National Curriculum Reform

Inculcating values - whole school approach

2012-02-09T08:11:00.014+05:00

A society holds together through the quality of its shared values (virtues),
which are produced through a shared conversation (Sachs, 1997)

Schools have always been interested in three kinds of outcomes; knowledge, skills and values. What appears to be missing from many schools and society is a shared vocabulary, based on shared positive human values, which can provide a sense of direction and vision about how to create a stable moral society. Teaching about positive human values (e.g. respect, honesty, compassion, care, humility and responsibility) improves the quality of education in schools. It seeks to promote an educational philosophy based on valuing self and others, through the consideration of a values vocabulary (principles that guide behaviour) as the basis of good educational practice.

Thus, values refer to deeply held ideas and beliefs that define what is acceptable in a society. Values are conveyed through thoughts and actions, which qualify our personal conduct and our interaction with others. They are priorities that help to distinguish what is right from wrong, and guide young people to live a meaningful life, in harmony with others. Students acquire values implicitly through what they hear, see, read and experience. They give importance to those beliefs inherent in the actions of their role models. For this reason, parents and educators – including teachers and school leaders – should reflect on their own values and how these are translated into the curricular content, the learning environment, and the mode of teaching.

When a school develops the moral and spiritual aspects of the curriculum (that is, those that positively contribute to the inner world of thoughts, feelings and emotions of the teacher and the pupil), the school community become more reflective and harmonious. The effect on individual pupils, of inculcating values, is that pupils take greater personal responsibility for their learning and behaviour.

The most effective teachers of values are those who work to be more self-aware and take time to reflect on the deeper meaning of the values being emphasized in the school. Self-reflective work by teachers is seen to have a powerful impact on pupils, who appear to make a connection between what the teacher says and what she does. Such teachers are authentic, meaning that they seek to achieve congruence between their thoughts, feelings and actions. They are aware that they have the potential (as we all do) to be consumed by negative emotion (e.g. anger) and for this to be inappropriately translated into action. Developing reflection as a tool to aid self-control enables both pupil and adult to behave in ways that reflect positive human values, such as compassion and respect. Teachers describe their own positive behaviour as walking their talk: living their values. Such reflective work leads to teachers’ developing a deepening understanding of the values words. They also have a clearer perception of their own attitudes and behaviour, and seem willing and able to model the values. Teachers believe that the pupils will learn from their positive example. Therefore the process of inculcating values in students must begin with adults (what could be described as the work before the work), before adopting it in the curriculum. From the evidence, it would appear that values cannot be taught in isolation from the teacher’s own thoughts, feelings and behaviour. It is therefore important for all who work with children to pay attention to looking after themselves, physically, mentally and spiritually, thus using a whole school approach. Such wise selfishness then enables the adult to be a positive role model.

Teaching about values affects teachers thinking, and consequently the way that they teach. Teachers are not neutral with regards to values, as values are embedded within their attitudes and exhibited through their behaviour. This implies that, in order for there to be consensus and consistency of staff expectations and behaviour throughout the school, a whole school approach needs to be introduced, based on the National Curriculum.

Hence, the Maldives National Curriculum Framework describes values under four main categories namely the following;

Values relating to self
Values relating to family and others
Values relating to local and global community
Values relating to the environment

The Maldives National Curriculum Framework places great emphasis on encouraging children and young people to adopt deeply held values shared within our society. The values that the National Curriculum Framework encourages students to hold are those that are deemed vital to grow as an individual, to thrive in our society and to live peaceably in a diverse world.

Incorporating these into the policies, practices and ethos of the learning environment becomes a responsibility of the whole school community, including staff, pupils, parents and community representatives.

Reference: Hawkes, N, Oxford, United Kingdom (2008) and EDC, Maldives (2011)

Small steps to big change

2012-02-02T10:10:00.007+05:00

Small measures, when taken seriously and applied consistently, create significant change.
Life experiences and research on change behaviour regularly show that when one attempts to make a monumental change without breaking it up into manageable parts, the results are never favourable.

Take the example of an obese person trying to lose all his excess weight. When faced with the thought of restricting the intake of food and regularly exercising, reaching his goal may seem like an impossibility. But if he takes it one step at a time, making small changes to his diet until his eating habits improve; making the effort to do something active everyday until he can make exercise a regular part of his life, achieving his ultimate goal becomes more doable. By breaking up his ultimate goal into manageable steps, he will be better able to celebrate small successes and see how he is progressing, on his path to reaching his desired destination.

In the education arena, whole system reform efforts have often failed to succeed when goals have been ambitious and the expectation was that change would happen immediately and fully.

Habits are difficult to break, taking time and effort. If we are able to see that our efforts are producing good results, that with every small change we make, we are pushing ourselves forward further and further, achieving victory will be easier and will lead to more long lasting results.

Change theory and the research on educational reform confirm this, particularly with reference to whole-system change agendas, as is the case with implementing the new National Curriculum in Maldivian schools. The literature on educational change (see for example, the work of Andy Hargreaves or Michael Fullan) advocates the need for those at implementation level (i.e. school leaders and teachers) to focus on a small number of ambitious priorities and set measurable targeted on-going goals so that success becomes a reachable target.

The changes proposed in the National Curriculum when taken as a whole may seem like an impossible dream to achieve. But think small. Think achievable. Think about small things you can already apply, to build on your existing practices.

As a teacher, think about how long you wait after asking a question in class. A second? Two seconds? None? Wait time allows students to think about what the teacher has just asked and to relate it to their own knowledge and understanding. It allows students time to make meaning of the question and reflect on their learning. Research shows that increasing the wait time by a few seconds alone makes a significant difference on the levels of learning achieved by students. A small alteration in the teacher’s habitual behaviour to create significant change.

When planning teaching, consider the objectives you already set for each lesson. Do they focus on building knowledge, enhancing skills or inculcating values? Consider ways in which you can address enhancing students’ knowledge, skills and positive values. Once it becomes integrated into the focus of the lesson, you’ve crossed one hurdle.

As a school leader, you may want to take a whole-school approach to focusing on two or three broad key competencies initially. Rather than trying to do everything at once, planning how each of the eight key competencies will gradually become integrated into the whole school ethos, and making a collective effort to focus on them makes change easier to manage and more likely to succeed.

So, think about your role in making change happen. What is the least you can do today?

Do that.

Then take another step tomorrow.

Change gives hope

2012-01-31T09:33:00.006+05:00

http://longislandbankruptcyblog.com
Barack Hussein Obama II (August 4, 1961 present)

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
― Barack Obama

Change is not only necessary; it gives us hope for the future. But embracing change is not easy. It takes time, determination and perseverance. Real change is never immediate; which is why one-shot approaches to change never succeed. Real progress, true reform is slow. But in time, with a change in mind set and accompanying changes in behavior, success is possible.

As educators, as parents, as individuals of this society, what are YOU doing to bring about positive change?

