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Charles Chew - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Title Curriculum reforms in a changing education system: A case of a physics curriculum package in Singapore A CASE STUDY OF CURRICULUM REFORMS IN A CHANGING EDUCATION SYSTEM: A CASE OF A PHYSICS CURRICULUM PACKAGE IN SINGAPORE A CASE STUDY OF EVOLUTION O
2020Co-Authors: Charles Chew, Ming Kheng, Ho Boon, Tiong Source, Boon TiongAbstract:ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the design of a Physics curriculum package that is currently in use in a significant number of Singapore secondary schools. It traces the evolution of the Singapore Education System from the survival-driven phase to the efficiency-driven phase (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to the current ability-driven education phase. The impact of these changes in the evolution of the Singapore Education System on curriculum planning and development from the predominantly social reconstructionist conception of curriculum to the academic rationalist, humanistic and cognitive conceptions will be discussed. The Physics curriculum package being examined is designed to infuse the three major educational initiatives, namely, Information Technology, National Education and Thinking launched in 1997. Of special mention in the package is the incorporation of the 'edutainment' framework into the disciplinary-knowledge approach used in the design EVOLUTION OF THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Singapore is located between latitudes 1°09'N and 1°29'N and longitudes 103°36'E and 104°25'E, approximately 137 kilometres north of the Equator. It is a small country with a land area of 647.5 km 2. (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/Land/land.htm) and as of June 1999, its multi-racial population was about 3.2 million people, of which 77% were Chinese, 14% were Malays, 8% were Indians and 1% were other minority races (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/People/popula.htm). It gained self-rule in 1959 and independence in 1965. Since independence, the government of Singapore has made it clear that its approach to education would be in terms of the political, social and economic needs of the country Phase 2: Efficiency-Driven Education (1979 -1990) As Singapore became more affluent, the education system entered a new phase of development, characterised by efforts to rectify deficiencies in the system as well as to fine-tune the system to meet national goals and the varied individual needs of students within the system. In 1979, a review committee chaired by Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then deputy Prime Minister who also assumed the concurrent post of Minister of Education in the same year, identified two major deficiencies in the system; namely, the ineffective bilingual policy and the problem of high education wastage in the system. In the wake of the Goh Report (1979), the New Education System (NES) was introduced in February 1979 with reforms in four broad areas; namely, the structure, the curriculum, the organisation and procedure within the Education Ministry and the management of schools The focus on ability-based streaming formed the backbone of the new structure. Greater autonomy for schools and the provision of quality curriculum packages led to the setting up of a centralised curriculum development institute in 1980 known as the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS). Curriculum had progressed beyond the social reconstructionist conception towards both academic rationalist conception and to a lesser extent the humanistic conception. THREE RECENT MAJOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES 1997 can be viewed as a watershed year in the history of the education system in Singapore. To prepare the young for the 21 st century with its knowledge-based economy driven by the twin forces of globalisation and the breakneck speed of advancement in Information Technology, three major educational initiatives were launched. On 28 April 1997, the Masterplan for Information Technology (IT) in Education was launched by the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, with the underlying philosophy that IT-based teaching and learning strategies would facilitate the development of skills required for the future workforce (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01597.htm). To develop national cohesion and to cultivate the instincts for survival and confidence in the future, National Education, also known as citizenship education was launched on 17 May 1997 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01797.htm). The Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong in a speech to the 7 th International Conference on Thinking on 2 June 1997 held in Singapore, launched his vision for meeting the challenges of the 21 st century. (http://www.moe.edu.sg/abtmoe/pa/contact/vol10/pers.htm). This vision is encapsulated in four words, "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" (TSLN). The Prime Minister emphasised that the concept of Thinking Schools is central to this vision. In his own words, the Prime Minister said: THINKING SCHOOLS will also redefine the role of teachers. Every school must be a model learning organisation. Teachers and Principals will constantly look out for new ideas and practices, and continuously refresh