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An analysis of the 1991 Singapore English language syllabus (SELS) - Teachers' perceptions about their roles in the syllabus
Author
Chua, Joanne Hui Peng
Supervisor
Cheah, Yin Min
Abstract
This thesis attempt to analyse the 1991 Singapore English Language Syllabus (SELS) from the teachers' perspective with regard to their role m the classroom advocated by the syllabus.
The thesis started off by tracing the development of a very teacher-directed syllabus since colonial days till the current 1991 syllabus which is more of a descriptive and informative syllabus. Teachers have an along get used to accepting decisions made by the principal / heads of department. In other words, teachers' job is merely to carry out whatever decision that have been made by the people at the top of the hierarchy. Teachers are comfortable and feel at ease with such a prescriptive approach even until now. However, the current 1991 SELS seems to advocate entirely the opposite, i.e. a descriptive and less teacher-directed approach. Teachers are instead encouraged to work collaboratively as team so as to use the 1991 SELS as a pre-syllabus (Sue Nair : personal communication : 7 / 2 / 96) to design their own syllabuses based on their own learners' needs, abilities and interests. In other words, teachers are no longer encouraged to follow instructions strictly but rather are to decide issues or matters using their own discretion. In other words, teachers are encouraged to become both a syllabus developer and a material writer. Are teachers ready and willing to make such major adjustments especially to forego something that they are familiar with and confident in for an entirely new innovation that demand extra planning and effort? Does the current environment and education system encourage or permit the effective implementation of such a new methodology (i.e. descriptive and informative approach)? Or rather are teachers constrained by any other factors that prevent them from making such a major adjustment?
With such a sudden change in the approach of the 1991 syllabus, the thesis would attempt to find out any repercussions or implications that might accompany such a change through conducting an informal interview with 2 cohorts of teachers, mainly, pre-senice and m-service teachers. Several quotes are actually pulled out from the 1991 syllabus and the interviewees' opinions and understanding of them are asked for. Such an informal interview hoped to find out teachers' reactions to the roles advocated by the syllabus as well as to find out from teachers how realistic these roles are for them in the actual classroom situation. And this is followed by drawing implications from the responses of the teachers for the education system in Singapore.
The thesis started off by tracing the development of a very teacher-directed syllabus since colonial days till the current 1991 syllabus which is more of a descriptive and informative syllabus. Teachers have an along get used to accepting decisions made by the principal / heads of department. In other words, teachers' job is merely to carry out whatever decision that have been made by the people at the top of the hierarchy. Teachers are comfortable and feel at ease with such a prescriptive approach even until now. However, the current 1991 SELS seems to advocate entirely the opposite, i.e. a descriptive and less teacher-directed approach. Teachers are instead encouraged to work collaboratively as team so as to use the 1991 SELS as a pre-syllabus (Sue Nair : personal communication : 7 / 2 / 96) to design their own syllabuses based on their own learners' needs, abilities and interests. In other words, teachers are no longer encouraged to follow instructions strictly but rather are to decide issues or matters using their own discretion. In other words, teachers are encouraged to become both a syllabus developer and a material writer. Are teachers ready and willing to make such major adjustments especially to forego something that they are familiar with and confident in for an entirely new innovation that demand extra planning and effort? Does the current environment and education system encourage or permit the effective implementation of such a new methodology (i.e. descriptive and informative approach)? Or rather are teachers constrained by any other factors that prevent them from making such a major adjustment?
With such a sudden change in the approach of the 1991 syllabus, the thesis would attempt to find out any repercussions or implications that might accompany such a change through conducting an informal interview with 2 cohorts of teachers, mainly, pre-senice and m-service teachers. Several quotes are actually pulled out from the 1991 syllabus and the interviewees' opinions and understanding of them are asked for. Such an informal interview hoped to find out teachers' reactions to the roles advocated by the syllabus as well as to find out from teachers how realistic these roles are for them in the actual classroom situation. And this is followed by drawing implications from the responses of the teachers for the education system in Singapore.
Date Issued
1996
Call Number
PE1068.S5 Chu
Date Submitted
1996