How Teaching Practice is Different From an Internship | Develop Guideline to Optimize the Benefits of Teaching Practice | Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

QUESTION

How teaching practice is different from an internship? Develop guidelines to optimize the benefits of teaching practice.

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

Understanding the difference between a practicum and an internship can better prepare students for the curriculum demands of their degree programs. Essentially, educational practicums and internships are supervised on-site work experiences that allow students to practice and demonstrate their developing skills and competencies in their chosen careers. While these experiences bear some similarities in design, their purpose and scope are quite different.

 

THE PRACTICUM EXPERIENCE

Practicums are field experiences that allow a student to observe and document how working professionals perform their job responsibilities. Students will also participate to a limited extent in performing tasks under supervision by program professors and on-site staff. Concurrently, students enroll in a course that outlines the expectations and requirements of the practicum.

The expectations associated with a practicum vary according to the career. For example, a practicum in teaching may require assisting the teacher with implementing small group instruction, whereas a practicum in nursing may entail recording vital signs for one or two patients under supervision. General characteristics of practicums include:

·         Shadowing one or more assigned employees who will guide the on-site experience.

·         Observing and correlating practices in the field with theories and methods previously

·         studied.

·         Recording data or assisting with tasks as directed by on-site personnel.

·         Completing practicum course assignments.

Participation at the practicum site is typically two or three times per week for a few hours per session. No remuneration is expected for a practicum, but it does qualify for academic credit.

THE INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE

As compared to practicums, internships take on the characteristics of a real job focusing on the independent application of skills and knowledge in the workplace setting. Students are placed with on-site professionals who manage their workload and oversee their performance much as an administrator in an actual employment setting would. Additionally, program instructors visit the student two to three times during the internship to evaluate their progress and performance.

A major difference between a practicum and an internship involves the degree of expected involvement of the student with hands-on work. The expansion of task expectations can be demonstrated using the previous examples from the education and medical fields.

Compared to a practicum student, student teaching interns would not only assist with lesson planning but collaborate with their supervising teachers to create and instruct whole-group lessons independently. In a similar fashion, nursing interns would go beyond mere charting of vital signs. They would be expected to understand and independently perform evaluation procedures on multiple patients, then accurately record their results and consult with their nursing supervisor about them. Internships are usually considered to be full-time experiences, following the work schedule of the assigned placement. They also receive academic credit, and in some cases, may provide a stipend for services rendered.

As an avenue for preparing graduates for careers, academic practicum and internship experiences are valuable tools for learning. They not only afford students opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and practice their skills in real-world settings but prepare students for the realities of the workplace. By understanding the differences between a practicum and an internship, students have the advantage of being better prepared to navigate the curriculum of the degree programs they are pursuing. Guideline to optimize the benefits of teaching practice:

Through the decisions they make, excellent teachers translate the DAP framework into high-quality experiences for children. Such teaching is described in NAEYC’s position statement on Developmentally Appropriate Practice, pages 16-23: "Guidelines for Developmentally Appropriate Practice." These guidelines address five key aspects of the teacher's role:

·         Creating a caring community of learners

·         Teaching to enhance development and learning

·         Planning curriculum to achieve important goals

·         Assessing children's development and learning

·         Establishing reciprocal relationships with families

Let’s think of these guidelines as five points on a star—a “mariner’s star” to guide our journey to help children learn best. Each point of the star is a vital part of good practice in early care and education. None can be left out or shortchanged without seriously weakening the whole.

Purposes and Significance of Teaching Practice in the Teacher Education Curriculum | Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

Question

Explain the purposes and significance of teaching practice in the teacher education curriculum.

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

Teaching practice is an essential component of becoming a teacher. It grants student teachers experience in the actual teaching and learning environment (Ngidi & Sibaya, 2003:18; Marais & Meier, 2004:220; Perry, 2004:2). During teaching practice, a student teacher is given the opportunity to try the art of teaching before actually getting into the real world of the teaching profession (Kasanda, 1995). Student teachers also know the value of teaching practice. As remarked by Mentor (1989:461), they perceive it as 'the crux of their preparation for the teaching profession' since it provides for the 'real interface' between student hood and membership of the profession. As a result, teaching practice creates a mixture of anticipation, anxiety, excitement, and apprehension in the student teachers as they commence their teaching practice (Manion, Keith, Morrison & Cohen, 2003; Perry, 2004:4).

