Pixel International Conferences

The literature on innovative education programmes reveals that they consist of two main stages: (i) innovation formulation and (ii) innovation implementation. The formulation stage takes place at a policy making level, and involves introducing innovations in curriculum, syllabus, and instructional materials. The implementation stage involves implementing innovations in the classroom (Karavas-Doukas, 1998). The present study focuses on the formulation stage of an innovative English language education programme in Pakistan. It investigates what pedagogical principles and practices the national curriculum for English language (a major macro-level policy document) recommends to the implementers (English language teachers, head-teachers, and textbook writers) for carrying out English language teaching at secondary level (grade 9-10) in Pakistan. To do so, I carried out a detailed qualitative content analysis of the national curriculum for English language and identified what pedagogical principles it recommends both explicitly and implicitly to the implementers. The findings of the study reveal that the national curriculum for English language recommends 15 pedagogical principles to the implementers to implement in their respective domains. The 15 pedagogical principles are:

1. Developing learners’ English language skills and knowledge
2. Promoting learners’ use of English language for various academic and social purposes
3. Use of inductive pedagogy
4. Use of deductive pedagogy
5. Use of learner-centred activities
6. Collaborative learning
7. Promoting Learner autonomy
8. Supportive facilitation and encouragement by teacher
9. Developing learners’ higher order cognitive skills
10. Integrated language teaching
11. Reviewing learners’ learning and progress
12. Materials adaptation
13. Materials supplementation
14. Lesson planning
15. Setting and achieving learning objectives

The paper will highlight that analysing macro-level policy documents and finding out the demands they place upon the implementers both explicitly and implicitly are very important for the successful implementation of innovative English language education programmes.

Keywords: Innovative education programmes, curriculum innovations, pedagogical principles and practices;

References:

[1] Karavas-Douksa, K. (1998). Evaluating the implementation of educational innovations: lessons from the past. In P. Rea-Dickens, & K. P. Germaine. Managing Evaluation and Innovation in Language Teaching: Building Bridges (pp. 25-50). London: Longman.