Last interaction with PPG TESL Sem8 students

Class activity- Forum Group PP Sej 1

This is one of the activity that I did with my PP Sej 1 students for course GEC1033  in practising their speaking skills.

From KBSR to KSSR

From KBSR to KSSR – Why the need for change?

Although there have been changes taking place with the education system these last three years, many parents are not quite aware of these changes and its implication on the education of their children. So, let us ease the confusion once and for all and look at the core differences of the new KSSR system when put against the KBSR.

What do these words mean: KBSR and KSSR?

KBSR stands for Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah while KSSR stands for Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah. KBSR was introduced in 1983 while KSSR is the new system introduced by the Ministry of Education in 2010 and implemented in 2011.

Why the need for change?

The answer in one word: Relevance.

The KSSR was introduced to overcome certain shortcomings within the older system, the KBSR. It is hoped with this new restructured and improved curriculum, our children would have the necessary knowledge, skills and also the values to face and overcome the challengers of the current times. In this fast paced progressive world, what worked very well in 1983 is just not good enough today. The use of technology and people skills for one, are vital tools that needed to be in cooperated into the curriculum to ensure that our children can perform successfully on a global platform. They need to be equipped not only with the necessary knowledge and skills but also with the strength of character and leadership qualities to be successful.

So What Are The Differences between the KBSR and KSSR?

KSSR or ‘Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah’, has one new word in it ‘Standard’. In this new curriculum, there are set standards of learning that our children have to achieve at the different levels of their schooling. This means that when our children complete a particular level of schooling, they are expected to have achieved a preset standard of knowledge, skills and values. At specific times at each level these learning standards will be measured to ensure that no child gets left behind. If a child fails to meet the required standard, the teacher is required to do more revision activities with the child until he or she eventually achieves the required standard.

The new curriculum has also been designed to go beyond acquiring communication skills, self-development and the child’s immediate environment as in the KBSR. It is designed to enhance and embrace the use of science and technology, develop values, understand humanitarian issues and also focus on the child’s physical and aesthetical development. Although the KBSR focused on holistic learning, the current curriculum seeks to go beyond this. The KSSR curriculum uses what is known as a modular-based system. For easy understanding let us look at the teaching and learning of the English Language.

In KSSR, for the primary school, the English Language syllabus is divided into two separate levels. KSSR Level 1 is made up of Year One, Year Two and Year Three while KSSR Level 2 comprises of Year Four, Year Five and Year Six.

For Level 1 the modules taught are:

• Module 1 (Listening and Speaking)
• Module 2 (Reading)
• Module 3 (Speaking)
• Module 4 (Language Arts)

At Level 2, grammar will be added to the four modules taught in Level 1.

Although textbooks are being used in the teaching and learning process, learning is now more accessible with students playing a more important role in their learning. Rote learning is no longer encouraged and with the introduction of Language Arts component in the curriculum, there is now space for interactive actives. These include the use of drama, role-play, debates, language games and songs to make the lessons more meaningful and facilitate the learning of the language. Lessons are more fun and there is also more movement and activities in the process of learning. This element of ‘fun learning’ removes the element of stress and pressure and makes lessons fun while ensuring that language acquisition takes place.

Although the KBSR was student centered, the KSSR seem to be even more focused to make learning fun and meaningful to the young learners. The classroom atmosphere is more relaxed where students are given more room for decision-making and encouraged to voice their opinions. Apart from the 3Ms (reading, writing and counting), the new curriculum has 4Ms, with ‘Reasoning’ added to the original 3Ms. The need for our children to think and reason, of making connections between their actions and consequences is now stressed. There is a shift from rote learning where students simply followed instructions and are overly dependent on teachers. Students are now being taught to be active decision makers and be accountable for their actions.

There also seems to be time allocated for Chinese and Tamil languages within the school timetable to ensure that students need not remain in school for long hours. The new curriculum also appears to be moving away from an exam-oriented system and the streaming of students according to their academic ability is discouraged. In the KSSR, students are encouraged to work together and help each other rather than being focused on competing to being the best. Although academic achievement is important, it is no longer everything. Character development and values are also given prominence.

