During this quarter, TRC successfully completed two training sessions. The first was with the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) and their Master Trainers on the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (NCECE) and the other was with AZAT Foundation, training primary school teachers in Baluchistan on Experiential Learning and Critical Thinking. Both training sessions were highly interactive and engaged all the participants and trainers.

On the international scene, Senior Manager Noshin Khan represented TRC at conferences and meetings in New York and Costa Rica, advocating and shining a light on the critical role that the organisation is playing in furthering the cause of Early Childhood Development in Pakistan. In her address at both the venues, Noshin apprised the audience of the remarkable work being done at TRC and also talked about our ambitions for Early Childhood Development and trainings in Pakistan.

This quarter also saw the end of ECE-CP’s 2015-2016 academic year as students successfully finished their third and final term as ECE students. These ten months have seen a spectrum of emotions, which happens every year, but also manifests in a unique way every year.

We wish the batch of 2015-2016 all the best in applying what they have learnt at TRC.

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Projects at TRC

Directorate of Staff Development Trainings

The Teachers’ Resource Centre (TRC) and the Directorate of Staff Development (DSD) have cultivated a consistentECE_DSD_1 working relationship in the past year. On May 2016, DSD requested TRC to conduct an Early Childhood Training workshop for Early Childhood Master Trainers at DSD. The trainees were selected by DSD from several districts of Punjab. Farzana Kausar and Tabinda Jabeen of TRC trained 57 master trainers in two groups. The training was aimed at developing an understanding of how children learn, the different concepts of child development, the different types of learning environments and how to plan appropriate activities according to the Key Learning Areas of the National Curriculum of Early Childhood Education in Pakistan. TRC’s trainers assisted participants in understanding the importance of observation and assessment of young children and in recognising the role and responsibilities of an early years’ teacher.

The major training content comprised the National Curriculum for Early Childhood Education (NC ECE), Child Development, the Learning Environment, Observation & Assessment and the role and responsibilities of a teacher.

Different techniques were employed for delivering the content. Brainstorming sessions, interactive lectures, ECE_DSD_2pair/group reading, discussions and group presentations kept the participants engaged and interested. Furthermore, all the participants were provided with the opportunity to think and develop supporting strategies for a child’s developmental needs. They took part in hands-on activities and set up a developmentally appropriate learning environment (Learning Corners) to observe and assess children’s learning and development. In addition to developing and implementing activities, a variety of techniques to effectively tell stories and singing rhymes were practiced.

School Improvement Workshop

Noshin Khan, Senior Manager ECE programme, conducted a two-day session on School Improvement at the Directorate ofSC_1 Staff Development, Lahore on 5th and 6th May 2016. This session was part of a six-week promotion training, which is conducted prior to getting promoted from grade 17 to grade 18 in the Department of Education, Punjab Government. Thirty-one participants from all over Punjab attended this session on how schools can be improved through a school audit and making an action plan.

AZAT Foundation Training

From May 26th to June 2nd 2016, The Teachers’ Resource Centre (TRC) organised and conducted a training session forAZAT_1 Baluchistan primary school teachers, at the request of Azat Foundation. Full day training sessions (from 9 AM to 4 PM) were conducted on ‘Experiential Learning’.

Workshop leaders, Seema Yasmeen and Farzana Kausar welcomed a total of 25 male and female participants during this training session. They distributed the ‘Mazboot Bunyadain’ booklet, and the 70 Thinking Classroom lesson plans amongst the participants. These lesson plans are for classes 1 to 5 and cover multi-grade class subjects likeAZAT_3 mathematics, the sciences, and social studies.

The 56-hour training content was shared over 8 days. The sessions went well and according to plan and teachers participated enthusiastically. They were inquisitive and interactive and our trainers engaged the teachers throughout the sessions.

The concept of active learning was made clear to the participants. Discussions ensued on the issues and challenges, which they were facing in their classes. For example, small rooms and multi-grade seating arrangement were something they had difficulty incorporating. Despite this all the teachers were willing to apply this concept in their classes.

Multi-School Workshops

In April, a 3-hour talk session on ‘Understanding Physical and Health Education as part of the School Curriculum’ was conducted and attended by 21 participants. Four other scheduled workshops were conducted, titled ‘Understanding Inclusive Education’, ‘Promoting Critical Thinking through Art’, ‘Role of a School Coordinator’ and ’Teachers as Counsellors’. These workshops were attended by 32, 15, 42 and 12 participants respectively.

In May, a 3-hour talk session on ‘Early Identification of Learning Difficulties in the Classroom’ was conducted and attended by 34 participants. The course titled ‘Managing a Successful School’ was conducted and attended by 8 participants.

Two scheduled workshops titled ‘Managing Behaviour in the Classroom’ and ‘Sawalat Karnay ki Salahiyatain’ were postponed due to low registrations and unavailability of the workshop leader respectively.

