TRC News

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on increasing teachers’ salaries, and cast your vote by the end of June 2017. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our April 2017 poll was about whether tests and exams should be open-book:

Tests and exams should be open-book, because they focus on understanding the material at a higher level, rather than testing a student’s memory and recall.

• I agree. Open book tests teach you how to find information when you need it. The questions are designed to teach students how to think; they have to prepare differently for these tests. (90%, 71 Votes)

• I disagree. Open-book tests take the rigour out of test preparation and let students off the hook. Students put more effort into studying for a traditional test and so learn the material better.  (10%, 8 Votes)

Result:
Those who think that tests and exams should be open-book won this poll by a big margin. A whopping ninety percent (90%) of the respondents feel that open book tests and exams are a more effective means of assessing students’ understanding and learning, rather than traditional closed-book tests that stress on memory and recall.  The remaining 1o% of the voters believe that the rigour that is part of traditional testing, is essential for learning.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should make community service mandatory, and cast your vote by the end of March 2017. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our February 2017 poll was about whether schools should punish students:

Schools should not punish students in order to maintain discipline. Punishment simply perpetuates abuse and little is achieved in terms of discipline.

• I agree. Positive guidance works better to teach students right from wrong. (87%, 41 Votes)

• I disagree. When you don’t punish students you encourage unruly behavior. With certain disciplinary issues, punishment is the only thing that works. (13%, 6 Votes)

Result:
An overwhelming majority of respondents (87%) believe that positive guidance is a better way to teach students right and wrong. They believe that punishment perpetuates abuse and that in the end penalizing children doesn’t achieve anything. A small minority of respondents (13%) believe that not using punishment encourages children to misbehave and sometimes reprimanding and penalising them is the only thing that seems to work.

During this quarter, TRC successfully completed three training sessions in different parts of the country. The TRC team conducted a 5-day training of trainers at the Government College for Elementary Teachers at Kot Lakhpat in Lahore. The Early Childhood Education (ECE) training was arranged by the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) and focused on ECE in light of the National Curriculum. On request from the Baluchistan Education Project (BEP) TRC staff conducted another two training of master trainers. One was an 8-day training on the National ECE Curriculum and the other was a 6-day training on education management and leadership skills.

This has been a busy and promising quarter for TRC with significant progress in our outreach activities and internal organisational development.

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.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether schools should punish students, and cast your vote by the end of February 2017. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our December 2016 poll was about whether junk food should be allowed to serve in the school canteen:

Schools canteens should not serve junk food. It is ironic that schools teach junk food is bad, but continue to serve it in canteens.

• I agree. Children are usually not fully aware of how harmful junk food is. Most children do not think of health and will buy junk food from the canteen when hungry. (72%, 42 Votes)

• I disagree. Children should be allowed to eat whatever they enjoy. If the school canteen does not serve junk food, children will bring it from home. (28%, 16 Votes)

Result:
The overwhelming majority of respondents (72%) believe schools should not serve junk food as most children are not likely to think of health and will eat the junk food that is available in the canteen when hungry. A little over a quarter of the respondents (28%) believe children will eat junk regardless of whether it is served at the school canteen or not.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on serving junk food in the school canteen, and cast your vote by the end of December 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our November 2016 poll was about whether children should be allowed to choose where to sit in the classroom::

Students should have say in where they want to sit in the classroom, as this helps them develop a sense of responsibility and trains them to take decisions.

• I agree. Children should take decisions by themselves. When we allow children to decide where to sit, it improves their decision-making skills and helps develop confidence. (87%, 41 Votes)

• I disagree. If children decide where to sit, they will end up sitting next to friends, start chatting and get distracted. Students cannot take such decisions. (13%, 6 Votes)

Result:
The overwhelming majority of respondents (87%) felt that letting children take decisions such as where to sit in the classroom, improves decision-making skills and helps build their confidence. The remaining 13% of respondents believe that students should not be taking decisions, such as where to sit in the classroom, because doing so will mean that they sit next to friends and get distracted during class.

TRC’s 30th Annual Report published.

Download Annual Report

Many new initiatives began during the quarter including partnerships with Indus Resource Center, BRAC and Azat Foundation. TRC continues to strengthen it’s ties with the Government of Punjab to further the ECE training agenda and is all set to undertake teachers and school heads’ training in Baluchistan under the Global Partnership for Education project in collaboration with the Balochistan Government.

TRC is proud to welcome government teachers in the ECE professional development programme. This was made possible through generous financial support by the corporate organisations and individuals. For the first time in five years, the programme will run both in English and Urdu with 34 teachers enrolled. We are all set to get our first international accreditation by CACHE, a UK based accreditation body. The international endorsement will enable the teachers to benefit if they chose to work outside Pakistan.

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.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether children should be allowed to choose where to sit in the classroom, and cast your vote by the end of November 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our October 2016 poll was on whether handwriting should be graded:

Handwriting should not be graded because in an age when students are using computers and tablets, it has become irrelevant.

• I agree. Students should be graded on their capability, not on handwriting. Handwriting is a small part of education. Capability and hard work are more important qualities. (75%, 44 Votes)

• I disagree. Handwriting is an important tool for class work and homework and should be graded. It is also linked to reading and spelling in the early years. (25%, 15 Votes)

Result:
The majority of the respondents felt that handwriting has become irrelevant because students are using computers and tablets to communicate. Three-quarters of the respondents felt that students should be graded on their capability and the work that they put in, rather than on their handwriting. Only a quarter of the respondents believed that handwriting should be graded.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on whether handwriting should be graded, and cast your vote by the end of October 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our September 2016 poll was on the relevance of the traditional grading system:

The traditional grading system is a good one because it is universally understood and allows for direct comparison in a classroom.

• I agree. Traditional grading is easily understood by teachers, parents and students. Everyone knows that an A is better than an F. (18%, 8 Votes)

• I disagree. Traditional grading is vague and does not show what a student is learning. It does not explain how someone ended up with a particular grade. (82%, 37 Votes)

Result:  An overwhelming majority (82%) of the respondents don’t think that the traditional grading system is a good one. They believe that it is vague and not a reliable indicator of what the student is learning. A small minority (18%) feel that the traditional grading system is adequate because is it universally understood by teachers, parents and students.

Dear Readers,

Please check out our new Opinion Poll on the relevance of the traditional grading system, and cast your vote by the end of September 2016. As you know …

your opinion counts

Our August 2016 poll was about whether schools should be open all year round with multiple short breaks:

Schools should be open all year round with multiple short breaks, as that helps students stay focused on education.

• I agree. Long summer breaks interrupt the school year and cause students to forget what they have learnt. Students need to attend school all year round. (85%, 44 Votes)

• I disagree. Everyone, including students needs a long break to rest. Learning also takes place outside of the school environment. (15%, 8 Votes)

The overwhelming majority of the voters believe that schools should stay open all year round. A large majority of the respondents (85%) believe that keeping schools open all year round helps students stay focused on education and reduces loss of learning. Only 15% of the respondents felt that students need long breaks from school and voted for extended interruptions in the school year.