Teaching staff to earn Masters in Education degrees from University of Gloucestershire School of Education Asia-Pacific Business Travellers Vote Emirates
Sharjah - The School of Creative Science (SCS), Sharjah's unique international school with an emphasis on nurturing creativity, has partnered with the University of Gloucestershire in the UK to provide its teachers with the opportunity to participate in a special teacher training programme. The innovative three year programme, conducted by experts from the well-known training institution, allows teachers to earn a Masters in Education degree from a British university.
The 48 teachers enrolled, specialized in various subject areas and grade levels within the school, from kindergarten to grade 9, have the option to complete up to six modules within the three-year period. Candidates successfully completing three years will receive a Masters in Education degree, while those who complete two years will earn a postgraduate diploma. In addition, postgraduate certificates will be awarded to those participants completing one year of the course.
"We are pleased to be one of the only schools in the UAE to invest heavily in its teachers and allow them to develop their educational skills through on-the-job training. In the long run, their improved performance will lead to more interesting lessons, consequently resulting in increased student motivation and achievement," stated Ibrahim Lawson, Principal, School of Creative Science.
"Our commitment to continuously improving the standards of teaching and learning at SCS has prompted us to implement such an extensive and rigorous programme. I am delighted with the success of the training so far and have received many positive comments from staff. We are confident that such a school-wide training initiative will help to set new standards for the school, in both professionalism and the quality of education," added Lawson.
In addition to taking courses, SCS's participating teachers will also be committed to fulfilling a practical component of the programme by developing a portfolio of case studies which will be assessed by the university. Although participation in the programme is not compulsory, those teachers not participating in the teacher education programme will still be required to take part in the process of developing knowledge and practice.
"The training we have made possible for our teaching staff is quite unique. It is rare to have a programme of this calibre available to such a large number of staff - 48 of our teachers are committed to completing the programme at various levels," continued Lawson.
The University of Gloucestershire is home to a well-known teacher training institution. Its School of Education has worked for five years with the Association of Muslim Schools in the UK to train teaching staff at British Muslim schools and has also successfully completed projects in Kenya and India on teaching world-citizenship. The training at SCS is being conducted by three expert lecturers from the School of Education at the University of Gloucestershire including the Deputy Head of the School of Education, Mr. Alan Bloomfield as well as Dr. Amanda Pill, Head of Continuing Professional Development, and Ms. Elaine Judd, Senior Lecturer in Education.
"My colleagues and I have been very impressed by the quality and commitment of the staff at SCS. It is very exciting to be working on a project of this size and we are looking forward to working with the school over the coming years," said Alan Bloomfield, Course Director of the training programme at SCS.
Located in the Muweileh district of Sharjah, the School of Creative Science was established in 2002 to promote creativity in education, while instilling morals and values in a modern environment. Its main focus is to provide quality education and uncompromising teaching standards which adhere to UK academic regulations while utilising creative learning techniques that stimulate curiosity. For further details visit www.SCS-sharjah.com or call 06-534 4444.
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© Press Release 2005
