EDUCATOR EMPOWERMENT

Hope Institute Burma recognises that the most transformative solutions in education emanate from the collective wisdom of those who know their students best, the teachers. Hence designing bespoke programmes to meet the needs of a group of trainee teachers is our primary strategy. In 2017, we developed a set of Golden Teacher Standards (GTS) in collaboration with practitioners in Mandalay. Hi Burma uses the GTS as a means to identify the particular needs of the participants of a programme. The GTS therefore provide goals to work towards for initial training and professional development purposes. Find the GTS here: IN ENGLISH & IN BURMESE. When CDM students and CDM teachers are empowered in this way, they become more confident practitioners who can promote learning that nurtures creativity, and equity, alongside a deeper understanding of the world. Teachers gain the knowledge, skills and power to create safe, stimulating learning environments which allow all learners to flourish in new ways.

Typical topics of Hi Burma's customised programmes include:

Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction

The first ten principles of instruction, as identified by Barak Rosenshine, guide this training for teachers. The principles underpin both lesson planning and delivery. When the principles are applied in practice, progress in any subject area can be assured. This is because such teaching methodology accommodates the six effective strategies for learning recommended by cognitive scientists.

Microteaching opportunities are provided, where participants take turns to teach a small group of learners (other teachers). This allows teachers to gradually introduce the main principles of instruction into their own practice. Constructive feedback is provided in the discussion panel which follows each microteaching session. Hence teachers can make changes to improve particular aspects of their lessons.

Models of Learning & Effective Learning Strategies

A basic model of learning helps to achieve a better understanding of how learning happens. It requires knowledge of working memory and long-term memory and how teaching can assist the transfer of new material between them. Furthermore, forgetting is a natural occurrence when learning something new. The model of learning also helps to identify barriers to learning, so that teachers can act to prevent them.

The six most effective strategies for learning are be introduced, as recommended by cognitive scientists, with reference to the model of learning. This enables teachers to focus on developing the aptitude, knowledge and skills their students need to become good, lifelong learners, ready to address the challenges of the 21^st century.

Dialogic Teaching

Dialogic teaching is an approach to classroom instruction that emphasises the power of dialogue in fostering deep learning, critical thinking and meaningful engagement in any subject area. Based on the ‘Oracy Framework’, produced by Voice 21, this workshop introduces six talking roles to upgrade the quality of a variety of classroom discussion activities. In addition, it promotes collaborative, inclusive, equitable education in a supportive environment.

Links are made to the DIALLS Project, Dialogue and Argumentation for Cultural Literacy Learning in Schools, which was a European-funded research initiative to develop cultural literacy and intercultural understanding through dialogic teaching. Free teaching materials that consider a variety of values, typically shared in a flourishing society, are available in an online library together with ‘Discussion Prompts’ for use in the classroom. High-quality classroom talk is seen as fundamental for both cognitive development and democratic education.

Management of Behaviour for Learning

Lesson planning that features interactive, well-structured lessons using different stages and specific learning objectives is fundamental to the promotion of desirable learning behaviour in the classroom. Planning and preparation precedes the teacher modelling positive attitudes and respectful behaviour in the classroom. In this training, the roles of rules, routines, rewards and sanctions are introduced, to produce consistency in a safe, learning environment with clear expectations that help to reduce a learner’s anxiety and foster a positive classroom culture.

Agreed codes of conduct are discussed alongside methods of gradually developing learners’ self-regulation. Students are explicitly taught about the rights of everyone to learn. Consequences of misbehaviour are discussed, alongside escalation and the importance of consistency in managing classroom behaviour, especially where ‘warnings’ and ‘second chances’ are concerned. Learners can choose how to behave, so teachers can promote desirable learning behaviour by using specific praise and encouragement, besides the different types of rewards and incentives shared in the training.

Assessment

This training focuses on the purposes of formative assessment and summative assessment. Formative assessment is an ongoing activity throughout a lesson, whereby a teacher is continually checking for learners’ understanding before proceeding to the next step. Quick, low-stakes quizzes and a variety of techniques that check for understanding, involving all learners – rather than just a few, are introduced. Learners have a clear idea of what they are aiming to achieve through the use of the success criteria that are shared, which closely link to the lesson’s learning objectives. Emphasis is placed on the use of the success criteria when checking which learning objectives have been met by the end of the lesson. How to provide constructive feedback, to which learners must respond in order to improve, completes each formative assessment cycle.

The challenges of summative assessment, performed at the end of a period of instruction, are addressed. The theory and the practice of how to design valid, fair and reliable forms of assessment, that fully align with the learning objectives specified, are covered. The principles of validity and reliability are applied to a variety of assessment methods that target a range of abilities at a particular level of desirable difficulty. Participants analyse pilot-test questions, to identify ambiguities and flaws, and look at simple methods of data analysis to detect signs of an unfair test.

Practical Investigations in Science

This workshop provides teachers with an opportunity to learn about the scientific investigation process through a number of simple, practical experiments suitable for a low-resource setting.

The preparation of practical equipment is discussed. Consideration is given to the different stages of scientific investigation: starting with a question or hypothesis; then looking for ways to find answers through observation; recording measurements; and looking for patterns in the results obtained. Demonstrations show this process in action through a series of experiments typically found in the biology, chemistry, physics and environmental science curriculum. Participants can then perform the different experiments themselves, to gain experience directly and develop their own practical skills. Experiments normally include investigating: breathing rates & air pollution; acids and alkalis; floating, sinking & water pollution; healthy eating & fermentation; and measuring vitamin C content.

Healing Classrooms

Healing Classrooms basic training is the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) global strategy for supporting children’s recovery following periods of trauma and upheaval due to violence, conflict, natural disasters and other forms of physical or mental abuse – which result in them abandoning their homes.

Comprising three workshops, the first is entitled ‘Preparing a Safe Place to Land’. It explains the impacts of trauma and toxic stress on students’ wellbeing and learning and identifies ways that trauma-informed practices, such as the Healing Classrooms Approach, work to support children’s recovery. The second workshop is called ‘Building a Community for Learning’ and it explains the importance of cultivating a sense of belonging through relationship development and self-worth for refugee students, plus, how this can be achieved. In the third workshop, ‘Fostering Academic Success’, the importance of adapting current teaching and learning methods is discussed, to ensure children can reach their academic potential.

At the end of each workshop, participants work on applying this range of Healing Classroom strategies in their own contexts.

Success Stories

Despite challenges like poor internet and political instability, dedicated teachers and students stayed committed, using resilience and innovation to overcome obstacles and build brighter futures.

"Driven by a desire to help vulnerable children in Myanmar, I focused on self-improvement. I joined Hi Burma's free teacher training program on Zoom, which significantly benefited my professional development. The training improved my teaching and public speaking skills, which I now apply in the classroom. Despite challenges like poor internet and a precarious environment as a CDM student, I remain passionate about improving myself and helping children."

Jasmine

Teacher Training Series Trainee

40 Avenue Road,
East London, E7 0LD,
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