Author Archives: Teachers' Resource Centre

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on singing the national anthem in education institutions, and cast your vote by the end of November 2014. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our October 2014 poll was about getting students to read beyond the curriculum:

Reading books for entertainment is essential for a good education and all students should be required to read more and beyond the curriculum.

• I agree. It is vital that children be made to read widely, as it helps develop young minds and counterbalances unhealthy over exposure to the electronic media. (86%, 31 Votes)

• I disagree. When we force children to read books that they have no interest in or don’t like, we put them off reading for life. (14%, 5 Votes)

Total Voters: 36

A large majority of those who responded to this poll (86%) felt that making children read beyond the curriculum is essential to their development. These respondents believe that when children read widely outside of the prescribed curriculum it helps expand their minds and also counters unhealthy exposure to the electronic media. In contrast, a mere 14% of the respondents felt that forcing children to read books that they have no interest in puts them off reading for life.

Ilm o Amal

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

The Multiple Intelligences Theory, which proposes that each individual has different kinds of intelligences, resonates with a lot of educators. In this article, Dr. Maliha Ahmed explores the various kinds of intelligences, different learning styles, why the one-size-fits-all approach to learning doesn’t always work and how a teacher can cater to a class full of children in which each student learns and processes information differently.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: 17, 18 & 19 November 2014 | Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This workshop will highlight the issues faced in managing misbehaviour. It will explore the possible factors that impact children’s behaviour and strategies to resolve the issues effectively.

Workshop

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

ECE-CP Activities

The recruitment process for the 9th cohort continued throughout the quarter and the staff kept busy with responding to queries and engaging with the potential applicants.

Concurrently the faculty was busy winding up the tail end of the last academic term which included preparation of results and getting ready for the new session. Preparations for the outgoing cohort’s graduation and orientation of the new batch were carried out.

For the new session the faculty was engaged in reviewing and enriching the courses and assignments. New academic calendar was prepared and student handbooks were reviewed and updated.

The 8th Cohort Graduates!

On September 27, 2014, the 8th graduation ceremony was hosted at TRC with the beaming 20 graduates and their families in attendance.

TRC Director, Ambreena Ahmed warmly welcomed the graduates, the guests and guest of honour, Ms Seema Malik, former Director, TRC. Mahenaz Mahmud, Academic Programmes Advisor, narrated the story of how TRC-IECE came to be and how TRC evolved as an institution through this programme. She highlighted the programme’s academic rigour and unique faculty-student engagements as the most notable features of the ECE-CP.

This year’s batch was a mixed group of pre-service and in-service teachers, some of whom spoke on the occasion and talked about how the programme changed their lives and their understanding of young children and their development.

Certificates were awarded to the graduating students much to their delight; they finally reaped the fruit of painstaking efforts which for most meant juggling household and professional responsibilities along with the course commitments.

Certificates were also presented to the eight participants of the ‘Leadership & Management’ course which was conducted by Mahenaz Mahmud.

In her address, the guest of honour, Ms Seema Malik talked about her association with TRC and her journey of learning and development with the organisation. She shared some of her personal experiences especially addressing the graduates emphasising on how we should be balancing personal relationships and work and prioritising each sincerely.

Concluding the ceremony TRC Director, Ambreena Ahmed thanked the graduates and guests and invited them for tea and refreshments.

TRC News

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

The TRC staff, well accustomed to dealing with work frenzy, diligently divided time to meet deliverables of two important initiatives that TRC is leading. The Critical Thinking Programme saw its first Policy Dialogue and meeting of the National Review Committee, two significant milestones in the project’s year long trajectory. This also meant sound beginnings of targeted advocacy for critical thinking at the ECE and primary levels through inclusion of education stakeholders from all provinces. We are very grateful for their participation and support for both TRC and the project. We also welcomed Dr. Sonal Zaveri, our international consultant to the Pathways to School Success project, on her second trip to Karachi amidst the volatile political scene. She braved the weeklong trip and also visited schools in Sehwan. We are thankful for her invaluable input for taking the project forward and strengthening what we do in schools for GRS and DRR. TRC was also represented at the 2-day regional ECE conference which was a collective forum for sharing local as well as international perspectives on ECE. We are proud to announce that our 8th batch of ECE-CP graduated this quarter. We once again congratulate all the graduates and their families for their achievement.

TRC Trending…

TRC is on Facebook! We encourage all our readers to like us and subscribe to our page. Link up with us, ask questions, discuss issues, exchange views and help us in cultivating an empowering online community of ECE practitioners and activists … Lets connect to make a difference!

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: 21st & 22nd October 2014 | Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This workshop will highlight the need for effective management of one’s time. It will explore the kinds of tasks that are undertaken and will focus on strategies to manage time with optimum success.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: 16th & 17th October 2014 | Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This workshop will address the importance of using a range of teaching methodologies in the secondary classroom. It will give the participants an opportunity to explore different teaching models in order to equip teachers with tools to enhance the teaching and learning process.

Workshops

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dates: 13th, 14th & 15th October 2014 | Time: 2:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

This workshop will highlight the importance of teaching science creatively and explore strategies to make scientific learning more concrete and meaningful.

TRC News

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

Dear Readers, Please check out our new Opinion Poll on getting students to read beyond the curriculum, and cast your vote by the end of October 2014. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our September 2014 poll was about whether the sciences are more important than the arts:

The sciences are more important than the arts, because a strong foundation in math and science increases students’ chances of finding good jobs and also equips them with essential life skills.

• I agree. Math and science are more useful in today’s world, because we live in an era where technology rules. Also, a liberal arts education limits students’ career options. (23%, 09 Votes)

• I disagree. Science and liberal arts are equally important and both should be taught to give students a well-balanced education. In today’s world, liberal arts increase students’ career options. (77%, 30 Votes)

Total Voters: 39

The majority of those who responded to this poll (77%) felt that the sciences and the liberal arts are equally important for a balanced education. These respondents believe that when students are taught both the arts and the sciences, it opens up their career options. In contrast, only 23% of the respondents felt that math and the sciences are more important than the arts and that a liberal arts education limits students’ options.

Ilm o Amal

Written by Teachers' Resource Centre

As parents and teachers we are constantly being called on to raise our children’s self esteem and inspire them to reach their potential. For this month’s Ilm o Amal, Shahrezad Samiuddin interviewed Mahenaz Mahmud, Academic Programmes Advisor at TRC and her daughter Sabeen Mahmud, founder and director of Peace Niche and T2F, about the challenges of growing up and having the courage to dream and achieve.