Week 11

It is finally week 11.I cannot believe it and it turns out that only three students including myself attended class.In class,Mr Wan told us that we had to read the articles the course leader gave to us.That is the reason why she did not give us any slides because the examination with only consist of articles which I think is really smart of the course leader because I think assignments and problem solving questions are what prepares us for the world after university.Mr Wan also told us to make sure our assignments were all handed in by Thursday or else no marks will be given which I think is very fair because the deadline has been stated since the beginning of the semester.Since there was only three students Mr Wan let us off early.I told Mr Wan to give us extra marks because my other two friends and I never skipped a class before and we clearly deserved extra marks for participation but he told me that all participation marks will be taken from our forums.I guess this is fair since the course leader stricly mentioned that our participation is from our forums but I honestly think that the next time,marks should be given for attendance since a lot of my classmates often skip classes.It isn't fair for those who always attend classes like me.We finished our syllabus so that wasn't any teaching today.That is all from me for this reflection.Till next time.

It's finally Week 10

I can't believe it!We're finally in week 10!This week we actually learnt the final chapters but there is still class next week.This week we learnt about evaluating the curriculum which is very important to test whether the curriculum is worth pursuing.There are two reasons for evaluation:-
1.Evaluation for justification and accountability
-The need to render an account of the curriculum to agencies

2.Evaluation for improvement
-Designed to enhance or develop a particular aspect of curricular provision.As for me,I feel that no matter how great a curriculum is there is always room for improvement.Take Finland,as an example,they already have an amazing education system but they are constantly trying to improve themselves.According to a review I read online and many other websites,Hong Kong has the best education system.Bill Gates said this himself but I do not find this true but I will get to that later but my point is that although Hong Kong was listed as the best country for education,they constantly try to improve themselves which is something other countries should follow.They send their teachers for training programs and they make sure their teachers get feedback to improve themselves.I do not think Hong Kong has a good education system because I feel that they focus too much on test scores and maths and science.They do not make room for the arts.

Thankfully,there are many evaluation models we can follow to evaluate a curriculum.

The Saylor,Alexander and Lewis model-seek evaluation of these components:
-The goals
-Sub-goals
-Objectives
-The program of education a totality
-Specific segments of the education
-Instruction and evaluation program


There are two types of evaluation which are the product evaluation and process evaluation.
1.Product evaluation

Product evaluation is suppose to examine the impact of the program on the target audience,the quality and significance of outcomes and the extent to which the program is sustainable and transferable.This is really important because there are so many different types of audiences in the world.Not every nation is the same,that is why they have different types of education systems and curriculum to cater for their needs but at the same time curriculum implementers need to make sure that what they are implementing is of good quality for their students who are pursuing the curriculum to work anywhere in the world but the thing I find weird is that although English is the international language of this planet,why is it that so many countries do not make English a priority?I have been to Japan,China and Korea and we had a difficult time communicating with the people there because they do not study English.They do but much later in their curriculum.According to my tour guard,you are still able to survive in Japan if you do not know English.I also read an article on Facebook that many companies in China are interested in hiring Malaysians who can speak Mandarin and English since many of the people in China cannot speak English.Since English is so important I do understand why they do not make it a priority in their curriculum?This makes me really glad to be a Malaysian because I am able to speak English,Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia.

There are also advantages and disadvantages of product evaluation .

Advantages of product evaluation.
1.It is logical and rational-sure we want to make some assessment in the light of the intended curriculum purposes
2.It is straight forward to use
3.It is relatively economical
4.I can be applied at any level of the education system

Disadvantages of product evaluation
1.It uses easily measurable output-might neglect hard to measure outcomes such as students' moral,social or spiritual development.This is a point I really agree on.I really think that we Malaysians lack a lot when it comes to students' moral,social and spiritual development.Our moral education in Malaysia is a joke.Memorizing 36 moral definitions to me does not make you a better citizen in society.I have been to Japan before and I think their citizens practice high moral values.In Japan you hardly see any rubbish bins but the streets are still so clean.Way cleaner than any street in Malaysia.This is because Japanese people have been taught since a young age in school to always keep their country clean and to not litter.They were even taught to pick up rubbish on the street and throw them at their own homes.This is what I call good moral education.
2.It does not measure the range of multiple intelligence
Albert Eistein once said,if you judge a fish's ability by climbing a tree,it will believe its whole life that it is stupid.There are so many different kinds of people in this world with multiple intelligence.Maybe this video will help you understand.

There are people who are interpersonal learners.They are people smart.They understand the needs of people very well.For example,Nelson Mandela,Gandhi,Pope Francis and Mother Teresa.There are people who are body smart.For example,Lee Chong Wei,Pandelela Rinong,Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps.These people have their own kind of talents.Sadly in our asian country we mostly focus on the logical-mathematical smart and we consider people who are not logic smart as stupid or dumb.This really needs to change

3.Ignores unplanned outcome and fail to explore the value and worth of the prescribed objectives and purposes

4.Neglects students' motivation and level of satisfaction with their courses of study.This is what I find quite weird.Although they are trying to evaluate the curriculum,they rarely ask us students for feedback and we are the target audience.

Furthermore,we have process evaluation which focuses on the perspectives and interpretations of participants,qualitative data and acknowledges multiple realities.There are four general concepts that should be measured for a process evaluation 

-type of inputs

-activities

-outputs

-the integration of these components

Generally the suggested evaluation process contains nine steps :

1.Define the purpose and scope of the evaluation

2.Specify the Evaluation questions-what do you want to know?

3.Specify the Evaluation Design

4.Create the Data Collection Action Plan

5.Collect Data

6.Analyze Data

7.Document Findings

8.Disseminate Findings

9.Feedback to Program Improvement

There are many approaches to process evaluation such as :-

As for me,I think they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.It depends on the target audience you are evaluating the curriculum for.

Curriculum Issues were also touched on.

1.Academic area initiatives

a) Strengthening the academic programs

b) Diversification of programs

c) Personalising of the curriculum 

Malaysia has done some changes such as KBSR/KBSM being changed to KSSR/KSSM and the delivery language change from Bm to English and to Bm again.Let me tell you about my sentiments regarding our country's change.I do not think they are doing a great job.I mean I give them credit for trying to change but the country's education system is still so exam based which is not something we need right now.We want to teach students to be better people to contribute to society.Here is something I found on Facebook about the Japanese Education system

And I think this is something we should really follow because students these days are studying for the sake of test scores and not really improving themselves.

2.Alternative schooling arrangements 

a)Parental choice Eg,Homeschooling.To be honest I really wished I was homeschooled because I think I would have learnt more.This is the reason why so many people in the states want to homeschool their children because they find it more effective.This is because many teachers these days are not passionate about their jobs and they do not put in effort to teach their students.In my school,many teachers were like that.I depended on my tuition classes to learn things.Tuition teachers have to teach well and put in effort to their job because if they don't they won't get paid.That is why my tuition teachers were excellent.Sometimes I would skip school because I did not learn much at school and I find studying at home more effective.

b)School fees

c)Cluster schools

I think we should have cluster schools for quick students so that the students there can be taught at a faster space.

