Changing trends in higher education in the Pacific

and the international context

Plato: Eliza Tokataake, Rotina Tebuaka, Tekonnang

Timee, Teneara Kirarima and Temaiti Teramarawa

Overview of the Presentation

Trends and implications

● Education for sustainable development and Longlife

partnership with students

● General to Liberal Education

● Non-traditional students and ICT as a teaching and learning

tools

● Regional trends in higher education

Introduction

The trends in higher education regionally and

internationally has proved to be increasing irrespective of

social, economic, cultural and political complexities.

Some of the critical points to be discussed include the

following:

Education for sustainable development Curriculum:

● Kiribati teachers college lecturers do the TPD(Teacher Professional

Development) on the new curriculum for year 1-4. After the discussion with

CDRC people we do the training to all teachers on every islands. In the

workshop we demonstrate the strategies and pedagogies that teachers in

the workforce can assist them in their teaching.

● Every week I went to the CDRC working on the year 5 and 6 Mathematics

scope and sequence.

Teacher Training:

● In the foundation of Mathematics course I teach the preservice students to

understand what Mathematics is and the strategies that can use to teach

Mathematics. To teach what is working mathematically.

● In the course we look at the new curriculum we teach preservice students

the content and pedagogies.

Rotina

● At KTC we partnership with students after graduating.

● After five or six years students came back again to upgrade their standard.

● KTC offer TESOL and ESL and other program depending on the needs of

teachers in each year.

● Most of the time students spend just one term or a year depending on the

program they take.

● Teachers improve their standard and knowledge on other things like

technology and other concept from UNICEF.

● sometimes students selected to be part of the team to help out in teaching

their best subject.

Lifelong partnership with students.Rotina

Regional (Pacific) trend in higher education Eliza.T

● Higher education and economic growth are closely linked (Teichler, 2006,

p. 451).

● The USP established in 1968 as a driver of the Pacific island countries

independent and growth (Thaman, 2008, p. 7).

● Pacific student was growing from a few hundred in 1970s to more than

20,000 in the year 2,008 at the USP.

● In New Zealand 4% of the total tertiary student are from Pacific Island

Countries again in the year 2000 (Anae et al, 2002, pp. 27).

Cont… Eliza.T

● 7% increase rate of student enrolment at USP in the mid 2,000 (Thaman,

2008, p. 12).

● But with the existing facilities and limited funding, this might have an

impact on the quality of learning and teaching.

● In addition, the overall Pacific participation to tertiary education is low as

less than 5% of it respective young age group (USP strategic plan, 2013-

2018, p. 16).

General to Liberal education Teneara. Kirarima

General education or core curriculum

● globally used (19th C) - curriculum based

● teacher oriented - mandating class to broadening the mind eg, history, arts and

science classes

● limit preparations to students career pathways (D.J. Staley…)

Liberal education

● involves general education + interpersonal skills + values = (skill/task based

curriculum)

● trains the intellect to raise questions and to hazard answers

(W.Edward Farrison), eg, vocational colleges

● provide wide range of choices such as Options in Secondary schools and

directing students to their future careers (KTC, KIT)

Teneara. Kirarima

Implications- knowledges and skills delivered in the general education is inadequate for

career purposes

● the provision of the curriculum content is not integrally with ESD and with ICT

● traditionally oriented (setting, assessment and instructional strategies)

Recommendations- a need to redesign and restructure the curriculum from traditionally

and content based to progressive and task based

● a shift from“instructivism” to developmentalism,”(Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C.

(2006).

● a need to integrate space,variety of assessment and instructional pedagogies to

make the learning more meaningful and to foster education for sustainable

development (ESD)

The emergence of global sustainability suggests that HE should be a catalyst for

sustainability progress in academic and practical innovation. ( Corcoran P.B et al 2010)

KTC is one such tertiary that embed its curriculum in the liberal education to meet this

changing trend in HE through its courses such as TESOL, ESL and with the outer island

TPD programs

Traditional to non-traditional students

★ Traditional student: students who enroll in tertiary schools straight after graduation from school.

★ Non traditional students: matured learners who re-enter the institution again for acquiring qualification;

diploma ( Eileen, 1997) For instance, KTC intake criteria considered graduate (50%) and matured

(50%)students.

What causes the transformation?

Globalization and Internalization ( Altbach et al 2009,pg 23)

Positive impact on ESL course

● Experienced, knowledgeable, resourceful with real life situations.

● Some understand the English language such as ex-seminarians and Primary school monitors.

Negative impact on the course

● Most have come with social, economic and academic complexities

● Hinder the learning

Recommendation

● The course need to be redesigned to be inquiry based

● Respected to be valued

Temaiti

Continued

ICT as a teaching tool ( Oliver, 2002 pg 1-7)

● one of the agents of changes

● effective means of educational practices in the 21st century

Impacts on what is learned ( ESL, TESOL, Content Based Area)

● competency and performance based curricula

● information literacy

Impacts on how students learn

● students centered, inclusive, knowledge construction is highly supported and

internet based

● The learning with ICT can happen any place and any time

However, ICT

● transform teaching and learning

● take teachers’ responsibilities/roles in future

● but makes the students learning easier

Recommendation

ICT should be continuously enhanced but didactic method and student centered

instruction should be maintained

Temaiti

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