mismatch of content and contact time for standard 8

[mkwetez...@yahoo.com]

Dear Bwalo la aphunzitsi

I have written so many times on Face Book of the mismatch between the contact time and content( syllabus) for standard 8 learners. I am still hoping that someone will see the concern and act on it.

i have noted that every year the standard 8 learners do not get the rest that they deserve as children because they are pushed towards covering as much of the syllabus as they can, even though as a country we see that there is way too much content for these young girls and boys to absorb and filter during the examinations. Is there a way to lessen the pressure that these kids go through just to pass exams so that they learn to comprehend instead of learning to memorize?

I really feel there can be something done on this.

Sellina

[Adamson S. Muula]

This is an important question. How did you know that the content is far too much?

adamson

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Adamson S. Muula PhD, MPH, MBBS, CPH, PGDip (Public Health Ethics), PGDip (Global Health), PGD (Palliative Care)

Professor and Head of Community & Environmental Health

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Chimutu Building Room 850

Private Bag 360, Chichiri

Blantyre 3

Malawi

Email: amu...@medcol.mw

Cell: +265 884233486

Skype address: adamson.sinjanimuula

Publications list: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Muula

orcid.org/0000-0003-4412-9773

Webpage: http://biostat.maths.cc.ac.mw/people/staff/Adamson_S._Muula

 

 

[Charles Gunsaru]

Good question. Could it also be that the pressure is coming from the fact that the  students need not only to pass the PSLCE but to pass well enough to qualify for selection into Secondary schools. We see this pressure also at Form 4. 

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android

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[Foster Gondwe]

Surely the 'pressure' can be explained by other factors apart from the suggested  'too much content'

Foster Gondwe, PhD

School of Education, University of Malawi

Post Office Box 280

Zomba, Malawi

Email: fgo...@cc.ac.mw or foster...@gmail.com

Research and Publications

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[Sellina Mkweteza]

I guess it is true, not only the content gives that pressure, but when we compare the then Standard 8 and the now ages of standard 8 there is a great difference. As much as we say they are being prepared for beyond, they are not given room to learn for comprehension or application, but rather to learn for memorization so that they pass the exams. 

Uchanda Products Company

Lilongwe 31641. Lilongwe 3

Malawi

skype:Mkweteza.Sellina

+265 8 88 787 378 (mobile)

+265 991784775

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From: bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com <bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Foster Gondwe <foster...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2022 4:02 PM
To: bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com <bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [BwalolaAphunzitsi] mismatch of content and contact time for standard 8

 

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[Misheck Munthali]

Interesting ask. Perhaps Sellina is indeed trigerring a research question or intrigue, as to ascertain if indeed std 8 learners face alot of pressure dealing with subject matter content. If that is proved to be a yes, perhaps other subset equally important questions would follow or arise; amongst them, the origin or source of that pressure, whether this pressure has increased or decreased over time, etc

Interesting research area perhaps. But we cannot afford to simply speculate our way into drawing conclusions.

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[ANDREWS NCHESSIE]

Ok 

The problem is not the mismatch between content for standard 8 (get me here ) and the time. The main problem is that primary school standard 8 examination actually are set from standard 5 ,6 7 and 8 (get me correctly here again.Now when the students are in standard 8 and you check whether the children still remember work for standard 5,6, and 7 in many instances is far from expected. In that regard teachers standard eight teachers in some instances start by revising work done in the classes i have mentioned and you can see that requires more additional time. Of course, this was my experience back in the days (may be things changed. I stand to be corrected)

If examinations were to solely to be set from standard eight syllabus the story would have been may be different .Sichoncho ?

Teacher Andrews Nchessie  

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[ANDREWS NCHESSIE]

Ok 

The problem is not the mismatch between content for standard 8 (get me here ) and the time. The main problem is that primary school standard 8 examination actually are set from standard 5 ,6 7 and 8 (get me correctly here again.Now when the students are in standard 8 and you check whether the children still remember work for standard 5,6, and 7 in many instances is far from expected. In that regard teachers of standard eight in some instances start by revising work done in the classes i have mentioned and you can see that requires more additional time. Of course, this was my experience back in the days (may be things changed. I stand to be corrected)

If examinations were to solely to be set from standard eight syllabus the story would have been may be different .Sichoncho ?

Teacher Andrews Nchessie 

On Friday, November 18, 2022 at 06:20:02 AM GMT+2, Sellina Mkweteza <skany...@hotmail.com> wrote:

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[Liviness Mwale]

That’s true, Andrews. 

There is a lot of time wastage in public schools. By the way, some private schools cover the 8 years primary school curriculum in 7 years and finish teaching the whole curriculum before national exams. 

Standard 8 teachers are put under pressure because learners reach std 8 with very minimal literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills. Research findings still show that many learners reach std 4 without basic reading skills. This is half way through primary school. 

Tiyeni tipeze njira zokonzera the early years of schooling. Otherwise, we will continue to blame the curriculum.

