Education with a Good Quality
Introduction:
According to "NAQAAE " Program, we should have education with a good quality. First, what is an education of a good quality ? It is the education that has very high learning outcomes and learning styles. In order to talk about an education of a good quality, we should know that the education of a good quality has 2 wings. In other words, I mean that the education of a good quality domains include 2 items:
A- The Association abilities.
B- The educational participation.
A-The Association abilities include:
1-The vision and the mission.
The vision means a dream we look forward to achieving through some strategies that help us to reach such a vision. For example, if our vision is a school with a good quality, then the strategy to reach such vision will be applying the activity-based learning method.
2-Education Leadership.
This refers to the school administration and if they apply the school laws and rules fairly or not. Do they know their roles, duties and responsibilities? Do they apply democracy in holding their councils or not? They should care about helping all the staff to do their jobs in a friendly way. If they accept applying the latest methods of education and technology in teaching or not. Does the school principal help in solving school problems? Does he carry out the Idara and the Modoraya instructions? Does he believe in change and professional development?
3-The human and financial resources.
The human resources refer to the staff, the learners and the administration members and if they are equipped with the knowledge that help us to change or not. Does the process of recruitment depend on a good plan?Do the teachers get training units, workshops and video conferences to help them to progress or not? Are the people secure? Is the school secure?
The financial resources include the funds that are needed for the cost of the education process . Does the school have a library, teaching tools, laboratories and textbooks or not? Does it have means of technology to be used in teaching or not? Is there a social worker and a psychologist at school? Is there a medical care inside school or not?
4-The social participation.
Does the school have a relation with the learners' parents or not? Is the school related to the environment around it or not? Is the school related to all the associations around it or not? Do the parents contribute in helping the education process through donations or volunteering to work as assistant teachers? Does the school hold school councils to meet parents regularly?
5-The Good quality, its rewards and accountability.
When there is a change, all people are exposed to be rewarded for their efficiency and their efficient participation but the careless ones should be questioned for their carelessness or for their refusal for the change or the professional development.
B-The educational participation includes:
1-The Learner.
Does the learner participate in the education process or not? Does he express himself, work in pairs, work in groups, think, pair, share, apply, evaluate, analyze and create or not?
2-The Teacher.
Does the teacher plan his lessons well? Does he work for a curriculum analysis ? Does he have a monthly syllabus plan?Does he use the electronic lesson plan?Does he use electronic programs in teaching and assessment? Does he apply the activity-based learning method? Does he develop himself professionally through training units and attending workshops and conferences? Does he like change and accept it or not?
3-The Curriculum.
Does the school curriculum deal with the environment around? Does it encourage thinking, pairing and sharing? Does it seek for practical education or teaching with creation? Does it encourage learners to analyze and innovate? Does it use technology in teaching? Does it help in solving problems? Does it encourage learners' projects, researches, interviews and experimental education? Does it encourage calling for values, citizenship and loyalty? Does it encourage learning activities inside and outside class beside activities outside school as a long term project?
4-The Educational process atmosphere.
Is the relation between the administration and the teachers co-operative? Is the relation between the leaders and the learners responsive? Is the relation between the teacher and the learners reactive, friendly and fatherly? Do people use democracy in discussion and argument? Does every one respect the rights and the duties of himself and of others?
In dealing with the education of a good quality, we must know about some important terms like the following:
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Domains and standards
of education
The First Domain is:
Planning.
It include three standards:
1. Determining the educational needs of the students.
2. Planning for greater targets not for detailed information and small objectives.
3. Designing suitable educational activities.
The Second Domain is:
Learning strategies and classroom management..
It includes six standards:
1. Using learning strategies to meet student’s needs.
2. Facilitating effective learning experience.
3. Involving students in solving problems and in critical thinking.
4. Providing an environment that would guarantee equity.
5. Effective utilization of diverse motivation methods.
6. Managing learning time effectively and limiting time wasted.
The Third Domain is:
Knowledge of the subject matter.
It include four standards:
1. Being fully aware of the basis and nature of the subject.
2. Fully knowing methods of research in the subject.
3. Being able to integrate his subject with other subjects.
4. Being able to produce knowledge.
The Fourth Domain is:
Evaluation.
It include three standards:
1. Self-evaluation.
2. Student evaluation.
3. Feedback.
The Fifth Domain is:
Teacher's Professionalism.
It includes two standards:
1. Ethics of the profession.
2. Professional development.
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An Example:
( Domain, Standard, Indicators and Practice ).
The Domain includes standards and the standard includes indicators and the indicator includes practice. In order to understand these terms, I will handle each one of them through real and actual examples.
1-The Domain:
Suppose that the education policy calls for teaching values. Them, the domain here will be " Values ".
2- The Standards:
The standard of the " values domain" includes : Learning about the life , sharing and Co-operation.
3-The Indicators:
The indicators of co-operation include co-operative learning which will be apparent inside the classroom when learners practice active learning through pair work and group work. This will be the evidence of active learning inside the classroom.
4-The Practice:
According to Bloom's taxonomy, to practise is to do, to do is to learn, to learn is to evaluate, to evaluate is to analyse and synthesise, to analyse and to synthesise is to imagine and to imagine is to create and innovate.
The lexical approach focuses on meaning, feelings and practice. The Practice means the applicability of teaching inside the classroom. Co-operative learning will be implemented through the independent co-operative learning among groups of learners when learners are asked by the teacher to work in pairs in the form of dialoging to perfect the new material or the new structure. Finally, the teacher can elicit the meaning of the new vocabulary or the new structure form from the learners themselves inductively.
Practice is needed also, when learners are asked by the teacher to answer 3 exercises . 3 groups of learners can answer these 3 exercises as projects or as problems that need solutions. Each group answer one exercise, all at the same time to create independent learning. The fourth group of learners can do self-evaluation for the other 3 groups' answers. The teacher only monitors, checks and encourages.
Also, learners go to the library, a museum or any actual field or position of life that is attached to the lesson they learn. They work in group, register their practical observation as a project in order to be interviewed by the other groups inside the classroom, next week.
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Quality education
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Primary or high school?
I like to teach at a primary
school. Working with children can be rewarding. It makes a difference in
the lives of young children. It depends on active learning and using
environmental and authentic material like pictures, drawings, acting and
applicability. It can be a really fun job! I help to give young
children the best possible start in life.
I am able to relate
to pupils and their parents. In a primary school,I work with other
professionals, such as education psychologists and social workers. I
like to take part in Extra-Curriculum activities, such as parents'
evenings and outings.
As a primary school teacher, I have the:
1-ability to develop good relationships with pupils, parents and colleagues.
2-strong commitment to equal opportunities.
3-ability to work in a team and use my own initiative.
4-creative ideas to inspire the children.
5-excellent communication skills.
6-patience and a sense of humor.
I love teaching at a high school because the learners are capable of
conversation and critical thinking and it's a lot of fun to foster that
in young adults. Teenagers aren't "needy". They do analysis, synthesis
and evaluation. I don't have to do everything for them. High school
teenagers can do self learning ,exploration and imagination. I enjoy
helping them maneuver their way through fostering critical thought and
feeding their minds with many perspectives from which I hope they can
form some semblance of independent and informed opinion.
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View Resources:
3-Physical activities in learning.
Prepared by : G.H.H.