their own knowledge. Teaching will itself be a learning profession, like any other knowledge-based profession of the future. We will take this into account in reviewing our school curriculum [italics added]. Teachers must be given time to reflect, learn and keep up-to-date. Then teachers will be able to make the textbooks and the Internet relevant to their students [italics added], relating what is learnt to current events and issues. In response to the Prime Minister's vision of TSLN, an inaugural workplan seminar on "Education in SchoolsDeveloping Thinking Schools" was launched on Saturday, 5th September 1998. At the workplan seminar, the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, challenged the educationists and policy planners to adopt an abilitydriven strategic approach in policy planning and practice. He pointed out that the focus in the ability-driven education is on the development and maximal harnessing of the pupils' different talents and abilities. (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1998/5sep98.htm). Critical reviews were undertaken by many practitioners from a wide cross-section of the educational institutions to see how best the current education system can be modified or refined to achieve the TSLN vision. One of the significant outcomes of the reviews was in the content reduction of the curriculum to free time for the inclusion of new formal and informal curriculum components such as the Thinking Programme, IT-based teaching and learning, National Education and Project Work. Of special interest is project work whose aim is to foster qualities such as curiosity, creativity and enterprise, nurture critical skills for the information age, cultivate habits of self-directed enquiry, and encourage students to explore the inter-relationships of subject-specific knowledge (Ministry of Education, 1999Education, /2000. Walker's (1990) definition of curriculum as "the content and purpose of an educational program together with their organization" fits in closely to the curriculum found in the Singapore Education System (p.5). In 1996, there was a reorganisation in Ministry of Education and one of the major changes was the merging of the Curriculum Planning Division (CPD) with the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) to form the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD). A significant number of curriculum writers from CDIS were also transferred to the newly-formed Educational Technology Division (ETD) to reflect the growing importance of IT in Education. CURRENT CURRICULUM PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT IN THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Within the framework of Singapore's education policy, the CPDD mission is to provide a balanced curriculum that will develop pupils into well-adjusted, cultured and healthy individuals; informed, thinking and creative persons, and responsible, moral citizens who can contribute to the well-being of the nation (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/cpdd.htm). Under the ability-driven education paradigm, curriculum has progressed beyond the social reconstructionist, academic rationalist, humanistic conceptions to include the cognitive processes conception whose principal purpose is to equip students with the necessary skills or processes to help them learn how to learn. The functions of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) can be briefly summarized as follows: 1. Design, review and revise syllabuses and monitor their implementation 2. Design and develop instructional packages for selected subjects 3. Monitor and appraise the teaching and learning of curriculum subjects 4. Monitor and provide training in the effective use of instructional materials 5. Disseminate information regarding teaching strategies and act as change agents and facilitators of effective, innovative ideas 6. Take charge of special curriculum Programmes, international science Programmes, etc. 7. Promote the integration of information technology (IT) into the curriculum 8. Develop and monitor media resource libraries and Reading Programmes in schools 9. Review, inspect and authorise textbooks and supplementary materials 10. Supervise the Ministry of Education language centers 11. Take charge of the library for HQ officers 12. Provide specialist advice to other Divisions, Ministries and private publishers on matters related to the curriculu
Boon Tiong - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Title Curriculum reforms in a changing education system: A case of a physics curriculum package in Singapore A CASE STUDY OF CURRICULUM REFORMS IN A CHANGING EDUCATION SYSTEM: A CASE OF A PHYSICS CURRICULUM PACKAGE IN SINGAPORE A CASE STUDY OF EVOLUTION O
