Developing lifelong learners
MALAYSIA’S educational policy has gone through some big changes over the past few years.
One such change is the Kurikulum Standard Sekolah Rendah (KSSR) syllabus.
This syllabus replaced the Kurikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Rendah (KBSR) in the primary school system in 2011.
The KSSR focuses more on teaching Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) than Lower-Order Thinking Skills (LOTS).
While LOTS lead students to memorise concepts, HOTS train them to synthesise and analyse information and knowledge to solve problems and make decisions.
Students need to be equipped with HOTS for the later stages of their lives after schooling.
This is particularly true in today’s society where analytical, critical and creative minds are in high demand.
Eye Level is an enrichment programme developed in 1976 by Daekyo, a leading educational service provider in South Korea.
Helping students become problem solvers, critical thinkers and lifelong learners, Eye Level has created robust research-based curricula that serve as an international model.
The Eye Level curricula help students learn how to apply LOTS and HOTS in and out of school.
Eye Level Math trains students to use LOTS and HOTS throughout its 32 levels.
First, students master Basic Thinking Math (BTM) by practising addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
They then learn Critical Thinking Math (CTM), which deals with situation-based questions.
To understand the basic mathematical concepts of BTM, students need to use LOTS.
On the other hand, to apply such basic concepts in CTM, they should develop HOTS.
Eye Level English first helps students develop LOTS by learning basic language skills through phonics and oral fluency exercises.
After gaining a basic level of competency in English, students move on to practise reading and writing.
To improve their reading comprehension, students learn to analyse a variety of texts, including literary works.
This way, they feel more comfortable in dealing with cognitively challenging questions and ideas.
By carrying out linguistic and cognitive exercises that are systematically organised through 14 levels, students gradually become more proficient in English.
Training students to develop both LOTS and HOTS, Eye Level English not only helps them in school but it also lays a strong foundation for their future career, thus encouraging them to be competitive professionals.
As mentioned before, the KSSR emphasises HOTS, which means students will be encouraged to practice these skills in school.
Consequently, schools will have to change their methodology of teaching and evaluation.
To develop HOTS, students need to become more independent, confident and active in learning, organising and using knowledge and skills. This idea is compatible with Self-Directed Learning (SDL), the primary approach of Eye Level.
Throughout the SDL process, students learn to take initiative and responsibility. Such behaviour is closely linked to HOTS rather than to LOTS.