The long-term objective of the KSSR is to produce individuals who have positive self-image and high self-esteem. With character building emphasized, it is hoped that our children would not only have the adequate knowledge and skills but would also have strong leadership qualities and character to face the challengers of the current scenario.

This article was written by Madam Kalai Lingam. Madam Kalai has 27 years of teaching experience in government secondary school. She opted for early retirement in 2013 to pursue her love of writing, and is currently writing a book. Madam Kalai is well versed in the Malaysian Education system, having been a senior English teacher and school administrator for many years.

Tyler's screen

THE TYLER MODEL

            One of the best known models for curriculum development with special attention to the planning phases is shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1. Tyler’s Model

Sources		Sources		Sources
Student		Society		Subject

Tentative general objectives

           

Screen Philosophy of Education

Screen Psychology of Learning

Precise Instructional Objective

            Figure 2. Tyler’s model (expanded from Figure 1)

Selection of learning experiences

 

Organization of learning experiences

Direction of learning experiences

Evaluation of learning experiences

            It proposed a comprehensive model for curriculum development. The first part of this model: the selection of objectives receives the greatest attention from other educators. Tyler recommended that curriculum planners identify general objectives by gathering data from the sources: the learners, contemporary life outside the school, and the subject matter. The numerous general objectives are refined by filtering them through two screens: (1) educational and social philosophy of the school and (2) the psychology of learning and become specific instructional objectives.

            In describing general objectives Tyler referred them as “goals”, “educational objectives”, and “educational purposes”. He further stated that the curriculum worker must begin analyzing data relevant to student needs and interest. These are educational, social, occupational, physical, psychological and recreational. He recommended observations by teachers, interviews with students, interviews with parents, questionnaires and tests as techniques for collecting data about students. By examining these needs, the curriculum developer identifies a set of potential objectives.

            The next step in the process of general objectives is the analysis of contemporary life in both the local community and the society. From the needs of society flow many potential educational objectives.

            For the source the curriculum planner turns to the subject matter, the disciplines themselves. From the three aforementioned sources, curriculum planners derived a multiplicity of general or broad objectives. Once this array of possible objectives is determined, a screening process is necessary to eliminate unnecessary and unimportant and contradictory objectives. Tyler advises the use of the schools educational and social philosophy as the first screen of these goals.

            In Philosophical screen Tyler advise teachers of a particular schools to formulate educational and social philosophy and to outline values by emphasizing four democratic goals:

·         the recognition of every individual as a  human being regardless of his race,                       national, social and economic status;

·         opportunity for wide participation in all phases of activities in the social groups in the society;

·         encouragement of variability rather than demanding a single type of personality;

·         faith and intelligence as a method of dealing with important problems rather than depending upon the authority of an autocratic or aristocratic group.

In the Psychological screen, the teachers must clarify the principles of learning that they believed to be sound. “A psychology of learning as emphasized by Tyler not only includes specific and definite findings but it unified formulation of theory of learning which helps to outline the nature of the learning process, how it takes place, under what conditions, what sort of mechanism operate and the like.” Tyler explains the significance of the psychological screen in the following statements:

·         Knowledge in the psychology of learning enables us to distinguish changes in human beings that can be expected to result from a learning process from those that can not.

·         A knowledge in the psychology of learning enables us to distinguish goals that are feasible from those that are likely to take a very long time or are almost impossible of attainment at the age level contemplated.

·         Psychology of learning gives us some idea of the length of time required to attain an objective and the age levels at which the effort is most efficiently employed.

In Fig. 2 Tyler’s model describes three more steps in curriculum planning: selection, organization, and evaluation of learning experiences. He defined learning experiences as “the interaction between the learner and the external conditions in the environment to which he can react”. And teachers must give attention to learning experiences in order to:

a)      develop skill in thinking

b)      helpful in acquiring information

c)      helpful in developing social attitude

d)     helpful in developing interest

Tyler, Taba and Oliva

THE TYLER MODEL
• The Tyler Model is:
○ one of the best known models for curriculum
development.
○ known for the special attention it gives to the
planning phases.
○ deductive for it proceeds from the general
(examining the needs of society, for example) to
the specific (specifying instructional objectives).
• Tyler recommends that curriculum planners
identify general objectives by gathering data from
three sources:
○ the learners
○ contemporary life outside the school
○ subject matter.
• After identifying numerous general objectives, the
planners refine them by filtering them through
two screens:
○ the philosophical screen
○ the psychological screen

In the Tyler Model, the general objectives that
successfully pass through the two screens
become what are now popularly known as
instructional objectives.

