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Dec 31, 2009

Happy New Year

It is like a new Sunrise………... of Hope, of Prosperity, of Happiness
It is like a new Beginning……….…. of Thoughts, of Words, of Action
It is like a new Day……………………. of Energy, of Strength, of Ideas
It is like a bunch of whole new Things….. of Prayers, of Friends, of Love

Happy New Year

Dec 29, 2009

ERC New Journals

The list below contains the names of newest ERC journals and articles. You may ask for your desired journal or the article.

Name of Journal

1. Childhood Education /Fall 2009
  • Achieving success with African American Learners: A Framework for culturally Responsive Mathematis teaching
  • Drawing opens pathways to problem solving for young children
  • Pre-Kindergartners learn to Write.
  • Teacher Strategies for smoothing the transition to middle school
  • A Policy Examination of teaching and learning for early childhood education

2. Educational Leadership /Fall-09

  • Teaching with interactive whiteboards (already posted).
  • Health learning

3. Educational Management Administration & Leadership/Nov-09

  • Assessing teacher performance
  • Investigating secondary school leader's perceptions of performance management.
  • Assessing the performance of secondary school headteachers
  • Community involvement in school development
  • Adolescent leadership development.

4. English Teaching Professional /Nov-09

  • Is Reading aloud allowed?
  • Walking Sticks
  • Literacy in two languages.

5. La Recherche/Dec-09

  • Les Promesses des Energies Renouvelables.
  • Ardipithèque nouvel ancêtre de l'homme.
  • Dépister la délinquance dans le cerveau de l'enfant.

6. Le Français dans le Monde/Nov -Dec 2009

  • Fêtes & Traditions

7. Mathematics Teacher /Nov-09

  • Ten things to consider when teaching proof
  • Learning Deductive reasoning through games of logic
  • Preparing for formal proof on geometry.

Dec 2009/January 2010

  • Mathematics problems from ancient Egyptian papyri
  • Mathematical letter writing
  • Algebra, Home Mortgage and Recessions

8. Modern English Teacher /Oct-09

  • Teaching with style
  • The Amazing power of sayings and quotations
  • The idiot's guide to big grammar items
  • Diagnostic procedures in language learning
  • Teaching be and do

9. Pour la Science/Dec-09

  • Les Néandertaliens pourquoi ont-ils disparu?
  • Les étoiles noires
  • Vaccins innovants
  • Classements automatiques .

Nov-09

  • Hasard et incertitude les défis qu'ils posent.
  • Le casse-tête des évènements rares.
  • Des gènes sous l'emprise du hasard.
  • Du Chaos dans les neurones.

10. Recherches en Didactique des Mathématiques/2009

  • Problèmes de dénombrement et émergence de premiers modèles fonctionnels
  • Rapports et articulations entre cadres théorique: Le cas de la théorie anthropologique du didactique
  • Les équations différentielles a l'interface mathématiques-physique .

11. School Science and Mathematics /Oct-09

  • Constructing elementary teachers' beliefs, Attitudes and practical knowledge through an Inquiry-Based elementary science science course.
  • Beginning Mathematics teachers' .
  • Preservice teacher's Analysis of children's work to make instructional decisions.
  • Science and mathematics education in a context of National crises

Nov-09

  • Graphing calculator use in algebra teaching
  • Exploring middle school girls '

12. Science Education/ Nov-09

  • Hight School science teachers' views of standard and Accountability
  • The Link between policy and practice in science education
  • Academic preparation in biology and advocacy for teaching evolution

13. Teaching Children Mathematics / Dec 2009 Jan 2010

  • In Mathematics a universal language.

Nov-09

  • Math Club problem posing
  • Support preservice teacher's reasoning and justification
  • Mathematical graphic organizers
  • Early Algebra to reach range of learners
  • Supporting math Vocabulary acquisition.

