Educators’ Summer Institute - Ministry of Education...

Educators’ Summer Institute

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Overview of Educators’ Summer Institute 2017The Educator’s Summer Institute (ESI)is a program designed to maintain the efforts of Continuous Professional Development of our human resource operating within the education environment. It will be a two week long, intense training which takes place from 26th June to 7th July , 2017. This year’s ESI has been carefully planned to provide opportunities for a wide variety of specialized training, featuring a combination of relevant interactive presentations, hands-on workshops, experiential field trips and collaborative team work intended to help administrators, teachers and participants to improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill and effectiveness.

The general objectives are:- to equip all participants with a number of tools which will

aid them to function efficiently in their various capacities- to expose participants to pertinent information which will

assist with personal development and growth- to provide an opportunity for participants to work

collaboratively as they plan for the new school year 2017-2018.

The theme is – “Educational Intervention Strategies and Techniques for Empowering Educators.” It will be guided by the philosophy –“…the development of human resources is the key to national development.”

The topics were selected from a cross section of issues which were identified by the participants of previous Education Summer Institutes, as well as those identified as priority areas by the Ministry of Education, Education Officers and principals. The areas of training can be categorized as Literacy in Education, Disaster Risk Management, Inclusive Education, Child Protection, Teacher Appraisal, Curriculum Development and Assessment.


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Training will be done in groups as identified below:

Facilitation of the various sessions will be done by our very own principals , teachers, technical officers within the Ministry of Education supported by other specialists in education and private and public partners.

Educators’ Summer Institute 2017 Training Outline:

Plenary SessionsRationale

There will be a total of four plenary sessions. The purpose of these sessions is to have forums where participants share information on issues pertinent to education and engage in discussions on such issues.


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• Universal Secondary Education -Presenters: Dr. Douglas Corbin, Dr. Patrica George Benfield

- Objective: To share the findings of the implementation of USE thus far in Antigua and Barbuda as well as the similar findings in Barbados thus generating discussions as to the way forward.

• TVET- “The New Way of Life”-Presenter- Paulette Dunn-Pierre (TVET Consultant)

-Objective: To create awareness of the importance of TVET as an essential component in education and to reduce the existing stigma attached to TVET Education.

• Disaster Risk Management and Safe Schools- Presenters- NODS, Red Cross, Fire Police, EMS, DCA, CDEMA (OERU)

- Objective: To develop a comprehensive framework for school safety which includes:

Strengthening policies guiding safety in schools;

Promoting the integration of DRR into the curriculum;

Developing/ revising School Improvement Plans



• Action Research- Its role in effective planning

- Presenters- Mrs. Priscilla Nicholas and Dr. Patricia George

- Objective: To promote action research as a tool to gather data which would enable informed decision making and to expose findings of the research being presented.

• Assimilation Exercise- Presenters- NODS, Red Cross, EMS , Fire Police

- Objective: To emphasize the usefulness of disaster plans and to create an opportunity for the demonstration of best practices.

Education Management Training

Rationale Guided by Strategic Imperative 2: “Improve the quality and accountability of Leadership and Management” as outlined in the Education Sector Plan, this training was designed to empower Principals and Lead Teachers in the area of planning for effective school management and leadership. The sessions are designed to engage the participants in developing strategies and designing tools which can be used across the system to foster a culture of strategic planning, implementation, evaluation and reporting.


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Training Outline:

Education Sector Plan: Imperative 2

Developing School Improvement Plans: Importance and efficacy of Action Plans

Vision and Mission: Building High Reliability Schools Developing a Culture of Inclusion

Curriculum:

Literacy across the Curriculum Differentiated Learning: Theatre in Education Technology in Education DRM and Safe Schools Assessment- Item Analysis Theatre in Education

School Infrastructure:

Disaster risk Management and Developing Safe Schools

Teacher Support: Human Resource Management Mentorship Developing a PD Model Teacher Appraisal Positive Bahaviour Management Teacher Handbook

Student Support: Child Protection

M&E: Action Research Reflective Practice

Categories and Topics

Area of Focus

Newly Employed Teachers

Rationale

A comprehensive induction is essential for new and beginning teachers as they transition to the teaching profession. New teachers need to understand the culture and ethos of their school and their professional obligations . They also require support in order to develop their teaching practice and integrate into their school’s professional learning communities. Assisting teachers at the beginning of their careers helps build teaching excellence , improve student outcomes, improve teacher wellbeing and resilience and retain teachers in the profession. The ultimate aim of this Professionl Development Session is to develop a ten-day intensive induction programme for beginning teachers.



Objectives:Participants will be

• aware of their rights and responsibilities• able to articulate their needs• able to develop their professional profile• sensitized of existing and newly developed approaches

and strategies with regards to their pedagogical, social, emotional, managerial, organizational and communicative skills

• be confidence, effective and committed in developing a positive attitude to life-long learning.

Early Childhood

Rationale

Over the past four years , the Early Childhood Development Unit has been offering topics which the staff of the Unit observed needed strengthening among the practitioners. This year , the staff has given consideration to the suggestions of previous participants. The topics seek to strengthen the skill set of teachers who work with children 0 – 8 years old. It is our intention to give consideration to the entire Early Childhood age group.

Objectives:

Participants will : • plan and execute a meaningful field trip for their class.

• create teaching apparatus from junk

• assist the autistic child who may be in their care

• use the “play way” method to execute age appropriate, child friendly activities.

• create classrooms that are gender neutral


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• create age appropriate science and social studies activities.

• Demonstrate professional behaviour when dealing with parents/guardians.

• Make simple links between healthy eating and brain development.

Early Learners

Rationale

The OECS/USAID Early Learners Programme (ELP) is a comprehensive literacy development programme conceived and supported by the Ministers of Education in six member states, including Antigua and Barbuda. The initiative focuses on children from kindergarten to grade 3. A critical component of the ELP Programme is the professional development of teachers.

Objectives:

• The programme will be able to continue professional development commenced in January

• To introduce teachers to the enhanced curriculum that will be piloted during the 2017-2018 academic year.

• To provide continuous professional development for teachers in school coaching and support.

Effective Instructions - Learners Support Programme (LSP)



Rationale

This session will expose teachers to simple assessment tools that they can use to identify students’ learning deficits so that they can implement the appropriate strategies to address these issues. Teachers will be introduced to the DAR Kit and other simple assessment tools and will engage in hands on activities that will show them how to utilize the tools in their classroom.

Objectives:

• Teachers will learn how to identify strategies that will cater to students’ specific needs based on their assessment results

• Teachers will also plan lessons based on these strategies as a part of their group sessions.

Secretaries

Rationale

This is a two-week course designed to give secretaries in the education system working knowledge of applications used for the daily management of information to aid in the opperation of schools. The secretaries will learn tools such as email, Microsoft word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint. They will be exposed to best practices in file mangement.

Objectives:

• To create an opportunity for participants to discuss best practices, especially on the issues of ethics and confidentiality

• To build capacity in a variety of tools to enhance performance and to increase productivity

• To improve the overall efficacy and professionalism of


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participants

Subject Specific Training

Continuous Professional Development is paramount for the continued improvement of teacher performance. An extended amount of time is also required to achieve a high level of intervention in support of individual needs and to share updated information that results from the revision of the curriculum and new mandates issued by the Ministry of Education . Additionally, the enhancement of existing strategies require tools used in the delivery of instructions. For these reasons, several curriculum areas will be conducting intense training.

Agriculture Science

Rationale

The 2017 Agricultural Science programme is designed to allow Agricultural Science teachers and Farm Attendants the ability to develop knowledge and understanding of the interaction between the component parts of agriculture and scientific principles. The programme is designed to provide participants with the opportunity to develop a wide range of practical skills and theoretical knowledge so as to bring about an awareness of the technologies associated with agriculture.

Objectives:

• develop knowledge and understanding of the importance of



agriculture as it relates to the economics of the Caribbean regions

• provide knowledge of the dynamic nature of agricultural production, post-production and marketing in complex national, regional and international markets.

• develop an appreciation for the importance of agriculture in alleviating poverty, providing multiple pathways to employment and further education, ensuring food security

and preservation of the environment

Mathematics

Rationale

Mathematics is not a set of isolated skills and procedures. It is the building block for everything in our daily lives. Learning Mathematics forces one to learn how to think logically and to solve

problems. It is not about answers, it is about procedures.

The focus of ESI 2017 will be content and approaches to the teaching of fractions, decimals and percentages.

Objectives:

• To give teachers an opportunity to concretize their understanding in mathematical concepts in the areas listed above

• To enable teachers to conduct comparisons through conversion

• To create an opportunity for conversation (looking at best practices) among practitioners

• To equip teachers with problem solving techniques


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Modern Languages Rationale

Learning a foreign language has never been more important in today’s global economy. The working world is a diverse place, and in this interdependent world, effective communication skills are necessary for our students to become active and productive citizens.To meet these communication needs, Foreign Languages (FL) Teachers must use effective and innovating teaching strategies.

Objectives:

Educators will be able to :

• To apply the current approaches and methods in the field of foreign languages to create a positive, healthy and supportive learning environment within the classroom

• To promote risk-taking and allowing learners to experiment and practise their foreign languages, thus encouraging the acquisition of skills that will enable them to be independent language learners

• To give teachers an opportunity to collaborate and share best practices



Natural Sciences

Rationale

The science program for the Educators’ Summer Institute (ESI) will focus primarily on equipping teachers to better implement the SBA program. The target group is individuals who teach a science subject with an SBA component. At the CSEC/CAPE level, the three subject groupings are biology, chemistry and physics. Integrated science teachers will join the biology group during the specialization sessions. At the primary level, teachers of all grades will be prepared to once again take full responsibility for the selection and execution of activities suitable for the SBA.

Objectives:

• To enhance teachers’ ability to develop a two-year plan for the SBA

• To standardize the record keeping aspect of the SBA

• To provide experience in developing and applying suitable mark schemes for the SBA

• To enhance teachers’ ability to perform a wide range of experiments suitable for inclusion in the SBA program

Social Sciences

Rationale

Research methods and map reading continue to pose challenges for many teachers in the Social Sciences. This training will sharpen the skills of teachers in the following areas:

a. Research methods in History, Geography and Social Studiesb. Map reading skills for teachersc. Intervention strategies

As an activity teachers will complete a research project in their


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preferred discipline, Social studies, Geography or History as well as complete a map reading CSEC exercise. Additionally, presentations on intervention strategies will be infused. Participants will work in joint sessions for intervention , map reading and research methods. Social Studies and Geography will be grouped together, while history work on their own.

Objectives:

- To equip teachers to offer guidance to students in the design and implementation of research project based on SBA guidelines

- To enhance teacher competence in map reading - To build capacity in the area of planning for academic

diversity in the Social Science learning environment

TVETRationale

Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) is one of the qualifications which the Ministry is proposing to make available for the academic year 2018/2019. This qualification is built on a competency based education and training (CBET) approach to teaching and learning. Hence, the purpose of the training is to build teacher capacity, equipping them to facilitate the delivery of CVQs in Secondary Schools.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

• get exposure to the Competency Based Education and Training (CBET) philosophy, principle and assessment techniques

• interpret of the occupational/competency based standards • get an understanding procedures for planning, conducting

andreviewing competency based assessment • get an understanding of assessment methods used in assessing the

standard requirements



Registration ProcessTime Period:

Registration opens on 5th May 2017 and closes on 16th June 2017.

Fees:

There is a required registration fee of Fifty Eastern Caribbean Dollars (50 ECD).

Collection and Submission of Forms: Forms can be collected from Principals of schools or from the Ministry of Education-Planning Unit. Upon completion, forms are to be returned to Planning Unit on or before the deadline of the 16th June , 2017 with the registration fee of $50.

MealsLunch will be provided. However, there will be a morning break. Participants are asked to bring a snack if desirous for this break since none will be provided.

All participants are asked to walk with sufficient water to keep hydrated throughout the course of the day.


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Required MaterialParticipants who possess laptops and portable internet boxes are kindly asked to bring such equipment since availability will guarantee the further enhancement of the overall experience. Additional material/information will be issued upon registration once needed

Rewards

Educator’s Summer Institute is one of the avenues made available by the Ministry of Education, for teachers and principals to develop professionally and adequately in comparison to the shorter versions of training administered throughout the course of the school year. It is also one of the training initiatives which the Ministry will rely on as it looks to the certification/licensing of teachers. As such every year, the programme is structured to promote quality training to enhance leadership and delivery of instructions in the teaching and learning environment by Principals and Teachers respectively. The institute also provides an avenue to allow MOE to fullfill its commitment to reward excellence. Participants are required to complete a minimum of 24 hours and an e-portfolio (due date for submission will be announced) in order to obtain a certificate of completion.

To reward excellence, the Ministry of Education will enable two (2) outstanding teachers to pursue further enhancement of their professional status by awarding individuals with the opportunity of participating in an international professional development conference. The Ministry also proposes financial support to aid in Action Research exercise. Details of the proposed criteria will be given during the institute.



Published Material

- Education Sector Plan – Draft (2013)

- Defining an Inclusive Education Agenda: Reflections around the 48th session of the International Conference on Education- Geneva, Switzerland, 25-28 November 2008

- The Art and Science of Teaching- A Comprehensive Framework For Effective Instruction – Robert J. Marzano

Partnership

A number of partners will be showcasing products. Participants are asked to make use of this opportunity to build associations or to take

advantage of deals which will be on offer.

Other

All are asked to register, come with an open mind to participate and to take full advantage of the resources and information available for personal and professional advancement and growth.


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NOTES

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