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Initiative marking QF’s 25th anniversary allows teachers and school leaders to build their skills through professional learning programs
Educators from schools across Qatar have broadened their skillsets and their ability to inspire young people to excel, through a special scholarship program launched by Qatar Foundation as it marked 25 years of leading learning.
The milestone in the organization’s journey saw the Education Development Institute (EDI) – part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Pre-University Education – establish the 25 Professional Learning Scholarship Opportunities initiative, designed to support teachers and both current and aspiring school leaders to further improve their skills and the academic performance of their students, by participating in two specialized programs.
The EDI scholarship program for educators in Qatar marked QF’s 25 years of advancing education.
It gave 25 non-QF educators the chance to benefit from innovative, data-driven training and coaching within EDI’s Program for Effective Teaching and Learning (PETAL) and Program for Aspiring Leaders and Managers in Education (PALME) on a scholarship basis.
Among the participants was Dr. Niall Johnson, an English teacher at Qatar Science and Technology Secondary School for Boys, who said: “The wonderful ideas that my peers shared really gave me some great ideas for ways to modify my own use of data in the service of better teaching.
As I move forward, I feel much better placed to use assessments to improve the learning in my department
“The PALME program really helped me develop my understanding of data instruction. As I move forward, I feel much better placed to use assessments to improve the learning in my department.”
According to Younes Salem Orabi, an Arabic Language Coordinator at Ibn Al Haytham Elementary School for Boys: “What I learned from the program was the importance of data, its analysis, and how it supports appropriate and sound decision-making; as well as the importance of reflection and deep thinking in the various stages of our work.
I plan to continue to employ this to further develop and improve the educational practices I have used in the past, with the goal of improving the student learning experience
“I plan to continue to employ this to further develop and improve the educational practices I have used in the past, with the goal of improving the student learning experience. I also aim to identify another new challenge and work on formulating a smart method for meeting it, by using the steps I have learned through the program.”
Through the scholarships for PETAL and PALME, educators accessed 60 hours of intensive, collaborative, data-informed professional development engagements, as well as one-to-one coaching, all designed to equip them with ideas and methodologies that they can put into action within their schools. The two programs are designed to improve their data literacy, research skills, and capacity for reflection.
Our investment in the development of educators, both within and beyond QF, reflects our recognition of the invaluable role they play in human, social, and economic development
As a center of excellence in professional development within the field of education in Qatar, EDI supports educators to gain new knowledge, skills, and insights that enhance the learning experience they offer students, as well as playing a key role in curriculum development and nurturing education leaders. As well as PETAL and PALME – both of which are offered in Arabic and English – EDI opens up opportunities for educators to benefit from workshops and postgraduate education programs.
“In the 25 years since its first school was established, QF has constantly been challenging the assumptions of classroom education, and helping prepare both students and educators for a future that will look very different to the present,” said Mehdi Benchaabane, Director, EDI.
The EDI team in a picture taken before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our investment in the development of educators, both within and beyond QF, reflects our recognition of the invaluable role they play in human, social, and economic development. Within QF’s Pre-University Education we work side by side with all parties involved in creating a successful learning environment – teachers, researchers, child advocates, and education policymakers – and offer platforms to support educators who aspire to improve their teaching design and practice.”
Joanna Moe, Assistant Director of Professional Learning, EDI, said: “We congratulate all the educators who, through these scholarships, have enhanced their skills and gained new perspectives and knowledge from PETAL and PALME – two programs that are supporting the continuous evolution, innovation, and excellence of Qatar’s education landscape.”
Registration for the next cycle of PETAL and PALME will open in August.
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