BUKIDNON STATE UNIVERSITYGRADUATE SCHOOL

MALAYBALAY CITY, BUKIDNON

AE 204 Trends and Issues in Education(Global Educational Reform Movement)

Reporter: James Denesion Emata

What is Global Educational Reform Movement?

Curricula are standardized to fit to international student tests; and students around the world study learning materials from global providers.

It is like an epidemic that spreads and infects education systems through a virus. It travels with pundits, media and politicians. Education systems borrow policies from others and get infected. As a consequence, schools get ill, teachers don’t feel well, and kids learn less. symtoms

Various Symptoms GERM

more competitionincreased school choicestronger accountability from schools

and related standardized testing of students.

Avoid infections

How to avoid infections of GERM?

“prepare teachers and leaders well”

This ensures that they are good in what they do in classrooms and also understand how teaching and learning in their schools can be improved.

School principals are also experts of educational change and can therefore protect their schools and school system from harmful germs.

What is Global Educational Reform Movement?

Curricula are standardized to fit to international student tests; and students around the world study learning materials from global providers.

It is like an epidemic that spreads and infects education systems through a virus. It travels with pundits, media and politicians. Education systems borrow policies from others and get infected. As a consequence, schools get ill, teachers don’t feel well, and kids learn less. F.E.

FINLAND EDUCATION

no tuition feesemphasizes respect for each child’s

individuality free meals served to full-time students. free universal daycare for children age 8

mos.-5 yrs.Ratio=1:4

three adults (one teacher and two nurses) for every 12 pupils

Ratio=1:7three adults (one teacher and two nurses)

for every 20 children.spread school network

provide free transportation tuition fees in private school is strictly

prohibitedTeachers has high autonomy.Both primary and secondary teachers must

have a Master's degree.

The main features in Finnish education is developing an equitable, high-performing education system are similar to those underlying the social and economic transformation into a welfare state and a competitive knowledge society. It is, therefore, difficult to identify particular reforms or innovations per se that served as driving forces in raising the level and quality of Finnish education.

Finnish education system has remained quite uninfected to viruses of what is often called the global education reform movement or GERM. And the reason for that is clear: professional strength and moral health of Finnish schools.

US can’t learn

What the U.S. can’t learn from Finland?

1. Americans cannot achieve equity without first implementing fundamental changes in their school system.

The following three issues require particular attention. Funding of schools Well-being of children Education as a human right2. School autonomy and teacher professionalism.3. Many education visitors to Finland expect to find schools filled with Finnish pedagogical innovation and state- of-the-art technology.

Differences

US Education Finland Education

education is mostly viewed as a private effort leading to individual good.

driven by excellence

education is viewed primarily as a public effort serving a public purpose.

driven by equity.

Difference Between Finland and US Education

GERM

GERM

GERM has emerged since the 1980s and has increasingly become adopted as an educational reform orthodoxy within many education systems throughout the world, including in the U.S., England, Australia and some transition countries. GERM is often promoted through the interests of international development agencies and private enterprises through their interventions in national education reforms and policy formulation.

Since the 1980s, at least five globally common features of education policies and reform principles have been employed to try to improve the quality of education and fix the apparent problems in public education systems.

1. standardization of education2. focus on core subjects in school3. the search for low-risk ways to reach learning goals4. use of corporate management models5. Adoption of test-based accountability policies

Standardization of Education

Outcomes-based education reform became popular in the 1980s, followed by standards-based education policies in the 1990s, initially within Anglo-Saxon countries.

Setting clear and sufficiently high performance standards for schools, teachers, and students will necessarily improve the quality of expected outcomes.

Focus on Core Subjects

Focuses on literacy and numeracy, and in same case science. Basic student knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics are elevated as prime targets and indices of education reforms.

Reading, mathematical and scientific literacy have now become the main determinants of perceived success or failure of pupils, teachers, schools, and entire education systems.

The search for low-risk ways to reach learning goals.

This minimizes experimentation, reduces use of alternative pedagogical approaches, and limits risk-taking in schools and classrooms.

Teaching and learning are narrower and teachers focus on ‘guaranteed content’ to best prepare their students for tests.

“The higher the test-result stakes, the lower the degree of freedom in experimentation and risk-taking in classroom learning.”

Use of Corporate Management Models

This process where educational policies and ideas are lent and borrowed from business world is often motivated by national hegemony and economic profit, rather than by moral goals of human development. 1. It often limits the role of national policy development and enhancement of an education system’s own capabilities to maintain renewal, and perhaps more important.2. It paralyzes teachers’ and schools’ attempts to learn from the past and also to learn from each other.

Adoption of Test-based Accountability Policies

The processes of accrediting, promoting, inspecting, and, ultimately, rewarding or punishing schools and teachers.

student achievement in mathematical and reading literacy

exit examination resultsintended teacher classroom behavior.

Elements Of GERM

1. Standardization of education2. Focus on core subjects in school3. The search for low-risk ways to reach

learning goals4. Use of corporate management models5. Adoption of test-based accountability

policies

None of these have been adopted in Finland. This, of course, does not imply that education standards, focus on basic knowledge and skills, or accountability should be avoided in seeking better educational performance. Nor does it suggest that these ideas were completely absent in education development in Finland. But, perhaps, it does imply that, “a good education system can be created using alternative approaches and policies orthogonal to those commonly found and promoted in global education policy markets.”

Suggested Features in Educational System

high confidence in teachers and principals as high professionals;

encouraging teachers and students to try new ideas and approaches, in other words, to put curiosity, imagination and creativity at the heart of learning; and

purpose of teaching and learning is to pursue happiness of learning and cultivating development of whole child.

We must stop the GERM that puts such a pressure on children in schools through competition, choice, and accountability. Choosing collaboration, equity and trust-based responsibility as the main drivers in education reforms enhance immunity of our school systems to stop GERM and have good school for all children.

“Why do you want to become a teacher when you could become a lawyer or doctor instead?”

“First is the internal drive to help people to discover their strengths and talents, but also to realize their weaknesses and incompleteness. I want to be a teacher because I want to make a difference in children’s lives and for this country. My work with children has always been based on love and care, being gentle and creating personal relations with those with whom I work. This is the only way that I can think will give me fulfillment in my life.”

THANK YOU and GOOD EVENING…

GOD BLESS US ALL