An historical and comparative study of schools television in Britain and Iran: analysing the production criteria for teaching mathematics in primary school as case study to examine how to enhance the quality of schools television in Iran

Abstract

The population growth in Iran over the last three decades has made it enormously difficult for the government to provide equality of educational opportunity. Accordingly, the government, in 2002, re-established a national education television network as one component of the solution to the problem of mass education. However, due to the scarcity of experience in the production and distribution of educational and Schools Television programming in Iran there is need to benefit from the practice of other cultures. This research explores the benefit of half a century of experience of schools broadcasting in Britain. In order to see whether or not the production criteria and models of British schools broadcasting might be useful to enhance the quality of Schools Television production in Iran, this research has employed a tripartite system of investigation. First, an extensive historical survey of the educational and school broadcasting provision in both Britain and Iran was conducted, in order to establish significant similarities and differences. Second, research was conducted into relevant pedagogical theories, cultural context, and aspects of the effectiveness of television as pedagogy to explore how learning from television takes place. Third, a comparative study was made of the production processes, values and textual strategies used by current Schools Television in Britain and in Iran. This was carried out through a case study on mathematics in primary schools in order to understand how to simplify abstract concepts in complicated areas, where ideas are difficult to illustrate. The results indicate that Schools Television in Britain benefits from the extensive educational backgrounds of programme makers, the work of education advisers, consultants, and close relations between broadcasters and educational authorities across the whole production process. However, the benefit of this history does not generally result in the direct use of any prescriptive pedagogical theory. The schools programmes of the BBC and Channel 4 use textual and televisual techniques that combine entertainment and learning materials in the style of mainstream channels, where the producers try to make the educational contents 'invisible', following the philosophy of 'learning through fun'. In contrast, Schools Television in Iran, through a long history of delivering a curriculum prescribed by the government, tends to be more rigidly influenced by the traditional, monotonic and lecturing styles of the formal classrooms. Therefore, Schools Television is being used generally as a 'container' for instructive content, delivered through 'talking head' sequences. In conclusion it is proposed that school broadcasting in Britain played a pioneering part in creating a democratic environment in the classroom, where the teaching process changed from a pyramidal into a more horizontal model. It is found that, as long as the educational system in Iran is following a teacher-centred,'banking' education policy, Schools Television cannot take full advantage of the medium. However, despite significant historical, cultural and political differences, Schools Television in Iran can learn lessons from Britain. This is not preserving a western cultural primacy but understanding and practicing whatever is best for the context of particular educational needs, social and cultural values