2020Co-Authors: Charles Chew, Ming Kheng, Ho Boon, Tiong Source, Boon TiongAbstract:ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the design of a Physics curriculum package that is currently in use in a significant number of Singapore secondary schools. It traces the evolution of the Singapore Education System from the survival-driven phase to the efficiency-driven phase (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to the current ability-driven education phase. The impact of these changes in the evolution of the Singapore Education System on curriculum planning and development from the predominantly social reconstructionist conception of curriculum to the academic rationalist, humanistic and cognitive conceptions will be discussed. The Physics curriculum package being examined is designed to infuse the three major educational initiatives, namely, Information Technology, National Education and Thinking launched in 1997. Of special mention in the package is the incorporation of the 'edutainment' framework into the disciplinary-knowledge approach used in the design EVOLUTION OF THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Singapore is located between latitudes 1°09'N and 1°29'N and longitudes 103°36'E and 104°25'E, approximately 137 kilometres north of the Equator. It is a small country with a land area of 647.5 km 2. (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/Land/land.htm) and as of June 1999, its multi-racial population was about 3.2 million people, of which 77% were Chinese, 14% were Malays, 8% were Indians and 1% were other minority races (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/People/popula.htm). It gained self-rule in 1959 and independence in 1965. Since independence, the government of Singapore has made it clear that its approach to education would be in terms of the political, social and economic needs of the country Phase 2: Efficiency-Driven Education (1979 -1990) As Singapore became more affluent, the education system entered a new phase of development, characterised by efforts to rectify deficiencies in the system as well as to fine-tune the system to meet national goals and the varied individual needs of students within the system. In 1979, a review committee chaired by Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then deputy Prime Minister who also assumed the concurrent post of Minister of Education in the same year, identified two major deficiencies in the system; namely, the ineffective bilingual policy and the problem of high education wastage in the system. In the wake of the Goh Report (1979), the New Education System (NES) was introduced in February 1979 with reforms in four broad areas; namely, the structure, the curriculum, the organisation and procedure within the Education Ministry and the management of schools The focus on ability-based streaming formed the backbone of the new structure. Greater autonomy for schools and the provision of quality curriculum packages led to the setting up of a centralised curriculum development institute in 1980 known as the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS). Curriculum had progressed beyond the social reconstructionist conception towards both academic rationalist conception and to a lesser extent the humanistic conception. THREE RECENT MAJOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES 1997 can be viewed as a watershed year in the history of the education system in Singapore. To prepare the young for the 21 st century with its knowledge-based economy driven by the twin forces of globalisation and the breakneck speed of advancement in Information Technology, three major educational initiatives were launched. On 28 April 1997, the Masterplan for Information Technology (IT) in Education was launched by the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, with the underlying philosophy that IT-based teaching and learning strategies would facilitate the development of skills required for the future workforce (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01597.htm). To develop national cohesion and to cultivate the instincts for survival and confidence in the future, National Education, also known as citizenship education was launched on 17 May 1997 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01797.htm). The Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong in a speech to the 7 th International Conference on Thinking on 2 June 1997 held in Singapore, launched his vision for meeting the challenges of the 21 st century. (http://www.moe.edu.sg/abtmoe/pa/contact/vol10/pers.htm). This vision is encapsulated in four words, "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" (TSLN). The Prime Minister emphasised that the concept of Thinking Schools is central to this vision. In his own words, the Prime Minister said: THINKING SCHOOLS will also redefine the role of teachers. Every school must be a model learning organisation. Teachers and Principals will constantly look out for new ideas and practices, and continuously refresh their own knowledge. Teaching will itself be a learning profession, like any other knowledge-based profession of the future. We will take this into account in reviewing our school curriculum [italics added]. Teachers must be given time to reflect, learn and keep up-to-date. Then teachers will be able to make the textbooks and the Internet relevant to their students [italics added], relating what is learnt to current events and issues. In response to the Prime Minister's vision of TSLN, an inaugural workplan seminar on "Education in SchoolsDeveloping Thinking Schools" was launched on Saturday, 5th September 1998. At the workplan seminar, the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, challenged the educationists and policy planners to adopt an abilitydriven strategic approach in policy planning and practice. He pointed out that the focus in the ability-driven education is on the development and maximal harnessing of the pupils' different talents and abilities. (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1998/5sep98.htm). Critical