What trends are occurring on the international level and how might this impact preservice and practicing educators? Laura Friesen Issues in the Middle Years Julia Rheaume October 23, 2014
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Canadian students and teachers alike can benefit from global trends and perspectives. With the accessible flow of people, goods and information around the world there is an increasingly greater understanding of what is happening in education on the international level. This literature review will look at the trends and perspectives of many different countries including India, China, Singapore, England, Ireland, Turkey, and the United States; and many different subjects and issues such as teacher training, beliefs and practices; the use of technology in the classroom; differing countries practices and want for reform, and the effects of teaching abroad. These global perspectives can be used to better understand Alberta’s current curriculum and viewpoint on educational issues.
Each country strives to achieve the best education for their students, because students are
the doorway into a brighter future, and “The importance of the teacher training cannot be underestimated. The better a teacher is trained, the better he or she can educate tomorrow’s generation” (Mohanty, 2014, p. 35). It is a topdown system with the government dictating the curriculum, funds and school institutions. Administrators and principles then manage these resources and apply them to their schools; teachers are next in line as they attempt to shape students in order to create a bright future for their country. There is a lot of pressure on teachers to ‘get it right,’ and in some cases teachers do not have the proper education or even support that they need to facilitate growth in their students (ConcannonGibney & Murphy, 2012). A mindset is powerful in controlling actions, so it stands, in order for reform to occur the mindset of educators has to change. In England, educators are struggling with the inclusion of children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) (Armstrong, 2013). They have a deep rooted mindset that those children should be removed from the setting and are thus struggling
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with the new paradigm shifts. As one article suggested, “...initial teacher training and ongoing professional development should focus on enabling a positive, flexible attitude amongst teachers towards practice with children who have SEBD with particular emphasis upon an individual’s perception of personal professional selfefficacy” (Armstrong, 2013, Qtd., p. 737). In other words, preservice and inservice teachers need to be continually learning about differing students’ complications. As well as, these teachers need to be supported with classroom management strategies and differentiation techniques. This is not an easy task, and England is working hard to implement the concept of inclusion, but they are facing a number of difficulties including, but not limited to, long held beliefs and practices of teaching and learning. Educators in China are also having difficulty with implementing constructivist approaches due to, “a variety of contextual factors [that] are found to exert a strong influence on teachers’ beliefs, such as Confucian culture, curriculum reform, highstakes testing, and school environment. These factors interact to facilitate or constrain the development of teachers’ beliefs” (Zhang & Liu, 2013, p. 187). The article discussed how many Chinese teachers were willing to incorporate new strategies into their practices, but felt constrained due to factors such as lack of resources, inadequate training, overriding cultural norms and past governmental issues (Zhang & Liu, 2013). The research stated that middleaged Chinese teachers who had just started teaching when the curriculum reform occurred have adapted better than the veteran teachers. This being said, being able to prepare students for their exams is weighed as more valuable, so whether they put into practice constructivist or traditional methods of teaching it all falls back on their students readiness for their exam (Zhang & Liu, 2013), meaning that Chinese educators get stuck in a rut built by the government and culture. There are educators in Ireland who are faced with reform in
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the Language Arts curriculum. This reform is partly to support a constructivist approach, but Irish educators are finding that they are ill equipped to implement these approaches and are often held back because of the way they think students should be taught (ConcannonGibney & Murphy, 2012). Many teachers are in favor of reform and growth, but if they are not given proper instruction of how to implement current research based practice, then they might have little interest in pursuing, and will possibly even give up (ConcannonGibney & Murphy, 2012). This would be awful as teaching is a lifelong learning quest and creates stagnant teachers with no growth (Government of Alberta, 2014). In some countries having professional teachers may be challenging, as the thought may be ‘anyone can teach.’ One article, based from a study in India observed that professionally trained teachers had an, “...expertise in the subject matter, improvement of latest knowledge, interaction with the students, teaching method, source of information, confidence, maintenance of discipline and getting feedback from the students” (Mohanty, 2014, p. 35). Educators all around the world work with the resources and training that they are given, whether it is much or little, and with these resources they are induced to bring up the next generation that will be entrepreneurial, innovative and engaged thinkers (Government of Alberta, 2014).
