UNDP/?AK/r8/008 Assignment Report Strengthening Educational. Institutions in the Punjab

POR INTERNAL USE ONLY: NOT POR GENERAL DISTRIBUTION

P A K I S T A N

Curriculum Development and Evaluation

Celestine N. Hasasa

(1 July 1981 - 30 September 1981)

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (Unesco)

Paris, 1982

Serial N o . F M R / E D / O P S / 8 2 / 2 0 6 ( U N D P )

UÎ1DP/PAK/T8/008

Assignment Report (Kasasa) îîiR/ÊD/OPS/82/206 ( mW ) Paris, 16 February 1982

TABLE OP CONTENTS

Paragraphs

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN (2-18)

A . The Khanespur Workshop (4-29 July) 3 - 8

B . Activities from 2 to 16 August 9 - 1 3

C . Workshop at CRDC and Education Extension Centre (17 August - 20 September) 14 - 18

III. SOME FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS 19-29

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS POR FUTURE ACTION 30

APPENDIX - Proposed Course of Study on the Role of the Teacher in the Curriculum for College of Education in Punjab Province

I. INTRODUCTION

I. This is an account of a three-month mission to Pakistan within the framework of UNDP Project PAK/78/OO8 - Strengthening Educational Institutions in the Punjab. The Consultant's terms of reference were "to assist the Government in the evaluation of school curriculum in Punjab Province". Working under the supervision of the Director of the Project he was to collaborate with Education Officers at the Curriculum Research and Development Centre, the Education Extension Centre, the Colleges of Education, the Provincial Textbook Board and other institutions concerned with the impact of the school curriculum and he was expected to introduce modern methods of curriculum evaluation. At the end of his mission he was required to prepare and submit an analy­tic report on the status of curriculum evaluation in Punjab, his own contributions to the problem, and some recommendations for future assistance in the field.

II. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN

2» On arrival in Lahore, the Consultant was briefed by the Project Director who introduced him to the Acting Director and Staff of the Curriculum and Research Development Centre (CRDC). His main task was to contribute to two or more workshops which had already been proposed, the first of which was already in progress at Khanespur, a hill station for the University of Punjab Research Wing. It was organized for Professors and Lecturers from Colleges of Education of Punjab Province and took place from 4 to 29 July. The theme was "Techniques of Educational Research and Modern Methods of Classroom Teaching". The second Workshop was scheduled from 17 August to 20 September, and organized largely for the Staffs of the Curriculum and Research Development Centre, the Education Extension Centre and some selected participants from Colleges of Education, making a total of 29 participants.

A. The Khanespur Workshop (4-29 July)

3» When the Consultant arrived at the Workshop, it still had two weeks to go. Three resource persons had made their contributions in Research Techniques, Testing and Measurements and some current classroom methods of teaching. He was immediately involved as a resource person on Curriculum Development and Evaluation. Since most participants were concerned with teacher education, he oriented his sessions to curriculum topics related to the classroom teacher and his responsibility for the school curriculum.

4. Generally, the participants indicated that curriculum was a field which had never been a part of teacher education; only a few items were included in the programme called the General Principles of Education. There were many things they did not know about curriculum theory and practice. They were not able to define the role of the teacher in the school curriculum. With limited time at his disposal the Consultant had to be selective and limit the discussions to the following topics:

(a) An Overview of Curriculum Development; Models and Theories.

(b) Distinction between Curriculum Goals and Instructional Objectives.

(c) Stating Instructional Objectives in behavioural terms so as to make it possible to assess what is achieved in the Teaching-Learning Process.

(d) Content/Subject Matter and Learning Experiences - their selection and organization, and ways of facilitating the Teaching-Learning Process.

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(e) The role of the teacher in School Curriculum - defined and explained in detail with the use of the Accountability Model,

(f) The Teacher and Implementation of the Curriculum.

(g) Curriculum Evaluation - Strategies and Techniques and the Teacher's role.

(h) Developing questionnaires, interview schedules, check-lists and observ­ation techniques for the evaluation of the Curriculum.

(i) Relevant instruments for the evaluation of Student Teachers, during Practice Teaching, and the use of the results for the improvement of the College of Education.

(j) The role of the Teacher in Rural Development.

(k) Practicalt All participants in subject committees were involved in a one-day Case Study of the Adequacy of the School Curriculum in Khanespur Government High School (.Classes 8 and 3) using the Evaluation Instruments development in topic {h) above.

