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NEW METHOD FOR PRE-SERVICE TEACHER SELECTION IN MALAYSIA
Muhammad Nordin, PhD
Department of Islamic and Moral Education
Teacher Training Institute, Technical Education Campus, IPG Kompleks Pendidikan Nilai
Bandar Enstek, 71760 Nilai Negeri Sembilan
[email protected] [email protected]
INTRODUCTION
Malaysia is moving towards world-class society and striving for excellence in achieving Vision 2020 to become a developed nation. To achieve high quality education, the Ministry of Education has been through the current education system of Malaysia Blueprint 2013-2025. The Blueprint clearly states that the ministry is seriously striving to transform teaching into the profession of choice
The role of the classroom teacher is critical. The teacher is, however, the point of contact between the education system and pupils: the impact of any educational program or innovation on pupil operating through student teachers. Therefore, maximizing teacher effectiveness is the primary goal of education (Medley, 1986). Most people go into teaching because they want to make a difference in the lives of young
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people. They worry about the emotional and social well-being of the child, developing children's ability to think and make decisions, and helping students gain and understand important topics and subjects (Atan Long, 1991)
In fact, Cruickshank and Haefele (2001) have described at least ten kinds of good teachers (see Table 1). Every teacher draws upon each of these areas, though we are all better in some than in others. As you progress in your teaching career you will develop qualities across the ten kinds of good teaching.
However, while all teachers make some differences in their students' lives, some teachers consistently have a greater and more positive influence than others. They seem to relate to students gain meaningfully from their instruction.
Table 1
Ten Kinds of Good Teacher
Kind of Good Teachers Ideal teachers:
Meet subjective standards set by school principal, supervisors and education professors.
Analytic teachers:
Use observation techniques to record the extent to which they are meeting their instructional intentions.
Effective teachers:
Bring about higher student achievement.
Dutiful teachers:
Perform their assigned teaching duties well.
Competent teachers:
Pass tests that indicate they possess requisite teacher attributes.
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Have extensive and accessible profesional knowledge and can do more in less time.
Reflective teachers:
Examine the art and science of teaching to become more thoughtful and skillful practitioners
Satisfying teachers:
Please students, parents-caregivers, colleagues and /or supervisors.
Diversity-responsive teachers:
Are sensitive to the needs of learners who are different.
Respected teachers:
Possess and demonstrate qualities regarded as virtues
Student learning outcomes depend on teacher quality. The quality of education equals the quality of the teachers. "A Nation at Risk: Improving the quality of teacher education is the goal of the educational reform movement" (United States, National Commission on Educational Excellence, 1983). "We must develop teachers who are capable of taking on greater responsibility because they are a well-educated line to educate our youth" (Lim, 2013).
"The aim of the 1995 Education Reform is to train outstanding teachers who can meet the challenges of improving students' lives, information age, globalization, and the changing world."
(Sungmin, 2016). Based on the above, teachers are key factors and play an important role in the education system. Effective teachers have a motivating, stimulating personality. They seem to enjoy what they do, they support students, and they are reliable and trustworthy (Peart & Campbell, 1999; Young, Whitley & Helton, 1993). Success in education does not affect
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quality teaching. In teaching prestigious and elite professions, the Malaysian government will only take from the top 30% of SPM graduates. The best and most exciting opportunity for career development is the strategy the government will take in the teaching profession from the day they enroll their teacher training programs until their retirement. To produce high quality teachers, the Malaysian Teacher Training Institute (MTTI) has revised the current system as described in the Malaysian Education Development Plan 2013-2025.
Initial Teacher Training Programme as Backbone for Institute of Teacher Education (IPGM) Transformation
"If a graduate student today and has been teaching for 30 years, and their students live for 70 years, the teacher education program is actually a teacher for 22nd century students." (Crag Kissock, Education Week, 2014) "The quality of the education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers." (Barber &
Moushed, 2007). The above excerpt explains the ability of the teacher. Teacher quality is the most important determinant of student decisions in schools. Seminal research conducted in the state of Tennessee, USA in the mid-1990s showed that when two averages, eight year old students were given different teachers, one is high performing and another one is low student's academic achievement was inferred by more than 50 percent of the three years.
