The term geography syllabus can be defined as an outline of the contents and related fact s, concept and principles to be taught within a given period. According to Oxford
According to geography method (2002)the term geography syllabus refer as a frame assigned for the levels of secondary school ,so as to expect that all approaches assigned that will enable the learners to link their knowledge of other discipline and their experience from other place of the realities in a particular environment concern .
Often, Curricula and syllabuses they normally are revised from time to time. As it have been done to A-level syllabus whereby before 2008 the one used emanated from 1997 but in 2008 New one existed with new addition of topic, reduction of others related to its implementation for the year of Academic 2011/12.Some of changes emerged according to the trend of Global change that based on the influence of technology, social and economic aspect that related to needs of the society in a particular time and environment adopted that have influence in education .Also, research done and observed that some of contents and methods assigned in that syllabus has been locally and has not complete to recent time.
Hence; some of recommendation has been made such as reduction of some unnecessary subjects, changes of the titles as well as shifted of some topics to another subject so as to accomplish the level of learners in positive goals to insure the successfully teaching and learning activities.
Instead of all changes which has been made by that time and tried to concoct a new syllabus for A-level schools in TANZANIA but still, it has some failures needed to be checked to make it more perfect and more useful in TANZANIAN context for enhancing the perfect education in our societies. Lets path through the success and failure of this new syllabus analytically.
A new A-level syllabus of Geography that emanated 2008 that work done in academic year 2010/11 has been organized well in all aspects to its demand and global change in intellectual advancement and practical demonstration in society.
In the introduction explain well background information concerning subjects offered through explaining the expertise whose will be obtained at the end of the subject concern which can motivate teacher and learners on knowing their destination hence influence their academic desire
Its aims and objectives to secondary education are related to the aims of education in Tanzania
Systematic arrangement of the topic and subtopic are very well organized. A- level syllabus arranged well in which starting from more familiar areas coming up to the less familiar and more difficult aspect. For instance topics of form five (5) and form six(6) , some of them are as sample to all arranged in spiral form as well as systematic way like first topic of form five(5) known Application of statistics in Geography which it related to the second topic known field research in which students having the concept from O level that helps student to review and help them to determine and analyze numerical description on various Geographical phenomena in which can analyze, summarizing as well as arrange and search the data from different sources to the depth information concerning difference aspects in term of social/economic and political in a society and from six (6) topics such as Water masses related to next topic known as study of soil that depend each other for the Agriculture, water source as well as determination of living things and non living things and its importance to human being on its feature toward the nature of lands along the water bodies.
These all topics are related to their aims and objectives of the subject whereby expertise may be obtained such as researchers, planners, demographers and farmers; Hence each students to develop her/his thinking capabilities to reach at the positive destination as supported by Ausubel argued that “If I had to reduce all of educational psychology to just one principle, I would say this the most important single factor influencing learning is what the learner already knows”.
Teaching and learning resources planned well depend to the environment, level of education to the learners age and ability to the learners, this supported by Ausubel argued that ‘’In the presentation of teaching material should be made in logic order and organization of the learning material highly explicit” Arouse and maintain motivation, present the learning material by use of progressive differentiation i.e. use a stepped progression from general concepts to specific information. This has been emphasized on the syllabus in which reflect on general objectives such as to promote and appropriate use of library social, scientific, vocational technological professional and other forms of knowledge, skills understanding for the development and improvement of man and society as well as develop awareness to students for planet-earth as their heritage ,whereby local and modern resources and materials has been assigned such as library search, texts, web resources, questions and answers, project guide and site for studies.
However, Organization of teaching and learning strategies arranged well, whereby lies on cognitive learning theory that focus on mental process of knowledge and skills advancement whereby organs capabilities emphasized also based on behavioral learning theory that focus on true learning lead to change in behavior in which thinking is a part of stimulus response sequence and learning is the product of designing rather than accident; This supported by Vygotsky-(pg 168-69),who suggest that “teachers must provide the necessary “Scaffolding” in developing and accelerating students ability for their own learning”. This emphasized well in this A level syllabus whereby participatory method for effective learning are emphasized through the uses of Brainstorming, asking and answering questions, group discussion and project guide as among of strategies of teaching and teaching also the strategies depends on the subject, development level of the learners and lessons objectives, learners motivation and interests, age and ability of the learners as well as involvement and participation of learners.