14. Technology and Learning/Nov-09

  • The Facts on online learning
  • Facebook faceoff continues

15. Young Children/Nov-09

  • Make a Little Music
  • Using Read-Alouds with critical literacy literature in K-3 Classrooms
  • Digital Tools for the early childhood Curriculum.
  • Helping all families participate in schools

16. لغة العصر/Dec-09

  • الانترنت هل تفتت الدولة الواقعية وتبني الامة الافتراضية
  • روشتة رقمية لوجبة سليمة وهنية
  • دليلك لتصبح عضوا نشطاً على الفيس بوك

Dec 28, 2009

التعليم باستخدام كتاب إلكتروني تعليمي في كلية خالد بن الوليد على شاشة MBC



تشهد المدارس اللبنانية ثورة تكنولوجية جديدة، تمثلت في استعمال الكتاب الإلكترونيE-booK ، لأول مرة بدلا من الأساليب التقليدية في التعليم؛ مثل السبورة والطباشير.
وذكر تقرير خاص -لنشرة التاسعة على قناة mbc1 في حلقة الجمعة 25 ديسمبر/كانون الأول- أن الكتاب الإلكتروني عبارة عن قرص مُدمج مزود بالمناهج التعليمية المقررة رسميا، من العلوم والرياضيات والتاريخ والجغرافيا ومواقعَ إلكترونية؛ مما يسهل على التلاميذ التفاعلَ مع ما يَدرُسونْ ويقرؤونه.
وذكر تقرير خاص لنشرة التاسعة، أعدته من بيروت مي عبد الله، أن مدرسة خالد بن الوليد، وهي واحدة من أربعين مدرسة، بدأت في استعمال الإلكتروني، وأضحى تلاميذها أكثر تفاعلا وتواصلاً مع المناهج التعليمية؛ لما يتضمنه الـ E- bookمن صور حية وتمارين سهلت عليهم أسلوب فهم الدروس.
ويقول عمر -أحد التلاميذ بالمدرسة- الذي وجد سهولة في تعلم الرياضيات، بعد أن أتقن رسم الأشكال الهندسية على الحاسب "إن الكتاب الإلكتروني كان جيدا لنا، ساعدنا في تسهيل أداء الواجبات والرسم، وسهل عملية الاستعانة بالصور والفيديوهات الحية خلال الدراسة".
ويعطي الكتاب الإلكتروني للتلميذ نفس الخيارات والإمكانات التي يحصل عليها عند قراءة أي كتاب عادي؛ كالتنقل من درس إلى درس ومن صفحة إلى أخرى، ووضع علامات معينة، وإضافة الملاحظات، ولكن بأسلوب أكثر دينامكية يجعل التلميذ يتفاعل مع درسه عبر صور الفيديو الخاصة بكل درس.
وقد عمل هذا المنهج الجديد على تحويل المواد الجامدة إلى متحركة؛ كمادة الجغرافيا؛ إذ يمكن الاستعانة ببعض المواقع الإلكترونية لمشاهدة صور حية عن نهر النيل مثلا، وعن موقعه الجغرافيا ومميزاته؛ مما يجعل الدرس أكثر تأثيرا، وأقرب إلى الواقع من مشاهدة صور جامدة في كتاب ورقي.
وهذه التقنية بدأت تروج في مدارس أوروبا منذ نحو عام، لكن خالد الشريف -المختص في العلوم التقنية- عمل على إدخالها إلى لبنان بداية هذا العام الدراسي، بعد أن زودها بالمناهج المطلوبة وببعض المواقع الإلكترونية؛ التي يمكن للتلميذ الاستعانة بها من دون أن يكون له حاجة في استعمال الإنترنت.
ويقول خالد الشريف "لقد تم تزويد الكتاب الإلكتروني بالمواقع المطلوب من التلميذ استخدامها كنوع من الضوابط؛ لمنعه من استخدام مواقع أخرى قد تتضمن ممنوعات أخلاقية أو ما شابه، ولا داعي لوجود إنترنت في المنزل لمتابعة الدروس؛ فكل شيء موجود في الكتاب الإلكتروني".
واستعمال الكتاب الإلكتروني يطرح المخاوف من فقدان الكتاب العادي رونقه وتأثيره؛ لذلك يحرص الأساتذة على تزويد التلامذة بتمارين على الورق حفاظا على استمرارية الأساليب التعليمية التقليدية التي لا غنى عنها.