THE TABA MODEL

• Hilda Taba believed that the curriculum should be
designed by the teachers rather than handed down
by higher authority.
• Further, she felt that teachers should begin the
process by creating specific teaching-learning units
for their students in their schools rather than by
engaging initially in creating a general curriculum
design.
• Taba advocated an inductive approach to
curriculum development.
• In the inductive approach, curriculum workers
start with the specifics and build up to a general
design as opposed to the more traditional
deductive approach of starting with the general
design and working down to the specifics.

THE OLIVA MODEL
• The Oliva Model is a deductive model that offers a
faculty a process for the complete development of
a school’s curriculum.
• Oliva recognized the needs of students in particular
communities are not always the same as the
general needs of students throughout our society.

In the Oliva Model a faculty can fashion a plan:
• for the curriculum of an area and design ways in
which it will be carried out through instruction
• to develop school-wide interdisciplinary programs
that cut across areas of specialization such as
career education, guidance, and class activities.
• for a faculty to focus on the curricular components
of the model to make programmatic decisions.
• to allow a faculty to concentrate on the
instructional components.

CONSIDERATIONS
Curriculum Planners might agree that the model
should show the following:
• major components of the process, including stages
of planning, implementation, and evaluation
• customary but not inflexible “beginning” and
“ending” points
• the relationship between curriculum and instruction
• distinctions between curriculum and instructional
goals and objectives
• reciprocal relationships among components

• Continued:
○ a cyclical pattern
○ feedback lines
○ the possibility of entry at any point in the cycle
○ an internal consistency and logic
○ enough simplicity to be intelligible and feasible
○components in the form of a diagram or chart

A FINAL THOUGHT:
• Those who take leadership in curriculum
development should become familiar with various
models and try them out. In doing so, they can
select or develop a model that is most
understandable and feasible for them and for the
persons with whom they are working.

Development of Malaysia curriculum

Philosophies That Shape Malaysian Education Education Essay

Education in Malaysia is an on going effort towards further developing the potential of individuals in a

holistic and integrated manner, in order to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically, balanced and harmoniously, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving a high level of personal well being to contribute to the betterment of the nation, family and society.

Based on the NPE above,

The Importance of NPE National Curriculum

Curriculum is the planned and guided learning experiences and intended learning outcomes, formulated through the systematic reconstruction of knowledge and experiences, under the auspices of the school, for the learners’ continous and willful growth in personal social competence.School curriculum implies as a series of planned events to have pedagogical effects towards the students. The educational goal also will be achieved as the school curriculum is well planned and regulated by the school.Besides, the curriculum made is to guide and lead the school learning activities and usually it is represented in specific documents. The reflection of those curriculum usually is implies to actualize it in the classroom for the learners to experience and lay down by the observer.The

learning environment also influence the learners for what they have learnt.

KLSR, KBSR AND KSSR

Education system in Malaysia has changed a lot after several years of Independence Day. Basically, school curriculum is based on Education Act 1961 that was formed from Rahman Talib Report 1960. As we know, Razak Report 1956 was suited in system of education by Rahman Talib 1960 and after that become as Education Act1961. Kurikulum Lama Sekolah Rendah (KLSR) was the first curriculum that is being implemented in primary school.

The education system focused more on eradication of literacy among students as reading is very important at this phase. In addition, all students must pass Bahasa Melayu subject in public examination. For instances, Peperiksaan Malayan Secondary School Entrance Examination (MSSEE),Ujian Penilaian Darjah Lima, SRP dan MCE. The assesments for the students was started since they are in standard 3. Unfortunately, KLSR was repealed and has been replaced by Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) later change to Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah for some reasons.Firstly, the syllabus contents were sometimes repeated and there was no links between the subjects and the next year of learning. The process of learning and teaching were just

based on textbooks. Hence, it limits the teachers’ creativity and teaching techniques that are more interesting and effective.Besides, the syllabus was too heavy and it made students feel burdened and boring.

