Paper presented at Vaka Pasifiki Conference held at the Tonga Convention Center, Nuku'alofa, September 25 2014

Koya, Cresantia F.

Lagi, Rosiana

Rafiq, Loriza Z.

University of the South Pacific Electronic Research Repository

9/10/2014 1 EDUCATION FOR THE FUTURE  PEDAGOGICAL APPROACHES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION FIJI CASE STUDY   Principle Researcher :  Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka’uta University of the South Pacific, Suva Fiji.     Research Team: Joeli Naleca,  Yogeshwar Krishna, Loriza Rafiq, Dinesh Naidu, Shaleshni Devi, Mereoni Motikiliu, Luisa Kamenio and Rosiana Lagi.    Presenters:  Loriza Rafiq,   Rosiana Lagi,  Cresantia F. Koya Vaka’uta   About Fiji  • 300+ islands • Population 837, 271 (2007)  • Fijian population: 56% iTaukei, 37% Indo-Fijian • 1874 Ceded to GB • 1970 Independence  • Political crisis 1987, 2000, 2006 to-date   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 2 Education in Fiji  • Education in the Colonies 1874 – 1970  • Education Commissions 1909, 1926, 1969, 2000  • 2005 Education Summit  • History of ‘content-full’, ‘examination-driven’ education system  • Five national examinations now abolished with one primary exit exam (yr 8) and two secondary exit exams (yr 12 and yr 13) • Fiji Education Sector Programme in partnership with AusAid  2003 – 2008  • Adoption of Outcomes-based Education (OBE)  • New Internal Assessment (IA)  • Introduction of Assessment of and for learning (AfL/AoL) • National Curriculum Framework, 1st Edition 2007, 2nd Edition 2013    Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 3 9/10/2014 2 Policy Context  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 4 Regional Policy  International Educational Instruments  MDGs, CRC, EFA, DESD, UNLD, Delors’ Report FBEAP, 2001 PEDF, 2009 – 2015  Pacific Plan, 2005 PESDF, 2006 Culture & Education Strategy, 2010 Regional Cultural Strategy, 2012   National  Policy  National Policy  Acts 1. Education Act, 1978 2. Examination Act, 1978 3.  Fiji Teachers Registration Promulgation Act, 2008  4. Volatile Substance & Abuse Act (draft) Policies 1. Policy on policies of the Ministry of Education  2. Professional Development  3. Study/Training Leave 4. National Management of HIV and AIDS at the Ministry of Education Fiji Schools 5. Customer Service  6. Drugs and Substance Abuse  7. Enterprise Education 8. External Exams and Assessment  9. FPSSIS Policy 10.Grants Distribution  11.National Sports Policy  12.OHS Policy 13.Behaviour Management in Schools  14. Policy on Child Protection 15. Community use of government school grounds 16. Early Childhood Education  17. Effective Implementation of Inclusive Education in Fiji 18. Establishment and Recognition of Registration of Schools 19. National Curriculum Assessment and Reporting 20. School Information Management System 21. School Excursions 22. School Zoning  23. Research Policy Resource Guides 1. A Guide to school planning  2. A guide to school review  3. A guide to self-assessment in standards monitoring in schools Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 5 Policy treatment of pedagogy  • FBEAP 2001: ‘teaching methods & learning styles’ (areas of concern p.5).  • PEDF 2009 – 2015: encourages ‘Pacific pedagogies’  • Fiji Policy on Professional Development 2011:   1. Requirement of 20 PD hours/yr. to qualify for renewal of licenses issues by Fiji Teachers’ Registration Board (FTRB) 2. PD needs to be mapped out at the school level and strategies to meeting these needs identified • Fiji Guide to School Planning 2013:  1. 2 – 3 year school plans mapping school needs 2. Classroom planning, student centered learning, individual lg. needs, evidence-based ‘best’ tg – lg practice.  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 6 9/10/2014 3  http://www.spc.int/prism/fjtest/Social/education.htm  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 7 Promising Developments  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 8 The NCF is designed as a contextual response to address this need. The NCF is designed to meet the learning needs of all children and students from pre-school to year 13. It provides direction to our curriculum for the future. A social constructivist approach which emphasizes the importance of culture and social context for cognitive development is advocated in our national curriculum (p14).     NCF Curriculum Principles  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 9 Social Constructivism   •Active learning •Learning as a social process •Students as agents of their own learning  Delors' Pillars of Education  •Learning to know •Learning to do •Learning to live together  •Learning to be  Cultural Influences  •Culturally democratic curriculum  •Culturally inclusive pedagogies •Learning about inclusiveness & diversity  9/10/2014 4 Research Aim & Objectives • Research Aim:  To undertake an assessment of the predominant pedagogical approaches adhered to in Fiji.   