EmpoweringTeacherEffectiveness--TwoSchoolsStories-169676

7/27/2019 EmpoweringTeacherEffectiveness--TwoSchoolsStories-169676

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EmpoweringTeacher Efectiveness Two schools in Lebanonshare their stories

Promethean Education Strategy GroupTeacherEfectiveness


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Promethean Education Strategy Group

BackgroundA few years ago, Makassed Khalil Shehab Primaryembarked on a journey to transform their teachingpractice in order to ensure pupils received a morerewarding and relevant education. Improving teachereectiveness underpinned a subsequent programmeof professional development aimed at making learningmore meaningful, rewarding and interactive. It alsofocused on enabling teachers to utilise technology more

eectively in order to foster the development of criticaland higher order thinking skills amongst pupils.

Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary is one of forty eightMakassed Association schools found throughoutLebanon. It is a 21st century school and is committedto providing a modern education for its students, takinga holistic approach to developing their moral, social,physical, and creative abilities. Te school is currentlyinvolved in numerous partnerships and is collaboratingon a number of key international projects. Te schoolgained recognition from the British Council for its

partnership activities and received an InternationalSchool Award for International Collaboration andInnovative eachers Award and has become a MentorSchool for Microsofts Partners in Learning Network.

Over the last six years the school has taken signicantsteps in developing its IC infrastructure and is nowharnessing technology to enhance both administrationand teaching and learning practices. Tere had beena clear recognition amongst sta that pupils werebecoming more familiar with new technologies and that

they needed to harness these skills and technologies todevelop more eective teaching strategies.


Case Study: Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School, Beirut, Lebanon | students | K-

Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary SchoolTechnology has the capacity to truly transform the learning experience of young people.Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School tells a story of how well planned professionaldevelopment programmes are critical and support teachers to become more eective intheir practice. Teachers leverage the appropriate technology in making the right choicesto help students develop critical skills for the 21st century.

e next case study (Al Hadi Centre for Deaf, Blind and Learning Disabilities) tellsanother story of how technology can support teachers to become eective and makelearning accessible for all students, especially those with special needs.

Tere was a feeling that most children were now digitalnatives and that more traditional learning approacheswere considered monotonous and dull in comparison.Moreover, there was the belief that pupils learningexperiences outside school were becoming increasinglyincompatible with more traditional learning practicesinside. Te Makassed I directorate quickly developeda strategic ve year plan to integrate technology intoits schools alongside a professional development plan

that would ensure each sta member recognised thebenets and potential of the technology. Te schoolnow incorporates a vast array of technology to supportlearning and is increasingly being recognised foreectively utilising technologies in the classroom.

Addressing the challenge: Eective teaching andpurposeful training with educational technology

After strategic decisions were made to enhance teachereectiveness and to fully embed technology within theclassroom, a rich and varied set of both Association

wide and school specic professional development andongoing training programmes were put in place.

Te school wanted to ensure sta thoroughly understoodbroader educational foundations and principles so thatthe technology would be more eectively applied inthe classroom. Te foundations and principles focus ontheories and evidence around areas such as educationaldevelopment, the psychology of learning, multipleintelligences, assessment, and critical and higher orderthinking, to name a few. o ensure the technology

was used appropriately and eectively to developstudents wider skills and competencies, sta undertook


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projects that utilised technology and focussed on thedevelopment of higher order and critical thinking skills.

As part of this professional development, teachers weregraded and given feedback on their projects based

on the quality and extent to which it addressed widereducational objectives and shared experiences.

Its not about using the technology alone,its a combination of teacher methodology,understanding skills development requirementsand using the technology to address these. Tatswhy we focussed on dual training, around wideraspects of education and technology to ensure stawere more informed about how the two interact toproduce the best results for the learners.

GhinaAlBadawi,Principal

Staf were given basic and advanced training with aclear ocus on developing key skills amongst learners.For example, they prepared ipcharts to use onthe interactive whiteboard as part o their training,ocussing on the type o skills and learning styles thatthe resources were addressing. As enthusiasm grew,they started uploading lessons to Promethean Planetand began incorporating a range o other sotware,hardware and other add ons to enhance their practice.

Staf now eel technology is an embedded and integralpart o their wider teaching methodology and pedagogy.

Case Study: Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School, Beirut, Lebanon

As a result they eel they are reaching the children andstimulating their interests in more appropriate andengaging ways, supported by a wider range o resourcesthat can be more readily adapted to particular learning

needs and styles.

Eectively addressing diverse learning stylesTe staf eel that interactive technologies have sincemade a signicant contribution to learning and teaching.

