in Year 2009 of Government or Non-Government Schools throughout the country who must not be more than 20 years old by July 2009.
Twenty six students from 7 schools, namely; Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah, maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan, Pusat Tingkatan Enam Meragang, Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman Tutong, sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali Kuala Belait, Jerudong International School (JIS) and International School Brunei (ISB) participated in the NMO.
Paper One was held on 1st April 2009 and Paper Two on 4th April 2009. Both were held at the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre in Jalan Muara. The event was organised by the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, led by Dr Saiful Azmi Hj Awg Husain, a Mathematics Lecturer at the university.
Among the objectives of the NMO are to improve the competence of the students in Mathematics and to motivate pre-university students in developing their intellectual capacity and skills in Mathematics.
A training workshop called The Youth Environment Envoy (YEE) Workshop was held in Singapore from
16th to 21st March 2009. The 4-day workshop was part of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
training programme on environment between the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation
(DEPR), Ministry of Development Brunei Darussalam and the National Environment Agency (NEA),
Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Singapore. STEP Centre was invited to participate and
select the school participants for this purpose. As a result, three Menengah 4 students – Mohd Fazrul
Wafiy bin Musa from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan, Dk Khairunnisa Nazirah Pg Dr Karim
and Fatin Basirah Haji Samli who are both from SM PAP Hajah Masna – were chosen. The delega-
tion from Brunei was led by Awang Yusrein Hady, an Environmental Officer from DEPR and accompa-
nied by Cikgu Lina Hasrina Md Tahir from SM PAP Hajah Masna and myself as a representative from
STEP Centre. A total of 25 participants attended the workshop with the rest being Singaporeans who
were students from polytechnics, lecturers and teachers from Junior Colleges and High Schools plus
several NEA’s own staff. It was held at Quality Hotel located only a few kilometres away from Scotts
Road’s Shopping area.
Brunei delegation attending the Youth Environment Envoy (YEE) Workshop at the airport before leaving for
Singapore
All the workshop participants looking into the progress involved in building a pyramid of sustainability
discussion
The main objectives of the workshop included enhancing the skills of the participants (youths) to become proactive leaders and change agents for championing environmental sustainability agenda in their communities. The YEE workshop also focused on coaching and strengthening their knowledge on environmental issues, improving their public speaking, networking, facilitation and project management abilities. These young environmental ambassadors are hoped to take up the challenge by initiating and implementing meaningful projects that will contribute towards Brunei's environmental sustainability.
The Brunei delegation with the Director of NEA Singapore (centre), Mr Robert Steele, the workshop speaker to his right and also Mr Ng Meng Hiong (a DeputyDirector at NEA) at the
end of the certificate presentation.
Our three students posing with the Director for Semakau Landfill in the department building before a tour of the man-made island just opposite Pulau Bukom oil refinery Singa-
pore.
How did STEP Centre benefit from this workshop? The capacity building served to increase our own capacity in organizing environmental programmes in education (in line with SPN 21) which could be shared through having workshops on appropriate environmental agenda. STEP Centre’s association with DEPR is further strengthened from this as both organisations strive to promote the importance of saving the environment to the people of Brunei Darussalam through our youths: the students. This environmental programme is also in line with the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda for which we at STEP Centre act as co-secretariat, for the National Committee on ESD. With this in mind, STEP Centre will engage further with DEPR on setting future plans. These include the preparation of the National Youth Forum on Environment (planned in June 2009 in conjunction with World Environment Day) which will then lead to ASEAN Youth Forum on Environment to be held later in Brunei Darussalam. There are also plans on setting-up environmental clubs and the likes under the “sustainable schools” agenda. Projects with the community such as recycling, conservation, survey, mentoring of environment champions from primary and secondary schools, organising environmental youth events and other fringe activities could be implemented with proper organisation and guidance. STEP Centre hopes that our young students are encouraged to take on leadership roles in promoting environmental ownership and sustainability in their own schools, homes and communities through creative environmental projects and activities.
Dk Khairunnisa Nazirah Pg Dr.Karim (next to her essay) Fatin Basirah Hj Samli (next to her essay)
In conjunction with the setting up of ‘The Energy Club for Schools’ which was launched on 24th May 2009 during the Energy Day by the Minister of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Science Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre in-collaboration with the Energy Division at the Prime Minister’s Office, organised the ‘Energy Trail’.
