teacher handbook - UNRWAWelcome to your Handbook for your Newly Appointed Teacher (NAT) programme, a...

Newly Appointed Teacher (NAT) Programme

teacher handbook

Education Department – HQ AmmanAll copyrights reserved for UNRWA

NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT NAT

NAT qualifying programme

AcknowledgementsUNRWA HQA would like to thank writers in the Five Fields for their valuable input, LFO for their continuous support and UNICEF for their generous funding, all three of which allowed for the successful development of the NAT programme.

© 2018 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication shall not be quoted or reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permis-sion of UNRWA. For enquiries about use or reproduction of the text or other parts of this publication, please contact UNRWA Department of Education, [email protected]. Where use or reproduction of this material is authorized by UNRWA, credit shall be giv-en to UNRWA and a copy of the publication containing the reproduced materials will be sent to UNRWA Department of Education, [email protected]. For copying or reproduction for commercial purposes, a fee may be charged by UNRWA.

The photos used in this publication do not relate to the materials directly. All photo subjects have given their written consent for the use of the photos in this publication.


Contents

Welcome!.....................................................................................................................................................1

What is the newly appointed teacher (NAT) programme?.................................................1Aims and objectives of the programme................................................................................2Background to the programme................................................................................................3

What is the role of this handbook?...............................................................................................3

What is expected of me?.....................................................................................................................3

Ethical values.............................................................................................................................................4Neutrality...........................................................................................................................................5Violence-free classrooms and schools....................................................................................5

The NAT programme.....................................................................................................6Programme materials....................................................................................................................6What is in the modules?...............................................................................................................7

Module structure................................................................................................................7Unit structure.......................................................................................................................7Modules...............................................................................................................................9

Supplementary materials..........................................................................................................11Resource booklet..............................................................................................................11Course notebook..............................................................................................................11Portfolio.............................................................................................................................12

NAT programme model.............................................................................................................13Workshops.....................................................................................................................................13

Introductory and final workshops..............................................................................13General workshops..........................................................................................................15Subject-specific workshops..........................................................................................15

Who will support me?.........................................................................................................................16

Studying the programme...........................................................................................17

How will my progress be assessed?..............................................................................................18

Assessment..............................................................................................................................................18Workshop attendance...............................................................................................................20Classroom observations............................................................................................................20Peer classroom observations...................................................................................................22Module assessment tasks..........................................................................................................23Portfolio ....................................................................................................................................23Course notebook.........................................................................................................................25

icontents


Final assessment...........................................................................................................................26Grading system and certification............................................................................................26

Conclusion...............................................................................................................................................27

List of annexes.......................................................................................................................................28Annex 1: Glossary.........................................................................................................................29Annex 2: UNRWA core values and guiding principles....................................................32Annex 3: Violence-free classrooms and schools...........................................................34Annex 4: Module overview........................................................................................................35Annex 5: Workshop attendance record................................................................................47Annex 6: Classroom observation template........................................................................48Annex 7: Lesson plan template...............................................................................................54Annex 8: Lesson plan reflection template............................................................................55Annex 9: Activity reflection template.....................................................................................56Annex 10: Activity reflection exemplar...............................................................................59Annex 11: Lesson plan reflection exemplar..........................................................................63

ii NAT qualifying programme


Welcome!Welcome to your Handbook for your Newly Appointed Teacher (NAT) programme, a programme that will support you in your journey to become a qualified teacher. It is a privilege to be a teacher, and teaching is a profession that can bring much joy and satisfaction, especially if teachers embrace their responsibilities and strive to help their students achieve their full potential. Being a teacher is a demanding job, but one that offers the opportunity to be creative and imaginative in different ways, as you work to gain your students’ interest and engage them in taking control of their own learning. As you make use of this Handbook, there are a few recurring terms that would be useful for you to know.

The Newly Appointed Teacher (NAT) programme is for newly contracted teachers join-ing UNRWA schools, and other teachers as deemed appropriate.

The NAT materials also make use of a number of key educational terms and concepts. Definitions of these and other more general terms used in the NAT materials can be found in Annex 1: Glossary.

What is the newly appointed teacher (NAT) programme?The Newly Appointed Teacher (NAT) programme is a qualifying programme for newly appointed teachers in UNRWA schools and has been developed to address the pro-fessional needs of UNRWA teachers in the twenty-first century. As such, it is designed to give qualified teacher status to newly appointed UNRWA teachers who successfully complete the programme. Developed as one of the last steps in UNRWA Educational Reform Strategy, the NAT programme aims to ensure that all UNRWA teachers have the knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to provide the best possible educational experience for every student.

Current understanding and research about how people learn recognises the impor-tance of actively engaging the learner. Actively doing things helps learners to explore ideas and stimulates deeper thinking; it also gives learners more responsibility for their achievements.

Students are not empty vessels that need filling with information that educationalists may think is appropriate, but are active learners who try to make sense of their world through every experience that they encounter. They arrive at school with their own ideas, sometimes half developed or even ‘off track’. It is a teacher’s responsibility to in-vestigate students’ ideas and then plan lessons that challenge and extend their ideas and overall thinking.

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The professional requirements of being a teacher, and the understanding of a teacher’s role and the teacher’s responsibility to every student are core drivers of the NAT pro-gramme. This programme you are embarking on is meant to further the aim of UNRWA to enhance the professionalisation of UNRWA teachers working in the five Fields. By improving the quality of teaching and learning at UNRWA schools and ensuring equity and inclusiveness, the programme aims to give Palestinian students the best possible opportunities to succeed.

Aims and objectives of the programmeThe main aim of the NAT programme is to have fully qualified and professionally trained newly appointed teachers in place.

The NAT programme aims to enable you to: • study and teach at the same time• use current understanding and research findings about teaching and learning to

inform your teaching • get to know the students as learners to maximise the support • understand your role as a facilitator of learning• support students in their learning whatever their educational, emotional and so-

cial needs are• plan and assess for learning

The programme aims to give you, the teacher, enhanced skills and improved teaching approaches that will help you contribute to the development of UNRWA students in:

• achieving attainment levels that meet international standards • being prepared with the life and employability skills needed for the twenty-first

century• developing a positive approach to learning as an ongoing process• having increased respect for human rights, democratic values and diversity• acquiring knowledge of and pride in Palestinian identity, culture and heritage• participating in local communities and being socially responsible

Through the NAT programme, you will learn to integrate student-centred, active and innovative approaches into your daily teaching practice, reflect on your own experi-ences, and interact with new ideas to develop your expertise. The programme focuses on how you can enhance the learning of all students and will always be implemented in the context of the school and classroom. The Module Activities you will carry out, as part of the programme, focus on your day-to-day tasks, such as lesson planning and assessment, to help you reflect on and improve your daily practice to better meet the students’ needs.

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Background to the programmeAs an UNRWA teacher, you are probably aware that UNRWA has been delivering educa-tion services to Palestine refugee children for quite some time. The Agency has played this role since 1950 and at the time of writing this programme approximately 22,000 educational staff provide education to over half a million Palestine refugee children in over 700 schools across Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza.

The Universalia independent evaluation of UNRWA education programme (2009/10) led to the recognition of the need to reconsider the way in which education was be-ing delivered by UNRWA. In response to this evaluation and an intensive Agnecy-wide process, UNRWA Reform Strategy (2010–2015) was designed, developed, implement-ed, monitored and evaluated. Its purpose was to facilitate a quality education for all Palestine refugees that aligns with successful international practices. It was agreed that coherent professional training of all UNRWA teachers was key to its success (see the UNRWA Teacher Policy, 2013). The NAT programme has been developed on this prem-ise. As a teacher participating in the NAT programme, you are an important part of the quality of the education that will be delivered by UNRWA in the future.

What is the role of this handbook?This Handbook has been prepared to support you as you begin your career and help you develop as a teacher. It will guide you through the study of the different Modules, with their tasks and assignments, that form the NAT programme. The Handbook ex-plains the structure and materials of the programme, provides clarity on the assess-ment requirements and describes the support that is available to you throughout the programme.

What is expected of me?Through the course of the programme, you will be working as a teacher and studying at the same time. Many of the tasks and activities that you are asked to do as part of the programme are directly linked to the classroom. For example, you may be asked to plan and teach a lesson using a particular way of working (for example pair work or using open-ended questions) and then reflect on the impact of this way of working on the students and yourself as a developing teacher.

This Handbook contains all the information you need to be able to complete all aspects of the programme successfully and meet the required standard. By the end of the pro-gramme, you will have:

• carried out a range of tasks, Activities and reflections for each Module related to your teaching

• made regular reflective entries in your Course Notebook on tasks and Activities• experienced at least four classroom observations by the support cadre with written

feedback

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• experienced at least two classroom observations by peers with written feedback• carried out at least two peer observations with written feedback• attended ten NAT programme workshops including the first introductory workshop

and the final workshop• completed eight reflection templates (4 for Activities and 4 for lesson plans)• selected a minimum of 12 lesson plans for documentation• completed four content tasks and four practical tasks• completed your own assessment of yourself as a teacher (Module 4)• collected all the documents above into your Portfolio for the overall evaluation • completed a final assessment comprising a written assignment followed by a pre-

sentation

By participating fully in the programme and putting together your Portfolio to reflect your journey, you should be able to demonstrate that you have taken to heart the key principles of what it means to be an UNRWA teacher (see Resource 1: A good UNRWA teacher).

Ethical valuesIn addition to the key principles of being an UNRWA teacher, there are certain values and standards all UNRWA personnel must uphold and adhere to. These pertain to ethics and include:

• taking pride in serving Palestine refugees• as part of the United Nations, ensuring conduct reflects the values enshrined

in the Charter of the United Nations• as humanitarian workers, respecting the four universal principles that serve as

the foundation for all humanitarian action worldwide:• humanity• neutrality• impartiality• operational independence

• serving with integrity• respecting human rights while protecting the rights of Palestine refugees• building strong relationships• respecting local culture while being faithful to UN values

The four humanitarian principles are important because they allow UNRWA to serve the Palestine refugee community; if they were not respected, it would be difficult for the Agency to have the access to beneficiaries as they do today. For this reason, it is vi-tal that you, as a member of UNRWA personnel, take these values to heart and employ them in your daily practices.



See the full list of UNRWA core values and guiding principles in Annex 2. In this Teacher Handbook, the issue of neutrality and the Agency’s commitment to ensuring staff work in and promote an environment free from violence are also discussed in more detail below.

NeutralityThis information about neutrality is adapted from the UNRWA ethics handbook (Serv-ing Ethically: handbook on ethics and the standards of conduct applicable to UNRWA personnel). It is recommended that you read the handbook carefully to be fully aware of what is expected of you as UNRWA staff.

Each of the four humanitarian principles are important for their own reasons. Neutrality enables humanitarian organizations to work in the way that they do. If somebody who is seen to be a representative of UNRWA, like you as a teacher, officially takes a stand on a controversial issue, it may limit them from being able to help those who may hold an opposing view.

For this reason, you must be careful for example when using social media and as an UNRWA teacher you will have had, or will be taking, a course on this.

Neutrality also extends to the Agency’s installations. You should take care that instal-lations you may be responsible for do not carry messages that could reflect negatively on the position of UNRWA as an independent and neutral body of the United Nations.

Violence-free classrooms and schoolsUNRWA Education Programme emphasises a child-centred approach, one which ensures that students feel safe and secure in their classroom and school and can develop their social skills with confidence. Quality teaching and learning, where students are active and engaged, support students’ social and emotional development, and encourage positive behaviour in the classroom and in their interactions with others, is central to UNRWA ap-proach.

If a student does struggle for any reason, and this is manifested in negative behaviour, teachers must take the time to help them and themselves to develop the skills to cope with the situation in front of them. The NAT programme as a whole includes a range of tools that will support teachers in helping students to feel safe and develop healthily in a violence-free environment, and Module 3, Unit 3, focuses specifically on managing behaviour.

The prevention of violence is a key strategy in improving the learning and develop-mental outcomes of the students you teach. You must be clear that UNRWA has a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to violence in general and in particular against children. Any form of violence, be it physical, verbal, psychological/emotional or sexual, by UNRWA staff and personnel against children is strictly prohibited at all times, under all conditions and circumstances. More information can be found in Annex 3.

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The NAT programmeThe NAT programme looks at the current understanding of how learners learn and the important and vital role of the teacher as an informed, interactive facilitator of each student’s learning so that all students achieve their potential. To achieve this, you need to be more engaged in the programme.

Subsequently, you will find more detail on the structure of the programme, including the different materials, study and assessment requirements as well as support for you (including general and subject-specific workshops).

Programme materialsThe materials for the NAT programme have been developed by experienced teacher educators with regional and international experience, in order to support newly ap-pointed UNRWA teachers gain the maximum confidence and skills to help all students reach their full potential as citizens in the twenty-first century.

The materials comprise of four core Modules, to help lead you on a journey to becom-ing a professional teacher. Starting with Module 1: Beginning teaching, and moving through Module 2: Learners and learning and Module 3: The learning environment, the programme concludes with Module 4: Assessing learning. The actual structure within each Module is described below.

You will have this Teacher Handbook for guidance while you are studying the Modules, while your support team (such as your assigned School Principal and/or Education Spe-cialist) will have the Support Cadre Handbook. As you are working through the Modules, you will sometimes come across references to Resources – these can be found in the accompanying Resource Booklet. You will also compile a Portfolio, where you will store all the observations, activities and assessments that you have to undertake throughout the programme ready for your final assessment at the end of the programme.

So, for your study of the NAT programme, you will receive the following materials:• Teacher Handbook • Modules 1 to 4• Resource Booklet

As part of your engagement in the programme, you are expected to keep a record of your journey to becoming a qualified teacher and for this you will use a Course Notebook, which you need to provide (unless your school is able to provide one for you). The Course Notebook is for your personal use and while it is not formally assessed it must be sub-mitted to check that you have undertaken the tasks and Activities contained within the programme. It will be an important resource when you are completing your end-of-Mod-ule assessment tasks and for some of the lesson plans you need to submit. The Notebook therefore needs to be robust and big enough for you to write comfortably and as fully as you wish.



What is in the modules?The Module structure and content is explained below, but for a comprehensive over-view of the Modules, Units, Activities, Case Studies, Resources and main themes with cross-references, see Annex 4: Module overview. We encourage you to use this over-view to reflect back on how what you are learning relates to what you have learned before in the programme.

Module structureEach of the four Modules of the NAT programme are structured as follows:

• introduction• units (three to four Units per Module, with one Combined unit in Module 2)• summary (at the end of each Unit)• assessment tasks: at the end of each Module, you will be asked to complete two

formal assessment tasks, one of which is based on the content of the Module you have just studied and one of which is practical, based on a lesson or classroom activity you have carried out

Unit structureEach Module contains between three to four Units. To make it easier to access the ma-terials, each Unit has the same structure:

Introduction –This provides an overview and introduces the ideas to be explored.

Learning outcomes –The key learning outcomes are clearly set out at the beginning of each Unit.

Text – The main text introduces the key ideas of each Unit and guides you in your studies.

Activities – These are the Activities you need to carry out as part of the NAT programme. Most are school-based tasks, but some introduce new knowledge and ideas for you to reflect upon. Many Activities will guide you through ways to implement different strategies and approaches into your teaching for different purposes. They involve you working alone or with colleagues (NAT programme teachers like yourself or more ex-perienced teachers), both within the classroom and beyond. By sharing experiences, you are encouraged to engage with your peers as a community of learners. Reflecting on what did not go quite as well as expected and the unexpected will also give you insights into how you could adapt your teaching in the future.

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Case Studies – There are at least two Case Studies in each Unit. These give examples of how a teacher approached a particular issue or tried a particular teaching strategy in the classroom. The Case Studies are not necessarily for you to copy, but give examples of practices and approaches to think about and provide an alternative way to work in contrast to the tasks you are asked to carry out in the Activities. They may help you to understand why and how to employ teaching strategies in the classroom. As you read the Case Studies, you will also see that these are not examples of ideal, ‘perfect’ teach-ers – they are human, just like you, and sometimes they make mistakes. The important thing to remember is that as part of your journey to becoming good teachers you are reflecting on what you do and learn.

Comments – These are found after every Case Study and also after most of the Activ-ities. Their purpose is to help you reflect more deeply on what you have read or done, and think how you can use any new information and approaches in your own teaching.

Summary – Each Unit ends with a summary of the ideas and learning you have studied, together with self-reflective comments and sometimes questions to challenge your thinking further.

Figure 1: Structure of Module and Unit


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ModulesModule 1: Beginning teaching From your first day of teaching until you finish the NAT programme, you will be explor-ing and learning about what it means to be a teacher.

As you start the programme, you will already have some ideas about what it means to be a good teacher and this is where the first Module begins. From exploring your own perceptions, the Module works through some of the key concerns any teacher has at the beginning of their career and at the beginning of each new year. These include such ideas as how to introduce yourself to your class(es), setting up your classroom to support the way you want to work, planning to meet your students’ needs, and inves-tigating the impact of the use of different strategies in the classroom to help students learn more. Module 1 also introduces the concept of the teaching and learning cycle, which is seen as vital for good teaching.

It is important that you are aware of the context in which you work. This Module intro-duces you, as employees of UNRWA and part of the UN family, to the importance of quality education being at the heart of UNRWA education programme, reflecting the importance of quality education for Palestine refugees across its five Fields of opera-tion.

Module 1 consists of four Units:• Unit 1: Being a good teacher• Unit 2: What shall I teach and how can I make it interesting?• Unit 3: The classroom• Unit 4: Assessing and meeting students’ learning needs

Module 2: Learners and learningThe focus of Module 2 is to explore how people learn and what factors can impact on whether or not the learner makes progress. It introduces you to key learning theories and to the notion of not assuming that just because a lesson has been taught that the students have learned and understood what was taught.

Part of your role as a teacher is to make the classroom interesting and stimulating for the students. This Module introduces you to skills, techniques and strategies that you can use to get to know your students as learners and engage them actively. Whatever age group you teach, within any one class there will be a range of students who have different skills, understanding and experiences of life that will impact on their attitudes to schooling and learning. Understanding what your students’ strengths are and where the gaps are in their knowledge and skills is crucial. You can then plan lessons that build on their strengths, and extend their skills and understanding in the less-developed ar-eas. Developing a deeper understanding of each student as a learner will help you bet-ter match their needs to the task and help them participate fully in lessons.

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The use of a range of active teaching approaches will facilitate greater student partic-ipation and this Module explores some basic approaches, such as using pair work and group work and asking questions to promote deeper thinking.

Module 2 is presented in three Units, one of which is a Combined unit:• Unit 1: What is active learning?• Combined unit 2/3: Active teaching and learning

Module 3: The learning environmentThis Module further explores the concept of active learning and its value in the class-room by strengthening your repertoire of strategies and tools to build a dynamic learn-ing environment and positive classroom ethos.

The Module begins by looking at good communication – the heart of a positive and supportive classroom. It also revisits the physical aspects of the classroom, including how displays can contribute to learning and to the ambiance of the classroom. The third Unit discusses positive and inclusive ways to manage behaviour to help all stu-dents respect each other and achieve more. The final Unit explores ways to utilise the local community – both its people and the environment – to build a more dynamic and relevant classroom. In addition, it also refers to Education in Emergencies (EiE) ap-proaches, which for UNRWA means delivering quality, inclusive and equitable educa-tion even in times of crisis.

Module 3 consists of four Units:• Unit 1: Building strong communication to support deeper learning • Unit 2: Developing a positive classroom environment and ethos• Unit 3: Managing behaviour• Unit 4: Using the local environment

Module 4: Assessing learningHow is each student I teach doing in their learning? This is a question you should be asking yourself all the time, but of course you cannot always formally assess student learning every time you teach a class. What is important is to listen, watch, read and probe what your students are doing in each lesson to gath-er insights into their level of understanding and skills. This is assessment for learning (AfL), which means it is assessment that provides you with information that helps you plan next steps in learning and includes differentiation for individuals and groups of students. Some students will, of course, need more support from you and others may need more challenging tasks to keep them engaged and motivated.

This Module explores ways for you to assess for learning – including long and short-term planning, ways of gathering evidence to assess learning, and ways to support stu-dents as they carry out peer assessment and self-assessment.



Summative assessment or assessment of learning (AoL) at the end of topics, semesters and years of study is examined too, as are the kinds of records you need to keep and the kinds of reports you may need to write.

The final Unit explores your own learning and asks you to assess your own understand-ing, competence and skills at the end of the programme and reflect on significant learn-ing experiences you have had.

Module 4 consists of four Units:• Unit 1: Assessing and planning for learning• Unit 2: Gathering evidence to assess learning• Unit 3: Assessment of learning and recording progress• Unit 4: Assessing my own learning

Supplementary materialsIn addition to the four core Modules and this Teacher Handbook, you will be compiling your Portfolio and making use of your own Course Notebook and the NAT programme Resource Booklet. The Resource Booklet is meant to serve as a reference to expand fur-ther on the material in the Modules, while the Portfolio and the Course Notebook are meant to keep track of your progress and growth as a teacher.

Resource bookletAs you are working through the Modules, you will sometimes come across references to Resources – these can be found in the accompanying Resource Booklet. These Resources will help you understand a way of working and how to organize it, and explain why such a way of operating is valued. When a Resource is needed to plan and carry out an Activity or for you to read for information, this is clearly explained in the Case Study, Activity or text.

As a separate booklet, the Resource Booklet is designed to be easy to carry around with each Module as they are studied.

Course notebookYour Course Notebook, a book that you need to procure (unless your school is able to provide one for you), is the place for you to write about your experiences of trying tech-niques or strategies from the NAT programme in the classroom and your reflections. You may, for instance, write about Activities from the Modules, but you do not need to write in great detail about all of them. You should, however, make some notes on each one about their experience and learning from it, and identify areas for development.

Next are the kinds of questions you need to ask in order to reflect on the impact and ef-fectiveness of using different ways of working. The next most important step is to think about how you could modify and adapt what you do to make the next lesson(s) more effective. You need to ask yourself questions such as:

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• Did I explain clearly enough to the students what I wanted them to do?• Were there things that happened that I had not anticipated and that confused me

and/or the students?• Was the task appropriate for working the way I wanted or would it have been better if

students had worked in a different way, for example in groups rather than pairs?

While this reflective component is an important part of the NAT programme, it is also a personal one. Therefore, the support cadre will not assess the content of your Course Notebook, as it will be comprised of individual reflections and considerations. However, they will check regularly that you have used the Notebook as a tool for self-reflection. It is an evidence source for you to share examples of what you did and thought when com-pleting various tasks and activities. The Course Notebook should therefore be submitted to the Course Coordinator together with the Portfolio for their overall evaluation.

PortfolioThe Portfolio is where you must include evidence of your experiences, learning and reflections as you progress through the NAT programme (see Figures 3 and 4 for the required elements).

The Portfolio may be either in hard or soft copy, depending on resources available or practicalities. In cases where hard copies are used, the Portfolio will take the form of a file that includes, filled-out templates and your own notes, according to the list of re-quired elements (as in Figures 3 and 4).

The Portfolio will include your evidence of how you have carried out and reflected on the Activities in the Modules. It will also include the formal end-of-Module assessment tasks (two for each Module), which will be assessed by the Course Coordinator and members of the evaluation committee, and copies of other required activities and tasks. It is crucial that you receive constructive feedback on these tasks and other work as you progress through the programme, as this will help you improve your teaching practice. If you do not receive this regular feedback, please raise this with the Course Coordinator or School Principal or Education Specialist.

One of this Handbook’s roles is to help you to understand what the NAT programme requires of you with regards to output. It is your responsibility to ensure that the Portfolio contains all the relevant evidence of your work and you are encouraged to consult with the School Principal/Education Specialist, or to liaise with peers, if you are in doubt as to what is required.

The support cadre will also check the progress of your Portfolio throughout the pro-gramme. This might be during workshops, school visits, a mid-point (progress review) session or when doing classroom observations. Therefore, you must always have the Portfolio on hand, ready to be shown to support cadre at any point through your pro-gression in the programme. These regular reviews will help them to identify potential problems and enable them to provide further assistance to you. At the end of the as-sessment process, the Portfolio will be returned to you for future professional develop-ment purposes.



There are instructions on how to set up the Portfolio later on in this Handbook and the templates you need for your Portfolio are included as annexes.

NAT programme modelThe NAT programme model (see next page) combines self-study; general and sub-ject-specific workshops; observations made both by peers and your support cadre; and your day-to-day teaching in the classroom.

The programme model shows the expected order for the programme, although it may vary slightly by Field or Area. Your journey through the NAT programme should take no longer than 15 months – from your first workshop until your certification – and the typical time-span of this would be between October of one year, until December in the following year.

The programme model will also help you to see the timescale of the programme, which should help you set up your own plan for study and work-related activities.

The focus of the workshops is linked to the material that you are studying at the time, but will also build on previous workshops to help you create links between ideas.

The classroom observations are included in the timescale so you know when to expect them, but they will be arranged individually by the people involved.

WorkshopsAs shown in the programme model, you will participate in ten workshops as part of the NAT programme. These comprise an introductory workshop, four general workshops, four subject-specific workshops and a final workshop, and will be facilitated by different members of the support cadre. Thus, there is a general workshop and a subject-specific workshop for each of the four programme Modules. Each workshop tackles key issues in teaching.

The exact timing of the workshops may differ slightly in your Field, although the intro-ductory workshop will take place in the first semester of the school year. Also, it will vary Field by Field as to which individuals facilitate each workshop.

During these workshops, you will have the opportunity to explore the ideas and strategies contained in the four Modules, including how they relate to your subject. The opportunity to exchange knowledge, ideas and the experience of using different active strategies in class with your peers and more experienced colleagues and education professionals will help to build your confidence to try more strategies.

Introductory and final workshops There are two workshops at the beginning and end of the programme:

• Introductory workshop• Final workshop

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Figure 2: NAT programme model



The introductory workshop, in addition to highlighting the different elements and ex-pectations of the programme, will familiarize you with and introduce you to its materi-al, structure, model, and timeline. Each will be explained to you by the facilitator.

The final workshop is to review and evaluate the programme and most importantly help you in preparing for your final assessment. During the final workshop, you will dis-cuss and agree on the timetable and venue of the presentations with your colleagues and Course Coordinator. These presentations will take place during the months (11-12) of the implementation period. Additionally, you will be provided with the needed sup-port regarding planning and organizing your presentation.

General workshops The general workshops are for all teachers participating in the NAT programme, regard-less of their specialisation. They focus on each Module and will provide you with an overview of the learning outcomes, content and Activities. The general teaching points apply to all subject areas and you will be encouraged to try using the ideas in your sub-ject teaching at all times.

The general workshops will be facilitated by Professional Development and Curriculum Unit Coordinators (PDCCs) and/or Education Specialists (ESs).

There are four general workshops, one for each Module:• General workshop 1: Key priorities when beginning teaching• General workshop 2: Learners and learning • General workshop 3: The learning environment • General workshop 4: Assessing learning

In these workshops, the focus will be on the key ideas, theories and practices of the rel-evant Module. You will undertake workshop activities and there will be opportunities to share examples of work done to clarify the ideas contained in the Module. Some time will also be spent on the other elements of the programme, such as classroom observa-tions and end-of-Module assessments tasks, as appropriate.

Subject-specific workshopsThere are four subject-specific workshops that go with the general workshops:

• Subject-specific workshop 1: Subject priorities when beginning teaching• Subject-specific workshop 2: Subject planning and learning issues• Subject-specific workshop 3: The learning environment and subject teaching• Subject Specific workshop 4: Assessing for learning in your subject

The subject-specific workshops provide you with the chance to meet and share ideas with other teachers participating in the NAT programme who specialise in the same subject as you.

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The workshops will help you better understand how you can use and integrate the different teaching and learning strategies that you learn about in the NAT Modules and general workshops into your subject teaching. You will explore the specific dynamics and requirements of your subject and explore ways to link and use more interactive ways of working in your teaching. The subject-specific workshops are facilitated by sub-ject-specific Education Specialists supported by the PDCCs.

There are four subject-specific workshops, each a day long. The focus of the subject-spe-cific workshops will relate more to the specific competences of teaching each subject (for example Arabic teachers will focus on the Arabic curriculum, skills and competenc-es, such as reading and writing, dictation and grammar), but will explore more interac-tive ways of teaching each subject to enable students to become more involved and to think more deeply about their ideas and understanding of the subject.

It is assumed that, as a teacher participating in the NAT programme, you already have the necessary subject knowledge. These workshops are to develop your pedagogic subject knowledge, i.e. the latest thinking and practice in teaching your subject in a more interactive way. It is this that can make such a difference in how your subject can be brought alive for the students. For example, in some subjects, there are health and safety issues that need to be considered, such as when conducting experiments in science or when taking students out into the community to do research in geography. However, these health and safety aspects are best learned when being used in the les-sons, rather than by just talking about the issues and not actually working with them.

Who will support me?You are not alone as you work through the NAT programme. You will have access to both the informal and formal support of all your colleagues in the school in which you are based. You will also meet and even have teachers participating in the NAT pro-gramme in your school who will be there to provide support and with whom you can exchange ideas and experiences. However, alongside this, you also have the support of your School Principal and/or Education Specialist as more formal sources of help, and guidance as required, from the moment you begin the programme.

It is important you are familiar with your sources of support from the onset. As a teacher participating in the NAT programme, you will be able to access support from:

• your School Principal (SP) • an Education Specialist (ES) • a Professional Development and Curriculum Unit Coordinator (PDCC) • experienced colleagues



The key features of their roles are to:• provide support for you, as a NAT programme teacher, on a daily basis• conduct ten workshops for you• conduct four classroom observations of you teaching in your classroom• conduct two peer observations• monitor your progress throughout the programme• be part of your final assessment and overall evaluation committees• confirm your successful completion of the programme as appropriate

It is expected that the support cadre will work with each other to support you in suc-cessfully completing the NAT programme. All the personnel involved in these roles have a high degree of professional commitment to you and your professional development. They will see you throughout the year and together with you build up a picture of your development and provide feedback that will help you progress. They are also the people you need to contact if there is any problem. Do not let problems fester, but seek advice as soon as possible – most issues can be sorted out much more easily if addressed early.

Studying the programmeThis self-study programme will actively engage you; it is a learning in situ programme where you have to reflect your learning directly in your classroom through trying out Activities, modeling and adapting Case Studies, and implementing new teaching ped-agogies, etc. You will be able to think and innovate about how you could expand and develop your teaching strategies; your engagement in the programme will be more like having professional dialogue with your colleagues about your experiences in the NAT programme. However, you will need to be organized and plan for your own study in order to make it part of your normal duties at school. Each Module should take one to one and a half month to be completed. Building a studying agenda will help you in avoiding feeling burdened or overwhelmed with tasks.

If during your study of the NAT programme, you encounter unforeseen circumstances either personal or professional, and you are still willing to complete the programme; the following instructions stated in the programme guidelines will help you:

• If you have got transferred to another post inside or outside UNRWA, you may com-plete the programme upon the approval of Chief Field Education Programme (CFEP).

• Unforeseen personal circumstances, which means that you cannot continue studying the programme, should be discussed with and approved by CFEP in co-ordination with Chief Teaching and Learning Division (C/T&L-HQA). If you would like to resume your study, you also need to take the CFEP approval.

However, you are not allowed to complete the programme if you are expelled from UNR-WA, irrespective of the reasons.

For more information see the NAT programme guidelines that will be submitted to you by your Course Coordinator during the Introductory Workshop.

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How will my progress be assessed?It is important that you understand, from the start of the NAT programme, what is ex-pected of you in terms of progression through and completion of the programme. You need to know, for example, how to plan your study, the dates of the workshops and the classroom observations, what you need to include in your Portfolio and how to prepare for your final assessment and overall evaluation.

To help you with all of this, as explained above, you should have access to regular support throughout the programme. The Education Specialists (supported by the Head of Profes-sional Development and Curriculum Unit if needed) are expected to report regularly on your progress and to intervene instantly with additional support if needed. The role of the Course Coordinator and the Education Specialist is to ensure that you gain as much as possible from the programme. Sometimes a School Principal would take this role, de-pending on the Field/Area you are working in.

Monitoring of your progress will be continuous throughout the programme. And, for more support, the School Principal will discuss your performance with the assistance of the Education Specialist (if needed) during the mid-point (progress review) session, which will be conducted after you have finished Module 2, to provide you with feed-back regarding your progress. This will put you on the right track so as to help you complete the programme successfully. If there are concerns at any stage, they should be discussed with Course Coordinator and you should be given additional support and guidance to help you improve and succeed.