3.Billigual/bicultural education

I think Malaysia has done the right job by asking us to not only study Bahasa Malaysia but English as well because English is so important.I have been to Australia and I had no problem communicating with the people there because I have learnt English before as compared to some people living in Japan and Korea who have not learnt much English.I highly suggest parents sending their children to Chinese schools because you will be learning three languages and the more languages you know the easier it will be to find a job.

4.Cencorship

-Books

-Websites

Mr Wan told us that in countries like China they band websites like Youtube and Facebook because they feel that their citizens will misuse them somehow.

5.Religion in public education

I am quite thankful to be living in Malaysia where I can practice my own religion without interruption.I think that is the beauty of our country because we are free to practice our beliefs.I know that there are many conflicts right now in places like Israel or the middle east where christians are being persecuted for their faith.I feel thankful that we do not have religion conflicts in our country as compared to some schools in other countries.There some schools in the states that segregates their citizens.The black students will go to a school with low quality facilities whereas the white students will get the better education.This is very unfair and it has to change

6.Scheduling arrangements 

-Schools hours

I honestly think that our school hours are too long.A student's attention span is not long enough for our school hours.That is why I prefer studying in university where the hours are short so that I can fully concentrate.

-School year

I also think that we have too many days of schooling.I like the academic calendar of the schools in the states.They would have three months off per year and during those three month holidays,students would get to do amazing things like travel or do volunteering work or internships or even explore what they love and what their passion is

-Class and School size

The class size is Malaysia is way too big.There will be more than 40 students in the class and teachers would not be able to cater to every single one of them.Hence,many are left behind.

Week 9

It's week 9!In Week 9 we learnt about the curriculum implementation.The class started off with Mr Wan asking us the meaning stakeholders of the curriculum were.From the word stake,I assume that stakeholders are people who take risks on something.Hence,I told Mr Wan that stakeholders meant people who take chances and risks on something and I was right.We,students are considered stakeholders as well when we enter a university.We dedicate our time and energy hoping to get a good education.

Mr Wan then said that learners are the centre of the curriculum.This is because the very reason why a curriculum is developed is to influence students to become better people and be ready for the outside world.Right now,having a secondary education is not enough unless you have a mind like Bill Gates,Mark Zuckerberg or are extremely smart and talented in a certain field,it can be quite tough to find a job that would pay well for you to live a comfortable lifestyle but that doesn't mean people who do not have a degree cannot live a comfortable lifestyle.In fact,I came across an article on Facebook about a man who survived with only RM3 a day.Here's his story.

He is really an inspiration for those many people who did not get a tertiary education or even get a secondary education.I am very blessed to have a father who works extremely hard to put me through a university.My father wants me to have security.Hence,we gave me an opportunity to study in a university.

Moving on,Mr Wan also taught us that teachers are curriculum developers and implementers.They create content and implement their content which is very vital.He also mentioned about the curriculum managers and administrators.For example the PK1,PK2 and principal.They supervise,select and recruit,admit and procure.They are the ones who plan for the school's improvement.Before Mr Wan told us what the principal did,I always assumed that the principal would usually dump all the work to the PK1 and PK2 and all they do is just wonder around the school or what we Malaysians call 'makan agin' which means enjoying themselves but Mr Wan said they did more than that.They walk around the school to supervise the teachers and make sure that their teaching methods are effective.I told Mr Wan that I hardly see my principal in school but he told me that sometimes they have things to do outside of school.It changed my mind and how I saw principals.I guess they are really busy.I always thought that they were lazy.Other than that,parents are also supporters in the curriculum and are actually the best supporters.I told Mr Wan that during the PIBG meetings they have in school,almost none of the parents show up.Mr Wan said he wonders why none of them show up and that it is good for them to show up because teachers need feedback.Without feedback,teachers will not know what is needed of their children.Furthermore,Mr Wan also said that community members are community resources.They substitute for what is needed to implement the curriculum.For example,we need sponsors,public speakers and coaches for students.He also mentioned that organisations like SSPCA or the Sarawak Cancer Society are stakeholders for curriculum because the curriculum influences the minds of the students who are the future of our country to run organisations like SSPCA and Sarawak Cancer Society.If we do not educate our young minds on the importance of helping other people,they would never partake in such activities.This reminds me of when I first entered secondary school.When I was in Form 1,all the clubs in school were packed with members because my seniors placed high importance in co-curriculum but as the year past by,the curriculum started placing less importance on co-curriculum and more on public examinations.Hence,there was less participation in any clubs and societies in our school.

We also discussed about the role of technology in delivering the curriculum.There is media technology like Facebook,Twitter and Youtube.I think you can learn anything on Youtube.I can give you an example.I had  no idea to cook.My mother passed away when I was 16 and I had no idea how to cook.Hence,I learnt from a myriad of Youtube videos by chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.I now am able to cook for myself.There are also learning technology available.

The question is why is technology selected to help us with the curriculum?Here are the answers:

1.It is practical.

Take a look at this video about teenagers reacting to encyclopaedias and you will get what I mean.

2.Objective-matching

3.Appropriateness in relation to the learner

4.Activity/Suitability

Basically anything can be learnt through technology.It is so suitable for the young minds who loves learning through videos and games.It helps them learn in a fun and interesting way.This reminds me of a video I saw on Youtube.Here it is and it will reinforce my sentiments on why technology is important to help students learn and succeed.

The roles of educational technology in delivering the school curriculum:

-Upgrading the quality of teaching and learning in schools(Sadly,even though the use of technology has been increasing in many schools and the country,I still do not think we use it enough to help our students.Especially those that are still in secondary school because teachers think it will be distracting for secondary school students.Sal Khan,founder of Khan Academy has a great idea of how technology can reinvent education.The video can be found down below)

-Increasing the capability of teacher to effectively inculcate learning and for students to gain matter of lessons and courses

-Broadening the delivery of education outside of school

-Revolutionizing the use of ethnology to boost educational paradigm that gives the importance to student-centred learning and holistic learning.

We also learnt about the pilot testing,monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the curriculum.Pilot testing or field try out is a process where you gather empirical data and it usually follows some form of research design.It has an experimental method and assures the teachers and the school that indeed the curriculum materials are ready to be used but to be brutally honest,I do not think the Malaysian Education System does this.I mean WHY IS OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM still so terrible?Students are still learning to memorise 36 moral values' definitions for SPM.This is not how we are suppose to plant kind and ethical minds.I think the Malaysian Education System should pilot test more or at least get opinions from education systems like Finland or America.

We also need to monitor the success of the curriculum.If we don't.We won't know where we went wrong or where we went right.It should happen from time to time like a formative evaluation.This helps to see whether the curriculum is relevant and working.I am not sure if the Ministry of Education is actually doing this in our country though because I don't see a ton of changes in the education system.There is also curriculum evaluation.It is the process of judging the value and effectives and adequacy of curriculum.There are two ways of evaluation:-

1.School-Based Evaluation

-An approach to curriculum evaluation which places the content,design and operation of evaluation procedure

-The school personnel participate in planning and conduct of school evaluation activities

(I guess this is what the principal who I thought does nothing,actually does.I guess my lesson from this is to not jump to conclusions so quickly)

-It is a participative  evaluation where the control and the process rest on the school personnel themselves

-A range of evaluation make take place in the school

(This is actually a great idea because the curriculum does take place in school.Hence,what other better way is there to evaluate the curriculum?)

Advantages of School-Based Evaluation?

1.Accountability is shared by all.Hence bias and conflict are minimised

2.The school personnel develop evaluation skills

3.The real concern of the school and community are addressed by the evaluation

4.Broad participation of school personnel provide opportunities for building school cohesiveness
5.Provide reliable and valid information on curriculum,resources and general school functioning.

2.Accreditation
-A voluntary process of submitting a curricular program to an external accrediting body for review in any level of education.
-Studies the statement of he educational intentions of the school

Reflection:I think this is a good idea because we need a big professional association to help us decided whether our education is worth pursuing.Just like my degree in Unitar,if it isn't accredited by the Malaysisan government,I won't bother studying there.

There are also areas professionals need to look into for accreditation.Firstly and I dare say most importantly,is the curriculum and program of studies.They need to evaluate whether what is being learnt is relevant and of a certain standard.Classroom management is also important to look into.How does a teacher manage his or her classes?Does he give arbitrary test scores to his students?Does he or she provide opportunities to develop independent lifelong learners?Instructional process or methodologies needs to be looked into as well.Professionals need to confirm whether the right principles and theories are used to enhance learning outcomes.Areas such as graduation requirements,administrative support for effective instruction and evaluation of academic performance have to be looked into as well.This is because a university cannot have requirements that are too low for students to graduate.It doesn't guarantee them the tools and skills they need to work in the real world.Low graduation requirements will only make the students suffer more when they leave.As for the academic performance of students,the learning outcomes of the students must be evaluated to determine whether the students have learnt something.It will serve as proof that the curriculum is worth pursuing.

References

5 Reasons You WILL Succeed. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQy4mm4YgN4

Let's use video to reinvent education | Salman Khan. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTFEUsudhfs&t=5s

MALAYSIAN STORIES: I Survived On RM3 A Day For 6 Months. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttMwRYqcM2o&t=1s

TEENS REACT TO ENCYCLOPEDIAS. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 4 December 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7aJ3xaDMuM&t=145s

Week 8

Week EIGHT!I am so happy it is almost the end of the semester.In Week 9 we learnt about the curriculum theory and curriculum development.

The sources of theory are philosophy,change theory,organisational development theory,group behaviour and non-mainstream.There are two bases of curriculum theorising which are the scientific theory and philosophical and humanistic theory.The functions of theory are for description,prediction,explanation,guidance.

There is also theory building.Theory building is divided into two parts.Deduction and Induction.

Deduction

Deductive reasoning works from the more general to the more specific.Sometimes this is informal called a top-down approach.

Induction

This works the other way,moving from specific observations to broader generalisations and theories.

There is early curriculum theory started by people like Bobbit and Dewey.In my slides,they started the theory systematic activity and stages of human development respectively but since this blog is for me to state my views I want to say that John Dewey is not the person responsible for the theory of human development but he is for progressive education.The theory of stages of human development can be closely associated to the theory of cognitive development by Jean Piaget.Take a look at the video down below.

I for one,really support Dewey's theory of progressive education.He is basically like a rockstar for modern education.You see,Dewey believes that human beings learn on a hand-ons approach which labels him as a pragmatist.Pragmatists believe that reality must be experienced.I believe this is very true.I have a lot of stories about my secondary school years and I will tell you another story.I studied a lot in secondary school and when I was in secondary school I barely had much hands on experience with any of the experiments.I think I would have done so much better if I did.The teachers would always say that we did not have enough time for experiments or that it was to time consuming but you cannot really blame the teachers because there was really a lot to cover with the short schooling hours we have.They had to rush through the syllabus before the end of the school year which is why I think Malaysian Education system should imply longer schooling hours but in order to help students endure long schooling hours,have breaks in between and air-conditioned classrooms.

There are also theories during the mid-century.Maccias' started curriculum as praxis.Johnson started series of intended learning outcomes and McDonald started the interacting system.

There are also metaphors and theoretical camps.We have the traditionalists,conceptual empiricists,reconceptualist/critical theorists and postmodernists.

Traditionalists 

-Service to practitioners

-Structural Theorising

Reflection:These people were the researchers and theorist back in the day.Thanks to them we have a ton of theories to use to teach our classes.We owe them a lot but I also think that some of their theories are outdated because of our new changed world.Some theories may apply back them but it may not today

Conceptual Empiricists

-Theory produced through research

-Substantive Theorising(broadly)

Reconceptualists/Critical Theorists

-Distance between theory and practice

-Liberation

Postmodernists

-Many ways to interpret or theorise about curriculum(That is us)I think we live in the best day of age whereby there are so many findings we can use to help students improve but sadly many people take our resources for granted and are very selfish.We have so many resources,so many theories but sadly not many people are willing to implement them because they feel like it is too big of a job or that they are too lazy to start a movement.People these days opt for comfort instead of helping other people.They want to teach in big private universities and get paid by the hour instead of helping those poor students in rural areas.This is why many students in rural areas lack so much because of so many inconsiderate hearts and our world that has been driven by money.Here is a quote from my biggest hero.

Next I am going to state my sentiments on Chapter 10 which is curriculum development itself.This chapter talks about the main components of curriculum development is are framing the context,planning the lessons,implementing those lessons,monitoring progress and evaluating learning.Curriculum plans are actually great ways to monitor success.This is what I have learnt in class.I never really taught about it that way though.I guess that is another reason why teachers need lesson plans.

Other than that,there are a few things  you need to consider when planning a curriculum and those things are the learners,the environment,the content(DUH) and the enablers.I will explain each of them in detail.

