the need for global networking in policy dialogue and capacity building for curriculum renewal:
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IBE SEMINAR on Toward a Global Network of Curriculum Developers 6-8 July 2005, IBE, Geneva. The Need for Global Networking in Policy Dialogue and Capacity Building for Curriculum Renewal: A Chinese National Perspective. Zhou Nan-Zhao China. An Outline of Presentation. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Need for Global Networking in Policy Dialogue and Capacity
Building for Curriculum Renewal:A Chinese National Perspective
Zhou Nan-Zhao
China
IBE SEMINAR on
Toward a Global Network of Curriculum Developers
6-8 July 2005, IBE, Geneva
An Outline of Presentation
Curriculum Change as Part of Educational Reform: Developing linking the three roles of IBE in the development of a global network for curriculum change
Main Parties for Successful Curriculum Change and Educational Reform:
Developing network at three levels: national, regional and international
Roles and Functions of a Global Network of Curriculum Developers: Suggestions for Joint Activities for 2005 & 2006-2007
I. CURRICULUM CHANGE AS PART OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM: Examples of the Chinese Case
Universalization of 9-Year Compulsory Education: EFA at National Level:
Recognition of education as a basic human right Expansion of basic education for equal opportunities in a
ccess the size of the textbook industry and provision of textbooks as a main indicator of EFA for 200 m. pupils
The shift of emphasis from inputs/access to process and quality outcomes: greater attention to curriculum change and development of common ‘national curriculum standards’
Restructuring of Secondary Education: the expansion of vocational-technical education the need for greater relevance of school curriculum and work skills training in school curriculum
Expansion of Higher Education: the conflict between limited access to higher education and the college-bound school curriculum: ‘the tail wagging the dog’ the need to transform college-entrance exam (as a remaining barrier) for further curriculum change
The changing roles of government in market-oriented economy and education: the decen-tralization in educational planning and policy-making decentralization in curriculum management and textbook development
Age Academic year
27 2226 2125 20
Doctoral programmes
24 1923 1822 17
Master’s degree programmes
21 1620 1519 1418 13
本 科Higher vocational ed.
17 1216 1115 10
General upper secondary ed.
Vocational upper secondary ed.
14 913 812 7
General junior secondary ed. Vocational junior sec
ondary ed.11 610 59 48 37 26 1
Primary ed.
543
Pre-schooling ed.
Bachelor’s degree
Education System in China
Schools/Colleges, Teachers and Students in Chinese Education System (2003)
[Source: Ynag Jin: Basic Education in China, 2005]
No. of schools
No. of teachers
No. of students
Gross enrollment rates
Higher education1,552 724,658 18,362,858 17%
Upper secondary education
46,670 2,448,533 32,413,533 44%
Lower secondary education
66,650 3,502,224 66,908,273 93%
Primary education
508,559 5,750,359 116,897,395 107.2%
77. 779. 7
81. 8
86. 6
90. 8 92. 6 93. 7 94. 3 94. 4 94. 9 95. 5 97 97. 9
42. 6 43. 6 44. 147. 8
50. 3 49. 851. 5 50. 7 50 51. 2
52. 9
58. 359. 6
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Pri mary to J uni or Secondary小学升初中J uni or secondary to seni or secondary初中升高中
%
Promotion Rates of Primary & Lower Secondary School Graduates in China [Source: Ynag Jin: Basic Education in China, 2005]
Composi ti on of General and Vocati onalEducati on at the Upper Secondary Level
(i n 10,000)[Source: Ynag J i n: Basi c Educati on i n Chi na, 2005]
455
677
473
282317
360396
558
752
510521 520 473
412398
510
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1100
1200
1300
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
General ed.普高 Vocati onal ed. 中职
II. MAIN PARTIES FOR SUCCESSFUL CURRICULUM CHANGE AND
EDUCATIONAL REFORM
National public authorities: ‘The heart of EFA lies at national level’. The fundamental roles of nation/state government in curriculum change
Local community (teachers, principals, parents, community people, etc.)
