Post on 11-Jan-2016
‘Essential Conditions for Systemic Transformation of
Curriculum and Assessment’Learning Environments for 21st
Century Skills – Curriculum, Assessment & ICT
The central issue of educational change is the tension between technicalizing (improve teaching) and not technicalizing (improve learning), and here the teacher occupies the fulcrum position.
Papert (1993: 55)
We need to customize our education system to move from a teaching system to a learning system to an entrepreneurial system…
Professor Anomoah Mensah (2009)
A system defends itself against recognizing the depth of its problems and the need for fundamental change.
Papert (1993: 205)
GeSCI approach: A Systemic view to ICT integration in education Technical level: “Hardware/
software”: : ICT deployment mode should be:
• Admin / educative use ? • Resource centre / library
model?• PC lab model / distributed
model?• One2one, mobile, ubiquitous
etc? Process level: “Warmware”: what
are educators supposed to do? What pedagogical processes should be developed based on use of ICT?
• Learning interaction ( among learners)
• Teaching interaction ( with learners)
• Management , monitoring, etc. processes ?
Institution level: “Socialware”: what operational models should be developed based on use of ICT:
• Classroom / virtual model• Single institution / network
model • Hybrid models• De-schooling model
Society / policy level: “Cultureware”: Relevance of the education system (and ICT) for development of the society
• Reproduction / Innovation • Production economy /
Knowledge society?
HardwareSoftwareHardware
ICT
Warmware
Socialware
Cultureware
Principal, Teacher, Learners, Parents
School, UniversityHome
Society &policies
Pulkkinen, 2009
Essential Conditions for Systemic Transformation of Curriculum and Assessment
What are the essential conditions that must be in place to begin moving forward?
ISTE, 2009
Essential ConditionsShared Vision
Implementation Planning
Consistent and Adequate Funding
Equitable Access
Skilled Personnel
Ongoing Professional
Learning
Technical Support
Curriculum Framework
Student-Centered Learning
Assessment and Evaluation
Engaged Communities
Support Policies
Supportive External Context
ISTE, 2009
Round Table DiscussionsTables have been
organized according to six essential conditions prioritized by participants.
Please find the essential condition theme you would like to discuss.
Discuss challenges in moving forward with your essential condition.
Discuss strategies for moving forward with your essential condition.
1. Shared Vision
2. Empowered Leaders
3. Implementation Planning
4. Curriculum Framework
5. Student-Centered Learning
6. Assessment and Evaluation
Round Table Discussions
Synopsis of Highlights
Shared Vision
ChallengesA lack of understanding of the benefits of
ICT as a concept in EducationLack of a policy frameworkResistance to change
Shared VisionStrategiesICT needs identification through a sector
wide approach.ICT advocacy programme should be
developed Roles and responsibilities within functional
structures for advocacy should be defined for stakeholders, research and monitoring.
Empowered LeadersChallenges Lack of definition, identification and
categorization of stakeholders along roles, responsibilities and relevance.
Lack of shared vision Attitude and mindset Lack of an enabling political environment
Empowered LeadersStrategies Identify strategic stakeholders eg; parents, business,
communities, learners, teachers Conceptualization and contexualization
relating to how it will impact on their lives relate it to their broad curriculum how does it improve educational delivery process
Sharing the vision and allow stakeholders to participate in vision creation
Policies to guide different stakeholders Identification of suitable mechanisms to sustain and
manage change
Implementation PlanningChallengesCapacity: Requisite skills to implement our plans –
knowledge to develop ICT enhanced materials (a variety of skills required)
Lack of a clear implementation roadmapLack of awareness on the required capacities for
implementation. Lack of clarity on the variety of materials for the student and the teacher
ICT integration skills, understanding and development of digital learning materials lacking
Assessment methods that are not relevant and aligned with intended objectives
No periodic reviews of the digital learning materials (M&E)
Initial capital investment hugeEnabling infrastructure and environment
Implementation PlanningStrategies Analysis of existing curriculum and prioritization of creation of
appropriate learning resources Audit capacity for human and financial & organizational
resources and plan accordingly Identification of PPP and suitable models Capacity building among curriculum developers to develop and
support materials appropriate for the development of the 21st century skills
Demystification of the digital resource creation process Development and delivery of the digital resource in the
classrooms and integration Teachers Professional Development Action research by the teachers and evaluation of the quality of
(digital) resource materials Monitoring and Evaluation for e-content Research and feedback mechanisms
