Archive for KSSR

KSSR The New Schools Curriculum.

First and foremost, the MOE welcomes and appreciates the comments by the writer with regard to the new school curriculum and the issue which surround it. The national school curriculum is designed based on the principles inherent in the National Philosophy of Education with the aim towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Towards this aim, relevent initiatives are in place to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of acheiving high Stage of personal well-being as well being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large. The Standards-based Primary School Curriculum (KSSR in Bahasa Malaysia) will be implemented in stages starting in 2011 to replace the Integrated Primary School Curriculum (KBSR in Bahasa Malaysia). The implementation of KSSR brings about certain changes to the curriculum content and practices in the primary school system. The remodelling of curriculum content through the introduction of new subjects, emphases on sound pedagogical approaches and holistic assessment menthods are among the initiatives outlined ini KSSR. In line with the NKRA for the Ministry, the curriculum for Stage I primary schooling emphasizes the mastery of the basic 3Rs, reasoning skills, basic ICT, the development of socio-emotional, spritual, physical, cognitive, attitudes and values. The discipline of knowledge is categorized into 3 main modules; the core basic module the core thematic module and the elective module. The core basic module contains 6 subject which are Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese or Tamil (only for Vernacular Schools), Mathematics, Islamic Education (for Muslim pupils) or Moral Education (for non-muslim pupils) and Physical Education. The core thematic module contains 3 subjects which are Arts and Me, World of Science and Technology and Malaysia Negaraku. The Elective Module contains language subjects such as Chinese, Tamil, Arabic, Iban, Kadazandusun or Semai which schools can choose to offer. At stage II Primary school, the curriculum emphasizes strengthening and applying the 3Rs, basic ICT skills, development of socio-emotional, spiritual, physical, cognitive, attitudes and values. Content knowledge is presented through 9 subjects. Core subjects such as

Bahasa Malaysia, English, Chinese and Tamil (for vernacular schools), Mathematic, Science, Islamic Education, Moral Education, Physical Education and Health Education are retained. However, some subject are redesigned either by combining two or more disciplines of knowledge into one subject. Subject such as Living Skills, Civics and Citizenship Education and Local Studies are replaced by new subjects. The new subjects are Design and Technology / Information and Communication Technology, Visual Arts and

Music and History / Malaysia Negaraku. The KSSR requires teachers to apply classroom strategies which promote creative and critical thinking and innovation among pupils. Teachers need to carry out teaching and learning activities which are student-centred, provide opportunities for pupils to explore and test their hypotheses and ideas, solve problem and most importantly provide a fun learning environment. Classroom practices such as inquiry-based, problem-based and project-based are some recommended strategies which promote critical and creative thinking and innovation among pupils. Teachers need to be sensitive to students learning needs and be able to indentify learning styles which suits them best. The KSSR proposes the implementation of schools-based assessments to guage students potentials and the effectiveness of the teaching and learning process in the classroom. This formative assessment will inform teachers on suitable remedial or enhancement treatments for pupils. It will also help teachers indentify and plan salient and effective classroom strategies.
Posted by EduInfoMania on May 8, 2012 at 3:15 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Books In BM Due To KSSR Curriculum

A RECENT StarEducation letter under the heading Why are books in BM? has raised some concerns and the Education Ministry would like to clarify the matter. The Ministry acknowledges that the switch in the medium of instruction for the teaching of Mathematics and Science from English to Bahasa Malaysia (better known by its Malay acronym PPSMI), was to be done in stages and completed by 2012. However, the Ministry had recently come up with the MBMMBI ( Memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia dan Memperkukuhkan Penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris), a policy which aims to uphold Bahasa Malaysia and strengthen the English Language. It is also to ensure that the national primary school curriculum is in line with the Government Transformation Programme. An evaluation was recently carried out following which improvements were made to the KBSR (Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah), which in turn resulted in the development of KSSR (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah). KSSR will replace KBSR in stages starting with Year One students this year (2011). The KSSR will comply with the ministrys recent policies including the MBMMBI.

This means the development of all subjects under the KSSR other than English must be in Bahasa Malaysia since the latter is the medium of instruction.

The Ministry has carried out relevant training to expose primary school teachers to successfully and meaningfully impart the improved contents, required skills and expected values inherent in the KSSR. The initiatives carried out are aimed at informing teachers, parents and other associated stakeholders of the changes which are taking place in the field of education, particularly primary school education in Malaysia. The implementation of KSSR is a progressive and bold initiative by the Ministry to address the shortcomings in the KBSR. It is also aimed at preparing the future generation for the challenges ahead. Posted by EduInfoMania on May 8, 2012 at 3:10 pm | Comments & Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

KSSR The Ideal And The Reality

Education director-general Tan Sri Alimuddin Mohd Dom issued an order on 14 October 2010 that, the Education Ministry would formally launch the KSSR (Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah) for all primary one students in 2011. This means that from 2011, primary one students school syllabuses and class atten dance will differ from their elder brothers and sisters. Their class time of 1,380 minutes will also be 120 minutes less than the 1,500 minutes class time of their elder siblings. The school bus industry has earlier indicated that it would not send the primary one students who will be dismissed from school earlier than other students, home early. So schools have begun to look for strategies to fill the extra 120 minutes. School must balance the arrangement of these four periods of class, as it should not increase the students academic pressure. It is best if it could meet the needs of KSSR interactive and fun teaching objectives.

Under the new program, the number of Malay periods in Chinese primary schools has increased to 10. This was set with the aim of consolidating the national language policy. Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has guaranteed that only bilingual teachers who know both the Chinese and Malay languages will be sent to teach Malay to primary one students in Chinese primary schools. And that the order will be issued before the semester begins. It is hoped that all Chinese primary

schools will have sufficient number of bilingual teachers, so that the students can commence classes successfully. Furthermore with the cancellation of the policy to teach Mathematics and Science in the English language, the number of Mathematics periods have reduced from the original 10 (six periods teaching in Chinese language, four periods teaching in English) to six. All teaching will be done in Chinese. English periods will be raised from the original two to five; this is in line with the will of the Chinese community. However, Malaysia still seriously lacks English teachers. The main reason for the increase in English periods is to strengthen the grasp of the English language, and to improve the standard of English in the new generation. To achieve this goal, the standard of English teachers must also be improved. It is time for the Education Ministry to plan for the training of more teachers, to address the problem of shortage of English teachers. From my friends who are teaching staff, I realised that their feelings on KSSR are that a lot of paperwork is involved, directly increasing the burden on teachers. Teachers often find themselves short of time to teach and to do paperwork at the same time; and the calls to the Ministry to reduce the workload of teachers have never ceased. Under the KSSR program, teachers need more time to interact with students, yet the paperwork has increased rather than decreased. People find it hard to understand the rationale indeed. Teachers also face the problem of how to do internal assessment. Many teachers feel lost on the evaluation criteria even after the briefing, and are also not clear on how to complete the evaluation forms. It is understood that there are specific instructions for each skill for the languages, but there is none for Science. The learning benchmark for KSSR is 100% and teachers must ensure that every student meet the standard. This has also given teachers a lot of pressure. When teachers asked questions about assessment at the briefing, they were given the answer go back to discuss with the school, the decision on how to assess is by the school. The KSSR is a new program that people look forward to, as it aspires to give students a fun learning environment and get rid of the practice of cramming to learn, through the injection of creativity and innovative thinking in the curriculum. But the response from the teachers seems to convey that there are gaps between the ideal and the reality, and that the goal of educational transformation is not easily reached.