 

Marais & Meier (2004:221) assert that the term teaching practice represents the range of experiences to which student teachers are exposed when they work in classrooms and schools. Marais and Meier (2004:221) further argue that teaching practice is a challenging but important part of teacher training, especially in developing countries such as South Africa, where the effectiveness of the teaching practice can be diminished or eroded by a range of challenges, such as geographical distance, low and uneven levels of teacher expertise, a wide-ranging lack of resources as well as a lack of discipline among a wide cross-section of learners and educators.

 

These challenges, if not addressed, may affect student teachers' performance during teaching practice and may in the long run affect their perception of the teaching profession (Quick & Sieborger, 2005). mentor (1989:460) notes that there has been a shift in the literature from the concept of teaching practice (associated with an apprenticeship model) to the concept of field/school experience (associated with an experiential model). Lave & Wenger (1991) point out that however way it may be envisaged, the notion of teaching practice is entrenched in experience-based learning initiated by Dewey (1938), Vygotsky's (1978) social cognitive theory, and founded in the premise of situated learning. Consequently as suggested by the South African Norms & Standards for Educators (Republic of South Africa, 2000:12),

 

teaching practice is meant to provide an authentic context within which student teachers are exposed to experience the complexities and richness of the reality of being a teacher. This process allows the student teacher an opportunity to establish whether the right career choice has been made or not. However, despite its importance, Killen & Steyn (2001) note that teaching practice sometimes becomes a demoralizing and sometimes very frightening experience.

 

Several studies have been conducted on student teachers' experiences and anxieties during teaching practice (Ngidi & Sibaya, 2003; Marais & Meier, 2004)to mention but two. However, a review of the literature indicates that there are limited studies that have been conducted regarding ways in which students' experiences during teaching practice influence their perception of and attitudes towards the teaching profession The study examined the experiences of Vaal University of Technology (VUT) Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) student teachers during their teaching practice in the Vaal Triangle. The study was prompted by a class discussion where students were requested to give reasons for choosing the teaching profession.

 

 The majority of the students in that class indicated that they were doing the course by default. The students saw it as a stopgap while they waited for better career opportunities in other fields. Most of the students were from other countries and had been offered government bursaries to enroll for the PGCE program. These students enrolled because they had no alternative since they were not able to get jobs after their undergraduate qualification and because there was funding available for them to do the PGCE course. The majority of student teachers indicated that they had no intention of teaching after the course. During the year, some students main- tained the same attitude while others felt that teaching was "not such a bad thing after all".

 

All students continued with the course until the time they had had to go for teaching practice. While curriculum specialists, administrators, and outside educational companies spend countless hours developing curriculum, it is the teachers who know best what the curriculum should look like. After all, they work directly with the students meant to benefit from the curriculum. In order to create a strong curriculum, teachers must play an integral role in every step of the process.

Structure of Teaching Education in Pakistan | 18th Amendment on Teacher Education Program | Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

QUESTION

Elaborate the structure of teaching education in Pakistan. Also critically analyze the affects of 18th amendment on teacher education program?

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

Primary School Teachers

Teacher training at the post secondary level takes place in Regional Institutes of Teacher Education (RITE), and at the Allama Iqbal Open University Islamabad for a one-year program known as the Primary Teaching Certificate. In addition, prospective teachers are also prepared at the private sector institutions affiliated or enlisted with universities of public orprivate sector.

Secondary School Teachers

Government training institutes of education and different affiliated colleges in private sector train teachers for the secondary school level. They are awarded a Certificate of Teaching CT) for one year study after passing the examination of Higher Secondary SchoolCertificate.

Teacher Education at Universities

The prospective teachers aspiring to teach at the higher secondary school level study for one year at the Education Colleges for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degree, after two- year bachelor’s of Arts or Science (BA/BSc) education. Teachers possessing B.Ed degree are eligible to teach at the Secondary school level. Masters of Education (M.Ed) is a one year university education after completion of B.Ed.

Policy Priorities for Teacher Education

All the National Education Policies of Pakistan have accorded great importance to teacher  education. The 1959 Commission on National Education stressed upon the necessity of adequate pre service teacher education gave recommendations about functions of teachers in a university and about selection and promotion of teachers. The Education Policy 1972-80 estimated the teacher producing capacity of then existing 12 teacher training colleges and 55 teacher education institutions in Pakistan, to be four thousand which was much less than the estimated demand of three hundred thousand additionally required teachers.

 It recommended the introduction of Education subject at Secondary, Higher Secondary and Degree level and students qualifying these subjects were suggested to be taken as primary, middle and high level teachers. Relaxation of training requirements for women teachers in special cases was recommended in order to increase the number of women teachers. An academy for teachers’ and educational Administrators’ training was recommended to be set up. The outdated nature of the teacher training courses was admitted, and their revision was recommended, along with this preparation of model standard textbooks for teacher trainees were advised.

The National Education Policy 1979 had vividly valued the significant role of teachers in thePrimary Teacher Training Institutions were planned to be upgraded to Colleges of Elementary Education. An Academy of Higher Education was approved to be established to provide in-service and pre-service training to the College and University teachers. Another Academy for Educational Planning and Management was also established to provide opportunities of training to administrators and supervisors working at different levels of the educational system. This National Education Policy envisaged that every teacher would be expected to undergo one in-service course during five-year cycle of his/her service.

A system of National Awards for best teachers was planned to be instituted. Every year ten teachers of various levels and categories were planned to receive these awards from the President of Pakistan at national level. Similar awards were planned to be given to selected teachers by the respective provincial governors.

The Sixth five Year Plan (1983-88), earmarked sixty million rupees for the teacher education programs to establish additional primary and secondary teacher training institutes and to enhance the training capacity of the existing primary and secondary teacher training institutions, and departments of Education at the Universities. This plan was unique in the sense that it allocated special funds categorically for the teacher education programs. Prior to this the trend of blanket approval was in practice and the badly needed requisite improvement in the standard of teachers could not be facilitated.

The incremental allocation, as given in the following table reflected the increased importance accorded to teacher education.

 18th amendment on teacher education program:

THE 18th Amendment to the constitution of Pakistan is an important step forward for the parliamentary system in the country. It promises more autonomy to the provinces — a popular demand put forward by a number of political parties. Apart from the political restructuring it mandates, the amendment also holds some major implications for the country's system of education. Through it a new article, 25A, has been inserted into the constitution that reads: “Right to education: The state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years in such manner as effective implementation of the education policies. It was asserted that teacher is the pivot of the entire educational system. In order to promote pre-service teacher education, all themay be determined by law.” This is an important undertaking by the state since education, in contemporary times, is considered an important tool for enhancing one's chances for socioeconomic development.

In Pakistan, a large number of students do not have access to schools or drop out before they reach the fifth grade. A major reason behind the high dropout rate is poverty, and as a result a large number of children remain illiterate and cannot become part of the literate human resource group which is vital for the development of a country. An effective implementation of this article of the constitution would without doubt pave the way for enriching the national human capital.

Another major implication of the 18th Amendment for education is that the curriculum, syllabus, planning, policy, centres of excellence and standards of education will fall under the purview of the provinces. This is a big step forward for education.The 18th Amendment, passed unanimously by parliament, was the result of a rare consensus between all the major political parties. After becoming a part of the constitution, however, some strong voices of dissent were raised by different quarters, including the Ministry of Education. A campaign has been initiated to spread the idea that the provinces are not ready to take up the massive challenge of dealing with the provision of education. This claim is made on the assumption that the provinces do not have the capacity or the financial resources to cope with the huge challenge in front of them.

It has been argued that the contents of the curricula should remain with the federation since the provinces could take liberties which may result in putting the unity and ideology of the country at risk. Critics have asked how standards would be maintained across the provinces and how quality would be assured. And what if all the provinces introduced regional languages in schools? Would this weaken the federation?

Looking at the above points, one can understand the federation's concern regarding the future of education once it becomes a provincial responsibility. However, this concern seems to emanate primarily from a lack of trust in the capacity and ability of the provinces It is interesting to note, though, that the provinces are already providing for school and college education and they do have the capacity (in terms of intellectual resources) to handle the job. As far as funds are concerned, the provinces have been funding education from their budgets. The federation would give partial grants to the universities only.

