Author Archives: Teachers' Resource Centre

This was a busy and productive period for TRC. During this period TRC conducted 18 workshops and also successfully hosted a one-day ‘Thinking Classroom and Critical Thinking: Reshaping Educational Prospects’ academic conference for both public and private school teachers. Participants at the conference were able to attend 8 highly informative and interactive sessions and the event created a buzz about TRC. A critical thinking activity book and training video, which were created as part of TRC’s “Thinking Classroom” project, were launched at the conference.

During this period, TRC also became a part of a learning initiative called ‘Badal Do!’ which engaged schools and teachers, equipping them with tools of inclusive learning. TRC conducted a 3-day “Training of Master Trainers” as part of Badal Do! and was nominated the training lead for a consortium of 7 organisations that are part of the project. Our team trained nearly 200 teachers to carry out reflective practices. This was an important aspect of Badal Do!’s strategy which seeks to enhance teachers’ capacity for self-evaluation and helps them understand their influence on children and the community through these training sessions.

In May 2017, the Karachi Youth Initiative invited TRC to be part of the Partner Learning and Sharing Session that it had organised for its partner organisations. The purpose of the meeting was to generate ideas for a stronger and more resilient society, and share experiences and best practices.

TRC and the British Asian Trust (BAT) also collaborated for the “Strengthening ECE Provisions through Peer to Peer Learning in Government Schools”. The project seeks to deliver and promote a complete model for the ECE curriculum in government schools in low income urban areas.

TRC was represented at the Reform Support Unit’s policy dialogue on Early Childhood Care and Education and in March 2017 our representatives also presented on “The Thinking Classroom” project at the National Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education in Islamabad.

After a year of hectic activity and lots of learning, ECED-P students successfully completed their second and third (and final) term in the programme.

In June, our team members were also invited by the School Education Department, Sindh to share their expertise during a review of the draft curriculum for Early Childhood Care and Education, 2017. Our team members evaluated the draft and shared their findings with SED.

TRC also hosted an orientation session for the TKT (Teachers Knowledge Test) programme at its premises. TKT is a professional credential that focuses on core teaching concepts for teachers of English as a foreign language.

Finally, TRC continued its usual support activities for teachers and schools through its workshop programme and by chairing school events.

TRC Trending…

TRC is on Facebook! This is where we share ideas, tips and news with our online teaching community. It is a space to learn new ideas, share experiences and stay informed about all the latest happenings at TRC.

Ilm o Amal

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

With Eid-ul-Azha and the monsoon arriving together, the situation is ripe for disease and safety hazards. In this month’s Ilm o Amal, Shahrezad Samiuddin offers tips for parents and teachers that can help their children stay safe and healthy.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: Thursday September 21st & Friday September 22nd, 2017 | Time: 2:30 – 5:00 p.m

Reading involves multiple cognitive, emotional, and social abilities, each of which influences the beginning reader’s success. Learning to read is a sequential process; a cognitive ability to identify the sounds with their symbols, connecting them together in order to make words, sentences, and paragraphs. Strategies that help teachers to learn how to improve child’s reading skills is what this Reading Skills session is all about.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: Monday September 11th & Tuesday September 12th, 2017 | Time: 2:30 – 5:00 p.m

A major challenge that confronts most trainers is how to reach across to adults. It is important for trainers to equip themselves with ideas and strategies to conduct effective workshop sessions aimed at learner-centred learning. This workshop has been planned to focus on ways to adopt active approaches and skills for meaningful communication.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: Monday 28, Tuesday 29 & Wednesday 30, August 2017 | Time: 2:30 – 5:00 p.m

Developing Critical Thinking (CT) is a predominant theme in 21st Century Skills. It is an active, purposeful and organised cognitive process. Research has proved that it can be explicitly taught if given importance from a young age. This nine-hour workshop will help educators to analyse the core components of Critical Thinking and enhance their skills in developing a thinking culture in their schools and classrooms. It will also enable them to incorporate critical thinking in classrooms.

TRC News

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on politics and current events should be a part of a school’s curriculum, and cast your vote by the end of August 2017. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our July 2017 poll was about posting students’ grades in public:

Students’ grades should not be posted publicly because it leads to situations which could be humiliating and awkward for those who haven’t done well.

• I agree. Grades do not reflect students’ capabilities. Public announcements of grades demoralise a child who is already feeling bad about not doing well and can lead to teasing and bullying. (88%, 43 Votes)

• I disagree. Public announcements of grades help students know where they stand in relation to others. Students will work harder to improve their grades if they know that results will be announced. (12%, 6 Votes)

Result:
A large majority of the respondents i.e. 88% feel that grades should not be displayed or announced in public because they can cause students who have failed or not done too well, to feel demoralised. Twelve percent (12%) of the respondents however, feel that displaying grades publicly can affect students differently and once they know where they stand in a group, it can compel those who did not do well to work harder to improve their grades.

Ilm o Amal

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Teachers who manage their time well are more productive, more efficient, and more likely to meet their goals. In this month’s Ilm o Amal, we list tips which teachers can use to focus on important time sensitive tasks and limit the amount of time wasted on non-essentials.

TRC News

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on posting students’ grades in public, and cast your vote by the end of July 2017. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our June 2017 poll was about increasing teachers’ salaries:

Increasing salaries is the best way to attract and retain good teachers, and eventually to raise the quality of education being imparted.

• I agree. A good salary will attract better-trained graduates to the profession, because the reality is that financial motivation is the strongest factor in adopting and staying in a career. (67%, 37 Votes)

• I disagree. Attracting and retaining teachers requires a wider approach that ensures career progress, their status in society and increases their professional responsibility along with salaries. (33%, 18 Votes)

Result:
A sizeable majority (67%) of those who responded to this poll felt that financial motivation was the most important factor for people who opted and stayed in any career. Therefore these respondents felt that high salaries were key to attracting better trained personnel to teaching. On the other hand, a significant minority (33%) of the respondents feel that attracting good teachers is not simply a matter of offering them high salaries and that it was also important to increase the status of teachers in society and to ensure career progress.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: 26th, 27th & 28th July 2017 | Time: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Novels and stories, if well taught, inspire students to become independent, extensive readers. This sets them firmly on the path to improvement of language skills and development of the creative imagination.

Ilm o Amal

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Talking to a parent about a challenging situation that concerns their child can be stressful for teachers and school heads. In this month’s Ilm o Amal, Shahrezad Samiuddin discusses a few strategies teachers can use to improve communication when bringing a concern about a child to his or her parents.