Also ,In matter of assessment and time has been arranged well, depends on the others contents in which interact to each other whereby assessment provides away to measure students demonstration of learning in which help to know much did they leant ? How well did they learnt at the end ? and how well did the teacher teach? as supported by (OFSTED pg 2)argued that “The quality of assessment has had a significant impact on attitudes to learning and on attainment in the schools by stimulating and challenging pupils to work hard and by encouraging teachers to focus on how to improve the learning to individual pupils “hence in the syllabus arranged very well .
On the other hand these are among of the weakness which if they might be taken into consideration and being revised and checked again the A level Syllabus will be more useful into our society for the case of catering the education goals in TANZANIA
It seems that the syllabus has been revised and checked again without involving the teachers who are the number one implementer of the syllabus and take it into practice, this is the most challenge which we faces, we as TANZANIAN on doing research we don’t consider the one who are affected by a certain problem which is learned. for instance in TANZANIA their lack of enough teaching and learning materials some of the schools have no computers videos ,and projectors, so these problems they must be taken into consideration when formulating these new syllabus and you will know all these problems if you ll associate the teachers who are teaching daily . In introduction of syllabus, designers don’t cooperate with teachers on issue of making changes in which teachers may provide their recommendation on how changes can be made with the really environment in school.
Also, A syllabus designers don’t provide training on how to apply the new syllabus, hence many teachers up to now especially who lived in the rural areas they used their own experience on teaching rather than following the procedures that dictated by the syllabus also training to the teachers for those special students do not emphasized on how to help them instead they provide some of materials that can be used during teaching activities but they don’t show how can be used, example the uses of Braille text.
Also new way of assigning marks to students has been change whereby 50 marks from assignment done by students that can be given to each schools such as research projects, assignment, tests and final examination carry 50 marks , This can reduce competition in educational development as well as the whole view of TANZANIAN education system due to existence of many private schools and each school need profits and positive advertiser to the educational stakeholders whereby maneuvers can be done such as free marks can be provided, hence reduce students capability.
On the issue of changing the topic title, some topics have been changed its title in which students get difficulties to identify its meaning. For instance one of topic of form six(6) known as space dynamic that its meaning in the real sense to students to identify its meaning is difficult but instead using that title they uses weather and climate so as to easily understand we must consider the level of education when we decide to use the difficult terms like this.
Also same of the topics do not related to the number of periods, there some which have long periods and some which have short periods but they do not relate their time given .fore stance some of the topics are very long and have little time fore stance the topic of simple survey and map making has only seven (7) periods which is not enough it could be at least have ten (10) periods .
Opinion and my views , in order to make our syllabus more useful to our TANZANIAN context we must first of all consider the teachers who are the one who knows the real situation on our schools regarding the problems that we face in our schools , hence then we must have enough expertise and the professional workers as well as school manager who could assist on the uses and put effort on the formation of the new syllabus ,here I mean that the views of deferent scholars must be regarded and not only based on the few scholars who are seem to be more referred by the government ,and lastly but not list is that we must base on our social context and rely on the ability of our people in TANZANIA concerning the ability of language uses especial the English language.
The syllabuses needed to change and directed to the use of Swahili as a medium of instruction instead of using English as a medium of instruction to the secondary schools, Fore stance the Geography syllabus seem to have some difficult concepts and not understood well by the students because of the language it seem to be not familiar to the most of the TANZANIAN hence we need to look on these aspect in order to make our education valuable to our society and outside of our society as TANZANIAN. And lastly me TAFAWAH OMAR I say that let do things on our ways don’t follow no body from everywhere and we will succeed by our self’s let take a good look to the CHINA it has been succeeded economically and technologically due to it changes which has been made on the their Education system by reforming the syllabus to be directed on their context and also take the issue of language into consideration and decided to use their own language which is Chinese.
BIBLIOGRAPHY .
· N,Severin.Geography Methods:The Open University of Tanzania
· Induction course for licensed Secondary teachers. Module teaching and learning (I.L.S); Ministry of Education and Vocation and Training Dar es Salaam Press 2006.
· L.B.Curzon,Teaching in Furher Education;An outline of Principles and Practice.(London ;Great Britain
· C.Louis,M.Lawrence and M.Keith.A Guide to teaching Practice(London
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