‘Essential Conditions for Systemic Transformation of

Curriculum and Assessment’Learning Environments for 21st

Century Skills – Curriculum, Assessment & ICT

The central issue of educational change is the tension between technicalizing (improve teaching) and not technicalizing (improve learning), and here the teacher occupies the fulcrum position.

Papert (1993: 55)

We need to customize our education system to move from a teaching system to a learning system to an entrepreneurial system…

Professor Anomoah Mensah (2009)

A system defends itself against recognizing the depth of its problems and the need for fundamental change.

Papert (1993: 205)

GeSCI approach: A Systemic view to ICT integration in education Technical level: “Hardware/

software”: : ICT deployment mode should be:

• Admin / educative use ? • Resource centre / library

model?• PC lab model / distributed

model?• One2one, mobile, ubiquitous

etc? Process level: “Warmware”: what

are educators supposed to do? What pedagogical processes should be developed based on use of ICT?

• Learning interaction ( among learners)

• Teaching interaction ( with learners)

• Management , monitoring, etc. processes ?

Institution level: “Socialware”: what operational models should be developed based on use of ICT:

• Classroom / virtual model• Single institution / network

model • Hybrid models• De-schooling model

Society / policy level: “Cultureware”: Relevance of the education system (and ICT) for development of the society

• Reproduction / Innovation • Production economy /

Knowledge society?

HardwareSoftwareHardware

ICT

Warmware

Socialware

Cultureware

Principal, Teacher, Learners, Parents

School, UniversityHome

Society &policies

Pulkkinen, 2009

Essential Conditions for Systemic Transformation of Curriculum and Assessment

What are the essential conditions that must be in place to begin moving forward?

ISTE, 2009

Essential ConditionsShared Vision

Implementation Planning

Consistent and Adequate Funding

Equitable Access

Skilled Personnel

Ongoing Professional

Learning

Technical Support

Curriculum Framework

Student-Centered Learning

Assessment and Evaluation

Engaged Communities

Support Policies

Supportive External Context

ISTE, 2009

Round Table DiscussionsTables have been

organized according to six essential conditions prioritized by participants.

Please find the essential condition theme you would like to discuss.

Discuss challenges in moving forward with your essential condition.

Discuss strategies for moving forward with your essential condition.

1. Shared Vision

2. Empowered Leaders

3. Implementation Planning

4. Curriculum Framework

5. Student-Centered Learning

6. Assessment and Evaluation

Round Table Discussions

Synopsis of Highlights

Shared Vision

ChallengesA lack of understanding of the benefits of

ICT as a concept in EducationLack of a policy frameworkResistance to change

Shared VisionStrategiesICT needs identification through a sector

wide approach.ICT advocacy programme should be

developed Roles and responsibilities within functional

structures for advocacy should be defined for stakeholders, research and monitoring.

Empowered LeadersChallenges Lack of definition, identification and

categorization of stakeholders along roles, responsibilities and relevance.

Lack of shared vision Attitude and mindset Lack of an enabling political environment

Empowered LeadersStrategies Identify strategic stakeholders eg; parents, business,

communities, learners, teachers Conceptualization and contexualization

relating to how it will impact on their lives relate it to their broad curriculum how does it improve educational delivery process

Sharing the vision and allow stakeholders to participate in vision creation

Policies to guide different stakeholders Identification of suitable mechanisms to sustain and

manage change

Implementation PlanningChallengesCapacity: Requisite skills to implement our plans –

knowledge to develop ICT enhanced materials (a variety of skills required)

Lack of a clear implementation roadmapLack of awareness on the required capacities for

implementation. Lack of clarity on the variety of materials for the student and the teacher

ICT integration skills, understanding and development of digital learning materials lacking

Assessment methods that are not relevant and aligned with intended objectives

No periodic reviews of the digital learning materials (M&E)

Initial capital investment hugeEnabling infrastructure and environment

Implementation PlanningStrategies Analysis of existing curriculum and prioritization of creation of

appropriate learning resources Audit capacity for human and financial & organizational

resources and plan accordingly Identification of PPP and suitable models Capacity building among curriculum developers to develop and

support materials appropriate for the development of the 21st century skills

Demystification of the digital resource creation process Development and delivery of the digital resource in the

classrooms and integration Teachers Professional Development Action research by the teachers and evaluation of the quality of

