Page 146 - Jurnal Kurikulum BPK 2020

classroom teachings, students were seen to be learning passively in the classroom (Ng, 2004,
2010). The Smart School Science and Mathematics Curriculum made a first attempt to
incorporate thinking processes in the learning outcomes to remind the users of the need to teach
thinking through subject matter. In another word, the outcome of the learning is not only subject
matter but also thinking abilities. This thinking based curriculum design was further improved
in the revised KBSR and KBSM science and mathematics curriculum, and in KSSR and KSSM
all subjects adopted this thinking based curriculum design. This thinking based curriculum
design which is referred to as the thoughtful learning curriculum design in science and
mathematics curriculum is a fusion of discipline (D) design and cognitive processes(C) design
(Ng, 2004). Under the framework of DC design, all intended learning outcomes, besides those
of inculcation of attitude and moral values are a combination of acquisition of knowledge and
mastery of cognitive skills. This is in tandem with the idea of integration of content and process
as the dual agenda of a thinking curriculum (Resnick & Klopfer’s, 1989; Fennimore and
Tinzman, 1990). Through this thinking curriculum, students are taught content through
processes encountered in the real world, examples of the processes are problem solving,
decision making, evaluating and comparing. These processes are specific to different
disciplines, thus in science, the way scientists hypothesise, testing the hypothesis, making
inferences, analyse, synthesise are the processes or crafts that students should learn and practise
in science lessons. Perkins (1992) supported this idea of integrating content and process, to
him, acquisition of content knowledge should be brought about by “learning experiences in
which learners think about and think with what they are learning” (p. 8). Such learning is
thoughtful learning (Perkins, 1992). Perkins (1992) expressed his opposition towards the
conventional practice where students are first provided the knowledge, and then only they are
given the opportunity to think with and think about the knowledge they absorbed. Perkins
(1992) advocated that learning can only be achieved through thinking.

Some examples of the DC learning outcomes are given in Table 1.

Table 1
Discipline-Cognitive Learning Outcomes

Examples of Discipline (D)-Cognitive (C ) Notes
Learning Outcomes
1 Compare and contrast between distance and C: ‘compare and contrast”,
displacement. (PPK, 2000b, p.45) D: ‘the concepts of distance
and displacement”
2 Predict changes of properties of elements across C: ‘predict’
the Period. (PPK, 2000c, p.61) D: “changes of properties of
elements across the Period”

3 Making hypothesis about content of nutrient in C: ‘making hypothesis’
different samples of food. (PPK, 2000a, p.73) D:‘content of nutrient in
different samples of food’

The Standards-based Curriculum and Assessment

Standards is defined as the measure or sets of criteria which others must conform to
ensure uniformity of measure, equity and quality. These measures or criteria are developed by
experts in the field and obtained some level of consensus among the education fraternity. In
education, these standards must be closely related to students’ learning, examples are standards

137