Review of teaching and

learning of science and

mathematics in schools

C.C. HO

Academy of Sciences Malaysia

cchoho2001@yahoo.com

2 Feb 2010

contents• Background

• Current education policy, school system

• Previous reports on current system

• Issues encountered on current system

• Feedback from trainers/educators,

teachers, parents, students

• Review/changes implemented to-dates

• Comparison of policy from other countries

Background• 70’s BM was introduced as language of instruction in

science education

• 80’s education methods and curriculum: emphasizing repetition and memorizing

• 90’s growing need for innovative methods of teaching, learning and assessment; cognitive learning; increasing use of technology to teach science

• 1993: PMR and SPM (based on KBSM) public examinations were introduced

• 1999: Penilaian kerja amali (PEKA) a school-based science practical assessment as alternative of assessing science process and manipulative skills was introduced

• 2003 Teaching and learning of science and mathematics in English (PPSMI) was introduced

• 2010 started to phase out PPSMI

Programmes developed to improve

science and Maths education

• Space Science Division (BAKSA) and Malaysia for Center for Remote Sensing (MACRES) established in 1992 to educate and promote space science to primary, secondary schools, universities and public

• Smart school project was introduced in 1999 using mix of learning strategies to ensure mastery of basic competencies and promotion of holistic development. The initiative emphasizes total pupils involvement.

• English language enhancement programme known as English for The Teaching of Mathematics and Science (ETeMS) introduced as an urgent interim measure to ensure that teachers of mathematics and science (MST) will have basic capacity to use English as the medium of instruction

• PPSMI introduced in 2003

• Nobel laureate centennial exhibition in KL to commemorate 100th anniversary of Nobel prize

RMK9: to increase capacity

for knowledge

• To increase access to education and quality of

training at all levels - steps will be taken to

improve academic achievements of students,

particularly rural, through better teaching quality

and learning environment - RM1.5b to improve

facilities in rural schools (Sarawak n Sabah)

• To make national schools the ‘school of choice’

- converting all existing schools to ‘Smart

Schools’ (RM284m) - RM1.51b allocated for

computerization of school programme

Education Development

Master Plan2006-2010

Major thrusts of Master Plan

• To increase access to education

• To increase equity in education

• To increase quality of education, and

• To improve the efficiency and

effectiveness of education management

Aims for development

• Increase the mastery of Malay language, English language, Mathematics and Science

• Provide adequate trained teachers

• Ensure 50% of primary school teachers are university graduates by 2010

• To produce students who are knowledgeable and skillful in various fields especially in science, technology and ICT

Implementation Strategies

• Revising school textbook, improving integration of ICT in teaching and learning, expanding smart school concept, revising the norms for teacher allocation

• Improving teaching and learning in science by providing more science teachers, laboratories, and science materials

• Implementing contextual teaching and learning methods and inclusion of new educational elements such as biotechnology and microelectronics to make learning of science more interesting and relevant

Recognizing problems and

challenges in science education

• Low participation rate of students in science

• Difficulty in understanding terminology and process of science in English by students

• Teachers still prefer traditional teaching approaches, despite exposure to new approach

• Teachers over dependent on commercial teaching materials, no time to prepare their own

• Qualified teachers not teaching their subject options

• Teaching and learning examination-oriented

• Low level of cognitive development

Teaching and learning of science

and maths in English (PPSMI)

• Rationale : a good command of English would enable students to access the internet and read materials in English.

• Implementation started in stages in 2003 i.e. Year 1 students for Primary Schools, Form 1 and Lower 6 students for Secondary Schools.

• full implementation of PPSMI achieved in 2007 for Secondary Schools and 2008 for Primary Schools.