reviews were undertaken by many practitioners from a wide cross-section of the educational institutions to see how best the current education system can be modified or refined to achieve the TSLN vision. One of the significant outcomes of the reviews was in the content reduction of the curriculum to free time for the inclusion of new formal and informal curriculum components such as the Thinking Programme, IT-based teaching and learning, National Education and Project Work. Of special interest is project work whose aim is to foster qualities such as curiosity, creativity and enterprise, nurture critical skills for the information age, cultivate habits of self-directed enquiry, and encourage students to explore the inter-relationships of subject-specific knowledge (Ministry of Education, 1999Education, /2000. Walker's (1990) definition of curriculum as "the content and purpose of an educational program together with their organization" fits in closely to the curriculum found in the Singapore Education System (p.5). In 1996, there was a reorganisation in Ministry of Education and one of the major changes was the merging of the Curriculum Planning Division (CPD) with the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) to form the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD). A significant number of curriculum writers from CDIS were also transferred to the newly-formed Educational Technology Division (ETD) to reflect the growing importance of IT in Education. CURRENT CURRICULUM PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT IN THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Within the framework of Singapore's education policy, the CPDD mission is to provide a balanced curriculum that will develop pupils into well-adjusted, cultured and healthy individuals; informed, thinking and creative persons, and responsible, moral citizens who can contribute to the well-being of the nation (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/cpdd.htm). Under the ability-driven education paradigm, curriculum has progressed beyond the social reconstructionist, academic rationalist, humanistic conceptions to include the cognitive processes conception whose principal purpose is to equip students with the necessary skills or processes to help them learn how to learn. The functions of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) can be briefly summarized as follows: 1. Design, review and revise syllabuses and monitor their implementation 2. Design and develop instructional packages for selected subjects 3. Monitor and appraise the teaching and learning of curriculum subjects 4. Monitor and provide training in the effective use of instructional materials 5. Disseminate information regarding teaching strategies and act as change agents and facilitators of effective, innovative ideas 6. Take charge of special curriculum Programmes, international science Programmes, etc. 7. Promote the integration of information technology (IT) into the curriculum 8. Develop and monitor media resource libraries and Reading Programmes in schools 9. Review, inspect and authorise textbooks and supplementary materials 10. Supervise the Ministry of Education language centers 11. Take charge of the library for HQ officers 12. Provide specialist advice to other Divisions, Ministries and private publishers on matters related to the curriculu
Ming Kheng - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Title Curriculum reforms in a changing education system: A case of a physics curriculum package in Singapore A CASE STUDY OF CURRICULUM REFORMS IN A CHANGING EDUCATION SYSTEM: A CASE OF A PHYSICS CURRICULUM PACKAGE IN SINGAPORE A CASE STUDY OF EVOLUTION O
2020Co-Authors: Charles Chew, Ming Kheng, Ho Boon, Tiong Source, Boon TiongAbstract:ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the design of a Physics curriculum package that is currently in use in a significant number of Singapore secondary schools. It traces the evolution of the Singapore Education System from the survival-driven phase to the efficiency-driven phase (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to the current ability-driven education phase. The impact of these changes in the evolution of the Singapore Education System on curriculum planning and development from the predominantly social reconstructionist conception of curriculum to the academic rationalist, humanistic and cognitive conceptions will be discussed. The Physics curriculum package being examined is designed to infuse the three major educational initiatives, namely, Information Technology, National Education and Thinking launched in 1997. Of special mention in the package is the incorporation of the 'edutainment' framework into the disciplinary-knowledge approach used in the design EVOLUTION OF THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Singapore is located between latitudes 1°09'N and 1°29'N and longitudes 103°36'E and 104°25'E, approximately 137 kilometres north of the Equator. It is a small country with a land area of 647.5 km 2. (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/Land/land.htm) and as of June 1999, its multi-racial population was about 3.2 million people, of which 77% were Chinese, 14% were Malays, 8% were Indians and 1% were other minority races (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/People/popula.htm). It gained self-rule in 1959 and