7/28/2014

Why is change needed?

Expectations of students, society and the job market

have changed
Current curriculum is overcrowded, not relevant, exam

oriented, repetitive & teacher centred

The Fiji National Curriculum Framework

External factors such as the global economics

Week 12
Lecture

Reasons for Change cont...

1. The Curriculum Process- needs,
review, plan, act, assess, evaluate
2. Fiji Islands Education Commissions
Report- 2000
3. Education Summit 2005\ Suva
Declaration4. International Agreements UNESCO
(EFA, UN MDGs)
5. Fijis Constitution- 2013 Bill of Rights
on Right to Education
6. State of the Nations Report on
Education 7. The Peoples Charter for Change,
Peace and Progress Pillar 9 and
subsequent curriculum priorities
progressive and relevant
8. Ministry of Educations Strategic and
Corporate Plans Quality
Curriculum- revision of the NCF

Needs Analysis
Review

The Outcome Curriculum

Plan\ Write
-aims\content

Action
-implementation
-Teaching
-Learning

Evaluate

Outcomes identifying what

students should achieve
and focusing on ensuring
that they do achieve the
outcomes.
The focus is shifted from
what is being taught, time
allocated, to an emphasis
on what individual students
actually know, understand,
value and can do as a result
of the learning and
teaching programs they will
experience.

Flexibility for teachers to develop

different teaching and learning
programs to suit the needs of
each student.
Opportunities for teachers to
facilitate learning through
student-centered approaches.
Development of explicit and
comprehensive assessment
criteria that contribute to
student learning.

Assess\ Report

Wading Through the NCF

AS A RESULT
Greater opportunities for all
students to achieve significant
learning outcomes in different
ways and in different rates.

Purpose of Education contd

PURPOSE OF EDUCATION IN FIJI

Support learning &
development of positive
attitudes & empower them with
a foundation of knowledge &
skills
Contributes to the holistic
development of students who
will have reverence for God
Support children and students
to learn to gain knowledge, learn
to do things, learn to be
independent, and learn to live
and work together with others

Purpose of ECE
Promote optimum development in our
children
Purpose of Primary
Build on from Kindergarten and prepare
children for life or secondary education
Purpose of Secondary
Build on from Primary education with
wide range of subjects of their choice and
to choose their career pathways

Purpose of TEST
Facilitates students with

knowledge to perform
technological skills in both
formal and informal sectors of
the economy
To encourage independence

and innovation, creativity and

problem solving skills

Purpose of Special
Education
To enable students with special needs
to gain access to the curriculum in a range
of settings and to develop individual
potentials in a special or mainstream
school
To prepare them to lead productive
independent lives

7/28/2014

The guiding principles

Educational values
VALUES
The NCF recognizes
the importance of
providing students and
children with an
education informed by
a clear set of ethics,
morals and values.

Principles of Teaching & Learning

Why have guiding principles?
They influenced a)the writing of
the NCF and the support
documents, b) influences what
teachers teach, c) how they
teach, d) how children &
students learn and apply their
learning throughout their lives.

The core values of the MoE and

which underpins the NCF are
1. Civic pride
2. Compassion
3. Creativity
4. Cultural understanding and
tolerance
5. Environmental sustainability
6. Faith
7. Flexibility
8. Honesty, fairness and respect
for truth and justice
9. Human rights
10. Integrity
11. Lifelong learners
12. Peace and prosperity
13. Safety and security
14. Sense of family and community

Major learning outcomes

What Guiding Principles does

the NCF promote
1. Social Constructivism
2. UNESCOs Four Pillars of
Education
3. Our diverse culture(cultural
influences)- Education is not

Includes
Fijian and
Universal
Values
Virtues

Relevant
Content &
Context for
Learning

Supports
Constructivist
Learning
Approaches

Student
Teaching
Methods

Relevant
Learning
Outcomes

PRINCIPLE
GUIDE

Teaching
Learning
Methods
support
Learning

Quality
Not Quantity

Inclusive

Provides for
Cross
Curricula

preparation for life, education is

life itself. (Dewey,1952)
Culture shapes our worldview about
life and about education

Phases of development
Changes during the period of growth for children and

The following major learning outcomes [MLOs] apply to all

students are marked by great physical and psychological

transformations
These changes go together with their intellectual,
emotional and social modifications and reflects who they
are and affect how they respond to their changing
environments and how effectively they learn.
The new curriculum recognizes these changes and
addresses them appropriately
These different phases usually characterized by changes
impact on the child

children from preschool to Year 13 and throughout life.

The 7 MLOs are:
Communicate effectively
Be active learners
Conduct investigation
Make responsible decisions
Select and use information
Apply learning
Understand change, balance and relationships
Learners encounter these MLOs at increasing levels of

sophistication as they progress through the school system

Curriculum perspectives
1. The curriculum
perspectives are cross
curricular themes that
underpin the NCF.
2. All teachers will consider
these perspectives in all
FALD and KLAs.
3. These perspectives need
to be covered when the
need arises.
4. Other times teachers and
students will address the
perspectives situationally
or incidentally as they
interact in the classroom.

