TRENDS AND ISSUES OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN MALAYSIA

 Background : Moving from traditional curriculum( before 1970) towards new maths curriculum                                (1970s-1990s, KBSM) to smart schools curriculum/21 st century curriculum, KSSM )

1. Introduction of Smart Schools (Sekolah Bestari)   - one of the seven flagship applications in the

    Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) ;1995.

-  democratization of education/ education for all policy

   offering equal access or opportunities to quality education.

- it is not about technology/ICT alone but rather about "smart learning".

- full implementation in about 10, 000 schools by 2010 

2. Approach of curriculum delivery : self directed, self -paced and self- accessed.

3. Major focus - to develop 5 main smart skills:
                    learning skills (ie how to learn);
                    thinking skills ( ie critical and creative thinking skills/KBKK, HOTs).
                    facilitating skill for teachers;
                    smart assessment(criterion-based, SBA/PBS, PT3)
                    ICT competent .

4. Reduce current exam-oriented approach in teaching and learning instead moving towards on schools based assessment ,on-line assessment, holistic,criterion-referenced, multiple approaches and on-going/formative/developmental.

5. T&L should cater or accommodate different learning abilities (slow. average and fast learners),

learning and cognitive styles ( eg sensory/concrete/practical or intuitive/abstract/theories; visual or verbal; inductive or deductive;active or reflective; sequential or global/holistic learners) and the uniqueness of every individual (student-centered learning  and humanistic approach).