International community (GOs including UNESCO, NGOs like IEA, EI, IBO)
A Glimpse of the Curriculum ReformDue to Policy Change of National Authority
Survey Study for Policy Change
1996: National survey on compulsory education curriculum implementation: involvin
g 16,000 sample school students, 2,000 head masters and teachers in 10 provinces, and GOs and NGO policy-makers
1998 – 2002: Survey on senior high school curriculum implementation, based on comparati
ve studies of curriculum changes in 20 countries
2002: Survey on curriculum implementation in experimental areas
[Source: Zhu Mujue, Country Report to UNESCOBKK-NIER Regional Workshop on Management of Curriculum Change. NIER, Tokyo, Japan. 2004]
Policy Formulation and Curriculum Standards Development
2001: ‘Basic Education Curriculum Outline Programme’; A Curriculum Framework of Compulsory Education; Curriculum standards of 22 school subjects for 1st-9th graders; Textbooks for individual subjects for K-9 schools; Provisionary Regulations on Management of Primary & Secondary School Textbook Developme
nt & Approval. Guidance on Experimentation of New Compulsory Education Curriculum’
2002: ‘Education Ministry Notification on School Evaluation and Examination System Reform’
2003: Senior High School Curriculum Reform Programme Development of Curriculum Standards and Interpretation of 15 school subjects Development of School Textbooks for each school subject
[Source: Zhu Mujue, Country Report to UNESCOBKK-NIER Regional Workshop on Management of Curriculum Change. NIER, Tokyo, Japan. 2004]
Learning DomainsLanguages and literatureMathematicsHumanities & SocietySciencesTechnologiesPhysical Education & HealthComprehensive PracticeArt
School Subjects
Modules
Curriculum Structuring at Three Levels
Implementation of Curriculum Reform under Education-Ministry Guidance and
through Local Participation
2001 Designating 42 rural counties/urban districts in 27 provinces as ‘state curric
ulum reform zones’, accounting for 1%, or 470,000, of student population2002 Experimentation in 528 counties as provincial experimental zones’, account
ing for 20%, or 8,950,000, of student population2003 Experimentation in 1,642 counties, accounting for 57%, or 35 million, of stud
ent population2004 Experimentation in 2,576 counties, accounting for 90% of student population2005 Experimentation in 2,870 counties, accounting for 100% of student populatio
n
[Source: Zhu Mujue, Country Report to UNESCOBKK-NIER Regional Workshop on Management of Curriculum Change. NIER, Tokyo, Japan. 2004]
Breadth and In-depth of Curriculum Change
• Teaching and teacher-centered
-- Curriculum & textbooks designed to reflect roles of the teacher as ‘source of information’ and ‘provider’ of knowledge
Learning and learner centered
-- to facilitate active learning, developing inquiry skills
-- facilitating learning to learn
-- more attention to learning process
-- more learner-directed activities/projects
from
to
Rigid discipline-based subjects
College-bound cognitive learning
Examination-oriented: teaching to test
Interdisciplinarity and integration of subjects into curricular ‘package’ in cohesive ways
Multi-dimensional learning for higher learning, for the world of work and for responsible citizenship
Outcomes-oriented: achieving learning goals
School education claimed ‘value-free’, without course offering in moral/civic education
Totally academic curriculum
Terminal learning as once-for-life chance before employment
Teaching of shared human values made a learning area and values/ethic education to be integrated into curriculum at all levels
Diversification of educational content
Integral part of a lifelong learning continuum
Largely national and local concern: education as a primary vehicle for transmitting and preserving cultural norms
Highly centralized curriculum process and management
Increasing international concern due to globalization (demand for new learning opportunities expanding across communities in multicultural societies)
Decentralization,
with flexibility for local/regional inputs and adaptation of national core curriculum:
Over-loaded curriculum
-- lack of definition of basic competencesand their structures
-- fragmented approach to responding to new demands/needs
-- adding new subjects without removal
--competing for content and for teaching hours
Reducing curricular load:-- by better defining basic subject content and integrating related subject areas-- by balancing basic learning competences and content to be achieved at the end of each stage/cycle-- by preparing teachers for new approach
Technology either missing or weak: IT education offered only as a subject, with acquisition of specific knowledge/skills as learning goal
Textbooks being the only or dominant curricular materials
Technology pervasive: ICT integrated into content & process:
-- ICT as a subject-- ICT as a tool (applied to T-L in
all subjects)-- ICT as educational resources
(for all learning areas, in learning to learn)
Textbooks as part of multi-media learning materials or no standardized textbooks
Curriculum assessment to evaluate learning achievement
-- ‘in seeking to make the important measurable, only the measurable has become important’ (A. Pillot & J. Osborne)
-- evaluating individual studentsbased on testing results in term of quantified test scores
-- no valid/reliable instrument for evaluation of value/behavioral outcomes
Assessment changed accordingly in quantitative and qualitative terms to align with curricular change
-- “to measure not only the ‘measurable’ but the ‘relevant’ ”(A. Pillot & J. Osborne)
-- comprehensive assessment of performance of teacher/school and education system
-- both formative and summative assessment (e.g. for practical work)
-- instruments/indicators being developed to evaluate attitudial/behavioral outcomes
The Roles of International Community
in Curriculum Change:The Case of IBE in Policy Dialogue and
Capacity Building for Curriculum Change
As laboratory of ideas: promoting research and policy dialogue on key issues influences of socio-economic and political contexts for curriculum change
As standards setter: promoting information sharing on national curriculum standards
As capacity builder: technical assistance in national/institutional capacity building in planning and leading curriculum change
As information clearing-house: databank of curriculum innovations and findings of international studies
As catalyst for international cooperation: promoting experiences-sharing for different policy options, curriculum frameworks, and diversified approaches through collaborative programmes/projects and activities
III. ROLES/FUNCTIONS/ACTIVITIES OF A GLOBAL NETWORK
Strengthened partnership and networking: as a UNESCO policy and strategy in achieving EFA goals
The need for capacity building in curriculum change at national level: hundreds of policy-makers at ministry-provincial-municipal-county levels; hundreds of curriculum researchers/specialists at 14 leading normal universities and at provincial/municipal teaching-researching groups; and institutes of education for in-service training of nearly 10 million teachers.
