Assessing holistic foundations for learning, inclusive schools, systems and societies

• In Event: Unpacking holistic learning – defining and measuring socio-emotional learning

Proposal

The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed unprecedented disruptions, accelerating the consensus that the global emergency for learning hinges on transformations and reimagining of education systems around two major buckets (UNESCO, 2021). These are, i) learner-centred, collaborative and participatory research designed to achieve foundational competencies for creating innovative pathways of equitable lifelong learning for all, especially those likely to be most vulnerable, and ii) expanding capacities in local, diverse and challenging contexts to accelerate holistic and responsive design, spanning social emotional and life skills solutions. In the reality of these disruptive times, the Teacher remains an anchor catalyst and facilitator, who needs space and capacity to boldly reimagine her/his role, supported by the school and the parent/caregiver communities to be adaptative beyond the prescribed curriculum and assessment boundaries.

Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi & Zizi Afrique are investigating the relationship between academic learning outcomes and non-academic skills in Schools2030 schools in Pakistan and Kenya, respectively. Data collected from 28 schools and 550 children across the 2 countries will generate evidence on co-creation of content and new knowledge by several key actors (parents, teachers, school leaders, government staff and other community members), drawing upon local contexts, storytelling, heritage and positive customary practices. Our research will further offer insights on the influence of building capacity of schools and teachers in teaching and assessing non-academic skills in schools which are flexible and inclusive systems with multiple actors, forging a shared compact for holistic learning.

Interim findings from our baseline research in Pakistan indicate that the pathways towards understanding non-academic skills were nascent and unrefined. Most head teachers could not precisely pinpoint non-cognitive skills. Most parents, too, struggled to define non-academic skills precisely, across all schools. The most repeated answers from parents featured the notion of ‘ikhlaqiat’ or ‘ethics’ which they understood to be the most important skill that children have to acquire outside of their academic studies. However, parents noted that their children are acquiring the non-academic skills in Schools2030 classrooms through group activities, oral presentations, assembly tasks etc.

In this presentation we will discuss the interim findings and implications across both countries. So far, these reveal some exclusionary practices, masked in unexamined cultural norms, which differed from district to district and from rural to urban settings, thus further reinforcing the relevance of culture and context in determining the skills that stakeholders deem and are committed to supporting its development even within the same country. Our presentation from the research in Pakistan and Kenya will also speak to context-specific factors and mechanisms that may be driving or constraining effective implementation and what this may mean in terms of driving systems-wide change both in these geographies and more widely.

Authors

• Baela R Jamil, Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA)

• Saba Saeed, Idara-E-Taleem-O-Aagahi (Ita)