The Incentives That May Motivate The Teachers for In-Service Training| Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

QUESTION

Enlist the incentives that may motivate the teachers for in-service training.

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

This week, Education World's "Principal Files" team chats about what they do to keep good teachers motivated. What special things do they do to inspire teachers to keep learning and improving their skills? What do they do to keep up staff morale and make their schools fun places to work? Our principal team shares their best ideas for encouraging teachers to keep on plugging.

Given the state of school budgets, it is extremely difficult for most principals to do substantial things to motivate and inspire teachers. But sometimes little things can make an even bigger difference! That's why Education World recently asked our Principal Files principals to share with us some of their best ideas for keeping teachers motivated. As usual, our principals responded with dozens of practical ideas.

This month's P-Files question reminded principal Les Potter about Robert Greenleaf, author of Servant Leadership. Greenleaf's idea is that "administrators need to serve the worker, explained Potter. "At our school, we try to do that. We work hard at making things less difficult and complicated. We try to cut down the amount of paperwork our faculty must do, limit the number of staff meetings, streamline procedures..."

Administrators at Potter's school try to show teachers every day that they care in many ways. "We have an open-door policy, they see us picking up trash and cleaning cafeteria tables, we arrive on campus before they do and we are here when they leave, and we do not have designated parking or other perks sometimes associated with management," Potter said.

"Administrators always have to put aside their own issues and do what is best for students and staff in a caring and sensitive way. We try not to say no to teachers, and we always treat them as adults." Principal Tony Pallija agrees. He and the rest of his administrative team try to do lots of special things for the entire staff -- from special little gifts to Cookie Day. "We try to pretend we are at IBM -- we treat everyone as a professional and we celebrate whenever we can," said Pallija. "The material things are nice, but I have a motto that I try to live by each day:

My job as principal is to make the teacher's job easier, better, so they can teach and students can learn." "Developing a positive school climate is critical to an effective school," added Les Potter. "Morale is a very tentative issue. You can do 99 things right and make one mistake that will shoot morale forever."

RECOGNIZING THOSE WHO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND!

All teachers yearn for reassurance that they are doing a good job. Most principals recognize teachers' efforts by offering positive feedback -- both publicly and privately. Weekly memos or e-mails, and regular staff meetings, are the perfect forums for recognizing special contributions that teachers or other staff members make. spotlighting efforts teachers make to develop projects that involve students across grade levels or with other schools. Castle hopes those special recognitions encourage others to consider projects that extend learning outside the walls of individual classrooms.

"With all teachers have to do, motivation is the key to keeping them focused and feeling worthy," principal Larry Davis told Education World. Davis reports that at each month's staff meeting at his school two teachers are awarded the "Golden Apple" for their above-and-beyond efforts. The neat thing about the Golden Apple is that the teachers select its recipients! Each of the winners of this month's Golden Apples is responsible for passing on the award to another worthy teacher at next month's meeting.

Many principals try to leave a little extra money in the budget to recognize outstanding efforts with small personal gifts such as prepaid phone cards or store gift certificates. Recently, one principal gave a phone card to a teacher who stepped in without being asked (because the principal was out of the building) and took over an after-school program for a teacher who was stuck in a dentist's chair while having a tooth pulled.

 

Nature, Scope, and Significance of In-Service Training Teacher Education |Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

QUESTION

Describe the nature, scope, and significance of in-service training teacher education.

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

Teachers’ professional education is viewed as one of the most important factors in improving students’ learning. Keeping this in view many developed and less developed countries pay significant attention to improving the practices of teacher education. In order to develop capable teachers, they make conscious efforts to establish and maintain quality teacher education institutions. The history of teacher education in Pakistan starts with the establishment of the country.

However, this area has been facing various challenges such as lack of consistent policy, inconsistency in curriculum, low resources, lack of quality teachers, low quality of teaching process, lack of standard, etc. Today, a range of public and private institutions are engaged in preparing school teachers. In Pakistan, like many other countries, public institutions are the main source for developing teachers through pre-service and in-service programs. However, many studies have raised the question of the quality of the delivery mechanism of the institutions while forwarding recommendations for improvement.

