What is the overall philosophy of Cambridge in its approach to education?
Our aim is to support education through a syllabus that is international in outlook, but local in relevance and which gives them the skills they need to get in to university and get on in life beyond formal education. What students must above all take with them as they move on from school is fundamental understanding and skills, an informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning. This approach guides all of our syllabus development.
How does Cambridge International Examinations support schools in implementing effective teaching practice?
Our comprehensive professional development programme gives teachers delivering our programmes the best preparation to help their students do well. We recognise that teaching is about developing the skills and abilities of every child, not just exam grades. We conduct face-to-face training events in Bangladesh every year, including workshops led by Cambridge trainers. We conduct over 1200 training events every year around the world to provide teachers with the skills and knowledge they need to help their students succeed. We also offer online training courses. We are also investing heavily in our Teacher Support site. A priority over the next two years is to make this site a single sign-on, one-stop shop, for teachers and school leaders. The re-developed site will offer a range of services, including an online community and access to free and paid-for personalised content and professional development opportunities. Additionally, we offer Cambridge Professional Development qualifications for teachers which help develop teachers’ thinking and practice, and build the knowledge and skills they need to help students succeed. As well as getting support from Cambridge, we should not underestimate the value schools place on the support they get from one another. We are therefore planning to roll out Cambridge school communities and associations for schools in regions where we work. These communities will provide schools with the opportunity to share best practice and support one another in the successful implementation of Cambridge programmes.
Please tell us about the growth of Cambridge International Examinations in Bangladesh.
We have seen significant growth of our programmes in Bangladesh. More than 60 schools across the country now offer Cambridge programmes. The number of schools offering Cambridge programmes in Bangladesh has risen 10 % each year.
Why are more schools choosing to offer international programmes for their students?
The desire to learn by looking beyond our own society is now more evident than ever, with millions of young people around the globe striving to maximise their potential through education with international characteristics. For many, that involves gaining globally recognised qualifications, or spending time outside their home country for part of their education. The worldwide growth in international education in the first part of this century illustrates this.
What are your future plans (for Bangladesh and abroad)?
We will continue to focus on helping our schools worldwide to improve. This means continuing to revise our programmes to reflect developments in education, enhancing our professional development and developing new support services. We are also becoming increasingly innovative in how we use technology. In October 2016, we will introduce on-screen Cambridge Secondary 1 Checkpoint tests in English and Science for lower secondary students. The on-screen tests will be available as alternatives to the paper-based versions, and schools can choose the format that best suits their needs. We introduced Cambridge O Level Global Perspectives for first teaching in September 2015 and the first examination will be in June 2018. This is the newest addition to our Cambridge Global Perspectives suite of qualifications. This development will allow our Cambridge schools in Bangladesh to offer a skills-based programme that encourages students to think critically and analytically about a range of global issues. It is based on the Cambridge approach to active learning. (NB. We won’t know take-up in Bangladesh until schools make entries). We are revising our International AS & A Level syllabuses in consultation with some of the world’s leading universities – including the University of Cambridge, Harvard and MIT. This is part of our continuous review programme of Cambridge qualifications to keep them up-to-date. They told us that what really helps students succeed at university is a firm grasp of the subject’s key concepts. These are the ideas that help to develop a deep understanding of subjects, help students make links more easily between topics and enable them to solve problems or understand new aspects of their subject. Our revised International AS & A Level syllabuses, and support materials, emphasise key concepts. They enable students to gain a greater depth as well as breadth of subject knowledge, an understanding of how subject content links to real-world research and development and a fluency when it comes to talking about their subject and how the different topics link together. We are continuing to expand our regional teams around the world to bring us closer to schools and help us understand local needs. This expansion is driven by the increased demand for international curricula from parents and governments.
What are the challenges for education in Bangladesh?
The key challenges for the education in Bangladesh are the same for education ministries, schools and educators around the world. They include:
The shrinkage of low- and middle-skill level employment in most societies, coupled with often high demand for (and scarcity of) people who can think creatively, work collaboratively, take responsibility, handle uncertainty and challenge.
The falling away of jobs for life, as economic change accelerates and employment structures are liberalized, and the growing risk that the specific skills and knowledge taken from full-time education will not last for a (lengthening) working life.
The rise of digital technology, in at least two important senses: the requirement for high levels of digital competence in a wide range of occupations; and the disruption/enrichment of traditional models of learning and assessment.
21st century globalization, in which an increasing number of us compete for our jobs with people in other countries, work across borders, and struggle with problems that no country in isolation can solve.
How is Cambridge helping schools to tackle these challenges?
Our experience at Cambridge, working with schools in 160 countries, suggests that in tackling these challenges, we should beware of simplistic, “one-size-fits-all” solutions, but also take heed of some sound common principles.
Excellent education is based on excellent teachers: a successful education develops the skills and abilities of each child. Every child is different, and learns differently from other children, even those at a similar attainment level. Only skilled teachers, attentive to the progress and difficulties of every child, and able to adapt their teaching plans and classroom practice, can deliver success.
Education does not start with exams: it is important to assess what is learnt, and for reasons of social equity it is hard, perhaps impossible, to avoid the use of exams as an instrument of formal assessment. But clearly learning, not exams and tests, is the purpose of education. Examinations should be designed to encourage, recognise and reward desired learning. They should not be regarded as an end in themselves.
A well designed curriculum should develop skills for life: We all know from experience that much of the knowledge and technique we were required to demonstrate in school examinations does not remain important to us throughout life. Conversely we have to learn much that is necessary and useful to us after we leave formal education. So education needs to give greater emphasis to the acquisition of transferable skills and learning skills, alongside core knowledge. The school curriculum should place great weight on the development of higher order thinking skills, which better prepare young people for the analytical challenges they will face in life.