PPSMI (continued)

• Plan to phase out PPSMI announced on

July 8 2009

• Completely reverting back to BM by 2012

• Reasons: e.g. declines in grades in UPSR

results in science and maths, particularly

in rural areas

• Huge sum spent on converting from BM to

English since 2003 until now

Studies/reports on teaching

and learning of science and

mathematics

TIMSS 3rd Int Maths and Science study

• Conducted in 2007 by Int maths and

Science study on performance of Form 2

(Grade 8) students

- on maths: M’sia scored 474 on average

below Int ave.500, outperformed by S’pore,

Korea, HK, Taiwan, Japan and 7 others

- on Sci, M’sia scored 471 on ave. < int ave

500

Findings of various studies…

• 8.6% of Form 1 teachers used discovery method

to teach (KBSM 1991)

• 12.7% Form 1 teachers used teaching aids and

resources (KBSM 1991)

• 89.29% teachers did not use innovation

techniques (FT 1996), students copy notes only

• Many teachers did not use innovative

techniques (Sarawak 1996)

• Visual learning no apparent; mainly didactic

style of teaching (Anuar Zaini 2003)

National study on teaching trend

in schools on students’ perception of science classes

• 46% said teachers encouraged them to ask questions

• 38% believed their teachers interested to hear their opinions

• 46% believed teachers used the lecture method frequently

• 46% believed teachers give them feedback on their progress

• 43% believed their teachers making them think

• 42% believed their teachers encourage them to express their individual ideas

• 43% believed science is related to everyday life

• 53% found science class boring Sulaiman etal (1996)

Urban and Rural Primary Science

Teaching (survey in Selangor)

• Definition of rural- population: < 1000/sq mile

• Poor facilities and resources in rural schools

• High turn over rate of graduate teachers in rural

areas

• Standard of English of teachers and students

‘extremely bad’ in rural schools

• Rural students find it difficult to catch up when

moved to secondary schools in towns

• Achievement in science is weak for both areas

Anuar Zaini et al CEDER seminar UM March 2003

Achievement in science

primary four (Selangor)

Subjects Urban (mean score)

Rural (mean score)

Science 53.61 47.27

Mathematics 59.73 49.88

English 51.08 41.62

BM writing 58.46 49.99

BM

comprehension

64.43 58.97

Sample size: urban 43/244 (1569 students), rural 11/113 (442 students)

based on scores of 100 in mid year exam by each school

More in-depth findings…

• Students rarely brought out of classroom to study (nature walk; visits)

• Contextual teaching and learning lacking

• Laboratory facilities and activities lacking

• Teaching aids (e.g. charts, globes and magnets) does not help critical and analytical thinking nor inculcate science process and manipulative skills

• Connectivity between concepts learnt and real world (problem-based learning) lacking

• Teachers need to evaluate critically subject knowledge, teaching approaches and awareness of surroundings

Daniels EGS:EJLS 4 (11) 2005

What do some students say…

• When learning about animals - teacher

just shows pictures

• We do not go anywhere - but we would

like to

• Teacher just gives note

• I do not like study about living things -

because it is boring

Daniels EGS:EJLS 4 (11) 2005

What some teachers practice/say

and their predicaments …• Taught about living-things in classroom only - no

field trips or nature walk

• Field trips are for suitable intelligent students only

• Teachers already burdened with attending too many courses, students left to their own

• No time for field trip

• Not realizing importance of relating science lessons with real world in learning

• Emphasizing on completing syllabus, ignoring enquiring rich surroundings and whether students understand contents

• Poor science process skills (e.g. making inferences, putting forward hypothesis, controlling variables, experimentation)

Teaching of Mathematics & Science in

English: The Teachers' Voice

• 80.8% of the respondents felt that they had problems in adjusting with the number of new English words to be learnt as result of the change in policy.

• 92.3% of the respondents had problems using new terms or words correctly

• 88.5% of the teachers found it difficult to express themselves correctly in English

• 53.8% of the teachers involved in the study said that they had no problems acclimatizing themselves with the use of English in teaching Mathematics and Science.

• 46.6% of the subjects indicated shock and feelings of inadequacy in coping with the task.

• 85.2% of the respondents indicated that they has problems explaining concepts in English

• 81.8% admitted to using Bahasa Melayu to give explanation when faced with breakdown in communication when using English.

Ong Saw Lan and May Tan Jurnal Pendidik & Pendidikan, Jil. 23 2008

Teaching of Mathematics & Science in

English: The Teachers' Voice

• 70.5% of the respondents indicated that there was a difference between general English and the language of mathematics and science.

