Music scores carry multiple strands of information, both simultaneous and sequential. A score is a set of instructions for the performance of specific tones, pitches and durations. In the music teachers_ studio, teachers and students take this information and _reverse engineer_ appropriate gestures to re-create the composer_s instructions using notation (Tormey p.2). Gestures may be explicitly present within the score - musical and visual. Through discourse with the score, student and teacher learn to become a conduit and contributor of musical ideas, through performance to an audience. In this article, two graphically notated, pipe organ works are considered from the perspective of the performer: Ligeti_s _Volumina_ (1961-2) and Harvey_s _Eight Panels_, (2007-9). Each work requires a different stance in preparation to make sense of the musical experience. The scores graphically show the gestures required to performatively re-animate each piece. This is a highly efficient and a precise.....

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This conceptual paper attempts to provide an understanding of the importance of outcome-based education (OBE) approach for teaching and learning development. As a theory of education, OBE has certain beliefs and assumptions about learning, teaching and the systemic structures within these activities. The results of OBE approach are expressed in terms of individual student learning and they are expected to achieve the two long-term benefits : i) OBE is able to measure _what the students are capable of doing_ and ii) OBE goes beyond _structured tasks_ by demanding that students demonstrate their skills through more challenging tasks. The OBE system also can be benefited when the outcomes are used to guide instructional planning. In Malaysia, the OBE system is implemented by the Malaysia Quality Agency (MQA). The Agency holds the task to improve the quality of human capital in the country from three main aspects namely, knowledge, skills and attitude. Keywords: Outcome-based education (O.....

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With the current rise in popularity in using technology to enhance the students_ learning experience, mathematics lecturers are pressured to incorporate technology in their instructional design. The situation becomes problematic when many of these lecturers_ learning experiences have a limited exposure to teaching and learning technology. To compound this decision making further, technology tools offered to lecturers_ are numerous in terms of functions and forms. This study focuses on how mathematics lecturers_ in one university in Malaysia decide on what technology to use and what are the factors that are involved in their decision-making. This study presents the narrative of five mid-career mathematics lecturers and how they meaningfully selected, used technology and incorporated technology into their instructional designs. The evidence in this study suggests that lecturers_ decision on what technology they use in their instructional design tend to be in an ad-hoc manner and above al.....

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This paper raised the question of to what extent and how learning organization was accepted, appreciated and practiced at different organizations and its relation to the commitment of the employees. The objective of this study was to identify the relationships between learning organization and organizational commitment among the public primary school principals. A quantitative cross sectional research design with purposive sampling was employed in collecting the data. The questionnaires were based on the Learning Organization and Organizational Commitment indicators that have been modified and used in Malaysia. The respondents for this study were principals of public primary schools who attended the three years intensive program (called the Head-Teacher Degree Program) which would award them the Bachelor_s Degree in Education Management. Two cohorts comprised of 107 principals were chosen from 600 principals who enrolled for the Head-Teacher Degree Program. The study showed that, there.....

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Assessment practice in Maldivian schools is currently undergoing change. The new draft Maldivian National Curriculum (Education Development Centre, 2012a) and associated documents aim to align assessment, instruction, and curriculum in an effort to optimize learning conditions for students. The support document entitled _Pedagogy and Assessment Guide a Working Document_ highlights the importance of ensuring a balance between assessment _for_ learning (formative assessment) and assessment _of_ learning (summative assessment). Maldivian teachers, who have traditionally placed emphasis on summative assessment practice, will now be required to enhance their use of formative assessment strategies to help diagnose individual student_s strengths and weaknesses and to support future learning. The focus of this article is to identify formative assessment practices Maldivian students may already be experiencing in the lower primary school grades 1to 3. Keywords: Maldivian Education; Ministry of.....

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Language is a human communication tool and semiotics system, used to convey meaning and express. Similarly, music has its own semiotic set, comparable to that of language, able to evoke specific emotions, sensations without text. Language and music are socially cohesive codes, delineating groups within society and culture, understood by those to whom it _belongs._ As language is a social cohesive, defining social groups can be achieved through different musical systems, for example, Malaysian and Western music. As language is dynamic, adjusting to contemporary conditions and technologies, music appears to be undergoing similar adaptation. Audio is compressed for headphone reproduction and MP3 and this reduction in the sonic is changing the aesthetic of what is considered _ideal_. We shall suggest that there is a similar reductive quality in the content of music that may be compared to the shorthand language of the SMS. Key words: Language; music; semiotics system...

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The purpose of this research was to identify the level of higher order thinking skills among lower secondary students in Malaysia. A higher order thinking skills test was modified and distributed to 384 students throughout the whole country to assess their higher order thinking skills levels. The results showed that higher order thinking skills levels among the students were at very low level. The findings also revealed that there was a low positive significant relationship between the higher order thinking skills and academic result, r = 0.468, p < 0.05. In addition, the results indicated that there was a significant difference in Living Skills subject results on the higher order thinking skills. The authors proposed a new approach by using a specialised instructional module for individualised learning to deliver the thinking skills learning task. Key words: Higher order thinking skills; Bloom_s Taxonomy; Instructional module...

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The study investigated the schools_ experiences on SUHAKAM_s best practices in Human Rights (ATHAM) programme. The aim of the paper was to highlight the best practices of human rights program as experienced by the teachers and students. The views were expressed in terms of the importance of ATHAM objectives, challenges and ways to overcome the challenges. With the cooperation of the Ministry of Education, five schools were selected as the pilot project in 2009. This paper focused on the report of the quantitative results. A total of 798 respondents participated in the survey. There were 148 teachers and 650 students. The findings showed that both teachers and students agreed that the objectives were important. Lack of Time and lack of support in the practice of human rights was found to be the challenges among teachers and students. The results also demonstrated the ways to overcome the challenges were that school stakeholders must practice human rights. Subsequently, T-test was conduc.....

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Four classes of Form One students of four schools in Kinta district, State of Perak, Malaysia participated in a five weeks intervention designed to enhance teaching and learning science with Performancebased Assessment to Enhance Teaching and Learning Science (ForPS) Model. Teachers in intervention classrooms were implemented an assessment approach that incorporated the use of instructions based on curriculum-specifications from Ministry of Education and the performance-based assessment module into individual and classroom instructional planning. During the intervention period, control groups continued to use of instruction based on a curriculum-specifications from Ministry of Education and the use of a memory-based traditional testing procedures adopted by the school, which included the use of the assessment of learning developed by the subject teachers_. Intervention groups demonstrated significant improvements on some dimensions of performance as measured by the Integrated Science P.....

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This article describes the importance of three types of intelligence that should be possessed by teachers to transform themselves towards being _ideal_ teachers. Three types of intelligence to be observed, adapted and applied by teachers to the students and society as a whole is the ability of: Cognitive integration of Intellectual Intelligence (IQ), Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Spiritual Intelligence (SQ). Combination of these three elements will ensure the success of a teacher to be a capable educator, not only in the classroom and the school environment, but also at wherever the teacher is being situates and interacting. IQ, EQ and SQ will raise the standards of the _perfect_ teacher from an employee to a professional who is faithful to the performance of education, educational effectiveness and continuity of education. In addition, a professional teacher will become the symbol of the nation's education system and a new inspiration to the teaching career. The authors believe that.....

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