What was the curriculum during Trump’s schooling years?
An interesting discussion on what it was like in school during US President Donald Trump’s schooling years ensued on Tuesday when the British Council organised a regional conference on teaching, learning and life beyond school.
“I can’t help pondering, what were the teachers teaching, what was the curriculum at the time when Trump was schooling,” Saira Butt, General Manager, Beaconhouse School System Curriculum said addressing a panel on ‘New Conceptions of Learning Outcomes’. “We need to make sure that we’re open, respectful and trusting with one another.” Because preferred modes of input and output vary from one individual to another, it is critical that teachers use a range of teaching strategies to effectively meet the needs of individual learners, it was discussed.
This should lead to young learners who are both inherently motivated to question, infer, and understand; to think reflectively, critically and creatively; and in the final analysis to make use of the knowledge and skills they have gained by becoming effective decision-makers, all panelists agreed. This panel discussion looked at a range of approaches and ideas around what should count as essential, foundational learning outcomes in the 21st century.
Individual students may be better to learn in a particular way, using distinctive modes for thinking, relating and creating, panelist Laurie Forcier, Director of Thought Leadership said.
An effective 21st century curriculum needs to be broader than the traditional focus on literacy and numeracy. This is not to say that literacy and numeracy are not important, they still are but, the evolving nature of work and the kind of skills employers value, the global learning crisis and technological advancements (amongst other things) all mean that school systems need to look at broader learning outcomes rather than the traditional areas of focus, it was discussed.
Imran Sikander Baloch, Special Secretary Schools Punjab, Pakistan discussed the impact of education policy on schools.
Chaired by Murray Keeler, Director Examinations MENA, British Council this discussion saw panelists deliberate on the notion of students having particular learning styles that have implications for teaching strategies. Pearson Professor Toby Salt, CEO Ormiston Academies Trust discussed about the importance of school leadership ensuring high quality teaching and learning making sure ‘we’ focus on ultimately developing great potential citizens and employees.
A session on, “The importance of teaching, learning, leadership and time after school” saw some interesting interactions from the participants. It was said that from the context of the English education system, the significant initiative and structural reforms over the last decade include establishing a National College for School Leadership, identifying the best Principals (who can lead more than one school), accelerated routes into teaching and school leadership, and the establishment of Teaching Schools. The significant structural changes in the school system and the impact of education policy on schools were discussed.
A student-centred approach which actively engages the young person in the learning process, it was reiterated, is critical if skills which result in healthy behaviours are to be afostered and developed.
Participants agreed that teachers and students’ relationships are changing, as they learn from each other and that teachers’ roles are shifting from owners of information to facilitators and guides to learning.
“Educators are finding different ways of using class time,” a participant from India told the Business Times noting that introverted students are finding ways to participate in class discussions online. “Different approaches to teaching are being used in the same class,” she said.