ELOs and the English Curriculum

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Name: Hassan Basarally
ID: 806007430
University: University of the West Indies
Programme: Postgraduate Diploma in Education
Faculty: Humanities and Education
Department: School of Education
Course: EDFA 5210- Foundations of Education
Semester and Year: Semester 1, 2014-2015
Tutor: Ms. Dyann Barras
Assignment: Question 2-Discuss how you as a teacher could use your subject area as a
mechanism for promoting and developing four (4) of the stated learning outcomes in the
classroom.
Date Due: 21/09/2014










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Running Head: ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES AND THE ENGLISH CURICULUM








Achieving the Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) through the Secondary Education
Modernisation Programme (SEMP) English Curriculum
Hassan Basarally
University of the West Indies, St. Augustine










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There are six Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs), of which Citizenship,
Communication, Personal Development and Problem Solving have been selected as the greatest
relevance to the English curriculum. These outcomes seek to meet the need s of twenty-first
century learners as outlined in the Ideal Caribbean Person and United Nations Education
Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Pillars of Learning. The Secondary Education
Modernisation Programme (SEMP) English Curriculum meets the requirements of the Essential
Learning outcomes through the development of a new set of language skills to be taught and
content matter that develops the outcomes. However, the outcomes can only be achieved through
the development of the modern teacher. Such a teacher can utilise role playing, brainstorming
and consensus gathering, journal writing and the jigsaw approach to develop the learning
outcomes.

The Essential Learning Outcomes and the needs of the Twenty-First Century Learner

The Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago mandated that all subject areas
in the secondary school curriculum achieve six ELOs: Aesthetic Expression, Citizenship,
Communication, Personal Development, Problem Solving and Technological Competence.
Despite all learning outcomes being important to the development of the holistic individual, four
have been selected as particularly important: Citizenship, Communication, Personal
Development and Problem Solving.
Citizenship links an awareness of local social, political and economic systems with
global democratic ideas such as tolerance, sustainable development, pluralism, self-identity, and
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the rejection of discrimination and prejudice. Communication is the concise accurate and logical
expression of ideas. It is not limited to written text and oracy, but expanded to different modern
media, e.g. graphs and internet data. Personal development is concerned with both health and
productivity. Its primary focus is change management; how the student copes with a consistently
evolving world. Problem solving seeks to hone the interrogative skills of the student. It seeks to
foster research techniques, analysis of data and interpretation and validation of the large,
sometimes conflicting, data present today.
The concepts have been chosen as Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) due to the
correlation to the needs of the twenty-first century learner or millennial. These are students born
between 1982 and 2002 (Mc Glynn, 2008) and were raised in an era where information was
readily available (Price, 2009). It is therefore important to consider some of the general traits of
millennial students to see how the ELOs cater to these needs. McGlynn (2008) looks at two
strengths that millennials bring, namely the affinity to group work and relevant knowledge, and
proficiency with technology. The affinity to group work allows the development of Citizenship
as students interact with peers who have different views from their own, students must then
negotiate the myriad to opinions to complete a task in a way acceptable to all. The desire for
relevant knowledge displays Personal Development as students choose to pursue learning and
career paths that have been rationalised as the best avenue for future growth. The proficiency in
technology is accommodated through Communication and Problem Solving. Millennials have
more methods of communication than the traditional ones; due to the amount of information
available student must spend much time analysing, deciphering, making inferences and
conclusions. Also, there is a great need to foster appropriate use of technology both in terms of
conducting research and learning, and in personal communication.
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The alignment of the Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs) with the needs of the twenty-
first century learner is as a result of regional and international attempts to reorient teaching
strategy for the modern student. There are two main documents that influence the choice of
Essential Learning Outcomes in the Trinidad and Tobago Curriculum: The Ideal Caribbean
Person and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Pillars of Learning. The concept of the Ideal Caribbean Person came out of the Caribbean
Communitys (CARICOM) Conference of Heads of Government with the theme: Creative and
Productive Citizens for the Twenty-First Century. The table below shows how aspects of the
Ideal Caribbean Person align with the Essential Learning Outcomes in the Trinidad and Tobago
curriculum:
Essential Learning Outcome Ideal Caribbean Person (Armstrong, Jules & Miller (2000), p. 23)
Communication 1. is aware of the importance of living in harmony with the
environment
2. has an informed respect for our cultural heritage
3. values and displays the creative imagination in its various
manifestations and nurtures its development in the
economic and entrepreneurial spheres in all other areas of
life
Citizenship 1. sees ethnic, religious and other diversity as a source of
potential strength and richness
2. nourishes in him/herself and in others, the fullest
development of each persons
3. potential without gender stereotyping and embraces
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differences and similarities between females and males as
a source of mutual strength
Personal Development 1. is imbued with a respect for human life since it is the
foundation on which all other desired values must rest
2. is emotionally secure with a high level of self-confidence
and self-esteem
3. has a strong appreciation of family and kinship values,
community cohesion, and moral issues including
responsibility for and accountability to self and
community
4. demonstrates a positive work ethic
5. has developed the capacity to create and take advantage of
opportunities to control, improve, maintain and promote
physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being and to
contribute to the health and welfare of the community and
country
Problem Solving 1. demonstrates multiple literacies, independent and critical
thinking, questions the beliefs and practices of past and
present and brings this to bear on the innovative
application of science and technology to problem solving
Figure1. Alignment between Essential Learning Outcome and the Ideal Caribbean Person

