ACER India represented at the International Conference on Education 2024

The International Conference on Education 2024 (ICEDU 24), – with the theme ‘Bridging the gap between research and practice in education: fostering creativity, new curriculum, and entrepreneurial skills for learners and educators’, – has been held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The International Institute of Knowledge Management (TIIKM) organised the 10th conference.

ACER Senior Research Fellow Ashtamurthy Killimangalam presented the paper ‘Participatory approach to system transformation in India’, based on the work done at the Delhi Board of School Education (DBSE). The co-authors of the paper are Dr Priyanka Sharma (Research Director, ACER India), Krapa Shankar Upadhyay (CEO, DBSE) and Anu Radha Sharma (Senior Research Fellow, ACER India).

‘A unique feature of the DBSE system is that it allows students to select specialised areas of learning, such as work-related skills or performing arts, in collaboration with professional organisations, in addition to the foundational domains of learning. Our paper describes the participatory approach adopted by DBSE to achieve its identified purpose and the initial impact of the approach on educators and learners,’ Mr Killimangalam said.

In his presentation, Mr Killimangalam described the key transformative aspects of the participatory approach at DBSE, which included co-creation of the curriculum and learning strategies through a series of workshops over 2 years, and a criteria-based approach to assessment to help students understand and regulate their own learning pathways. These shifts necessitate continuous and meaningful engagement with teachers throughout the year and helping parents understand the new approach.  

‘The study also analysed preliminary results which suggest that students not only show improvement in learning, but also student self-regulation of learning is enhanced,’ Mr Killimangalam added.

For interviews, collaboration, or information, please contact: commsindia@acer.org