Among the objectives of the trail were to inculcate the culture of energy saving through ‘out-door’ activities and to increase students knowledge of the importance of energy saving and issues on environment. There were altogether 15 schools that took part in the event. Each school was represented by two students from Menengah 3. The teams had to complete certain task or answer certain questions at designated 9 stations.
The champion went to Sekolah Menengah Pg Isteri Hajah Mariam, Sekolah Chung Hua Kuala Belait came second and third place went to Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Abu Bakar. Prizes were pre-sented by the Head of Energy Division, Awang Haji Alidi bin Haji Mahmud.
Teams going to one of the nine stations Winning teams receiving their prizes from the Head of Energy Division, Prime Minister’s Office
Teams getting ready before the Trail begins Teams listen to the briefing made by STEP’s Officers
Secondary School Mathematics Olympiad (SSMO) By: Syed Rozman bin Syed Hj Abd Rahim
One hundred and fourteen Year 8 students from government and non-government schools took part in the first nationwide Secondary School Mathematics Olympiad (SSMO) on 5
th March
2009 at two separate venues; Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan for participants from the Brunei-Muara and Temburong districts and at Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman for participants from the Tutong and Belait districts.
The competition aimed to develop the talents and interests of lower secondary school students in the field of mathematics and is an extension of the Primary School Mathematics Olympiad (PSMO).
It caters for Year 8 students whereby the questions are based on numerical operations, algebra, number sequence, geometry, probability and other relevant topics that test a student's intellect, reasoning and creativity process.
Set as one of the initiatives of the Science, Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre, the competition also aims to upgrade the subject of mathematics in the school curriculum towards an international standard, so that teachers will be able to improve their teaching while students, their learning of mathematics and high-order thinking skills.
UPDATE ON PAPER RECYCLING AT STEP By: Nor Erawadi Haji Ibrahim
This is the third update of STEP Centre’s used paper recycling project initiated on 1st February 2008 as our way of exercising environmental awareness for the whole staff and users at the centre. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, STEP Centre aims at striving towards being sustainable and having a recognition status as a “green and energy-efficient building” or achieving “zero carbon emission”. A second collection made from paper waste accumulated between 12th November 2008 to 8th August 2009 (a duration of 10 months) amounted to 259 kg of waste paper “produced” by STEP Centre. The weight increase was exactly double of the previous 10 months. The main reason for this is possibly due to the heavy usage of paper materials especially during the first half of 2009 when STEP Centre organised a number of subject-based national Olympiads which involved a lot of printing of question papers and answer sheets. Certainly unavoidable, this is an interesting observation which needs to be addressed by the officers and staff of the Centre. As stressed in our previous STEP Forward newsletter, we must ensure that no excessive wastage occurs in our Centre.
While we are on the subject of being “Green”, we would like to take the opportunity to inform the readers regarding STEP Centre’s next implementation project which we are going to aptly name GREEN STEPs. Through this initiative, we will try to incorporate all the green activities that STEP is, and has been, actively involved in. This direction will only work with the mutual cooperation of those directly involved especially schools in the country and also support from the other departments within the Ministry of Education and other supporters such as Energy Division at the Prime Minister’s Office, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development and Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad. The Strategic Layout of our GREEN STEPs initiative is very much summarised in the following diagram. We hope that this initiative will be successful and more importantly, remain sustainable for the benefit of our students and Brunei Darussalam as a whole.
KEY: DEPR – Department of Environment, Parks & Recreation, Ministry of Development DRA – Islamic Education Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs. DS – Department of Schools, Ministry of Education PSS – Private Schools’ Section, Ministry of Education
YOUNG PHYSICIST AT THE 2ND NATIONAL PHYSICS OLYMPIAD (NPO)
By: Zulbahri Achee
A total of 32 students from eight different colleges and schools throughout the state took part in the 2nd National Physics Olympiad (NPO) which was held on 2nd April 2009 at The Science Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre. The competition lasted for two hours. The competition was orgasined by the Science Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre and supported by the Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad.