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The purpose of these outcomes is to provide a solid foundation of knowledge, skills, and
attitudes that will constitute a platform for living in the Trinidad and Tobago society, and making
informed choices for further secondary education (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 8). This goal
can be divided into two aspects: preparing the student for life in the country, and by extension,
region and globe, and making informed choices for further education. The concept of the Ideal
Caribbean Person focuses on the skill-set and attitude of the student, and the interrelationship
between both to produce a well-developed person. For example, the concept aims to
demonstrate multiple literacies and the utilisation of technology, while simultaneously
developing a sense of community and self-esteem to create an active and productive member of
society. The goals of the Ideal Caribbean person has moved beyond simply creating qualified
and competent citizens for an increasingly competitive work environment, but fostering an
individual who understands the importance of lifelong learning. Mills (2011) discusses how the
Ideal Caribbean Person can inculcate emotional intelligence, democratic engagement, cultural
grounding and historical consciousness, and entrepreneurial capability. Emotional intelligence
results in rational thinking resulting in a measured response to problems that arise. It in no way
means passivity or nonchalance; instead it allows the individual to express views in an effective
and critical manner. The democratic engagement allows the active participation in society that
allows solutions to problems to be openly discussed and a sense of responsibility is felt. The
cultural grounding and historical consciousness allows democratic engagement to be fostered as
all aspects of society feel accepted and not marginalised. The entrepreneurial capability is not
simply engaging is business but a mind-set that supports new and different solutions to problems.
This capability is not about reproducing knowledge but creating new knowledge through a
higher level of synthesis that millennial possesses (Veen, 2005).
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The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have
stated four pillars of learning for the twenty-first century student: learning to know, learning to
do, learning to be and learning to live together. Learning to know involves competency in the
tools of learning, not the content taught. Such tools are numeracy, literacy and life skills that
both enable learning and make learning a fulfilling experience. This fulfilment comes as a result
of student centred learning where millennials explore content to give personal meaning to
information presented (Veen, 2005). This responds to millennials generally focussing on wealth
acquisition and education as a means to an end (Price, 2009). Learning to learn involves the
development of concentration, memory and thinking skills. Learning to do is the moving away
for certification in skills to competence in skills which calls for creativity and innovation.
Learning to live together teaches diversity and the interdependence of people who exist within
any society. It promotes students considering other points of view and awareness of social issues.
Learning to be asserts that education has a profound impact on the development of the individual
throughout life. This development comes through self-knowledge and interaction with others.
Delors, the author of the pillars stresses two main points, firstly there can be no separation of
learning into the home, the school and the workplace as learning is life long and secondly,
schools alone cannot achieve the pillars without the will of the individual and support of wider
society (2013).

