Eligible Countries
1.Ghana, 2.Zambia,3.Mozambique, 4.South Africa, 5.Nigeria,6.Uganda, 7.Kenya, 8.Tanzania, 9.Botswana,10.South Sudan, 11.Rwanda, 12.Sudan, 13.Lesotho, 14.Eswatini, 15.Burundi, 16.Namibia, 17.Zimbabwe, 18.Malawi, 19.Ethiopia
Background
A curriculum is developed by curriculum developers/specialists in the Ministry of Education with the participation of teachers, school representatives, invited curriculum experts and other related stakeholders. The development process includes the planning, articulating and developing the bulk of content sequence, resources, assessment, then implementation, and evaluation process of the curriculum. There are different preferences of curricula developed by different countries, such as the competency-based curriculum adopted by Kenya, the outcome-based curriculum by South Africa, the Philippines and the standards-based curriculum by Malaysia. The preference of curriculum is aligned to the aspiration of each nation in moulding critical, creative and innovative thinking citizens and the human capital needed in maintaining and developing the social and economic status of each country while inculcating values and positive attitudes and humanity for peace and harmony within and beyond the country. The curriculum framework is an essential in developing curriculum standards. Curriculum standards present a set of guidelines that reflect the learning goals of an educational system which influence schools’ running and how teachers instruct their students. In this context, teachers/educators must be able to teach in a variety of ways to accommodate different learning styles of students. The content standards are fixed but the learning standards must allow flexibility within the framework for each educational experience and situation. Malaysia adopts a centralised standards-based curriculum. The standards-based curriculum consists of a body of content knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn based on their grade-level participation in the school experience. This also includes broad descriptions of content areas and often specifies performance standards that students are expected to meet in the respective subjects. The standards-based curriculum helps teachers to link the teaching to the required standards. There is a connection between the content standards and what is taught and what is learned to guide the development of students in formal school learning. However, the standards document only define and lists the content standards, learning standards and performance standards as guides to knowing what a student should know at a certain level. Teachers are responsible to understand and interpret the curriculum for their teaching by choosing appropriate materials, methodology, and timeline, to ensure that students attain the common, standards set by the end of each learning period. Teachers shoulder a mammoth task to gather appropriate teaching materials for classroom use. However, the constraints are overcome by many countries, providing textbooks written with alignment to the curriculum for use in schools for the main teaching purposes. On the contrary, such as in the Philippines, teachers are not provided with support of textbooks. Teams of teacher prepare teaching materials under organisation of school and district levels with support from the local universities. In the curriculum, content and learning standards are aligned with assessment standards. This mapping allows the teachers/educators to have a clear picture of the expectations and the different activities and resources that can be used to help the students achieve their learning goals. The alignment of content, learning and assessment standards are periodically reviewed to provide feedback for analysis and evaluate the curriculum to assure their appropriateness in meeting the needs of the current education system. All written curricula, irrespective of approaches, should allow continuous opportunities for modifications and adaptations to meet the needs of the students and bring equitable outcomes for all students. When students are unable to meet these intended goals, additional strategies and interventions can be implemented to assure improvement that these goals are attained. Similarly, teaching and supporting teaching resources can be analysed and reviewed based on their implementation and impact to make improvements, ultimately for better student learning. Regrettably, implementation of the curriculum is not necessarily achieved with optimum expectations. Practising teachers often succumb to a compliance perspective of a school system and expectations, rather than a robust, systemic standards alignment drafted in the curriculum that truly benefits all learners. In this context, it is imperative that professional development provides learning opportunities to collaboratively study about curriculum development and interpret curriculum standards to best design scaffolded learning and instructional plans—both within and across grade levels. In order for teachers to be successful in implementing the curriculum and helping the students meet the standards, they must understand the content and how a curriculum is structured through curriculum development process. A comprehensive understanding of curriculum development and design with the alignment of textbook support enables teachers to overcome challenges in introducing and establishing modification of contents, effective teaching plan and assessment plan within the context of the stipulated mathematics and science curriculum for implementation in school levels. Even though the modification is school-based, these modified approaches to understanding a particular concept and enhance student learning can be consolidated through lesson study.
Objective
The course will provide opportunities for participants to explore and study several curricula including Malaysian Mathematics/Science Standards-based curriculum and also the related textbooks developed. Compare and contrast the curricula help participants to analyse and identify strengths, weaknesses and issues pertaining to the curriculum studied. Suggestions for change and improvement can be generated among the participants and applied in the context of their countries. These acquired knowledge and skills can be applied when analysing the participants own national curriculum in their school/district /statement level. The technical inputs pertaining to the science and mathematics curriculum development on the current status and challenges in teaching and learning will lead to improvement of teaching -learning materials and improvement in the use of textbooks. This enhancement course provides basic knowledge and skills in improving the planning of teaching and learning Mathematics/Science. Participants from African countries will exchange experiences in conducting science and mathematics teaching and learning among themselves and with their counterparts in RECSAM. Additionally, the participants will have the opportunity to design a mathematics/science lesson based on the learned knowledge through the course and using appropriate teaching strategies and instructional materials for a try-out in a local school.
Course Outline
1. Basic Concepts of Curriculum 2. Curriculum Approach, Curriculum Framework and Curriculum Design 3 Purpose and practices of Curriculum Development 4. Essential Phases of the Curriculum Development Process 5. Compare and Contrast the Selected Curriculum with different Approaches (Competency-based, Standards-based, Outcome-based) 6. Study of the Malaysian Mathematics and Science Standards-based Curriculum and related curriculum of participants’ for Improvement of Teaching and Learning 7. Process in the Development of Textbooks 8. Alignment of Curriculum and Textbook Revision for Improvement of Teaching and Learning 9. Try-out of an Improvement lesson in a Teaching Plan that Enhances Student Learning
Methodologies
1. Basic Concepts of Curriculum 2. Curriculum Approach, Curriculum Framework and Curriculum Design 3 Purpose and practices of Curriculum Development 4. Essential Phases of the Curriculum Development Process 5. Compare and Contrast the Selected Curriculum with different Approaches (Competency-based, Standards-based, Outcome-based) 6. Study of the Malaysian Mathematics and Science Standards-based Curriculum and related curriculum of participants’ for Improvement of Teaching and Learning 7. Process in the Development of Textbooks 8. Alignment of Curriculum and Textbook Revision for Improvement of Teaching and Learning 9. Try-out of an Improvement lesson in a Teaching Plan that Enhances Student Learning
