SERI - Think Tank for The State of Penang :: PACE 2006 Second Series (3 Sept

PACE 2006 Second Series (3 Sept - 12 Nov 2006)

Time and Date : Every Sunday, from 3rd September - 12 November 2006

Venue: Seminar Room 1, Penang Caring Society Complex, Scotland Road

Entrance is FREE!

Schedule of Talks

Date/Time/Venue	Topic	Speaker
September 3 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Help Your Child Learn Mathematics at Home The aim of this talk is to alert parents to the importance of helping children to begin learning mathematics from an early age in the home. Starting from an overview of how maths learning starts in young children, the speaker will explain how parents can expose their children to experiences in everyday life situations in the home that will help them to learn essential mathematical skills.	Dr. Ida Karnasih Senior Lecturer in Mathematics Education, State University of Medan Indonesia; Maths Specialist, Training Programme Division SEAMEO RECSAM; has trained teachers, lecturers, trainers, parents & conducted research in teaching & learning mathematics at different levels.
September 10 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Malaysia Through My Eyes The speaker who has lived in 6 countries & travelled to every state in Malaysia, except Sarawak, shares his images & insights on the people, culture & arts of Malaysia & his personal perspective on what makes Malaysia a truly unique experience.	Mr. Jeremy Rizal S. Founder of EJRS.COM; has been designing websites since Feb 2002; actively involved in promoting Malaysia through articles & photos contributed by people around the world with a love for Malaysia & all things Malaysian.
September 17 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	A Walk along the South Tip of the Cloud – Yunnan Home to over 20 ethnic minority groups, Yunnan possesses the most diverse culture & heritage trails among all the provinces in China. In this illustrated talk, the speaker will bring before you the people, streets & alleys of the ancient cities of Dali & Lijiang, the legendary Shangri-la, the tranquil snow mountains from afar & the breathtaking frozen waterfall – glacier that runs under your feet.	Mr. Chua Hang Kuen Programme Coordinator at Socio-economic & Environmental Research Institute; one of his enthusiasms is backpacking in Asian countries with cultural & heritage significance.
September 24 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	The Quest to Mount. Everest The speaker shares experiences from his recent expedition to Mount Everest - from preparation, to different stages of the ascent, & the risks & dangers of scaling the summit of the world’s highest mountain. Participants will be shown a video presentation specially developed to document the journey. There will also be a mini exhibition of photographs of the mountain & the expedition.	Dato’ Vincent Loh Khee Lian Executive Chairman & CEO of LKT Industrial Bhd.; an avid sportsman with a love for nature & challenges, he has participated in marathons around the world & is the first Malaysian CEO to summit Mount Everest..
October 1 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Live To Learn, Learn To Live Our hopes of health, wealth and happiness depend on learning, our own and that of others. The ancient world relied on religion for answers to all important questions and the modern world looked to politics for solutions. But, in the post-modern world of today and tomorrow it is learning that provides the key to prosperity. Life long learning and learning throughout life is our best hope for a caring, secure, productive and peaceful society. This lecture is about the ways in which we can continue to be learners throughout our lives.	Dato’ Professor Emeritus Gajaraj Dhanarajan Vice-chancellor &CEO, Wawasan Open University; former President and CEO of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL); Emeritus Professor, Open University of Hongkong which he helped transform into a leading provider of open learning; a leading expert who has contributed to developing distance education systems in many countries in Africa & the Asia Pacific region.
October 8 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Botanic Gardens : Past, Present, Future This talk will be illustrated with slides of Botanic Gardens from around the world to show how they have changed over the years. From recreational areas for royalty & aristocracy, repositories of medicinal plants of temples & monasteries, centres for collections of economically useful plants for colonial countries in the past, they now serve as public parks, tourist attractions, botanical institutions & horticulture centres. In the future, they will play an important role in the conservation of plants, especially endangered species.	Dato' Dr. Leong Yueh Kwong Former lecturer in botany & ecology, Universiti Sains Malaysia; has been visiting botanical gardens around the world; currently involved in plans to expand & upgrade the Penang Botanic Gardens.
October 15 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Foreign Direct Investment in Malaysia: Magnitude, Patterns & Impact For most developing countries, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is a source of economic development, income growth & employment., promoting technology transfers, human capital formation, productivity & the integration of international trade. In Malaysia, FDI has played a significant role in economic development since the British colonial period. This talk will discuss the profile, characteristics & patterns of FDI in Malaysia as well as assess both its macro- & micro-economic impacts.	Professor Lai Yew Wah Dean of the School of Business Studies, Wawasan Open University.
October 22	Deepavali
October 29	Hari Raya Puasa
November 5 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Learning at a Distance: What? Why? How? Technological advances have revolutionised the teaching-learning process - bridging separations & enabling people to learn from the comfort of their own space without the physical presence of the teacher. Today, learners have greater flexibility in determining the time, place & pace of learning. This talk provides an overview of what is distance education, elucidates why by explaining its guiding principles with examples from renowned distance education institutions and offers tips on how to be a successful distance learner.	Professor Cheah Kooi Guan Dean of the School of Foundation Studies, Wawasan Open University.
November 12 2.30-4.30 pm Penang Caring Society Complex Seminar Room	Mathematically Yours! Many people associate Mathematics with tedious computations, confusing procedures & intimidating equations. But, in fact, it is a powerful tool that can help us understand the underlying patterns of daily life. This talk aims to demystify misconceptions about mathematics & introduce an interesting day-to-day approach. The speaker will show how mathematics can be applied in all kinds of enjoyable &interesting ways in various aspects of our daily life.	Mr. Jerome A. Chavez Mathematics Education Specialist, Training Programme Division of SEAMEO RECSAM; extensive experience as mathematics educator at national &international levels; publications include conference papers as well as educational materials for the classroom.

For more information, call PACE at (04) 2278611, Tuesday – Thursday 10am – 1pm

PACE thanks SEAMEO-RECSAM & WAWASAN OPEN UNIVERSITY for their participation in this series.

SEAMEO-RECSAM (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization-Regional Centre for Education in Science and Mathematics), established in May 1967 to nurture & enhance the quality of science, mathematics and technology education in SEAMEO Member Countries of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Dedicated to the development of educational manpower, RECSAM plays the role of catalyst for the advancement of science, mathematics and technology education at the primary and secondary school levels among its Member Countries.
Website: http://www.seameo.org E-mail: director@recsam.edu.my Tel: 04-658 3266/7 Fax: 04-657 2541

Wawasan Open University, Malaysia’s first private not-for-profit open learning university, aims to provide new opportunities for higher learning to working adults. A people’s university, it offers a flexible, self-paced learning environment, specially designed for the convenience and accessibility of adult learners, at costs more people can afford.
Email: enquiry@wou.edu.my or general@wou.edu.my Tel: 04-2273323 Fax: 04-2269323