Pamelia Riviere:
I am unfamiliar with the new curriculum in Bangladesh. However, I have heard complaints about the lack of homework, cooking classes, and quizzes that focus on Islamic subjects instead of core subjects. In Bangladesh, Islamic concepts are taught in Bengali, and the exam questions of Bengali subjects are formulated to include Islamic knowledge. However, this approach raises the question of why Bengali education should have a focus on Islam when Bangladesh is a multicultural country.
Perhaps, the curriculum has been updated to align with the Madrasa Board, but I’m not certain.
I believe that the curriculum should not be standardized for every individual. A standardized curriculum does not fit for all. I believe that education should be personalized to accommodate each child’s unique needs and cultural background, especially in a diverse country like Bangladesh. The curriculum and lesson preparation should prioritize multiculturalism.
I would like to share my personal experience as a parent along with my expertise in curriculum and pedagogy. I largely relied on the theory of Multiple Intelligences to teach my children effectively, and my parents’ teaching approach greatly influenced my curriculum development.
My two children attended the Green Herald School (Saint Francis Xavier’s Greenherald International School) in Dhaka, Bangladesh before immigrating to Canada. However, when we moved to Canada, they were not satisfied with the public schools they attended in grades 2 and 6.
My child and I were disappointed with the school due to its smaller campus and lack of teachers. There was only one teacher for the primary school which resulted in a monotonous classroom environment. As a result, my son lost interest in school and was unhappy seeing the same teacher all day.
Adjusting to a new country and a two-bedroom apartment with limited opportunities and a new school was a challenging time for them. They were saddened by the thought of leaving their old home, school, and friends behind, as well as their dear teachers. Furthermore, the cold weather made it difficult to adjust as a new immigrant in the country.
The Junior Cambridge system of Green Herald had different teachers for each subject, which allowed them for more interaction and a wider range of learning experiences from teachers of various subjects. They had separate teachers for Bengali, English, Mathematics, Art, Music, Dance, and Sewing. This approach was also followed in middle school and high school, giving students plenty of opportunities to learn from different teachers for each subject.
In Ontario, a bachelor’s degree from Ontario Studies in Education, University of Toronto is required for teaching in schools. Many primary and secondary educators hold a master’s degree.
In Canada, primary school students typically receive very little homework initially. I was surprised when my son didn’t receive much homework until he reached sixth grade. He didn’t have to study much at home. During the first year when he was sick and hospitalized, a home teacher used to come and teach him. There was no pressure and my son used to play with the teacher. Eventually, all of his teachers became his friends.
During that period, my kids spent the majority of his time playing games, watching TV, and reading books from the library. Over the summer, children completed reading at least 30 books. I had to take the cart to the local library most of the time to return old books and get new ones. They were so into reading books, just like me. They do not have mobile phones yet, and iPads have not been introduced. They sometimes had to do their homework on the computer.
The boy regularly played Nintendo with doctors and teachers both at school and in the hospital. This was because playing games, watching movies, drawing, and creating things were all helpful activities for him. During his hospital stay, play station and the library was his favourite place to go. The school in the hospital and home was also a lot of fun for him. Despite his suffering, the teacher in the hospital classroom and school made an effort to teach him enough to bring joy to learning.
Both children enjoyed participating in various activities such as field trips, fundraising events, and competitions in math, spelling, art, and creative writing. They were enrolled in one of Toronto’s six alternative spectrum schools, specifically Alternative Spectrum Schools in Eglinton and Mount Pleasant, which focused on both math and the arts. I was delighted to see that the children were able to draw with happiness in this school.
After experiencing how multiple intelligences impacted my own learning, I made the decision to enroll my children in an art school in Bangladesh instead of sending them to a Montessori school so they could play with paints and brushes. I wanted them to have the opportunity to play with colours and express their creativity. In fact, my youngest child had been drawing and painting at home since the age of two and a half. In my personal opinion, it’s important for children to have a variety of experiences in drawing and music from a young age, so they can enjoy a world of joy.
The curriculum should not be a burden, and learning to recite rhymes and tell stories was part of my father’s special education that helped children gain confidence and trust, ultimately leading to self-confidence.
I had a great experience in my elementary and middle school. I also tried the same school experience for my children, and they enjoyed it. The school had a well-rounded education system that included dance, singing, cover songs, and debates. The school had a garden where they grew vegetables and the boarding students benefited from it. It had gardens, a big playground, and a large pond in front of the high school classrooms. Unfortunately, girls were not given the opportunity to learn swimming. I have fond memories of the Madhabilata flower gate and the Rajanigandha flower garden in front of the classrooms.
Gardening both at home and at school, swimming, playing sports on a daily basis, and exercising are all crucial for the proper formation of both the body and the mind. My father used to teach us how to recite poetry and tell stories, and he encouraged us to perform in front of others. He used to tell us amusing tales at bedtime, but he had no idea that he was actually teaching us in a fun and engaging way.
Teaching cannot be confined to a single method as it requires a variety of approaches. Parents need to learn and implement various techniques at home to support their children’s reading and writing skills. Relying solely on the school’s curriculum may not always be enough. In my childhood, my mother used to conduct creative teachings where she taught us how to make clay apples, mangoes, different types of dolls, and boats using black and red clay from the Brahmaputra River.
As a child, my mother showed me how to make natural dyes from fruit seeds and how to cut out paper flowers, birds, airplanes, and boats. Later on, I volunteered at the Royal Ontario Museum on Saturdays and used my mother’s expertise to teach children how to make clay dolls, mangoes, and boats. Nowadays, many schools and museums focus on story telling, teaching clay dolls and animals, puppet-making and origami as a means to develop creativity.
(Continued to Part II)
About :
The author is an anthropologist, sociologist, environmentalist, and peace and conflict resolution educator! She completed her PhD research in curriculum and pedagogy (peace and conflict resolution through science) at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto.