Introducing Student Centred Approaches in Pre-service Science Teacher Education in Cambodia

World Conference on Science and Technology Education, September 29 – October 3, 2013

Objectives

Successes & challenges in a

science teacher trainer development programme

between 2008 and 2013

in Cambodia

VVOB in a Nutshell

Education for DevelopmentQuality, Efficiency and Effectiveness

• Technical assistance • Strengthen Capacity • Local partnerships

• Focus on Meso-level capacity• Link with Macro-level policy & Micro-level needs

Bridge the North and the South • Internships• School Links• Partnerships with Flemish University Colleges

Flemish Association for Development Cooperation and Technical Assistance

Founded in 1982 as a non-profit organisation

Main donors are the Belgian and Flemish governments

Objective: Graduate teachers apply improved teaching methodology

Strategy: Capacity Strengthening of Pre-service Teacher Training for basic education

Teacher Training Programme

Pedagogical skills

Child-centred learning

ICT in EducationScience education

Biology, Chemistry

Physics, Earth Science

Life skills Health, Environment

& Agriculture

Pupils at primary schools/ lower sec schools

MoEYS central level (TTD), donors, …

SEAL Programme

Teacher Trainers at PTTCs/RTTCs

Student Teachers at PTTCs/RTTCs

Target groups

75 % of teachers

96 % of university students

67 % of all primary and secondary school pupils

…were killed/starved when the Khmer Rouge was in power.

Long-term Impact on the Education System and Human & Social Capital in Cambodia

Cambodia: the legacy of Pol Pot

71.2% of children aged 12-14 are not enrolled in secondary schools

Education Indicator Year CambodiaNet enrollment primary education (%) 2011 98Gross enrollment primary education (%) 2011 126Completion rate primary education (%) 2011 90Progression to secondary school (%) 2010 80Overaged primary school attendance (%) 2010 42% population 15-24 not complete primary edu. (%) 2010 32Pupil-teacher ratio, primary 2010 48Pupil-teacher ratio, secondary 2007 29

Literacy rate, youth total (% of people ages 15-24) 2009 87

Education Indicators

• EFA Development Index 2010 (N = 127)

Source: UNESCO 2012

Cambodia: Quality of Education

EDI Component Value Ranking

1. UPE 0.957 59

2. Literacy 0.739 94

3. Gender 0.883 97

4. Quality 0.621 111

Overall EDI 0.801 100

Significance

• Relevance of teaching quality (Hattie, 2009)

• Prevalence of rote learning• Increasing relevance of science lessons & motivation

Reduce number of drop-outs and increase proportion of students studying science.

Theory

• PCK – TPACK (Schulman, 1986, 1987; Mishra & Koehler, 2006)

– Components of subject knowledge– Vs. generic pedagogical focus (Ball, 1991) and technological

determinism (Oliver, 2011)– Including

• Alternative representations• Typical misconceptions• Choice of examples• Student activities• Curriculum knowledge

Example PCK

Textbook Earth Science

Example PCK

Teachers doing a ‘solar system walk’

Theory: Student-Centred Approaches

• Learning model (Lea et al., 2003)– Active students– Deep learning and understanding– Shared responsibility & accountability for learning outcomes– Sense of autonomy– Position of teacher– Reflexive approach to teaching and learning

Examples Student Centred Approaches

Concept Tests & Peer Instruction Active reading & writing

Reasoning (Donuts) Experiments

Zero and Low-Cost Experiments

Zero and Low-Cost Experiments

Programme Implementation

• Piloting & mainstreaming stage• 20 days of training (2-year period)• Peer learning workshops• Lesson observations (2/ year)• Support monthly technical meetings at college• Teaching resources in Khmer

– Teacher manuals, experiment boxes, posters, multimedia, labs– Quality assurance by MoEYS

Evaluation

  OutcomeKnowledge and skillsUsage of materials

ImpactBehaviour and attitude changeHigher motivation and satisfaction.Improved learning outcomes (pupils)

Institutional level(MoEYS)

Interviews with MoEYS officials 

Interviews with MoEYS officialsPlans (TDAP, ICT Master plan)

Organisational level (TTCs)

Reports to MoEYSChecklist s

Interviews with TTC Management

Individual level 

   

Teacher trainers Lesson ObservationsSurvey

Focus Group discussionInterviews with teacher trainers

Teachers Lesson Observations In-depth interviews young teachers 

Student teachers Lesson Observations during practicumLesson plan analysis

Interviews with student teachersInterviews with young teachers

Pupils   Lesson observations in schools 

Findings: Use of SCA by teacher trainers

Comparison of use of various SCA by science teacher trainers in 2012 and 2013

Results: Quantity

• High reported usage, but decrease one school year after training– Shorter school year– More selective use after trying out

Results: Quality

• Main findings from lesson observations– Limited content knowledge– Deductive approach (use of experiments)– Classroom size & infrastructure– Narrow interpretation of SCA (‘getting student active’)– Positive effects on student motivation

Success Factors

• Involvement teacher trainers & MoEYS from early stage• Collaborative definition of priorities in curriculum• Measuring impact using existing data• Week-long workshops complemented with regular

‘lesson study’ sessions to build capacity

Challenges

Challenges reported by science, pedagogy and agriculture teacher trainers for integrating SCA (2011 – 2013)

Challenges

• Role & authority of the teacher• Availability vs. accessibility of materials• Limited preparation time (salary reform)• ‘Wide and shallow’ curriculum• Weak accountability structures & incentives (North, 1994)

References

• Links– http://vvob.be/cambodia/– http://www.slideshare.net/StefaanVandeWalle/

• Contact– @stefaanvw– Stefaan.vandewalle@vvob.be