Tis is largely due to the multi-unctional capabilitiesand the potential created or customising teaching andlearning with regard to student needs, learning stylesand capability levels. One signicant benet o thetechnology has been in allowing teachers to deliverteaching in diferent ways and to provide learning

materials that better address visual, kinaesthetic andauditory learning needs.

Te rst time we used the boards, it waschallenging because the children knew as much,if not more than us. It was an experience thatchanged how we approached things. Making moreuse of the boards and content became a pleasure.

We could adapt teaching on the basis of learningstyles more easily and nd the right resources forthe learning aims we required.

RawaaShehab,MathematicsandSciencecoordinator


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Promethean Education Strategy GroupPromethean Education Strategy Group

Tere is now a clear recognition that it is teachereectiveness and capability that drives learning andensures technology is targeted and used to good eect.Initially, teachers were trained in utilising a range obasic tools to address learning needs, such as MicrosotOf ce, Producer, Photoshop, Photo Story andMicrosot PowerPoint. As training progressed, stathen began to use the interactive boards and use theeature rich ipcharts to promote interactivity allowingstudents to participate in the learning process, by voting,

recording their voices, adding comments, and using andcreating videos.

eachers share resources with one other, editing andstoring them or later use. Tis not only creates a banko targeted and pooled resources but helps teacherssave time so that they can ocus on improving lessonsand developing the best quality resources or childrenslearning needs. Te technology also allows teachers toincorporate dierent methods or ormal and inormalassessment, including teacher and peer assessment,

which helps them gather a more diverse range o dataregarding childrens levels o understanding. Tis enablesmore targeted teaching approaches and resources toaddress specic needs. Te shit in practice has alsoresulted in students interacting and collaborating morein lessons, resulting in a better understanding o theirlearning goals, which has had a notable impact onlearning outcomes.

Te school emphasises the need to develop 21stCentury learning skills and provide children withlielong learning capabilities. Tey are committed to

ensuring that students develop important digitalliteracy skills and inormed technological dispositionsthat will help them research, collate, understand andcritically analyse inormation, as well as create digitallyproduced arteacts and learning materials. Whilstthere is an acknowledgement that such skills can bedeveloped without the use o technology, it is eltthat digital tools engage students and enable them todevelop such skills more quickly. Moreover, these skillscan be developed in a more interactive and intellectuallychallenging manner due to the wealth o rich and varied

content and tools or processing, storing, editing andcreating content.

Changing practice: Engaging learnersSta eel that the ocussed use o technology has helpedchildren develop critical thinking skills as they are armore active in creating and analysing content ratherthan merely learning by repetition. Tey have developedteam-working and collaboration skills and are workingtogether with their peers on a number o collaborativeprojects. Tey are also engaged in a number o

international collaborative projects the school has set up,using the interactive whiteboards and communicationtechnologies to share inormation, see and hear oneanothers views and collaborate. For example, a BritishCouncil project involved schools working togetheraround Human Rights and citizenship issues. Studentsprepared activities and developed a huge wall wherethey drew and wrote their thoughts down around aparticular Human Right. Schools exchanged inormation,collaborated on learning activities, discussed key issuesand concluded which particular Rights were beingexplored and what their responsibilities were in relation

to them.

Sta have noticed a range o other positive impactsand learning benets or pupils, but perhaps the mostnotable change has been the increase in motivation.Pupils have become much more condent and activelyinvolved in the learning process, with many childrennow manipulating the technology to exhibit theirunderstanding in ways not previously possible. Tevisual and dynamic elements have also enhancedinvolvement and enabled pupils with dierent needs

to enter ully into learning activities. Whilst sta hadreceived signicant training in using the technology, it


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was apparent pupils o all ages and levels were soonkeen, condent and experienced in using the technology.

Tey quickly began sel teaching and experimenting withthe unctionality and rich content and became engagedin peer to peer teaching and learning.

Many times when I passed the classrooms Isaw the children standing up, telling others anddemonstrating what they knew I now seethem recording their voices because they want

to send their project and share their thoughtswith pupils from other schools in another country.Its so interesting its made the internationalcollaboration so much better. Its put technology intheir hands and they are so motivated

GhinaAlBadawi,Principal

Tere is a eeling that the relationship between teachersand pupils has changed or the better. Tere is abroad acceptance that a more efective and relevant

educational experience can only be achieved i theytap into the knowledge and skills o everyone in theclassroom, whether they are a teacher or a pupil. Teyalso eel that the introduction and embedding otechnology has partly acilitated this process becauseo the recognition that students were oten moreknowledgeable about the technology, and alsobecause the interactive capabilities encourage greaterparticipation, which in turn requires a diferent set opedagogical practices. Te teachers are ocussing moreon developing pupils skills and less on providing specicpre-dened or prescribed knowledge. Tey continue

to develop pupils skills appropriately, which in turnwill help to develop and utilise the acquired knowledgemore efectively tailoring materials to learning needs.

