Language Curriculum Development: Moving with the Times

Curriculum development has to move in tandem and in a practical way with the ever changing societal needs and global trends in order to stay relevant and competitive at all times. This paper shows that curriculum development could occur at three levels of implementation and that it is at the school level that changes to the curriculum are most profound. With the continuing interest and debate on a thinking curriculum, since 1997, “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation” has been the buzzword for educational institutions in Singapore. Implicit in a national document of the same title are a number of poignant educational messages which are now being translated into national initiatives and realized in stages in the Singapore school curriculum. This visionary document looks many years ahead into the future for how educational institutions, as thinking schools for transforming the country into a learning nation, can remain relevant and are able to keep pace with, if not ahead of, current trends and competition. This paper examines the various educational initiatives that have been incorporated in the school curriculum in Singapore today and how the schools are coping with the rapidly changing educational landscape. Elsewhere, it has also been widely acknowledged that “the ability to learn, to reason, to think creatively, to make decisions, and to solve problems” should be an educational norm (Moss, undated, cited in Henson, 2001:345; highlighting, my own). Schools are beginning to realize that education is more than just being taught academic subjects; it is also a preparation for life, for sustained learning beyond school. The challenge for Singapore schools is how well we understand by “Thinking Schools, Learning Nation”, and for many it is certainly more than just another educational slogan. It is necessary for us to take constant stock of education and ensure continuous progress.