The general objective of the Olympiad was to improve the competence of students in Physics while the specific objectives include the following: • To develop the students’ talents and further interest in Physics. • To enhance understanding for the students of the concepts learnt in schools. • To provide the opportunity for students to explore the applications of Physics. • To motivate students in developing their intellectual capacities and skills in Physics.
Jerudong International School (JIS) student, Nathaniel Ting Han Chien said: "It was a welcome challenge to test myself and see where I stand.” Another JIS student, Haji Muhammad Qawie bin Awang Haji Sabli commented that “Overall, I found this Olympiad very tough and it has given me a few insights on university Physics.”
Teo Fwu Chyi, from Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali, Kuala Belait said, "This competition has really intimidated and motivated me at the same time to study and practise more in Physics in order to do better next time." And he also added “The competition motivates students to work harder and gives a very good idea of how university Physics would be like.”
Gold medal went to Teo Fwu Chyi, from Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali, Supatra Yee Ping Lee of Maktab Duli Pengiran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah grabbed the silver medal while Nathaniel Ting of Jerudong International School won the bronze medal.
The second sketch competition, in conjunction with the Energy Day 2009 was held at the Multi Purpose Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD). Out of thirty teams registered, only ten teams were lucky enough to show their talent on that day. With the theme entitled "Save Energy, Our Responsibility", eight participants from each participat-ing secondary school presented an awareness cum comedy sketch to highlight the spirit of energy conservation. The 10-minute sketch highlighted the importance of adopting the right attitude in educating and raising awareness on energy efficiency and conservation (EEC).
Among the objectives of the competition were to inculcate the culture of energy saving through drama and to give students more confidence to communicate in public and also to nurture to spirit of teamwork and leadership. This competition was jointly organised by the Science Technology and Environment Partnership (STEP) Centre and Energy Division, Prime Minister’s Office.
Prizes were presented by the guest of honour Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Energy Division at the Prime Ministers Office, Hj Ismail POKPS DP Hj Hashim. Maktab Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien (SOAS) emerged as the champion, Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan came as first runner up while Sekolah Menengah Sayiddina Hussain gained third place.
The LEGO® Engineering Conference 2009 was jointly organised by Science Centre Singapore, National University of Singapore, Tufts University Center for Engineering Educational Outreach, LEGO Education (SEA) and Rulang Primary School Zonal Centre of Excellence Robotics. The venue was at Science Centre Singapore and Rulang Primary School Singapore. It was a three-day conference from 16th to18th March 2009. The objectives of the conference are; • To provide a venue for educators to share and present the use of LEGO MINDSTORMS Education
NXT and robotics in education as a tool for teaching and learning not necessarily confined to science and mathematics, as well as using robotics as a tool for creativity and innovation to create products and systems to improve our quality of lives.
• To promote robotics education among existing or new schools which are interested in setting up the
robotics clubs or integrate robotics into their curriculum. • To provide opportunities for students to experience NXT robotics systems. For the introductory workshop, we use the LEGO® Education WeDo to build models, such as a bird. By using the sound sensor, the bird was made to flap its wings as well as make sounds.
LEGO® Education WeDo activity.
The Robotics (NXT) Workshop for Primary School Teachers titled “Lesson Demonstrations” was conducted by Kristen Bethke Wendell from Tufts University Center for Engineering Educational Outreach. In this workshop, we explored how engineering and robotics can bring creativity and ownership to primary students’ science learning. Workshop participants were engaged in two science-through-engineering lessons that use NXT robotics. In the first lesson, we explored the science of sound by building and testing musical instruments with LEGO™ NXT sensors and construction elements. In the second lesson, we explored the science of animal adaptations by creating LEGO™ NXT robotic models of animal behaviours. These lessons included examples of carefully-conceived engineering design challenges that demand science content understanding. By posing these kinds of design challenges to our students, educators can empower them to become 21st century learners of science – learners who ask and answer their own scientific questions in order to solve real-world problems.
Mrs.Wendell also conducted a similar workshop for Secondary Teachers. In this workshop, we explored how engineering and robotics can bring creativity and ownership to secondary students’ science learning. Workshop participants learnt how LEGO™ NXT robotics – digital sensors and computer programming – can transform secondary physical science instruction. We used the data acquisition abilities of the LEGO™ NXT to conduct high school physics investigations that involve the collection and analysis of authentic data. Participants left the workshop with first-hand experience using the NXT toolset to conduct inquiries into scientific phenomena. We can then use this technique to help our secondary physics students learn the 21st skills of defining, investigating, and answering important scientific questions.
