The education specialists, policy-makers and teachers who were surveyed
cited ‘rapid social changes’ and improving ‘children’s ability to deal with new
issues’ as the main motivations for including twenty-first century skills among
the educational goals. The respondents believed that the most important
skills and competencies to learn were problem-solving skills, creativity, a
sense of cooperation and reflective thinking skills.
The curricula based on the 2008 New Courses of Study have been implemented
in primary schools since 2011, and teachers and other educators are already
able to see some of the impacts. According to the results of the questionnaire,
most teachers have observed positive changes following the introduction
of the new curricula. They noted, in particular, that students had improved
their ability to express themselves, to collect and analyse information, and to
discuss subjects with others. When asked about changes in pedagogy as a
result of the new guidelines, teachers responded that their lesson plans had
become more student-centred and more focused on skill-based activities.
The majority of respondents agreed that school-based lesson reviews and
discussions with colleagues were effective tools when implementing the
new curriculum.
When asked about issues they faced, teachers responded that they found it
challenging to effectively link skill-based activities to lesson objectives when
developing lesson plans. They noted that although discussion sessions and
group work were effective in building multiple skills among students, this
kind of activity required teachers to act as facilitators and to be prepared
for unexpected responses from students. Some teachers felt they were
not adequately trained for this. In this regard, the policy-makers who were
surveyed emphasized that teacher training needs to be strengthened by
local governments.
Regarding the 2008 New Courses of Study’s clarity in defining twenty-first
century skills and the necessary elements, between 70 and 80 per cent of
teachers felt that both are clearly defined. Furthermore, about 70 per cent
of the teachers felt that the learning objectives for promoting twenty-first
century skills are stated clearly enough to be reflected in their lesson plans.
Policy-makers who participated in the survey observed that teachers have
been paying special attention to the newly introduced policy, promoting
verbal activities in all subjects.