• 65.4% of the respondents expressed the difficulty in engaging the class discussion in English.

• 73.1% felt that responding to the students in English is also a problem

• 76.9% expressed their difficulty in providing in English

• 80.7% of the respondents indicated that their English counterparts provided assistance

• 76.2% of the respondents indicated that they often discussed language problems related to the teaching of mathematics and science with their English counterpart

• 36.4% of the respondents claimed that they do collaborate with their colleagues

• 87.5% of the respondents felt that the multimedia courseware supplied by the Ministry to teach science and mathematics is well planned and effective in terms of content.

Ong Saw Lan and May Tan Jurnal Pendidik & Pendidikan, Jil. 23 2008

Malaysian Science and Technology

conference (MASTEC) 2007

• Organized by ASM

• Attended by policy makers, academics,

researchers, senior members of science

community, IPTA, RI; drivers in trade, finance

and venture capital; STI professional bodies;

representatives of business and commercial

sector

• Supported by MOSTI

• View points from supply and demand side

were considered and deliberated

Malaysian Science and Technology

conference (MASTEC) 2007

Discussion on five focus areas:

- Malaysia’s innovation-led economy

- preparing human capital for STI and

innovation economy

- strengthening science education for a

K-economy

- enhancing indigenous K-based industries

in K-economy and SMEs in an innovation-led

economy

- planning, investing and funding for a K-

economy, innovation-led economy

MOE identified and set objectives

on science education…

• gearing science education towards enabling students to acquire higher level of explicit knowledge, thinking and entrepreneurial skills

• increasing accessibility of education to all levels

• improving quality of education training and delivery system

• improving ICT facilities in schools

• inculcating and reinforcing positive values

Strengthening science education

for a knowledge economy

• MOE will focus, constantly monitor, review and develop - the science curriculum (national needs and international development)

- co-curricular activities in science

education - bridging the gap between rural and town

schools - ICT facilities in schools - human resource development

Issues and challenges from

report (2007)…• Plans and policies not systematically and seriously

implemented

• Infra-structure is lacking

• management practices wanting

• Students not excited to pursue science courses

• Lab facilities and computer links broken down or often not operational (optimum level)

• Very few qualified and dedicated teachers

• Curriculum not relevant, cramped, rigid, heavy

• Too much emphasis on completing syllabus rather ensuring understanding by students; lack self-discovery and articulation of ideas

• Frequent change in policy, blurring directional paths

Recommendations on

science education…

• Train and nurture youths to be creative, independent, STI-savvy, build innovative and problem-solving skills, eliminate exam-result obsession

• Inculcate values on broadmindedness, sociable, caring, racial unity among students

• Popularizing science information/subjects via mass media

• Encouraging good interaction between teachers and students in class, thinkers, inventors with consumers

• Facilitate public promotion and involvement in science to rural areas

• Promote better salary and service schemes for science teachers and encourage them to move to rural areas

What other countries are doing

on science education?

Rising above the gathering storm :

Energizing and employing America

for brighter economic future

A report on “Prospering in the global

economy of the 21st century: an agenda

for American science and technology

Prepared by the National Academies USA

2007

To examine position of USA in today’s global knowledge-discovery enterprise --- concern expressed that a weakening of S & T in USA would degrade its social and economic conditions and erode ability of its citizen to compete for high-quality jobs

Purpose of study (May 2005)

Task of committee …

…to identify urgent challenges and

determine specific steps to ensure

that USA maintains its leadership in

S&E&T to compete successfully,

prosper and be secure in the 21st

century

On commitment of the

stakeholders…

...the study can forge a national consensus

on what is needed to retain USA

leadership in innovation… with the right

leaders, under the aegis of the federal

government, can bring renewed attention

to S & T so that we can remain the nation

that the world looks to for the newest ideas

and the most skilled people…

House of representative Sherwood Boehlert

Committee asked specifically

to investigate• What are the top 10 actions, in priority

order, that federal policy-makers could take to enhance the S&T enterprise so that USA can successfully compete, prosper and be secure in the global community of the 21st century?

• What implementation strategy, with several concrete steps, could be used to implement each of these actions?

Recommendations A

• Increase America’s talent pool by vastly improving K-12 (Form 5) science and mathematics education : - annually recruit 10,000 science and mathematics teachers (educating 10m minds) - strengthen skills of 250,000 teachers through retraining and Master programme - enlarge pipeline of students to enter S&E&M programme in universities

Recommendation B

Sustain and strengthen the nation’s

traditional commitment to long-term basic

research that has the potential to be

transformational to maintain the flow of

new ideas that fuel the economy, provide

security and enhance quality of life

Recommendation C

Make USA the most attractive setting in

which to study and perform research so

that we can develop, recruit, and retain the

best and brightest students, scientists and

engineers from within the USA and

throughout the world

Recommendation D

Ensure that USA is the premier place in

the world to innovate; invest on

downstream activities such as

manufacturing and marketing; create

high-paying jobs based on innovation by

such actions as modernizing the patent

system, realigning tax policies to

encourage innovation and ensuring

affordable broadband access

The French experience

(la main a la pate)

• Means collaborative, hands-on work;

• Designed for teaching science at primary school;

• founded by Georges Charpak et al and the French academy of Sciences and institute of France in 1996;

• Supported by French Ministry of Education;

• Taken over by the National Institute for Educational Research with new teaching programme published in 2002

• Concept introduced to many partners e.g. China, Colombia, Chile and Brazil, Germany, Egypt

The French system

(la main a la pate)

• Objective: renew and expand science teaching in primary education and contribute to achieving this aims in other countries

• Recommends teachers implement an inquiry process combining exploration of the world, scientific learning, experimentation, mastery of language and argumentation, so that children deepen their understanding of the objects and phenomena around them

Support system designed for teachers to

implement inquiry-based science education

• Dissemination, empowering and acknowledgement through recommendations to stakeholders, training and publications, conferences

• Networking of teachers, trainers, scientists through field exchanges and internet services

• Involvement of scientific community (classroom support for teachers)

• Development and sharing of teaching resources

• Cross-disciplinary and collaborative projects linking dozens of schools

• Large number of online services and resources for teachers and trainers through website/portal

What have we achieved so far?

Impact of Master PlanKey performance indicators Current

2005/6 (%)

Target

2008 (%)

Level 1 primary school pupils skills in reading, writing,

arithmetic increased

92.3 95.0

Pupils requiring remedial programme decreased 7.7 <5

The need for tuition voucher reduced 100 80

Achievement gap narrowed among students 1-14 by

subject

-20 of gap

Secondary students taking MPV increased in rural areas 5 8

Dropout rate reduced in rural areas 1.2 (1o)

16.7 (2o)

<1.0 (1o)

<10 (2o)

Health of pupils in rural areas improved (attendance rate

increased)

High low

Quality and experienced teachers more prepared to

serve in remote areas

low high

Zulkurnain Hj Awang MOE 4.7.07

Criteria multinationals used in

determining location of their facilities

• Cost of labour (professional and general

workshop)

• Availability and cost of capital

• Availability of qualified workforce

• Taxation environment

• Indirect cost (litigation, employee benefits)

• Quality of research universities

• Convenience of transportation and

communication (language proficiency)

Criteria multinationals used in

determining location of their facilities

• Fraction of national research and

development supported by government

• Legal-judicial system (business integrity,

property rights, contract sanctity, patent

protection)

• Current and potential growth of domestic

market

• Attractiveness as a place to live for

employees

• Effectiveness of national economic system

Current scenario…

• Knowledge changes rapidly with time; old

content becomes obsolete/irrelevant fast

• Are students equipped with learning skills that

foster lifelong learning, for thinking and problem-

solving?

• Are potentials of teaching and learning through

ICT fully explored and exploited to create a

competent K-workforce for the future?

• Are skills imparted to students relevant for the

future workplace?

Terima kasih

References

• Sulaiman NR, et al PIER Report, Fac

Edu, UM, 1996

• Anuar Zaini MZ, et al, CEDER Seminar

UM, 2003

• Daniel EGS, eJLS 4(11) 2005

• Ong Saw Lan and May Tan Jurnal

Pendidik & Pendidikan, Jil. 23 2008