Exploring Issues in Education Curriculum: Education Reforms in Mathematics - Research Paper Example

Exploring issues in education curriculum: Education reforms in mathematics Name Institutional name Date 1. List of tables Table of Contents 1. List of tables 1 Table of Contents 1 Executive summary 2 Introduction 3 Purpose 3 Scope 3 Method 3 Limitations 4 Background 4 Findings 6 Discussion 6 Leadership and change management theories underpinning reforms in mathematics 7 Implications for teachers and another stakeholder affected by the reform 9 Conclusion 11 Steps required in the implementation of the new Queensland mathematics syllabus 12 References 13 Executive summary Education reform efforts tend to focus more on curriculum change and their main objective is to emphasize on higher order thinking skills such as methods of problem solving and connections to the world outside classroom. More traditional curriculum aims on focusing on the acquisition of basic skills and handling of academic subjects. Currently the world faces far-reaching socio economic changes. Most governments focus on producing citizens who are able to respond positively to the new environmental changes. These governments aim at producing citizens who are able to learn new skills at their different levels in life. Most governments invest many of its resources on education as well as a bigger proportion of their budget on education. They see educational process as a means of producing an intelligent work force required to operate within this changing environment. We are experiencing a period of expansion and change in most of the public, educational system throughout the world as governments try to adapt to this challenges. This is through implementation of new educational programs that they think that it will be of immense importance to them and to the future of their economy. The change in demand directly presented by the increase in the access of education at different levels (Kennedy, 2005). This report will give an overview of the factors associated with implementation of Queensland Mathematics syllabus such as the nature of and purpose of curriculum reform; the steps required to enact the reforms and the implication of the reforms to teachers and other stakeholder. It will point out leadership and management theories that describe the issues emerging associated with these reforms. It will also show the roles a person in leadership has to play towards implementing the new curriculum. Introduction Purpose The purpose of the implementation reform assessment is to determine how effective the Queensland mathematics syllabus is integrated into the school’s curriculum and how the teachers and pupils view the new curriculum. The objectives of the new syllabus are assessed after implementation to identify the effectiveness of the new syllabus. The long term and the short-term effects of the new syllabus need regular evaluation. This helps to come up with the portions or the sections in the syllabus that need to be critically changed. The response of the students and instructors should also be evaluated. The reform is implemented in the context of the changing environmental and the socio economic well being of the Australian government. Implementation of the reform will take place after a consensus is reached between the reforms directorate and the teachers (Kennedy, Chan & Fok, 2006). The role of the leader in this implementation of the reforms will be to plan for effective means that will help the transition to go smoothly. Scope The assessment will be done to schools from year 1-10 who are using the syllabus. An average of twenty schools will be visited and an average of one hundred teachers will be required to participate in the questionnaire. The scope of the assessment will be narrowed to mathematics syllabus. Method Assessment will be done in form of questionnaires and classroom observation. The teachers and pupils will be requested to comment on the new mathematics syllabus. From the questionnaire the teachers are supposed to give the challenges that they face in the implementation of the new Queensland mathematics curriculum. Limitations The limitations of the method used for the assessment of the implementation of the new curriculum is that the schools that are assessed are few and that the number of teachers who are expected to participate in the assessment. The teachers may not act as the true representative of the number of teachers as other teachers may have other views. It does not assess all the subjects that have new curriculum. Assumptions The assumptions that are made are: That all the teachers in all the schools have the same opinion of the curriculum. Changes and reforms made to the curriculum are implemented at all levels. Background Education systems are complex and dynamic. They must achieve resolutions that successfully account for the influences of the drivers to operate in an effective way. New Queensland Mathematics syllabus has resulted in a substantial shift in the way mathematics is taught as compared to the previous syllabus. Specifically this new syllabus requires the change pedagogy from one of the teacher’s centred instruction, which is the problem-solving approach to the investigative approach that builds on the theories of constructivism. This theory adopts the learner-centred approach to teaching and learning. One of the key concerns of implementing this curriculum is the introduction of new topics that teachers need to teach at this level. For example, a research study carried out at the Hillside primary school by Makar (2007) on the new syllabus the teachers are raising concerns that the syllabus has introduced subject's topics such as algebra and computational method to primary mathematics, which was not there in the old syllabus. The teachers do not know the magnitude of the change that is inherent in the new syllabus. The new syllabus does not put emphasis on the learners need and their level of development. The new syllabus does not equip the instructors with the relevant knowledge required for the implementation of the syllabus. The psychological level of development of the learners is not considered during the development of this new mathematics syllabus. There are allegations that the new curriculum does not concur with the purpose of schools and does not meet the needs of individual or society and particular to the economy. The extent to which the curriculum is implemented is a negotiated process. The stakeholder included in the design development and liberation of the national curriculum is not included in the development stage. Education reforms are dynamic and the factors that are driving these reforms changes with time. What drives the curriculum reforms today are not what will drive this reforms in fifteen years' time. In this new millennium, there are advances in technology, economic prosperity, cultural diversity and globalization. The curriculums that are developed aim at ensuring that the students are able to fit in any other country, in case of the need to advance their education. Some of the other key issues involve the issues associated with the implementation of the reforms (Anthony & Walshaw, 2007). It is relatively easy to create a new policy reform or a new syllabus, but it is hard to implement it effectively. Ministries of Education are aware of these challenges because the policy makers are not aware of the challenges that are faced by teachers in the quest of implementing the new syllabus. Findings From the survey assessment carried out it was determined that most of the teachers prefer old mathematics curriculum to the new Queensland curriculum. The teachers complain that the new curriculum is more complicated as compared to the new curriculum. The new Queensland mathematics syllabus has other requirements, not like the old syllabus. These fresh changes will signify that the teachers will have to spend more time to plan the lesson compared to the previous time. Discussion Nature and purpose of the curriculum reform Queensland mathematics curriculum aims at bringing changes on how mathematics as a subject is handled by teachers. The new syllabus is seen to have more information concerning the current social economic factors compared to the old syllabus. This syllabus represents a significant shift in mathematics syllabus that was published by the Department of Education. Specifically this new syllabus requires the change pedagogy from one of the teacher’s centred instruction, which is the problem-solving approach to the investigative approach that builds on the theories of constructivism. Current requirements in the education system are a set of complex and are constantly dynamic changes (Australian Education Council, 1991). The purpose of the new curriculum is to ensure that the other factors such as changes in technology put into considerations such as the incorporation of information and communication technology into teaching of mathematics. Curriculum guideline makers in Australia have documented the likelihood for maths learning to be transformed by upcoming technologies such as computers, and advanced graphic calculators. This has influenced every Australian state to develop new syllabus that mandate the use of these emerging resources. Mathematics and technological subject are currently facing impetus for innovations and reforms. Australia's prospect lies in its prospective as knowledge- based society, built on education needed in the current era. Mathematics is an international subject. There is a need for development of a global curriculum in mathematics. The debate on nationwide statement and profile in Australian schools stimulated that there is a need for review of national goals for schooling (Anderson, 2005). Leadership and change management theories underpinning reforms in mathematics Theory of constructivism. This is a theory of knowledge that argues that human generates knowledge and means from interacting between their experiences and their ideas. This theory is relevant as it is the underlying theme for many of education reform movements. Social constructivism views the learner as a unique individual who has unique needs and background. It also acknowledges the complexity of the learner but encourages and rewards; it as an integral learning process. Maths curriculum represents a solemn shift in the training of maths from the previous syllabus. Specifically this new syllabus requires the change pedagogy from one of the teachers’ centred instruction, which is the problem-solving approach to the investigative approach that builds on the theories of constructivism. This, therefore, makes this exceedingly relevant in the design and implementation of the new syllabus. According to this theory, instructors should assume the role of facilitators and not teachers. A teacher gives a lecture that will cover the subject matter, an instructor need to help the learner to integrate the information on his or her own understanding. This theory supports the idea that the learner and the facilitator are both involved in a learning process. It points out that learning is an interactive process, and this is the principle