10,000 teachers begin training

The UAE Ministry of Education (MOE) has started training more than 10,000 teachers in its "Teachers for the 21st Century" programme.

At a cost of AED200 million (US$54.5 million), the programme aims to improve teachers' professional development and increase their efficiency.

Nabeela Al Mirza, director of the project, said the programme will develop "an integrated system of professional development that is standards-based, and focused on building the knowledge and capacity of UAE teachers and supervisors."

Teachers will participate in a three-day orientation, which will set the pace for the five-year programme, and introduce them to 'brain-based learning' and the ‘art and science of teaching' approaches.

Training for the 2008/09 academic year will also focus on creating classroom environments that support learning for all students. It will use teaching practices that actively engage learners, and create portfolios for ongoing teacher development and performance management.

The project will be implemented through a partnership with the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOEHSR) and education services provider Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).  It will provide teachers with online training courses, professional development forums and collaborative networks.

 The partnership between the MOE and MOEHSR in developing the programme "is at the heart of our work," Al Mirza said, referring to K-20, an educational system integrating learning from kindergarten to university. "We must have alignment of standards and performance outcomes for teachers and students both in our schools and universities," she said. "The skills that we expect of our teachers must align with how teachers are being prepared in our universities."

Dr Elizabeth Ross, education advisor at the MOE, said that the aim of the programme was to create high quality teaching and learning that would prepare students to "take leadership roles in a global community and workforce."

Only shared visions and goals will make primary, secondary and tertiary education successful, she added. "We need alignment all the way through to graduate school. We are discussing new areas of coursework and certification programmes with our universities to help us train and build new expertise in our public schools. Early childhood, special education inclusion, differentiated instruction and learning technologies are some examples."

At the end of the programme, 90 members from Zayed University's College of Education will be trained as UAE professional development trainers.

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