The Last Riddles of the Year 2009

Please answer one of the following 2 riddles:



Good Luck

Dec 19, 2009

ERC Contest Riddles

Please answer one of the following 2 riddles:
1.

2.

Good Luck

Dec 14, 2009

Taylor Mali on What Teachers Make

Click on the following picture and watch this interesting video about what teachers make:

Dec 12, 2009

فوز التلميذ عيسى لوباني في البينالي الدولي الثالث لرسوم الأطفال



المرتبة الأولى والجائزة الذهبية للتلميذ عيسى لوباني من كلّية خديجة الكبرى ضمن البينالي الدولي الثالث لرسوم الأطفال
ضمن البينالي الدولي الثالث لرسوم الأطفال فاز الطالب عيسى لوباني من كلّية خديجة الكبرى – جمعية المقاصد الخيرية الإسلامية في بيروت – بالمرتبة الأولى والجائزة الذهبية (عن الفئة العمرية 10ـ 14).
كما فازت الطفلة رين الجبيلي من كلّية خديجة الكبرى أيضاً
(عن الفئة العمرية 5ـ 9) بالمرتبة الثامنة.
ويُذكر بأن 21 دولة عربية وأجنبية شاركت بالحدث بـ (805) أعمال .
أ
وقد تحدثت معظم الصحف اللينانية عن هذا الإنجاز ونورد ما جاء في جريدة السفير وهو كالتالي:
المصد
ر:
http://www.assafir.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1002&EditionId=1409&ChannelId=32648

General Knowledge Riddle

Please answer one of the following 2 questions:


1. What is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard?

2. What is the easiest way to learn and memorize the multiplication table of number 9?

Don't forget, BLOG and win prizes with Makassed ERC......

Good Luck

Dec 8, 2009

A Makassed Student's speech Will Be Presented in Copenhagen Climate Conference

Mohammad Darwiche, a Makassed student in Khalil Shehab Primary school, is one of the top fifteen winners in the speaking contest organized by epals. His video speech will be presented at Copenhagen Climate Conference.
ePals Global Community
www.epals.com
ePals is the social network optimized for K-12 learning. Over half a million classrooms in 200 countries and territories have joined the ePals Global Community to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas. ePals now translates in 35 languages!

Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards

November 2009 Volume 67 Number 3 Multiple Measures Pages 80-82
Robert J. Marzano

Interactive whiteboards have become popular over the last few years, and it appears that their use will continue to grow exponentially. Indeed, books like The Interactive Whiteboard Revolution (Betcher & Lee, 2009) attest to the depth and breadth of change that this tool can promote in classroom practice.
For those who may still be unfamiliar with the technology, an interactive whiteboard is a large display that connects to a computer and a projector. The projector projects the computer's desktop onto the board's surface, where users control the computer with a pen, finger, or other device. The board is typically mounted to a wall or floor stand. Various accessories, such as student response systems, enable interactivity.
Although many teachers have enthusiastically adopted interactive whiteboards, little research is available on their effect on student achievement. However, in a study that involved 85 teachers and 170 classrooms, the teachers used interactive whiteboards to teach a set of lessons, which they then taught to a different group of students without using the technology (see Marzano & Haystead, 2009).

