Revising English Curriculum in Ethiopia for Improved Instruction
This presentation focuses on revising the English curriculum in Ethiopia to better prepare students for using English as a medium of instruction in later years. The project, led by Aster Minwyelet (PhD) and Stephen Backman (PhD) of RTI International, aims to address challenges in English proficiency and instructional quality. The overview includes insights on the educational landscape in Ethiopia, the project's objectives, and recommendations for curriculum enhancement. Through collaborations with the Ministry of Education, the project seeks to drive positive changes in English language education.
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Presentation Transcript
Revising English Curriculum in Ethiopia with a focus on preparing students to use English as medium of instruction in later years Aster Minwyelet (PhD) and Stephen Backman (PhD) aaddamu@read.rti.org sbackman@read.rti.org RTI international CIES 2017, Atlanta, Georgia Reading for Ethiopia s Achievement Developed Technical Assistance (READ TA) Project
Focus of the presentation How READ TA is working with Ethiopian MoE to revise English curriculum with a focus on preparing students to use English as a MOI Outline Overview of Ethiopia Over view of READ TA project English situation analysis English curriculum revision process Participants views on revision process READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Overview of Ethiopia >90 million 9 regions, 2 city administrations Diversity Religious Multicultural (>60 Ethnic groups) Multilingual (about 83 indigenous Languages) READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Overview of Ethiopia: Language use in education Amharic constitutional national language Use MT languages in primary education English A subject starting from primary Variation in using as MoI in upper primary MOI from Secondary on Extremely low English EGRA Poor English proficiency at all levels Impact on quality education at all level READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
READ TA overview USAID funded, 5 years project, started in 2012 Grades 1-8 Syllabus, SB, TG Curriculum revision/ development 7 MTs English CTE curriculum for MTs Syllabus + module dev t School teachers CTE lecturers Teacher training Short training & workshops Educational leaders Experts (inbuilt) Resources (ICT) Capacity Building ICT package for CTEs AT pilot for inclusion Model video & audio production READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
English situation Analysis Desk Study - examined current curriculum materials Field Study - examined how English is being implemented in schools (teachers & student views) Major gaps identified teaching-learning approaches language content alignment of syllabi & SBs challenges in transition to English as MOI alignment of mother tongue and English teacher training Recommendation Major revision of curriculum materials READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
English curriculum Revision (ECR) Process National English curriculum Syllabus & MLC Student books & Teacher guides Scope & sequence Revision Team - diverse All regions represented Reading & English experts School teachers CTE lecturers University professors RSEBs & MoE experts Lead & support team National (English experts) Reading & curriculum experts International (reading experts) Experts in gender, inclusion, assessment, child dev t READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
ECR Process Engagement Full time One place Team work . Training & support Targeted Ongoing tips On-going support Alignment with MT Theme Content/language item T-L approach MOI in Focus K-12 syllabus Progression Cohesion Alignment with CTE curriculum READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
ECR process: Quality assurance . Field test feedback teachers students Team member review Lead consultant s review Final validation Team International proofreader s Internal QA review READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Participants Views on ECR process: Interview Quality assurance team Revision team Lead & support team Thematic analysis What are their views on Team composition Quality enhancement Content Approaches READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Participants Views on ECR process: . Team composition Problem in selection (capacity gaps) Representation vs quality Some team members overloaded Task took long time More support was needed New experience Exposure & utilization of various perspectives & experiences (school teachers, teacher trainers, education leader, scholars) Huge capacity building READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Quality enhancement The revision starts from examining the current status & identifying gaps Lessons learned from MT curriculum revision had impact on quality: content & approach Comprehensive revision (1-12) Grade level teams interaction impact on quality Field test feedback helped to see materials in the eyes of end users Multi-level review helped to have comprehensive feedback Issues overlooked at one level captured at next levels READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Content Scope & sequencing development (new experience, very helpful) Content Inclusion of new components Phonological awareness Fluency Word study Equivalent attention to all skills READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Participants Views on ECR process: Alignment with MT Content Theme approach English MOI in focus Academic vocabulary Texts from academic contents READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
Concerns Teacher quality? Competency gaps How can they model while their English proficiency is low? In-service teacher training Very critical than MT teacher training Can government funding allow training all teachers? Implementation follow up New contents might be skipped Support teachers READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
. Thank you! aaddamu@read.rti.org sbackman@read.rti.org READ TA Project/USAID and RTI
