Zhanar Abdildina, Cristina Rimini

October 2014

Comparability of Integrated educational programme with internationally recognized educational programmes

The changing world context

“The world is rapidly becoming a different place, with globalisation and modernisation imposing huge challenges to individuals and societies. Schools need to prepare students to live and work in a world in which most people will need to collaborate with people of diverse cultural origins, and appreciate different ideas, perspectives and values; a world in which people need to decide how to trust and collaborate across such differences, often bridging space and time through technology; and a world in which their lives will be affected by issues that transcend national boundaries.”

Andreas Schleicher OECD (2014)

International surveys

• PISA, PIRLS, TIMSS• Information about international performances can

facilitate dissemination of ideas on which features of education systems lead to the best performances

• Can be used to help drive up education standards everywhere

Changing education paradigm[adapted from David Hargreaves (2006)]

19th / 20th century assumptions 21st century assumptions

Intelligence is perceived as unitary, fixed and innate

Intelligence is understood as multi-faceted, plastic and [to a certain extent] learnable

Learning is the acquisition of subject content. Students are consumers of knowledge

Students are producers, not just consumers of knowledge. Learning focus on application of knowledge

Curriculum focuses on content coverage and behavioural objectives

Curriculum focuses on processes of learning to learn, metacognition and skills development

Information and knowledge focus Information literacy. Learning to handle information is the focus

Education is limited to the school and for fixed periods

Education is lifelong and unconstrained in time and place

‘Only knowledge and education give a person strength and can be a great tool in the fight for education and people’s welfare, only education can lead Kazakh people to the path of freedom and moral perfection’

Shokan Ualikhanov

‘Education is valuable only when it impacts positively on pupils’

Magzhan Zhumabayev

Topicality/actuality of renewing the content of education

When analyzing education content in the early XX century, prominent Kazakh educator Zh.Aymauytov at that time has already noted the drawbacks of the old curriculum: A) It obstructed child’s mind with various unnecessary and useless knowledge; B) The school did not teach modern life, daily matters, and politics. It didn’t teach children of the things they saw every day and what was of interest to them. Instead, it forced them to memorize the past, history, and distant countries and places, setting apart with the modern times.  B) It accustomed learners to be indecisive and coward, preventing them from independent search for knowledge and creativeness.   D) Subjects were not related to each other, they differed in writing, and something even contradicted to each other.

Topicality/actuality of renewing the content of education

Renewing education practices“I am convinced that the prosperous future of our homeland lies among developed countries. Achieving this ambition will unite the people of Kazakhstan forever. Today, I want to present our plan for joining the 30 most developed countries of the world…all developed countries have a unique high-quality education system. We have a great deal of work to do to improve the quality of all parts of national education. High school graduates should speak Kazakh, Russian and English. The result of teaching should be mastery of critical thinking skills, independent research and in-depth analysis of information.”

N.A.Nazarbayevwww.strategy2050.kz

Way forward

• Not policy borrowing but integrating the national and international best practice

• Outcome oriented on needs of future generation of young people

• Meeting international standards for meeting the challenges and opportunities of globalisation and modernisation

Conceptual approaches for NIS curriculum

Constructivist approach to learning:• learners develop understanding of new knowledge

and concepts as they interact with prior knowledge• leads to deep learning which supports the

application of knowledge, critical thinking and reflection

• leads to greater progress in learning compared with ‘traditional’ knowledge transmission approaches (Hattie 2011)

Spiral curriculum

“We begin with the hypothesis that any subject can be taught effectively in some intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development…” (Bruner, 1960:33)

“A curriculum as it develops should revisit these basic ideas repeatedly, building upon them until the student has grasped the full formal apparatus that goes with them.” (ibid:13)

Spiral curriculum

Key features• Learner revisits a topic, theme or subject several times

throughout their school career• Complexity of the topic or theme increases with each revisit• New learning has a relationship with old learning and is put

in context with the old informationBenefits• Information reinforced and solidified each time it is

revisited• Allows logical progression from simpler to more

complicated ideas• Learners encouraged to apply the early knowledge to later

learning objectives

Active approach

The functions of active approach:• teach students to acquire knowledge (learn to

learn)• teach students to work and earn money (learning

to do)• teach students to live (learning to be)• teach students to live together (learning to living

together)Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century LEARNING: THE TREASURE WITHIN, chaired by Jacques Delors

Balancing content

‘…Curricular materials in high-performing nations focus on fewer topics, but also communicate the expectation that those topics will be taught in a deeper, more profound way...’ (Schmidt W & Prawat R 2006)

Curriculum is not overloaded with excessive detalisation and abstract teoretisation.

