Professional Development Update

Teacher development programmes in the Professional Learning for Educators Series (PLES) got off to a good start this summer at the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa. There was excellent participation from teachers in Tier 2 of the Programme for Teachers of English (PTE) as well as those in Stage 1 of the TOT (Training of Trainers) programme.

The PTE programme is divided into three 10-week tiers. The teachers spend the first two weeks in face-to-face sessions and then return to their classrooms where they are observed regularly for the following eight weeks. During the eight weeks, the course participants are given feedback based on classroom visits, and they also have an in situ session. The face-to-face sessions for Tier 2 of the PTE came to an end on September 3, and the classroom-based sessions have begun.

During the face-to-face sessions, participants in the TOT programme undertook observations of the PTE teachers, which gave the trainee trainers an insight into the program they would be handling in future. The teachers also had a visit from PTE graduates who shared their experiences and spoke passionately about how the programme had helped transform their teaching. The visit also helped reinforce for the teachers the benefits of bringing in visitors to add interest in the classroom and broaden students’ horizons.

PLES programmes cater for the needs of teachers from the Academy and AKES (Aga Khan Education Services) schools as well as surrounding schools as a means of extending the benefits of professional development to the broader teaching community.