Critical Examination is one of the assignments that need us to discover more in depth

about the text book in terms of the themes, learning objectives, learning outcomes, specific key
concept and misconception. Each and every parts of this assignments will allow us to concern about
the nature of the text book itself and how it’s align with the Standard Curriculum Specification. This
is to make sure that what had been or going to be teach in school will align together with the
National Education Philosophy so that we are able to achieve the targets of our education.

The study was divides into three major parts. The first part consist of two elements
(distribution of themes and arrangements of topics). In this part, we study and explain in depth
about the themes and the learning area that provided for the students. There are two sources of to
gain the information for this part; which are the text book itself and the Standard curriculum
specification. After donning the study, we may conclude that the themes provided include all the
three major branch of science (chemistry, physic and biology). We also find out that, even though
the way they name the themes are differ, but the content or the learning area are same. Meanwhile,
we can also conclude that some of the themes are related with the themes that had been study
during their lower secondary (form 1 till form 3). This is because few themes are the same and there
are also themes that are quite similar such as Energy (f2) and Energy in Life (f4).

In order to show the strength and the weaknesses of our themes, we compare our Standard
Curriculum Specification with Singapore. From the comparisons, we find that our curriculum are
strong in including multiple perspective (learn few topics about biology, chemistry and physics in
each particular year). But in compare to Singapore, they learned all those too, but the separate it
according to years (they do not learn all in one year). For us, we find that this way are more
practical towards teaching and learning process as students may see the relations between the
themes and topics. Besides, they have more time to know in depth about the themes and carry out
hands on activities.

The second part consist of two elements (learning objectives and learning outcomes).
Learning objective is a statement of what the learner will know, understand, or be able to do as a
result of engaging in a learning activity. The content in the lesson should be guided thoroughly from
the learning objectives. This is because the goal of taking the specific courses is to determine under
the condition of what must be performed by the learners. Well-constructed learning objectives
enable trainers to know what they will teach and deliver the lesson content in providing a uniform
understanding. Besides, learning objectives should provide clarity about the purpose of the course
in a very clean and neat way. This may help the trainers easy to assess what the desired objectives
and thus complete the lesson.

Then, it can guide the development of appropriate content, methods, and materials, by the
curriculum developer in order to facilitate learning and meet training goals. For example, the basic
structure to the complicated one. Most importantly, learning objectives can establish accountability
between the learner and the instructor. When the instructor wanted to counter the level of the
learner’s understanding, the verbs can be used to measure the behaviour in the learning objectives
statements. Also, the standard that learners are expected to achieve must be included like the
specific items or facts that should be learnt from the lesson.

For instance, in the general science form 4 textbook, the word of ‘memahami’
(understanding) was being used too often under one chapter. This can make the teacher to be away
from wanted standard goal as the measurements of the level of understanding van be diverse. The
word itself van actually be replaced to the terms that can be more specific like illustrating,
recognizing, and figuring out. The terms should allocate the best condition for the students to
achieve the goal of the lesson itself. Thus the wording selection for the best verbs should refer to
the purpose of learning of that particular chapter.

Now sip on learning outcomes. It is a statement that described significant and essential
learning that learners have achieved, and can reliably demonstrate at the end of a course or
program. Also to identify what the learner will know and be able to do by the end of a course.
Learning outcomes provide direction in the planning of a learning activity. They help to focus on
learner’s behavior that is to be changed. It means the changes had been made where students can
finally understand or have a grip on what the lesson taught.

In addition, learning outcomes also serve as guidelines for content, instruction, evaluation
and assessment of the students. Actually the wording in learning outcomes can me altered into the
items for test, quizzes and examination for that particular subject. It indeed can identify specifically
what should be learned by the students and convey to learners exactly what is to be accomplished.
So when the result comes out at the end of the lesson, the goal of lesson is obtained by the
students’ response that tally to the action written in the learning outcomes.

As to compare with other country like Singapore, our country Malaysia is using ‘Bahasa
Malaysia’ for the lesson while Singapore used English. Besides, Singapore details in knowledge
while Malaysia is just basic knowledge. But, Malaysia put vocabulary for each new term arise from
each topic. Then, Singapore is more to application and long lasting knowledge while Malaysia is
exam-oriented study and of course Singapore is more advance while Malaysia is a bit behind in
study track. For example, syllabus in form 4 Malaysia is equal to form 1 in Singapore.

