Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies ... - Unicef

145
Industrialized Countries
Post-Christchurch, there is clearly a felt need for a revisiting of
disaster awareness teacher training in New Zealand, especially
in the socio-affective sphere.
Learning Outcomes/Competencies
The WTPS Teacher’s Guide (MCDEM, 2009, 13) identifies the
following ‘key competencies’ students require to ‘live, learn,
work and contribute as active members of their communities’:
thinking; using language symbols and texts; managing oneself;
relating to others; participating and communicating. The
‘strong link’ between disaster awareness education and
managing oneself is particularly emphasized.
WTPS takes its student learning outcomes from relevant
grade-level achievement objectives set forth for the Health and
Physical Science, Social Sciences, Science and English learning
areas in the New Zealand national curriculum (examples given
above). There is no discrete codified enumeration of disaster
awareness student learning outcomes.
Policy Development, Planning and Implementation Aspects
WTPS is an outcome of the MCDEM National Public Education
Strategy 2003-2008 and its Strategic Framework for the National
CDEM Public Education Programme 2006-2015. In 2004 a
‘CDEM in Schools’ working group comprised of civil defence
staff was formed. The CDEM working group first conducted
an analysis of MCDEM public education materials and surveyed
teachers, identifying a lack of linkage with the national curriculum
as a key finding. It went on to ‘develop and roll out a national
“all-hazards” resource for schools,’ choosing to ‘create a brand
specific to CDEM education that would allow any future resource
development to have a strong, pre-existing identity’. In 2005
MCDEM tendered Educating NZ to develop the resource.
The consultancy group proceeded to do so, having first
gathered data and ideas through focus groups with teachers,
students and MCDEM staff (Johnson, 2011, 5).
The first edition of What’s the Plan Stan? became available
in 2006. MCDEM distributed hard copies to all primary and
intermediate schools and conducted the training program for
teachers and principals described above.
What’s the Plan Stan? was upgraded in 2007 and, following
the gathering of focus group feedback from teachers and civil
defence staff on ways to improve the resource and enhance its
fit with the national curriculum, it appeared in its current form
in 2009 (Ibid).
MCDEM has not conducted an evaluation of the level of use
or effectiveness of the resource (Ibid. 4, 49). But Johnson’s
implementation study (ibid) offers clear pointers to the patchy
pick-up of the resource by teachers, as do the remarks by the
Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management speaking
at the launch of the study: ‘The key finding for New Zealand is
we have a good teaching resource that too many schools do
not use’ (MCDEM, 2011, 1). Amongst Johnson’s findings from
2011 focus groups with 49 volunteer teachers, principals and
other senior managers from 31 schools from rural, suburban
and urban communities spread across the North and South
Islands of New Zealand (and subsequent online survey and/or
personal interview with some) are the following:
Approximately half of focus group participants had not heard
of WTPS before their invitation to participate in the study
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries