Reflective Essay: Curriculum Analysis and Leadership in Singapore

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of curriculum and leadership within the context of Singapore's education system, specifically focusing on social studies. It begins by examining the role of the Ministry of Education (MOE) syllabus in curriculum development at the school level, exploring its influence and the potential for critique by classroom teachers. The essay delves into the author's perspective on the purposes and challenges of social studies in Singapore, highlighting the importance of developing critical thinking skills and understanding real-world issues. It also addresses the possibilities and obstacles faced by social studies curriculum teacher leaders, discussing factors that facilitate leadership and potential solutions to overcome challenges such as time constraints, complex syllabus content, and student resistance. The essay concludes with a reflection on the significance of the MOE curriculum and the role of social studies in fostering well-rounded students equipped with knowledge, values, and essential skills for navigating societal and global issues. The author emphasizes the need for teachers to adapt and implement effective strategies to ensure the curriculum's success and meet the evolving needs of students.

RUNNING HEAD: CURRICULUM ANALYSIS AND LEADERSHIP 0
Curriculum Analysis and Leadership
Student’s Details-
10/4/2019

CURRICULUM ANALYSIS AND LEADERSHIP 1
Curriculum Analysis and Leadership
Curriculum analysis is concerned with the assistance to student’s programs, knowledge
and learning and putting all together (Nicholls & Nicholls, 2018). It is major activity of Ministry
of Education (MOE) Singapore. Also, there is huge role of MOE syllabus in the development of
curriculum that promotes various creative activities at the school level. Also, MOE is responsible
for coordinating different activities and development of strategies for the development of school
reforms and management of all levels of education (Tang, 2019). The essay discusses the role of
MOE syllabus in the development of curriculum and also critiques to be used by the classroom
teacher regarding the syllabus at the school level. Also, it explains my role as curriculum leader
in the school by the critical analysis of the obstacles and the solutions to avoid them. Also, the
factors facilitating in the curriculum leadership at the school level are also being analyzed.
Ministry of Education Singapore is engaged in the implementation of the strategies,
policies and designing the rules and regulations and supervising them accordingly (Wang, Gurr,
& Drysdale, 2016). Also, MOE provides the ways in which education is equitably distributed
and promoting the compulsory education. One of the major roles of MOE is to build curriculum
for the school students. Furthermore, MOE is precisely involved in the development of
curriculum and documents for the guidance of the teachers along with the collaboration with
distinct departments and discussing all forms of higher education and facilitating with the
guidance for the teachers (Hujala, et al., 2016). In the development of curriculum by MOE, it
ensures that every student is confident, effective communicator having good interpersonal skills
and being a self-directed learner that reflects and preserves the technology and takes risk. The
curriculum is developed for primary and secondary level school students that help in the overall
development of those students.
However, this curriculum helps in using the curriculum as a classroom teacher in a right
way to ensure the enhanced development of my students at the primary and secondary level.
Every district is facilitated with the prescribed curriculum framework that the teacher can use for
the utilization of standards that are provided by MOE and encourage the learning through
individual and group activity creatively (Alsubaie, 2016). This MOE syllabus has given an
opportunity for the teachers to put individualized attention to each student in the entire

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curriculum process. Also, the syllabus provides knowledge, skills and the values that are required
by the students which the teacher can use to guide student to achieve the learning outcomes.
However, I believe social studies curriculum teacher leader has the major purpose is to
encourage the development of the student through meeting the criteria of MOE syllabus. The
curriculum teacher leader is not only working for the development and improvement of the
student but it also ensures that the criteria are met for the curriculum standard. The teacher leader
overlooks the members of Curriculum area (Priestley, Biesta, Philippou, & Robinson, 2015). The
teacher leader is also engaged in the introduction of schemes of work and also monitoring those
schemes regularly. Also, the teacher provides the progress of the curriculum and development of
student to the head teacher and the parents as well.
Also, there are various factors that are considered by the curriculum leadership, I believe
social studies teacher has the purpose to provide an opportunity to the students to enhance the
skills and also facilitation of continuous improvement. Also, in the Singapore secondary school,
social studies syllabus comprises of the major goals for the students which includes the issues of
socio-economic development and the Singapore Governance and roles (Kaur, Tay, Toh, Leong,
& Lee, 2018). The social studies syllabus provides an opportunity for the students to take
learning from the experiences of different countries. Also, the syllabus is highly relevant for
showing empathy for those who contribute towards the social welfare and have contribution
towards the multi-religious and multi-cultural society. The role of social studies syllabus is
crucial for the student as it majorly focus on six National Educational themes by placing due
emphasis on the three areas of knowledge, skills and values. Social studies is crucial for the
Singapore for the understanding of the real-world issues and also having an analysis of
developments that are taking place into the society and it also gives an opportunity for the
students to explore global issues pertaining to the governance and the citizens (Ng, Nguyen,
Wong, & Choy, 2015). The purpose of social studies is also developing critical thinking skills in
order to make an analysis of an issue prior before attaining a conclusion. It creates authentic
learning experiences so that students can explore societal and global issues. Further, social
studies enable in the credibility of the information that the people receive and also the skills are
appropriate into the workplace and tackling the challenges into the future (Heng, Ratnam-Lim, &
Tan, 2016).

CURRICULUM ANALYSIS AND LEADERSHIP 3
However, there are various challenges into the social study that are faced by students due
to the inability to comprehend the examination sources. There were challenges in the social
studies syllabus as well wherein there is a huge gap between the intended curriculum and real-
life learning into the classroom (Pan & Hamilton, 2018). There are obstacles for the teachers
who continuously make mistakes due to insufficiency of time that they get to prepare for the test.
Also, social study teacher faces stress in taking care of all the areas of curriculum which is a
stressful process to be undertaken. Also, social study teacher has to go through the entire
syllabus for the curriculum that is provided by MOE Singapore (Cadieux, et al., 2017).
Further, MOE along with the collaboration with curriculum teacher implements the
strategies for the development of the student. But when these bodies are highly engaged in the
developing those strategies, it faces a challenge when the teacher do not get enough time to
interact with the students. In the curriculum leadership, I have often observed that the plans made
have the possibility to do not effectively performed due to the lower expertise of social study
teacher and their decreased ability to teach the students and elaborate the history concerning with
the social study. Also, the challenges faced by social study teacher leader is the complexity of the
syllabus provided by MOE. I believe this complex curriculum can be difficult for the teachers to
teach the students and also can be very difficult to be understood by the students. The challenges
also include the availability of staff members that needs to be recruited as per the expertise of
each curriculum activity.
However, the challenges that are faced in the curriculum syllabus can be overcome by the
Ministry of Education in Singapore itself by the changes in the plans and strategies being
implemented. Also, I would recommend these plans and strategies should be designed in such a
manner that it not only effective but also reliable from the social study teacher’s perspective. I
can recommend the teachers to pay attention to the individual student rather than focusing on the
entire class. Also, the activities under the syllabus must be designed in such a manner that they
are effectively understood by the teachers and the teachers are able to elaborate the ideas and
concepts to the students in a prompt manner. Also, for avoiding the stress of test papers and the
sessions, the social study teacher can diversify their tasks to the fellow staff members for
reducing the workload and also developing better strategies with the partnership that can be
helpful for the students to enhance their knowledge and skills. Also, for solving the problems of

CURRICULUM ANALYSIS AND LEADERSHIP 4
increased resistance by the students, the teacher should affectively address the problems and
issues of the students concerning with the curriculum activities and the understanding of the
syllabus (Bmcallis, 2011). However, I can recommend the social study teacher to comply with
the necessary standards and guidelines that are forgiven by MOE and the teachers must be able
to affectively address the problems into the curriculum so that they can provide necessary details
to MOE.
To conclude, it can be said that Ministry of Education lays down the curriculum syllabus
for the social study teacher in Singapore. These social study teachers communicate the syllabus
to the students that contains all the valid points to be covered upon. Also, social study plays a
vital role in the development of student and provide assistance in three areas knowledge, value
and learning. The essay is discussing my point of view on the purpose of social study in the
curriculum leadership along with the purpose of curriculum syllabus for the social study teacher.
The argument is supported by curriculum critiques and the importance of curriculum syllabus.
Also, the challenges into the social study and curriculum leadership is also being discussed along
with the possible solutions to avoid them.

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curriculum-leadership/
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