Disadvantage of Rigid and Inflexible Curricula (Part 2)
Continued
from Part 1
In the first part of this commentary, we
examined the challenges of Nigeria’s curricula in relation to the goal of
engendering broad range learning and scholastic relevance / competencies for
the 21st Century. We also examined what challenges of the Nigerian
academic curricula faced; How has all these inadequacies contributed to the
situation affecting the Nigerian student, and prospective graduate; what proper
kind of curricula is required; How are other countries thinking and faring.
In this
concluding part, we would examine one of pillars supporting a list of the most
educated countries in their quest; how is STEM seen in other regions of the
world; What benefit is curricula supporting technology and engineering
education; and How can the problem rigid and inflexible curricula in Nigeria be
tackled.
The
crucial position throughout is this: Nigeria has to embrace a broad range and
stimulating regime of curricula at all tiers of its educational system in order
to promote and engender broad range learning and scholastic relevance /
competencies for the 21st Century.
One
of pillars supporting a list of the most educated countries in their quest to
remain relevant in the 21st Century them is the underpinning of a strong Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM) education policy and curriculum. STEM degrees
include the fields of Chemistry, Computer and Information Technology Science,
Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Social
Sciences, Physics, and STEM Education and Learning Research. STEM is typically
used in addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools from
kindergarten through college to improve the nation's competitiveness in
technology development. It has implications for workforce development, national
security concerns and immigration policy.
To stay globally
competitive, many nations are calling for increased studies in the fields of
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at all levels of education.
Teaching STEM in primary and secondary education can help students become
interested in STEM careers and build a nation’s STEM-educated workforce that can
be used to meet the demands of business and industry in a complex and
technology-driven economy. Furthermore, a STEM-educated workforce working with
other STEM professionals from around the world will be needed to solve many of
the global issues and problems the world face’s today (e.g., global warming,
air and water pollution, clean drinking water, and food security).
How is STEM seen in other regions of the
world?
Since
the Education for All conference was held in 1990 in Jomtien, Thailand, let us
take a peek at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to
which Thailand belongs. The effects of globalization can be seen around the
world, including in Thailand and the other the others in the ASEAN, a
geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries (i.e., Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Myanmar (Burma),
Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam) located in Southeast Asia.
As
the ASEAN Curriculum Sourcebook (2012) notes, "Education
must empower young people so that they can not only adapt and respond to their
fast-changing world, but also participate actively in shaping a better future
for themselves, their families and communities, and for the ASEAN region as a
whole"
(p. 11).
What benefit is curricula supporting technology and engineering education?
Again, we draw some insights from the above list of highly
educated countries. Firstly, all of them adhere to the ISTE Standards. The
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards set a standard
of excellence and best practices in learning, teaching and leading with
technology in education. The benefits of using the ISTE Standards include: 1)Improving
higher-order thinking skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking and
creativity; 2) Preparing students for their future in a competitive global job
market; 3) Designing student-centered, project-based and online learning
environments; 4) Guiding systemic change in our schools to create digital
places of learning; and 5) Inspiring digital age professional models for
working, collaborating and decision making. (See http://www.iste.org/standards)
Secondly,
one of the major philosophies of technology education in all these countries is
to teach student how to solve problems. Problem solving is an important
life-long skill that all students need to learn as it is often used daily
throughout one’s live. Problem solving involves the ability to find solutions
to problems using creativity, reasoning, and past experiences along with
available information. A "basic
problem solving approach"
consists of: 1) Knowing the Issues; 2) Considering
all Possible Factors; and 3) Finding a Solution.
The
problem solving approach often presents students with two different types of
problems, structured and ill-structured. Structured problems contain only one
right answer and typically can only be solved using one set approach. The more
popular approach used in technology education is to provide students with
ill-structured or open-ended problems that present problems that can be
correctly solved using multiple approaches.
In
technology education, many problem solving approaches and techniques are
presented. These approaches and techniques include: 1) Troubleshooting; 2) Research
& Development (R&D); 3) The Scientific Method – Scientific Inquiry; 4) The
Engineering Design Process; and 5) Invention and Innovation.
Ahead of most other countries in the
above bracket, however, the field of study known today as "Technology Education" historically began in the United States of America in
the late 1800s and it was first known "Manual Training." Manual Training quickly broadened
into "Manual Arts" and then at about the turn of the
century it again evolved into the field of "Industrial Arts." From the early 1900s until the mid
1980s, Industrial Arts (often referred to as "shop") was a very popular general
education programme that provided mostly young men with practical hands-on tool
skills and knowledge about industry and its impacts on society. In the
1980s, the field again evolved into Technology Education that focused learning
in the areas of communications technology, energy and power transportation,
construction technology and manufacturing technology. In the early 2000s, the
field again began to see education reform efforts showing the importance of
teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in our
schools. Because many technology education programs were already teaching
technology and engineering concepts and principles, they begin to change their
names to reflect this. Today many programs and organizations across the U.S.
that were formerly identified as "Technology Education" are
now known as Technology and Engineering Education. (See http://dpst-apply.ipst.ac.th/specialproject/images/IPST_Global/document/Implementing%20STEM%20in%20ASEAN%20%20-%20IPST%20May%207%202013%20-%20Final.pdf)
How can the problem rigid and inflexible
curricula in Nigeria be tackled?
In State
of Nigerian Secondary Education and the Need for Quality Sustenance, Gbenu (2012) concludes "It is important for Nigeria to
improve on her state of education which is far from what operates in the
developed countries and sustain the quality established for improvements in the
quality of human lives and the society generally. An education system that will
move the nation to the next advanced level should be adopted fully – basic and
general education, technical and vocational education – is acceptable going by
the successes recorded in developed countries. There is therefore the need to
increase public spending to the sector, encourage students’ capacity to learn
through adequate motivation, employment of qualified teachers to be in the right
proportion with the number of students, provide necessary tools which will
improve the quality of teaching, make education relevant to the needs of the
students and the society by providing the right curriculum and assessment
methods and employment of right managers to ensure quality."
In 2010, Sandra S. Rupert, the then
Director of the Arts Education Partnership in the US prepared a report titled Creativity, Innovation and Arts Learning:
Preparing All Students for Success in a Global Economy. She writes, "Improving our education system
to ignite students’ imagination, foster their creative drive, stimulate
innovative thinking and generate implementable new ideas is vital to the
long-term economic interests of our nation."
Now here is the
target for the best academic curricula for Nigeria. It should aim at improving
our education system to ignite students’ imagination, foster their creative
drive, and stimulate innovative thinking.
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