adopted by the Queensland in their new mathematics syllabus (McDonough & Roche, 2007). Transformational leadership theory. This is defined as the theory that causes a change in individuals and social systems. It is the ideal form as it creates change in the followers whose goal is to develop into leaders. Transformation leadership theory enhances motivation and positive change to the followers through a Variety of mechanisms. The new curriculum objective is focused creating a positive change in the system of education that will enable pupils to grow and learn within the bracket of the current environment. It ensures that the challenges and the difficulties faced by these followers are tackled to ensure optimized performance of the followers. For instance, the performance of the students is contributed partially by the efforts of the teacher especially in children (Hargreaves & Shirley, 2009). Balance theory of change. This is a motivational theory towards the attitude of change. Learning is defined as the process of bringing cognitive, environmental, and emotional influences to acquiring new knowledge. The explanation of what happens constitutes learning process. The critics of learning theories that underlies the traditional educational practices identify the importance of this theory. The students are capable of learning innovative things. This gives them a chance to practice different things in the new syllabus. These new changes are necessary in the integration of the new information found in the new syllabus (Miller, 2005). Instructional theory is a discipline that focuses mainly on how to structure materials for prompting education. This theory focuses on the cognitive and the behavioural activities of the schools of thought. The new curriculum pin points the extrapolation of education objective, which is one of the modern codifications of the learning process. Planning for the reforms Planning on how the reforms are going to take effect is a very important step in implanting the reforms. The planning has to start from the initial stages of drafting the curriculum and anticipating how the teachers and the students will perceive the new curriculum. Planning should also involve hoe the teachers are going to be trained on the new curriculum. The support that the teachers will require in the transformation from the old career to the new curriculum will need to be incorporated in the plans. Resistance form both the teachers and the students should also be anticipated and means of how to deal with such resistance should be in the plans. Implications for teachers and another stakeholder affected by the reform The role of teachers is critical in successfully implementation of the ideals of the reform movements. The teachers play a crucial role in choosing which tasks that will permit the children to use a wider variety of existing problem- solving strategies and also to encourage higher order of thinking skills. They also help students to make connections among various mathematical representations (Kruse & Seashore, 2007).it is therefore important for the head teacher to ensure that the teachers have the right skills and that they have the right equipments to help them in teaching the students the new maths syllabus. Mathematics teachers at present are often resistant to change. In spite of all the call from reforms for them to change, there is exceedingly negligible change that is observed in the classroom. The principal's main role at this stage will be to ensure that the teachers are responding well to the change and if not he or she should try and create ways that will persuade the teachers to accept the new curriculum. These practices by the teachers are linked to their beliefs on how students and pupils can learn mathematics, the importance need to prepare students for examinations and their own content, as well as their pedagogical knowledge. Other teachers will have to take more of their time to understand new topics that are introduced such as algebra. They face difficulty in understanding and mastery of basic skills since they lack support and leadership. From research carried out, the results show that most of the maths teachers prefer to use the old view of mathematics as a static body whose knowledge learned is transmitted from teacher to students. This analysis of mathematics has the possibility of limiting the impact of the reform agenda of the new curriculum. Teacher's knowledge and beliefs in working in a mathematical way to learn maths is a vital issue in shaping how prepared the teachers are in implementing these changes. Teachers may confuse about working mathematically might actually look in the context of a classroom (Fullan, Cuttress & Kilcher, 2005). The teachers who embraced the new syllabus believe that the reading the syllabus support material is crucial in understanding the requirements for the new syllabus. Most experienced primary school teachers have not acquired a deep understanding of mathematics. This is because they are a product of traditional mathematics as a computational view during which mathematics as a subject regarded by educators as a transmitted set of facts, ideas and procedures. For this curriculum to be successful, the teachers have the mandate to challenge their prevailing attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. Most of the current reforms require teachers to widen their familiarity and competencies in arithmetic. The person, who is in charge for instance the principal, should plan for the effective transmission from the old curriculum to the new one. He or