tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post113815864557766259..comments2024-03-21T20:10:28.943+08:00Comments on EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA: Education Reforms: Forwards or Back?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1138367918177726582006-01-27T21:18:00.000+08:002006-01-27T21:18:00.000+08:00Another point I would like to make is that examina...Another point I would like to make is that examinations does not emulate real life and thus cannot predict real life achievement. For one, rarely in real life do individuals forced to do something individually within a very short amount of time without researching or using references (most tests are close-book ones). Real-life skills like the ability to cooperate and collaborate with other team members, for example, cannot be measured by examinations.<BR/><BR/>And there are many aspects of many examinations that simply don't correlate in real life. Take for example, language tests - when was the last time you are forced to write an essay of a certain length within a certain time period on a topic you are not allowed to research beforehand? Having took STPM, I must ask, where in real life do critical information needed to solve a problem are hidden in deceivious statements? Or how often are you required to find answers or solutions to questions or problems that are delibrately worded to confuse you?<BR/><BR/>I'm going to venture a guess that you would answer rarely, if not never, for all those situations.<BR/><BR/>Examinations essentially tests a candidates ability to sit for an examination. Little more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1138367328861418722006-01-27T21:08:00.000+08:002006-01-27T21:08:00.000+08:00Look at your questions again, Tony. How many stude...Look at your questions again, Tony. How many students with the same amount of effort and the same amount of studying would be able to answer them? Especially the last two? Few are gifted with the ability to answer the last two questions commendably, the rest would struggle. Those who do well for that question probably won't be able to answer subsidiary questions like, "Draw a detailed map of the Malaccan sultanate just before it fell to the Portugese" or "Assume that for the first six hours, Malaccan soldiers increased by 25% hourly while a constant death rate was 45% through out the battle, assuming the battle lasted for 26 hours and 60% of remaining soldiers fled with the Sultan immediately, how many soldiers stayed back in Malacca the Portugese won?" or "What are the prominent literary components used in Sejarah Melayu regarding to its passage related to this incident. Furthermore, compare the prose and style of the passage with the passage regarding the founding of Malacca".<BR/><BR/>You see Tony, Albert Einstein would have failed the test you set (indeed, he did fail the humanities portion of the ETH, Zurich university entrance test). Eash student have different abilities and aptitudes as well as different interests. Making them learn the same thing would be repeating the mistake - more often than not, students that fail in school can't apply themselves to required subjects - not won't. <BR/><BR/>Another point you're missing is how do you mark the answer script? To make marks less reflective of the personal biases of the examiners, marking schemes are employed. Hong Kong's A-Level tried the method you suggest to spectacular failure; critical thinking became a farce and students wrote what they felt the examiners wanted to read. Therein lies the problem with the examination system - especially standardized, nationalized ones.<BR/><BR/>Certainly, there is a role for standardized examinations but it shouldn't be as prominent as it is today. Instead, examinations for the most part should be replaced with non-examination assessments like group and individual projects, reports and presentations at school level. Of course, there would be disreptancy between the standards employed by different schools and even different teachers - there's where examinations ought to come in: to moderate school achievement results, rather than replace it.<BR/><BR/>In other words, standardized examinations should be employed only so that universities and employers can approximate the aptitude of the student. After all, an A from one school would most definitely be different from another school. And because such examinations would be contrasted with internal assessments, there is far less opportunity for any party to inflate grades - at least not to the level many countries are experiencing now.<BR/><BR/>Just my two sen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1138237103704309772006-01-26T08:58:00.000+08:002006-01-26T08:58:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12123329.post-1138164577916895392006-01-25T12:49:00.000+08:002006-01-25T12:49:00.000+08:00hey what happened to the prior post.. :/ .. i was...hey what happened to the prior post.. :/ .. i was commenting halfway when it somehow disappeared..<BR/><BR/>so anyway heres my comment on the previous post.<BR/><BR/>"Hm.. I rememeber telling Tony via email about the supposed MoE plans a special education system for the gifted. <BR/><BR/>Basically what happened was, representatives from the MoE came to my school and met the bunch of The Gifted Group from my school. So they gave us some surveys and stuffs, asked some questions and requested for some input. <BR/><BR/>I myself raised the scenario of a maths whizkid who is only super good at maths and not anything else. He would not do well at other exams, and ultimately screw up his SPM - the main yardstick for "excellence" here. Hence, there goes his talent. * this was before this guy popped up*<BR/><BR/>I raised the possibility of emulating the US education system, where people who are profficient in certain subjects can take advanced / honor classes for it.<BR/><BR/>Put it this way. There's an 18 year old professor at MIT. He's super good at maths. He was HOMESCHOOLED. He probably wont do well in other subjects, and if he were in Malaysia... its bye bye. <BR/><BR/>I remember there are specialized schools for certain subjects at other countries. Certain european countries have maths school America has Maths & Engineering high schools... <BR/><BR/>So what are we going to come up with?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com