Sixth-form revamp: Intermediates in first year, A-levels in second

Sixth form education in Malta is set for a major top-down revamp, in an attempt to prioritise teaching students crucial life skills instead of feeding them with academic information. 

A policy document launched for consultation on Monday by education minister Evarist Bartolo and a working group including all of Malta’s sixth form institutions proposes doing away entirely with the current system whereby sixth form students enrol for two A Level subjects, three intermediates, and Systems of Knowledge. 

Instead, students will start sixth form by selecting five subjects that they will study at intermediate level in their first year, with their choice extended to include vocational subjects (such as agribusiness, hospitality and social care). In their second year, which will be extended to a full year, students will choose two of those five subjects to study at A Level, along with Systems of Knowledge (SOK). 

SOK itself, which is intended to give all students some knowledge of humanities and science, will remain compulsory but the course itself will be completely transformed into a series of elective study units that will serve as an introduction to subjects that students may later choose to delve into in greater detail. 

SOK will also be used as a high-profile pilot for the transformation of a course into a totally modular approach, with the subject split up into small modules and the student’s progress frequently assessed at different stages as opposed to a single exam at the end of the year.

“Students [who spoke at focus groups] were not opposed to SOK and acknowledged it provided an opportunity to learn outside the box of their selected subjects,” the report states. “Complaints focused on the formal, terminal summative assessment process applied to SOK, like any other A-level. The subject simply becomes yet another obstacle to the ultimate objective of securing the certificate, to be hurdled over as soon as possible. Inevitably, any ‘joy’ of learning and the curiosity drive are stifled.”

The document’s ultimate aim is to shift the lecturing of all sixth form subjects into a modular approach, and for teachers to not only teach their students their subjects but also crucial life skills – such as self-confidence, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, communication, and flexibility. Moreover, students will also be taught online and media literacy – such as how to recognize fake news on the Internet, how to distinguish between fact and opinion, how to recognize propaganda, and how to resist indoctrination and hate speech. 

“Teachers should teach students how to abstract from as early as possible,” the report reads. “Learning by rote and memorizing facts does not mean that a concept has been assimilated – rather that meaningless terms have been accommodated.” 

Shifting away from end-of-year exams 

The education policy document also calls for a radical change in the way students are assessed – away from the traditional end of year exam and towards a mixture of presentations, practical work, computer-based assessments, group work, formal interviews, projects, written assignments and tests. 

“The legacy of passing summative exams as the benchmark of success means that grades, not learning, are the outcomes that are of interest to the vast majority of students and parents,” the report reads. “The exam culture is obscuring the fact that young people are not learning as much as they could. They study to pass tests, but once the tests are passed, any ‘knowledge’ and information is rapidly forgotten as the student prepares for the next shift. There is a need to shift towards productive learning.” 

Education ministry consultant Alex Grech, who chaired the working group over two years of debate, told MaltaToday that the document leaves open the possibility of students getting to choose how they would like to be assessed.

“Obviously there are financial and operational considerations that must be taken into consideration, but yes it is a possibility,” he said.