independence in 1965. Since independence, the government of Singapore has made it clear that its approach to education would be in terms of the political, social and economic needs of the country Phase 2: Efficiency-Driven Education (1979 -1990) As Singapore became more affluent, the education system entered a new phase of development, characterised by efforts to rectify deficiencies in the system as well as to fine-tune the system to meet national goals and the varied individual needs of students within the system. In 1979, a review committee chaired by Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then deputy Prime Minister who also assumed the concurrent post of Minister of Education in the same year, identified two major deficiencies in the system; namely, the ineffective bilingual policy and the problem of high education wastage in the system. In the wake of the Goh Report (1979), the New Education System (NES) was introduced in February 1979 with reforms in four broad areas; namely, the structure, the curriculum, the organisation and procedure within the Education Ministry and the management of schools The focus on ability-based streaming formed the backbone of the new structure. Greater autonomy for schools and the provision of quality curriculum packages led to the setting up of a centralised curriculum development institute in 1980 known as the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS). Curriculum had progressed beyond the social reconstructionist conception towards both academic rationalist conception and to a lesser extent the humanistic conception. THREE RECENT MAJOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES 1997 can be viewed as a watershed year in the history of the education system in Singapore. To prepare the young for the 21 st century with its knowledge-based economy driven by the twin forces of globalisation and the breakneck speed of advancement in Information Technology, three major educational initiatives were launched. On 28 April 1997, the Masterplan for Information Technology (IT) in Education was launched by the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, with the underlying philosophy that IT-based teaching and learning strategies would facilitate the development of skills required for the future workforce (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01597.htm). To develop national cohesion and to cultivate the instincts for survival and confidence in the future, National Education, also known as citizenship education was launched on 17 May 1997 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01797.htm). The Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong in a speech to the 7 th International Conference on Thinking on 2 June 1997 held in Singapore, launched his vision for meeting the challenges of the 21 st century. (http://www.moe.edu.sg/abtmoe/pa/contact/vol10/pers.htm). This vision is encapsulated in four words, "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" (TSLN). The Prime Minister emphasised that the concept of Thinking Schools is central to this vision. In his own words, the Prime Minister said: THINKING SCHOOLS will also redefine the role of teachers. Every school must be a model learning organisation. Teachers and Principals will constantly look out for new ideas and practices, and continuously refresh their own knowledge. Teaching will itself be a learning profession, like any other knowledge-based profession of the future. We will take this into account in reviewing our school curriculum [italics added]. Teachers must be given time to reflect, learn and keep up-to-date. Then teachers will be able to make the textbooks and the Internet relevant to their students [italics added], relating what is learnt to current events and issues. In response to the Prime Minister's vision of TSLN, an inaugural workplan seminar on "Education in SchoolsDeveloping Thinking Schools" was launched on Saturday, 5th September 1998. At the workplan seminar, the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, challenged the educationists and policy planners to adopt an abilitydriven strategic approach in policy planning and practice. He pointed out that the focus in the ability-driven education is on the development and maximal harnessing of the pupils' different talents and abilities. (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1998/5sep98.htm). Critical reviews were undertaken by many practitioners from a wide cross-section of the educational institutions to see how best the current education system can be modified or refined to achieve the TSLN vision. One of the significant outcomes of the reviews was in the content reduction of the curriculum to free time for the inclusion of new formal and informal curriculum components such as the Thinking Programme, IT-based teaching and learning, National Education and Project Work. Of special interest is project work whose aim is to foster qualities such as curiosity, creativity and enterprise, nurture critical skills for the information age, cultivate habits of self-directed enquiry, and encourage students to explore the inter-relationships of subject-specific knowledge (Ministry of Education, 1999Education, /2000. Walker's (1990) definition of curriculum as "the content and purpose of an educational program together with their organization" fits in closely to the curriculum found in the Singapore Education System (p.5). In 1996, there was a reorganisation in Ministry of Education and one of the major changes was the merging of the Curriculum Planning Division (CPD) with the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) to form the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD). A significant number of curriculum writers from CDIS were also transferred to the newly-formed Educational Technology Division (ETD) to reflect the growing importance of IT in Education. CURRENT CURRICULUM PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT IN THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Within the framework of Singapore's education policy, the CPDD mission is to provide a balanced curriculum that will develop pupils into well-adjusted, cultured and healthy individuals; informed, thinking and creative persons, and responsible, moral citizens who can contribute to the well-being of the nation (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/cpdd.htm). Under the ability-driven education paradigm, curriculum has progressed beyond the social reconstructionist, academic rationalist, humanistic conceptions to include the cognitive processes conception whose principal purpose is to equip students with the necessary skills or processes to help them learn how to learn. The functions of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) can be briefly summarized as follows: 1. Design, review and revise syllabuses and monitor their implementation 2. Design and develop instructional packages for selected subjects 3. Monitor and appraise the teaching and learning of curriculum subjects 4. Monitor and provide training in the effective use of instructional materials 5. Disseminate information regarding teaching strategies and act as change agents and facilitators of effective, innovative ideas 6. Take charge of special curriculum Programmes, international science Programmes, etc. 7. Promote the integration of information technology (IT) into the curriculum 8. Develop and monitor media resource libraries and Reading Programmes in schools 9. Review, inspect and authorise textbooks and supplementary materials 10. Supervise the Ministry of Education language centers 11. Take charge of the library for HQ officers 12. Provide specialist advice to other Divisions, Ministries and private publishers on matters related to the curriculu
Faye Parkhill - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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what are the school wide strategies that support sustained regular and effective instructional Reading Programmes for 10 13 year old students a new zealand experience
Teachers and Teaching, 2012Co-Authors: Jo Fletcher, Janinka Greenwood, Michael Grimley, Faye ParkhillAbstract:There is a significant body of international research indicating that Reading instruction does not consistently occur in the final years of primary schooling and progress drops-off as students move through the schooling system. This paper uses case study research to investigate the interactions and the self-perceptions of five literacy leaders, eight teachers of 10–12 year-old students and their principals in five New Zealand primary schools. The schools had been nominated as succeeding in teaching Reading in the upper primary school by literacy experts. The article is part of a wider ongoing research project based on a substantial investigation of Reading in the final years of primary schooling. All schools had a designated literacy leader who played a key role in supporting literacy development across the school. They were supporting teachers in further developing their knowledge of Reading processes and strategies to improve instructional Reading at the Year 7 and 8 levels. At all five schools the prin...
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Reading Programmes in year 7 8 primary classes that support effective literacy practices what is happening and where to next
34th Annual Conference of the British Education Research Association (BERA 2008) Edinburgh Scotland 03-06 September 2008, 2008Co-Authors: Faye Parkhill, Jo Fletcher, Janinka Greenwood, Mick Grimley, Sue BridgesAbstract:This study examined the “dip” in students’ literacy learning progress that is reported internationally to occur in years 9 to 13. It reports current research that analyses the match between learning needs and classroom strategies and proposes shifts in current practice. The study employed an online survey designed to investigate current Reading literacy practises for was Y7-8 students. In addition, observations of practice and interviews with literacy leaders, teachers, principals, students and parents were carried out at five case study schools. The five schools were representative of a cross-section of school types, locations within the Canterbury Region and school decile ratings. The survey indicated that teachers may under-estimate the importance of user engagement and direct teaching strategies. The case studies exemplify the need for good PD, supportive leadership, good class management strategies, a positive engaging learning environment, teachers with a passion for literacy and above all exemplary and sustained guided Reading. In conclusion it is extremely important that teachers in the later stages of primary school do not lose sight of the importance of actively teaching Reading to ensure students continue to make gains in Reading.
