We spoke with Secondary Product Head at Knowledge Platform, Sabahat Quadri, about developing the course Teaching Practice: Fundamentals of the 5E Model with the LUMSx and LLI Teams. Knowledge Platform is a leading e-learning solutions provider based in Singapore and Pakistan and one of LUMSx’s primary partners in the development of digital certifications for school educators.
Imagine walking into a classroom where students are leading their own learning. A classroom with abundant space for joy, inquiry, collaboration, and creativity. A space that students look forward to. Do these descriptions sound utopian? They shouldn’t because with Teaching Practice: Fundamentals of the 5E Model, teachers can learn a structured approach to improve their pedagogical skills and develop learner-centered classrooms. This self-paced, online course has been developed by Knowledge Platform, the School of Education at LUMS, LUMS Learning Institute and LUMSx. The course is now available on the ilmX platform (discover.ilmx.com) for the benefit of all K-12 educators.
We sat down with Sabahat Quadri who played a critical role in developing the 5E Model course.
Talk to us about our teachers and students. What do they struggle with?
From my perspective, our teachers face two main problems: A lack of quality professional development and exposure to new ideas, and a relentless pressure to deliver results against an examination system that only rewards rote-learning. Teachers in private schools are trained often but moving from a teacher-centered approach to a student-centered approach is an uphill task and they are yet to achieve it.
Our students, on the other hand, suffer when they’re in large classes with poor student-teacher ratios, which is a common problem in urban public schools. They’re treated uniformly and are provided with uninspired, tedious environments that makes learning a drudgery instead of a joy.
How does the 5E Model course serve our Pakistani classrooms?
The purpose of the 5E Model course is to build a culture of inquiry in students. It essentially instils what we know today as 21st Century skills in students. Our students need the ability to think independently and critically, as well as to apply knowledge they’ve acquired. The 5E Model expects teachers to allow students the freedom to explore their own ideas and to make mistakes.
This course is a structured way to move from the traditional lecture-based approach common to Pakistani classrooms to a student-centered approach that gives students agency in their own learning, and fosters an environment where they can question common assumptions and construct knowledge freely.
Can you provide a specific example or strategy from the course that addresses the challenges mentioned earlier?
One of the best strategies we’ve suggested is activating prior knowledge. It’s an essential part of the constructivist approach to learning, and using it means that teachers must learn to incorporate active learning in their classrooms rather than passively deliver information. It also forces teachers to deal with students as individuals and not as a collective.
What role do you see platforms like Knowledge Platform and LUMSx playing in the education sector?
I see KP and LUMSx continuing to make new courses to build a library that will be more relevant and affordable for Pakistan’s teachers compared to those on Coursera or EdX. As pioneers, we should be leaders in this sector.