Research Objectives: • Identify and critically analyze diverse features of pedagogical approaches in Fiji and harness lessons learnt;  • Identify, based on evidence, examples of innovations within existing pedagogical approaches which can inform future educational practices in view of changing learning requirements;  • Formulate policy recommendations for the development of pedagogical approaches that respond to the changing learning requirements in Fiji,   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 10 Research Questions 1. What are the pedagogical approaches used in Fiji schools? 2. Do existing pedagogical approaches feature any innovative practices that are proven to be affective for learning? What are the practices and in what ways they are considered (in)effective? 3. What is the current understanding of the changing learning environment in Fiji? And, what are the features of future pedagocial approaches that respond to this changing learning environment?  4. What is the current policy treatment of quality education and the role of pedagogy within this understanding?  5. How can education policies, related to the improvement of quality education, be implemented both at the national and institutional levels?   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 11 Research Methodology  • Mixed-methods approach • Theoretical Paradigm: Interpretivism   • Underlying assumption: teachers’ prior knowledge (epistemology) and personal philosophies of teaching (philosophy) inform pedagogical practice (pedagogy) • Contextual understanding of tg. – lg. in the ‘world’ of the Fijian school/cl.rm.    Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 12 9/10/2014 5 Sample  MoE T TE Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 13 • 10 Ministry of Education Officials • 10 Teacher Educators  • 30 Primary School Teachers • 50 Secondary School Teachers  Methods                     Analysis  • Use of a research team (non-obtrusive sch.obs) • Document/Policy Analysis • Questionnaires (a) Teachers; (b) MoE; (c) TE’s • Classroom Observations • Talanoa  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 14 • Mixed-methods • Numeric data analyzed, coded, tabulated, graphically represented • Narrative data assessed using Hycner’s Explication Process (1999)  • Application for Research Permit • USP Human Research Ethics Guidelines • Research Team Prep. • Informed Consent   Ethics  Demographics  Education Officers/Policy Makers                              Teacher Educators  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 15 Age 40 – 49  2 50+ 4 Gender Male  3 Female  3 Designation Primary Education  1 Maths Education  1 Curriculum Policy & Planning 2 Health Promoting Schools  1 Teacher Registration  1 Number of years in this position  Less than a year 1 1 – 4 years 5 Highest level of education Bachelors Degree 1 Masters in Education 3 Master of Science  1 Master of Arts in Education  1 Masters  in Governance 1 Age 30 – 39  2 40 – 49  2 50+ 3 Gender Male  4 Female  3 Number of years as a teacher educator   1 – 4 years 4 9 – 12 years 1 13+ years 2 Highest level of education Masters in Education 4 PhD 3 9/10/2014 6             Primary Teachers                                                  Secondary Teachers   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 16 Age 25 – 29  8 30 - 39  32 40 – 49  8 50+ 2 Gender Male  15 Female  35 Designation  Classroom Teacher  34 Head of Department  13 VP/AP 3 Teaching experience 1 – 4 years 3 5 – 8  years 9 9 - 12 years 10 13+ years 28 Highest level of education Diploma in Teaching  12 Bachelors Degree  25 Postgraduate Diploma  10 Masters Degree 3 Age 25 – 29  2 30 - 39  12 40 – 49  6 50+   Gender Male  8 Female  12 Designation  Classroom Teacher  20 Head of Department    VP/AP   Teaching experience 1 – 4 years 3 5 – 8  years 4 9 - 12 years 3 13+ years 10 Highest level of education Certificate in Teaching  9 Diploma in Teaching  6 Bachelors Degree  3 Postgraduate Diploma  1 Masters Degree 1 Findings  • General belief that the NCF considers changing eduscapes  • Education for what?   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 18 Prevailing Pedagogical Approaches   MoE TE PT ST • Academic excellence • Improve pass-rates  • Citizenship  • Social cohesiveness • International competitiveness  • Citizenship • Social cohesiveness • Academic Excellence • Social cohesiveness • Citizenship • Academic excellence  • Academic excellence • Citizenship • Improved pass-rates  9/10/2014 7 Cont… 1. Mixed levels of awareness & understanding of policy 2. Teachers more aware of NCF & TE’s least knowledgeable  3. View that policy awareness, monitoring & implementation of policy is weak  4. Teachers’ express desire to be innovative  5. Major constraint 1: content-full syllabus (time limitation & rigid schedules) 6. Major constraint 2: new IA model (no. & freq.) 7. Pedagogical practice varies – dep. on sch. & context 8. Obs. shows that maj. of trs. apply balances tr-centered/st-centered approaches 9. Prioritization of group work, creative projects, alternative assessment 10. Value of +ve tr. – st. relations 11. Emphasis on constructivism 12. Belief that technology is useful & necessary but resource-empty schools 13. Pred. pedagogical app’s incl. values ed/rel. ed/ virtues ed, community service, arts, interest groups, sports, clubs and cultural activities  14. Lack of discussion about pedagogy in the teaching profession   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 19 Cont… Treatment of non-cognitive skills: 1. All participants emphasized a value for NCS - maj. ranking frm. imp to critical 2. 