In June, no workshops were scheduled due to the month of Ramzan.

School Focused Workshops

DSRA School Workshop

A 6-hour school-focused workshop was conducted at DSRA School titled ‘Effective Teaching’ on 6 & 7 June 2016 for the pre-primary and primary teachers. 18 participants attended the workshop. The sessions were interactive, with activities carried out through group work and whole class discussions.

Korangi Academy Workshop

A 6-hour workshop was conducted at Korangi Academy on ‘Lesson Planning and Classroom Management’ on May 6, 2016 for the pre-primary and primary teachers and the section head. Twenty participants attended the workshop. The sessions were interactive, with activities carried out through group work and whole class discussions.

School Evaluation at Creek View Academy

TRC conducted a School Evaluation programme at Creek View Academy from 30 April to May 10, 2016. Visits to 6 campuses were undertaken. The areas of focus for the evaluation were Management systems, reasons for teacher turnover and withdrawal of students. A report containing the findings and recommendations was dispatched to the Trustees, following which, a two-hour discussion was held at TRC.

Events

The Little Art

On Friday, April 29, 2016, Tabinda Jabeen and Seema Yasmin attended The ArtBeat – National Child Art Competition and Exhibition Award Ceremony. The ceremony was organised at the ArtScene Galleries, Block 4 Clifton in Karachi.

ArtBeat – National Child Art Competition and Exhibitions is in its 5th year now. This year’s theme was ‘My Teacher, My Hero’. Several parents and children attended the award ceremony with a few receiving the cash prize ad certificate. This year 200 schools from across the country and nearly 25 community organisations participated in the competition.

TRC presents at summit in Costa Rica

Senior Manager, ECE Programme Noshin Khan attended and presented at the Global Summit on Childhood. The summit was organised by the Association for Childhood Education International and was held in San Jose, Costa Rica from March 31st to April 3rd 2016. The theme of the summit was “Creating a Better World for Children and Youth Through Sustainability, Social Innovation, and Synergy”. Noshin’s presentation at the summit outlined the state of early childhood education in Pakistan and highlighted the contributions of the Teachers’ Resource Centre’s in raising awareness and providing support and professional development to individuals working with young children in Pakistan.

TRC attends technical meeting in New York

Noshin Khan, Senior Manager of TRC’s ECE Programme, was the only participant from Pakistan to attend the Consultative Technical Meeting on the Action Network for Early Childhood Development (ECD) that was hosted at the Scandinavian House in New York, NY, between the 27-28th of June 2016. UNICEF and the World Bank Group launched the meeting under the title of “Smart Beginnings for Economies on the Rise”. The goal was progress towards Sustainable Development Targets for ECD. The aims of this meeting were to discuss and review the global operations geared towards pushing forward ECD initiatives.

Their focus was on five core actions:
1. Joint implementations of programme packages that promote ECD across sectors
2. Capacity building of ECD workforce
3. Setting data & evidence platforms
4. Supporting sustainable financing ECD related package of interventions
5. Implementation of an information and advocacy strategy.

M.Sc. Students from Karachi University visit TRC

Three students in the third year of Masters in Sociology at Karachi University visited TRC on May 3, 2016 to gain an in-depth profile of the organisation. Rubina Naqvi briefed them on TRC’s history and its services in both the private as well as public sector. The group viewed TRC’s learning resources and asked questions about the organisation. They also expressed their intention of recommending the PTB to other organisations and schools.

Annual Prize Distribution at Education Bay

On 28 May 2016, Rubina Naqvi attended the Annual Prize Distribution event at Education Bay as the Chief Guest and gave away awards to the High Achievers from the Primary Section of the school. It was gratifying to see that the awards were not only given for academic performance, but also for conduct, punctuality and regularity. Teachers and other staff members were also honoured for their professional input in the school.

Sindh Teacher Education Development Authority (STEDA)

In collaboration with ‘Right to Play’, STEDA organised a one-day seminar on Friday June 10, 2016 at Avari Hotel, Karachi. This seminar was attended by representatives of STEDA, BoG, Right to Play, PITE, BoC, Teacher Training Institutes and NGOs. The objective of this seminar was the dissemination of the Mechanism for Accreditation of Institution and programmes.

The event began with welcome remarks and objectives of the programme by Mr. Abdul Majeed Bhurt, Executive Director STEDA. Dr. Khalid Mehmood shared the CPD framework and Dr. Muhmmad Babar, consultant STEDA shared the Mechanism for Accreditation of Institutions and programmes. Accreditation standards are set through a peer review process.

Participants shared their ideas and give suggestion for make this process workable. STEDA is responsible for the matters related to the accreditation of institutions and the new programmes offered by the accredited institution. The standards for accreditation will be applicable both to public and private institution.The seminar came to an end with a vote of thanks by Director STEDA and concluding remarks by Dr. Mohammad Memon.