AMMAN — The
National Center for Curriculum Development (NCCD) is currently examining the possibility of preparing the
curricular framework for “media education” at schools through the integration
of media concepts into most subjects across all levels of school education in
the Kingdom, including in private and public schools.
اضافة اعلان
Secretary-General of the
Ministry of Education Najwa Qbeilat told
Jordan News that mainstreaming media education in
the national curriculum will be carried out, not through the addition of media
textbooks to the curricula, but rather through a variety of methods, one of
which is the introduction of new chapters on media concepts to existing
textbooks, primarily to social studies and information technology.
Additionally, the prospect of assigning
two class slots per week for students to learn a variety of media related
skills is being explored, according to Qbeilat, like writing a journalistic
report, and a speech for an audience. “The Ministry of Education will
communicate with the NCCD to explore these options,” Qbeilat said.
NCCD Director Mahmoud Massad told
Jordan
News that these new set of skills are bound to serve as positive additions to
school education. “The introduction of these new concepts will be very
beneficial to students, as they will be aware of the need to verify sources and
accuracy of information that they read and to be cautious of rumors,” he said.
The move will also involve training teachers to become prepared to educate
students on these new media concepts, which is also under assessment, according
to Massad.
Massad added that the NCCD reviews
textbooks on yearly basis to determine if any changes should be made by the
competent parties. “If the addition of media education concepts is approved, it
is possible that during the annual review of such textbooks, the concepts and
terminologies related to media education would be added during that period,” he
said.
He said that the annual revision is an
opportunity that allows the addition, deletion, amendment of new concepts. “For
example, in a mathematics textbook, some terms related to media skills like
critical thinking and skepticism, would be highlighted for students in a
different color, to emphasize these new topics.”
It is not only mathematics textbooks that
could be used to promote media concepts and skills. Even art, music and sports
textbooks also hold the capability to convey these conceptual terms as well,
Massad maintained, although, social studies, Arabic and English textbooks are
probably better suited to teach these ideas, he clarified.
Although proposed by the NCCD, the final
decision of implementing this new framework to the educational curriculum will
be taken by a specialized board at the Ministry of Education. Massad said the
decision could be made as early as February this year. “Personally, I do not
predict that the ministry will reject these changes; on the contrary, they will
probably be in favor.” He noted that a budget allocation will be required to
prepare the educational material and train the teachers on delivering the new
concepts, but that regardless of the cost, the move should be welcomed and will
bring valuable outcomes.
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