Historically, different reforms have been brought to improve the condition of teacher education in the country. Currently, teacher education in Pakistan is passing through a transition as innovation has been initiated by the Government of Pakistan with the support of USAID through their Pre-Service Teachers Education Programme (STEP) project. This reform is attempted in order to improve the quality of teacher education by including different innovations.

In this regard, a new curriculum has been developed for pre-service programs such as a two-year Associate Degree in Education (ADE) and a four-year BEd (Hons). An effort has been made to design the curriculum keeping in view the modern educational principle along with contextual relevancy. These programs are gradually replacing the previous pre-service and in-service programs such as Primary Teacher Certificate (PTC), Certificate in Teaching (CT), and the one-year BEd program. In addition, an effort is being made for the accreditation and standardization of teacher training institutions through this initiative.

The ADE and BEd program has been initiated in some colleges and will be gradually implemented in remaining colleges throughout the country in the coming years. In addition, to attract the best mind to the teaching profession a stipend is also offered to student-teachers for providing them financial support.

The significance of such educational innovation cannot be overlooked for the improvement of teacher education in the country. However, there are areas that need serious consideration for the effectiveness and sustainability of the new reform initiatives. Firstly, the newly developed curriculum is based on modern educational principles.

Teachers are provided a course outline with the expectation that they will explore the teaching-learning material for classroom instructions. However, it was observed that some of the teachers are struggling with identifying teaching resources due to the unavailability of reference books and lack of Internet facilities in their colleges/institutions. This situation may affect the teaching-learning process of the ADE courses. Hence there is a need to provide reference books and Internet facilities to the faculty members in order to make the teaching-learning process smooth.

Second, the Internet is considered one of the important sources for identifying teaching-learning material. However, it was observed that some of the faculty members are not literate in computers and the Internet. So they are facing challenges in accessing the teaching18 learning resources that are available on the Internet or in a soft version. Therefore, the faculty members of colleges need to be helped in acquiring workable computer and Internet skills.

Third, the new curriculum demands new teaching strategies such as collaborative, inquiry, and activity-based teaching approaches. However, a majority of the faculty in the teacher institutions are not oriented with the teaching strategies demanded by the ADE and Bed programmer. Therefore, the professional development of the faculty at teacher training institutions should be given priority along with curriculum development.

Furthermore, there is a sense of uncertainty about the sustainability of the new initiatives after the completion of the Pre-STEP project. Many educational initiatives in the past died away with the closure of the projects. Therefore there is a dire need to develop a clear road map for the continuity and sustainability of reforms.

 

Problems of Government School Teachers | Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU |

QUESTION

Discuss the problems of teacher educators and also give suggestions to overcome these problems

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

Problems of government school teachers in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

1. Financial problems 

Due to receiving less financial support, the sector of education has remained the most underpaid and poor in performance. This fact has rendered the education sector as the most unattractive profession in the country. The teacher community, being the most finically poor in society, often looks for other sources of earning such as going abroad for working and running their own businesses at the cost of their professional integrity (Zafar, 2003). In this regard, teachers are less motivated and take the least interest in their school duties. In many cases, teachers get salaries without attending the schools because of their businesses. This has retarded the process of quality teaching and learning in schools.

2. Political interference 

The education system of Pakistan is highly politicized. In the majority of cases, teachers are inducted on the basis of their political affiliations rather than on merit, they often serve as political workers instead of performing their professional duties. Similarly, due to political involvement in the education sector, the established procedure of appointment is often violated. These politically selected incompetent teachers become a permanent liability to the economy and a reason for the collapse of the educational system (Shah, 2003). 

Further, their unlawful promotions and politics in the schools impede educational progress in terms of quality teaching and learning as well as jeopardize the spirit of coordination among the teaching community. It is also important to mention here that often teachers who do not listen to the dictations of the political actors are severely punished in social or financial terms and sometimes transferred to remote areas. This absence of professional freedom for teachers has badly affected the degree of success of their duties. They work with the least interest and motivation.