The Learner

There are many types of learners.Visual learners,kinaesthetic learners,auditory learners,learners who learn better if they were to teach and many more.The thing that bothers me a lot is that every teacher has to have gone through some sort of training before they are assigned to teach in a secondary school but I do not understand how in the world do some teachers use the same teaching technique all the time.Don't they know that every student learns differently.I am sorry but I am going to vent my anger again.I came from a chinese school so I have a lot of anger in my heart for how teachers mistreated me and how they labelled me as dumb.I mean they have to had learn about student psychology in some part of their university life right?I do not get why they still insult and humiliate students who learn differently.As Albert Einstein once said everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will believe that it is stupid for its whole life.Seriously,these teachers shouldn't be teachers in the first place.As for me I am a visual and auditory learner.I love watching videos on Tedx or any Youtube videos to learn things.I am not the type of person who can sit in front my desk and just study for hours but I can when it comes to watching Youtube videos.

The Learning environment

This includes the people,resources,training and education,development practices and inspiration and motivation.The learning environment is mainly community centred and in Malaysia the community is rather assessment centred.Mr Wan asked us what the learning environment in my school was like and you guessed it.I started to get angry because of all the awful memories I had as a teenager.Malaysian schools are so assessment centred.It is always about the grades or the number of A's in your report card that matters.There was so much anger in my heart whenever I studied in secondary school.I never in my life thought about using the knowledge I have to improve myself or contribute to society.Studying to me was all for the sake of surviving in society.So that I will not get looked down by my peers.You know the stupid thing that my school does is that they paste every student's public examination result on the notice board for the whole year.Don't they ever think about those students who did not do as well?Where is your sense of humanity?I think Malaysian schools should be more learner centred which reminds me of an article I read of Finland's amazing future education system.The link is down below.

http://www.elitereaders.com/finland-to-scrap-all-school-subjects/

Don't let the link fool you.It is actually an amazing idea.

Content

This is probably the MVP of curriculum development.There are two things every teacher has to consider when creating content.They need to analyse subject-matter and also analyse learning.

a)Subject-matter

You really need to ask yourself the importance of the subject.Whether it would be useful for the students in the future.Usually,teachers seek advice from subject-matter experts.To me,knowledge is valuable.Every piece of information is valuable.Even History or as we Malaysians call it,Sejarah is important.No matter how many students may say it is useless but I do believe in having priorities.I think that students should be given an opportunity to drop certain subjects which are not of a higher priority to them because there is a limit to what students can handle in school.I took 9 subjects in SPM but I wish there were only 5 or 6 subjects like what I have in university.This way,I am able to concentrate more and study those five or six subjects in greater depth.When I was in secondary school I wanted to be a Chemical Engineer.I really wanted to focus on my Chemistry,Physics and Add Maths in order to get into that course but I focused too much on subjects like Moral,Sejarah and Bahasa Malaysia.Not that those subjects are not important except for Moral because I hated memorising 36 moral definitions(this is the only exception to my philosophy) but because I think other subjects for my situation should be prioritised.Hence,I did not do so well but I consider myself pretty lucky because I still get to study in university even though I did not do so well.

b)learning analysis

This is something many teachers especially my secondary school teachers do not take account.You need to consider the various learning techniques.That is the whole point of your job.TO TEACH!What is the point of being a teacher if your students do not learn anything.You need to organise your content in an orderly manner so that students can learn progressively.Evaluate whether your students are picking up the material that you have taught with formative tests and always seek feedback from students.Some teachers are just too scared to seek feedback.

The enablers

These are those people or even things and tools that make curriculum possible.Enabling factors include adequacy of resources,time,school ethos,professional support,professional adequacy,professional knowledge,professional attitude and interest and participative leadership.Typing this last point has made me actually quite grateful that I have an education.Although Malaysian's education system is not perfect,I think I should complain less and be grateful for these enabling factors that I am able to receive an education.There are millions of children around the world who are not as fortunate as I am to be getting a tertiary education or any education at all.

References

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Socialresearchmethods.net. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/Assets/images/deduct.gif

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Socialresearchmethods.net. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/Assets/images/induct.gif

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). I.quoteaddicts.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from http://i.quoteaddicts.com/media/quotes/2/89047-pope-francis-money-quotes.jpg

The Growth of Knowledge: Crash Course Psychology #18. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nz2dtv--ok&t=143s

Week 7

I cannot believe it is week 7 already.Today in class we learnt about the curriculum approaches which are the behavioural,managerial,system,academic and humanistic approach.We have learnt about these approaches before but today it is much more in depth.Let us go one by one.

Behavioural Approach

This is the oldest approach in the book.It has evolved over the years and it has allowed for research that investigates the mind.Behaviourists believe that students will experience and respond to the curriculum in unique ways,depending on their cultural interpretations and prior life activities which is very true.Let me give you an example,when I was in secondary school,I placed high priorities when it comes to education.The reason why I studied really hard was because of my cultural interpretations.I came from a traditional chinese family whereby education was placed as the highest priority and if you do not do well in your studies your are considered a disgrace and are going to be looked down by your family.

The videos above will give you an idea about what I am trying to state.Hence,I studied for the sake of the grades but not too exactly learn and grow to contribute to society.After joining a youth ministry in church,I have changed my perspective towards curriculum and education as a whole.I now learn for growth,so that I can improve myself to make change in this world.

Managerial Approach

This approach considers the school as a social system reminiscent of organisational theory,whereby groups of people such as students,teachers,curriculum specialists and administrators interact according to certain norms and behaviours.Educators who rely on this approach plan the curriculum in terms of programs,schedules,space,resources and equipment and personnel.A lot of consideration is given to committee and group process,human relations,leadership styles and methods and decision making.This approach tends to focus on instruction that centred around individualisation,departmentalisation,non grading,classroom,grouping and homeroom and works study.It is something like the education system in the states.This is actually a really great approach and I think it is better than most approaches used in Malaysia.If I were to be given choice I would wish for a non grading system because I was to focused on the grades to the extent that I did not care about learning,I only cared about getting good grades so that I will not be looked down upon by my peers but on the other hand,without a graded system some students may not have the motivation to actually study.I like the idea of work study activities,I feel that people's minds work best when they are active and not passive like how our minds always are in traditional classroom settings.

The video above will clarify what I am saying.It has a great message.

System Approach

This approach tends to view various units and sub-units of the organisation in relation to the whole and organisational diagrams,flow charts and committee structures are often diagrammed as curriculum plan is introduced and monitored,sometimes referred to as curriculum.This approach includes the process necessary to plan the curriculum by people like the superintendents,directors,coordinators and principals and the structures.I think this is a good idea because we need professionals to keep track of our standard of education and it has to be done regularly because our world is never static and our education cannot be either because we need to prepare our students for the ever changing world.

Academic Approach

Sometimes referred to as the traditional,encyclopaedia,synoptic,intellectual or knowledge oriented approach.The academic approach tries to analyse and synthesise the major positions,trends and concepts of the curriculum.The approach tends to be historical or philosophical or to lesser extent social science in nature.In this approach,the discussion of curriculum making is usually scholarly and theoretic not practical which to me is not something I would really prefer.I feel that the best way to learn something is with hands on experience and this approach is the approach you often find in chinese schools.You will remember the facts in school quickly but you will also quickly forget because that is how memorisation is.When you experience something for yourself,it is quite hard to forget.

