REFLECTION DAY 1

My Personal Objectives for day 1:

To develop an appreciation for the NSC seminars

To develop an understanding of the importance of the NSC curriculum to the Jamaican
setting

July 4th was the first day of the NSC seminars and I was not very interested in attending these
seminars. This was because I had a lot of prior obligations at school and deadlines that I was
trying to meet. I did not understand why the NSC seminars were of relevance at this particular
time, neither did I understand the importance of the NSC curriculum to our Jamaican setting;
hence my reason for setting the above objectives for myself for day one.
One day one, it was obvious that some teachers did not want to be at the seminar, and that iwas
evident in their disruptive behaviours. Nevertheless, the sessions continued and the focus for the
day was the National Standards Curriculum (NSC) Framework for Learner Centred Education.
I learnt that the one of the most important tools in ensuring consistency and quality in a
curriculum system is a curriculum framework. The curriculum framework defines a set of
standards for the implementation of the curriculum, thereby allowing for quality and efficiency.
During the discussion of the framework and also reading the copy of the framework given to me,
I realized that this NSC curriculum is geared towards transforming education in Jamaica and
taking education to a higher level than it was previously, through the use of different strategies
and emphasized methodologies. Based on the discussions, I also garnered that this curriculum is
focused on the holistic development of students and not only the development of their cognitive
abilities. It is geared towards developing competencies in students; and what I found intriguing

was that competency not only refers to the students skills and knowledge base. Previously, when
I spoke about competence in my classroom, I was only focusing on the acquisition and
application of knowledge and skills. However, reading the copy of the framework, I came to the
understanding that competencies also includes attitudes, and therefore in planning my lesson and
actually teaching the lessons, I intend to place more emphasis on developing students attitude.
Therefore, I intend to get the students to engage in more group work, so as to enable students to
develop the correct attitude in working with each other. I also plan to integrate more Jamaican
heritage into my lesson-where possible, so as to enable the students to develop an appreciation
for their culture and also develop the correct attitude towards their country and other citizens.
This is very important because, based on the framework, having knowledge and skills without
the correct attitude, is not competency. Therefore, I like the fact that more emphasis is being
placed on producing students who are well-rounded, able to compete in a globally competitive
world and are able to adapt to meet the needs of a changing society.
What also stood out to me was that the foundation of this curriculum is constructivism; where the
learning environment is learner centred, and students prior knowledge and experiences forms a
fundamental aspect of learning. I am in support of this, as I do believe that learning is reciprocal
and so students should be held responsible for learning, as much as the teacher is. Therefore, I
love the fact the curriculum focuses on active learning and teachers becoming guides on the
sides, rather than sages on the stage.
Therefore, I have learnt that the curriculum is aimed at producing students who are successful
lifelong learners, confident and productive, tolerant and respectful, who can think critically,
communicate effectively, work collaboratively, and are creative.

I can confidently say that my objectives were met, as I now realize that these seminars are of
great significance in sensitizing teachers about the new curriculum. It may mean that I will have
to do more in order to meet deadlines, but learning about the curriculum is important. I also
understand the importance of the curriculum to the Jamaican setting, as this curriculum could
help to produce students who are more equipped to function in society. Additionally, this
curriculum is needed at a time like this, as it also focuses on instilling in students a sense of
Jamaican pride and citizenship, which is somewhat lacking in todays society.
On other hand, despite the fact that I gained new knowledge from day one, I think the
discussions could have been more interactive and engaging. Activities could have been included
which would get the teachers more involved and this could have reduced the disruption. I believe
efforts must be made to improve this for the future.
I look forward to learning more about the National Standards Curriculum.