Assessment The NAT programme uses the concept of assessment for learning (AfL) to underpin the assessment approach both towards assessing the students you teach and to assessing your progress. Throughout the programme, your participation in the Activities within the Modules, completion of lesson plans, reflections after teaching, and completion of the end-of-Module assessment tasks will be your way of gathering evidence to support your claim for competence at the end of the programme.

Assessment in the NAT programme is described on a scale of ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘satis-factory’ or ‘unsatisfactory’, based on the elements in the assessment model as shown below. This summarises all the requirements of the assessment process, including the evidence you will provide in your Portfolio and your Course Notebook.



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Assessment requirements Description Grades

Portfolio

Attendance of (10) workshops

Workshop attendance record (10 workshops)

20 points2 points for each workshopPass limit =16 points

Module assessment tasks

Content assessment tasks (4) 20 points2.5 points for each task

Practical assessment tasks (4)

Classroom observations

Graded Classroom Observation reports by SP and/or ES/PDCC (2)

10 points for observation (1) 20 points for observation (2)

Ungraded Classroom Observation reports by SP and/or ES/PDCC (2) *

10 points for documenting all marked with asterisk (*) items in the Portfolio.

The teacher loses one point for not documenting any item of the ones marked with asterisk (*) or if they are low quality.

Classroom Observation reports of a peer (2) * carried out by you as NAT teacher

Classroom Observation reports by a peer (2) * Another teacher observes you as a NAT teacher

Reflection templates

Activity reflection templates (4)*

Lesson plan reflection templates (4)*

Lesson plans Lesson Plans (12) *

Final assessment

Written assignment (Graded rubric and relevant documents) 10 points

Presentation (Graded rubric and relevant documents) 10 points

Course notebook

Evidence of having effectively used Course Notebook to reflect on active participation in the programme, such as, but not limited to, reflection on activity implementation, Case Studies, students’ engagement, etc.

Ungraded

Rating: 0-49 unsatisfactory (teacher is to repeat the NAT programme), 50-65 satisfactory, 66-85 good, 86-100 excellent Note 1: If any graded assessment item is not included in the Portfolio, the teacher will lose its gradesNote 2: If the teacher’s total points are over 50 but they fail in one of these completion components (classroom observations, final assessment, Module assessment tasks), their result will be considered as incomplete until they succeed in the relevant component within the grace periodNote 3: If the teacher’s absence exceeds 20% of the workshops (more than two workshops), and the justification is not approved by the Field, the teacher will not be allowed to continue the programme

Total Grade 100 Points

Figure 3: NAT programme assessment model



Workshop attendanceAs described previously, there are ten workshops that will take place throughout the course of the NAT programme. Attendance of these is mandatory and will account for 20 out of 100 of your overall grade. For each missed workshop, you will lose two points and you will have to attend a make-up session, in coordination with your Course Coor-dinator and School Principal, later in the year. If more than two workshops are missed, you cannot be certified. The weight put on attendance highlights the importance of the workshops as it is there that you can reflect on your own learning with your peers. Annex 5 includes a template for you to record your attendance of the ten workshops. Make sure that you have it signed off by the facilitator at the end of each workshop. You need to have it included in your Portfolio for final assessment. You will also find a separate copy of the record in your package.

Classroom observationsIn addition to the NAT programme workshops, you will be deepening your knowledge of teaching through working daily in the classroom. To help you refine your interac-tions and abilities within lessons, you will be visited at least four times by members of the support cadre for a classroom observation. The first and the third observations are ungraded, whereas the second and the fourth are graded.

The ungraded observation will give you the chance to develop your skills informally so that the graded visits will reflect the best of your performance. The observations weigh accordingly, with the second observation weighing 10 points and the fourth 20 points, giving you room to expand your practise. You will also be visited by an experienced teacher for support at least twice (see section on peer classroom observations).

The aim of the classroom observations is to help you to better understand your own teaching, its impact on students’ learning, and how well you are implementing the ideas and key practices of the NAT programme.

Classrooms are complex places and what may work in one classroom and context may not in another. It is also important to understand that the observer’s role is to support, not to inspect. They are acting as a critical friend, i.e. watching you, then giving feed-back, praising any strong and good practices, and encouraging you to think how you might improve or develop other elements of your practice. They should not bombard you with many ideas, but will give you the time to think for yourself about what you thought of your lesson and what you could do, so that you are in control of your own learning.

The classroom observations will be carried out by Course Coordinator and School Prin-cipals/Education Specialists, or Coordinators from the PDC Unit. They will observe the lesson you have planned, but prior to the lesson observation they will have agreed with you what aspects you particularly want to focus on. This, of course, would preferably relate to the specific Unit or Module you are currently working through.


They will watch and comment on your overall abilities and sensitivity in the classroom, sharing their observations with you after the lesson and also provide written feedback. The lesson plan and written feedback (classroom observation report) should be includ-ed in your Portfolio, as they will be included as evidence to assess your competence in the classroom. You will be filling out the same sort of observation template (see Annex 6) as the support cadre when you observe an experienced colleague, so you may wish to familiarize yourself with it before being observed.

Make sure that you have time to talk with your observer about the lesson as soon as possible after it is finished. They will help you to analyse the impact of the lesson on your students and to reflect on your professional understanding as a teacher.

While classroom observations can be very intimidating and you may feel nervous, your observer will try to reassure you and ensure that the experience is beneficial for both of you. It is important to remember that the aim of the observations is for you to get con-structive feedback on your basic teaching approaches. Although you will be focusing on an aspect linked to the Module you are studying, you do not need to try and impress your observer with challenging approaches that you are new to or try to show many different strategies.

There are three stages to observing in the classroom and each stage affects the next stage.

1. Planning the observationAgree with your observer on a focus of what is to be observed. This should be linked to the Module that you are studying at the time of the visit. Discuss the Activities you have tried recently and your feelings about these. It may be that you want to focus on what types of questions you ask in the lesson or whether your instructions and organization for group work was effective, for example.

Having agreed the specific aspects to observe, you will need to think together about what kind of evidence you want your observer to gather to give you feedback on the impact of your way of working in that lesson.

But remember they will also watch everything else that is going on in the lesson, as these can sometimes impact on the areas you are focusing on, for better or worse.

2. The actual observation of the lessonYou may wish to begin the lesson by informing your students that a guest will be ob-serving the lesson.

Using the classroom observation template (Annex 6), the observer will make notes of what they see and hear. They will note down both positive events and areas for discus-sion and possible development for you. Try not to watch or think about what they are doing, but concentrate on the lesson you have planned, the students and what you want them to learn, as in any normal lesson.

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3. A feedback and reflective meeting after the observationHopefully the feedback meeting will be a relaxed, friendly, but professional discussion in which you will be empowered and see the value of any feedback that you are given. Research into giving such feedback shows that it is only useful if the recipient – in this case, you – sees the feedback as relevant and understands how to use it.

Providing such an opportunity to reflect on your experience and think for yourself about how to develop and improve your practice will build your confidence in your own abil-ities more. But do listen carefully to what is said, reflect on whether the comment is fair and even search out more detail to help you analyse how you could improve your provision for the students.

The observer will summarise the meeting by talking about: • the focus of the observation• what you say you have learned from the experience• what went well• the learning outcomes for the lesson (for students)• agreed action and the way forward• any other good points or concerns/issues you or they wish to raise

The observer will also give a summary of these key points on the classroom observation template for you to include in your Portfolio. They should give you a copy of the com-pleted template during the feedback session.

Peer classroom observationsThe aim of the peer classroom observation is for you to observe an experienced col-league who teaches in your school or at another school, in coordination with the School Principal. This is an opportunity for you to learn about an area of teaching and learn-ing that you are interested in, and should be arranged with your School Principal’s ap-proval. For example, the subject of this observation could be classroom management, formative assessment or be subject-specific, such as setting up open-ended science investigations in class or managing an oral lesson in Arabic.

The main aim of this is to help you benefit from the experience and good practices of your qualified and/or experienced peers. They, under the supervision of the School Prin-cipal, will support you regularly by providing guidance when needed and by sharing their experience with you as well as conduct two peer classroom observations for you during the course of the NAT programme. In addition, this more experienced teacher will support you in other tasks, such as with lesson planning, lesson implementation, assessment for learning, and any other agreed needs identified between you.



Observing a more experienced colleague allows you to watch how they, for instance, pace their lesson, respond to questions and use different teaching strategies to interest the students.

As with the completed classroom observation templates provided by your Education Specialist/School Principal and experienced colleague when they observe you, you should include a copy of your own feedback when observing your experienced col-league.

You may also wish to arrange informal observations between you and other teachers participating in the NAT programme. These are not a requirement in terms of your com-pletion of the programme, but you may find it very useful to observe each other and share your experiences. Such informal exchanges allow you to discuss different ideas without prejudice, how useful they are and how to use them. If you choose to do this, it may be useful to make notes of the important lessons you learned in your Course Notebook, so that you can use this evidence when doing other NAT programme tasks.

Module assessment tasksThe assessment tasks are found at the end of each Module and are key in assessing your understanding of the ideas covered in that Module. There are eight assessment tasks in total (four content tasks and four practical tasks).

The content tasks ask you to think about what you have read and done across the whole Module. The answer should show how you have combined ideas and strategies together as you begin to develop an understanding of the major issues explained in that Module.

The practical tasks use a lesson or classroom activity you have taught as a basis for anal-ysis and reflection about its effectiveness, often from a particular standpoint.

Your response to the Module assessment tasks can be completed either electronically or by hand, they should be included in the Portfolio, but are graded separately to the rest of the Portfolio.

PortfolioThe Portfolio is your record of what you have learned and produced through the NAT programme. The following diagram lists the components you need to include in your Portfolio and each component is described in more detail below.

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Figure 4: A completed Portfolio.

Worksop attendance recordAt the end of each workshop, make sure the facilitator signs the workshop attendance re-cord (Annex 5) as evidence of your attendance. It should be documented in your Portfolio.

Eight (8) module assessment tasksYou are required to do 8 end-of-Module assessment tasks (4 content and 4 practical). You should document them in your Portfolio either done manually or electronically.

Six (6) classroom observation reports (of teacher)As explained previously, you will have a meeting with your observer at the end of each classroom observation and discuss what went well and what might have been better. During this session, your observer will provide you with a copy of their feedback, in-cluded on the classroom observation template (Annex 6). This is for you to include in your Portfolio.


Completion of Portfolio

Workshop attendance record

Module Assessment Tasks

Classroom observation reports (of teacher)

Classroom observation reports (by teacher)

Lesson plans

Activity reflection templates

Lesson plan reflection templates

8

6

2

12

4

4


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Two (2) classroom observation reports (by teacher)When you carry out the two observations of a peer, you will make use of the classroom observation template (Annex 6). The template is the same one your support cadre and peer will use when they are observing you, so it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with it.

Twelve (12) lesson plansYou are expected to use lesson plans in your teaching and some of these should be includ-ed in your Portfolio. Six of these lesson plans should be from lessons where you were ob-served, and six can be any lesson plan you like. Make use of Lesson plan template (Annex 7).

Four (4) activity reflection templatesReflect on Activities you have carried out in the classroom using Activity reflection tem-plate (Annex 9). Make use of the Activity reflection exampler (Annex 10) to see what such a reflection could look like. You will find the templates separate in your package.

Four (4) lesson plan reflection templatesReflections are an important part of your learning. You are asked to hand in lesson plan reflections in your Portfolio using the Lesson plan reflection template found in (Annex 8). Make use of the lesson plan reflection exampler (Annex 11). You will find the tem-plates separate in your package.

Course notebookAt the time of the final submission of the Portfolio, NAT programme teachers must also hand in their Course Notebook. The notebook will not be graded, but is required for the completion of the programme and should be seen as a supplement to the Portfolio and what you have learned. It should therefore contain evidence of having been used to reflect on Activities and other elements of the NAT materials, and write notes related to your practice, such as observations about students or incidents in the classroom.

The kind of notes that you might write in your Course Notebook include (but are not limited to):

• reflections about students• plans to tackle problems, conflicts• meetings with counsellors• current challenges in the classroom• a student’s behavioural problems • evidence of students’ progress• notes for activities

The content will not be formally assessed; however, the Course Notebook must show ev-idence of having been used for reflection throughout your progression through the NAT programme.


Final assessment At the end of the programme, the final assessment will take the form of a written as-signment, followed by a presentation by yourself to an evaluation committee made up of three senior educational staff including Course Coordinator and other members such as a PDCC, ES, AEO, D/CFEP(T) or H/EDC.*

You will be given guidance on the final assessment in the final workshop. You may choose a subject for the written assignment, with guidance from your support team. The subject will relate to what you have learned in the NAT programme and could include:

• assessment of learning• classroom organization• questioning• learners and learning• managing behaviour• planning and preparation• developing a positive classroom ethos

During the final workshop, you will discuss and agree on the timetable and venue of the presentations with your colleagues and Course Coordinator. These presentations will take place during the months (11-12) of the implementation period. Additionally, you will be provided with the needed support regarding planning and organizing your presentation.

Grading system and certificationIn line with your accomplishments for each assessment component, your overall perfor-mance rating and grade which will be evaluated during months (13-15) of the programme implementation period as per the programme model, will be described as follows:

Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Excellent

Overall performance

rating and grade

0-49Requires the

teacher to repeat the

programme

50-65 66-85 86-100 100Excellent

Figure 5: Teacher’s overall performance rating and grade

* AEO - Area Education OfficerD/CFEP(T) - Deputy Chief Field Education Programme (Technical)H/EDC - Head Education Development Center



The whole purpose of the assessment process is to assess your competence to teach and so the individual parts of the assessment serve to build up a picture of your current expertise as a teacher at the end of the programme. But your growth as a teacher will continue after your qualification as you try out different ways to become a better teach-er, one who is able to meet the needs of each different child. No lesson is ever exactly the same as each other and they should not be so as each class has its own dynamics that you need to respond to.

On successful completion of the programme, you will be given a Certificate of Com-pletion and an official Statement that describes the programme content, completion requirements, and teacher’s performance level as resulted from the overall Evaluation.

ConclusionThe journey that you are taking is a challenging but an exciting one! You will be asked to try out new ideas and ways of working that you may never have experienced yourself when you were a student.

Understanding what it means to be an effective, interesting and stimulating teacher has changed dramatically over the years. This is not least because of research into the brain and how it works, but also because of research into which kinds of strategies and approaches in the classroom work best to enable students to reach their full potential. The NAT programme will introduce you to the main concepts surrounding these ideas and encourage you to become a more interactive teacher who engages students easily in their learning.

This Teacher Handbook has explained the structure of the NAT programme and your part in it. Hopefully, you have gained an insight into the qualifying process you are embarking on and the different elements it entails. You are encouraged to revisit this Handbook regularly to further familiarise yourself with the different aspects of the pro-gramme.

Make full use of the resources available to you, both the materials themselves and the support from the support cadre and your peers. You should do the assessments tasks as you work through each Module, so the Portfolio grows as you progress through the programme. This will leave you time to complete your final assessments without extra pressure.

Enjoy your study, teaching and sharing ideas with others on the NAT programme!

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List of annexesAnnex 1: Glossary

Annex 2: UNRWA core values and guiding principles

Annex 3: Violence-free classrooms and schools

Annex 4: Module overview

Portfolio templates:

Annex 5: Workshop attendance record

Annex 6: Classroom observation template

Annex 7: Lesson plan template

Annex 8: Lesson plan reflection template

Annex 9: Activity reflection template

Annex 10: Activity reflection exemplar

Annex 11: Lesson plan reflection exemplar



Annex 1: Glossary• Active learning: a teaching/learning method that engages students in the learning

process, as opposed to a method where students absorb information in a passive way

• Assessment for learning (AfL): the process of getting and interpreting evidence that shows where students are in their learning and where they need to go; it takes place, formally and informally, during the learning process, also known as formative assessment

• Assessment of learning (AoL): assessment that is designed to measure students’ achievement and what they have learned; it takes place at the end of a period of study, also known as summative assessment

• Behaviourism: a theory based on the principle of stimulus/response; it focuses on the idea that behaviours, including learning, happen as a result of external stimuli, not internal mental processes

• Brainstorm: a group discussion to produce lots of ideas

• Classroom observation: observation of teaching taking place in a classroom or other learning environment, conducted by other teachers, School Principals or Ed-ucation Specialists

• Classroom organization: the way a teacher organizes the classroom, including factors such as how furniture is arranged and what routines are put in place

• Closed question: a question that can be answered with a ‘yes/no’ or with a simple statement of fact

• Community of learners: a group of people who work together to share experience and knowledge

• Competency: a benchmark set by an education system that specifies what a stu-dent should be capable of doing or understanding at a certain point, such as when moving between educational levels or upon graduation

• Concept map: a diagram that uses arrows and labels to show relationships be-tween concepts

• Constructivism: a learning theory that is based on the idea that learning involves active construction, not passive reception

• Critical thinking: the process of thinking carefully about an issue in a way that is clear, logical and informed by evidence

• Cross-curricular theme: knowledge, skills and understanding from various subject areas; they provide connections between subjects and suggest ways that subjects can be made relevant to students’ lives, such as human rights, health and life skills etc.

• Curriculum: the subjects and courses of study that are taught in a school or college; see also UNRWA Curriculum Framework .

• Differentiation: the wide variety of teaching techniques used to teach students with diverse learning needs in the same learning environment

29annexes


• Display: an exhibition of, for example, students’ work or pictures/artefacts related to a topic being studied; display can enhance learning, the classroom environment and students’ self-esteem

• Ethos: the set of ideas and attitudes that characterize a person or group; in the NAT materials, ‘classroom ethos’ is used to describe the way everything that takes place within the classroom works together to provide an environment that supports the best learning possible

• Evidence: anything that can be used to prove something, such as students’ work to provide evidence of learning and understanding

• Expectations: beliefs about what someone will or will not achieve

• Feedback: verbal or written information about how someone has, for example, performed a task and then used as a basis for improvement

• Formative assessment: see assessment for learning

• Group work: a form of cooperative working where people work in small or larger groups

• Higher-order thinking: (adjective) involving reasoning and thinking of a high level

• Inclusive education: education that is based on the belief that every child has the potential for learning, that they should be valued in their own right and given equal opportunities to learn

• Learning environment: an educational setting; the term includes a consideration of how well the social and physical conditions necessary for learning to take place are provided

• Learning objective: a statement that describes what a student is expected to learn from a lesson or period of study

• Learning outcome: a set outcome for learning, including specific skills and the lev-el of proficiency students are to achieve

• Learning theory: a theory that describes how students absorb, process and retain knowledge during learning

• Lower-level question: a question that involves only the recall of facts and knowl-edge previously taught mind map

• Open(-ended) question: a question that encourages a range of individual respons-es, prompting students to think more deeply

• Pair work: a form of cooperative learning where two people work together

• Pedagogy: the method and practice of teaching

• Peer assessment: when someone’s performance is assessed by their peers; for ex-ample students assessing each other’s work, usually based on criteria agreed with the teacher

• Plenary: classroom discussion that involves the teacher and all students; it might be at the begining of a lesson, or at the end of an activity or group work session



• Professional development: the means by which professional people gain and en-hance skills, knowledge and experience

• Reflection: thinking deeply about experiences or how something is done in order to make improvements

• Resources: in education, documents and media that are useful for teaching, learn-ing and assessing

• Role play: pretending to be someone else, as a doctor or a teacher especially as part of learning a new skill

• Routine: a sequence of actions regularly followed; for example classroom routines are the regular systems that a teacher sets up to enable the smooth running of class-room, such as example how students move into pairs or groups, or how materials such as books and resources are handed out

• Self-assessment: when someone assessing their own performance; for example a student assessing their own work, usually based on criteria agreed with the teacher

• Self-esteem: a person’s sense of self-worth and confidence in their abilities

• Social constructivism: a theory of knowledge that emphasizes the collaborative nature of learning

• Summative assessment: see assessment of learning

• Teaching and learning cycle: the ongoing process of planning, teaching, assess-ing, evaluating and reflecting; the cycle is seen as central to good teaching

• Teaching approaches: the variety of techniques, tools and resources a teacher uses in the classroom to better involve all students in the learning process

• Teaching practice: the unique combination of reliable approaches and philoso-phies an experienced teacher builds over time to carry out effective lessons within their curriculum

• UNRWA Curriculum Framework: a reference document that describes how to support the analysis and enrichment of Host country/authority curricula, textbooks and other learning materials to ensure that they reflect UN values and principles

• Viva: an oral exam for a university qualification

• Whole-class teaching: a teaching method that involves the whole class, whether in lecture or discussion, as opposed to students working in pairs or groups

31annexes


Annex 2: UNRWA core values and guiding principlesThe standards of conduct applicable to UNRWA personnel are rooted in universal values of humanity as reflected in the United Nations Charter, in international human rights instruments, in UNRWA’s staff regulations and rules, and in other standards common to the international civil service. As UNRWA employees, we are guided by the following fundamental values and principles:

We take pride in serving Palestine refugeesAs UNRWA staff, our primary commitment is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development, in accordance with the Agency’s mission and until a just and durable solution is found to the refugee issue. The Agency fulfils this mission by providing essential services directly to Palestine refugees and we take particular pride in the quality of essential services UNRWA has consistently delivered to refugees since the Agency was established in 1950.

We are part of the United Nations As staff working within the UN system, we will ensure that our conduct is consistent with and reflects the values enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations: faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, and in the equal rights of men and women. We acknowledge that the Charter expects from us the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. We will be guided by the core values of the UN system: professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity, and will maintain an international outlook at all times.

We are humanitarian workersAs humanitarian workers, we acknowledge the critical importance of respecting the four universal principles that serve as the foundation for all humanitarian action world-wide: • humanity: Humanitarian workers must address human suffering wherever it is

found. The purpose of humanitarian action is to protect life and health, and ensure respect for human beings.

• neutrality: Humanitarian actors, irrespective of their personal beliefs or opinions, must not take sides in hostilities or engage in public controversies of a political, ra-cial, religious or ideological nature.

• impartiality: Humanitarian action must be carried out on the basis of need alone, giving priority to the most urgent cases of distress and making no distinction on the basis of race/tribe, gender, religion, class or political opinions.

• operational independence: Humanitarian action must be autonomous from polit-ical, economic, military or other objectives.



We serve with integrityIn all matters affecting our official duties and the interests of UNRWA and the United Nations, we will maintain the highest standards of integrity, including honesty, truth-fulness, fairness and incorruptibility. We will be motivated by professional rather than personal concerns, resist pressure to compromise ethics, show the courage to make tough decisions or to take unpopular stands, and take prompt action in cases of un-professional or unethical behaviour. We will be accountable for the proper discharge of our functions and for our decisions and actions, and submit ourselves to scrutiny as required by our position.

We respect human rights and protect the rights of Palestine refugeesWe will fully respect the human rights, dignity and worth of all persons and shall act with understanding, tolerance, sensitivity, and respect for diversity and without dis-crimination of any kind. We underscore the duty of staff to deliver services in a way that meets the protection needs of beneficiaries, in line with our obligations as UNRWA em-ployees. We will assist UNRWA in seeking to safeguard the rights of Palestine refugees and in actively promoting respect for and adherence to international law. We are com-mitted to supporting meaningful participation of refugees and other beneficiaries – as individuals, families and communities – in decisions that affect their lives.

We build strong relationshipsWe will aim to build constructive and respectful working relations with our colleagues and the governments and organizations we work with, with an emphasis on consulta-tion, cooperation and consensus-building. In doing so, we will uphold the staff regula-tions and rules we are bound by. We will continuously seek to improve our performance and will foster a climate that empowers everyone, supports positive change, encourag-es lifelong learning and sharing of information and knowledge, and applies the lessons learned from our experience.

We respect local culture whilst being faithful to UN valuesWe will respect the cultures, customs, and traditions of all peoples, and will strive to avoid behaving in ways that are not acceptable in a particular cultural context. Howev-er, when the tradition or practice is directly contrary to any human rights instrument adopted by the UN system, we will be guided by the applicable instrument.

Serving Ethically: Handbook on ethics and the standards of conduct applicable to UNRWA personnel, pp. 7–9

33annexes


Annex 3: violence-free classrooms and schoolsCorporal punishment is a form of violence and it is prohibited in UNRWA schools. Vi-olence against children has range of short and long-term impact to a child’s health, well-being, and educational attainment. For this reason, violence is prohibited in all UNRWA installations including schools. As UNRWA staff member, you must read and comply with General Staff Circular 01/2013 on the Prohibition of Violence, available through the UNRWA intranet at:

https://intranet.unrwa.org/General%20Circulars/GSC_01_2013.pdf

You may ask your School Principal for a hard copy of this circular.

An overview of staff obligations under the UNRWA regulatory framework relating to addressing violence against children in UNRWA installations and services exists. This will guide you, as a teacher, in how to respond to violence against children should an incident occur.

Teachers who use corporal punishment are subject to the most serious disciplinary ac-tions. If you see an incident of violence, including corporal punishment, taking place, or hear about an incident that has happened from your students, their parents or other staff, you have an obligation to report the allegation; failure to do so is also considered misconduct.

Please check with your School Principal for further updated information on the Agen-cy’s approach towards addressing violence against children. You may wish to search online for the UNRWA Strategic Framework for Addressing Violence Against Children.



Annex 4: Module overview

Module and Unit

Ideas/concepts Activities Case studies Resources See also

Module 1: Beginning teaching

Uni

t 1: B

eing

a g

ood

teac

her

Inclusive education

Module 2, Unit 1Module 3, Units 2 and 3

What it means to be a good teacher

Activity 1: A good teacher or teachers I have known

Case Study 1:A teacher asking her class about what they think makes a good teacher

Resource 1: A good UNRWA teacher

Beginning the teaching journey

Activity 2: Early days

Case Study 2:New teachers discuss ideas about good teachers at a training workshop

Case Study 3: Developing my own way of working

Module 4, Unit 4

Classroom organization and routines

Activity 3: Thinking about classroom routines

Activity 4: Establishing a routine or system in my class

Module 1, Unit 3Module 3, Unit 2

35annexes


Module and Unit


Uni

t 2: W

hat s

hall

I tea

ch a

nd h

ow c

an I

mak

e it

inte

rest

ing?

The curriculum Activity 5: The curriculum framework

Resource 2: UNRWA curriculum framework summary

Resource 3: Cross-curricular themes

Planning Activity 6: What do I need to do to plan a lesson?

Activity 7: Planning a lesson

Activity 8: Teach the lesson you have planned

Activity 9: Evaluation of the lesson

Resource 4: Planning questions

Module 4, Unit 1

Differentiation Module 3, Unit 3Module 4, Unit 1

Brainstorming Case Study 4: Brainstorming forces

Module 3, Units 1 and 4

Pair work Case Study 5: Planning to use pair work

Resource 5: Pair work

Module 1, Unit 3Module 2, Combined Unit 2/3Module 3, Unit 1



Module and Unit


Uni

t 3: T

he c

lass

room

A positive classroom environment

Module 3, Unit 2

Classroom organization, layouts and management

Activity 10: Classroom layouts

Activity 11: Evaluating a more ‘traditional’ classroom layout

Activity 12: My classroom layout

Activity 13: Other classroom layouts

Case Study 6: Exploring classroom layout

Resource 6:Being a resourceful teacher in challenging circumstances

Resource 7: Classroom organization

Resource 8: Different classroom layouts


Making changes to the classroom

Activity 14: Thinking about our classroom

Case Study 7: Setting up a resource corner

Displays Activity 15: Mounting a display

Module 3, Unit 2

Uni

t 4: A

sses

sing

and

mee

ting

stud

ents

’ lear

ning

nee

ds

Assessment Activity 16: Why assess?

Module 4

Assessment of learning (AoL) – summative assessment

Module 4, Unit 3

Assessment for learning (AfL) – formative assessment

Activity 19: Trying different ways of supporting learning

Case Study 9: Gathering evidence of learning

Module 4, Units 1 ,2 and 4

37annexes


Module and Unit


Uni

t 4: A

sses

sing

and

mee

ting

stud

ents

’ lear

ning

nee

ds

Learning objectives

Activity 17: Writing learning objectives

Case Study 8: Devising learning objectives

Module 4, Unit 4

The teaching and learning cycle


Feedback Activity 18: Giving useful feedback


Module 2: Learners and learning

Uni

t 1: W

hat i

s ac

tive

lear

ning

?

How people learn

Activity 1: ‘I learn best when …’

Activity 2: How do children learn?

Resource 9: Introduction to learning theories

Resources 10 and 11: (blank table and example answer for Activity 2)

Active learning Case Study 1: Using interactive strategies: sorting leaves

Module 2, Combined Unit 2/3

Learning theories

Inclusive education

Case Study 2: Encouraging students to work together

Resource 12: The principles of UNRWA inclusive education policy


Group work Activity 3: The pros and cons of group work

Activity 4: Planning some group work

Resource 13: Group work

Module 1, Unit 3



Module and Unit


Com

bine

d un

it 2/

3: A

ctiv

e te

achi

ng a

nd le

arni

ng

Active teaching and learning

Activity 6: Active teaching and learning

Pair work Case Study 3: Using questioning in starting a new topic

Module 1, Units 2 and 3Module 3, Unit 1

Questioning Activity 5: Using a question to stimulate students to investigate their ideas

Activity 7: The questions I use

Activity 8: Using open-ended questions

Activity 9: Enhancing my questioning skills

Activity 10: Using other techniques to improve questioning skills

Activity 11: Students raising questions

Case Study 4: Using open questions to explore global warming and climate change

Case Study 5: Encouraging students to raise their own questions


39annexes


Module and Unit


Module 3: The learning environment

Uni

t 1: B

uild

ing

stro

ng c

omm

unic

atio

n to

sup

port

dee

per l

earn

ing Good comm-

unicationActivity 1: How do my students communicate in the classroom?

Activity 2: Planning and implementing ways to improve classroom communication

Case Study 1: Evaluating students’ confidence in speaking in groups

Developing students’ speaking and listening skills

Activity 3: Enhancing speaking and listening skills

Case Study 2: Developing dialogue in the classroom

Case Study 3: Using pair work to solve word-based mathematical problems

Resource 14: Strategies to develop speaking and listening skills in the classroom

Module 2, Unit 1

Uni

t 2: D

evel

opin

g a

posi

tive

clas

sroo

m

envi

ronm

ent a

nd e

thos

Displays Case Study 4: Reviewing the use of displays for a positive classroom environment

Module 1, Unit 3

A positive classroom environment

Activity 4: What kind of classroom do I have?

Activity 5: Working to develop the classroom environment and ethos

Resource 15: Creating a positive learning environment – classroom design

Module 1, Unit 3



Module and Unit


Uni

t 2: D

evel

opin

g a

posi

tive

clas

sroo

m e

nviro

nmen

t and

et

hos

Different-sized classes, including large classes

Resource 16: Working with large classes

Module 1, Unit 3

Working in more challenging situations

Activity 6: Enhancing the classroom for a range of purposes beyond education

Case Study 5: Using comic stories to help students manage their feelings


Uni

t 3: M

anag

ing

beha

viou

r

Modelling good practice

Activity 7: Using positive language

Case Study 6: Encouraging positive behaviour

Expectations and rules

Activity 8: Devising or reviewing classroom rules

Activity 9: Managing inappropriate behaviour in relation to the class rules

Case Study 7: Taher’s early experiences in managing behaviour

Resource 20: Behaviour and sanctions

Inclusive education

Case Study 8:Fostering respect and support among students


Working with other personnel

Activity 10: Planning for a student who needs more support

41annexes


Module and Unit


Uni

t 4: U

sing

the

loca

l env

ironm

ent

Thinking beyond the classroom

Activity 11: Brainstorming ideas for teaching the use of the wider environment in teaching and learning

Activity 12: Reviewing the local area

Bringing the outside in

Activity 13: Using the local environment

Case Study 9: Using the school grounds to learn about units of measurement

Case Study 10: Bringing resources from the local area into the classroom

Health and safety

Resource 21: Respecting the environment

Taking students into the community

Case Study 11: Looking at the local environment

Working in more challenging situations

Activity 14: Planning for the unexpected in advance

Case Study 12:Working in a difficult safety situation


Inviting visitors into school

Activity 15: Inviting a visitor into class

Case Study 13: Ahmad invites a gastric consultant into his class

Resource 22: Using visitors as an educational resource



Module and Unit


Module 4: Assessing learning

Uni

t 1: A

sses

sing

and

pla

nnin

g fo

r lea

rnin

g

Long-term planning

Activity 1: Writing a long-term plan

Case Study 1: Long-term planning

Resource 23: Sample long-term plan

Resource 24: Long-term planning template

Module 1, Unit 2

Short-term planning

Activity 2: Meeting students’ needs

Differentiation Activity 3: Different ways of supporting diverse learners

Case Study 2: Assessment for learning


Assessment for learning


Uni

t 2: G

athe

ring

evid

ence

to a

sses

s le

arni

ng


Activity 4: Thinking about ways of gathering evidence


Listening Case Study 3: Listening and questioning to support students’ better


Questioning Module 2, Combined Unit 2/3Module 4, Unit 1

Observing Activity 5: Observing to gather evidence

Module 3, Unit 1

43annexes


Module and Unit


Uni

t 2: G

athe

ring

evid

ence

to a

sses

s le

arni

ng

Visual evidence, models and drawings

Case Study 4: Gathering visual evidence of students’ skills at sequencing a story

Concept or mind mapping

Activity 6: Developing my own simple concept map

Activity 7: Using a concept map at the start of a lesson/topic

Feedback Module 1, Unit 4Module 4, Unit 3

Uni

t 3: A

sses

smen

t of l

earn

ing

and

reco

rdin

g pr

ogre

ss

Assessment of learning

Module 1, Unit 4

Peer assessment

Activity 8: Peer assessing

Case Study 5: Helping students assess each other’s learning

Self-assessment

Activity 9: Students assessing their own learning

Case Study 6: Students learning to assess their own learning



Module and Unit


Uni

t 3: A

sses

smen

t of l

earn

ing

and

reco

rdin

g pr

ogre

ss

Record keeping Activity 10: Why keep records? What kind of records do I need to keep?

Activity 11: My record keeping

Activity 12: Should students contribute to their record of learning?

Activity 13: Two students select a good piece of work

Case Study 7: Keeping records of students’ work and achievement

Case Study 8: Involving students in record-keeping

Uni

t 4: A

sses

sing

my

own

lear

ning


Activity 14: Assessing my skills of using assessment for learning with the students

Activity 15: Assessing my current assessment for learning practice

Case Study 9: Learning to gather evidence of learning

Resource 25: Assessment for learning skills


45annexes


Module and Unit


Uni

t 4: A

sses

sing

my

own

lear

ning

Assessing my progress

Activity 16: Assessing my strengths as a teacher – part one

Activity 17: Assessing my strengths as a teacher – part two

Activity 18: Setting my own professional development goals

Case Study 10: Fakira’s reflections on her early teaching

Case Study 11: Fakira’s reflections on goal-setting

Resource 3: Cross-curricular themes

Resource 12: The principles of UNRWA inclusive education policy

Resource 26: Competency framework for teachers



Annex 5: Workshop attendance record

Workshop attendance record for NAT programme teachers

Teacher name: _________________ School Name: __________________

Course Coordinator name: ______________

No. Workshop Attended (Y/N)

Date of workshop

Signature of workshop facilitator

1 Introductory workshop

2 General workshop 1

3 Subject-specific workshop 1







10 Final workshop

Signature of Course Coordinator: __________________

Date: ______________________

47annexes


Annex 6: Classroom observation template

Classroom Observation TemplateNewly Appointed Teachers (NAT) programme

1) General information

School Name: School Principal’s name:

Teacher’s name: Date:

Observer’s name and title (1): ______________________________________________

Observer’s name and title (2): ______________________________________________

Grade: No. of students:

Lesson start time: Lesson end time:

Subject:

2) Pre-observation discussion

Lesson topic:

Lesson objectives:

1-

2-

3-

Ask the teacher, for their lesson plan, discuss the lesson plan with the teacher to reflect on and rate their lesson planning competencies using the following scale:



No item 4excellent

3good

2satisfactory

1unsatisfactory

Planning

1 Clarity of learning objectives.

2 Lesson timeline/time management.

3 Variety of teaching and learning activities.

4 Use of instructional resources.

5 Assessment of learning.

6 Additional learning needs and differentiation.

7 Setting a purposeful homework.

3) Lesson observationUse the following scale to reflect on the teaching and learning practices you observe:

No item 4excellent

3good

2satisfactory

1unsatisfactory

Teaching/learning (Lesson introduction and development)

8Teacher states learning objectives and provides overview of lesson.

9Teacher checks for prior knowledge and learners’ experiences.

10Teacher explains the lesson accurately and clearly.

49annexes


No item 4excellent

3good

2satisfactory

1unsatisfactory

11

Teacher’s teaching and learning procedures are sequenced logically and support achieving objectives.

12

Teacher uses active learner centered teaching strategies (e.g. pair or group work, role play, brainstorm ...).

13Teacher uses a range of instructional resources effectively.

14Teacher uses techniques of differentiation to engage all students.

15

Teacher integrates Human rights and gender concepts whenever possible.

Classroom management

16Teacher sets clear classroom rules of behavior.

17 Teacher manages timing of lesson effectively.

18

Teacher creates a positive classroom climate and arranges classroom to facilitate learning.



No item 4excellent

3good

2satisfactory

1unsatisfactory

Teacher feedback and student assessment

19 Teacher uses appropriate questioning techniques.

20Teacher acknowledges student answers and builds upon their answers.

21 Teacher encourages students to ask questions.

22

Teacher provides spoken and/or written feedback and moves around room to interact with students.

Transfer of learning and ending of the lesson

23

Teachers’ activities help the development of student’s competencies identified by UNRWA curriculum framework and relevant to the lesson taught.

24Teacher emphasizes learning transfer and links learning to real life.

25Teacher uses plenary to summarize, consolidate and extend learning.

51annexes


4) Post-observation discussionTo help the teacher reflect on their performance and classroom practices following the classroom observation, the observer might use questions pertinent to the key areas of lesson introduction, objectives and development, differentiation, classroom manage-ment, teacher feedback and student assessment, students’ engagement, attitudes and behavior…etc.

Below are sample reflective questions, the observer is advised to add additional ques-tions or remove questions where appropriate:

1. Do you think you have achieved the learning objectives as planned? How do you know?

2. What active teaching strategies have you used in your lesson? Have they been effective, why/why not?

3. How did you assess learners throughout the lesson (formative assessment) and at the end of the lesson (summative assessment)? Give examples.

4. How did you respond to students with additional needs during the lesson? Give examples on the differentiation techniques you used.

5. What went well, what didn’t go as planned? What will you do better next time?

Recommendations of observer (after the post-observation discussion with the teacher):

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53annexes

5) Calculate teacher’s final grade and rating, as:Total grades (out of 100) =

No. of excellent rates x 4 + No. of good rates x 3 + No. of satisfactory rates x 2 + No. of unsatisfactory rates x 1

Rating:

Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Good Excellent0-49 50-65 66-85 86-100

Classroom observation grades for the overall evaluation:

Final grade for the first graded classroom observation (out of 10) = Total grades/10

Final grade for the second graded classroom observation (out of 20) = Total grades/5

Classroom observation (first/second)

Teacher’s final grade ( / ) and rate (Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory)

Teacher’s name and signature: ____________________________________________

Name of first observer and signature: ______________________________________

Name of second observer and signature: ___________________________________

Date of observation: ____________________________________________________


Annex 7: Lesson plan template

Topic (What topic are you teaching about?) _______________________________________

Class (Which class?) ________________________________________________________

Learning Objectives (What are the key learning objectives, e.g. skills, knowledge and understand-ing the students are trying to achieve?) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction (How will you introduce the topic/learning objectives?)

Description Time Action by whom? Resource/student supportTeacher Student Resource Student support

1st activity (Opening explanation and activity, Organization strategies)


Main activity and part of lesson (What do students do? Your role and support of class and individual students. Questions, activities, students’ interaction and engagement)


Whole-class plenary (Sharing ideas and clarifying outcomes and understandings)


Conclusions – feedback to students and self (Drawing together all thinking and understanding)


Assessing learning by you and students (What have the students learned? Which students are OK? Who needs more support? What have you learned about teaching? about the students’ ability and understanding?)




Annex 8: Lesson plan reflection template

Lesson plan reflection template منوذج تأمل اخلطة الدرسية

Number of module: _____________Number of unit: ________________

رقم اجملمع التدريبي: _________________ رقم الوحدة: ______________________

Date: ______________________Subject: ____________________Topic: ______________________Grade: _____________________

التاريخ: ____________________ املادة: ______________________املوضوع: ___________________الصف: ____________________

A. Which teaching/learning practices, drawn from NAT and related to the Unit you are currently studying, did you use in this lesson plan?

ــدد ــن اجل ــل املعلم ــج تأهي ــن برنام ــا م ــي تعلمته ــة الت ــات التعليمية/التعلمي ــا املمارس أ. مــية؟ ــة الدرس ــذه اخلط ــي ه ــا ف ــت بتوظيفه ــدة وقم ــذه الوح ــة به واملرتبط

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Why did you choose this lesson plan for the Portfolio?ب. ملاذا اخترت هذه اخلطة الدرسية للتوثيق في البورتفوليو/ملف االجنازات؟

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. Describe the impact of the teaching/learning practices used in this lesson plan on students’ learning and progress?

ــي وظفتهــا فــي هــذه اخلطــة الدرســية ــة الت ــر املمارســات التعليمية/التعلمي ج. صــف/ي تأثيعلــى تعلــم الطلبــة وتقدمهــم.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D. If you were given the opportunity to repeat the lesson, how would you modify the plan?

د. إذا أُتيحت لك فرصة إعادة الدرس، كيف ستعمل على حتسن خطتك الدرسية؟

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

55annexes


Annex 9: Activity reflection template

Portfolio activity reflection template منوذج تأمل نشاط مللف اإلجنازات/البورتفوليو

Number of module: _____________Number of unit: ________________


Number of activity:__________________Subject: __________________________Topic: _____________________________Grade: ____________________________Date of implementation in class:_______

رقم النشاط:________________________املادة: _____________________________املوضوع: ___________________________الصف: ____________________________تاريخ تنفيذ النشاط: __________________

A. Describe briefly what the activity was about, the planned procedures and strategies.أ. صف/ي بإيجاز موضوع النشاط واإلجراءات واالستراتيجيات التي خططتها.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

B. Reflection questions on the teaching/learning practices.ب. أسئلة للتأمل في ممارساتك التعليمية /التعلمية.

1. Did the implementation of this activity help to achieve lesson objectives? Give examples.

1. هل ساعدك تنفيذ هذا النشاط على حتقيق أهداف الدرس؟ أعط أمثلة على ذلك.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. Describe the links between this activity and NAT programme practices.2. صف/ي االرتباط بن هذا النشاط وممارسات برنامج تأهيل املعلمن اجلدد.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



3. Explain why you chose to include this activity in your Portfolio.٣. اشرح ملاذا اخترت هذا النشاط للتوثيق في ملف اإلجنازات.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. How did you ensure all students, including those with additional needs, were fully engaged in the activity?

٤. كيــف تأكــدت مــن انخــراط جميــع الطلبــة مبــن فيهــم ذوي االحتياجــات التعلميــة اإلضافيــة فــي النشــاط؟

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. What do you think the students gained from this activity (skills, knowledge and understanding)? What competencies did they gain (communication, critical and creative thinking, constructive learning, cooperation, citizenship)? How do you know?

٥. مــا الــذي اكتســبه الطلبــة مــن هــذا النشــاط )مهــارة، معرفــة، فهــم(؟ مــا هــي الكفايــات ــاون، ــي، التع ــم البنائ ــي، التعل ــد واإلبداع ــر الناق ــل، التفكي ــة )التواص ــبها الطلب ــي اكتس الت

ــة(، كيــف تعــرف ذلــك؟ املواطن

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Which teaching practices went well and how will you reinforce them next times? Why?ــرات ــي امل ــا ف ــى تعزيزه ــتعمل عل ــف س ــا وكي ــت فيه ــي جنح ــة الت ــا املمارســات التعليمي ٦. م

ــاذا؟ ــة؟ مل القادم------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

57annexes


7. Which teaching practices did not go well as you planned? What are your suggestions for improvement next times? ٧. ما املمارسات التعليمية التي لم تنجح كما هو مخطط؟ ما هي مقترحاتك للتحسن في املرات

القادمة؟

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

C. What evidence of students’ progress did you collect? Attach the evidence to this template.

ج. ما األدلة التي جمعتها حول التقدم الذي أحرزه الطلبة؟ أرفق األدلة مع منوذج التأمل.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Annex 10: Activity reflection exemplar

Portfolio activity reflection template منوذج تأمل نشاط مللف اإلجنازات/البورتفوليو

Number of module: 2Number of unit: Combined unit 2/3


Number of activity: 9Subject: MathematicsTopic: Volume of the triangular prismGrade: 8th Date of implementation in class: 26/5/2019

رقم النشاط:________________________املادة: _____________________________املوضوع: ___________________________الصف: ____________________________تاريخ تنفيذ النشاط: __________________

A. Describe briefly what the activity was about, the planned procedures and strategies.أ. صف/ي بإيجاز موضوع النشاط واإلجراءات واالستراتيجيات التي خططتها.

This activity relates to Module 2 activity 9 regarding enhancing teachers' questioning skills, where teachers are asked to plan the questions they will ask throughout the lesson to help their students think and discover knowledge and relations. So, I prepared a number of triangular prism solids beforehand with the assistance of students from 10th grade and some questions to be asked. In the lesson, I divided the students into mixed groups and I gave each group one triangular prism and a worksheet with the following questions to be answered: What is this solid called? Discuss with your colleagues the characteristics of this solid? What is the shape of its base? How many bases and faces are there? How will you calculate its volume? Discuss the relation between the area of the triangle with the volume of the solid given to you.

At the end of the activity, I wrote all students’ responses on the board and asked the students themselves to think and reflect on their responses. I used some probing questions to discuss their responses, built on some of them and eliminated others to let the students themselves discover step-by- step what the right responses are.

59annexes


B. Reflection questions on the teaching/learning practices.ب. أسئلة للتأمل في ممارساتك التعليمية /التعلمية.

1. Did the implementation of this activity help to achieve lesson objectives? Give examples.

1. هل ساعدك تنفيذ هذا النشاط على حتقيق أهداف الدرس؟ أعط أمثلة على ذلك.

I believe it did. Firstly, by writing the questions to be asked beforehand I became more confident about how to structure the lesson and more clear about the expected outcomes of the students. Secondly, using both types of questions in addition to the probing questions at the end of the activity helped to construct the students learning through linking the new knowledge with previous knowledge about triangle and its area. Using these types of questions helps the students explore and deepen their own understanding and to become more confident learners.

2. Describe the links between this activity and NAT programme practices.2. صف/ي االرتباط بن هذا النشاط وممارسات برنامج تأهيل املعلمن اجلدد.

When I planned for this activity I kept in mind three important practices discussed in the NAT programme; I have to use active teaching pedagogies; such as group work and questioning to make sure that the students are fully engaged in implementing the activity, I will assess students learning in each stage to ensure they are on the right track towards achieving the expected outcomes and move around while the groups are working, supporting them and providing them with my feedback whenever needed..

3. Explain why you chose to include this activity in your Portfolio.٣. اشرح ملاذا اخترت هذا النشاط للتوثيق في ملف اإلجنازات.

This activity which involved preparing well-studied questions that will help the students to reach the intended mathematical relation made me confident about my planning. It also made my teaching interesting as I noticed all students including less-confident students were more involved in the lesson when I asked open-ended questions.



4. How did you ensure all students, including those with additional needs, were fully engaged in the activity?

٤. كيــف تأكــدت مــن انخــراط جميــع الطلبــة مبــن فيهــم ذوي االحتياجــات التعلميــة اإلضافيــة فــي النشــاط؟

Fortunately, at the beginning of this academic year, all students with additional needs were identified in each class in my school in cooperation between teachers and the student support team. So, it was easy for me to plan for those students as for example, I prepared a worksheet with large font and a large triangular prism with clear labels for one of the students in this class who has sight problems. I also ensured to organize mixed groups in terms of their levels of achievement to facilitate learning and sharing ideas. At the end of the lesson I asked one of the high achieving students in mathematics to explain the lesson they have taken in the previous class to one of the students who was absent because he has a chronic illness.

5. What do you think the students gained from this activity (skills, knowledge and understanding)? What competencies did they gain (communication, critical and creative thinking, constructive learning, cooperation, citizenship)? How do you know?

٥. مــا الــذي اكتســبه الطلبــة مــن هــذا النشــاط )مهــارة، معرفــة، فهــم(؟ مــا هــي الكفايــات ــاون، ــي، التع ــم البنائ ــي، التعل ــد واإلبداع ــر الناق ــل، التفكي ــة )التواص ــبها الطلب ــي اكتس الت

ــة(، كيــف تعــرف ذلــك؟ املواطن

Through this activity I was trying to develop students’ communication skills as we agreed on group work rules from the begining and by giving the students the opportunity to rethink their responses when I wrote them on board, I was trying to build their critical thinking skills. And most importantly, I planned to develop their exploration skills in mathematics.

6. Which teaching practices went well and how will you reinforce next times? Why?ــرات ــي امل ــا ف ــى تعزيزه ــتعمل عل ــف س ــا وكي ــت فيه ــي جنح ــة الت ــا املمارســات التعليمي ٦. م

ــاذا؟ ــة؟ مل القادم

The use of questioning was successful from my point of view as it led the students to achieve the intended outcomes. The use of clear rules of group work and highlighting how to communicate respectfully within the groups. was also successful. In the future, I will focus more on using group work and all types of questions throughout my lessons as they increase the engagement of all students and as a formative assessment tool they help me to enhance students learning.

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7. Which teaching practices did not go well as you planned? What are your suggestions for improvement next times?

٧. مــا املمارســات التعليميــة التــي لــم تنجــح كمــا هــو مخطط؟ مــا هــي مقترحاتك للتحســن فــي املــرات القادمة؟

I was thinking that I will be able to engage the whole class in the activity but unfortunately I noticed that five of my students were feeling a little bit bored, through asking them why, I discovered that they like to watch educational films on internet. Therefore, I decided to plan some of my lessons to be in the computer lab and to search for online classes and films on internet to make use of them next time.

C. What evidence of students’ progress did you collect? Attach the evidence to this template.

ج. ما األدلة التي جمعتها حول التقدم الذي أحرزه الطلبة؟ أرفق األدلة مع منوذج التأمل.

I attach here the worksheets with students’ solutions and my correction and feedback. I also Attach a self-assessment tool which I prepared previously filled out by my students.



Annex 11: Lesson plan reflection exemplar

Lesson plan reflection exemplar

Lesson plan reflection template منوذج تأمل اخلطة الدرسية

Number of module: 4Number of unit: 1

رقم اجملمع التدريبي: رقم الوحدة:

Date: 15/5/2018Subject: English LanguageTopic: Adventure holidays are brilliantGrade: Seventh grade

التاريخ: ____________________ املادة: ______________________املوضوع: ___________________الصف: ____________________

A. Which teaching/learning practices, drawn from NAT and related to the Unit you are currently studying, did you use in this lesson plan?

ــدد ــن اجل ــل املعلم ــج تأهي ــن برنام ــا م ــي تعلمته ــة الت ــات التعليمية/التعلمي ــا املمارس أ. مــية؟ ــة الدرس ــذه اخلط ــي ه ــا ف ــت بتوظيفه ــدة وقم ــذه الوح ــة به واملرتبط

Like other Units in the NAT programme, this Unit has helped me enhance my knowledge and skills through adapting new teaching and learning strategies. Meeting students’ diverse needs through using differentiation techniques helped me make a difference in some students’ life in their journey towards achieving their potentials. Providing students with different tasks according to their abilities means interacting differently with them, developing their understanding, and making them aware of themselves as leaners ready to take the responsibility of their learning.

B. Why did you choose this lesson plan for the Portfolio?ب. ملاذا اخترت هذه اخلطة الدرسية للتوثيق في البورتفوليو/ملف االجنازات؟

I decided to document this lesson plan in my Portfolio because the lesson I taught using this lesson plan was really successful with great impact on students learning outcomes. I will be revisiting it sometimes when planning other lessons. I feel proud of myself as a NAT teacher when I look at this lesson plan because it says a lot about what I have learned and developed through studying the programme.

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C. Describe the impact of the teaching/learning practices used in this lesson plan on students› learning and progress.

ــي وظفتهــا فــي هــذه اخلطــة الدرســية ــة الت ــر املمارســات التعليمية/التعلمي ج. صــف/ي تأثيعلــى تعلــم الطلبــة وتقدمهــم.

Meeting students’ diverse needs through using differentiation techniques has positively impacted students' learning outcomes as they were able to develop their skills in using present continuous to talk about their holidays. Students role played different scenarios through which they reflected their understanding of present continuous usage. Preparing different levels of activities supported students' learning as well as engagement. Students who have diverse needs felt more self-confident.

D. If you were given the opportunity to repeat the lesson, how would you modify the plan?

د. إذا أُتيحت لك فرصة إعادة الدرس، كيف ستعمل على حتسن خطتك الدرسية؟

If I would teach this lesson again, I would definitely enhance the practices that I think went well such as using differentiation techniques to meet students’ diverse needs. What I might reconsider is minimizing the number of students in the groups and devising activities in the plan where excellent students support their classmates in their tasks as I felt that some students do feel more comfortable being supported from a classmate. Another thing is that I would discuss this plan with an experienced colleague before implementing the lesson to seek advice.


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