Humanistic Approach

The humanistic approach is focused more on scientific and rational aspects thereby missing the personal and social aspects of curriculum matter,rarely consider the need for self-reflectiveness and self-actualisation among learners and finally overlook the sociopyschological dynamics of classroom and schools.Numerous curriculum activities have emerged mainly at the elementary school level,including lessons based on life experience,group games,group projects,artistic endeavours,dramatisations,field trips,homework and tutorial centres.These activities include creative problem solving and active student participation,socialisation and life adjustment for students as well as stronger family and school-community ties.I think this is an extremely great approach because of the various ways of carrying out a lesson.Many people including myself are bored of the traditional way of learning whereby all students do are just sit in the classroom for hours and absorb everything the teachers are teaching.The world is changing and education should change as well to meet the needs of our ever changing society.

That is all for Topic 7,we also continued with Topic 8 which is about the roles and responsibilities of curriculum workers.Mr Wan started this chapter by asking us who the curriculum workers are.The first people that came to my mind were teachers but there are many other people who deserve the right to be called as curriculum workers and that range goes from teachers to superintendents.

The term curriculum worker is used interchangeably with curriculum supervisor,curriculum leader,curriculum coordinator and curriculum specialist.We also learned about what teachers do as curriculum worker.I was very intrigued by the question because one day I am studying to become a teacher and my dream is to publish my very own textbook which the whole nation would use.I know I have big dreams but you only have one life you are suppose to dream big.There are actually for steps in creating curriculum.I will state my sentiments on each of them.

1.Planning

As Mr Wan said,when you fail to plan,you are planning for failure.A teacher needs to make sure everything is well taught out.They need to know the needs of every student and make sure NO CHILD IS LEFT BEHIND!Thinking about this brings me a lot of painful memories of my past in secondary school.I had many teachers who are ridiculously inconsiderate and I think should not be teachers.I went home crying so many times because of the terrible remarks the teachers gave about me.I feel that these teachers do zero planning when it comes to education.The core value a teacher must have is to be kind,patient and considerate to their students but my secondary school teachers(most of them) were not like that.They would teach and be in their own world and they did not even care about us students.My Physics teacher once told me that he did not even care if I passed my SPM or not.How could he say that?They have this mentality that the reason why we did not do well is because we did not work hard enough or that we are dumb and lazy but I have some news for you teachers who have this stupid mentality.EVERY CHILD IS DIFFERENT!No two people are ever the same.Teachers should take into consideration that we are all different and teach according to the students space and to never put them down when they fail.Teachers always think it's the students problems but did they ever stop to wonder,maybe it is their fault for failing to plan a proper lesson?Think about it.Sorry I needed to vent my anger towards my ignorant secondary school teachers.

EVERY STUDENT IS DIFFERENT.Here's a video to show you that I am not the only one who thinks this way.There are many types of people in this world.

2.Creation

Well to have a content,you need to create.(DUH)Once all the planing is done,teachers have to use their knowledge during their planning to stage and create input for students to learn.The content should meet the needs of students to face the real world and improve themselves.Content should not be too tough for slower students and enrichment content should be given to faster students.That is why some schools prefer to stream their students according to their capabilities,so that teachers will be able to teach the students according to their needs but there are some schools like Lodge school who do not believe in such an implementation because they believe weaker students are able to learn from the smarter students.Hence,they do not have streaming in their school.

3.Implementation

What's the use of a creation or content if you do not implement it in class.A teacher should teach the curriculum in their classrooms but there are times when the curriculum is not planned out by a teacher who is carrying a class.It can be implemented by someone else.For example,a teacher is sick and a substitute teacher is given the lesson plan of the sick teacher.Hence,she has to carry out the curriculum of the other teacher.To me,if you are a novice in the classroom and you really believe that the curriculum created by the teacher who has given you an assigned curriculum which you did not create is not worth implementing.You should discuss it with other teachers with more experience before you start teaching your class.Every teacher has different opinions on how classes should be taught.The curriculum could be designed by a very traditional teacher who does not believe much in change but the teacher assigned could be a millennial and thinks there are better and more modern ways to teach a class.That is not to say older teachers do not think modern ways to teach students are great.This is just an example.

4.Reflection

I have said it many times and I will say it again.Reflection and evaluation is important for teaching.There is always room for improvement in life and even if you are super great in a certain field.You still are able to improve.You are not God,hence nothing you do will able be perfect but you can always improve yourself.Even if the improvement is minor,you can still brush it up.Slowly but surely,you will see big results when you constantly reflect for improvement.

References

15 Types Of Students in College Classrooms. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew1xwuJskow

15 Types Of Students in College Classrooms. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew1xwuJskow

ARE ASIAN STEREOTYPES TRUE?? - Lunch Break!. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3xY2ZA4LT0

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Static1.squarespace.com. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/50eca855e4b0939ae8bb12d9/t/51d71f4ee4b01caf88caffb1/1373052752106/We-do-not-learn-from.jpg

Do you HATE your job? - Job Expectations. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ddg1GKoi8xg&t=2s

Growing up ASIAN - Lunch Break!. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 27 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-IuU2nnjNE

Week 6

Welcome to the sixth week of class and the topics we touched on were about the domains of curriculum,the domain components and principe,guidelines,types and categories of curriculum.This is going to be a long post,so bear with me.

There are multiple definitions for curriculum.It is that which is taught in schools,a set subjects,content,program of studies and many more but whatever it is it has to be followed.There are also curriculum domains but no specific domains like cognitive,affective and psychomotor.Example of domains are philosophy,theory,research,history,development,design,evaluation,policy and field of study.

During class I learned the types of curriculum again.Let's look at each of them one by one.

Recommended curriculum

This is the curriculum delineated by scholars and professional organisations.

Written curriculum

Curriculum that appears in a state and school district documents

Taught curriculum

Curriculum that teachers attempt to implement

Supported curriculum

Curriculum that helps implement or deliver the curriculum resources such as textbooks and computers.

Assessed curriculum

Curriculum that is tested and evaluated

Learned curriculum

What students actually learn

Hidden curriculum

Unintended curriculum.For example,if a student is being bullied in school,he or she has to learn to defend him or herself.Hence,he learns strategies to prevent himself from being bullied,this is not in the school's normal curriculum,so it is a hidden curriculum.

I also learnt about the three types of implementation approaches which are centralised authority,hybrid model which are practiced in Australia and school autonomy which is practiced in the states.