5. The purpose of the Study at Khanespur was to expose the participants to a brief, practical field evaluation of Curriculum in two selected classes (8th and 9th). Ilote was taken of the general awareness of the teachers of the objectives to be achieved in the subjects they were teaching; the availability and adequacy of the syllabi in each subject, and the relevance of the teaching materials used in English, Mathematics, Urdu, Physics, Biology, Chemistry and Pakistan Studies. The participants shared the work of collecting data.

6. After the field exercise, the subject committees met to analyse the data and write their reports, which viere presented and discussed. Later, a committee of four participants was established to v/rite a brief comprehensive report based on the subject committee reports. This comprehensive report was discussed by all the parti­cipants. Each report had the following sub-headings:

- The topic of the Study

- The Purpose

- The type/nature of the instruments used

- Analysis of the information obtained

- Comments and Recommendations.

7* Generally speaking, although the field exercise vas brief and the reports rather crude or unpolished, the experience exposed the participants to the local curriculum as it is implemented in at least one rural school. The participants, most of them being College of Education Professors and Lecturers, saw briefly how the curriculum is being taught in one rural school. This vías valuable since most of the student teachers they are training in the colleges will teach in similar rural schools.

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8. Proposed syllabus for a course in Curriculum Planning at the Colleges of Education;

(i) When the participants understood the crucial role of the teacher in the curriculum, they wanted to develop an introductory course on curriculum for their own students. Sessions were organized for the subject committees to design a course (for those students in the 3.Ed. programme) in Curriculum Planning, Implementation and Evaluation, with emphasis on the responsibilities of the. teacher in the school curriculum. Such a course should be taught by each College.

(ii) The Suggested Course in Curriculum for B. Ed. Students is given in ' the appendix to this report. The Proposed Course Outline will be circulated to the Colleges of Education and to the'Education Department.

B. Activities from 2 to 16 August

9» Soon after the Consultant's return to Lahore he began preparations for a five-week workshop designed for the Staffs of the Curriculum and Research Development Centre, the Education Extension Centre and some selected participants from Collets of Education. He also helped advise two CRDC staff members working on their research proposals. One proposal was on An Experimentation with the Independent Study Method as a Solution to Overcrowdedess in the City Schools of Lahore; and the other: A Study of Successes and Jailures of the Integrated Curriculum in Latíore Primary Schools; bath proposals were to be submitted for approval and funding.

10. During this period, the Consultant observed operations at the CRDC and the Education Extension Centre. He explored the instructional materials available within the two Centres. He visited their libraries and found that the library at the Education Extension Centre is fairly well equipped with good books on Curriculum Development and Evaluation and other subject areas, but the CRDC library has few useful items.

11. He prepared a questionnaire to gather background information on the particip­ants who would take part in the workshop. The information was very useful in under­standing their individual needs.

12. Interaction with the staff of the CRDC and the Education Extension Centre revealed that although most of them had attractive paper qualifications in their speciality, together with long teaching experience, man;'' lacked a strong conceptual framework in curriculum, a knowledge very vital to their role as evaluators ¿f curriculum. They were poorly equipped to make major decisions about curricula based on the research activities.

13. Unfortunately, several staff members are not able to speak, read and understand English. Consequently, they cannot make good use of the library resources available at the Extension Centre. This situation exists at least partly because the Deputy Directors are appointed by transfer and not because they meet the minimum requirements for these posts.

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C. Workshop at CRDC and Education Extension Centre (17 August - 20 September)

14» The purpose of this workshop was to upgrade the participants in Techniques of Educational Measurement and Evaluation and Curriculum Development, The participants, 29 in number, came from the CRDC, the Education Extension Centre and a few from Colleges of Education. The course was mainly intended for the staff working at the CRDC and the Education Extension Centre. The workshop focussed on Educational Measurement (Tests) and Curriculum Development and Evaluation. The prime objectives were as follows:

(a) To give the participants a good conceptual framework on Curriculum Development and Modern Methods of Evaluating the Curriculum. A number of handouts and recommended reading material viere given to the particip­ants to supplement and clarify the discussions.

(l>) To involve the participants in the library of the Education Extension Centre. The participants were expected to develop their own definitions of curriculum and a rationale for the study of curriculum by teachers.

(c) To enable the participants to develop their own curriculum designs related to the special needs of their Province and Pakistan in general.

(d) To give participants practice in stating instructional objectives and relating these objectives to relevant learning experiences.

(e) To explore and to discuss the various methods of evaluating curricula and the applicability of these methods.

(f) To visit selected schools and use their evaluative instruments to evaluate existing curricula. The instruments developed included objective tests, questionnaires, checklists, interview schedules and guided observation. This practical field-work extended over three days and involved the subject committees.

(g-) To prepare analytic reports on the evaluations (particularly in particip­ants* own subject fields), emphasizing- the crucial factors that must be evaluated and making recommendations for improvement of the curricula.

(h) To enable participants to look at the results and to identify problems that may need additional research.

15« Some of the reports were very good and demonstrated a deep understanding of the skills involved in curriculum development and evaluation. Other reports did not _ reach an acceptable standard for a number of reasons. Some participants had problems with understanding English. They could not understand the skills discussed in the workshop sessions nor viere they able to express themselves in understandable English. Some participants had little or no previous experience in writing reports.

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16. To find out what the participants had learnt from the workshop sessions, the handouts and reading material on Curriculum, a comprehensive, objective instrument, including 45 multiple-choice items, was constructed and administered. Most participants indicated positive reactions to their experiences.

17» On the basis of this feedback, the Consultant was able to advise each participant as to how he could proceed to overcome specific lack of knowledge about Curriculum Development and other components of the workshop.

18. In all these activities, the main purpose was to make the workshop a practical exercise which would up-grade the CRDC and Education Extension Centre Staff.

III. SOME FMDHIQS AND COITCLUSIOITS

19. The following observations may be helpful in the design of future inputs :

20. Almost all participants in the two workshops were very keen to acquire knowledge and skills in the workshops. The practical work assigned to them,, in whatever form, was always taken up enthusiastically. The sessions conducted on Curriculum Development and Evaluation were unusually lively.

21. The participants from the Punjab Colleges of Education expressed the desire to have a course on Curriculum introduced in their Colleges, since very little on the subject was currently taught to future teachers. They had learnt in the workshop that teacher education programmes should equip the teacher to deal with the following questions:

(a) What are the objectives he is going to achieve in the teaching-learning process ?

(b) What learning experiences can be selected, organized and used effectively to achieve the intended objectives ?

(c) What are the sources of the objectives which should be studied (such as the ideology of the society, values, tradition, available technology, modes of interaction, etc.) ?

(d) How can relevant goals be selected and appropriate learning experiences designed from the broad array of existing alternatives ?

(e) How can the content selected from the environment relate with the students' potentials and capabilities ?

(f) How should the content be transmitted or taught in the classroom setting ?

(g) What community resources can be utilised ?

(h) How can progress towards goals be assessed ?

(i) What are the priorities or sequences which exist among the different goals and within different subject disciplines ?

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(j) What theories, models, and trends in curriculum development are available ?

(k) How can the curriculum "be changed, revised, or improved within the existing situation ?

(l) What role should the teacher play in the process of curriculum development ?

22» These and other questions can "be considered only if the teacher has a concept of the curriculum and his own role in the•development process. All participants "began to formulate relevant concepts as a result of their workshop experience«

23» It was very difficult to organize and run a workshop (especially for four weeks) in a place where there were no library resources nor suitable facilities for study. The Khanespur Workshop put too much strain on the resource persons and the participants. The workshop was divided between theory and practice. The participants needed reading materials to back up the theories discussed in the workshop sessions, but these were not available in a holiday resort.

24» It is not efficient to run an education workshop for more than two weeks "unless the participants are clear about the objectives of the workshop, and are kept busy with relevant reading facilities and well organized practical work. There is a limit to enthusiasm. When the limit is exceeded, and we lose the attention of the participants, it serves no purpose to continue the exercise.

25« The Second Workshop at the CRDC Lahore was held in a much better environment, with the necessary materials and with easy access to places where practical work could be carried out. The involvement of the participants and resource people wa3 much greater.

26. A number of participants in both workshops lacked proficiency in English. Generally, they were very eager to learn and to up-grade themselves but reading and understanding the materials and writing reports on their field experiences was a big problem for many. It is a great handicap for the students in higher education, for many lecturers and for some education officers not to be able to read efficiently academic and professional materials which are in English.

27» The national resource persons involved in the workshop found it easier to interact with the participants in Urdu. However, vihen it came to writing reports in English, a number of participants could not organize their information in a readable form. The few who were competent in English got much more out of the workshop than the others. This problem reduces the productivity of several staff members at CRDC.