Tiong Source - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Title Curriculum reforms in a changing education system: A case of a physics curriculum package in Singapore A CASE STUDY OF CURRICULUM REFORMS IN A CHANGING EDUCATION SYSTEM: A CASE OF A PHYSICS CURRICULUM PACKAGE IN SINGAPORE A CASE STUDY OF EVOLUTION O
2020Co-Authors: Charles Chew, Ming Kheng, Ho Boon, Tiong Source, Boon TiongAbstract:ABSTRACT This paper focuses on the design of a Physics curriculum package that is currently in use in a significant number of Singapore secondary schools. It traces the evolution of the Singapore Education System from the survival-driven phase to the efficiency-driven phase (1979)(1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990) to the current ability-driven education phase. The impact of these changes in the evolution of the Singapore Education System on curriculum planning and development from the predominantly social reconstructionist conception of curriculum to the academic rationalist, humanistic and cognitive conceptions will be discussed. The Physics curriculum package being examined is designed to infuse the three major educational initiatives, namely, Information Technology, National Education and Thinking launched in 1997. Of special mention in the package is the incorporation of the 'edutainment' framework into the disciplinary-knowledge approach used in the design EVOLUTION OF THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Singapore is located between latitudes 1°09'N and 1°29'N and longitudes 103°36'E and 104°25'E, approximately 137 kilometres north of the Equator. It is a small country with a land area of 647.5 km 2. (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/Land/land.htm) and as of June 1999, its multi-racial population was about 3.2 million people, of which 77% were Chinese, 14% were Malays, 8% were Indians and 1% were other minority races (http://www.sg/flavour/profile/People/popula.htm). It gained self-rule in 1959 and independence in 1965. Since independence, the government of Singapore has made it clear that its approach to education would be in terms of the political, social and economic needs of the country Phase 2: Efficiency-Driven Education (1979 -1990) As Singapore became more affluent, the education system entered a new phase of development, characterised by efforts to rectify deficiencies in the system as well as to fine-tune the system to meet national goals and the varied individual needs of students within the system. In 1979, a review committee chaired by Dr Goh Keng Swee, the then deputy Prime Minister who also assumed the concurrent post of Minister of Education in the same year, identified two major deficiencies in the system; namely, the ineffective bilingual policy and the problem of high education wastage in the system. In the wake of the Goh Report (1979), the New Education System (NES) was introduced in February 1979 with reforms in four broad areas; namely, the structure, the curriculum, the organisation and procedure within the Education Ministry and the management of schools The focus on ability-based streaming formed the backbone of the new structure. Greater autonomy for schools and the provision of quality curriculum packages led to the setting up of a centralised curriculum development institute in 1980 known as the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS). Curriculum had progressed beyond the social reconstructionist conception towards both academic rationalist conception and to a lesser extent the humanistic conception. THREE RECENT MAJOR EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES 1997 can be viewed as a watershed year in the history of the education system in Singapore. To prepare the young for the 21 st century with its knowledge-based economy driven by the twin forces of globalisation and the breakneck speed of advancement in Information Technology, three major educational initiatives were launched. On 28 April 1997, the Masterplan for Information Technology (IT) in Education was launched by the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, with the underlying philosophy that IT-based teaching and learning strategies would facilitate the development of skills required for the future workforce (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01597.htm). To develop national cohesion and to cultivate the instincts for survival and confidence in the future, National Education, also known as citizenship education was launched on 17 May 1997 by the Deputy Prime Minister, Brigadier-General Lee Hsien Loong (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1997/pr01797.htm). The Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong in a speech to the 7 th International Conference on Thinking on 2 June 1997 held in Singapore, launched his vision for meeting the challenges of the 21 st