The Current Curriculum Structure Education Essay

Third is teaching should be learner-centered. Different needs and level of pupils are requiring different types of teaching in learning. Teachers need to suit the different teaching skill to pupils which can approach pupils to learn. So teachers are needed to do some preparation and material before going to English class. The teaching strategy will make sure the pupils to approve their English skill and knowledge. The last is assessment for learning. Continuous assessment is an integral part of learning which enables teachers to assess whether pupils have acquired the learning standards taught. The formative and summative assessments will be used to gain the pupils performance in learning English.

The current curriculum structure and will be implementation on coming years which is School-based Assessment (SBA). According to SBA purpose, this is a process of monitoring, evaluating and implementing plans to finding the strength, weakness, opportunities and treats of the school. Minister and educator are looking for SBA as an education transformation and reformation. It is because this curriculum would be replacing the public examination of UPSR and PMR in coming year. So, this new curriculum structure will be implementation at all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia. SBA curriculum is implementing based on academic component and non-academic component.

This new curriculum SBA is starting to approach in all secondary schools in Malaysia. We know that SBA has adopted coursework and paper work for a few subjects in secondary schools such as History, Geography, Living Skills and Islamic Education for the lower secondary classes and Biology, Chemistry and Physics for the upper secondary classes. Start from 2003, school-based oral assessment for Bahasa Malaysia and English Language are still as compulsory subjects for SPM candidates. It gives all educators, parents, students and the community to improve the school teaching and learning practices. By transferring SBA decisions to schools, Educators will empower in helping students perform better in SBA and observation the learning level of all students.

According to SBA, teachers have to observe all the students and marking based on students’ attitude, learning level and interesting on certain subjects. First, teachers will choose the standard curriculum and subjects that will teach in class. Teachers have to plan and do preparation on every classes and materials to effective the SBA marking. Teachers will do observation on each student and record their performance in every class. The report should be preparing based on the evidence. So teachers could observe all the students and try to increase students’ interesting of every subject. So teacher could be more high effective and high quality in their teaching. Students would also become more interesting and concentrate in their learning and make the high quality in their learning and acquiring.

Weakness of Curriculum development in Malaysia

Ministry of Education is restructure the primary school curriculum from Integrated Curriculum for Primary School (KBSR) to Curriculum for Primary School (KSSR) and started on 2011. Besides, secondary schools also restructure the curriculum from KBSM to KSSM. This restructure program in curriculum are improved the education system in Malaysia. But, there are bring up the weakness of the curriculum in Malaysia. We will talk about the weakness of curriculum. There are three factors that will be the weakness of curriculum in Malaysia.

According KPPK, the statement of standards comprise of content standards and learning standards which need to be achieved by a student in a specific period and level of schooling. The Content and Learning standards are defined as Contents Standards are specific statements on what the students must know and can do, within a specific period of schooling, covering the areas of knowledge, skills and values. Second, Learning Standards are set criteria or indicators of education quality and achievements which can be measured for each content standard.

The restructure and changing curriculum in short period are brings that teachers cannot to be adapt with new curriculum. That is because of they can’t handle all the curriculum and syllabus in a short period. Teachers are trying to handle and understanding the curriculum, but they are not much time for doing preparation in their teaching. So, teachers would not able to achieve the goals and aims from curriculum. When the new curriculum is planned and develop, teachers are felt stressful because they would not able to handle and get further information from Ministry of Education.

Second, teachers are facing a main problem which is lack of training and courses about the current curriculum. Ministry are not able to arrange the briefing and additional information to all teachers. Furthermore, there are lacks of information for teachers to search and find out the answer of the problem. Teachers need to carry out all the curriculum and transfer the knowledge to pupils without any further information and knowledge with the curriculum.

Beside of teachers’ factor, the pupils’ factors also bring up the weakness of curriculum of Malaysia. Pupils are lack of interest in such subjects, for example of the Standard-Based English Language Curriculum. Pupils are not willing to learn more about the other language from their mother tongue. From this curriculum, teachers will provide another teaching skill likes creative teaching skill and provide more English communication in class. It may be a reason that pupils cannot accept and adapt the teaching skill and new syllabus.

Last is school factor. We can be finding out the problem from school culture. For example the school culture does not encourage pupils in reading. So pupils cannot reach on the goals of KSSR which is improving the pupils reading skill. School culture are important in ensure the curriculum can be apply in the certain school. Besides that, principal of school is play a main role in encourage the curriculum move forward and apply to pupils and teachers. We can imagine that if principal does not fully support and apply the latest curriculum, the curriculum would not be fully utilized and benefits to all pupils in Malaysia.

In fact, we have to know about the truth that if teachers possess low levels of knowledge in SBA assessment, it would nor able to help students to improve their learning and acquiring knowledge from the teaching. So, it will lead the teachers feel frustrated and consequently might not present a good and efficiency teaching and assessment in SBA. If efforts are not made to investigate and to improve the best practices of teachers in SBA, the noble aspirations that the Education Ministry hopes to achieve with the implementation of the SBAs may not be fulfilled. According to Rohizani Yaakub & Norlida Ahmad (2003), improving best practices of teachers in testing and assessment should be an important objective in order to improve the levels of their teachers’ knowledge in SBA.

RECOMMENDATION

To improve with the curriculum and education system in Malaysia, curriculum reports not more like statements, but it should be a specific curriculum report. After implementation of latest curriculum, Ministry of Education should be release reports to the public on the steps taken and what have been implemented and achieved. The review is very important for curriculum development to increase the quality of Malaysia education system, so that can do the best and be more competitive in global race.

Teachers are important person who implementing of the curriculum. Teachers are under the ministry’s system are currently appointed by the Education Services Commission. It is intended to improve the quality of teachers and ministry should be give more training and courses to them. So teachers can be exposure with the curriculum knowledge and information. Ministry need to solve the teachers shortage problem, because these shortage always be an issue. If the shortage gap is quite big, it will be a problem in implementation of curriculum.

SBA is a good assessment of current curriculum in Malaysia structure. But it is because many of teachers are haven’t receive and attend any training course for those assessment implement. So Ministry of Education should provide and lead the teachers would accept this new and reform education plan. Besides that educators also have to spread the information to all parents and community. This action would lead parent involvement in implementation of SBA when parents can accept there is no examination in school and declare of public examination. Parent involvement will help teachers in teaching and giving support in teaching and learning. So teachers would not feel too stressful and difficult in this assessment. Collaboration of teachers, parents and community are important in curriculum successful in future. Ministry must appreciate that parents and community involvement in increasing the high quality teaching and learning.

Implementation of a new or restructure curriculum, Ministry of Education need to do more research and preparation. Time is important to allow Ministry of Education, teachers and pupils to implement and adapt a curriculum. Every curriculum should be developed by step by step and doing in well.

CONCLUSION

The Malaysian school curriculum provides the necessary framework in shaping the development and implementation of the education system. The relevant policy documents have highlighted the manner in which the educations needs of the respective categories of school going children should be administered. The role of Ministry of Education (MOE) is quite important in providing the leadership in enhancing the school curriculum as it serves as a tool for uniting and developing the aspiration of the people. Having a well structured school curriculum generally provides stakeholders and practitioners in the education sector a framework for managing education system smoothly.

To ensure effective implementation of the curriculum, there is a need for careful planning in all aspects. Schools and most especially the teachers should be acquainted with the national philosophy of education and to work with the support of the public in addressing educational or relevant curriculum issues.