The need for policy dialogue at international level
Issues for International Policy Debate and Dialogu
e in Curriculum Reform The changing nature of curriculum
development: as ‘an on-going process aimed at organizing better learning opportunities and thus focusing on actual inter-actions in classroom’ (IBE, 1999)
continuous efforts to translate educational goals into activities, materials and observable behavioral changes;
links between learning, teaching and assessment more clearly recognized -- requiring monitoring, feedback as well as subsequent revision and modification
be open to and experiment with different curricular models
cycles’ of curriculum reform (JP: 10 years; PK: 4 years)
Lifelong learning as a principle cutting through all stages and curriculum development for each grade and level: school curriculum as part of a continuum of learning
College-entrance exam remaining bottleneck of fundamental & successful curricular reform: teach to the test or test what is taught and should be learned through curriculum? [ROK: ‘CEE-centered school education nullifies all expected effects of educational innovation’].
Differentiation in curriculum rational or effective for individualization?
Inquiry/exploratory learning as a cross-cutting principle and research-based leaning as a subject
How to integrate in curriculum both the content and tools of learning? fundamental removal or replacement and reorganization?
Supply-driven (deliver what we know, what we assume learners need know) or demand-driven (what the society and learners need know, which we might not know well enough to teach)?
Articulation and transition between primary and lower/upper secondary levels: holistic and integral curricular design for adequate preparation for learning at a higher level but avoiding duplication/repetition
Mechanisms for supervision, monitoring and systematic evaluation of curricular changes
Sustainability of curriculum reform after external funding: resources for sustained reform; on-going improvement based on feedback but avoid risk of abandonment
International Networking for Sharing Approaches:
and Frameworks:Using Four Pillars of Learning in
Reorganizing Content
An identification of fundamental skills, competencies, adaptabilities and values needed for a new century
A set of universal principles for teaching-learning at all levels of formal/nonformula education and for all phases of life
Complementation and interpenetration of one another
An Optional Framework for Renewing Basic Education Curriculum:
An Example of Outcome of Regional Networking
Subject Matter Content
(to reflect interdisciplinarity / interconnectedness)
Rationale Goals / Objectives Philosophy
(To incorporate the principle of education throughout life)
Learning Outcomes
(To include the four pillars of learning)
Teaching Approaches
(To highlight holistic / interdisciplinal approaches)
PROCESS OUTCOMES
School
Student Characteristics
Household/Community
Characteristics
INPUTS
School Climate
Teaching/Learning
Standards
Attainment
Achievement
An Input-Process-Outcomes Framework for Assessing Education QualityAn Input-Process-Outcomes Framework for Assessing Education Quality[source: Education for All: Is the World on the Track? UNESCO Press, 2002]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Policy framework for improving the quality of teaching and
learning: A Reference Point for Curriculum Change
Education sector policy
Enabling environment
Teaching
Learning
KnowledgeInfrastructure
School management
and governance
Human and physical resources
The learner
[Source: UNESCO: EFA Global Monitoring Report 2005]
Global Networking for Capacity Building:Preparing Teachers for Curriculum Change:
Curriculum reform and teacher professional development: closely inter-linked; the former depending on the latter.
Teachers’ vital roles as ‘real actors’: ‘participants’ in decision-making ‘conveyors’ of curriculum philosophy Motivated/effective ‘implementers’ ‘designers’ of curricular materials and teaching approaches ‘lifelong learners’’ for constant improvement of curriculum
Global Networking, with IBE as its center and coordinator, and through programme activities.
Suggestions for Joint Activities:1. An IBE Forum on Curriculum Change and Education Reform,
for policy dialogue on key issues in curriculum change;
2. Development of training materials and use of Asia-Pacific Resource Pack for Management of Curriculum Change through inter-national and inter-disciplinary teams
3. Mobile ‘training of trainers’ workshops for capacity building
4. Selected comparative studies on major dimensions of curriculum reform and educational reform
5. information-sharing services, e.g. contribution to IBE databank and website on curriculum reforms worldwide.