Friday, December 16, 2016
Entrepreneurship Education in Bhutan: Perception, Culture and Challenges
Labels:
Accomplishment,
Culture,
Education,
Entrepreneurship,
Publication,
Research,
Youth
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Curriculum and Instruction Should Sync
In education, curriculum and instruction are two faces of a
same coin. Curriculum is ‘What to teach’ and Instruction is ‘how to teach’. They
are inextricably linked and influence each other and they must be compatible at
all cost. If the instruction does not suit the curriculum or if the curriculum
does not favor the instruction, learning process is bound to see some
setbacks. When a change is underway, both must be considered.
Leaving any one of them behind or taking any one of them ahead could create an incongruity
between the two which could have negative backwash on teaching and learning
process.
The MOE’s recent training of teachers on transformative
pedagogy is a positive move towards bringing shift in the teaching trend from
the teacher-fronted teaching to child-cantered teaching. The new teaching
technique has its roots in the constructivist and social learning theory which
are based on the premise that children learn by constructing their own
knowledge by adding onto his previous knowledge through positive interactions
with teachers, parents, friends and other social agents. This approach places
children at the heart of learning process and allow them to take control of
their learning as opposed to teacher-centric learning where teacher takes the
centre stage.
While the initiative has come as a positive change, it has
sharpened just one blade of a scissor. The present curriculum to a large extent is content-overloaded and it gives
little or practically no room for teachers to practice any innovative teaching
technique. The mandate to cover the vast syllabus in an academic year puts teachers
to race against time for syllabus completion. It exerts pressure on teachers to
move with undue pace through the curriculum and encouraging a ‘tick list’
approach to teaching. It has led to less flexibility and creativity and to a
more slavish and often frantic gallop through the curriculum. It exerts a
dominant influence on teaching and learning that other important areas such as
children’s development of higher order thinking skills, nurturing pupils’ creativity,
character, communication skills, problem solving and exploration could not be
emphasized.
Given the difference in the nature of
curriculum and instruction, there is a need to make alterations in the existing
curriculum so as to measure up with the new instructional method. Like the
instruction, the curriculum needs to be viewed and designed from the
constructivist point of view. It needs to be grounded in the principles of
constructivism and social learning theory. The current textbooks are crammed
with information making the overall curriculum congested and difficult for both
teachers and students. A constructivist based curriculum should provide space,
time and opportunity for both teacher and students for meaningful learning. It
should allow enough time for teachers and students for positive and meaningful
interaction to dig below the superficial level of understanding of concepts. It
should also provide adequate opportunities for students to apply what they have
learnt in their day to day lives. Students should engage in mini-research
projects to experience authentic inquiry and discovery. Basically the change should
aim for a light content which does not exert any pressure of completion on
teachers and students to allow teachers to effectively use innovative
teaching techniques to facilitate meaningful learning.
Content overloaded curriculum should not stand as a militating factor against the use of innovative teaching technique.
Content overloaded curriculum should not stand as a militating factor against the use of innovative teaching technique.
Labels:
curriculum,
Education,
Instruction,
teaching
Friday, May 27, 2016
Entrepreneurship Education in Bhutan: Perception, Culture and Challenges
Sonam Rinchen , Karma Utha, Bhupen Gurung, Ganeshman Gurung & Tshewang Rabgay
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to determine Bhutanese students' perception towards entrepreneurship and the influence of entrepreneurship on their career
choice by a team of lecturers from Samtse College of Education and a teacher
from Samtse Higher Secondary School. It was a multifaceted research
involving survey, interviews, focus group interviews and document analysis.
The samples included 921 students [19 diploma students, 248 undergraduate
students, 654 school students (460=HSS & 194=MSS)], currently studying in
the schools, colleges and VTIs in Samtse, Chhukha and Thimphu Dzongkhags. Students perception analysis revealed that their perceptions on career choice are inclined more towards entrepreneurship second to
government jobs. The study also found that students and parents are aware of the increasing unemployment
scenario in Bhutan. It was also found that there is a minimal focus on entrepreneurship education in both school and the university curriculum and the pedagogical practices which are teacher centered to a large extent are not favorable for entrepreneurship
skill development. Some of the recommendations included a need to include
entrepreneurship education in the curriculum of all levels of school and a need to disseminate information related to entrepreneurship
among students in schools and colleges.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship;
Bhutan; Career; Curriculum; Perception
Labels:
Education,
Entrepreneurship,
Research,
Youth
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
SAMTSE HIGHER SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF THEIR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
Grounded
in the importance of school environment as an important factor influencing
teachers’ performance, this study explores Samtse Higher Secondary School
teachers’ perception of the level of the eight dimensions of school
environment-student support, affiliation, professional interest, staff freedom,
participatory decision making, innovation, resource adequacy, work pressure. A survey questionnaire, School Level Environment
Questionnaire built on a five point scale was administered to 29 teachers in
the school. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics such as
means and standard deviations to indicate the levels of perception on the
scale. The results revealed that out of the eight dimensions, teachers had average
level of opinion towards student support, affiliation, professional interest, staff
freedom, participatory decision making, innovation, low level of opinion
towards resource adequacy and high level of opinion towards work pressure. The
study found the need to improve all eight dimensions of the school environment.
Recommendations were suggested to improve the school environment. The study was significant because feedback information based on teacher perceptions can be good basis for reflection upon, discussion of and systematic attempts to improve school environments.
KEY WORDS: School environment, Student support,
Affiliation, Professional interest, Staff Freedom