Moving on,the basis of national curriculum was touched on.It is to promote a world-class curriculum and assessment:
-A solid foundation in skills and knowledge on which further learning and adult life can be built
Reflection:As for me,I do not think our Malaysian Education System is doing so well at preparing us for the adult life when it comes to students in primary and secondary school as compared to countries like Finland,Japan and America.Let me tell you why my sentiments are they way they are.When I was in secondary school,I was not taught the needed skills in order to survive in this world.I took Home economics during my lower form days but we only cooked one meal during the course of three years.The rest was more of memorising whatever are in the textbooks.In schools like Japan,they actually teach their students how to cook their meals.Hence,the obesity percentage in very low.I have been to Japan before and I have not met one person I saw on the streets that looked like they were facing obesity.I think Jamie Oliver's talk on Tedx would really get your attention.

The obesity rate in Malaysia is really high because so many of us were not taught to cook at home.Since more and more people are placing more importance in getting straight A's in their public examinations,many of them lack the necessary life skills.I really think more cooking classes should be held in Malaysian secondary schools.

-deep knowledge and skills that will enable advanced learning and an ability to create new ideas and translate them into practical applications

Reflection:Another point I believe our Malaysian government has failed to implement.Almsot everything in our Malaysian education system is exam centred and we do not have any hands on work for our students to apply their knowledge.Our education system is focused more on passive learning and students are not trained to be thinkers.Mr Wan mentioned that in an Australian classroom,students are encouraged to think and ask questions as compared to a Malaysian classroom whereby most of what we do is sit down and absorb information as much as we could.Definitely not a fun way of learning.

-general capabilities than underpin flexible and critical thinking a capacity to work with others and an ability to move across subject disciplines to develop new expertise

Reflection:They is not much social learning in a Malaysian education system.Teachers rarely encourage us to have group discussions about a topic.Teachers never asked us to share our sentiments about a topic we have learnt but you really cannot blame them because an SPM cert is extremely important to enter tertiary education and SPM examinations are more focused on memorising and not thinking creatively and critically.Hence,teachers do not have time to ask students to do student-centred learning because they want to help students get their SPM certs.

The Australian curriculum,which was what we learnt in class is very different from our education system.We have the almost the same subjects but we learn them differently.Take health and physical education for instance.The westerners place high importance when it comes to sports.Mr Wan even said that they pay professionals to actually help coach their students to be good athletes.I think this is a great idea.I have been watching American television since a young age and I know that the westerners take pride in their sports and they take their games very seriously.If you do not believe me,watch High School Musical.

Furthermore,this chapter also touches on principle,guidelines,types and categories of curriculum.

These are the five principles

Principle1:The essence of curriculum design the need for a conceptual framework

Mr Wan said that back then,students are not allowed to oppose whatever the teachers are teaching.I believe that this is not a good idea.I am against students being rude to teachers but I believe that students should be given a certain amount of authority to give teachers constructive criticism.Some teachers teach so quickly that they are in their own world.All they care about is finishing the syllabus and getting their pay by the end of the month.No teacher should ever do that.Students may be 20 percent of the population of our country but they are a 100 percent our future.A teacher may not be able to change the world but he or she can change a student's life and that is already the world to that student.

Now,there is a new phenomenological approach and it is much better because it is based on the needs of the students which is a good thing because each student is different and we all learn differently.

Principle 2:Conceptualising Attitudes and Beliefs About Learning

There are three orientations that we learnt about which are to develop and understand one's belief towards learning

a)The transmission position which is the one-way teaching

In my slides it states that the function of school is to transmit knowledge,values and facts to students but to me it is wrong because transmission is one-way teaching and whenever learning happens,it is best for it not to be one-way because the sentiments and opinions of students are valuable.

b)Transaction position

This method is a way more effective method because students get to ask teachers questions and are seen as capable individuals who are able to solve problems.

c)the transformation position

focuses on personal and social change

Principle 3:An Epistemological Rationale

Principle 4:The curriculum development/planning process

This is when teachers start their lesson plan.It gives them a view of how to teach the class and make amendments.I suggest that people who are novice in the classroom take this step just in case they have any amendments they want to make.

Principle 5:The Political Realities of Curriculum Development

Other than the principles,we also have the different kinds of curriculum.Which are the :

Overt,explicit or written curriculum

Everything under this group is basically curriculum that teachers are told to teach us with.Our planned curriculum set by the Education Ministry

The hidden or covert curriculum

This is unplanned curriculum.Let us say a student is being bullied in school,he or she would learn strategies to defend him or herself.This is hidden curriculum.

The null curriculum

Sadly,I am a victim of null curriculum.I have had teachers who are not trained in the subject they are teaching but because of the lack of teachers,they are forced to teach that certain subject.I believe that proper training needs to be given to all teachers before they enter a school because they are teaching the future leaders of tomorrow.They need to be well equipped with knowledge and not teach any students the wrong thing.I think the government should really have regular programs for teachers to be up to date with the subject they are teaching and well rounded as well.Education is so important and it is the key to a better nation.

There are also models I want to talk about that is in my syllabus which are:-

Tyler Model

This model,objectives derive from students needs and society.Learning experiences relate to objectives,activities organised by teacher should be integrated into subject matter and instructional outcomes should be evaluated.I think this model really speaks a lot.We need our objectives to derive from student needs and society because that is what education is about and that is to prepare our younger generation to be great adults and equip them with necessary knowledge to be able to succeed,survive and contribute in this world.I also love the idea of how the instructional outcomes are evaluated because not everything done by teachers will be a 100 percent effective or perfect,evaluations need to happen in order to continue to improve.

To me,this model is pretty similar to the Tyler model,not completely but they are similar.

The first step is to diagnose the learners' needs and the Tyler Model makes sure the objectives of education are suited for the student needs which I think is about the same.The last step is to determination of what to evaluate and means of doing it which is extremely important as I have said above about how important evaluation is.All in all,they are both good models and I would use any of them to teach a class because of its relevant steps in helping my students achieve their goals.

References

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Image.slidesharecdn.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016, from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/tylerobjectivemodel-150302230621-conversion-gate01/95/tyler-objective-model-6-638.jpg?cb=1425337932

Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. (2016). Image.slidesharecdn.com. Retrieved 25 November 2016, from http://image.slidesharecdn.com/ed202-curriculumengineering2-140123013952-phpapp02/95/phases-of-administering-the-curriculum-4-638.jpg?cb=1455750953

High School Musical - Get'cha Head In The Game. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G--VfuI0fNs

Teach every child about food | Jamie Oliver. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 25 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go_QOzc79Uc&t=27s

Week 5

Hello fellow bloggers.It is week five of my reflection.There was no class this week for curriculum development again because of the Deepavali holidays but none of my friends in my group were celebrating.Hence,we decided to discuss about our group assignment instead which assigned us to designed a curriculum based on our chosen approach and major.We all agreed to meet up at my house for discussion.At first we wanted to use the flip classroom approach and design our curriculum solely using the flip classroom approach but we were a bit confused with the components of the assignment.We did not really understand what the assignment asked of us.We did not want to do the wrong thing.So,my group member Hannee,volunteered to meet our lecturer Mr Wan to get clearer explanations regarding the project and we were given a lot of clarification because we now know what to do.Hannee explained everything to us through whatsapp and we split our assignment from there.Mr Wan also told Hannee that we were only allowed to choose from four approaches which were behavioural approach,managerial approach,systems approach and humanistic approach.My group mates and I chose to use the behavioural and humanistic approach because we were more familiar with these two approaches.We then chose English as our major subject to design the curriculum.