3. Social recognition 

According to Rehman (2002) teaching is considered the most respected profession in all societies of the world. In some countries, teaching is taken as the most honorable and lucrative profession. In developed nations teachers are adored and occupy a reverential social position in society. However, in Pakistan teachers, particularly school teachers, in theory, are exalted but the reality is the other way round.

 In Pakistan, the teaching profession does not enjoy a great social status in society. Teaching is considered the most underpaid and less attractive profession. as compared to other professions like medicine or engineering and so on. Malik (1991) discovered that in Pakistan the social status of teachers is accepted only to the extent of the Holy Scripture. For example, ideologically teaching is deemed as the prophetic profession, and teachers as the promoters of prophetic jobs. However, in practice, this does not exist. Teachers stand at the last edge of the social ladder in society. This phenomenon has decreased the self-esteem of teachers. In these conditions, the profession of teaching is the most little attractive field of service for the youth. Normally teaching is the last option on the priority list of different professions.

4. Accommodation and facilities 

The government does not provide any residential accommodation to school teachers. Teachers posted in remote areas or outstations face problems with accommodation and shelter. Teachers cannot afford to rent houses on the salary which is given to them and hardly make their living. Due to the non-availability of official accommodation teachers do long absentees and are not able to perform their duties with full attention and satisfaction (Government of Punjab, 2004; Hussain, 2001). It has been observed that teachers who are posted in remote areas are more interested in return transfer to their nearby stations from the time of transfer to the school. This practice negatively affects the performance of the teachers and leads to disturbance and mental agonies.

5. Frequent transfers 

Teachers in Pakistani schools are always at the sweet will of education officers and school administration. The transfers are usually made on the basis of favoritism and nepotism. Due to this practice, most teachers remain in high mental agony, disturbance, and pressure (Khan, 1980). Often transfers to remote areas are made to teach a lesson to the teachers who are either disobedient or have affiliation with opposing political parties. Sometimes the newly transferred teachers do not find enough time to get adjusted to the new environment. The practice of frequent transfer of teachers creates not only disturbances for the teachers, their families, and their children but also affects the quality of teaching and learning in the schools (Farooq, 1993).

6. Professional development 

Teaching is a profession that needs continual updating. In this regard, teachers should be aware of the new changes occurring in society and around the world. Likewise, they need to be continuously abreast with the latest theories, research, and other addition to the pool of knowledge. It has been observed that teachers who are not professionally sound and upgraded are not able to cope with the different changes and challenges in society, the country, and the world at large. On the contrary, teachers who acquire the latest knowledge and develop their skills can effectively manage the process of teaching and learning. They teach and learn better (Farooq, 1990). 

Effective teachers need to be effective learners as well. However, the professional development of teachers has not been given any proper attention in Pakistan. Resultantly, teachers are found weak in solving students’ academic and social problems. Further, it is observed that students graduating from (government) schools have poor communication skills and find it difficult to deal with problems of life. As students in Pakistanis schools memorize the concepts for examination purposes, they lack analytical, reflective, and critical skills like their teachers. This situation has affected the overall degree of quality of education in the country.

Impact Of Recent Changes In The Teacher Education System Of Pakistan On Teachers’ Competencies | Teacher Education in Pakistan | Solved Assignment 8626 | AIOU

 QUESTION 

Q 3. a) Highlight the impact of recent changes in the teacher education system of Pakistan on teachers’ competencies.

Course: Teacher Education in Pakistan

Course code 8626
Level: B.Ed (1.5 Years)
Solved Assignment

Answer:

The rapid changes and increased complexity of today’s world present new challenges and put new demands on our education system. There has been generally a growing awareness of the necessity to change and improve the preparation of students for productive functioning in the continually changing and highly demanding environment. In confronting this challenge it is necessary to consider the complexity of the education system itself and the multitude of problems that must be addressed. Clearly, no simple, single-uniform approach can be applied with the expectation that significant improvements to the system will occur.

Indeed, any strategy for change must contend with the diverse factors affecting the education system, the interactions of its parts, and the intricate interdependencies within it and with its environment. As we consider these problems, we become increasingly cognizant of the various possibilities of using concepts and methods of the study of complex systems for providing direction and strategies to facilitate the introduction of viable and successful changes. A key insight from complex systems is that simple solutions are not likely to be effective in cases such as the education system and that providing a balance or coexistence of what seem to be opposites may provide the greatest opportunities for successful courses of action. In the following we consider

• Integrating the commonly polarized goals of education; i.e. the goal that focuses on transmitting knowledge with the goal that emphasizes the development of the individual student.