Just at the beginningClearly, the increased teacher efectiveness that hasarisen ollowing the introduction o a targeted andcontinuous proessional development programme hastransormed and improved learning throughout theschool. Te school is, however, only just at the beginningo what has to date been an exciting and rewarding

journey. Tey intend to continue to share expertise withother schools and teachers across the globe. Tey aim

to develop their prole as a world renowned schoolengaged in purposeul and innovative technology toenhance learning and hope to use their role as a mentorschool in the Microsot Partners in Learning Networkto share their practice with others. Te school will alsocontinue to provide a constant and evolving proessionaldevelopment programme and is seeking meaningulopportunities to extend this urther and develop wider

networks to improve learning and teaching.

Case Study: Makassed Khalil Shehab Primary School, Beirut, Lebanon


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Promethean Education Strategy GroupPromethean Education Strategy Group

BackgroundTe Al Hadi Centre is a Non-GovernmentalOrganisation committed to developing thecomprehensive abilities of its special needs students.

Te clear challenge for the centre is to provide rich,diverse and engaging learning experiences for studentswith a wide range of learning needs. eachers at thecentre are encouraged to harness tools and technologiesto ensure learning is tailored, dynamic, interactive andappropriate to need. In doing so they can eectively

help students develop the skills and competencies thatwill enable them to become fully independent, activeand integrated citizens capable of participating andengaging in all aspects of society.

Te centre provides an excellent learning experience forstudents, many of whom are from poor backgroundsand who might otherwise be unable to receive suchan enriching education were it not for the charitabledonations on which the centre relies.

Te centre consists of three schools: Te Al-Nour School

for the Blind, Te Al-Raja School for the Deaf, and TeAl-Bayan School for Language and CommunicationDisabilities. Alongside the three schools, the centre alsohas a vocational school, an employment o ce, and a rangeof dierent specialist departments that provide variouseducation and health care services. It also has a departmentthat works closely with high schools and Universities tosupport students progression and transition.

Bold steps in enhancingteacher eectiveness: Evaluating impact

As well as recognising that a more diverse range oflearning content and experiences were required to

Case Study: Al Hadi Centre for Deaf, Blind and Learning Disabilities, Beirut, Lebanon | students | - yr olds

Al Hadi Centre for Deaf, Blind andLearning DisabilitiesWe have a belief that we must do our very best to help our students, to provide aqualitative, dignied and respectful education that develops the full range of theirabilities. We also strive to educate and motivate students, raise aspirations and developtheir self condence, empowering them to become fully active and engaged citizens. Wehelp them to understand their rights, responsibilities and entitlements and believe thatnew technologies represent a powerful mechanism to help us achieve these goals.SukainaShaheen:HumanResourceManager

meet student needs, sta felt they had to nd moreeective ways to monitor and stimulate the progressof each learner. More traditional educational contentand assessment methods were felt to be inappropriateto cater for the diverse needs of students and were alsonot exible enough to account for the rich array of skillsdevelopment and learning gains being exhibited in theclassroom. A radical plan was required.

Te Centre set its sights on becoming one of the bestinstitutions in Lebanon, providing access to technology

and embedding it in all aspects of learning and teaching.Comprehensive teacher training is oered for sta atthe centre, and for those from other institutions. AUNESCO initiative aimed at raising levels of computerliteracy across Lebanon saw the Centre being chosenas a licensed centre to address such issues amongststudents with special needs. It also has Braille Computer

raining Centre on site.

On top of such signicant developments, the Centreprovided comprehensive training for sta, studentsand others, using a range of devices and software. One

particularly eective development was the training ofteachers in the use of ActivBoard, accompanied by aprogramme to evaluate the impact of the technology inthe classroom.

Gathering data that compared achievements aroundlearning aims, it also included obtaining the views ofboth students and teachers. Findings demonstrated anumber of benets for students and teachers alike. Notonly did teachers feel that the interactive whiteboardsand software were easy to use and e cient, they also

reported that the technology helped students in theircomprehension and knowledge acquisition. Tere


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were positive impacts with regard to pupil behaviour,attention and attendance, which was attributed tostudents being ar more motivated and engaged witha wider, more appropriate and dynamic set o learningmaterials. Once these impacts were identied andestablished, a wider roll out o technology throughoutthe Centre was undertaken, alongside urther training.

In evaluating use and identiying impacts and benetsat a relatively early stage, staf and pupils alike clearlyunderstood the reasons or urther embeddingtechnology in learning and teaching practices.

