ADEC conducts intensive workshop on New School Model

Abu Dhabi Education Council ( ADEC )

Abu Dhabi Education Council ( ADEC ) has conducted a programme to re-skill national teachers to teach English medium subjects such as English, Mathematics, and Science, under the New School Model.

High quality professional development and up-skilling national teachers is an essential component of the New School Model (NSM) and ADEC ‘s reform efforts, which supports the growth of the national workforce and ensures sustainability and high-quality education for the future of the U.A.E..

Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 Emirati teachers engaged in a 250-hour New School Model Intensive Workshop, which was designed to jump-start their English language learning and pedagogical skills.

The English language development component of the programme included a minimum of two hours per day of instruction by expert English language teachers, which was specifically devoted to developing English language skills and techniques to improve participants? performance on the IELTS exam.

The objectives of the pedagogy portion of the programme were to assist teachers in developing pedagogical skills relating to the NSM, appropriate to teaching Cycle 1 and 2 learners as well as a deeper understanding of strategies to support differently-abled learners, including a focus on differentiation, learning styles and Assessment for Learning. The teachers also learned about Positive Behaviour Management strategies, skills and knowledge to support teachers in creating a classroom environment which is appropriate to the NSM, and the developmental needs of their students, along with strategies for integrated planning, cross-curricular learning, and multi-disciplinary units of study.

The programme took place from September ? December 2013. Workshops were held in both Abu Dhabi and in Al Ain. The participants included 50 Cycle 1 and 2 national teachers, who are being trained to function as English Medium Teachers in the New School Model for the 2014/2015 school year.