Tuesday, November 26, 2013

PALAVER TREE COMMENTARY – Disadvantage of Rigid and Inflexible Curricula (Part 2)



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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