LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN ASIA-PACIFIC – FINDINGS OF DESK REVIEW

1. UNESCO Bangkok Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT GOALS OF YOUNG CHILDREN IN ASIA-PACIFIC – FINDINGS OF DESK REVIEW Hoa Phuong Tran (Ph.D.)

2. Background • Context: • Increasing quantitative coverage • Quality imperative • Regional initiative • Scope and methodology: qualitative analysis focuses on pre-primary group and early grades, based on: • National curricular frameworks • National education policy documents • Strategic development plans • Country programme reports • Country programme mappings • Regional EFA reports • Relevant research papers

3. KEY FINDINGSLearning and development goals: pre-primary groups • Stated learning and development goals for pre-primary grades are holistic, addressing five key dimensions: • Physical development and well-being • Socio-emotional competences • Intellectual development • Creative and aesthetic development • Cultural and spiritual development. • Countries officially recognise that all dimensions of the child’s development are interwoven, and children grow and learn in a holistic way

4. Learning and development goals forEarly grades • Less clearly articulated. Goals tend to be for the primary education cycle as a whole. • No distinction is made for the early grades • Non-uniform evidence of the continuity of the learning goals between pre-primary and primary education* • Goals focus on literacy, elements of mathematics, science, history, culture, mother tongue and another language widely used in the national context

5. Cross-country commonality For pre-primary groups: • Express multi-dimensional aspects of young child’s development • Treat each child as an individual • Emphasise the child’s sense of self and of belonging • Value national and local culture and traditions. • Attach importance to religion and the learning of religious values • Play-based curriculum

6. Country-specific features • Ideology and morality • National identity • Inclusion • Disaster risk reduction • Preparation for primary school • Importance of early education at pre-primary level, not just a preparation for the next stage vitally important in itself (hence should not be accelerated in kindergartens with a simplified primary school curriculum) • Articulation of goals across levels (common standard at the national level, diversity at the regional, kindergarten, and individual levels

7. Non-curricular goals Parental education and parenting practices

8. Pedagogical approaches recommended in the curricula • Holistic approaches to teaching • Interactive teaching and learning methods • Play as a key instructional method • Enabling children’s learning • Making appropriate use of elements in the learning environment • Building and using home-school partnership as supportive teaching mechanism • Using tailored strategies to facilitate children’s transition

9. Reality check on pedagogical practices Recommended instructional approaches – remain an aspiration, rather than a practice. • Rote-learning: widespread • Inquiry skills and creativity: often ignored • activities for arts and music: limited • Free play: seldom finds place in the daily routine. • Teachers generally use similar teaching methods for all students without considering their linguistic, ethnic, gender, socio-economic, and geographical differences. • Emphasis is still on the transmission of knowledge to children, rather than enabling them to learn. • Preparation for primary schooling in many cases takes precedence over the child’s all-round development.

10. Assessment approach recommended by curricular frameworks • Countries recommend no testing for 0-8 year olds

11. Reality check on assessment practice • Despite recommendations, tests are often used in early primary grades, observation is inadequate • In some places they are conducted even in preschools.

12. Challenges in fully implementing learning and development goals Five key challenges: • Lack of clear definition of goals and content • Disconnection between the learning and development goals and implementation • Inadequate human resources • Shortage of material resources • Lack of monitoring and evaluation.

13. IMPLICATION FOR FUTURE POLICIES AND PRACTICE IN ENHANCING PROVISION OF MEANINGFUL LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOR YOUNG CHILDREN

14. A. Learning and Development Goals: ensure an aligned vision

15. B. Guidance for implementation

16. C. Provision of human and material resources based on children’s learning and development goals

17. D. Systematic monitoring and assessment of learning goal achievement

18. THANK YOU