The third part consist of two elements (specific key concept and possible misconceptions
throughout the topics). In this area we want to discuss about a few items that we got after we
analyze the science form 4 text books. The items that we want to investigate in this text books
including the conformity with curriculum aims, level of difficulty, development of cognitive skill,
fostering the values and attitudes and others. In terms of conformity with curriculum aims, we can
say that each of the learning objective and learning outcome that has been stated in the text book
are follow exactly on what the standard curriculum specification state. The reasons on why we want
to make sure that everything that will discuss to be align with the curriculum standard specification
because we want to fulfill our national education philosophy of education aim which is to produce a
holistic individual and we also want to make sure that every student in each school in our country
are provided with necessary knowledge that they need to know especially when it related to their
life.

Next, for the level of difficulty of textbook content, we can say that the level is suitable based
on student age. In form 4, their level of difficulty should be high which is set high enough to
challenge the student but not so high so that they can understand the content very well. When we
look at the cognitive development theory which proposed by the John Piaget, he said that they are
four stages of cognitive theory which is sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and
formal operational stage. Usually kids with 11 years old to adult they will experience the formal
operational stage. In this stage, children should become more systematic and reasonable. They
also cannot only reasons of tangible object and event but they also need to shows their capability of
reasoning and thinking in more abstract hypothetical and idealistic one. Based on the content of
each of the themes, we found that student will learn a simple knowledge first later it will become
harder or complex. For example in topic 2 science form 4 where student will learn only about the
definition and the concept first, then they will proceed to human nervous system, nervous
coordination, role of proprioceptor and lastly student will learn about the brain which is the most
complex organ in human body. Even though the structure of the brain is very simple but actually
they carried out many function and contain a lot of small component in which difficult for student to
imagine.

After we analyzed the text book, we also found that in each of the topic it also provide the
student with link or book that student may refer in order to increase their understanding about a
certain topic and if they want to make a self directed learning by their own. Some of the students
they might not give full attention during a class lesson or maybe them curious about something and
feel too shy to ask their teacher , so the additional link that are provided in the textbook will help
student to refer I think that will be nicer.

As we know each of the students has their different learning styles. Some of them can
understand very well when they only listening to their teacher, some of student need to read and
there are also some student need to do activities in order to make they understand. In this text
books, it provide the student will all these necessaries. For example in this text book, it encourage
student to do some practical so that they will increase and improve their skills especially when
handling apparatus in lab. It also helps to improve student’s cognitive skill because in the
experiment they need to predict the effect or event that might be related to the theory and concept
that they have learned during class session. Another method that has been providing in this text
books is a map concept at the end of each of the topic. This is very helpful for students who are
visual learner. Besides that by asking question based on the learning objective also another types of
learning activities that are provided in text book which we think that are very efficient in order to test
student understanding especially when involving the difficult topic. When students’ learn about any
topic, they need to be exposed or told a positive or moral value that they got based on their
understanding so that they can valued each of the knowledge that they learned in a proper way.
This is because a holistic individual are not just need to be intellect but they need to control their
emotion, spiritual and physical as well. So at the summary of each topic in this text books, the moral
and positive attitude also provided.

In terms of misconception, in this text book they are only plenty of misconceptions happen.
The misconception can be happened through labeling, color, picture and other that might because
student thinks that is the things in real live. In this text books, we only can found one types of
misconception which is labeling n terms of arrow and material. So as the solution, teacher need to
study and identify the misconception before they teach the student because when the idea has
been teach the student, they tend to remember the first concept their teacher them rather than the
second explanation which is the correct one.

Reflection on presentation

REFFERENCES

David Hogan Honorary Professor, The University of Queensland. (2014). Why is Singapore's school
system so successful, and is it a model for the West? Retrieved November 07, 2016, from
http://theconversation.com/why-is-singapores-school-system-so-successful-and-is-it-a-model-
for-the-west-22917

H. (n.d.). Science Teacher Preparation: A comparative study of Malaysia and Singapore.

Ministry of education Singapore, https://www.moe.gov.sg/

Ministry of education Malaysia, http://www.moe.gov.my/