28. During the last days of his mission, the Consultant observed the work of other agencies dealing with the school curriculum, such as the Institute of Education and Research (1ER), the Textbook Board, the National Education Equipment Centre, the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, the Bureau of Education and the Bureau of Audio-Visual Aids. All these agencies are concerned with the curriculum in one way or another. But, unfortunately, there is hardly any interaction or exchange of ideas among them. Each one is working independently of the others. This is very regrettable since it further complicates the overall task of improving the quality of education in the Punjab.

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29» This lack of coordination among "the key institutions leads to unnecessary duplication of effort. Without comprehensive changes, it is difficult to foresee any progress in curriculum evaluation and improvement. Research done in any area of education "by any one of these agencies would be useless if the results are not disseminated to potential users. It is not even known at present what research has "been carried out, or is in progress, in any of these institutions.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION

30. The following recommendations are "based on the Consultant's observations and impressions during his mission:

(i) Each workshop should he systematically followed with supplementary activities. The knowledge and skills that the participants have acquired should he utilized. A local "consultant, Dr. Sh. Muizs-ud-din, has been appointed and based at the CRDC. His task should be to provide the necessary follow-up services.

(ii) Lecturers at the Colleges of Education will require additional training in order to offer courses in Curriculum Development. Such training might be provided by CRDC. Instructional materials for these courses-should be translated from English to Urdu before the courses begin.

(iii) The Department of Education should encourage CRDC and the Colleges of Education to carry out useful and relevant research. Researchers should receive recognition for any good work they produce.

(iv) The activities of CRDC, Extension Centre, Textbook Board, Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Board of Technical Education, and the Bureau of Audio-Visual Aids should be coordinated, especially where they are concerned with curriculum.

(v) Job descriptions for each post at CRDC should be prepared, specifying carefully the requirements and qualifications, and the duties to be carried out.

(vi) The staff of CRDC should be strengthened, starting with the appointment of a well-qualified director. Those who do not meet the minimum require­ments for the other posts should be replaced or retrained. All personnel should have demonstrated their competence in curriculum development and educational research.

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APPENDIX

• Proposed Course of Study on the Role of the Teacher in the Curriculum

for College of Education in Punjab Province

Introduction

This is a suggested outline for a Course of Study in Curriculum for student teachers in Colleges of Education and/or Teacher Training Institutes. It was worked out "by the participants in the Khanespur Workshop under the guidance of Mr. CIT. Kasasa, Unesco Consultant and resource person on Curriculum Development/Design and Evaluation.

The participants, most of them professors at Colleges of Education, realised, after a number of workshop sessions on Curriculum Development and Evaluation which dealt with the Role of the Teacher in the' School Curriculum, that a course in the field of Curriculum should be offered to all student teachers. This would enable them to understand their practical role in the school curriculum and the ways and means of fulfilling this role. A teacher with a good understanding of the school curriculum is better able to teach it to the learners in a relevant, meaningful manner.

The Proposed Course of Study

Rationale

Every teacher should understand the school curriculum and its impact on children. Every teacher should know that he is an active implementor and evaluator of the curriculum. He should develop firm ideas of his own on both content/learning experiences and the skills needed to make education relevant, meaningful and useful for the learner. The curriculum, as it is interpretated by the teacher, can influence the character and personality of the learner.

Imagine the impact- teachers could have on curriculum, if they formulated a statement of the behaviour which students were expected to demonstrate as a result of the instructional programme. Therefore, it is necessary to give the future teacher a glimpse of the tasks he is going to perform and some skills and knowledge to perform these tasks effectively and with confidence. The study of curriculum development, implementation and evaluation, should be a part of teacher education. The course could be for one intensive semester.

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General Objectives of the Course on Curriculum:

At the end of the course, the prospective teacher will:

(a) Understand the Pakistan culture, philosophy, ideology and practices which are the sources of the local curriculum.

(b) Understand the school curriculum which will underlie his future teaching»

(c) Identify the various elements of the curriculum and their inter­relationship and relative importance to the overall learning experience,

(d) Identify and explain the alternative curricula and their practical importance to the education system.

(e) Get to know and appreciate the teacher's responsibility for curriculum, and how he can play this role for the benefit of the learner and the community.

(f) Understand and project the desired impact of the curriculum on individual learners and the community.

(g) Develop an understanding of the importance of curriculum for socio­economic and technological development.

(h) Be able to utilize simple techniques of classroom research to improve his teaching and implementation of the curriculum.