What the Research Found
The study results indicated that, in general, using interactive whiteboards was associated with a 16 percentile point gain in student achievement. This means that we can expect a student at the 50th percentile in a classroom without the technology to increase to the 66th percentile in a classroom using whiteboards.
In addition, three features inherent in interactive whiteboards have a statistically significant relationship with student achievement. The first is the learner-response device—handheld voting devices that students use to enter their responses to questions. The percentage of students providing the correct answer is then immediately displayed on the board in a bar graph or pie chart. Using voting devices was associated with a 26 percentile point gain in student achievement.
A second feature is the use of graphics and other visuals to represent information. These include downloaded pictures and video clips from the Internet, sites such as Google Earth, and graphs and charts. Use of these aids was also associated with a 26 percentile point gain in student achievement.
A third feature is the interactive whiteboard reinforcer—applications that teachers can use to signal that an answer is correct or to present information in an unusual context. These applications include dragging and dropping correct answers into specific locations, acknowledging correct answers with virtual applause, and uncovering information hidden under objects. These practices were associated with a 31 percentile point gain in student achievement.

What We Saw in the Classroom
One of the more interesting findings from the study was that in 23 percent of the cases, teachers had better results without the interactive whiteboards. To determine why this occurred, we examined video-tapes of teachers using the boards. These disclosed some potential pitfalls in using the technology:
Using the voting devices but doing little with the findings. In many classrooms, teachers simply noted how many students obtained the correct answer instead of probing into why one answer was more appropriate than another.
Not organizing or pacing the content well. In these cases, the teachers incorporated video segments from the Internet or images intended to represent important information in their digital flipcharts. However, they ran through the flipcharts so quickly that students, although impressed with the graphics, did not have time to analyze and interact with one another about the content.
Using too many visuals. Digital flipchart pages were awash with visual stimuli; it was hard to identify the important content.
Paying too much attention to reinforcing features. For example, when teachers who had worse results with the technology used the virtual applause feature to signal a correct answer, the emphasis seemed to be on eliciting the applause rather than on clarifying the content.

Getting the Most Out of the Technology
This study, as well as what we know about good teaching in general, suggests how teachers might use interactive whiteboards more effectively. I recommend the following:
Teachers should think through how they intend to organize information. They should group information into small, meaningful segments before they start developing the digital flipcharts. Once they've organized the content, then they can design the flipcharts to complement the organization. To ensure that they don't run through the flipcharts too quickly, teachers can insert flipcharts that remind them to stop the presentation so students can process and analyze the new information.
Digital flipcharts should contain visuals, but those visuals should clearly focus on the important information. Also, no single flipchart should contain too many visuals or too much written information.
After asking a question and getting student responses using voting devices, the teacher should typically discuss the correct answer along with the incorrect answers, making sure to elicit opinions from as many students as possible.
When using reinforcing features like virtual applause, teachers should make sure that students focus on why an answer is correct or incorrect. Although these features can produce high engagement and certainly enliven the atmosphere in a classroom, they can also be distracting if used without a clear focus on essential content.
Interactive whiteboards have great potential as a tool to enhance pedagogical practices in the classroom and ultimately improve student achievement. However, simply assuming that using this or any other technological tool can automatically enhance student achievement would be a mistake. As is the case with all powerful tools, teachers must use interactive whiteboards thoughtfully, in accordance with what we know about good classroom practice.

Dec 5, 2009

General Knowledge Riddle

What is the longest word typed with only the left hand?

1, 2, 3, Gooooo....

Nov 26, 2009

General Knowledge Riddle

Which body parts remain always with the same size from birth?

Quelles parties du corps conservent toujours leurs tailles après la naissance?

ما هي أجزاء الجسم التي تحافظ دائماً على حجمها منذ الولادة؟

May this holy Eid bring success, peace and prosperity to our beloved Makassed with the continuous guidance and inspiration of our great leader, our president Mr. Amine Daouk.

Wishing you good luck and happy Eid

Nov 21, 2009

From Test Takers to Test Makers


How can teachers make students become partners in the assessment process?