century. (http://www.moe.edu.sg/abtmoe/pa/contact/vol10/pers.htm). This vision is encapsulated in four words, "Thinking Schools, Learning Nation" (TSLN). The Prime Minister emphasised that the concept of Thinking Schools is central to this vision. In his own words, the Prime Minister said: THINKING SCHOOLS will also redefine the role of teachers. Every school must be a model learning organisation. Teachers and Principals will constantly look out for new ideas and practices, and continuously refresh their own knowledge. Teaching will itself be a learning profession, like any other knowledge-based profession of the future. We will take this into account in reviewing our school curriculum [italics added]. Teachers must be given time to reflect, learn and keep up-to-date. Then teachers will be able to make the textbooks and the Internet relevant to their students [italics added], relating what is learnt to current events and issues. In response to the Prime Minister's vision of TSLN, an inaugural workplan seminar on "Education in SchoolsDeveloping Thinking Schools" was launched on Saturday, 5th September 1998. At the workplan seminar, the Minister of Education, Rear Admiral Teo Chee Hean, challenged the educationists and policy planners to adopt an abilitydriven strategic approach in policy planning and practice. He pointed out that the focus in the ability-driven education is on the development and maximal harnessing of the pupils' different talents and abilities. (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/press/1998/5sep98.htm). Critical reviews were undertaken by many practitioners from a wide cross-section of the educational institutions to see how best the current education system can be modified or refined to achieve the TSLN vision. One of the significant outcomes of the reviews was in the content reduction of the curriculum to free time for the inclusion of new formal and informal curriculum components such as the Thinking Programme, IT-based teaching and learning, National Education and Project Work. Of special interest is project work whose aim is to foster qualities such as curiosity, creativity and enterprise, nurture critical skills for the information age, cultivate habits of self-directed enquiry, and encourage students to explore the inter-relationships of subject-specific knowledge (Ministry of Education, 1999Education, /2000. Walker's (1990) definition of curriculum as "the content and purpose of an educational program together with their organization" fits in closely to the curriculum found in the Singapore Education System (p.5). In 1996, there was a reorganisation in Ministry of Education and one of the major changes was the merging of the Curriculum Planning Division (CPD) with the Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) to form the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD). A significant number of curriculum writers from CDIS were also transferred to the newly-formed Educational Technology Division (ETD) to reflect the growing importance of IT in Education. CURRENT CURRICULUM PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT IN THE SINGAPORE EDUCATION SYSTEM Within the framework of Singapore's education policy, the CPDD mission is to provide a balanced curriculum that will develop pupils into well-adjusted, cultured and healthy individuals; informed, thinking and creative persons, and responsible, moral citizens who can contribute to the well-being of the nation (http://www1.moe.edu.sg/cpdd.htm). Under the ability-driven education paradigm, curriculum has progressed beyond the social reconstructionist, academic rationalist, humanistic conceptions to include the cognitive processes conception whose principal purpose is to equip students with the necessary skills or processes to help them learn how to learn. The functions of the Curriculum Planning and Development Division (CPDD) can be briefly summarized as follows: 1. Design, review and revise syllabuses and monitor their implementation 2. Design and develop instructional packages for selected subjects 3. Monitor and appraise the teaching and learning of curriculum subjects 4. Monitor and provide training in the effective use of instructional materials 5. Disseminate information regarding teaching strategies and act as change agents and facilitators of effective, innovative ideas 6. Take charge of special curriculum Programmes, international science Programmes, etc. 7. Promote the integration of information technology (IT) into the curriculum 8. Develop and monitor media resource libraries and Reading Programmes in schools 9. Review, inspect and authorise textbooks and supplementary materials 10. Supervise the Ministry of Education language centers 11. Take charge of the library for HQ officers 12. Provide specialist advice to other Divisions, Ministries and private publishers on matters related to the curriculu