There are several important objectives need to be achieved on this new curriculum. KBSR emphasize the students to master and appreciate the Malay language as the National language as well as a tool for solidarity.Besides, this curriculum also stress on the three major skills in learning which are Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.It also focuses on the development of the individual wholly which includes the physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and social.KBSR principles bring on the student-centered teaching, the diversity of activities and involvement of all students in the activity among themselves. Besides, KBSR students are more efficient and independent compared to KLSR students. Nevertheless, there are some drawback regarding this curriculum.

Some principles of KBSR were not implemented effectively in the process of learning and teaching. Thus, the learning process that occurs in the classroom is more towards preparing students for the examination, not of imparting knowledge, skills and values necessary as required by the curriculum.

Now, the curriculum that exist and replacing KBSR is Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR). This curriculum was implemented in all primary school since 2010 with some phases and stages. It has 8 major elements that are stress on like time management and pedagogy. Besides, there are also additional elements in KSSR which are creative and innovative, entrepreneurship and ICT. These are because to focus the students more on creative thinking and fully occupied with holistic development of ‘modal insan’.

In conclusion, reformation of school curriculum must be relevant to the needs of global and local education system. The perfect and effective ways of implementing the curriculum will give a huge impact on the future generations.

Stages of Curriculum Design

The Stages of Curriculum Design

Curriculum designing is a systematic process and every stage needs to be followed sequentially. Taba's outline  of the steps which a course designer must work through to develop subject matter courses has become the foundation for many other writers' suggestions. Her list of 'curriculum processes' includes the following:

Step 1. Diagnosis of needs

Step 2. Formulation of objectives 

Step 3. Selection of content

Step 4. Organization of content

Step 5. Selection of learning experiences

Step 6. Organization of learning experiences

Step 7. Determination of what to evaluate, and the means to evaluate

Cited in Yordanova Svetlana, 2000

According to Long & Richards [quoted by Johnson, 1989: IX] language curriculum design is regarded as a decision - making process and involves:

Policy making.

Needs assessment.

Design and development.

Teacher preparation and development.

Programme management and evaluation.

a) Policy making

Based on the information collected about learner's , educational objectives and strategies have to constructed.

According to Breen (1980) -"The communicative curriculum defines language learning as learning how to communicate as a member of a particular socio-cultural group. The social conventions governing language form and behavior within the group are, therefore, central to the process of language learning." For Nunan [1994] the aim of communicative language learning is achieving language proficiency based on the development of the four macro skills. The level of language proficiency therefore ,vary for different groups of learners and will depend on learners' needs.

Thus this a crucial stage of curriculum development as it spells out the scope of the curriculum as well as the strategy to be used for curriculum design and implementation.

b) Needs assessment

On the basis of the identified aim it is possible to make an analysis of the learners' both linguistic needs (expressed in structures or functions) and communicative needs expressed in communication situations. 

c) Curriculum design

With the aims of the curriculum identified and the needs of the learners analyzed, the specific learning goals can laid for the different levels of the course (year/term). These learning objectives can be categorized as follows:

Product objective- specifying the learners' target language proficiency and performance.

Process or pedagogic objectives- specifying the the learning process and methodology that shall be adopted to the learning outcomes.

While deciding the learning framework the following are usually ascertained:

Objectives or what is intended.

Means or what is to be done to achieve the objectives planned.

The results or evaluation of what is achieved.

It is important that there is a logical relationship between the ends and the means. If there is a gap or discrepancy between the objectives and the process adopted in the classroom language curriculum would fail to achieve the desired result. It is this problem that constantly challenges language planners and often results in failure of many well-conceived curriculum.

Just as there are product and process objectives there are product-oriented (summative evaluation) and/or process-oriented (formative evaluation) approaches to evaluation [Weir & Roberts, 1994]. Evaluation usually attempts to compare current performance with desired performance by means of testing. The evaluation can be quantitative (based on quantitative criteria) and/or qualitative (based on qualitative criteria). Sometimes a mix of both may also be adopted to obtain valid findings.

d) Teacher preparation and development

Teachers are a vital part of the jigsaw puzzle of curriculum development and the curriculum designing process would be incomplete without their active involvement during development and implementation stages. Moreover, they are the ones who experience the curriculum in the class and their inputs are invaluable in subsequent curriculum improvements and innovation.