Author Archives: Teachers' Resource Centre

The two screenings of CHEATERS (May 6 & May 20) elicited a very positive response, not just to the film that was unaimously considered of great value, but also to the idea behind this club.

Audience suggestions that have been noted are:
1. To extend the screenings to include Music Videos and other audio-visual material that students access, in order for teachers to be aware of the realities and help guide parents/students accordingly.
2. Provide members access to some of the rarer films shown at these sessions. Discussions are being held within the TRC on how best to address this issue.

It must be noted that the films shown at these sessions are used as examples of how such material can be used in education. Schools are in no way confined to, or even expected to, hold screenings of these particular films, although they may find the examples interesting and do so.

TRC recently assisted TCF develop criteria for selecting potential Workshop Leaders from amongst their teachers and staff. The criteria were drawn from TRC’s experience in the field of teacher training, and developed to help TCF assess potential trainers.

After completing the selection process, TCF requested that TRC provide training for their new workshop leaders on language development. Entitled “Language and Learning,” the 15 hour workshops dealt with how children learn, how language develops, and how to support and correct language development in the primary years. The workshops were held in April, in both Karachi and Lahore, for the benefit of 50 participants. Each of these workshop leaders will be responsible in turn for training 25 teachers, meaning that 1250 teachers within the TCF school network will benefit from the TRC training.

TRC is very happy to be reconnecting with TCF. Soon after TCF was established in 1995, TRC helped train teachers for their new schools. By renewing this partnership, TCF will be looking towards TRC to continue training their workshop leaders, who will in turn be training teachers throughout TCF’ schools.

The latest edition of Ilm O Amal has now been distributed to all of TRC’s member schools and associated organisations. This first edition of 2006 is entitled CHARACTER COUNTS! and examines the importance of supporting the development of moral and ethical values in students today. The articles emphasise the importance of providing students with consistent environments for building character, while avoiding mixed messages. TRC also conducted an extensive character survey of over 1000 students for this issue. Students were asked how they would act in certain circumstances, and their feelings on the importance of certain values. Their answers may just surprise you. In addition, sample activities are provided to help teachers on their way towards creating a character-building classroom.

The entire issue is available for download here in Pdf format. If you have any suggestions or comments about this, or future, editions of Ilm O Amal, please contact us at [email protected]

English and Urdu versions of Ilm O Amal are available for download as Adobe Acrobat PDF.

The Annual General Body Meeting (AGM) for the Teachers’ Resource Centre was held in Mitha Hall in TRC on Saturday, January 21st, 2006 at 10:00 AM.

There were a total of 74 participants in attendance, made up of general body members, members, workshop leaders, teachers and school heads. TRC Director, Seema Malik and Mahenaz Mahmud, Director Programme Development, presented their report of the year’s accomplishments and challenges, and highlighted the directions TRC would be taking in the coming year.

In association with ESRA-Plus, a USAID initiative, TRC has agreed to provide a series of workshops for school-heads in Islamabad. The workshops, which are slated to begin in April, will be quality focussed, and designed to build the capacity of school-heads in schools managed by the Federal Directorate of Education. Over the course of four months, school-heads will attend workshops aimed at examining their roles, not just as administration figures, but also as academic and community leaders. It is intended as a holistic programme of personal and professional growth.

In April this year, five 15-hour ECE refresher workshops, supported by the USAID-AKF RCC Project, were held for 122 teachers. They had already attended our 45-hour ECE workshop in 2004, and had indicated the need for this training, during the impact survey conducted in 2005.

The teachers said the workshop filled the gaps in their understanding and gave them clarity about how to manage the ECE daily routine, and that the innovative ideas will help them improve their classroom practice. They enjoyed the friendly environment where they were given the opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions. Some teachers found the day was too long (five hours) and felt the workshop should be shortened.

In the evaluation form, which is in Urdu, one teacher wrote these words in English ” It was very refreshing. It gave me strength. I will do my best next year. InshaAllah.”

Classes begin at TRC’s Institute of Early Childhood Education (ECE)
At long last, TRC’s goal of providing a recognised certificate programme for ECE teachers in Karachi has been realised. The TRC – Institute of Early Childhood Education is the result of years of preparation, research, faculty training, linkage collaboration with our Canadian partners, curriculum development and logistical planning. The first-year class of seven, in-service teachers began their classes in early October and will be completing their first term of study in January 2006. The programme includes classroom observation of the teachers in their workplace, followed by an hour of feedback to help them reflect on the implementation of the educational theories they are studying. For details go to ECE Certificate Programme.

Two Trust Schools have put their “trust” in TRC, and asked us to help streamline their early years curriculum and to train their teachers.

Shahwilayat Public School (SWPS): In 2005, the principal of the school had requested TRC to help them implement a shift from the Montessori approach, for their ECE section. A series of four workshops for their Elementary and Prep 1 teachers were held last year, and classroom support was provided early this year, to help them implement the new approach.

The next phase of the SWPS Professional Development Programme commenced in May 2006. Two workshops, â??How Children Learnâ?? and â??The Learning Environment and Peace Buildingâ?? were held for 18 teachers of Prep 2 and Class 1; another two workshops will be held at the end of this year.

Classroom support will begin in August, when schools reopen. The plan was to have Class 1 teachers attend the workshops along with Prep 2, but to implement changes in 2007. They however, were so enthused by the new approach, that they decided to make changes in August 2006, when schools reopen â?º

Fatimiyiah Education Network (FEN): To discuss the ECD section (Prep 1 to Class 2) they have planned to set up, the FEN Board members, requested a meeting with TRC. A collaboration has now been established. Besides training of teachers and classroom support, FEN has requested TRC to offer a consultancy and advise them on all matters pertaining to the ECD section, from appropriateness of the building, learning spaces for children and materials for the indoor environment. It is pertinent to mention that they will be the first school in the private sector, to adopt the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education.

A workshop on ‘Active Learning’ was held in June for 18 teachers, and one on the ‘Learning Environment/Daily Routine’ in July. Classroom support will begin in October. Intensive meetings have been held with a small core group on revamping the FEN curriculum. The FEN Board has requested TRC to identify two teachers from this core group for TRC’s year-long ECE-Certificate Programme in 2007.