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

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East Asia and the Pacific
A boy listens as his parents discuss the
removal of landmines in the village
of O Chheukram, Cambodia.
© UNICEF/NYHQ2004-0766/Thomas
Pedagogy
The learning and teaching methodology proposed is primarily
a combination of whole class and large group discussion
following the writing of workbook answers so as to bring
factual data to the surface. Through such modalities, knowledge
outcomes are predominant over skills development and
attitudinal outcomes. The ‘use of songs, competitions, posters
and plays’ referred to in a 2010 report (APDC, 2010) is not yet
reflected in the teacher’s manual (MoEYS, 2008).
Student Assessment
The module offers ’exercises for the children to test their
understanding’ (ADPC, 2008, 19). There is no indication
of assessment of DRR-related skills or behaviour.
Teacher Professional Development/Guidance
The Teacher’s Manual offers guidance on the facilitation of
nineteen short lessons based on and also extending what is
in the textbook. For each section the Manual offers lesson
objectives (see below), text pages and materials to be used,
duration (always 10 minutes), teaching methodology, questions
for students to respond to in their notebooks prior to discussing
their answers in whole class sessions with the teacher.
Instruction in using the curriculum materials was given to
the teachers participating in the pilots. Provincial and district
education officers and school principals of the pilot schools
also attended the training sessions. The sessions: ‘provided
guidelines for writing lesson plans, participants practiced teach-
ing in the classroom in a simulation exercise; feedbacks on
teaching techniques and methodologies in the delivery of the
DRR modules were provided’. A training of trainers approach
was also used to help cascade training to teachers in the four
provinces in which pilot implementation occurred. Curriculum
specialists from MoEYS, NCDM staff and Technical Working
Group members as well as school principals monitored the
teaching of the DRR lessons (ADPC, 2010, n.p.).
Learning Outcomes/Competencies
Each of the nineteen lessons in the Teacher’s Manual includes
a list of learning objectives for the additional ten-minute teaching
section. The learning objectives enumerated primarily
concern acquiring disaster-related geographical knowledge,
for example, ‘the students will be able to identify the types of
flood hazards in Cambodia’ and ‘the students will be able to
identify environmental issues that impact negatively on
Cambodian society and economy’. In addition, some dispositional
learning outcomes are included such as ‘the students
will be cautious and prepared before and during floods’ and
‘the students will be interested in contributing to natural
disaster preparedness’ (MoEYS, 2008). Throughout the
lessons, however, there is a dearth of DRR-related skills
learning outcomes. Overall, there is something of a contradiction
between the Project’s larger goals of fostering proactive
student engagement with disaster preparedness, prevention
and mitigation and a programme that is solely oriented towards
knowledge acquisition.
Disaster Risk Reduction in School Curricula: Case Studies from Thirty Countries