Workshop for primary and secondary school students were held concurrently with the teachers’ workshop. There was a competition for each level. Robo-fashion for the primary school pupils and Game Plan fro the secondary schools students. For the Robo-fashion Show, robots demonstrated their costume to music of the team’s choice. Interaction with human players using various sensors was encouraged.
Ready for the competition.
During the competition.
For the Game Plan, students were encour-aged to program an autonomous robot to follow a pathway and to avoid obstacles to reach the destination. [Pictured right]
2009 marked the 5th consecutive year that the STEP Centre has organised this Olympiad. The Secondary School Science Olympiad (SSSO) was held on 3rd March 2009. Two different venues were chosen to cater for a total of 100 students from government and non-government schools. The venues for the competition were Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan for students from Brunei-Muara and Temburong participants and Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman for participants from Belait and Tutong districts.
The format of this year’s competition was the same as last year’s. The students were only given a chance to do their best in the theoretical paper. However the questions were designed to incorporate the idea of practical concept questions. The Olympiad is an academic competition on Science namely; Biology, Chemistry and Physics , and is opened to students of Menengah 4 throughout the country whose age must not exceed 16 years on a given specific date.
The main objective of this olympiad is to improve the competence of the students in Science (particularly Biology, Chemistry and Physics). The top three students received cash money of $200.00, $150.00 and $100.00 respectively besides medals and certificates. 7 students received consolation awards which consisted of medals and certificates of participation.
Inforama 2009 was officially launched on 7th March 2009. “ Realising SPN21 through ICT “ was chosen to be the theme suitable to meet the challenges of the 21st Century National Education System, SPN21. This year marked the 14th year of Inforama since it was first started in 1996.
The objectives of the competition are:
• To expose primary and secondary school students to relevant basic ICT skills which can be applied to their learning process
• To provide students of higher institutions the opportunity to acquire and enhance their ICT skills which are essential in the
current job market.
• To promote the use of ICT among teachers hence contributing to the accomplishment of ICT integration across the
curriculum.
This year, the competitions was divided into 4 levels and categories listed as follows:
Level 1 Categories:
• Creativity with Paint
• Working with Words and Excel
• Presentation using Powerpoint
Level 2
Categories:
• Internet Activity
• Animation
• Photoshop
Level 3
Categories
• Adobe Premier Pro
• Animation Project
• Educational Project
Level 4
Categories
• Education and Training
• Media and Entertainment
The Level 1 competition was opened to all primary schools. Around 100 primary schools participated in this level. 40 secon-dary schools and colleges took part in the Level 2 competition and 22 secondary schools for the Level 3 competition.
This year’s robotech briefing was held on 10th June 2009. The venue was the lecture theatre at Chancellor Hall, Universiti Brunei Darussalam.
There were 89 students and teachers from government and non-government secondary schools and other higher institutions. The briefing was delivered by two facilitators from Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The briefing aimed to introduce robotics to new participating schools as well as its rules and regulation.
Mr Frank Nikols shared on the “Hints and Tips for Robotic Design”, while Mr Ong Wee Hong gave a briefing on “Pointers for the Robotech Games and DASH Free System”. At the end of the session the participants were given the opportunity to ask questions related to the briefing. Unfortunately, this year Robotech Competition was cancelled due to health concern, the Influenza A H1N1 virus.
The National Robocon Contest was held on 13th June 2009. The new Radio Television Brunei building located in Kampung Sungai Akar was selected as the venue for this year event. This year marked the 4th year the national contest was held. Two teams competed for this year’s Robocon competition. The teams were from Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) and Maktab Kejuruteraan Jefri Bolkiah (MKJB). The Guest of Honour, Awang Haji Suhaila bin Hj Abdul Karim, Deputy Permanent Secretary (Higher Education), Ministry of Education, officially launched the competition.