According to the Ministry of Education (2007), the selection of excellent teachers emphasizes that excellent teachers must be able to teach effectively, be able to make the lessons interesting, enjoyable and meaningful to the students and provide clear teaching. In addition, excellent teachers should
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also be able to advance and improve student education levels and include innovative, innovative and creative initiatives throughout the year. There are seven domains which had been highlighted in the blueprint as follows:
Raise the entry bar for teachers from 2013 to be amongst top 30% of graduates
Teacher training intake meet the minimum academic requirement which is 5As or score 5 excellent grades in Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
Revamp the IPG
The Ministry aims to transform the IPG into a world-class teacher training university by 2020. The selection criteria for new lecturers will be enhanced, and existing lecturers will be upskilled.
Upgrade the quality of continuous professional development (CPD) from 2013
This CPD programme will include common training requirements expected of all teachers, as well as electives that teachers can pursue based on their own developmental needs.
The training will allow teachers to continuously build their skill levels against each of the competencies expected of a teacher.
Focus teachers on their core function of teaching from 2013.
Teachers will enjoy a reduced administrative burden, so that they can focus most of their time on their core function of teaching. This will be achieved by streamlining and simplifying existing data collection and management processes. Some administrative functions will also be moved to a centralised
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service centre or to a dedicated administrative teacher at the school level.
Implement competency and performance-based career progression by 2016
Teachers will be assessed annually by their principals, with input potentially being provided by peers. This assessment will be done using a new evaluation instrument that focuses on teachers’ ability to deliver effective instruction in and out of the classroom.
Enhance pathways for teachers into leadership, master teaching and subject specialist roles
Teachers will also be able to pursue attractive pathways based on their performance, potential and interests. Regardless of the pathway chosen, the commitment to investing in their development and in building an environment of professional accountability will be maintained across their careers.
Develop a peer-led culture of professional excellence and certification process by 2025
The Ministry will focus on ensuring that all teachers fully utilise the flexibilities accorded to them over professional issues related to curriculum timetabling and lesson organisation, pedagogical approaches and school-based assessment.
Pre- Service Student Teacher Selection
Quality teachers are quality education centers. Teachers' quality issues are often highlighted when there are problems at school. Lately, it has been said that most new teachers do not understand the character and role of a so-called "educator"
(Suhaimi 2004). In fact, the true colors of IPGM student teachers can be seen as they undergo their practical training in
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the fifth and seventh semester. The host schools often complain about this trainee's attitude. It is also interesting to note here that Walton et. al (2014) stated how strict pre-training teachers are, they will still struggle. Research by Akademi Kepimpinan Pendidikan Tinggi (AKEPT) in 2011 found that only 50% of teaching was effectively delivered. It means that the lessons were taught engage students insufficiently, more passive and lecture format. These lessons usually focused on achieving surface-level content understanding instead of stressing a higher-order thinking skill. In addition, statistics show that 60%
of teachers today will still be teaching in 20 years and this is a challenging situation. In addition, some countries have been eliminated at the undergraduate level and transformed into undergraduate courses to improve teacher quality. Potential teachers are required to obtain a content-rich first degree before applying for teacher training. However, a high degree of entitlement to teach may not guarantee teacher effectiveness (Mundia 2012).
The Process of Pre-Service Teacher Selection
In Malaysia, the candidates will undergo several steps of the selection. The candidates will go through two stages of selection. First, only those who have a minimum of 5A in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) or Malaysian Certificate of Education are eligible to apply to the Teacher Training Institutions. SPM is a national examination taken by all form five students in Malaysia, equivalent to eleventh grade in American’s K-12 (education). SPM is equivalent to O-Level and is the second final public exam at the secondary school before entering higher education at a university or other higher education institutions.
Applications that meet the minimum requirements will be
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rejected automatically by the online system (Ahmad Hashim, 2015).
Eligible persons must pass the Teacher Candidate Qualification Exam (Ujian Kelayakan Calon Guru / UKCG). Currently, the Institute of Teacher Education (IPGM) is conducting Teacher Candidate Qualification Exam (UKCG) consisting of three domains, namely written Personality Inventory (INSAK) test, fitness test. Finally, only those who are short listed will be called for individual interviews to explore the teaching profession.
Candidate teachers will need to pass all the above domains in order to earn a place in IPGM. The UKCG was introduced with the aim of ensuring that the teachers produced by IPGM were certified as smart and appropriate for the responsibility of educators.
The written examination consists of Part A and Part B which must be completed by the candidate within 45 minutes. The questions include Quantitative, English, INSAK (Teaching Personality Inventory), Analysis and Oral (UKCG Master's Qualification Exam 2015). INSAK questions focus on the personal inventory test questions for teachers that include the honesty, responsibility, sincerity, trust, and admiration that a teacher must have.
After completing the written examination, candidates are required to take fitness tests including (i) bleep test (ii) sit-up (iii) push-up (iv) semi-ups curled (v) BMI. Shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview session to be held on a separate day with UKCG. Two interview techniques will be used to select the best candidates. First, a group interview where topics will be given for discussion within the group. Those who are given a lot of ideas and are active in the discussion will get more marks.
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Second, individual interviews in which candidates must come up with their views and recommendations based on current issues and must show teaching demo for ten to fifteen minutes time. The candidates can success based on UKCG results, performance and merit scores during interviews and panel suggestions. The approval by the Executive Committee of the Ministry of Education is finalised.
The rigorous early voting showed that the Malaysian government seriously selected only the best candidates as in 2018 out of 55,000 just 19,000 applicants for UKCG, 6,000 were called for interviews and finally 3,000 were offered places to enter the teaching profession as cited by William Arthur Ward;
“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, in order to provide highly qualified teachers in the 21st century, a rigorous selection of teachers should be maintained not only in the face of new education reform challenges, but also with the opportunity to implement the curriculum effectively. As such, it will facilitate professional development and further education. It is important to make the teaching profession vibrant, self-sustaining, and rewarding, so that it can attract and retain the best talent that Malaysia has to offer (Malaysian Education Blueprint, 2013-2025).
The teaching profession is a highly respected and respected profession for the role of teachers in promoting knowledge and shaping people's behavior in the interests of religion, nation and nation. According to Sufean Hussin (2004), the effectiveness
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of the teaching profession is closely linked to the ability and effort of the teachers to fulfill their responsibilities to students, schools and society. Among the focus of effectiveness in this profession are the effectiveness of teaching, knowledge of the field and the attitude of teachers to teaching in the school.
Teachers are part of the support group who are committed to achieving the Vision 2020 goals. Governments, administrators and planners are always hoping that teachers can build a civilized culture. Teachers play many roles in a school. There are two roles that are considered important. First, teachers play a role as a teaching profession to provide formal education to students at the school level, and as a member of the community of teachers with community work (Atan Long, 1998).
The role of teachers is immense, not only shaping their students' future but also their role models. Every individual who is a teacher must have qualities such as knowledge, knowledge, open-mindedness, discipline and humane in the face of challenges.
According to Sharma (2014), Teachers play a very important role in educating the nation to succeed in all subjects. The role of a teacher is not only to educate students in the subjects taught but also teachers who are experts in teaching and learning communicating with students related to all subjects. Readiness is a level that a teacher must reach in order to perform an effective job or task.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors are thankful to Dr. Chander Vengadasalam Department of Islamic and Moral Education Teacher Training Institute, Technical Education Campus, Bandar Enstek, Negeri
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Sembilan for his valuable support, constant help and guidance at each and every stage in this project.
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