There are 7 curriculum

perspectives in the NCF
1. Careers Education
2. Citizenship Education
3. Environmental /Climate
Change Education
4. Literacy Education
5. Numeracy and Financial
Education (Fin ED)
6. Special Needs Education
7. Spiritual and Values
Education

How curriculum is organised

The ECE Curriculum is organised into:

Foundation Areas of Learning

and Development [FALD]-

where the childrens creative, emotional,

intellectual, physical, social and
spiritual needs are developed are to be
developed hence the area of study;
The 6 FALDs are:
Aesthetic Creativity and the Arts
Physical Development Health and
Wellbeing
Living and Learning Together
Learning to Know
Language Literacy and Communication
Spiritual and Moral Development

Key Learning Areas [KLAs]this area places traditional subjects

into groups. It contains traditional
content of our present courses and
define effective pedagogy for
effective learning to take place.
The seven KLAs are as follow:
Arts
Healthy Living & PE
Languages
Mathematics
Science
Studies of Society and Economic
Development
Technology

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Organizing the curriculum

contd

The NCF provides the new curriculum framework

using an OUTCOME MODEL

Traditional subjects which have similar emphasis or

related content are clustered into specific baskets

called KLAs.
In the ECE (K-2) level, the areas of learning are
grounded on Foundation Areas of Learning and
Development (FALDs)
The FALDs will gradually bridge to the KLA

Foundation Areas of Language, Literacy

Learning and
and Communication
Development
[FALD]

Pre -school
Year 1
Year 2

Learning to do Aesthetics,
Creativity
And Arts

Physical
Development,
Health and
Well-Being

Living and
Learning
Together

The foundation Areas of Learning and Development will gradually bridge to the Key Learning Areas at this level. The pre-school and
year 1&2 syllabi will be developed using a thematic approach with a focus on literacy and numeracy.

Language
Mathematics
Key Learning Areas [essential learning for [essential
(KLA)
all KLAs]
learning for all
KLAs]
Year 3
English
Mathematics
Year 4
Fijian/Rotuman
Year 5
Hindi/Urdu
Year 6
Other languages such
as Mandarin, French
will be available with
community support
depending on the
special character of
the school

Expressive
Healthy Living
and Creative and Physical
Arts
Education

Science

The Arts

Elementary
Science

Healthy Living
and Physical
Education
Values
Education

Year 7

Basic Science

Family Life
PE

Year 9
Year 10

Biology
Chemistry
Physics

Year 12

Year 13

All syllabus discussion begins

from the MLOs which are
linked to the national
education outcome and goals
The KLA, Strand, CLOs and
achievement outcomes link to
the MLOs
What happens to content?
There is no dispute on the
contribution of content,
however over time certain
content becomes irrelevant or
obsolete and they lose their
value.

Studies of
society and
economic
development
Social Studies

Technology

Enterprise Education

Social Science

Year 8

Year 11

The new curriculum paradigm

Spiritual and Moral Development

Co Home Eco
mm Agricultural Sci
erce B/Tech
O/Tech
Comp Studies
Education
History
Agricultural Sci.
Geography
Home Economics
Accounting
Applied Technology
Economics
Technical drawing
Computer Ed
Office technology
Vocational educationmainstreaming
Agricultural Sci.
Home Economics
Applied Tech
Tech Drawing
Computer Ed

Thematic Curriculum Year 1 & 2

FALD

FALD OUTCOME

STRAND

STRAND
OUTCOME

SUBSTRAND

LEARNING STANDARDS

Year 1

Name of
major
content
organizer

A broad general
outcome that identifies
what students can do,
know and value after
undertaking courses of
study in a range of KLA
subjects from Year 3 to
Year 13.

Name of major
content
organizer

A broad general
outcome that
identifies what
students can do,
know and value
after undertaking
courses of study in
a range of KLA
subjects from Year
3 to Year 13.

Outcome statements
that describe
significant concepts
and skills for
students for this
Class for this KLA
subject

Year 2

Overall expected outcome that

describes the achievement for
the student. Measures
knowledge, skills and attitudes

Outcomes on the other hand

are competencies and qualities
that enrich learning and life in
a sustainable way and remain
lifelong.

How much has been retained, removed and

introduced in the new syllabuses

Selection of Content
Selection of content and subsequent organization is an ideological

Relevant and valid content for fundamental learning are

being retained (from current prescriptions major
scope)
2. Obsolete and irrelevant information and content
removed totally from the new syllabuses (e.g. disease
focus in health education prescription whooping
cough, polio, rubella etc,
3. Current and new trends in learning areas (e.g. financial
competencies through money smart program in
commerce, computer education soft wares, application
1.

process
One that serves the interests of a particular group, social groups or

classes
And is a highly political activity

A guideline is useful when doing this

1.
Significance for whom?
2. Validity authenticity, and accurate
3. Social relevance social development of individual but within a
context of community values, ideals, social problems etc
4. Utility- usefulness of content to learners in their adult life
5. Learnability that students can learn ; meeting the needs of a
diverse background of learners nevertheless
6. Interest- that students will find interesting or develop an interest
for. Limitation is the selection may not reflect what the students are
interested in.

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Developing a Syllabus
Framework
Each subject in the new curriculum needs to have a

syllabus. A syllabus is a document stating the

content of the course and the organisation of the
program to be taught.

Conclusion
The new curriculum paradigm means a new vision, new direction

and clearer horizons for schooling in Fiji

The new model for Fiji is a modified outcome approach
Selection of new curriculum content is a systematic and

coordinated process
Outcomes are processes and skills that students will develop

The principal component of the syllabus is the

learning outcomes that teachers will use to direct

their teaching and measure to assess students level
of achievement.

throughout their schooling journey (7 MLOs)

There are clear links in the education journey as guided by the NCF

from the schools to the national level.

The reorganization of the curriculum in FALDs and KLAs

improves the management of the curriculum and teaching and

learning process
An active and ongoing M&E system for Assessment, monitoring
and reporting is encouraged
The syllabuses will recreate the pedagogical practice in Fiji
classrooms

Thought for the day

Education is what remains after
one has forgotten what one has
learned in school
(Einstein, 1955)