In the last few decades’ information and communication technology (ICT) has surpassed
many boundaries and is often a part of every person’s everyday life. One article stated quite pointedly, “Children are ‘digital natives’ teachers are learning digital as a second language....Teachers in the 21st century need to learn the language of the new technology” (Landerholm & Chacko, 2013, Qtd., p. 4). Educators need to embrace technology as a tool to further learning and instruction (Khan, Hasan, & Clement, 2012); although, as much as teachers
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should be using technology in the classroom, the access to that technology and its benefits are not equal around the world. “...Computers and technology are prevalent throughout our society, [but] developing countries are far from reaping their benefits because of certain barriers” (Khan, Hasan, & Clement, 2012, Qtd., p. 62). In the case of Bangladesh much improvement has been made yet they are still one of the least developed in terms of ICT (Khan, Hasan, & Clement, 2012). The factors that hinder the use of technology include the lack of resources such as a power source. “Most of the rural areas in Bangladesh do not have electricity and...most of the cities of Bangladesh do not get electricity more than eight hours in a day due to lack of electric supply” (Khan, Hasan, & Clement, 2012, p. 68). This is a major problem, and plagues other countries as well, such as rural India. “At Jinka Public, ... there was not a consistent power source for a wifi network in the Jinka Village. [Whereas,] at Cedar Elementary, [United States] the participants had access to the Internet and used the Internet regularly” (Byker & Austin, 2014, p. 39). The contrast of resources such as internet access in developing countries compared to the developed are astounding. Financial support for technology in Bangladesh is also problematic. It has been found that, because of the corruption in the government, funds meant to go towards technology were allocated into different areas. This also shows that there is some ignorance to the benefits of technology in classrooms; therefore, funds are not given to support bringing technology into schools or equipping educators with technological knowledge, skills and attitudes (Khan, Hasan, & Clement, 2012). A reoccurring theme within the use of technology is the access of technology; the knowledge and skill towards classroom practices, and an attitude of whether it is useful or not. In China, the use of computers and internet varied across the board, as “...only about half of the interviewees, especially young teachers and those
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in the cities, often search the internet for teaching materials. The others either have no easy access to or no enthusiasm for using technology at all” (Zhang & Liu, 2013, p. 196). Again, educators need ready access and support to become literate concerning technology in the classroom. Students already know the need to be technologically aware as seen in a study comparing two rural schools one in East Texas, United States and the other in rural Karnataka, India. “All [students] either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: I will have more opportunities in the future because of my computer knowledge and skills....the students at both schools believed that their uses for computer technology would help prepare them for a future job or career” (Byker & Austin, 2014, pp.3536). Students’ awareness that technology is an integral part of all societies should awaken governments, school administration, educators and the public to the necessity education of and with technology.
With changes because of technology, communication and transportation, how could the
education system not change. “Globalization itself serves as an agent for obligatory education reform, favoring curricula supporting global interdependence” (Shoon & Chee, 2012, Qtd., p. 3). In Alberta educators are being taught to be constructive with studentcentered approaches (Government of Alberta, 2014). The idea that teachers aren’t an enforcer of knowledge rather a facilitator is a radical one, and one that is affecting many schools around the world including Singapore, China and Turkey. In Singapore, the article focused on gamebased learning in Social Studies through a game called ‘Statecraft X.’ Through this game students agreeably and voluntarily learned about governing a country. They learned, “the realities of governance, social policy, economic policy and foreign policy” (Shoon & Chee, 2012, p. 7). What is interesting, though, is that the students were loaned iPhones in order to conduct the research (Shoon & Chee,
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2012). China has also joined in the reform to a studentcentered and constructivist approach. This is not an easy change and it will take time to change the practices of teachers who are so embedded in their ways. On one hand, the teachers are inclined toward many constructivist ideas underpinning the curriculum innovation, such as collaborative learning and teacher–student interaction. They feel supportive of these ideas not only because of the requirement from policymakers and school authority, but also because of the intrinsic appeal of the constructivistoriented approach, which promises to help develop students’ communicative ability. On the other hand, the teachers also embrace such traditional beliefs and practices as teachercentered and textbookbased instruction, focus on grammar and language form, recitation and imitation, drill and practice, and teacher authority. Some of these traditional beliefs have long been valued in the Chinese educational culture (e.g. recitation and practice), but other beliefs are related to the constraints of the teaching reality, such as highstakes knowledgebased testing and limited resources (Zhang & Liu, 2013, p. 200). This shows the struggle that educators go through when such a massive shift in mindset is introduced. It is likely that the upandcoming teachers that are first and only taught constructivism and studentcenteredness will be molded into the new reform of education. Lastly, an article discusses how Turkey is implementing new curriculum in the subject area of mathematics and how textbooks should reflect the new curriculum. In Turkey there are roughly 16 million students from kindergarten to high school, and “textbooks are distributed free of charge to the students and the teachers by the Ministry of Education” (Bayazit, 2012, p. 654). This means there is a huge market with much competition. There are roughly several textbooks created every year, but these textbooks must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Education before they are put into public use. With such high standards it is no wonder that, “the study revealed the new textbooks present the concept in a holistic way” (Bayazit, 2012, p. 673). In other words, Bayazit says that textbooks are inline with a studentcentered and constructivist 7
approach, and used as a tool for learning. Internationally there is a trend of change, this change is not easy, but it is for the betterment of students learning, so it is persistent.
