MEDTWINNING for QUALITY ASSURANCE and SCHOOL BASED DEVELOPMENT (SBD) within THE G8-BMENA PROCESS “E-Bridge” across the Mediterranean International Seminar Florence 11-12 December 2006 Giulia Di Nicuolo - General Directorate for Foreign Affairs - Ministry of Education

The Forum for the Future G8-BMENA Partnership Supporting reform in the Broader Middle East and North Africa At the Sea Island Summit in 2004, the G8 introduced a Plan of Support for reform in response to priorities identified by the BMENA region The Forum for the Future annual event (Rabat 2004, Bahrain 2005, Dead Sea 2006) Ministers of Foreign Affairs from the countries of the G8, the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) and other democratic partners meet to discuss progress on the political, social and economic reform in the framework of the G8-BMENA partnership

THE EDUCATION REFORM TASK FORCE Ministers of Education of the Broader Middle East and North Africa and G8 met in Jordan on 23 May, 2005 and agreed on a number of essential collaborative actions...including establishing a Task Force that would carry forward the agreed actions (one expert for each country + EC) On behalf of the G8 and BMENA Education Ministers, the G8 and BMENA Education Task Force will provide coordination, advice and support for the planning and implementation of collaborative regional projects related to literacy and access social inclusion quality of education (from the Framework for Progress, Dead Sea, Jordan, 23° May 2005)

THE EDUCATION REFORM TASK FORCE Strengthening, rationalising and coordinating existing channels of support and funding (no autonomous funding), eg. EC to significantly increase funding to education in MENA Canadian funding commitment to basic education US support to Information (GLP) and Literacy Monitoring NGOs actions in the region etc…

EVENTS Plenary Meetings and Workshops Existing Working Groups LITERACY TVET QUALITY (to be constituted in next plenary session) EVENTS Education Ministerial,Dead Sea, May 2005 (Framework for Progress) Experts (Task Force) meeting, Cairo, September, 2006 Experts (Task Force) meeting, Cairo, April, 2006 Education Ministerial,Sharm el Sheikh, May 2006 (Framework for Progress) Workshops planned/held on, e.g.: School Focused Development (Amman, 5-7 Nov 2006) Literacy (Yemen, 15-17 January 2007) ICT (Amman 25-27 Feb 2007) TVET (date and place to define) Educational Standards (Brussels, date to define)

Quality Assurance - School Focused Development (SFD) CONTINUOUS LEARNING FOR EVERYONE IS CENTRAL TO THE NOTION OF THE INTELLIGENT SCHOOL Schools are the key to educational improvement: they are the place where real progress in education is made Schools have to take direct responsibility for their own development & improvement Schools need to be autonomous and accountable School is to be considered a learning organization: every one in the school should involve in learning Good leadership is vital to school improvement Head Teachers have to learn how to: Lead change and improvement Manage teaching and learning Use resources effectively Enhance partnership with community

SFD: the main components 1. School Development Planning Values and Vision 2. School Focused Staff Development  Structure for identifying / meeting developmental needs  Forms / Modes for Development Evaluating Impact 3. Teaching and Learning  Factors influencing Teaching / Learning  Research  Practical Strategies

SFD: the main components 4. Improving School-Community Links  Involvement – Vision & Practice  Communication  Joint Planning / Support Joint Resources Quality Assurance A school needs to know its strengths and weaknesses if it is to improve Accurate and rigorous self-evaluation is an essential element of improvement planning Achievements Professional engagement / enthusiasm Strong Commitment to development Community engagement Major cultural Shift

Teaching strategies reflecting different learning styles: IMPROVING TEACHING – THE REPERTOIRE AND RANGE OF TEACHING TECHNIQUES Appropriate techniques for pupils of different abilities Teaching strategies reflecting different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinaesthetic Skills and strategies such as the use of questions, discussion and problem solving and practical activities Individual, group and whole class teaching The use of new technologies

THE EFFECTIVE USE OF LEARNING RESOURCES The use of ICT and e-learning The use if instructional materials: text books… Classroom management of resource materials Stimulating learning environments / effective classroom organisation The use of the library / resource centre to facilitate independent learning etc…

We know we are in a good school when: Teachers talk about teaching and learning; Teachers observe each other’s practice; Teachers plan, organise, deliver, monitor and evaluate their work together; Teachers teach other teachers

AN EFFECTIVE SCHOOL POLICY ON TEACHING AND LEARNING Personalised learning Learning styles Teaching skills / pedagogy Continuous professional development The use of learning resources and e-learning The use of data and assessment The effectiveness of planning Creating and maintaining stimulating learning environments Monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning (self-evaluation)

IMPROVING LEARNING Multiple Intelligences Accelerated Learning Techniques Independent Learning The learner as a whole person: the cognitive/ affective domain IMPROVING LEARNING Learning Styles The use of New Technologies Knowledge Creation & Sharing Problem solving Thinking Skills

is child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of child" "What we want to see is child in pursuit of knowledge, not knowledge in pursuit of child" (G.B. Shaw)

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