NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM

Maltese and Foreign experts will participate in a national conference on the Implementation of the National Curriculum that will take place from June 9 to 11 at Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University of Malta.

The Conference will receive and discuss reports prepared by a number of specialised groups on different topics of the Curriculum. Suggestions made throughout the Conference will then be taken into consideration before the final reports are drawn thus ensuring that the National Curriculum is implemented in a way that gives maximum benefit to our educational system.

Prof. Wilfred Carr from the Sheffield University; Prof. Andy Green from the University of London, Institute of Education; Prof. George shield from the University of Newcastle and Prof. Lena Selmerdotter from Umea University in Stockholm will be the guest speakers at the Conference.

Besides a number of educational specialists, state, church and independent schools has been invited to send a delegation of four persons, including one parent and one teacher.

The Conference is organised by the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Curriculum, the Division of Education and the Ministry of Education. The plenary sessions will be held at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall while the three workshops will be held in different halls on the campus.

The Conference will examine and discuss the reports by each of the 18 specialised Working Groups created earlier this year by the Steering Committee. Each report cover a new school subject or an important issue related to the Curriculum and contain Action Plans to be adopted one each issue.

The reports to be discussed during the Conference are:

Early childhood education and transition to primary;

Inclusion and Special education;

Assessment policy including Benchmarking;

Bilingualism;

Science in the primary curriculum;

Technology Education in the Curriculum;

Co-ordinated Science in the Secondary Schools;

Creativity and self-expression;

Personal and Social development;

Information and Communications technology in education;

Thematic and Interdisciplinary Teaching;

Differentiated Teaching;

The Curriculum and MATSEC;

Links between School and the world of work;

Schools as Community Centres;

Gender in the National Curriculum;

Parent Participation;

Democracy in Schools.

The Conference is open to parents, teachers and educators and to all those interested in the subject such as Heads of Departments or Agencies that are connected with the Curriculum.

Since the Document envisages close school-community links and sharing of facilities, representatives of the local councils are also invited to attend.

Those wishing to attend can request a registration form by e-mail from socrates@um.educ.mt or by contacting the NMC Conference Centre at the Socrates Office, University of Malta on phone numbers 3290 2347 and 3290 2204 or fac on numbers 317938 or 323807. Closing date is May 30^th, 2000.