Teacher eectiveness and technology:Greater engagement and participation

Teachers eel that the technology has helped thembetter address learners requirements and bringlearning to lie. For example, or students strugglingwith attention issues, especially those with hearingdiculties, staf have developed a range o activities

to help their concentration and provide greatermotivation or learning. ey have utilised photos,images, video, dynamic, rich and colourul content,and have added text to materials to help students,understanding. To support those with visualimpairments, it has been possible and easy to makematerials using better and larger onts, more efectivecolour contrasts (such as black backgrounds with whiteont), adding audio commentaries and magniers.

is is in addition to using maps in Braille to supportstudents knowledge acquisition.

Some students were shy but the technology, theinteractive boards, and the appropriate content hasmeant that they are now participating more thanin the past and they are confdent and involved inthe lessons.

SukainaShaheen,HumanResourcesManagerIn subjects such as English, teachers have usedaudio storytelling, videos, puzzles and photos to

enable students to learn more efectively.In Mathematics, the exibility and additional eaturesenabled through digital content has enabled them toconvey concepts and learning goals to students withspecic needs in more appropriate and meaningulways. In Science, teachers have utilised the sunowersotware programme with its signicant audio-visualcontent, to help students learn about the human bodyand blood circulation. Technologies such as ActivBoard,

ActiVote and ActivSlate have also enabled new waysor students to participate in lessons and gain skills

in a more interactive and efective way than waspreviously possible.

Overall, staf eel they have been able to ensure thatthey can provide students with more efective stimuliand content suited to specic needs. is has hadsignicant benets and positive impacts on the studentswillingness to engage in lessons and has improved theirsel condence. Staf see students are more satisedand happy in lessons and eel that learning is more un.

e interactions between students and teachers havebecome more positive and students now actively seek

to nd out more about learning and how technologycan enrich it because they are more engaged andmotivated. Teachers are now beginning to see notableimprovements in students achievements in ormal tests.

More students are taking work home, working onlaptops and engaging their parents in the learningprocess. Parents have also been providing greatersupport or their children, expressing a greater interestin learning activities and the technology.

All this has combined to enhance the talents and the

skills o the students.

Case Study: Al Hadi Centre or Dea, Blind and Learning Disabilities, Beirut, Lebanon


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Parents are now seeing a dierence, you cansee that. We did the assessment of childrenslearning with technology and parents can see theresults. We were very happy and also shockedand surprised sometimes by how the childrenuse the technology. Te parents are surprised bythe benets too and encouraged by it. Tey thenencourage their children more because they can seethe dierence and changes in attitude. Te parentsare happy with what we have achieved up to now.

JamalShehimi,InformationTechnologyManager

argeted teachingTeachers have ound that the technology has helpedthem become more e cient, enabling them to easilysave and adapt learning materials, and share theirlessons with other teachers. Being able to use existinglibraries o content to add and edit materials hasprovided a exible means or them to tailor materialsto specifc needs. Ultimately the increased proessional

development has enabled teachers to harness technology,which in turn has helped them provide richer, morediverse, stimulating and appropriate sets o learningresources. All lessons are categorised by subject andlevel and stored centrally or re-use. is is not only amore eective way to utilise and share content but alsoensures there is a better contingency should teachers beabsent or move. Helping teachers to be more eectiveand e cient, sta also report eeling happier in theirwork. Teachers not only share resources, they also teachone another new practices and more eective ways toutilise the technology.

A small committee o teachers have taken responsibilityor developing proessional development and advicearound the use o ActivBoards. ey devise andorganise teacher training sessions, observe lessons andprovide constructive and supportive eedback relatingto strengths and weaknesses, gaps and opportunities, inorder to help improve teaching practice. Training mustbe ocussed, targeted and meaningul and frst andoremost ocussed on learning goals. ey believe this

has already had a signifcant impact, helping them tomeet organisational aims and to key challenges.

Sharing the benetse Centre has also been active in encouragingknowledge sharing and partnerships with teachersrom other schools. ere is a strong ethos around

sharing what they have learned and achieved with otherpractitioners. is is based on a frmly held belie thatbest practice has to be shared and diused so studentswith learning challenges and di culties receive the bestpossible education.

e Centre intends to develop an advocate programmeto support sta in becoming accredited trainers so theycan share their skills, knowledge and best practice withother teachers rom dierent institutions in Lebanon,and across the Middle East. Sta at the Centre eelthey have a duty to not only help one another and

the students at the Centre, but to also help all othose working with students with similar needs inorder to help them learn more eectively and reachtheir ull potential.


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Promethean believes that education is the fuel that drives economicgrowth and social progress. Eective teaching is the key to successful,collaborative and personalised learning-which in turn creates betterprepared students, more prosperous nations, more secure societies,and more engaged global citizens.

EmpoweringTeacherEffectiveness--TwoSchoolsStories-169676

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