“We don't ask you to believe in our ability to bring change, rather, we ask you to believe in yours.”
― Barack Obama

Six Fallacies of Education Reform

2012-01-30T07:37:00.006+05:00

http://www.bcssa.org

Andrew (Andy) Hargreaves ( 13 February 1951 - present)

At the 25th International Congress on School Effectivenss and Improvement, held in Sweden from 5th - 8th January 2012, Professor Andy Hargreaves spoke about the six fallacies of educational reform. These are as follows:

1. The Fallacy of Speed: Effective turnarounds can and should be quick.

2. The Fallacy of Substitution: Effective turnarounds require wholesale changes of leadership and staff.

3. The Fallacy of Numbers: Tough targets and bottom lines matter most.

4. The Fallacy of Standardisation: Standardisation and prescription yield better outcomes.

5. The Fallacy of Competition: High stakes competition raises standards and improves results.

6. The Fallacy of Extremes: Overall performance is improved by remedying or removing defects at the bottom and replicating excellence at the top.

You can view his presentation here.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy

2011-10-24T08:19:00.003+05:00

http://www.rosemobile.com

Benjamin Samuel Bloom (February 21, 1913 – September 13, 1999)

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy of cognitive objectives is one of the best ways to differentiate the curriculum to meet the needs of students. Because of its six levels of thinking, Bloom's Revised Taxonomy can provide a framework for planning lessons that incorporate low to high-level thinking activities.

The science of learning

2011-10-23T08:12:00.000+05:00

The noted neurologist turned educator talks about the science of boredom, how to capture student attention, and the most important lessons for 21st-century learning.

Igniting Prior Knowledge in Students

2011-10-22T07:36:00.000+05:00

Research shows that learning arises fundamentally from prior knowledge, and only secondarily from the resources that are presented to students. Of course resources are important and necessary for good teaching, but do we sometimes tend to get too side tracked with producing/obtaining the best materials to our students that we forget that our greatest tools are right in front of us - all of those young minds that are already equipped with a foundation and ready to be built on?

What do we know about prior knowledge from research?

Constructivism proposes that new knowledge is constructed from old. It holds the educational belief that as teachers, it’s essential that we make connections between what new is being presented with students’ prior experiences. Piaget believed educating children to be one of society’s most important tasks and concluded that children, like adults, combine prior knowledge with experience. Learners make sense of their experiences (and learning) using their own schemata.

Launching the learning in your classroom from the prior knowledge of your students is a tenet of good teaching. Try these activities for firing up those young minds and tapping into prior knowledge:

Image Brainstorm. Focus students’ attention on a picture and ask them to tell you everything they can about the picture. Choose images that make sense to them and also allow you to connect to the new content and/or concepts students will be learning.

K-W-L Chart. Tried and true, yes, but it doesn’t work with all subjects and can be an overused activity for assessing prior knowledge. Use sparingly and dynamically.

Picture Books. Whatever the age, they work. If there’s a concept or skill you are about to introduce, find a children's book that's related in some way and that your students may be familiar with. Read it aloud and watch them connect the dots.

ABC Brainstorming. On one sheet of paper students make a box for every letter of the alphabet and then brainstorm a word or phrase that starts with each letter.

Class Brainstorm Web. After writing a word or phrase in a circle have students write as many words connected to it that they can think of around it. For example, you might write "photosynthesis" in the centre and students write things like, plants, green, sun, water, and light. Use a timer with this activity to create a sense of urgency and to add to the fun. Keep the web visible throughout upcoming lessons and refer to it as you explore photosynthesis in-depth, even asking them to add words and facts to it.

Students are not simply empty vessels that need to be filled with knowledge from the teacher. They come equipped with a schemata that genuinely shape and guide their own learning. Teachers need to plan their lessons in ways that can ignite their prior knowledge and drive learning forward.

Project based learning

2011-10-21T08:17:00.000+05:00

Project learning, also known as project-based learning, is a dynamic approach to teaching in which students explore real-world problems and challenges, simultaneously developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups.

It engages students in active learning and inspires them to obtain a deeper understanding of the topic/subject they are learning. Because of the depth of involvement in learning in such a constructivist approach to education, research shows that students retain the knowledge better than when learning takes place in the traditional textbook-based learning. In addition to academic benefits of such an approach, it also enhances students' social abilities, by building their confidence, their communication skills as well as becoming more self directed.

Watch the video for more information on how this could be integrated into classroom teaching.

Howard Gardner on Multiple Intelligences

2011-10-20T08:16:00.012+05:00

http://top-people.starmedia.com

Howard Earl Gardner ( July 11, 1943 - present)

Professor Howard Gardner from Havard University talks about learning and assessment in school.

Preparing students for the future

2011-10-19T08:03:00.004+05:00

Professor Linda Darling-Hammond from the University of Stanford talks about what high achieving nations are doing to prepare their students for the future.

Co-operative learning in a math lesson

2011-10-18T08:07:00.003+05:00

A master teacher from Anchorage, Alaska, talks about how he establishes collaborative work in his teaching. Click to play video.

On the eve of end-of-year examinations

2011-10-17T09:42:00.000+05:00

"Performing poorly in pressure-filled testing situations can also lower people's confidence in their ability to succeed and their willingness to venture further in particular areas. A girl who bombs a math test may decide that girls really can't do math and thus choose a path through her schooling that limits her exposure to this subject. It's easy to see how a recursive cycle could emerge here. Poor math test performance leads to avoidance of math classes, which in turn means knowing less math, poorer test performance, and so on."
~Sian Bellock

"Most students will not find a steady diet of test-prep drills and worksheets to be particularly meaningful, and accordingly, they will not put forth optimal learning effort. Also, many teachers resent the pressures they feel to prepare for tests in ways that do not reflect their best teaching toward the most important outcomes. Principals may demand a full commitment to test prep, but teachers' actions are likely to be halfhearted.

Analysis of international (TIMSS, PISA), national (NAEP), and state assessments reveal that the most widely missed items are those requiring higher-order thinking and the ability to transfer learning to a new context, not those testing basic knowledge and skills (of the sort that are typically "practiced" in a decontextualized fashion)."
~Wiggins & McTigue

How shuold schools prepare students for examinations? Is prepping necessary at all?

Lack of focus on high order thinking

2011-10-16T09:42:00.004+05:00

A professor of education at Harvard, Daniel Kortez talks about the lack of focus on high order thinking skills in American high schools.

Teachers are key to improve quality

2011-10-15T08:31:00.001+05:00

For several years, Finland has been taking one of the top slots in the rank of the best education systems of the world. The Hechinger Report published an interview with the Finland education minister, to find out what it is that they do differently. Excerpts from her responses reveal how much importance the Finland system gives to their teachers:

The Hechinger Report: It’s well-known that Finland’s teachers are an elite bunch, with only top students offered the chance to become teachers. It’s also no secret that they are well-trained. But take us inside that training for a moment – what does it look like, specifically? How does teacher training in Finland differ from teacher training in other countries?

Minister Virkkunen: It’s a difficult question. Our teachers are really good. One of the main reasons they are so good is because the teaching profession is one of the most famous careers in Finland, so young people want to become teachers. In Finland, we think that teachers are key for the future and it’s a very important profession—and that’s why all of the young, talented people want to become teachers. All of the teacher-training is run by universities in Finland, and all students do a five-year master’s degree. Because they are studying at the university, teacher education is research-based. Students have a lot of supervised teacher-training during their studies. We have something called “training schools”—normally next to universities—where the student teaches and gets feedback from a trained supervisor.

Teachers in Finland can choose their own teaching methods and materials. They are experts of their own work, and they test their own pupils. I think this is also one of the reasons why teaching is such an attractive profession in Finland because teachers are working like academic experts with their own pupils in schools.

...
I think that teachers are really the key for a better educational system. It’s really important to pay attention to teacher training, in-service training and working conditions. Of course, the teachers always say we also have to pay attention to their salaries. But in Finland, it seems that the salaries are not the main reason it’s an attractive profession. Teachers aren’t very badly paid. They earn the average if you look at other academic professions.

Giving students more voice and choice

2011-10-14T08:08:00.002+05:00

Google requires their engineers to spend one day every week working on something that isn't in their job description. That is the time they spend dreaming up new ideas or thinking of possible problems that they could later solve. This 20% time policy ensures that Google's engineers are motivated, work collaboratively, and most importantly, remain innovative.

If translated into the classroom context, how can we ensure that students are given more time to problem solve, to innovate, to think? How can we empower our students with more voice and choice in the classroom?

Differentiation - catering to all students

2011-10-13T07:55:00.050+05:00

One of the eight key principles on which the National Curriculum is designed is that of inclusivity. Providing effective opportunities for all learners therefore becomes a crucial responsibility for all schools. Teaching needs to be planned with this in mind, and existing resources need to be extended, so as to provide opportunities for children to learn and to experience real challenges in real settings.

When we talk about inclusivity and differentiation, there is always a tendency for it to be directed towards one end of the spectrum - how to scoop up the tail-enders. This emphasis on keeping up with the class, or on remedial teaching, as it is often referred to, risks slowing down the whole group and creating disinterest. It also neglects the challenge and speed and breadth that gifted and high achieving students require. A practice that has been in place in some schools for some time is the 'enrichment classes' for the high achievers. But it needs to be asked if what they require is additional work, or simply if they require greater speed, distance, height and depth in exploring new learning.

Building new foundations

2011-10-12T07:08:00.002+05:00

"If you give every student a laptop but do not fundementally change the way you teach than the power of the new technoogy will never be reached." ~Jeff Utecht

The world today is so much smaller than what it was in 1984, when the first National Curriculum was first implemented in the Maldives. The earth may not have physically shrunk in size, but the world as we know it has certainly reduced with easy access to not only information but also to people around the globe. With a whole host of social networking sites and technology that can do just about everything that one could wish for, information and communication has brought knowledge to the fingertips of anyone interested to seek it.

This is huge change. Because it leads to the question of what needs to be done in schools? The large majority of teachers get the large majority of their information from the internet. The same source of information that their students can peruse. So, if both teachers and students have access to the same information, how should teaching and learning change?

It is an overwhelming question, but the solution is not to go on teaching the same way that we have always been teaching. Simply because we are familiar with what we have always done and we are comfortable with our routines, we cannot bury our fears and march on, pretending that nothing has changed. Schools can introduce a range of technology such as flat screen TVs and interactive white boards and laptops for each student... but simply having the technology there does not really impact the learning process unless the actual teaching changes.

Do schools and teachers make the most use of the changed learning landscape? Are schools pushing teachers to look at their own practice? Or is that something that tends to be limited to the three days of mandated professional development sessions every year?

Changing teaching is not about introducing new technology or updating a worksheet or adding a new project assignment to an established routine. The underlying false pedagogical foundation needs to break so that the entire learning experience is viewed with a different mindset, and replanned on a new solid foundation.

Change comes down to breaking habits, and habits are hard to break. Nobody likes to make people uncomfortable, because it is awkward and it is hard. But keeping up with the times requires us to make necessary changes in our own practice. Changing our own practice is uncomfortable. And hard. And frustrating.

But it needs to be done.

And it can be an exciting process.

The failure of traditional methods

2011-10-11T08:11:00.004+05:00

"There is little debate that the current educational system is failing on many levels. Students are graduating from public high schools, but are unable to perform well in basic literacy skills tests. Even worse, they do not demonstrate critical thinking skills that are required for thoughtful understanding of major life events and general current events. As a result, students often do not have the basic job skills that are required in order for them to be able to compete well in the global economy, today and in the future."

Sound familiar?

This extract is from the beginning of the blogpost written by Natalie Hunter, referring to the unsatisfactory levels of student achievement at the end of schooling in American public schools. But it could easily refer to the situation that exists in many contexts around the world, including the Maldives.

Although this paints a bleak picture, Natalie Hunter believes that the problem lies with the methods of teaching - the result of a failure of traditional methods of education. The solution, she argues, lies in innovative ways to exploring learning, with a particular emphasis on using online technologies.

All therefore, is not lost. Apparently.

Radio programmes on the National Curriculum

2011-10-10T07:54:00.000+05:00

EDC in collaboration with Raajje Radio will be presenting a series of weekly radio programmes on curriculum issues, particularly with regard to the new curriculum being drawn up. Titled "Ilmee Hiyaa", these half hour programmes are scheduled to be broadcasted every Friday evening at 2030 hours, with a repeat of the same programme on Saturday morning at 0830 hours. The first programme is scheduled to start on 14th October.

change vs innovation

2011-10-09T08:12:00.001+05:00

Innovation is defined as “an idea, object or practice perceived as new by an individual or individuals, which is intended to bring about improvement in relation to desired objectives, which is fundamental in nature, and which is planned and deliberate” (Nichols, 1983). He thus identifies three aspects which distinguish innovation from change: where change may involve a reordering of existing patterns, innovation implies newness; where change may be positive or negative, innovation refers to a fundamental positive improvement, and where change may be planned or unplanned, innovation is essentially the result of deliberate planning.

The reforms being brought about in the national curriculum are, according to these aspects, innovative in nature. Content of the curriculum is not being simply reorganised, and labelled under different names. Many new aspects are being brought in, and the emphasis is being made that curriculum is not only the content to be taught, but also the whole ethos of the school, including how the specified content is to be taught. Changes are not being brought about for the sake of creating change; but to improve the learning experience we offer our children and young people. The reforms being brought about have been carefully planned, and have been taking shape as a result of long term efforts.

Innovations involve changes at three levels:
1. change or revision of the curriculum
2. changes in teacher behaviour, e.g. new teaching approaches
3. changes in beliefs and principles underlying the new materials or approaches.

If the innovation is to have an effect in the classroom and ultimately on students’ learning, changes must occur at all three levels. Thus, if the curriculum reforms are to go beyond the documents being drafted, more effort needs to be put in to make possible the changes at levels 2 and 3.

Change

2011-10-08T12:33:00.004+05:00

“Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.”

- King Whitney Jr.

Seeking balance in the curriculum

2011-10-07T08:33:00.002+05:00

The majority of our secondary schools today offer only subjects in the business stream: accounting, business studies, economics and commerce. The reasons why a limited range of subjects are offered are varied, and often beyond the control of the individual school. But the reality is that a large proportion of our school leavers do not have an understanding of even basic science concepts, and have very limited knowledge of our history and geography.

In discussions of curriculum reform, a demand for balance has been a red thread throughout.

Some ask for more math and science.
Some ask for an even distribution of time among all subjects.
Some ask for more attention to be given for Islam and Qur'an.
Some ask for more non-academic study which will enable students to develop essential lifeskills.
Some ask for inclusion of more localised content.
Some ask for more time for time for lessons.
Some ask for more emphasis on building an generic skills and competencies.
Some ask for more teaching of shared values.
Some ask for more flexibility for schools for choose their own subjects.
Some ask for more emphasis on civics and citizenship.

It is always more more more.

What is the balance sought? How can it be attained?

Research in curriculum studies suggest that seeking balance through division and allocation of content or administrative procedure has little chance of success. Research on perception indicates that people perceive differently, in terms of their purposes, their needs and their background. This thus implies that a nationally set curriculum will not be perceived in the same way by any two people. The bottom line is that a balanced curriculum for the individual cannot be achieved by attempting to give everybody the same thing.

The maturation rates of individuals differ. The maturation rates also differ between boys and girls. Learning rates differ. Added to this are the individual differences in students.

It seems therefore a little hopeless to look at balance as something that can be prestructured by organising content and tasks into scope and sequence for different grades without considering the specific individuals.

What, therefore, is the alternative? How can balance be obtained?

Experts in area of curriculum design and development suggest that the solution lies in setting a core curriculum to ensure that all areas of development are addressed, and then allowing schools the flexibility to make adjustments within this core, so as to fulfill personal and individual needs and requirements.

The National Curriculum is being drawn up to reflect the needs of the nation as a whole, taking into consideration the areas of development that we want to promote within each child. Curriculum balance for individual schools and students must be addressed at a school level to ensure that each child satisfactorily achieves growth in the areas of development that the curriculum sets out. To maintain this balance, each school must consider how best to deliver the requirements of the National Curriculum satisfactorily to the personal needs of their students. Schools must remain responsible for the continuous evaluation of their programme, to bring greater adaptation to individual needs.

Emergent literacy: developing phonological awareness

2011-10-06T08:08:00.001+05:00

Ms. X taught children aged between four and five years at preschool. She wanted her students to be prepared to start school, and knew that they needed to be good readers to do well in school. This is why she focused on teaching the children the alphabet and how to form letters. She was proud that by the end of the year, when her students graduated from preschool, they were all able to recognise letters and form them by hand.

However, a year or two later, Ms. X came to know that many of the students she taught were struggling to cope with the reading levels in primary grades. What went wrong?

She knew her students were eager to learn, and she understood they needed a strong foundation - but she didn’t realise the importance of teaching core literacy skills at the preschool level. A crucial part of core literacy skills includes phonological awareness - the the ability to recognize and manipulate the separate sounds, or phonemes, in spoken words. Without this skill, the students she taught struggled to read new words, as they didn't know how to combine the different elements of a word to say it all together. Their poor reading skills left them lagging behind the rest of the class, and soon lost interest in learning and confidence in their own ability.

This area of phonological awareness is a crucial skill to build the foundations of emergent literacy.

Words are made up of syllables and individual sounds, or phonemes.

Children are better prepared for reading instruction if they are able to focus on the sounds that make up language. Students with solid phonological awareness can:

- break words apart into syllables
- detect and produce rhyme
- detect and isolate sounds in a word, and
- blend and segment sounds in words

Preschoolers, especially those at risk of developing reading difficulties, need instruction and practice to develop phonological awareness before they start school.

Yet, research shows that at least one-third of all preschool aged children lack the necessary core literacy skills.

Children who enter first grade as poor readers face a number of problems. They encounter issues of phonological processing and have little phonemic awareness, leading to a high probability of remaining as poor readers throughout schooling.

Children need to know that words are made up of sounds, and they need to blend and segment these sounds before they can learn the relationship between sounds and letters in print. When developing phonological awareness with preschoolers, it’s important to think in terms of a continuum, from simple to more advanced skills. Students should move from:

- Syllable segmenting and blending to
- Onset-rime segmenting and blending to
- Phoneme segmenting, blending and manipulation.

The first of these skills involves recognition that words are made up of syllables, and that the syllable sounds blend together when reading words, as in: to-day, or, news-pa-per.“Onset” refers to the initial consonant or consonant cluster, where “Rime” is the vowel and all the sounds that follow, as in /l/ /ef/ or /k/ /at/. Preschoolers need to learn how to segment and blend these “sub-syllable” building blocks. Phonemes are even more granular - they are the individual sounds made by each letter, or combination of letters, as in: /b/ /i/ /g/. Children learn that words change even when only one phoneme changes. They learn that a cat is not a hat, and a log is not a dog.
As children can learn to connect sounds with letter symbols, they take an important step toward forming and reading words.

When teaching phonological awareness:
- Plan phonological awareness lessons and activities in your daily schedule
- Use informal phonological awareness instruction as part of the daily routine - whenever you have the chance to point out word sounds
- Keep lessons brief - just 5 or 10 minutes.
- Small groups are best for listening to each child

Phonological awareness must be taught systematically, sequentially, and explicitly, and focus on identifying, detecting, deleting, segmenting, and blending segments of spoken words. Children must be able to blend and segment sounds before they can learn the relationship between sounds and letters in print.

Whether you teach preschool or have got struggling readers in your class at a higher level, as you plan your literacy activities, consider intergrating components of phonological awareness, and help students make connections between sound-symbol relationships to become successful readers.

Toss the Textbook?

2011-10-05T08:30:00.000+05:00

Twice a day students (or, in many cases, their parents) travel between home and school with heavy bags filled with the all important textbooks and exercise books. Despite there being a specific syllabus for each subject in the curriculum, it is the textbook that seems to dictate what is taught in schools.

Of course a reliance on textbooks is not a feature of only the Maldivian school system, but is prevalent in many countries across the globe. It has its benefits and its drawbacks just as every other issue. While excellent textbooks provide a ready source of material and planned activities for class work, the not-so-well-written textbooks (and let's admit that there are many of those being used in our schools) may be more successful in frustrating the teacher and confusing the learner.

Some educators claim that without a textbook, learning can be made more interesting, more hands-on, and more personalised. Lessons would become clearer, students would be more engaged, and the teacher would have the freedom to create dynamic learning experiences.

Yes, it does mean more prep time for teachers, and a very thorough understanding of the curriculum. Teaching without a textbook would involve the teacher in amassing and adapting materials from a wide variety of sources, and mapping these to the standards in the curriculum.

The educational benefits of a no-textbook approach may outweigh the drawbacks. But, if we were to adopt such an approach, it must be a gradual weaning process. And one that requires careful planning and preparation. Would parents buy in the argument that their children don't require textbooks to learn? Would schools be able to provide resources for teachers to prepare their own materials? Are teachers adequately prepared, and proficient in curriculum mapping, to be able to take on this task?

What do you think? Should we toss the textbook?

Milestone monitoring of progress within a unit of work

2011-10-04T09:23:00.001+05:00

In the educational jargon of the Maldives, 'continuous assessment' is a commonly used one, and one that has become abused with the bastardisation of its practice.

In theory, continuous assessment implies that students' progress will be monitored and recorded throughout the learning experience, in a variety of ways. However, in practice, this is not generally the case. In order to monitor students progress and learning, periodic assessment is necessary. But it has to be planned well and effectively carried otu in order for it to be useful for both the learner and the teacher.

Effective periodic assessment:
•is based on existing evidence drawn from classroom activity/lessons

•requires evidence from a wide range of contexts, for example observation of group work, class discussions, oral responses, class work, homework

•can be based on individual or group activities

•will be most effective where outcomes can feed directly into medium- and short-term planning

•requires a structured, consistent approach to the review of evidence

•depends upon good subject knowledge and a clear understanding of progression in key concepts and skills within the subject.

Periodic assessment has several benefits. It:
•does not require special assessment activities but involves taking the opportunities provided by planned teaching and learning

•has the potential both to offer a profile of students’ current achievement as well as formative outcomes (Where are these learners now? Where should their learning go next?)

•can be used to assess achievement across the whole curriculum

•reveals aspects of the curriculum that need to be strengthened

•supports evaluation of progress and the setting of appropriate learning targets at both individual and group level.

Is this what is currently practised? If not, what steps are necessary to ensure that schools follow an effective model fo periodic assessment?

Educational Innovations that Matter

2011-10-03T09:16:00.002+05:00

Research on teaching and learning has advanced in the last decade perhaps more than in the previous half-century combined. In this post, we want to bring to highlight a small sample of educational innovations — supported by research and tested in classrooms across the world — that transcend fads and jargon, and that all educators of all levels should understand and integrate into their teaching:

Multiple intelligence theory: Howard Gardner's pioneering research — the now-familiar notion that there are at least eight different ways to measure human potential — has been extended by many researchers to offer direct applications in the classroom. Gardner asserts that schools heavily prioritise linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligences, and fail to recognise or reinforce other aptitudes and gifts in children. Multiple intelligence theory has extended our understanding of what "success" in school means — and the classroom applications of the theory present a mandate for educators to rethink assessment in light of the many ways children can excel (or be lagging behind) in schools. Teachers need more awareness and training to understand ways of presenting learning in a wider variety, incorporating cooperative learning, music, role play, project- and problem-based activities, and more. (Gardner, 2002; Armstrong, 1994).

Differentiated instruction: This approach emphasises the importance of adjusting teaching strategies to the needs of different groups and individual student learning styles and levels of readiness. Differentiated instruction postulates that, contrary to prevailing practice, teachers should be flexible and modify content and instruction in relation to the different abilities and aptitudes among students in each class, rather than expecting students to fit a rigid lesson. Differentiated instruction encompasses varied teaching strategies, including flexible grouping, ongoing assessment that measures teaching effectiveness in addition to student progress, and a variety of student products as measures of achievement. Strategies for differentiated learning benefit novice and veteran teachers alike, with real-life application resulting in testimonials documenting improved student achievement, better classroom management, and breakthroughs with children struggling to overcome learning differences and to earn recognition for talents that might not emerge in a direct-instruction or lecture/textbook/worksheet-based classroom. (Tomlinson, 2001; Sizer, 2001; Holloway, 2000).

Formative assessment: By beginning with the end in mind (which is why this is also sometimes referred to as "backwards design" assessment), educators can rethink assessment as a method of improving instruction, rather than just measuring it. In this approach, educators plan learning by focusing on assessment first and subsequently shaping relevant instructional strategies. Based on reviews of research on effective assessment, formative assessment further challenges conventional approaches to teachers' instructional planning and delivery because it requires ongoing self-assessment and reflection, and shifts the emphasis in assessment from content mastery to demonstration of understanding, and from a focus on recall of information to a broader repertoire of assessment strategies that includes alternative, as well as traditional, measures of learning. (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998).

Opportunity to Learn (OTL): A student's opportunity to learn is the single most important student success variable that schools can control. This seems straightforward, but researchers have discovered that, in many schools, the learning continuum is divided into three disparate entities: the intended curriculum, the implemented curriculum, and the attained curriculum. The intended curriculum is content specified by school or external measures (e.g., national curriculum or subject syllabi). The implemented curriculum is content actually delivered by teachers. And the attained curriculum is what students learn. While most parents (and educators) assume congruity between the three entities, the discrepancy between them is, in practice, often surprisingly pronounced, in part because when teachers use the textbook as the "curriculum" for a course and cannot cover all the material, they commonly make "independent and idiosyncratic" decisions about what should be covered — directly influencing the students' opportunity to learn. Research on OTL establishes a compelling argument for curriculum articulation. (Marzano, 2003).

Cognitive neuroscience, or "brain research": While a fair amount of what's "out there" in terms of so-called "brain-based" teaching strategies lacks much grounding in actual science, there have been several remarkable instructional breakthroughs as a result of the rapidly advancing scientific study of learning. For example, scientists working independently on language acquisition and neural plasticity (the brain's ability to "re-learn" and adapt to new stimuli), respectively, paired their work to investigate the relationship between spoken and written language acquisition in children with low literacy ability. Their efforts led to the formation of a company called Scientific Learning, and the development of a supplemental reading program called "Fast ForWord." Fast ForWord's results, validated by extensive independent studies, demonstrate valid, reliable, and significant gains in children's reading ability — as much as three grade levels after only six weeks of intensive training; improvements that are permanent and do not require follow-up intervention.

Demographics and learning: A child's demographic background and context fundamentally influence student achievement in school. The impact a child's demographics have on her or his learning is revealed in new studies that offer strategies for teaching more effectively within the frameworks of poverty, middle class, and affluence. Ruby Payne's qualitative work on the culture of generational poverty offers essential insight into the predispositions, biases, behaviors, and values that characterize (and determine) how children and families from different demographic groups perform in schools, and the extent to which an educator's own background impacts his or her treatment of children in the classroom (Payne, 1998).

Inquiry based methods: Research on inquiry-based approaches to science education, focusing on the notion that students learn science best when they "do" science, rather than reading about it or watching demonstrations, has resulted in astonishing findings supporting the effectiveness of hands-on, "minds-on" science. Empirical studies document dramatic student achievement gains on standardized science testing as well as improved scores in reading, writing, and mathematics (paired with dramatic increases in student and teacher excitement about science!) when following inquiry based methods of teaching. (Klentschy, Garrison, & Ameral, 2001; Einstein Project; Jorgenson & Vanosdall, 2002).

Active learning: We learn by doing. Research shows that active learning is much better recalled, enjoyed and understood. Active methods require us to 'make our own meaning' , that is, develop our own conceptualisations of what we are learning. During this process we physically make neural connections in our brain, the process we call learning. Passive methods such as listening do not require us to make these neural connections or conceptualisations, and as a result, students end up bored and confused.

Curriculum reform is not only about changing the content

2011-10-02T10:31:00.003+05:00

The draft National Curriculum focuses on altering not just content, but reforming teaching and viewing education as the holistic development of a child. To achieve this, all children and yuong people should be provided with suitable assistance and guidance in accordance with their abilities and learning needs, so that they can develop their full potential. Curriculum content and pedagogy, or how to teach, cannot be trated as discrete entities. They go hand in hand. Thus, the draft National Curriculum identifies not just the curricular content, but identifies powerful pedagogical practices that will lead to powerful learning. The five pedagogical dimensions that the draft National Curriculum focuses on are:

1. Creating a positive learning environmentA positive learning environment exists when all students feel comfortable, wanted, valued, accepted, and secure in an environment where they can interact with caring people they trust. A positive learning environment affects everyone associated with the school – students, teachers, parents and the community. Principals/ teachers need to constantly work towards improving their school climate, culture and conditions so that student learning is improved.

2. Connecting prior learning to new learning
Students learn more effectively when they already know something about a content area and when concepts in that area mean something to them and to their particular background or culture. When teachers link new information to the student's prior knowledge, they activate the student's interest and curiosity, and infuse instruction with a sense of purpose.

3. Fostering reflective practiceReflection is a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information. It is a ‘processing’ phase where thinking and learning take place. It is in reflection that students learn most effectively when they develop the ability to stand back from the information or ideas that they have engaged with and think about these objectively. It is in reflection students assimilate new learning, relate it to what they already know, adapt it for their own purposes and translate thought into action. Over time, they develop their creativity, their ability to think critically about information and ideas, as well as their metacognitive ability.

4. Making learning meaningful
When children learn and apply their knowledge in the practical life, that learning becomes meaningful. Meaningful learning is a process of recognizing a relationship between new information and something else already stored in long-term memory. When we use words like comprehension of understanding, we are talking about meaningful learning.

5. Recognising individual differences
Student learning differs because student learning traits differ, and because the thinking process differs depending on what the student is trying to learn. Firstly, individuals vary in their aptitudes for learning, their willingness to learn, and the styles or preferences for how they learn if they choose to. These differences impact the learning process for each student, which contributes to the individual differences within each individual. These learner traits determine to some degree if and how well any individual is able to learn. Secondly, the nature of the thinking and learning processes varies with the task. The outcomes of learning require that students think in different ways. Thirdly, learner traits interact with learning outcomes and the thinking requirements entailed by them. Different learners will have varying aptitudes for different learning outcomes.

The draft National Curriculum does not stipulate that teachers should follow a specific teaching approach or a particular teaching method. Intead, it encourages schools to focus on these five broad pedagogical dimensions. In accompanying supplementary resources for schools, detailed suggestions are provided on how schools can address all five dimensions.

The curriculum...

2011-10-01T14:35:00.000+05:00

... is the axis about which learning and teaching revolve!

Don't do things by halves

2011-09-30T09:23:00.000+05:00

It makes no sense...

to talk about the need for good nutrition and have no healthy food options available in school canteens or to ask parents to pack sausages for their children's snack time
to talk about educating the whole child, but have a grand awards ceremony where only the students who get the highest grades in taught subjects are recognised.
to have anti bullying policies in writing, but to penalise students who don't attend school regularly (couldn't the two be related?)
talk about the need for an intergrated curriculum and more links between subject areas, but have shrill bells at 35 minute intervals that signify the end of each slot of knowledge.
installing the latest interactive whiteboards in every classroom, but only using them to run powerpoint presentations
encourage the use of differentiation in teaching, but for all students to be assessed in the same way at the end of the term
talk about holistic education, but to punish students by cancelling PE or Art

What makes a great teacher?

2011-09-29T07:50:00.001+05:00

A job is something that has to be done to receive that monthly salary to pay the bills. All legitimate jobs are worthy, of course, but a calling is something more than just a job. It challenges one to be more than the bare expectations, and to draw on capacities that are well beyond those expectations. A calling is something that one has so much passion for that it becomes a way of life, offering the opportunity to affect individuals in a profound, enduring way.

Great teachers are those who see their profession as a calling. They feel called to connect content and children. They understand how to interpret and share human wisdom codified in academic disciplines with young people so that they can make sense out of life. They teach with a reverence that makes it clear that they see genius both in the curriculum and those that are learning the curriculum, making both content and process a meaningful, fulfilling experience for learners. Learning is a dynamic and compelling act that is perfectly interlaced with the act of teaching.

What qualities does a great teacher have?

They set high expectations for all students. They have clear written out objectives. They are prepared and organised. They engage students and make learning meaningful. They go beyond the curriculum content, and form strong bonds with their students, showing them that they are cared for as people, as individuals. They are accessible. They are enthusiastic. They are masters of their subject matter. They see both parents and other teachers in collaborative roles. They create a love of learning.

Do we have such great teachers in our schools?

Or are our schools filled with know-it-alls who loudly chorus "we already do that" and dismiss innovations at first glance as "unworkable"?

At a time when many educational reforms are being brought about, we need great teachers in schools, who view teaching as a calling, and not just the job that will allow them to pay the bills.

Why do we need a National Curriculum?

2011-09-28T09:25:00.000+05:00

Some educators argue that teaching becomes rigid and forced when schools are expected to follow a national curriculum rather than one designed by the school itself. Such educators see a need for schools to have the flexibility to decide what to teach, how to teach and how much to teach. It could be argued then, that teachers would have full independence to plan their teaching and provide a very personalised learnign experience for their students.

But before dismissing the virtues of a national curriculum, let us reflect on the reasons why we choose to have one.

A national curriculum establishes an entitlement for all children - irrespective of social background, gender and ability - to a broad and balanced education that will enable them to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to function as an active and responsbile citizen in society.

A national curriculum makes explicit the expected standards for the performance of students at all levels fo schooling, in all areas of learning. This ensures that targets can be set to achieve the standards and progress of both individuals and groups can be measured towards those targets. It also allows the comparison of performance between individuals and groups against the national standards.

A national curriculum strives to improve continuity and coherence. Currently, there is no National Curriculum in place to cater to all levels of schooling, and as such, gaps between various levels are evident. A national curriculum that maps out the entire schooling experience ensures that continuity is maintained and transition between phases of schooling as well as between different schools themselves remains a smooth one.

A national curriculum helps the public to understand what goes on in schools. This would help to increase public confidence in the school system and gain an understanding of the learning achievements through schools. Such an understanding will also allow the public to see what works in schools and what needs to change.

Having said that, setting a national curriculum in place does not mean schools are restricted. Successful cases in other contexts show that what works best is where there is a statutory curriculum to be followed for the core aspects of school education, but alongside this, there is also flexibility in some areas for schools to create their own variations.

Instructional Planning Based on AfL and Differentiation

2011-09-26T08:07:00.000+05:00

Teachers whose work is guided by the principles of formative assessment and differentiated instruction do the following:

1. Identify desired learning outcomes for the subject and units they teach.

o Determine what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the study.

o Specify big ideas worthy of understanding.

o Identify essential areas on which the teacher and students will focus.

o State stimulating, critical questions that will guide students' exploration of the big ideas.

o Articulate specific knowledge and skill that students will need for effective performance on the outcomes.

2. Determine acceptable evidence of student learning.

o Decide what evidence will indicate that students understand the big ideas.

o Consider what observable behaviours will indicate that the students understand and can apply what they have learned, and by what criteria those performances will be judged.

o Determine what will constitute evidence of student proficiency with the essential knowledge, understanding, and skill.

3. Plan learning experiences and instruction based on the first two principles.

o Decide what essential knowledge, understanding, and skill needs to be taught and coached.

o Determine how that should best be taught in light of the content goals.

o Plan to ensure that learning is engaging and effective in the context of specified outcomes and needed evidence.

4. Regard learner differences as inevitable, important, and valuable in teaching and learning.

o Persist in developing greater understanding of each student's readiness to succeed with selected content outcomes to enhance individual academic growth, interests that might connect with content goals to enhance motivation, and preferred modes of learning to enhance efficiency of learning.

o Work with students, family, and school personnel to understand and address learners' backgrounds and experiences, including gender, culture, language, race, and personal strengths, and to address those factors in teaching and learning plans.

5. Address learners' affective needs as a means of supporting student success.

o Respond actively to students' need for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge.

o Understand and respond to the reality that these needs will be met differently for different students.

o Understand and respond to the reality that a student's motivation to learn is tethered to a sense of affirmation, safety, and success.

6. Periodically review and articulate clear learning goals that specify what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of each segment of learning.

o Ensure that each student has full access to essential knowledge, understanding, and skill in each segment of study.

o Ensure that tasks and assessments focus tightly on knowledge, understanding, and skill designated as essential in a segment of study.

o Ensure that all students reason and work at high levels.

o Ensure that all students have equally engaging, equally interesting tasks.

7. Use systematic pre-assessment and ongoing assessment aligned with designated goals to make instructional decisions and adaptations.

o Provide opportunities for students to build requisite competencies when assessment results indicate a student lacks precursor knowledge, understanding, or skill necessary for success with designated content goals.

o Provide opportunities for additional instruction, coaching, or practice when assessment results indicate that need for a student or group of students.

o Provide opportunities to advance or extend knowledge when assessment results indicate that a student or group of students has achieved mastery of designated content goals.

8. Employ flexibility in instructional planning and classroom routines to support success for each learner.

o Use space, time, materials, student groupings, and modes of exploring and expressing learning flexibly to maximize the opportunity for success for a full range of learners when students work with tasks and assessments.

o Use multiple modes of presentation, illustrations linked to a wide range of cultures and experiences, and various support systems to maximize the opportunity for a full range of learner success when students work with tasks and assessments.

o Encourage each student to work at a level of complexity or degree of difficulty that is challenging for that student, and provide scaffolding necessary for the students to succeed at the new level of challenge.

9. Gather evidence of student learning in a variety of formats.

o Provide varied options for demonstrating what students know, understand, and can do.

o Ensure that students know what “success” looks like in their work—including both nonnegotiable class requirements and student- or teacher-specified goals for individuals.

Together, formative assessment and differentiation describe a comprehensive way of thinking about curriculum, assessment, and instruction, stemming from a shared understanding of what constitutes effective teaching and learning. In the instructional planning of teachers guided by these principles, we should expect to see systematic attention to learning outcomes they plan to achieve and to the students who will learn them. In other words, such teachers will focus on clarity of goal and flexibility in arriving at the goal.

Reflections on the Training - Day Three (part 2)

2011-06-08T13:08:00.000+05:00

Naila Ibrahim of Muhyiddin School, reflects on the day's training.

Reflections on the Training - Day Three (part 1)

2011-06-08T12:23:00.000+05:00

Suraiyya Ibrahim, Head Teacher of Galolhu Madrasa (preschool), speaks of her views of the training so far and on piloting the new curriculum in her school.

Reflections on the Training - Day Two (part 2)

2011-06-07T10:51:00.000+05:00

Junaidha Ahmed, teacher at Kudhima Preschool, speaking at the end of the second day of the on-going training on piloting the National Curriculum.

Reflections on the training - Day two (part 1)

2011-06-07T10:38:00.000+05:00

Adam Moosa, Principal of Afeefuddin School, speaking at the end of the second day of the on-going training on piloting the National Curriculum.

Reflections on the Training - Day One (part 2)

2011-06-07T10:28:00.001+05:00

Aishath Muneera, teacher at Muhyuddin School, speaking at the end of the first day of the currently on-going training for pilot schools of the National Curriculum.

Reflections on the Training - Day One (part1)

2011-06-07T10:15:00.001+05:00

Ali Khalid, Principal of Hithadhoo School, speaking at the end of the first day of the currently on-going training programme for pilot schools of the National Curriculum

First Week of Training for Pilot Schools

2011-06-05T20:16:00.005+05:00

The first training programme for the six schools selected for piloting the new National Curriculum has commenced today. This week long training programme will be held from 5th - 9th of June 2011 in Male. It will focus on introducing the new curriculum framework, and making explicit the process of piloting and implementation. It is expected that by the end of the training week, all participants will have a thorough understanding of the changes being brought about in the National Curriculum, as well as develop a plan of how each school will move forward with introducing the new curriculum.

A total of sixty participants from the six selected schools attended the first day of training today.

The first round of piloting is scheduled to begin in January 2012, and will focus on the Foundation Stage (LKG, UKG) and Key Stage 1 (Grades 1, 2 and 3).

Piloting of the New Curriculum

2011-05-25T15:57:00.000+05:00

The new National Curriculum will be introduced to schools in several phases, beginning with a piloting programme which is scheduled to begin from January 2012. Six schools have been selected for piloting the new National Curriculum in 2012. Three of these are preschools and three of these are grade schools which includes both primary and secondary levels. The six selected schools are:

• Male: Muhyiddin School & Galolhu Madhrasa (pre-school)

• Upper North Province: Afeefuddin School & Ameer Ameen (pre-school)

• South Province: Hithadhoo School & Kudhimaa Pre-school

The piloting in 2012 will focus on the first two stages of the National Curriculum: the foundation stage (LKG, UKG) and Key Stage 1 (Grades 1, 2 and 3).
The selected six schools will receive continual training and close support both this year and throughout the piloting phase. The first training programme is scheduled to be held from 5th - 9th of June 2011 in Male. A total of 65 participants from the six schools will be taking part in this programme.

Change or Innovation?

2011-04-21T16:15:00.000+05:00

Think back to when you were a student in school. What did the classroom look like? What was learning like? What resources were available?

Think now of what a classroom in a typical (or maybe not so typical) Maldivian school looks like. Has anything changed at all? If so, what has changed? Maybe the blackboard has been replaced by a whiteboard, or perhaps the much-in-demand Smartboard? Maybe the quality of the furniture has changed? Maybe there are more local teachers than expatriates? Maybe there are more facilities available in the school? And definitely the size and designs on the school bags that the children take to school has changed.

But if you strip away any technological developments or any changes in the quality (or quantity) of resources available in our schools today, is the structure of learning any different? While great teachers existed then, and many more great teachers exist now, the general picture of a typical classroom in a typical Maldivian school is likely to be this: the teacher standing in front of the classroom, 'explaining the lesson', students doing largely independent work, which is most likely to involve passive copying down of notes or completion of exercises from a textbook. Where practical work is concerned, it most typically involves following step-by-step instructions to gain an anticipated result.

So, when compared with what happened in classrooms then (whenever 'then' may have been), has anything really changed? It appears that although new gadgets may play a role in the classroom now, the substance of teaching and learning has remained largely the same. Smartboards and teachers with laptops and ipads and every other technological invention you can think of don't really bring about innovative teaching that significantly impacts learning, unless other things change alongside as well.

While there is no foolproof formula that can be followed to yield optimal student learning, global experiences in introducing educational innovation has shown that successful uptake of innovation has involved some key characteristics. These crucially involve (but are not limited to) the following:

R a broad and extensive dialogue both within the education sector and between other sectors

R allowing greater autonomy to schools

R starting small, with new reforms introduced to the larger community after it has been proven to work in individual schools

R systematic and sustained support to those implementing the change

Our definition of curriculum is the entire planned learning experience provided in schools - and therefore our focus in bringing about curricular reforms do not concentrate on simply changing the subject content or introducing new areas of learning to the already packed time table. The crucial change that we want to bring about with this curriculum reform is the change in the classroom itself. This is why the proposed curriculum centres around eight key competencies and this is why a large emphasis is being given to changing the pedagogy. If true curriculum reform is to take place in schools, the structure of learning in the classrooms has to change. Learning has to be seen as something that students do, rather than as something that is given to them by the teacher. This proposed curriculum framework, we hope, will be the springboard to bring about that innovation.

How will the new curriculum be implemented?

2011-04-21T07:49:00.006+05:00

Plans for implementing the new curriculum to schools are still being finalised. However, it is expected that implementation will take place in several phases. The first phase is due to begin next year, starting with six schools in three regions of the country. These six schools have been selected based on a set criteria, and EDC will work closely with these schools throughout the process, providing support and guidance in implementing the change.

Each year, more schools will be implementing the new curriculum, and it is expected that by 2015, all schools will be teaching to the new curriculum.

EDC is currently developing guidelines and training programmes for schools to make implementation a smooth process. This includes a comprehensive toolkit for schools in addressing the key competencies; a practical guide for teachers in changing the pedagogy and assessment; and a detailed training programme on all aspects of the curriculum. The training for the selected six schools is scheduled to begin during the second half of 2011.

What is different about this new curriculum?

2011-04-20T07:20:00.115+05:00

One of the most frquently asked questions is whether there is anything new about the proposed curriculum. The main changes that are evident in the proposed new curriculum are summarised below:

ü The Curriculum Framework describes what it sets out to achieve, provides a clear map of how to organise learning, and determines ways of evaluating the impact of that learning experience. As such, this is the first comprehensive framework of its nature in the Maldives.

ü The Curriculum Framework is applicable to all phases and stages of schooling. As such, it describes what learning should look like for children who are at pre-school, and how learning progresses through to the end of higher secondary schools. Thus, it caters to those in the 4 - 18 age group. This is the first time a curriculum is being designed in the Maldives to address all levels of schooling.

ü The Curriculum is set on eight principles which will form the basis for all decision making in its design and delivery.

ü The Curriculum is a competency based curriculum. All learning experiences provided in school, both in and outside the classroom, will focus on achieving the eight identified Key Competencies. They have been identified as being essential for individuals to live, learn and contribute as active members of our nation and the world, and provide the basis for lifelong learning and employability in a progressive and challenging society. Each Key Competency is built on a combination of cognitive and practical skills, knowledge, values, attitudes, and other social and behavioural components. Unlike previous curriculum statements, these Key Competencies will be filtered into the subject syllabi at all levels of learning.

ü Some changes to the structure of schooling are suggested. Four phases of schooling have been specified: Foundation (LKG & UKG); Primary (Grades 1 - 6); Lower Secondary (Grades 7 - 10) and Higher Secondary (Grades 11 & 12).

ü Eight broad key learning areas have been identified as being essential for all students to gain a broad and balanced education. Learning at all stages of schooling will provide opportunities for students in all key learning areas. As such, the negative effects of streaming will be rectified, as students will gain a broad understanding of all disciplines of study.

ü Vocational education and preparation for work is integrated into the curriculum.

ü Health and Physical Education will be offered as a core subject from foundation through to the end of key stage 4. This will focus on developing students' physical, mental, and social and emotional wellbeing.

ü Social Studies will be offered as a core subject from foundation through to the end of key stage 4. This will allows students to value their roots, explore their pasts and understand their contexts, appreciate the interrelationships between people across time, environments and cultures while developing civic efficacy.

ü Science will be offered as a core subject from foundation through to the end of key stage 4.

ü The Curriculum Framework specifies five broad dimension of pedagogy to be adopted in classrooms.

The National Curriculum Framework - fifth draft

2011-04-19T17:16:00.000+05:00

The fifth draft of the National Curriculum Framework is now available for comments. It can be viewed here.

Curriculum Reform - FAQs

2011-04-18T17:20:00.000+05:00

Responses to a range of frequently asked questions regarding the curriculum reform process have been provided here. Please continue to provide us with your feedback and further questions.