The National Education Policy

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

First principle is integrated approach, which means an approach where knowledge, skills, and values are combined to integrate the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual aspects. The integrated concept occurs through four ways, which are skills cohesion, infusion, integration of two elements and element across the curriculum. Skills cohesion divided into two aspects, which are in one subject and between subject. For instance, in one subject, the four main skills for language are speaking, listening, reading and writing but in one teaching and learning process, cohesion of only two skills is emphasized. For between subjects, the skill such as singing is used for teaching of Physical Education and Health Science. Infusion is divided into two aspects, which are various knowledge areas, and across subject, and moral values in subject. For example, in various knowledge areas and across subject, the mathematical element is infused in the teaching art. Next, integration of two elements is divided into three, which are curriculum and co-curriculum, knowledge and practice, and previous experience and new experience. For example, co-curricular activities are complementary to curricular activities in the classroom. Then, element across the curriculum is the exploration of one subject to another and create the linkage between them. For example, language, science, and environment that is used in another subject matter. It means the integration of element using in other subject matter and applied into the situation. Second principle is holistic development which means it is through all the subject that can be fulfill the needs of pupils in physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and social. Individual potentials cannot be developed in isolation and each potential in related to the others. For example, a pupil who is a potential skilled footballer needs to develop knowledge such as the effective ways of playing and skills of the game. Besides that, they also can develop cooperation, adherence to game rules and discipline. Third principle is life-long learning which means learning process occurs continuously and is not restricted by time. In this principle, schools have the important roles which are school is first formal institution where pupils obtain knowledge and basic skills. In relation to this, KBSR builds the foundation for the pupils, which enable them to face their daily challenges. Besides that, school also nurtures pupil’s interest to pursue knowledge and contribute to their course. Fourth principle is one education for all, which means all pupils at the same schooling level follow the same curriculum. All pupils will learn the same syllabus and teachers will evaluate the learning outcomes from the contents in KBSR. The pupils have different learning outcomes even though they get the same level of education.

These principles are upward in the curriculum for enable teachers develop children as learners. It means they are can gain knowledge, experience, or mastery in skills through experience or study. Children learn through play. They learn about size, shape, taste, and quality of their own world. They are connecting their environment with experiences for the schema of the entire situation. They are begin to struggle with the environment and think critically while analyze the problem solving. In 21st century learner, they more advanced in technology and it creates different environment for them. The characteristics of 21st century learner are able to make the linkage between intelligent questioning, confident communication, tasking risks, flexible, have high personality, proficient critical, and thirst for knowledge. The teachers also have to change the learning environment, which compliment with 21st century of learning. Although, the teaching and learning had changed but the theories of learning in 20th century are remains connecting with the teaching and learning nowadays. Theories of learning refer to general learning principles, which have been derived from research by education psychologists. The teachers are still using these theories of learning for the references in teaching and learning but in the different way so that it can compliment with the learner nowadays. The teachers commonly use Bloom’s taxonomy for their reference in teaching and learning process for productive thinking skill and evaluate them by six levels of thinking skills, which are, remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. They are also complimenting it with the learning styles of the learners, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. With these learning theories, teachers will be able to understand concisely how pupils learn, and then use these learning theories to relate with teaching method and techniques to guide them and develop them as learners.

We can see theory of multiple intelligence by Howard Gardner is emphasized on observation of every individual is edowed with different levels of natural potentials. According to him, individuals possess eight types of intelligences, namely: linguistic, logistic-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal (social), intrapersonal and naturalistic. It is related to the principle of KBSR, which is infusion of integrated approach. Infusion is divided into two aspects, which are various knowledge areas, and across subject, and moral values in subject. For example, in various knowledge areas and across subject, the mathematical element is infused in the teaching art. It means that multiple of intelligences in every individual can be applied it through teaching and learning process. The role of teachers is to evaluate their learning styles in order to plan the lesson. It can be refer through learning styles, which are visual, auditory and kinesthetic. It means that the learners have different type of learning styles and ways of receiving the information. For example, there are leaner who learns through pictures, games, talking with partners, reading newspaper, listening to native speakers and prefers the teacher to explain everything. The teachers who are alert with this issue, they can accommodate the students’ preferences for learning styles and strategies, which can bring the satisfaction of learners and their attainment. Besides that, infusion can be use as teaching method to develop their level of thinking and produce the learners of high order thinking. It also can compliment with the characteristic of 21st century learners which are taking risks, flexible, have high personality, proficient critical, and thirst for knowledge. The multiples intelligences will help the teachers to attract the students with variety of teaching and develop their interest and strong element through it. It can gives positive impact in classroom practice such as the teachers can develop their potential and try to improve it by variety of teaching method. Besides that, the learners will not be bored or left out because teachers can plan and conduct the activities according to their strongest intelligences and learning styles. This theory can help the teachers to evaluate a mixture of strong, intermediate, and weak abilities in these eight intelligences, which they are capable of. It can give a clear picture for the teachers to help them through interpersonal and intrapersonal with the learners.

Moreover, theory of cognitive learning by Noam Chomsky is emphasized on self-adaptation, which is important factor for individual cognitive development. He considered that during the self-adaptation process and individual learning has actually occurred when the individual acquires experience from the process of interaction with other people, things, or objects that exist in the environment. It is related to the principles of KBSR, which is integrated approach. For example, this theory is implementing in integration of two elements in integrated approach. There are divided into three, which are curriculum and co-curriculum, knowledge and practice, and previous experience and new experience. It means the integration of element using in other subject matter and applied into the situation. The role of teacher is to arrange and present new information in such a way the learners can relate the new information to their own existing and previous information. In language teaching, the teacher should encourage learners to consciously think and talk about the language to increase their competence and performance. This theory is learner-centered and focuses on discovery learning through deductive and inductive approach. In an inductive approach, the teacher guides learners through a number of specific examples and asks them to find out the rule of generalization through a process of guided discovery. In a deductive approach, the teacher presents a rule or generalization and guides learners to test using a number of specific examples. Besides that, this theory also can compliment with teaching method and it is useful for create the learners in 21st century. It can develop the characteristic of 21st century which are intelligent questioning, confident communication, tasking risks and flexible. The teachers also can use the strategies of Bloom’s taxonomy in order to evaluate the students according to six levels of thinking skills. There are many ways of teaching in Bloom’s taxonomy for increase the quality of teaching and learning process for enable, the teachers create learners. Cognitive theory gives positive impact to classroom practice, which emphasizes on the learners and how they organize their knowledge. Besides that, this theory also develops learners on how to analyze problem and how to think for them.

Besides that, theory of Kohler’s learning theory which used cognitive approach to study how to know or to think which refers to the process of mind acquires represents and applying knowledge, encompassing sensation, perception, reasoning, learning language and production, problem solving and memory. Kohler used the cognitive approach to study how a chimpanzee managed to obtain a banana, which was hung on a roof of his cage using his insight. He suggested that perception of this relationship, which is used to solve problem. He concluded that insight is the mental ability helps individuals to perceive all of a sudden, the relationship of the elements in the environment that provides a way to solve the problem they are facing. It is related to principles of KBSR, which is element across curriculum. Element across the curriculum is the exploration of one subject to another and create the linkage between them. For example, language, science, and environment that are used in another subject matter. The role of teacher is to encourage learners use their insight to solve learning problems. Next, they also have to guide learners to use their perception to relate in the surroundings. For example, ‘Kajian Tempatan’ is one of the subjects using this element and it is include the environment and mathematics. The teachers must plan the lesson using the six levels of thinking skills so that the student can interpret the contents systematically. For example, the teachers must use the real example from environment such as a picture and relate to the formula of mathematics. The students can see and analyze the picture before they can understand the formula. The students can use their insight and try to analyze the relationship of it. This theory can help teachers to compliment with characteristics of 21st century learners such as intelligent questioning, tasking risk, and proficient critical. The implications in the classroom practice are learners can use of their insight to derive conclusion or generalization and sufficient learning materials from the teachers can helps the learners to apply these materials to solve problems.