Curriculum FrameworkChallengesLack of policy on
the introduction of ICTs
Strategies Education
Ministries should institutionalize policies for the introduction of ICT in the curriculum
Lobbying from grassroots on the need for ICT / change of political mind-set
Curriculum FrameworkChallenges ICT is not among
priority needs for some African countries
Money is there but not prioritized where it is needed – misdirected priorities
Priorities still focus on textbooks, school infrastructure – ICT is not given a real place
StrategySensitization of
policy makers to attract interest and need – thus to attract budgetary lines for ICT
Curriculum FrameworkChallengeThere is a lack
of a well defined profile for 21st student
Strategies Define clearly the profile for the
21st century student by projecting short term and long term needs to guide policy makers and curriculum developers and examination boards
Define profiles in terms of a needs assessment of market place skills - if ICT is a condition for national socio-economic development towards a knowledge-based society (analysis of national policy/ consultation schools, leaders, teachers and students, universities, technical institutes, industry)
Curriculum FrameworkChallengeThere is no well
defined content which is a challenge for the development of ICT in Africa – content received in Africa is europeanized or westernized – does not reflect local realities
Strategies Develop curriculum
frameworks for vertical and horizontal ICT integration – as a subject (time-tabled) and across all subjects (as a tool)
Take content that is globalized and glocalize/ Africanize it
Student-centred Learning
Challenges V StrategiesTeachers confidence is challenged in
student-centred environments: Teacher preparation should adopt student-centered approaches. They have to experience student-centered approaches. In-servicing of those in the field and teacher-educators
Challenges V Strategies
Inadequate resources: using local materials, problem based learning, effective use of ICTs in education
Curriculum promotes teacher centred approaches: Alignment of the curriculum with student-centered approaches
Examination problems have backwash effects on teaching approaches: Change of assessment approaches to approaches that not only address summative evaluations but also formative evaluations and training of teachers
Irrelevance of the curriculum: Involving students/community in the development of the curriculum
Personalizing instruction and assessment: Use of technology to meet individual and diverse needs of learners; Monitor student progress using e-portifolio
De-contextualize learning: contextualize learning by bringing community into school and vice versa
Student-centred Learning
Assessment and EvaluationChallengesGap between assessment for learning and
assessment of learningExamination Councils’ inability to assess higher
order skillsLack of special/customized software for assessmentLarge classesLimited access to technologyInadequate teacher preparation for reliable and
valid assessmentTeaching geared towards exams – high stakes
exams
Strategies Harmonize assessment for learning and assessment of
learning to complement each other and to assess a range of competencies
Address fear of teachers for technology and make them comfortable with technology (e-readiness of teachers)
Develop creative ‘homegrown’ solutions to address assessment challenges
Prepare teachers who are critical thinkers and creative problem solvers
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to be put in place for effective assessment processes and adjustments to be made as necessary
Clear criteria and guidelines for process and product assessment
Continuous professional development of teachers, including on assessment (formative, diagnostic and summative)
Seamless assessment system incorporating school based and high stakes examinations
Assessment and Evaluation
GeSCITowards Inclusive Knowledge Societies
ThankyouMary Hooker mary.hooker@gesci.org
Esther Wachira esther.wachira@gesci.org
References International Society for Technology in Education 2009. Essential Conditions for
Systemic Transformation of Curriculum and Assessment IN: African Knowledge Exchange (AKE) workshop: 21st Century skills, ICT, Curriculum & Assessment. 8-10 July 2009 Accra Ghana [Online]. Available from ISTE at: www.iste.org
Mensah, A. 2009. Plenary Session: What 21st Century Students need from their Education Systems: knowledge and skills, attitudes, learning environments, technology and learning models IN: African Knowledge Exchange (AKE) workshop: 21st Century skills, ICT, Curriculum & Assessment. 8-10 July 2009 Accra Ghana [Online]. Available from AKE at: http://www.africanknowledgeexchange.org
Papert, S. 1993. The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. New York: Basic Books
Pulkkinen, J. 2009. Preliminary Conclusions and the Way Froward. IN: UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development Expert Group Web-Forum. 11 March 2009 [Online]. Available from GAID at: http://un-gaid.ning.com/forum/topics/preliminary-conclusions-and-1 [Accessed 17 April 2009]