Scribd
Upload
39 views

Cambridge-Based English Literature Syllabus

The document discusses proposed changes to the Cambridge-based English Literature syllabus in Malaysia. It suggests expanding the aims and learning outcomes to include more contemporary and international texts to engage students. It also proposes including a young adult literature section, assessing students via both exams and other formats like performances, and selecting texts that students can relate to at an appropriate language level. The goal is to make literature more appealing to students and better prepare them for the future with skills like critical thinking.

Uploaded by

Caralyn Chung
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
39 views

Cambridge-Based English Literature Syllabus

The document discusses proposed changes to the Cambridge-based English Literature syllabus in Malaysia. It suggests expanding the aims and learning outcomes to include more contemporary and international texts to engage students. It also proposes including a young adult literature section, assessing students via both exams and other formats like performances, and selecting texts that students can relate to at an appropriate language level. The goal is to make literature more appealing to students and better prepare them for the future with skills like critical thinking.

Uploaded by

Caralyn Chung
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Cambridge-based English Literature syllabus

Under the new Secondary School Standards-based Curriculum (KSSM) next year, Form Four students
will sit for the elective SPM paper with a new format in 2021.
The Malaysian English Language Teaching Association (Melta) is supportive of the new format and
structure. But the syllabus aims and learning outcomes should be expanded to include contemporary
readings and analytical perspectives
“We want to use the International General Certificate in Secondary Education (IGCSE) model and
structure, but we must innovate content and learning outcomes to capture our broader national education
goals and meet the learning wants and needs of our 21st century students.
“We need a wider, more inclusive and progressive perspective of literature and literary texts.
“Open up the space for students to engage with the cross-cultural and global issues,” he says, calling for
a wider choice of international and Malaysian texts to be included.

Perhaps a section on young adult literature can be included, he suggests. This could attract more students
to take up the subject, he says, pointing to how the number of students taking literature has been on a
downward trend in recent years. He thinks the lack of interest could be because there’s:
> A general drop in English proficiency;
> The feeling that literature does not have a functional purpose;
> The lack of qualified teachers to teach the subject;
> The reluctance of schools wanting to offer the subject due to timetabling issues; and
> Apprehension that the school’s overall academic performance would drop due to poor performance in
the paper.

“Students can produce reader-response creative works, put on performances and even write critical
essays if they want. So I wonder if their results will still be wholly based on the exam.”
She hopes it will be a combination of both formative and summative assessments.
School Improvement Specialist Coach Gladys Francis Joseph favours how the new syllabus encourages
teachers to stage performances because it’s really beneficial for students.
Gladys, who was involved in writing the new curriculum and was a trainer for the pilot project, says
fewer texts to read and having the exam in the middle of the year would help ‘sell’ the subject.
“Literature is a coherent
part of any language
learning. But when
it’s a subject, it’s a
different ball game
altogether. Exams
and the way you
learn are different
from learning a language
to
communicate.”
To get students
interested, the texts
have to fit with
knowledge that the
students can relate to,
and the level of
language mustn’t
be too
demanding
otherwise only those
who speak English
as a first language
would dare take the
subject
“It’s definitely a plus. It
goes beyond grammar
and makes you think
about how words
are used.”
The buzzword in teaching and learning is HOTS (higher-order thinking skills), which you get ample of
in Literature
“We’re heading to a future controlled by artificial intelligence and machines. Literature can teach the
next generation to be more humane, enhance their critical thinking and creativity, and most importantly,
develop intuitive knowledge and reasoning skills to distinguish the real from the fictitious.”
Literature is one of those rare subjects that help students understand that not everything is in black and
white

“The point is not to prove that your opinion is the only one that matters but to give due consideration to
how others interpret the texts.”
Literature helps students mature by letting them engage with experiences and situations that they might
not have experienced before.
Students will also be more sensitive to how word choice and phrasing are ways through which language
represents subjects.
“For example, calling someone a visitor instead of a guest indicates a different attitude towards that
individual. In this sense, language is rarely neutral,

Literature, in whatever language, mirrors various facets of life – happiness, suffering, evil, goodness and
foolishness – in creative forms
“With literature, you learn the genuine communication of ideas. It offers a rich and diverse exposure to
language as the focus is not on teaching grammar but on how language can be used to capture ideas,
philosophies and experiences. It exposes you to different social and cultural worlds and worldviews.”

Form Four students will study the syllabus in January and sit for the SPM exam with a new
format in 2021, Examinations Syndicate director of examinations Adzman Talib said.
The 18-month curriculum is drawn from 10 poems, one novel or six short stories, and one
drama, he said.
Among others, these students will read The Merchant of Venice (William Shakespeare), The
Clay Marble (Minfong Ho), and Embracing Your Shadow (Chua Kok Yee).
The poems would include To Autumn (John Keats) and When You Are Old (by William Butler
Yeats).

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy