Talanga: HEALTH & WELLNESS IN THE PACIFIC : Education for Sustainability ≠ Test-scores
Date: May, 24, 2013 09:42 Age: 82 days
Talanga: The School of Education Seminar Series
Presenter: Ms. Cresantia Frances Koya, Lecturer, School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Law and Education, University of the South Pacific, Suva, Fiji.
Abstract:
Global, regional and national educational instruments, policies and frameworks argue that Quality Education for the 21st Century must provide educational opportunities for empowerment so that everyone has equal opportunity to achieve a basic quality of life. They use a futures-thinking lens to advocate the idea of sustainable societies and agree that that education, awareness and advocacy of core issues are critical to this goal. Ironically, while Health is identified as an essential component of sustainable societies, it is often neglected in educational discourse. When educators talk about ‘Health Education’, it is treated as a subject paying close attention to the content and assessment of that content. Through education we expect students to learn the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes required for behavioral impact in their daily lives and life choices. Do current curriculum approaches fit these ‘expected outcomes’ or have we been blinded by test-scores for higher education and employment purposes?
This presentation argues for a critical review of how we talk about health in and outside of schools in the Pacific and highlights the potential role of higher education institutions such as the School of Education at USP. It argues that rethinking health, wellness & sustainability requires both national curriculum reform as well as futures-thinking Teacher Education programmes which promote the development of contextual pedagogies for education in the islands. Two current Pacific initiatives in education and the arts are further discussed as examples of new ways of thinking about these issues.
Date: Monday 27 May, 2013.
Time: 1-2pm
Venue: FALE meeting room, FALE bottom floor, USP Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji.