Information and ideas are not the only goods crossing borders, people of numerous race
and cultures are mixing as well. This being the case there is an argument and, “growing acceptance that higher education should include experiences abroad to more fully prepare students for employment in a global economy and to develop a global perspective and strategies that support multicultural collaboration” (Landerholm & Chacko, 2013, p. 2). Teaching abroad, according to this article, increases an educator’s ability to connect with diverse students, encourages empathy towards students who struggle with communicating, learn new strategies of teaching, and suspends narrowmindedness towards stereotypes. Teaching in another country and culture also highly encourages reflection. Reflection is already highly esteemed and supported. Research has shown that effective teachers are reflective, because it creates awareness to make well thought out conclusions (Landerholm & Chacko, 2013). Studentteachers that taught overseas in Taiwan said that through their experiences they learned and, “used varied strategies, materials, and aids, such as slowing down, acting, rephrasing, visual aids, and charades” (Lu & Soares, 2014, p. 64). They also said that it expanded their world view, and that by being a minority was a life changing experience (Lu & Soares, 2014). The world is changing and teachers need to be more equipped than ever before, and one of the best ways to become equipped is to experience teaching abroad. By teaching overseas, “...practicing teachers get to experience the cultural and linguistic difficulties themselves as a teacher and learner simultaneously” (Lu & Soares, 2014, p. 70). This in turn allows teachers to become increasingly understanding and empathetic towards students, making sure that they didn’t just teach the
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knowledge content, but also had a relationship with students and learned where they were coming from (Lu & Soares, 2014). Understanding and building relationships is paramount in reaching students, and a superb place to acquire these skills is abroad.
Educators cannot ignore the colossal shifts that are occurring in the world. Shifts in
educators beliefs and practices, in the increasing importance of technology, having students learning coming first, and the need to be culturally aware, but educators cannot change on their own they need the support and resources of administration and government.
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Landerholm, E., & Chacko, J. B. (2013, March 15). Student Teaching Abroad: An Experience for 21st Century Teachers. Student Teaching Abroad: An Experience for 21st Century Teachers, pp. 119. Retrieved September 2014 Lu, H.L., & Soares, L. (2014, February). US elementary preservice teachers’ experiences while teaching students in Taiwan. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 14(1), 5974. doi:10.14434/josotl.v14i1.4170 Ministry of Education. (2014). Every School a Good School. Retrieved from Ministry of Education Singapore: http://www.moe.gov.sg/initiatives/everyschoolgoodschool/ Mohanty, S. P. (2014, April). InService Training at Elementary School Level: Impact on Classroom Practices. Learning Community, 5(1), 3342. doi:10.5958/2231458X.2014.00468.0 Shoon, M. H., & Chee, Y. S. (2012). Redefining Public Policy Education through an Exploratory Digital Curriculum: Singapore's Statecraft X. Spain, Mandrid: IADIS. Retrieved September 2014 USA.gov. (2014). U.S. Department of Education. Retrieved from Ed. : http://www.ed.gov/teaching Zhang, F., & Liu, Y. (2013). A study of secondary school English teachers’ beliefs in the context of Curriculum Reform in China. Language Teaching Research, 18(2), 187204. doi:DOI: 10.1177/1362168813505940
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