Module 2
Module Title Conceptualizing Education as System
Module Description
This module will examine fundamental missions of
education, education ecosystems and systemic
thinking for education. Participants will
conceptualize their education system by reviewing
the fundamental missions and purposes of
education in their respective countries.
The module provides tools and principles to review
the role of education in their respective countries in
terms of the dynamics of the political, social, and
economic transformations. Trainees will assess the
alignment of their respective countries’ education
role with their national priorities and basic principles
of BIE.
The module is divided into three units.
Unit 1 gives the opportunity to reflect on how the
trainees and member states conceptualize
education and its components in the lenses of BIE.
Unit 2 reviews the educational ecosystem and
subsystems of their respective countries education
system in line with BIE
Unit 3 gives opportunity to analyse systemic
transformation for education in the respective
countries using systemic diagnostic tools and
approaches.
Number of Days /Number 5 days/ 30 hours
of hours
Participants (number) 30
Teaching and Learning Presentations, assignment, group exercises,
Methodology discussion, role plays, use of case studies and tools.
Assessment Form/ oral presentations, group work/project, individual
activities assignment, country specific case study
participation in role plays
Prerequisite TBD
Requirement for Master Extensive practical experience in education and
Trainers/Resource Person education system assessment
Requirement of Resources videos, articles, computer, power-point
presentations, declarations, pictures
Learning Goals/objectives:
The module will:
• provide trainees with a framework to develop education system diagnosis for
their respective education system.
• Assist trainees to identify gaps, areas and enabling actions in their respective
education system with specific reference to the curriculum, pedagogy, and
assessment.
• Enable participants to develop training programs on systemic transformation
of education using BIE approaches.
• equip participants with needed ‘methodologies’ to conduct effective BIE
informed curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment transformation.
Syllabus Description:
Unit 1: Conceptualising Education and its components: Fundamental missions
of education
- Meaning, aims and goals of education
- Philosophies of education
- Approaches to Education: behaviourist, humanistic and cognitivist and BIE
- Analysis of educational challenges in the global south with the lens of BIE
Unit 2: Education ecosystem: Purposes of education: political, social, ethical, and
economic
- The sociology of education: functionalist, conflict and interpretivist, feminist
- Elements of Education systems – curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
- Factors influencing the elements of the education systems.
Unit 3: Systemic thinking for education: Framework for systemic thinking for
education
- Analysis of education with symptoms only and diagnostic thinking
- Elements, relationships and functions of education in systemic diagnostics
- Tools for systemic diagnostics of education (Formal, non-formal and informal)
Key readings:
- Faul, M. V., & Savage, L. (Eds.). 2023. Systems thinking in international
education and development: Unlocking learning for all? Edward Elgar
Publishing.
- Hanushek, E.A. 2018. Education Production Functions. Macmillan Publishers
Ltd (eds) The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan,
London
- Reagan, T. G. (2004). Non-western educational traditions: Alternative
approaches to educational thought and practice. Routledge.
- Craissati, D., Banerjee, U. D., King, L., Lansdown, G., & Smith, A. (2007). A
human rights-based approach to education for all. UNICEF.
- Reagan, T.G. (2005). Non-Western Educational Traditions: Alternative
Approaches to Educational Thought and Practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.
[Link]
- Barrow, R., & Woods, R. (2006). An Introduction to Philosophy of Education
(4th ed.). Routledge. [Link]
Learning Outcomes:
- Deepen understanding of educational systems by conceptualizing education
as a system.
- Gain techniques for mapping complex education systems and identifying the
root causes of a problem.
- Develop ability to conduct diagnosis and develop plan of actions to transform.
- Develop capacity to train their colleagues and counterparts to equip them
with needed tools to transform curriculum frameworks, pedagogical
approaches and assessment methods and framework aligned to BIE
approach.