ARAB STATES



JORDAN
Authors/producing institution: General Directorate of Curriculum and Educational Technology, Ministry of Education
Contact Point:Chairman, Jordan National Commission for Education Culture and Science, PO Box 1646 Amman

Tel: 607 181; Fax: 666 019

Titles:1) The Educational Computer in Jordan

2) School Radio and TV Programmes

3) In-Service Teacher Training

4) Project Curriculum for Art Education

5) Action Plan for the Educational Training Centre

Language:Arabic/English
Date:1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
Level:Secondary
Type of Materials:Printed documents and brochures
Objective:Develop exemplary general secondary school curricula and teacher training programmes
Descriptors:Secondary school curricula; teacher education; computer uses in education; educational radio; educational television; second language instruction; art education

Summary: (**)

(1) The Educational Computer in Jordan (present and future)(1994)

Computers have been introduced into Jordanian schools as a result of educational reform. The main aims of this educational application are to:

- prepare students for life in an advanced technological environment where computers and information systems form the basic foundation for development;

- improve the effectiveness of education through developing educational methods and techniques and promoting self-learning;

- develop mental skills (problem-solving, creativity, understanding, manipulating and presenting data) and the ability to learn using a computer as a tool and develop team spirit;

- encourage students to appreciate the role of computers in a developing society and to become aware of their practical applications;

- undertake research and evaluation to increase understanding of the potential effects of computers in the learning process;

- develop and promote the educational application of computers and the production of educational software.

Computers were first introduced in two Jordanian schools in 1984 and are now present in 400 of the 850 10th grade schools. The Ministry of Education has established an Educational Computer Directorate to supervise activities and plan and monitor the process of introducing computers into schools

(**) Prepared by the Ministry of Education; translated UNESCO's Regional Office for Education, Amman, Jordan


(2) School Radio and TV Programmes: English by Radio, 6th and 5th Grade; English by TV 10th grade(1994-1995)

English by Radio programmes for 6th grade are broadcast 3 mornings per week. Thirteen programmes aim at improving spoken English and, besides introducing new vocabulary and structures, pertain to pupils' daily lives - asking questions, using the 'phone, finding out about transport, describing things, talking about health, etc. There are also songs and poems, all of which are linked to text in the Pupils book. English by Radio for 5th grade is also broadcast 3 times a week and is a continuation of the 6th grade lessons.

English by Television for 10th Grade. Thirteen programme units are broadcast between September and November three days per week. Subjects deal with formal letter writing, grammatical points, requesting assistance, analysis of poems, information transfer, etc.


(3) In-Service Teacher Training in the area of educational Technology(1994)

In an attempt to provide in-service training for teachers, the Ministry of Education drew up a comprehensive plan to be carried out with the Educational Training Centre, the Royal Scientific Society, the Jordan University and relevant directorates within the Ministry of Education, the objectives of which are:

- to cope with scientific and technological development at both theoretical and practical levels;

- to link theory with practice and life situations in order to acquire certain skills that contribute to implanting desired concepts and values;

- to strengthen the notions and practices of democracy, rights and duties and the meaning of citizenship;

- and to develop creative thinking in such a way that it contributes to the development of society.

The ultimate goal of the plan is to enable teachers to adopt the above-mentioned attitudes and convey them to students in the classroom.

Achievements so far include training of trainees and teachers in areas such as television production, library services, educational materials and technologies, production of lab equipment, classroom audiovisuals, software production.


(4) A Project Curriculum for Art Education for the Secondary Phase (June 1993)

The National Art Education Team has designed a curriculum for Art Education for the secondary level based on three elements: art production, art appreciation and history of art. These elements have been translated into three areas within the curriculum:

- Art expression through drawing and painting

- Art and Technology

- Islamic Art.

Amongst the recommendations set out by the national team with regard to curriculum design is to link art subjects with world issues and with day to day life experiences.


(5) Action Plan for the Educational Training Centre - 1995-2000 (June 1994)

The Educational Training Centre is responsible for training teachers and producing training materials using a central training team, trained locally and abroad. Content of training materials was initially developed to address three core areas: to acquaint teachers with the objectives of the educational reform plan; to develop the necessary teaching competencies, such as lesson planning, evaluation and use of technology; training teachers in the implementation of the new school textbooks introduced in all subjects of basic education.

An evaluation of the first years of the ETC indicated that the programme was not achieving its objectives with respect to improving the teaching learning process and a new four-core action plan was built up. Its objectives are the qualitative improvement of existing training programmes, development of new programmes to be introduced on an experimental basis, development of skill oriented training programmes, and structuring ETC to achieve the new objectives. The ETC is now expected to provide qualified training cadres able to plan, implement and evaluate the training process and to support school as the basic unit for development so that it can take the responsibility of continual self professional development, as well as to develop ETC capacities to meet future needs.

The Educational Training Centre presently undertakes 5 sub-projects: Training the Trainers; Training School Principals and Assistants; In-service Teacher Training; Training Educational Administrators and a Pilot school based in Service Training Project which are all described in detail in the action plan.

Example: Training the Trainers

Targeted at trainers of trainers, experienced and novice field trainers, the project aims to equip all trainers with the skills they need to design training courses, prepare training materials, supervise and evaluate training programmes.

At the end of the project, trainers having participated can design training courses and prepare related materials that involve trainees in active and participative learning and encourage the development of higher order cognitive skills; provide a training environment which is flexible and responsible enough to support individual interests and different learning styles; develop communication and problem-solving skills to enable trainers to define, research and solve problems in their own environment; convince and enable trainees to take more responsibility for their own professional development; work as change agents and facilitators of learning and encourage trainees to use a variety of resources and sources of information; evaluate themselves and all elements of the training programme.

The training programme comprises basic introductory training, training in course design, materials preparation, including self study materials, training and supervision skills and evaluation. It uses a variety of methods and techniques ranging from workshops, modules, problem-solving role-playing and cast study, videos and peer training, seminars, to lectures and practical work. Three methods of evaluation are suggested: -observation of training sessions; -surveying or interviewing teachers and trainers; -observation of classroom instructors and finally, a detailed estimation of the yearly cost of each sub-projet is given.

Available from the author institution and for consultation at UNESCO Regional Office for Education in Amman

(Also available: LAB Technician Training Plan; Basic computer use; Computer Curriculum and Outlines for Comprehensive Secondary Education)


TUNISIA
Auteur/Producteurs: Centre National Pédagogique au Ministère de l'éducation, de l'enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique, Tunis
Contact:Le Secrétaire général, Commission nationale tunisienne pour l'éducation, la science et la culture, 22 rue d'Angleterre,

1000 RP Tunis.

Tel: 258.290; Telex: MEDNET 13004 Tunis

Titre:Programmes d'études nationaux au niveau de l'enseignement secondaire
Langue:Arabe
Date:1993
Niveau:Secondaire
Nature du matériel: Document imprimé
Objective:
Descriptors:Secondary school curriculum; theatre; civic education; Islamic education; tolerance; intercultural education

Résumé:

En 1993, le Ministère tunisien de l'éducation avait élaboré un document relatif aux programmes d'études en vigueur dans les établissements d'enseignement secondaire. Des contenus relatifs aux valeurs de tolérance et de paix figurent - implicitement ou explicitement - dans ces programmes, notamment dans ceux de l'éducation civique, de la pensée islamique, des langues vivantes (arabe, français, anglais, allemand, italien, espagnol), de l'histoire et de la philosophie.

Le document contient des annexes en français pour certains des programmes d'études (français, anglais, mathématiques, sciences physiques, sciences naturelles, éducation technique, économie, gestion statistique et mathématiques financières, et les programmes des 3èmes langues étrangères), et aussi pour l'informatique en tant que matière à option, et ceux enseignés dans des lycées pilotes - l'informatique, le latin, le programme de théâtre, et d'éducation physique.

(1) Le programme de théâtre dans les lycées pilotes vise des finalités interdépendantes d'ordre éducatif, culturel, recréatif et créatif. Il doit permettre à l'élève d'acquérir un savoir théorique et pratique relatif à l'art dramatique, d'être capable d'apprécier les oeuvres théatrales et d'accorder à l'art dramatique la place qui lui revient de droit dans la culture universelle et nationale. Le programme en lère annèe de l'enseignement secondaire constitue une introduction à l'univers du théâtre par le biais de la lecture de spectacles, de textes choisis ainsi que par la découverte des notions élèmentaires du jeu théâtral. Cette démarche pratique vise à cultiver chez l'élève le plaisir de la lecture plurielle ainsi qu'à éveiller et développer son sens de l'observation et ses capacités d'analyse et de synthèse. En 2ème année, il s'agit d'enseigner la connaissance du théâtre, à travers les époques, les écoles, les genres et les modèles de théâtre universel, arabe et tunisien, et de familiariser les élèves avec la théorie théâtrale. En 3ème année, il s'agit de familiariser les élèves avec les grandes théories de l'Acteur, ainsi que les méthodes et les courants de direction d'acteur, célèbres en Occident et en Orient classiques et modernes. La 4ème année traitera du monde de la mise en scène et de la création. Il y aura des ateliers pratiques et de technique théatrale, des rencontres avec les corps de métiers de théâtre, des répétitions avec des professionnels de cours de théâtre et des visites de studios de télévision, de radio et de plateaux de cinema.


(2) Civic Education (**)

The objectives of civic education contained in the national curriculum for secondary education are, inter alia, to teach Tunisian students:

- those civic values which will enable them to advocate freedom, justice, develop a sense of responsibility, become moderate in position and behaviour, absorbing the values of civic society and humanity, such as freedom of thought and expressions, respect of others, open-mindedness, tolerance and solidarity;

- an awareness of other cultures and the ability to repel aggression and accept the concept of difference in opinions;

- the concept of democracy as a way of life, and an understanding of the foundations of a democratic state: individual, political, economic, social and cultural freedoms and the bases of a civic society: rationalism, democracy and autonomy;

- an awareness of the essence of political participation and an appreciation of authority which is based on the will of the people;

- an awareness of the various regional and international entities promoting peace and equal relations among nations, and an ability to respond to commitments towards the international community;

- knowledge of the options available for settling international conflicts other than the military option (e.g. peaceful settlement, good offices, negotiations, International Court of Justice and arbitration);

- an understanding of International Conventions granting Human Rights (i.e. Universal Declaration of Human Rights; Convention on the Rights of the Child; International Convention for Political Rights; International Convention for Economic and Social Rights; Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; Convention of the Elimination of Discrimination against Women).


(3) Islamic Thought (**)

The objectives of Islamic thought contained in the national curriculum for secondary education are, inter alia, to teach Tunisian students:

- to develop a rational perception which allows for a multitude of beliefs and differences in opinion and rational behaviour vis-à-vis differences in opinion, perceiving this as continuity with others and cooperation to enrich knowledge;

- to become aware that Islam provides for the integration of civilizations; and to adopt values like moderation, tolerance, respect for others as a prerequisite of belonging to the Arab Islamic civilization;

- to perceive controversy as a normal and healthy phenomenon in Islamic society and to tolerate opposing points of views;

- to understand the concept of "ruling" in Islam and its foundations (i.e. joint consultation, justice, equality and freedom);

- to emphasize complementarity among religions and its effect on solidarity and cooperation among different peoples, extracting those values from religious literature which aim at bringing people closer together;

- to emphasize the qualities needed to ensure a secure, peaceful society, notably the love of others and the respect of others' rights and to understand the role of fraternity in the prosperity of society.

(**)Prepared and translated from the Arabic by UNESCO's Regional Office for Education in the Arab States.

Disponible chez l'auteur et pour consultation au Siège de l'UNESCO (Secteur de l'éducation)


UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Authors/producing institution: Ministry of Education of the UAE
Contact Person:Mr. D. J. Ahmad, Secretary General, UNESCO National Commission, C/o Ministry of Education, PO Box 295, Abu Dhabi. Tel: (971-2) 34.39.33; Telex: 22581 TARBI EM
Title:(1) The History Curriculum

(2) The Islamic Education Curriculum

(3) The Arabic Language Curriculum

Language:Arabic
Date:1993
Level:Secondary
Type of Materials:Document imprimé
Objective:Promoting notions of tolerance and peace in secondary education
Descriptors:Secondary school curriculum; history education; Islamic education; language instruction; tolerance

Summary:(**)

(1) The History Curriculum

In April 1993, the Ministry of Education of the United Arab Emirates prepared a document for use in Social Science courses at the secondary level which places emphasis on notions of tolerance and peace:

(a) The general objectives of social science courses for secondary students, are directed towards their understanding Islamic history, its role and its positive impact on human civilization; appreciating the positive contribution of Islamic civilization to the establishment of human civilization as a whole; and appreciating Arab exposure to other nations and other ways of life without placing Islamic and Arab values at stake.

(b) The educational objectives of the History curriculum at the secondary level are aimed at inculcating in students the manifestations of the Arab Islamic Civilization and its impact on enriching human thought through two-way interaction with other cultures; and to take pride in the Arab Islamic heritage and the role of Arab Moslem scientists who have contributed to enriching human civilization.