The Secondary Education Modernisation Programme (SEMP) English Curriculum and the
Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs)

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The Secondary Education Modernisation Programme (SEMP) English Curriculum:
Forms 1-3 prepares students for the National Certificate of Secondary Education (NCSE)
examination in the final term of Form 3. One of the major changes on the English curriculum has
been the inclusion of language skills relevant to the modern learner. Traditionally, there were
four language skills taught, two receptive skills: listening and reading and two productive skills:
speaking and writing. The English curriculum recognised that the previous skills taught were
narrow and now teaches five skills: listening, speaking, reading (mechanics, comprehension, and
literary appreciation), writing, and media and visual literacy (English Curriculum, 2008).
Visual and media literacy addresses Communication, as authentic language texts are
easily accessible to students. The millennial today is expected to comprehend and produce print
and electronic text. Listening now incorporates aspects of viewing with the advent of large
amount of video material. It now requires the simultaneous interpretation of visual (gestural and
facial) information, the speakers words and ambient sounds (Lynch, 2013, p. 76). The English
curriculum now has to focus on Problem Solving as with the amount of texts available, students
must develop critical reading skills to determine the validity and appropriateness of information.
The English curriculum also seeks to meet the ELOs through its performance standards.
Though the different performance standards develop multiple ELOs, the following are examples
of how each skill can foster a particular outcome. Under the skill of listening and speaking,
Communication can be developed through the ability to attend to, comprehend, and assimilate
information (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 27). This involves identifying significant details,
making connections and accurate responses. These skills are taught in the oracy aspects of the
curriculum, it should be noted that the curriculum has an oral component for assessment; hence
teachers must work on this skill with the students. At this level, the hot-seat method is used
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where students make short presentations on a topic of their choice in Internationally Accepted
English and must field questions.
The reading skill develops Problem Solving as it fosters an adequate level of analysis,
synthesis, and evaluation in response to a variety of texts (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 28).
This involves deducing the authors purpose from language choice, evaluating the text for bias
and presenting information gathered from text. In terms of specific content and transferable skills
it is developed in the topic of report writing. Report writing teaches students to select
information that is verifiable and can be proven for use and to interrogate information given from
sources that may not be neutral.
The skill of literary appreciation fosters Citizenship as students respond to texts
critically and with sensitivity (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 29). It involves students
demonstrating empathy with characters and making connections between what they read and
personal experience. This is taught through character sketches. Character sketches involve
students writing biographically about different characters in the text. The aim is to identify
individual views and belief and offer explanations as to the reasons for action. It causes students
to interrogate different views presented by the different characters.
The writing skill has tremendous importance in the curriculum and develops Personal
Development. Writing in itself is an art form and part of the culture of a society. The curriculum
includes the production of narrative pieces. In the topic of short story writing, students use
stories as an alternative way to convey information and through the mechanics of writing see the
artistic value of writing. In terms of Personal Development, students use emotive language to
communicate a range of feelings/moods/thoughts/ideas (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 29).
Many students use personal experience as a base in short story writing. It is a safe way of
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expressing issues that students are coping with. In addition to short stories, this can be done
through journal writing where the teacher receives insight into issues affecting the student and
feedback on the effectiveness of lessons delivered. The writing also promotes emotional
intelligences such as conflict resolution as it provides avenues for venting.
The final performance standard in the curriculum is media and visual literacy which also
promotes Communication. This standard teaches students to distinguish among the features of a
wide range of visual texts (e.g. brochures, advertisement, magazines, TV talk shows)
(English Curriculum, 2008, p. 32). The particular content that deals with this is persuasive
writing. Though this is based in the writing skill, the modern student utilises persuasive writing
with design elements to create posters, flyers presentations etc. This skill is extremely important
to students in a global context as with combining strong persuasive skills and visual
communication, students can reach a global audience to exchange views and opinions.

The Role of the Modern Teacher in achieving the Essential Learning Outcomes (ELOs)

It is therefore evident that the ELOs and the English curriculum have put great emphasis
in catering for the needs of the modern learner. However, the learning outcomes and
performance standards cannot be achieved without the teacher undergoing a transformation into
a professional who is willing to adapt to change. There must be a change in attitude where
teachers approach the reality of the students as opposed to expecting the students to reach the
level of the teaching. This type of attitude contributes to the concept of unresponsibility where
a person should know what is required but they do not, or if they do know what is required, do
not know how to go ahead about discharging the particular duty (Farrel, 2013). There must also
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be a change in the belief of who is a teacher. Education must be learner centred as opposed to
result centred, as this makes learning like a commodity where stakeholders allocate resources
only when tangible results are achieved. A new teacher professional identity is required because
the days of the teacher being the only one who possesses the content knowledge is gone with the
advent of more technology. Hence, the teacher must facilitate the open flow of ideas, create
possibilities for resolving problems and promote the welfare and rights of all in the classroom in
order to encourage children to partake in the education process (Sachs, 2001).
As the learning outcomes promote competence in the language skills of English, there
must be a shift in teaching, from teaching to pass an exam to developing skills and knowledge.
This means that teaching cannot be approached as a science where a set amount of methods are
employed but a task aimed at fostering a positive change in the student, a willingness and
yearning to learning. Delors (2013) considers this thirst of knowledge one of the hardest things to
develop in students that leave secondary school, but a crucial element in combatting the amount
of dropouts. The modern teacher must also produce lessons for students with different learning
styles. This is related to teaching being an art and not restricted to set strategies as all students
will not learn the same material in the same way. This results in students being disadvantaged by
the very way instruction is delivered. A learning style is the approach that is applied to a range of
content, while intelligence is geared to a specific content. Hence, the modern teacher must take
into consideration that a particular topic can be taught through multiple intelligences which must
be reflected in teaching strategy. The teacher must arrive to the understanding that all students
are not the same and education is most effective when differences in intelligences are taken into
account when planning instruction. However, Garder (2000) warns not to label students in terms
of intelligence that attempting to teach all concepts of a subject using all of the intelligences is
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wasting effort. Despite a topic being approached in varied ways, there still remains a more
effective way to achieve the learning outcome.
The modern teacher also needs to use the learning outcomes address the inequalities of
society that manifests itself in the classroom. One such inequality that exists in Trinidad and
Tobago is the stigma attached to Creole, the first language of the majority of students.
Traditionally in the English classroom, the Creole was seen as a hindrance to learning the target.
The modern English teacher is expected train students to select dialects and registers that are
appropriate for different communicative contexts (English Curriculum, 2008, p. 24). There
has been a shift to teaching linguistic awareness which provides validation and acceptance to all
students regardless of dialect spoken as both Internationally Accepted English and Creole would
have a place in the linguistic situation of the child. This would bring a measure of equity to the
classroom where middle class students, due to exposure to travel, educational material and extra-
curricular activities would have a greater chance of competence of the target in the language
classroom. Lower- income students due to lack of exposure would have a more difficult time
achieving the same goal (Mohammed, 2007).
The modern teacher must also realise that the school is a microcosm of society; therefore
the values promoted will significantly shape the adult the students become. Outcomes such as
Citizenship do not only promote equality in the classroom, but creates champions for democratic
ideals in the society. Another concept that shapes students is the health promoting school, one
that promotes health in all aspects of school and community life and defines health as physical,
social and emotional well-being (Creating Health Promoting Schools, 2000, p. 2). This focus
on all aspects of the child is the aim of Personal Development. The promotion of emotional
intelligences, for example conflict resolution. To become a good teacher, one must be an
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advocate for a good school. A good school, according to Ungoed Thomas (1997) must possess
the virtues of respect for oneself and others, truth, justice and responsibility. Respect allows
students to interact constructively with others, truth provides a zeal for learning, justice promotes
an awareness of the importance of fair rules and opportunities and responsibility fosters positive
engagement in wider society. Ungoed Thomas warns that if these values are not inculcated the
result in a lack of cooperation between teachers, ignoring of learning needs, disruptive students
and the emergence of bullying (1997). These issues have come to the forefront of national
discussion of the state of education in Trinidad and Tobago.

Strategies of achieve, monitor and evaluate attainment of the Essential Learning Outcomes
(ELOs)

Strategies to develop the ELOs must be student centred and geared towards proving
students with skills that can be used throughout life. Citizenship can be developed through the
use of role playing. This improves understanding as the student must look at multiple viewpoints
within a problem. Role playing addresses prejudices and bias that the student may have and
opens an avenue for tolerance to other opinions. It also develops student interest in the topic and
makes the student involved in the learning process. To involve students I the learning process is
a major aim of the modern teacher, Poorman (2002) observes that true learning cannot take
place when students are passive observers of the teaching process (p. 32). The development of
Citizenship can be monitored through tracking the students awareness of social issues. Students
should be encouraged to be aware of current affairs and not relegate them to the realm of adults.
Students can champion causes by writing letters to the editors or creating a blog on current
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events. These writings and postings can be analysed for characteristics such as neutrality, sound
research and solutions generated.
Brainstorming and consensus building promote Communication. Brainstorming requires
a large volume of ideas and all ideas would be acceptable, regardless of accuracy or which
language variety it was expressed. Students would also demonstrate sensitivity to peers in the
risk free environment provided in the brainstorming session. This enables communication as all
answers are acceptable, the goal being quantity of ideas, uninhibited participation, and uncritical
acceptance by team members (Taggart & Wilson, 2005, p.10). Consensus building is the follow
up to brainstorming and requires a solution to be put forward that is acceptable to all. As students
evaluate data and ideas disagreements are addressed through logically expressed conclusions,
causing students to interrogate contributions made before in the brainstorming session. Progress
in Communication must be tracked through both oracy and writing. Oracy can be monitored
through impromptu speeches, oral presentations and debates. Changes in the level of clarity,
accuracy and conciseness can be observed over time. A writing portfolio can be used to collect
samples from the student in all subject areas. This enables insight into the students level of
competence in different subjects jargon and the presentation of ideas in different written
formats.
Journal writing is a strategy that encourages Personal Development. This is reflective
piece of writing that charts the students feelings about a variety of topic, from learning content
to personal experiences. The journal allows the student to reflect on issues and deals with
ongoing change. It is a tool in developing emotional intelligence as the writer can reflect on
critical subject matter from school or personal life. Journal writing is a tool for self-reflection
where worldviews are questioned in way that is not inhibited by the group setting (Hiemstra,
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2001). Personal Development can be observed through the journal itself. The teacher responds
to the students writing in which the student responds to, trying to reach another level of personal
growth. Since this development is also physical, the students attitude or adherences to positive
lifestyle choices can the monitored in conjunction with health care professionals.
The jigsaw technique can develop Problem Solving skills. This is a cooperative leaning
technique where each participant has a set role that must be fulfilled for the task to be completed
(Taggart & Wilson, 2005). Within a group, the jigsaw technique requires students to test
hypotheses in order to determine which of multiple inferences is correct. Problem Solving skills
can be evaluated through a series of projects, whether practical or theoretical in nature. It is
aimed at finding new ways to do things. Examples of projects will be creating a heathier
cafeteria or more effective ways of communicating with teacher when at home. Challenges like
these tests the students ability to conduct field research, test theories and make accurate
observations.

Conclusion

The Essential Learning Outcomes do cater for the reality of the current student, the
millennial. The English syllabus, through its focus on emerging language skills assists students
in achieving the outcomes. A key element, however, is a teacher who is focussed on teaching
skills that can be transferred from the subject area to the real life. For the outcome to be
achieved, any strategy that the teacher uses to develop an Essential Leaning outcome should be
student centred and collaborative in nature.

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