Next, theory of humanism also implement in our curriculum. Pioneers of this theory are Carl Rogers, Maslow and Bugental. The theory explained the great importance on affective and emotional factors and holds the view that success in learning occurs only if the learning environment is right and the learners are interested in and have positive attitude towards the new information. This theory is related to principles of KBSR, which is holistic development. It can relate with the learner’s interest so that it can fulfilled the potentials of them. The teacher’s role is to create a conducive, non-threatening environment where the learners feel comfortable so that they can experiment with the new language. Strategy and method for teaching and learning should be oriented towards pupil-centered, individual teaching method, inquiry discovery, practical approach, as well as enrichment activities. Teachers should play the role as facilitator and organizer to motivate learners to use their own learning strategy to achieve self-perfection. For example, the teachers can analyze the learners’ interest and try to variety the teaching method so that it can compliment with the learning styles, which are visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. Selection of learning activities, content, and materials must upward to the learners’ affective domain. Generally, learners are allowed to set their own goals and following their own pace. Experiential learning or learning by doing, can increased personal involvement, stimulation of feeling and thinking, self-initiation and self-evaluation. Besides that, it also can develop the potential of the learners, which are physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and social. The effectiveness of teaching and learning activities in classroom has to depend on which level of learners’ need is satisfied. The implication in the classroom practice is the learners can achieve the self-objective and goal through realization of potential development. Besides that, it is also can helps the learners to strive for excellence and self-perfection that will help an individual to develop his potential to the maximum level.

Furthermore, the behaviorists theory also implement in our curriculum. Psychologists as Pavlov, Skinner, and Thorndike believe that it is possible to predict and explain the way of people learn by studying the behavior of animals. They applied the stimulus-response reinforcement to the way human acquire language. This theory showed that reinforcement is very important in the early stages of learning and should be given frequently. It is related to principles of KBSR, which is life-long learning. The learners must have motivation and reinforcement to develop their interest in learning and keep them to seek knowledge continuously. The role of teacher are to plan and conduct the lesson step by step so that correct behavior is reinforced with rewards and mistakes are corrected immediately. For example, the teacher can give activity such as draw an animal that you like or you have as a pet and then color the drawing. The teachers must observe each of the students and interact with them. Besides that, the teachers also can prepare a cartoon movie for them to watch and after that ask the students to tell what they have watched. This is suitable for 21st century learners and it can increase their confident in communication, flexibility and have high personality. Reinforcement must be given directly such as ‘good job’ or ‘it’s beautiful’ so that learners become more interested to participate in the activity. The teachers can use the strategies of high order thinking and lower order thinking in Bloom taxonomy and plan the lesson according to six levels of thinking skills of the learners. It can help to attract and teach the learners according to their development in learning. Moreover, they will continue to impress the teachers and it can help them become motivated to continue the learning process. The implication in classroom practice based on this theory is a newly learned skill or technique ought to be given continuous reinforcement so that this skill or technique can be strengthened and sustained. Besides that, the teachers also can modify learner’s undesirable behavior with the reinforcement that given immediately and directly to learners.

In a conclusion, the approach of teaching should be included the theories of learning because it is importance to both teaching and learning. Those theories can help learners to realize the value of learning and motivate them so that they want to learn and explore the knowledge after they had finished school. The theories can help the teacher to plan, conduct, and evaluate the lesson for the quality in teaching and learning process. Teachers must motivate the learners so that the students can increase their self-esteem and excitement to learn. Besides that, teachers also have to provide sufficient input such as exposed and demonstrate to them to real life that related to subject matter an provide examples of new items of subject matter so that they can feel excited with the new experiences and information. These theories and variety of teaching method can enable teachers create learners and compliment with the 21st century learners. With advanced technology nowadays, the teacher should be advanced in using this opportunity for classroom practice so in accordance with their characteristic and thinking levels. For example, the teachers can use technology such as television and computer projector to develop their interest in teaching and learning process. Based on the theories that compliment the principles of KBSR, the teachers should organizing purposeful activities and ensuring that learners can carry out these activities in a non-threatening environment. Moreover, teachers also must encourage the learners by giving praise and this can gives them satisfaction with their work and as motivational force. By consistently receiving feedback for their work, they can be success and more participate in learning activities. It can develop learners who has positive attitude towards the subject they have learned. Besides that, it also can get them to make an effort to seek knowledge, and consciously try out new strategies for learning and remembering. They are also prepared to take risks and achieve success in order to develop competence and motivate them to learn more.