(digital) resource materials Monitoring and Evaluation for e-content Research and feedback mechanisms

Curriculum FrameworkChallengesLack of policy on

the introduction of ICTs

Strategies Education

Ministries should institutionalize policies for the introduction of ICT in the curriculum

Lobbying from grassroots on the need for ICT / change of political mind-set

Curriculum FrameworkChallenges ICT is not among

priority needs for some African countries

Money is there but not prioritized where it is needed – misdirected priorities

Priorities still focus on textbooks, school infrastructure – ICT is not given a real place

StrategySensitization of

policy makers to attract interest and need – thus to attract budgetary lines for ICT

Curriculum FrameworkChallengeThere is a lack

of a well defined profile for 21st student

Strategies Define clearly the profile for the

21st century student by projecting short term and long term needs to guide policy makers and curriculum developers and examination boards

Define profiles in terms of a needs assessment of market place skills - if ICT is a condition for national socio-economic development towards a knowledge-based society (analysis of national policy/ consultation schools, leaders, teachers and students, universities, technical institutes, industry)

Curriculum FrameworkChallengeThere is no well

defined content which is a challenge for the development of ICT in Africa – content received in Africa is europeanized or westernized – does not reflect local realities

Strategies Develop curriculum

frameworks for vertical and horizontal ICT integration – as a subject (time-tabled) and across all subjects (as a tool)

Take content that is globalized and glocalize/ Africanize it

Student-centred Learning

Challenges V StrategiesTeachers confidence is challenged in

student-centred environments: Teacher preparation should adopt student-centered approaches. They have to experience student-centered approaches. In-servicing of those in the field and teacher-educators

Challenges V Strategies

Inadequate resources: using local materials, problem based learning, effective use of ICTs in education

Curriculum promotes teacher centred approaches: Alignment of the curriculum with student-centered approaches

Examination problems have backwash effects on teaching approaches: Change of assessment approaches to approaches that not only address summative evaluations but also formative evaluations and training of teachers

Irrelevance of the curriculum: Involving students/community in the development of the curriculum

Personalizing instruction and assessment: Use of technology to meet individual and diverse needs of learners; Monitor student progress using e-portifolio

De-contextualize learning: contextualize learning by bringing community into school and vice versa

Student-centred Learning

Assessment and EvaluationChallengesGap between assessment for learning and

assessment of learningExamination Councils’ inability to assess higher

order skillsLack of special/customized software for assessmentLarge classesLimited access to technologyInadequate teacher preparation for reliable and

valid assessmentTeaching geared towards exams – high stakes

exams

Strategies Harmonize assessment for learning and assessment of

learning to complement each other and to assess a range of competencies

Address fear of teachers for technology and make them comfortable with technology (e-readiness of teachers)

Develop creative ‘homegrown’ solutions to address assessment challenges

Prepare teachers who are critical thinkers and creative problem solvers

Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to be put in place for effective assessment processes and adjustments to be made as necessary

Clear criteria and guidelines for process and product assessment

Continuous professional development of teachers, including on assessment (formative, diagnostic and summative)

Seamless assessment system incorporating school based and high stakes examinations

Assessment and Evaluation

GeSCITowards Inclusive Knowledge Societies

ThankyouMary Hooker mary.hooker@gesci.org

Esther Wachira esther.wachira@gesci.org

References International Society for Technology in Education 2009. Essential Conditions for

Systemic Transformation of Curriculum and Assessment IN: African Knowledge Exchange (AKE) workshop: 21st Century skills, ICT, Curriculum & Assessment. 8-10 July 2009 Accra Ghana [Online]. Available from ISTE at: www.iste.org

Mensah, A. 2009. Plenary Session: What 21st Century Students need from their Education Systems: knowledge and skills, attitudes, learning environments, technology and learning models IN: African Knowledge Exchange (AKE) workshop: 21st Century skills, ICT, Curriculum & Assessment. 8-10 July 2009 Accra Ghana [Online]. Available from AKE at: http://www.africanknowledgeexchange.org

Papert, S. 1993. The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in the Age of the Computer. New York: Basic Books

Pulkkinen, J. 2009. Preliminary Conclusions and the Way Froward. IN: UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development Expert Group Web-Forum. 11 March 2009 [Online]. Available from GAID at: http://un-gaid.ning.com/forum/topics/preliminary-conclusions-and-1 [Accessed 17 April 2009]