Reforms in education is about preparing learners for the future

The purpose of education has changed from that of producing a literate society to that of producing a learning society. Margaret Ammons.

The Competency- Based Curriculum training workshop the Ministry conducted for over 90,000 a week before second Term in the School Calendar marked milestone in the Education Reform process.

The training sought to sharpen the instructional skills of the teachers enable them teach more effectively; it sought to reorient curriculum delivery to go beyond simply imparting knowledge to developing thinking and other capabilities that defines quality education.

Knowing-doing gap

Curriculum, acquisition of knowledge in itself is no longer the most important aspect of school. What makes the school important is that students are able to apply the knowledge appropriately. Application of appropriate pedagogues at the classroom levels transmutes knowledge into assortment beliefs, skills, attitudes and habits. That is what CBC is all about. It is about imparting not just knowledge; but beliefs, skills, attitudes and habits.

Changing environment has rendered mere acquisition of knowledge indefensible.  Globalization, a post-industrial economy and rapid changes in modern information and communication technology means the country needs to make strategic changes in the education it gives its children.

It means that the government must align the knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits that had defined education to globalization, to the postindustrial or information environment and to rapid changes that are taking place in the society.

In lay language, a postindustrial or information society is a society where the generation, integration and manipulation of information is a significant economic, political, and cultural activity—replacing material goods as the chief driver of socio-economic life of the society.

According to Wikipedia, such economies are often marked by a declining manufacturing sector, resulting in de-industrialization, a large service sector, and an increase in the amount of information technology—which leads to what is popularly known as information age.

To survive in this world, people will need to be well educated and have the imagination, creativity, problem solving and analytical and entrepreneur skills to be able to process ideas and information to accomplish goals. Communication, critical thinking and problem solving skills and what is equally important, creativity and imagination are critical elements. It follows that educated people need these skills or traits to make meaning such a radically changed dispensation.

Education must make appropriate adjustment to new environment. Children must have the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to cope and manage the future to survive and be of service to themselves and the society. They must have the capacity to manipulate information.

Apply, apply, apply

Trends in curriculum development and design therefore are not about rote learning or memorization of the content taught.  The curriculum is NOW about authentic learning. Authentic learning helps students to understand the relevance of what they’re learning and how they can apply their skills in the environment.

This is the reason why focus has been on Thinking and learning skills, beyond content and knowledge.

This is the logic, if any was needed, behind the Curriculum Reform strategy in the Basic Education Curriculum Framework. It is has been deliberately been designed to improve the pedagogic practices in schooling where formal instruction of learners by teachers takes place.

Make any mistake. The curriculum is still important. Content is important. But the way that content is delivered—under CBC—at the classroom level, makes all the difference between Education grounded in mere transfer of Knowledge to an education grounded in knowledge plus beliefs, skills, attitudes and habits. Knowledge with the ability to apply knowledge to specific situations.

Thanks to CBC, teaching approaches are decidedly child centered. Competency- Based Curriculum has put the child in charge of his own educational experience instead of playing a passive role.  While it recommends various techniques to teach, it also shows students the different ways of learning.

The Education Reform is focusing on superior or high order skills to develop in learners and not inferior or low grade skills.

The crux of the matter

If anybody was wondering why the Education Reform has been baptized CBC, that is, Competency- Based Curriculum, this is the reason. The pivot of the Education Reform lies in facilitating learners to get pedigree skills: self-efficacy, critical thinking and problem solving, creativity and imagination, learning to learn, digital literacy and citizenship.

The policy makers also recognize that children have dissimilar intellectual abilities and learning styles all of which have value in the society. This is unlike the 8.4.4 System, as the previous one did not take this diversity in learners into account.

The Competency- Based Curriculum Reform recognise that there more than one intelligences than the traditional IQ model provided.

Embedded in the CBC is the American Cognitive psychologist, Howard Gardner’s influential work on Multiple Intelligence Theory. The theory avers that that individuals and learners in particular, possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways.

Gardner’s multiple intelligence theory says that instead of one kind of general intelligence, there are many different kinds, which include verbal intelligence, musical intelligence, logical-mathematical intelligence, spatial intelligence, body movement intelligence, intelligence to understand oneself, and the intelligence to understand others.

Curriculum delivery at the school level and even assessments takes Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory into account. Appropriate teaching methods under these theory has been identified and formed part and parcel of the CBC training for teachers the Ministry has been conducting.

Perhaps, the most profound dimension of the reform is that that it recognises the diverse natures and inclinations of the learners.

Children have inherent aptitudes, drives, and interests. The envisaged curriculum provides for three parallel but complimentary tracks when they enter Senior High or Secondary School. There is the academic, vocational and talent track. Appropriate curricular is envisioned to take care of the unique potential, orientation and interest of each and every child.

 

Mr Buhere is a communications officer, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology; [email protected]