JEDDAH, 31 October 2005 — The Department of Girls’ Education has listed seven goals to achieve this year; at the top of the list is raising the standard of teachers through various on-the-job training programs.
Deputy Minister of Education Prince Khaled Al-Saud has directed the preparation of a training plan based on a study of needs. A qualified training team was formed and the required training tools were provided to ensure that the target trainees gain the necessary skills to do their jobs more effectively.
“As a training administration, we depend on several agencies to execute the training programs,” said Dr. Fadia Al-Khadra, head of the department’s Training Unit Center.
She said the first month of the school year is the golden period for training, and she noted many programs were completed before schools closed for Eid. Others will resume when schools reopen in mid-November.
The Training Unit Center provides many programs conducted by qualified trainers. It also provides programs mandated by the Ministry of Education which all regions must offer, such as the English language teaching program.
The center also contracts with private centers that specialize in some programs, such as filing and preparing reports, and they allow subject departments, such as math or science, to do focused training programs with their employees.
“Among the most popular and important programs we offer is brain mapping,” said Dr. Al-Khadra. “It helps teachers organize their material and their presentation. They, in turn, can then teach their students this method.”
Programs focusing on communication skills also are in great demand.
“Because we want to move away from the old methods of teaching that rely on dictation and adopt a more active approach, we’ve designed programs on research papers and how to introduce them in the curriculum for students to do individually or as a group,” said Dr. Al-Khadra. “Other programs are on cooperative learning based on the concepts of sharing and creativity.”
Some of the programs are for learning new teaching methods, and others are for improving skills. One of the skill-building programs is class administration.
“Many teachers, whether new or old, ask for this program,” said Dr. Al-Khadra. “If a teacher can’t manage her class, she’ll be ineffective as a teacher. Generally, there are two extreme approaches to class management that are wrong — one is domineering and the other is lax. We want the teachers to adopt some strategies that enable them to manage the class effectively and reach their goals in teaching.”
Another area of importance is raising the standard for thinking, research and problem solving.
“By teaching the teachers new skills, the students benefit not only from her improved abilities but also in learning these skills from her,” said Dr. Al-Khadra. “For example, creative problem-solving skills, analyzing and deduction skills all are beneficial life skills.”
Dr. Al-Khadra rejects the notion that the older generation of teachers resists learning new skills. “I don’t think the division is between older and younger generation,” she said. “There are teachers who constantly search, try and are eager to learn new skills, and there are those who don’t care regardless of age.”
It is the teachers who learn that teaching is an ongoing learning process. “The most important factor is that the teacher herself is leaning toward self-development,” said Dr. Al-Khadra. “I hope that all our teachers adopt the concept of lifelong learning. In this Information Age, they need to re-evaluate themselves every five years.”