Dr. Liveness Mwale
 Dept of Research, Evaluation and Policy Studies
Malawi Institute of Education
P.O Box 50
Domasi
Malawi
+265999233667

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[Kapiri kapiri]

Good morning. I also say there is no mismatch. I suspect a mixture of time wasting in primary school, a lack of consolidation of content in standard 7 and 8 so that pupils can practice what they and lack of proper basic teaching itself. Sorry to say. Pupils  go without being taught properly and then suddenly at standard 8 they have to face proper exams.when a child reaches standard 4 without reading and writing skills you know there is a serious Teaching problem.

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[blessings banda]

That's why standard 8 teachers never rest...in most cases teaching evening during the holidays 

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[ANDREWS NCHESSIE]

Ok 

The problem is not the mismatch between content for standard 8 (get me here ) and the time. The main problem is that primary school standard 8 examinations are set from standard 5 ,6 7 and 8 (get me correctly here. Now when the students are in standard 8 and you check whether they  still remember work for standard 5,6, and 7 , in many instances it is  far from expected. In that regard teachers of standard eight start by revising work done in the classes i have mentioned and you can see that it requires more additional time. Of course, this was my experience back in the days (may be things changed. I stand to be corrected)

If examinations were solely set from standard eight syllabus the story would have been may be different .Sichoncho ?

 

Teacher Andrews Nchessie

[ANDREWS NCHESSIE]

Ok 

The problem is not the mismatch between content for standard 8 (get me here ) and the time. The main problem is that primary school standard 8 examination are set from standard 5 ,6 7 and 8 (get me correctly here. Now when the students are in standard 8 and you check whether they  still remember work for standard 5,6, and 7 , in many instances it is  far from expected. In that regard teachers of standard eight start by revising work done in the classes i have mentioned and you can see that it requires more additional time. Of course, this was my experience back in the days (may be things changed. I stand to be corrected)

If examinations were solely set from standard eight syllabus the story would have been different .Sichoncho ?

 

Teacher Andrews Nchessie

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[ANDREWS NCHESSIE]

Ok 

The problem is not the mismatch between content for standard 8 (get me here ) and the time. The main problem is that primary school standard 8 examination are set from standard 5 ,6 7 and 8 (get me correctly here. Now when the students are in standard 8 and you check whether they  still remember work for standard 5,6, and 7 , in many instances it is  far from expected. In that regard teachers of standard eight start by revising work done in the classes i have mentioned and you can see that it requires more additional time. Of course, this was my experience back in the days (may be things changed. I stand to be corrected)

If examinations were solely set from standard eight syllabus the story would have been may be different .Sichoncho ?

 

Teacher Andrews Nchessie

On Friday, November 18, 2022 at 06:20:02 AM GMT+2, Sellina Mkweteza <skany...@hotmail.com> wrote:

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[Sellina Mkweteza]

Dear all

If the standard 8 learners can be asked to only write examinations from the materials that they have learnt in standard 8, I bet the learners can perform wonders. What is stopping us a country to just that?

Perhaps this is an agenda to persue.

Sellina

Uchanda Products Company

Lilongwe 31641. Lilongwe 3

Malawi

skype:Mkweteza.Sellina

+265 8 88 787 378 (mobile)

+265 991784775

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From: 'ANDREWS NCHESSIE' via Bwalo la Aphunzitsi <bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2022 6:07 AM
To: bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com <bwalo-la-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [BwalolaAphunzitsi] mismatch of content and contact time for standard 8

 

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[Bridget Kaunda]

I gree with you Sellina. It's too much labor for the little minds to remember content for 4 classes unlike with JCE and MSCE. The system should follow the simple to complex even with the exam set up.

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[Kapiri kapiri]

Would someone enlight me as to what is so difficult for standard 8 pupils that comes from standard 1 to 7????

I would have thought that standard 8 is a matter of consolidation and applying primary school skills. 

As far as I know, most countries practice similar approach. Thus, Primary school leaving exams consolidate primary syllabus and secondary schoo leaving exams consolidate secondary syllabus. The difference being that other countries take kids to secondary based on age rather than ability and they administer 2 types of exams. Higher level and foundation level.

I suspect there is a problem of over crowding in classes coupled with lack differentiation in both teaching and exam setting. All kids seem to be taught as if they were all of high ability.

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[richard chirwa]

My take is that we need the students to understand some concepts and develop specific skills and be able to apply them. These concepts and skills should be applied each time they learn them for them not to forget. Hence when they learn new concepts and develop new skills in standard 8, it should just be a build up. This is why our curriculum needs to be an application curriculum encouraging inquiry, research and application in everyday life. Examining what is learnt in standard 8 is ok since the understanding of the concepts will still be based on what they have already learnt in standards 5, 6 and 7. As alluded to by other members, it is an area which has to be consolidated soberly.

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[Kapiri kapiri]

I don't understand what work there is in Standard 5,6,7 that would be so difficult for standard 8 pupils to remember. I would have thought skills learnt in early years of primary are meant to be a preparation for standard 8 anyway. Somebody enlighten me on this.

Veronica.

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