Both teams were given three attempts to accomplish their mission. Maktab Kejuruteraan Jefri Bokliah won the first attempt but Universiti Brunei Darussalam showed a competitive spirit by winning the second and the third attempt. The overall winner, Universiti Brunei Darussalam received cash money of US$1,000.00 (sponsored by ABU) and B$1,000.00 with trophies. The runner-up team, MKJB received B$800.00 with trophies.
The core item of this year’s contest was the Kago, the traditional Japanese palanquin or litter of the pre-modern era. In the olden days, people were often carried in Kago to distant places. The Kago was a basket suspended from a wooden pole, called here the Shoulder Pole. It was carried by two men, one in front and the other behind. Travel in olden times was far from smooth. There were mountains, steep slopes, and sharply winding roads to traverse. The bearers who carried the Kago had to cooperate very closely to reduce the sway and complete the journey safely. The game, Travel Together for the Victory Drums was based on an imaginary journey in the olden days using the Kago palanquin. An Automatic Carrier Robot in the front and a Manual Carrier Robot in the rear had to cooperate to carry an automatic Traveller Robot in a Kago to the goal with the aim of completing the journey before the other team. Various obstacles stood in the way, including a Mountain Pass and Woods. The Kago and Traveller Robot could not be dropped. The Traveller Robot must beat the three Victory Drums when it reached the Goal Zone. The three traditional Japanese drums were arranged vertically on a platform. The team that beat all three drums first would be the winner.
ROBOCON – ROBOT CONTEST 2009 By: Azahan Hj Abd Wahab
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL SCIENCE OLYMPIAD 2009 (PSSO) By Muhd Purat Abdullah Sikut
This year’s Primary School Science Olympiad (PSSO) was held on 2nd March 2009. It took place at two different venues; Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman for students from Tutong and Belait, and Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan for students from Brunei-Muara and Temburong districts.
The format for this year’s competition was similar to last year’s, i.e. theoretical paper which was designed to incorporate the idea of practical concept questions. It is the 7th consecutive year this Olympiad’s organised by STEP Centre supported by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn. Bhd. The objectives were to improve the competence of the students in science, to develop talent and interest in science, and to motivate students to develop their intellectual capacities and skills in science.
Altogether there were 178 students from government schools and 76 students from non-government schools participating this year. The top three winners received cash money, medals and certificates, while the other six students received consolation awards which also included cash money, medals and certificates.
This year, six students were selected to represent Brunei Darussalam in the 6th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad (IMSO) for Primary Schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
The participants sat two sets of papers namely the “Theory Paper” and the “Practical Paper”. Both papers lasted for 5 hours.
The winners would receive diplomas or honorable mentions in accordance with the number of points accumulated as follows: • The contestants who accumulate more than 90% of points receive first prize (diploma). • The contestants who accumulate more then 78% up to 89% receive second prize (diploma). • The contestants who accumulate more than 65% up to 77% receive third prize (diploma). • The contestants who accumulate more than 50% up to 64% receive an honorable mention. • The contestants who accumulate less than 50% of points receive certificates of participation in
the competition. The mentioned marks corresponding to 90%, 78%, 65%, and 50% was calculated by rounding off to the nearest lower integers. The participant who obtained the highest score (Absolute Winner) would receive a special prize and diploma.
APhO stands for the Asian Physics Olympiad. It is currently the premier Physics competition for Asian countries. It is modeled upon the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), and demands a similar level of intellectual capability from the participants. The competitors representing each participating Asian country are expected to be drawn from pre-university or equivalent institutions from the respective Asian countries of age not more than twenty years old. In 1999, the team leader of Indonesia, Dr. Yohanes Surya, together with the president of IPhO, Prof. W. Gorzkowski, undertook to create and organise the first Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) in April 2000 in Indonesia, since then it has become an annual event. The first APhO has attracted participation from 12 Asian countries. Its successful implementation was followed by the second APhO held in Taiwan in April 2001 and the third APhO held in Singapore in 2002. Thailand hosted the fourth APhO in April 2003 and the 10th APhO in April 2009.
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English Language was used as the official language for the competition, but some countries were allowed translation into their native language.
