Curriculum Mapping and Review Consultant

Work Arrangement:

Job Description

IRC Background:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Since 2007, IRC has worked with refugees and other vulnerable populations in Jordan. Working in coordination with the humanitarian community and the Government of Jordan, the IRC's assistance programs for children in Jordan include both camp-based (Zaatari, and Azraq camps) and urban-based refugee assistance (Mafraq, Ramtha, Irbid).

The IRC’s educational interventions strive to help children and youth gain valuable skills and knowledge that will increase their opportunities and life chances and contribute to their well-being and livelihood. The IRC supports formal and non-formal learning activities that lead to tangible learning outcomes in literacy, numeracy, socio-emotional learning, and marketable skills and promotes the protection and psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected children and youth.

Project Background:

The Early Grade Education Activity “named ASAS” is a five-year joint venture of the four National and International consortium partners including the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Change Agent for Arab Development and Education Reform (CADER), and School to School (StS). This activity is funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The overarching goal of the project is to work at the national level to raise the standard of pre- and in-service teacher education and to enhance fundamental and socioemotional abilities in Kindergarten through Grade Three throughout the Kingdom of Jordan. ASAS seeks to strengthen the early-grade education system on several fronts through close collaboration with the Government of Jordan, including enhancing the standard of pre-service teacher education and in-service teacher professional development, enhancing the early-grade curriculum and teaching and learning materials (TLM).

Objective: 26 days

The primary objectives of this consultancy service are two-fold:

Objective 1 pertains to the development of pragmatic technical tools, containing evidence-based standards, that will be used by the IRC technical team members to map, review and evaluate Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) with the objective of improving teaching and learning, particularly focusing on early-grade education (KG2-G3). The technical tools will be developed based on the 5-point learning framework[i] , and climate change. Furthermore, the consultant is expected to set out a concise and comprehensive plan detailing the course of action to be pursued by subject matter experts and the ASAS team in their efforts to enhance existing resources, curricula, and TLMs or create new ones.

Objective 2 pertains to the mapping and categorization of fiction and non-fiction books for early grades (KG2-G3). This involves developing technical criteria for the systematic categorization of these books, ensuring better accessibility for teachers, caregivers, and children.

Specific Tasks:

The consultant will work together with the IRC’s Jordan ASAS team, IREX technical team and Technical Advisors on the following deliverables:

Tentative Deliverables

LOE (# days)

Tentative Date

Preparation

Develop inception report which will be the road map of managing overall evaluation process with clear processes and steps to be as reference for the consultant and the ASAS Jordan team and other relevant sectors. The inception report should encompass project (not limited to):

· Introduction: Purpose, Objective, and scope of evaluation

· Methodology: Evaluation criteria and elaboration of key questions, Indicators of measuring result, Evaluation design, Method of data collection and analysis, Sample and sampling design, Limitations to the evaluation

· Desk review which supports how the task and tools were built.

· Evaluation design matrix: Summarizes the key aspects of the evaluation exercise by specifying what will be evaluated and how (Discuss the data collection and data analysis methods that will be used for each question)

· Workplan: The tasks, key deliverables, responsible entities, and schedule/dates of evaluation activities are noted here.

· Annexes: Documents reviewed, Log frame for the intervention, Draft data collection instruments, Term of reference for evaluation

Knowing that there is a procedure report for this component which will help the consultant on building the road map for the consultancy.

Note:

· The consultant will have a meeting with the technical committee before starting the work to have more understanding and guidance regarding this consultancy.

· The technical committee will review each product that the consultant will develop, and their feedback and comments should be taken in consideration based on the agreement with IRC

1

Detail of tasks

Develop technical standards for the mapping and categorization of existing resources including curricula, and TLMs (KG2-G3) from two perspectives: the curriculum outcomes and the 5-Point Framework, in addition to climate change.

Develop technical standards for the mapping and cataloging of fiction and non-fiction books (KG2-G3) from two perspectives: the curriculum outcomes and the 5-Point Framework, in addition to the climate change

2

Development and revision of assessment and analysis tools considering the curriculum and TLM from the outcome’s perspective and the 5-Point Framework & climate change perspective, considering include diverse evaluation tools for the curriculum and learning materials from various sources.

These tools may include:

· Curriculum and TLM analysis tool from the outcome perspective and the 5-Point Framework, and climate change

· Focus Group Discussions (FGD)

· Key Informant Interviews (KII)

· regular interviews

· classroom observation tools

· collecting information about the curriculum itself from teachers, parents, and supervisors to understand their perspectives and practices regarding the current curriculum and more.

Note: It is important to note that this includes the curriculum, learning, and teaching tools, including stories. As for the analysis tools, there are different methods depending on the tool used for data collection, such as Dedoose, Stata, and other analysis tools.

15

Attending committee meetings with key stakeholders such as the National Council for Curriculum Development (NCCD), Ministry of Education (MoE), IREX and IRC.

Seek input from these entities to identify gaps and opportunities, and incorporate their recommendations, feedback, and suggestions into the collaborative effort. Adjust actions and strategies based on the insights gathered from these consultations

2

Conduct training for the ASAS team include data collectors, TLM and curricula team and focal points from MOE and NCCD to use the tools for evaluate the curricula and TLM including fiction and nonfiction storybooks for KG2-G3 and

1

Conduct data analysis and prepare a final report outlining the results and recommendations, with an emphasis on contextual analysis and behavioral mapping.

This includes analyzing the context to understand strengths, weaknesses, and obstacles hindering the adoption of current curricula and learning materials. Adopt the recommendations presented in the report accordingly.

3

Present the report's findings to the relevant committee and collaboratively review them together.

2

Qualifications

Consultancy Requirements:

● At least master’s degree in education, curriculum design, instructional design, or a related field.

● Experience in Curriculum mapping and gaps analysis that include academic curriculum, teacher training and continuous professional development.

● Knowledge of the education sector in Jordan, relevant frameworks and education policy well as experience in working with diverse stakeholders in the education sector. In-depth knowledge of curriculum design principles, learning theories, and pedagogical best practices is essential.

● Experience working in working specifically on SEL will be considered added value.

● Good understanding of MoE curriculum development process and the key entities to be engaged.

● Strong research and data analysis skills are essential for reviewing existing documents and conducting meetings with key actors.

INTEGRATED 5-POINT LEARNING FRAMEWORK

Alignment

KG2-G3 national standards, revised curriculum and student learning objectives, and CPD and PSTE.

Universal Design for Learning

Creating learning environments and implementing pedagogical practices that value the presence, participation and achievement of all learners, regardless of their contexts and personal characteristics.

Gender Sensitivity

Education of all learners has equal importance by establishing participation, representation, stereotype avoidance, use of inclusive language, and promotion of mutual respect and equity.

Socioemotional Learning

Creating learning environments that support student wellness and activities that provide for SEL skills development of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible-decision-making.

Playful Learning Practices

Child-centered and project/ tasked- based opportunities to learn and apply content knowledge; brain breaks that reinforce learning objectives.