(c) Notions of tolerance and peace are to be found in the history books assigned for secondary education, for example, "Roots of the Modern World" (for junior secondary students) points out the role of Islamic tolerance and its impact on the emergence of the Islamic civilization. It describes the conquering of fanaticism by certain Popes travelling to Andalusia to learn from Moslem scientists in Andalusian universities and how the king of Normans minted some of his coins in Arabic to express his admiration of the Arab-Islamic culture, as well as the influence of the Islamic civilization on European Renaissance. It advocates the discarding of racism in all its aspects and calls for equality, quoting Koranic verses and the Prophet's Haddith, pointing to the views of French thinkers who paved the way for the French Revolution by calling for freedom, equality and fraternity.



In "The Arab World and its Civilization" for the middle secondary level, the notion of tolerance is manifested in the Prophet's mission, and more especially in statements throughout the book regarding freedom of choice with regard to religion, founding the Islamic state on the principles and tolerance and humanitarianism, guaranteeing the rights and duties of all members of the Islamic state, which is a state of humanity open to all regardless of race, language and beliefs within which everyone is considered as belonging to one nation, as stipulated in the Constitution of Civilization. The book further mentions the two-way exposure to the cultures of other nations through translating and studying books from Persia, Greece and India, the promotion of Islamic society as an open society which draws from other cultures, and pointing out the impact of other civilizations on Islamic culture and the services offered to humanity by Islamic scientists.

The "History of the Arab World", a book for the senior secondary stream, describes the exposure of the Arab world to the cultures of other nations when educational missionaries were sent to Europe, and interaction with Western civilization. It points out the struggle of Arab nations towards gaining freedom and independence as prerequisites to meeting other nations on an equal footing, as well as international understanding and cooperation to effectively contribute to the liberation of nations and regaining national legitimate rights.

History teachers in the UAE strive to achieve all these objectives either in their classroom teaching or by organizing extra-curricula activities or by relating them to current and contemporary issues


(2) The Islamic Education Curriculum

The overall objectives of education in general, and those of the Islamic education in particular, stress the notions of tolerance, peace and human cooperation and the development of positive attitudes in that direction. In an attempt to achieve these goals, Islamic education at the secondary level follows two approaches:

an indirect approach, through the verses of the Holy Koran, the Prophet's Haddith (Haddith is the compiler of quotations by Prophet Mohammed), the diversified issues of Islamic doctrine, Islamic faith, Islamic law, the Prophet's biography and analysis of some Islamic personalities reputed for their justice, righteousness and ability to co-exist with other nations;

a direct approach, through specific issues which confirm tolerance, peace, and justice among all human beings regardless of race, colour and religion.

In Islamic education there is a book for each of the three levels of secondary education. At the lst level, pupils learn to interpret Koranic verses and the Prophet's Haddith, and undertake research on certain verses in the Holy Koran dealing with the idea of peace. At the 2nd level, pupils further study the Holy Koran and research the meaning of "freedom" in Islam in terms of freedom of belief and behaviour, economic and political freedom within the limits of Islamic principles, eliminating slavery and tackling religious tolerance of Islam, undertaking research into tolerance, freedom and huamnity in Islam. Similar study and research is continued at level three where research is also carried out into the organization of relationships within Islamic law, and Islamic civilization.


(3) The Arabic Language Curriculum

The Arabic language curriculum for the secondary level aims to teach and imprint on students the notions of love, peace, tolerance and ethical values, as well as positive attitudes towards good and virtue. Such notions appear in the Arabic language curricula as "extended experiences" and are "disseminated" throughout the assigned subjects, complementing and supporting them in what ultimately forms the character of the learner and enhances the notions of love, peace and tolerance. Educational activities relating to many of the subjects in lessons devoted to reading, comprehension, criticism, rhetoric and grammar cover these notions, promoting and encouraging them. They are clearly emphasized in the following subjects: "Zayed: a Principle and a Position" (3rd level) (relating the policy of the UAE as to the necessity to establish a permanent and just peace in the Middle East); "The Atom in the Service of Peace" (1st level); "Why do we Invade Space?" (1st level); "Bridge of Love and Fraternity" (3rd level)

Other books used in comprehension, literaure and modern reading lessons also use a wide variety of books promoting tolerance, mercy and compassion, peace, freedom and equality, reconciliation and security.


(**) Prepared by the Ministry of Education; translated UNESCO's Regional Office for Education, Amman, Jordan.

Documents available from the author institution




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