Sitting in a separate cubicle at the Examination Hall for theory and practical papers
A total of 23 students from 7 different schools and colleges throughout the state that offers ‘A’ Level courses sat for the written test that was held at STEP Centre on 31st January 2009. Only 5 students were qualified for the APhO and underwent further training at STEP Centre. The students were: 1. Chan Chung Sun
Maktab Duli Pengriran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah 2. Lim Chea Xin
Maktab Duli Pengriran Muda Al-Muhtadee Billah 3. Haji Muhammad Ayyub bin Haji Kamaludin
Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Ali 4. Haji Muhammad Qawie bin Awang Haji Sabli
Jerudong International School (JIS) 5. Muhammad Nurul Hafiz bin Haji Mohd Yussof
Jerudong International School (JIS)
Training at the Physics Lab, University of Brunei Darussalam (UBD)
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Three officers accompanied the students for the 10th APhO, namely Awang Zulbahri bin Achee, an Education Officer from STEP Centre as Team Leader. Awang Mohd. Khairul Zarifi bin Haji Masri, a Lecturer from University of Brunei Darussalam, as Tutor 1 and Awang Azahar bin Haji Abdul Latib, an Education Officer from PTE Lambak, as Tutor 2.
Receiving a warm welcome from the organiser The three Officers at the Official Opening Ceromony
A total of 15 countries took part at this year’s APhO. Those countries were Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Indonesia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Vietnam. Even with the unstable situation in Bangkok a few days before the APhO, the organiser managed to handle and run the event smoothly. The organiser really took care of the safety, welfare and comfort of all the participants taking part at APhO. The organiser also provide halal food and prayer rooms for Muslim participants.
Our team didn’t get any medal or award at this APhO but Awang Khairul Zarifi, one of the team trainers commented that ‘the team did well even though they didn’t get any medals. Our students did better in the practical papers as compared to our previous participation at the 8th APhO, which was held in Beijing, China’.
THE PRIMARY SCHOOL MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD 2009 (PSMO) By Muhd Purat Abdullah Sikut
This year’s Primary School Mathematics Olympiad was held on 4nd March 2009. It took place at two different venues; Sekolah Menengah Sayyidina Othman for students from Tutong and Belait, and Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan for students from Brunei-Muara and Temburong districts.
Altogether there were 210 students from government schools and 84 students from non-government schools competing in the 4th Primary School Mathematics Olympiad. The format for this year’s competition was similar to last year’s, i.e. it was divided into two sections. Section A consisted of 18 short answer problems and Section B comprised of 6 challenging essay problems. It was a one and the half hour paper.
It is the 4th consecutive year that this olympiad is organised by STEP Centre supported by Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn. Bhd. The objectives were to improve the competence of the students in mathematics, to develop talent and interest in mathematics, and to motivate students to develop their intellectual capacities and skills in mathematics. Top three winners received cash money, medals and certificates. 6 other students received consolation awards which also included cash money, medals and certificates.
This year, six students were selected to represent Brunei Darussalam in the 6th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad for Primary Schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Three other students competed in the International Mathematics Competition in Illiolo, Philippines.
Courtesy visit from New Zealand Officials to STEP Centre
By: Zulbahri Achee
Two officials from New Zealand, Ms Elise Broadbent from the Ministry for Environment and Heidi Mardon from Enviroschools Foundation visited STEP Centre on 30th March 2009. Among the objectives of the visit was to give information on “Enviroschools Foundation’ and ‘Enviroschools’ in New Zealand. The officials also shared their educational projects on environment which they have implemented in their country such as ‘worm farming’, ‘Poster Drawing Competition’ with the theme save our environ-ment and the ‘Nursery Corner’ which uses recycle materials as a nursery place and also providing recycle bins to schools. Apart from that they also discussed the potential of working collaboratively with appropriate agencies in Brunei Darussalam with regards to education and environment. Also present at the functions were officials from Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, Ministry of Development, Department of Schools, Department of Curriculum Development and Unit of International Affairs and Public Relations.
Answers Digits, Word, Expand, Order, Placevalue, Standard, Decimal, Compare
Across Clues
1. all numbers are made from the digits 0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 4. the value of the place a digit has in a number 7. form in which a number is written in a way that shows only its digits
Down Clues
1. point that separates dollar and cents 2. find out something about two numbers 3. put numbers in order from least to greatest 5. form in which a number is written as the sum of the values of its digits 6. form in which a number is written in words