1/5 of trs believe NCS is inadequately treated in policy 3. 1/3 of all ppts. believe NCS are inadequately covered at schools 4. Integrated ‘across-the-curriculum’ approach is the pred. approach used  5. Subject inclusion: rel. ed, values ed, PE, Music, Arts and extra-curricular activities  Teacher preparedness: 1. 1/3 of ST believe TT did not adequately prepare them for the pedagogical realties of the Fiji cl.rm 2. All PT felt this way 3. Gender inclusive, culture inclusive and special & inclusive pedagogies are considered important  4. Desire for more training to teach NCS    Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 20 Innovative Practices Innovative pedagogy defined:  • Contextualized tg. – lg. • Self-directed lg.  • Critical/creative thinking • Continuous st. feedback • Evaluation & research • ICT & new media • Tr-centered + st. centered app’s   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 21 Classroom Practice:   • +ve relationships •  confidence • Preparedness • +ve cl.rm. environments • Variety of activities • Abilities directed lg. experiences • Dev. Of resources • +ver reinforcement  • ‘over’ friendly/laxity • Distracted by non-tg. Resp. • Large classes • Sm. Cl.rms • Lack of resources • Language  • Poor time management • Note taking • Lectures • Rote-learning   9/10/2014 8 Teachers’ Workloads Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 22 Number of Teaching Periods (classes) per week  Average Class Size  Extra-Curricular Activities    Cont… Examples of innovative practice through the Arts:  1. Tadra Kahani – annual national perf. Festival 2. Kula Film Festival  3. Voices of Change – music festival 4. Suva Primary School Teachers’ Arts Association  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 23 Cont… Teacher pressures cited as limitations to innovative/creative pedagogical practice:  1. Syllabus  2. Assessment  3. Sch. expectations 4. Parent expectations 5. St. expectations 6. No-child left behind ideology 7. Lack of resources, technology, finance, textbooks and space 8. No incentive for trs. 9. Trs. Resistance to change  10. Parental support    Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 24 9/10/2014 9 Features of a 21st Century responsive pedagogical approach  Education for what post-2015? Higher education + employment  1. Need for holistic development of child/st. 2. Value for both CS and NCS – current gaps btw.  3. Inline wt. 2006 study 4. Decentralize curriculum decision-making 5. Reduce content – emphasize process 6. Futures-thinking education is critical  7. Content & process complementary  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 25 What should futures-education in Fiji look like? Personal Attributes as lg. outcomes   Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 26 Cont… Values, Skills and Competencies  Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 27 9/10/2014 10 Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 28 Figure 7c. Dimensions of futures-education in Fiji        Personal Socio-cultural Political EconomicEnvironmentalTechnological Ethics   Spirituality  Appropriate behaviour  Life-long learning Responsibility  Value for life  Self-motivation Wisdom  Self-discipline/restraint  Enthusiasm Commitment    Leadership Perseverance  Integrity Love  Resourcefulness   Humility  Critical thinking Creativity Application skills Reflective thinking Communication skills    Organization skills Decision-making Self- management Innovation Engaged thinker Proactive  Problem-solving   Tolerance Compassion Inclusivity  Awareness and respect for diversity  Respect and value for IKS Community service  Cross/Multi-cultural understanding Ability to resolve conflicts   Respect and value for the law  Political participation  Ethical Citizenship Civic responsibility   Respect for the environment  Financial literacy  Entrepreneurship   Media literacy ICT literacy  Collaboration  Respect  Empathy Teamwork Dimensions of Futures-education in Fiji  Recommendations  1. Increased involvement of trs in policy review & planning 2. Policy awareness & training on implementation  3. Need for further research 4. Education Summit – cross/multi-sectoral consultation  5. Improved T.Ed and TT 6. Ongoing PD opportunities  7. Resources, space & technology  8. Tr. Workloads & incentives 9. Review of IA 10. Reduction of content     Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 29 Towards Sustainable futures-thinking education … Vaka Pasifiki Conference 2014 30 

Education for the Future - UNESCO Study: Case Study Fiji

http://repository.usp.ac.fj/7659/1/Koya_CF_Rafiq_L_Lagi_R_2014_Education_for_the_Future_in_Fiji_Unesco_Study.pdf

Education for the Future - UNESCO Study: Case Study Fiji

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