DOHA: Qatar Foundation (QF) Office of Pre-University Education held its inaugural ‘Teaching and Learning Forum’ for teachers at QF, Supreme Education Council and international schools.
QF educators delivered three sets of 10 workshops on leadership, early childhood education, innovation and practice, and the use of student data in learning methodologies.
The forum provided teachers with the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise with counterparts in the community.
The one-day forum was held at Hamad bin Khalifa University Student Centre in Education City during the weekend.
Sheikha Noof Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, Director, Academic Outreach Pre-University Education Office, said, “The forum was a wonderful opportunity for Qatar’s teaching community to gather, share and discuss innovative ideas with regard to the teaching of specific subjects.
“Teaching, like learning, is a life-long endeavour and rapid technological and social advances in the 21st century demand that teachers remain creative in their methodologies.
“At QF, we believe this is the key to unlocking the human potential of future generations.”
The forum also hosted a keynote speech by Richard Gerver, an award-winning teacher and school principal, whose work in education has been celebrated by the British National Teaching awards and Unesco.
Addressing the future of education while referencing conversations he has had with Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Google, and Stephen ‘Steve’ Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple, Gerver said: “What we have to understand about the nature of change, not just in education, is that it is not about systems and structures, but about people. If you don’t change the capacity of people, all you ever lead to are short-term measures that will live and die in moments and transform nothing.”
The first set of workshops included a presentation by Asma Al Nuaimi, Department Coordinator, Qatar Academy, in which she explored innovative ways to teach Arabic to gifted students. One of the effective methods she suggested included highlighting students’ abilities and talents through activities that help stimulate creativity.
Rola Atauneh, a teacher, shared experience in teaching Arabic and challenges faced while tutoring students in handwriting.
During the second set of workshops, one lecture focused on modern teaching methods in Islamic education, discussing ways to make Islamic studies more interesting and meaningful for students by linking it to their daily lives.
The final set of workshops included presentations by Muneera Rashid Al Mannai, Head of Integration Technology, Qatar Academy Primary School, and Zayed Qasim, Coordinator, Qatar Academy Primary School, who addressed the use of modern teaching strategies, tailored to individual student needs, with regard to imparting the four basic skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening.
The Peninsula
