The changes Ministry of Education made in school curricula in the second stage of its project to develop educational guidelines, which was implemented at the beginning of this academic year, are not radical, said Muhammad Bin Abdullah Al-Bishi, director of the project.“In terms of mathematics and science, the project was completed this year,” Al-Bishi said in an interview with Okaz/Saudi Gazette. “The new curriculums are now taught at all primary and intermediate grades. As for other subjects, the second phase is being implemented this year and it is an extension of the first one in terms of including listening, reading and writing skills in all Arabic-language subjects, and integration of social studies in one National and Social Education book in primary and intermediate schools.” Another second-stage characteristic is teaching computer use in intermediate grades, he added. The new curriculums are also taught differently in that they focus on the role of the teachers and their being effective and organized, Al-Bishi said. Guides were written for teachers and their assessment methods were developed through using multiple strategies to help accomplish the Constructivist Learning Model, he added. “The project is implemented in a way that gives the pupil experience and skill gradually, according to the age group,” Al-Bishi said. Al-Bishi conceded that teachers faced some difficulties at the beginning of implementing the first stage, which he attributed to a lack of training, but he said the new training portfolios introduced to teachers and other school officials at the end of the last academic year helped overcome these difficulties and improve performance. He said the ministry has approved 4,500 computer laboratories for intermediate schools, of which 2,000 labs are set; the rest, along with other teaching aids and materials, will be provided throughout the current year. The process of writing curriculums involves four committees of experts, specialists and university professors who are selected based on precise criteria, Al