Parity of knowledge and skills• Not just ‘knowing that…’ but ‘knowing

how…’ and ‘being able to…’• Learners able to draw on resources to deal

with new problems and different contexts• Developing skills and using skills to improve

learning

Knowledge Skills

Skills in curricula internationally

Singapore Hong Kong

Character development Communication skills

Self management skills Critical thinking

Social and cooperative skills Creativity

Literacy and numeracy Information technology skills

Communication skills Numeracy

Information skills Problem solving skills

Thinking skills and creativity Self-management skills

Knowledge application skills Study skills

Skills set alongside subject areas of learning

Skills in the NIS curriculum

• Critical thinking• Ability to creatively apply knowledge• Ability to solve problems and make

decisions• Research skills• Communication skills• Ability to work in groups and individually• ICT skills

Curriculum coherence

• ‘Curriculum coherence’:“a system is regarded as ‘coherent’ when the national curriculum content, textbooks, teaching content, pedagogy, assessment and drivers and incentives all are aligned and reinforce one another” Oates (2014)

• ‘Curriculum coherence’ as a fundamental policy aim• All elements in a system should ‘line up’• Content of curriculum frameworks, textbooks etc.

should be arranged into an evidence-based age-related hierarchy

18

External summative assessment

Assessment of knowledge

Assessment of application

Analysis and synthesis assess

International comparability

• Curriculum development process– Informing approach– Informing content

• Assessment development process– Ensuring standards– Aiming for equivalency

Comparability study methodology

CURRICULUM• Mapping of learning objectives to identify areas of

commonality and differences• Questionnaire focusing on overall aims and content of

programme of study

ASSESSMENT• Cognitive demands of the question papers analysed,

based on tool developed by Cambridge Assessment Research Division

Comparability study conclusion

“The main conclusion is that, although there are many differences of emphasis in the construction of the two, the academic level of both programmes is comparable…it is clear that learners completing either course will achieve an equivalent level of skill and understanding.”(Report on comparability of NIS G11 and 12 examinations for 2013)

Feedback from NIS students

“The new curriculum enables to use the knowledge on practice”***

“Language is a tool of communication, getting new useful information and broadening my mind, that is why when I study a new language and improve my language skills, I develop my individuality/character because I can find out something new through one of the three

languages”***

“The programme enables to study independently”***

“This curriculum allows learners to look for the information on constant basis, which makes you deepen the knowledge you get and cover every topic fully”

***”When studying through the traditional programme we used to learn the rules by heart,

whereas the Integrated Educational Programme helps us to learn everything on practice”***

”We have the possibility to choose the subjects in High School”***

“I have developed a strong ‘immunity’ to different changes and innovations”

Feedback from NIS teachers

“This program enables learners to develop their independent learning skills and analytical skills, to defend their perspectives, to work in a team, to apply

their knowledge in life and to develop their language and communication skills“

***”It makes the learners broaden their mind and think critically”

***“It allows teachers to use their creativity

In lesson planning”

Referenceswww.strategy2050.kz

. АймауытовЖ « », 1929Методы комплексной системы преподаванияReport on the comparability of NIS high school programmes and Cambridge International A levelsReport on the comparability of NIS G11 and G12 exams, 2013Report to UNESCO of the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century LEARNING: THE TREASURE WITHIN, chaired by Jacques DelorsBruner, J. (1960) The process of education. Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press.Claxton, G. (1990) Teaching to learn: a direction for teaching. London: Cassell Education.Gipps, C. (1994) Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of Educational Assessment. London: Falmer Press.Griffin, P. Blinkley M. Erstad, O. Herman, J Raizen, S. et al. (2012). Assessment and teaching of twenty-first century skills. Springer science and business media.Hattie, J. (2011) Visible Learning for Teachers: Maximizing Impact on Learning. London: Routledge.James, M. (2007) in Improving Learning How to Learn. Classroom, schools and networks. Improving learning series. Abingdon: Routledge.Milovanovitch, M. (2014) Reviews of National Policies for Education: Secondary Education in Kazakhstan. OECDOates, T. (2010) Could do better: Using international comparisons to refine the national curriculum in England. Cambridge: Cambridge AssessmentSchleicher, A. (Ed.) (2012) Retrieved from http://oecdeducationtoday.blogspot.fr/2014/04/educating-for-twenty-first-century.html Schmidt W & Prawat R 2006 Curriculum coherence and national control of education: issue or non-issue? Journal of Curriculum Studies vol38 no6 pp641-658