• Adapt teaching to different student characteristics by using diverse methods of teaching. Adaptation to the ability levels, patterns of different abilities, learning styles, personality characteristics, and cultural backgrounds.

• Integrating the curriculum by developing interdisciplinary curriculum units that enable students to acquire knowledge from different disciplines through a unifying theme while having the opportunity to contribute in different and unique ways to the objectives of the integrated units.

Educational Goals

The approaches to teaching can be categorized according to major educational goals that affect teaching strategies. On one hand, the goal of education is viewed as the transmission of knowledge by the teachers to the students. On the other hand, the goal of education is viewed as facilitating students’ autonomous learning and self-expression. The former approach which converges toward the teaching of the specified subject matter may be termed ‘convergent’ teaching. The latter approach which stresses open-ended self-directed learning may be termed ‘divergent’ teaching. The convergent approach is highly structured and teacher-centered; the students are passive recipients of knowledge transmitted to them and learning achievements are measured by standardized tests. The divergent approach is flexible, and student-centered, where the students are active participants in the learning process and learning achievements are assessed by a variety of evaluation tools such as self-evaluation in parallel to teacher evaluation; documentation portfolios; and special projects

In the highly complex education system, there may be various combinations of different approaches to teaching and probably no ‘pure’ convergent or divergent teaching. Still, the tendency in the education system of today is toward the convergent approach. In fact, among the current suggestions for implementing educational reforms to deal with the considerable problems of the education system, there has been a strong emphasis on setting convergent goals, an aspect of which is the use of across-the-board standardized testing. Testing has been commonly viewed as a prudent way to determine the success or failure of the teaching and learning process. There has been relatively limited use of other means of evaluation which are more complicated and more demanding in terms of application and interpretation.

As educators seek ways to meet the demands put upon the education system in today’s world of rapid changes and ever-increasing complexity, it may be helpful to recognize that there is a need for both convergent and divergent approaches to teaching and learning.

Educators who stress the importance of the acquisition of specific knowledge as a useful way to prepare students for productive future functioning must realize that even for the purpose of this goal alone, a divergent approach is needed today. With the great proliferation of knowledge and rapid changes in most fields as well as the appearance of many new fields, it is critical to developing students’ capacity for self-directed learning and self-growth. On the other hand, those who emphasize the importance of autonomous growth and creative self-expression must realize that the students need academic skills (such as reading, writing, calculating, etc.) as prerequisites for productive self-expression

Since the creative process involves new ways of using existing knowledge, it is important to provide opportunities for students to acquire such knowledge (which can be acquired by convergent teaching). Hence, convergent and divergent teaching strategies are both needed and the challenging question is how to find the balance between them within the complexity of the process of teaching and learning. It is likely that the two approaches may increasingly become not mutually exclusive but interrelated and interdependent.

An important development is a growing awareness that academic achievement could improve by adapting teaching to students' individual differences. This awareness is finding its most distinct expression in the education system’s attempts to deal with the issues of students with special needs. However, other aspects of adaptation to students’ individual differences get far less attention.

In general, adaptation to individual differences under convergent teaching tends to be limited. The students are all expected to strive toward one goal of learning specified required knowledge; some may attain it and others may fall by the wayside or be given some remediation with limited results. Nevertheless, there are various possibilities of effective adaptation to individual differences under convergent teaching. In addition to

adaptation in the rate of learning, where each student can be allowed to work at his/her own pace, there are many possibilities of adaptation through the use of diverse methods of teaching. Even when all the students are taught the same material, teachers can use different methods, different techniques, or different media, to cater to individual differences in abilities and personality characteristics. Such a ‘multi-convergent’ approach can be more effective in giving the students opportunities to use their aptitudes and inclinations for learning and attaining higher achievements. As the students experience success and consequently a sense of competence, their motivation is enhanced to pursue further learning. Such an approach has a better potential for success than the common reality of students with learning difficulties, who often struggle through remediation with a sense of inadequacy and discouraging experiences of failure.