As of now,Lovelyn is currently in charge of part A which requires her to answer the purpose of our course and the reason why we chose the approaches we have chosen.Hannee is in charge of component 1 and 2 which are about the aims,goals and objectives and subject matter.I volunteered to do the component about evaluation and experience because I think I have a pretty good idea of how to do this part of the assignment.I have watched many videos about pedagogy on websites like Tedx and Youtube and I also have been taught by many great teachers which I look up to.Hence,I believe I can do a pretty good job at answering how our curriculum will be carried out to enhance the experience of the students and how students can truly be evaluated.I feel that this assignment is truly a stepping stone for us to become better teachers,to understand our students,to create better ways to educate them and to evaluate them.That is pretty much all I have to say about our assignment this week.Till next time fellow bloggers.

But if I were to be doing question A I would say that curriculum development is needed for our students to progress and it is needed to teach students new things that are happening in our world that is ever changing.When our curriculum develops it helps develops our society as well as better citizens and I think that the Malaysian government has saw that our students are just memorising their textbooks without thinking creatively and innovatively which is needed in our country now.Hence,they abolished PMR and replaced it with PT3.The SPM format has changed quite a bit as well.Now,students are asked questions which requires more critical thinking to help enhance their thinking skills.

As for the approaches.I would say that we chose the humanistic approach because I believe that it helps a student become more independent.It focuses on child-centred learning and students are responsible for their own education.They get the joy of discovery things during their learning process and the humanistic approach helps a child feel good about themselves when they learn.I feel that this is the type of approach many schools always talk about implementing but rarely establish this approach in their classrooms because it is too time consuming.Many teachers in the western culture are using these sort of approaches and they focus a lot on student-centred learning.Whereas teachers in asian countries like China are quite against this type of approach.I recently watched a video on Youtube showing the contrast between the Chinese way of learning which focuses a lot on memorising,100 percent teacher-centred and discipline and the British way of learning which focuses more on student-discovery or student-centred learning.

Here's the video.According to my sentiments,I prefer the British system way more.Moving on,I would have stated that the behaviourist approach was important because although student centred learning is good,there are times when we need boundaries and we need some teacher-centred classes.Learning through the behaviourist approach comes with the operant and classical conditioning.It is about praises,punishments and consequences.Sometimes we need to have a goal to work towards so we need positive conditioning.For example,if my teacher praises me in front of the whole class,I would work harder to receive more praises to feel proud of myself.Punishments are needed as well but not to a drastic and cruel extent.Mr Wan told us that asking students to stand under the hot sun for a whole hour is abuse.We should instead punish them by taking away things they like.For example,not allowing them to go for recess or their break.

Moving on,I am not sure what Hannee is going to write for the aim,goals and objectives or the subject matter.We just have to wait and see but since we are doing English,I am pretty sure the general aim is to help students become better at the language and learn to be more proficient in the language.I will update you readers next week.For now,that is all from me.

References

Are Our Kds Tough Enough Chinese School | Season 1 Episode 3 - YouTube. (2016). YouTube. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYGxAwRUpaI

Humanistic Approach vs. Behaviourist Approach to Teaching. (2016). Psycho4Stats. Retrieved 5 November 2016, from https://zuczka.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/humanistic-approach-vs-behaviourist-approach-to-teaching/

Reflection for Week 4

There was no class this week.Although I enjoyed learning,I was really happy because I needed a break once in a while.There was no class because there was an induction ceremony for the new students of our university.I used my free time this week to discuss with my course mates about the assignment given.We were quite daunted with the assignment at first because it seemed really tough.We basically had to design a curriculum with our chosen approach and my friend Hannee,brought up a few ideas from a website.I told my group mates that I wanted us to use the flip classroom method as our approach.You can learn more about this method through the video down below.

I feel that the flip classroom method is an amazing method for students especially for students who have a hard time catching up in class because when you learn your topics through videos,you can pause the teacher at any time you want and replay lessons you did not understand the first time and the best part is the video never gets tired of teaching.Homework can be done in school when we have the guidance of a teacher.When I was in secondary school,I did not do my homework most of the time because I did not know how to do it or who to ask help from because I was the eldest child in the family and my parents were art students but if I did my exercises in school with the guidance of a teacher,I will be able solve the questions.If every Malaysian school in our country were to use this method,I believe Malaysia will see amazing results.The government should donate free laptops for every student to be able to learn this way and have speedy wifi in school compounds for students who cannot afford wifi or even better have speed wifi at public libraries for students to use and make sure it is free so poor students can use them.If laptops were donated to students or rural areas accompanied with good and speedy wifi connection,so many of them will not be illiterate and they will be more educated.I hope the government does put my idea into consideration.I am an advocate for the type of learning.Right now we are trying to figure out how we are going to complete component 3 and 4 of the assignment which are about experience and evaluation respectively.We do not have experience with the flip classroom method so we most probably are going to use experience of other people and evaluations of people who have used this method but so far I think our team is at a good start and we are also trying to split the task.We hope to complete this task by next week so that we would have more time to study for our final examination.That is all from me.I will continue updating about our assignment progress in future posts.Till then,wish us the best of luck.

References
"Let's Use Video To Reinvent Education | Salman Khan". YouTube. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Reflection for Week 3

*Trumpets sound*Today I give to you all yet another reflection for my curriculum development class!Can you feel the excitement?

In class,we learnt the meaning of Philosophy which means love of wisdom.Our teacher mentioned that everyone has their own philosophy in life,I actually went home to reflect upon this question about my other philosophies in life because I already know what my main philosophy in life is.My main philosophy in my life is to use the gifts and knowledge I have to help other people.I guess that is why I want to become a teacher because I want to share my knowledge with other people.There are so many people in this world who are not as lucky as me to receive a good education,a roof above their heads to do revision or even proper schools to study in.It reminded me of the time my lecturer told us which just so happen to be the same lecturer teaching me this subject,about the time he went to all the rural schools to observe the teaching progress.He told us that there were no tiled floors in the school and the facilities were really poor.The school was a wooden school.I felt so grateful but at the same time ashamed because I have always complained about what I did not receive but in fact there were people worst off than me.