she should ensure that there is a support system to help the teachers. This is evident in incorporation of changes such as information technology into current teaching and learning mathematics. Conclusion With rapid change in technology and industry around the world, demand for skills is likely to change from the past demands to the present demands. For effective change in meeting the short term and long-term skills, there is a need for the change in the way in which these skills acquired. The changing of mathematical syllabus to fit into the current society is a brilliant move and teachers should embrace it in a more positive way. The new syllabus has more information concerning the current social economic factors whereas the old syllabus is shallow. This syllabus represents a significant shift in mathematics syllabus published by the Department of Education in Australia. Change is constant and teachers should embrace it as it is for the common good of the pupils. In the past, the quality of the teachers was emphasized without considering their ability to be policy makers and their ability to select the right policy instruments for the task. Supportive school cultures are crucial in building professional learning communities, which is characterized by strong vision of learning and shared responsibility. This is essential for successful execution of the Queensland reformed mathematics syllabus. The teachers should team up themselves rather than operating as individuals to be in a position to share problems and ideas. A leader should then be chosen among the teachers to help them in the process. This leader should make sure he or she plans for the process effectively. It is more effective when teachers have background knowledge on investigation. Recommendation and implementation The teachers need to read the support material in the syllabus to gain more knowledge on how to handle the topics in the new syllabus so that there is ease in implementing it. For this curriculum to be successful, the teachers have to challenge their prevailing and unjustified attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. Policy makers need to take into consideration the professionalism of the teachers and the social and political contexts that regulate schools. For Queensland to be a productive and successful state in the future economically, the workforce required should be scientifically, morally, socially, culturally and technologically literate people. This has forced Queensland to revise the approach that used in disseminating knowledge in school. Most attention should target primary school curriculum and it is the foundation. The government should ensure that the changes made on the syllabus should be after a specified period maybe changes done after ten years to give the teachers a chance to maximize the use of existing syllabus. Steps required in the implementation of the new Queensland mathematics syllabus The government should ensure that the content of the proposed syllabus is in line with the required scope for the specified need. The curriculum bodies need to carry out research on the need for implementation of the new curriculum. Relevant stakeholder need consultation and involved in the implementation process. Ensure that teachers and other instructors are familiar with the new syllabus before enacting it. The new syllabus should be implemented in schools when the stakeholder is agreement for the implementation. Implementation of the new syllabus is a complex process. Care need to be taken so as ensure that new curriculum in mathematics is error free, and it is applicable to all pupils of all cultural diversities (Bruniges, 2005). References Anthony, G., & Walshaw, M. (2007). Effective pedagogy in mathematics/ pãngarau: Best evidence synthesis iteration [BES]. Wellington: New Zealand Ministry of Education. Australian Education Council. (1991). A national statement on mathematics for Australian schools. Melbourne: Curriculum Council. Anderson, J. (2005). Implementing problem solving in mathematics classrooms: What support do teachers want? In P. Clarkson, A. Downton, D. Gronn, M. Horne, A. Bruniges, M. (2005). What is driving curriculum reform in Australia? Paper presented at Curriculum and assessment: Closing the gap, the annual conference of the Curriculum Corporation Brisbane. Retrieved on 16.05.2011,from http://cmslive.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/Bruniges_edited.pdf Fullan, M., Cuttress, C., & Kilcher, A. (2005). 8 forces for leaders of change. Journal of Staff Development, 26(4), 54–64. Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2009). The persistence of presentism. Teachers College Record, 1-15. Retrieved on 16.05.2011 from http://www.tcrecord.org/PrintContent.asp?ContentID=15438 Kennedy, K. J. (2005). Changing schools for changing times: New directions for the school curriculum in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: The Chinese University Press. Kennedy, K. J., Chan, K. S. J. & Fok, P. K. (2006). Theorizing curriculum policy implementation: the dimensions of “soft” policy and their application to Hong Kong’s reform agenda. Paper prepared for The Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association Conference, Hong Kong, 28-30 November, 2006. Kruse, S., & Seashore, L. K. (2007). Developing collective understanding over time: Reflections on building professional learning community. In L. Stoll & K. Seashore Louis (Eds.), Professional learning communities: Divergence, detail and difficulties (pp. 106-118). 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