I want to help these people who are not as fortunate as me in my life.This whole situation reminds me of a quote by one of my favourite authors,the ever so famous,J.K Rowling.She said,"It is a moral responsibility when given more than you need to do wise things with it and give intelligently".Such wise words.It also reminded me of what a homily given by the priest for the mass I went to yesterday,he said in his homily that we have to give what we have to help those around us.It is not just charity but a responsibility as well.This philosophy of mine of helping those who are less fortunate has given me the boost to one day work with Teach For Malaysia.I feel that this is a good opportunity for me to put my philosophy to practice.As the saying goes,actions speaks louder than words.I cannot just think about how great it would be to help others,I have to actually change my words to action.

Now,going back to my other philosophies in my life.Other than that,I think it is important to stay humble.No matter who you are or how far you have come in life.If I do become a successful or a well-known lecturer one day or maybe even a famous celebrity(it could happen),I hope that I will still have gratitude towards the teacher who have helped me along my journey.This reminds me of a bible verse that the priest always reminds us during Ash Wednesday and that is :-

We should always remain humble and never think that we are more superior than another person no matter what the circumstances are.We are all human beings.I have many other philosophies as well but I will share them with you readers in future reflections.I asked my lecturer about his philosophies in life.He told us that his philosophy is to travel as much as you can and learn as much as you can.I think he has a really good philosophy,I guess that is why he is doing his doctorate because he loves learning so much.The class continued touching about the fundamental questions of philosophy which were:-

1.What is real?(Metaphysics)

2.What is truth?(Epistemology)

3.What is value?(Axiology)

.I was a bit daunted because the three words in parenthesis were three bombastic words I have never came across.

Moving on,we discussed about the definition and purpose of education.We have discussed about this topic many times but it was always good to do a recap.It is always good to remind ourselves what education is for and be grateful for it.We were also asked the relationship between education and society.Many answers were given.Education changes society in so many ways.It helps with mobility in stratification and many people want that especially the poor.Education is the key for them to have a better future a better life not just for them but for their family.I know of quite a number of people who have had a better life because of education.Bear in mind education does not take place in just universities and formal institutes.My father was dirt poor when he was young but he worked really hard to have enough savings to study in a small institute in Taiwan.With the knowledge he used from studying in that small institute,he managed to start his own business and is able to provide a comfortable life for my brother and I.Our lecturer told us that our curriculum is based on society.I never realised that before and it was an epiphany for me.He told us that our Chief Minister was furious that our standard of English in Sarawak was not on par with the standard of Bahasa Malaysia.He stressed that he has to be equal and I agree!English is so important at this day of age.It is pretty hard to find a job if you are not fluent in English or communicating in English.I suggest that the government should start establishing English medium schools like how they used too in the olden days or encourage parents to speak English to their children.Moreover,I think we Malaysians have a really unique language of our own which is Malaysian English which is really similar to what the Singaporeans call 'Singlish' but we need to teach our younger generation the difference between Malaysian English and proper English.Some parents and English teachers are quite against Malaysian English and has totally scrap this any trace of Malaysian English from their daily conversations.I for one believe that we should embrace this sort of English but we should also be fluent in proper English.I feel that our Malaysian English is fascinating and amusing and it makes our country what we are.Maybe this video will give you more clarification about what I am talking about.

And this is something I found on the Internet for your laughs.

Furthermore,we learnt about the relationship of philosophy and curriculum and that philosophy is the starting point for curriculum which I agree on.Without philosophy there is no guide for the curriculum.The teachers will be like the blind leading the blind.I strongly believe that philosophy gives teachers a sense of purpose for teaching.Every teacher needs to have some sort of philosophy or else why the heck are they even teaching?Philosophy helps a teacher to know the purpose of education,what subjects are of value,how should students learn and even deciding on the materials needed to teach students.

Other than that we learnt about Ralph Tyler's view of philosophy and the relationship to school purpose.

We learn many things from school,school makes what the world is today.A technological moving globe.Mr Wan explained that we learn the use of psychology of learning in school and it is divided into three parts,cognitive,behavioristics and humanisitc.Through psychology,we learn the needs of human beings and values we should have.It is school we learn the values we need to hold as human beings.We learn many values from our parents but there are many families in this world that are broken and the parents of these broken families may instill bad values to their children.It is the school's job to make sure that students are taught about good moral values to mold students to be better people for the sake of our country.

We also learnt about the four major philosophies and I have reflected upon as them as well.

1.Idealism

Reflection:I think this is almost every teacher's ideal teaching style especially the perfectionists..It is about learning something that will last a long time.Subjects like language and Mathematics.I really hope to put this philosophy to practice when I am a teacher but I do think that since idealism is about achieving something that is perfect,it will take a lot of time till many teachers are able to reach this level but as the saying goes practice makes perfect.It promotes abstract thinking which I think most asian countries are lacking.We are always taught to memorise everything instead of think critically.More teachers in Malaysia should implement this philosophy.

2.Realism

Reflection:Students learn to come to their senses and the real world.Realism teaches about logical and rational thinking.We need this sort of thinking in every Malaysian.We need great leaders to think logically for good decisions for our country.This type of philosophy has to be practiced in classrooms for the sake of the students because they are the future leaders of tomorrow.They are the ones who are going to run the country one day.My sentiments are that the 2020 vision will not happen but no in 2020,I believe it could happen in the future if our generation were to think ethically,have good knowledge about the economy and political happenings which are the three things that are included in  the realism curriculum.

3.Pragmatism

Reflection:Nothing is forever,so students need to be taught about practical things.Topics that they can use at this day of age.It focuses a lot on problem solving especially in the present.There are many new arising problems these days and a pragmatic curriculum gives students the tools to solve these problems that they will come upon in the future.

4.Existentialism

Reflection:It stressed about self-fulfilment which I believe everyone is looking for.It touches on human emotions and finding purpose which I believe is what we all need.Many people like expressing themselves through things like art,music or literature.These things are the things that gives the people in our world entertainment and enjoyment or an escape from reality.Many people who love these sort of stuff and actually pursue the performing arts or something that has a relation to any sort of art form are often criticised in our asian culture for its insecurity but I believe that we need these sort of people are willing to take risks to go after what they really love because it gives them a sense of purpose in their lives and without these people we will not have good music to listen to,good movies to watch or great television series to watch either.Do not tell me that you never listened to a Taylor Swift song when you are heartbroken or if you are a boy,do not tell me you have never listened to an Ed Sheehan song when you were dumped.I hope to use the existentialist method to teaching in my classroom which focuses on teaching through self-expressive activities,experimentation and methods and also media.I feel that this is the best way to teach the younger generation.What young person does not like music or movies?

We as teachers should think of ways to make the class as interesting as possible and not stick to boring classroom teaching.Times have changed and people have changed and I think it is about time teaching has changed as well.We need to help students find their passion,whatever it is and support them but obviously their passion has to be something that gives a positive impact.Not every child wants to be a doctor or a lawyer,we need to teach them to embrace their passion.Do not be this teacher or parent when you grow up:-

That is all from me(for now).Hope you enjoyed this week's reflection.

References

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