To be able to answer this question, please click on the following link:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov09/vol67/num03/From_Test_Takers_to_Test_Makers.aspx



Every Day in Every Classroom

By Laura Greenstein

Educational Leadership

November 2009

Any teacher can incorporate formative assessment into teaching routines. Here's how.
When students walk into a classroom that promotes learning through formative assessment, they notice. Mei notices the weekly learning goals posted on the board that help her focus. Ernesto enjoys the activities at the beginning of each unit that probe how much he knows about a topic; he understands that he will learn much more along the way. Casey feels secure knowing exactly how grades will be determined, and she is becoming good at assessing her own and her classmates' work using rubrics...
...Because students have such a range of learning styles and needs, teachers need a repertoire of strategies to make formative assessment work. Before I administer a summative assessment, I pull the following strategies out of my bag of tricks—as I begin an instructional unit, during instruction, and even after I have finished direct instruction.

Which strategies does the author use in During-Instruction Check-Ins?

To be able to answer this question, continue reading the article by clicking on this link:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/nov09/vol67/num03/Every_Day_in_Every_Classroom.aspx

Solve the Riddle and Win

By what name is the ancient city of Byzantium known today?

The winner is the first person who answers correcly.

Good Luck

إحزر واربح

من هو مؤّلف وملحّن النشيد الوطني اللبناني؟

الرابح هو أول من يعطي جواباً صحيحاً
كل عام وأنتم بخير

Charade

Mon premier est la dent pointue du chien.

Il faut apprendre par coeur mon deuxième pour passer le permit de conduire.

J'aimerai vivre sur mon troisème ...pourvu qu'elle soit desertes!

Mon tout est un animal dangereux.

Le gagnant est le premier qui répondra correctement.

Bonne Chance

Nov 17, 2009

A Computer BYTE Prize



Miss Rawaa Shehab won the Makassed ERC prize for the 2nd BLOG riddle whose answer was a computer BYTE.
We would like to thank all the participants wishing you better luck next times.
CONGRATULATIONS RAWAA!!!

STARTLING Prize




Mrs. Ghina Badawi won the Makassed ERC prize for the 1st BLOG riddle whose answer was STARTLING. Mrs. Badawi recommended giving her prize to "Ahmad Melhem", a 2nd grade student in Khalil Shehab School.





CONGRATULATIONS GHINA!!!!


Nov 14, 2009

Riddles of the week

1. What 11-letter English word does everyone pronounce incorrectly?

2. ما هو الحيوان المائي الذي له ثلاثة قلوب؟

Nov 7, 2009

Read and Laugh

Things you might hate about people!!!!

  • When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks, “Has the bus come yet?” If the bus came would I be standing here, stupid?

  • People who point at their wrist while asking for the time. I know where my watch is mate, where is yours?

  • People who say things like 'My eyes aren't what they used to be'. So what did they used to be? Ears? Hands? Wellington boots?

  • When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too".Damn right! What good is a cake if you can't eat it?

  • When people say, while watching a film, "Did you see that?" No stupid, I paid 10 Pounds to come to the cinema and stare at the floor.

The Riddle of the Week

Do you know what is the smallest bite?

Think about it, write your answer(s), and try to be the first one who would write the correct answer in order to win the ERC prize.

3...2...1... GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oct 31, 2009

Solve the Riddle and Win the ERC Prize

What nine letter word in the English language is still a word when any of one of the nine letters is removed one by one?

Write your comments... The first one who would guess the riddle, will win a prize from ERC!!!

Goooooo...

Oct 27, 2009

Jeux et Chansons Educatifs pour les Enfants

Vous avez envie de jouer avec les lettres vous n'avez qu'à consulter ces sites de ressources:
Chanter en classe FLE en visitant le site suivant:
Quelle activité vous avez choisi? Qu'en pensez-vous? Votre opinion nous intéresse.
En collaboration avec Mlle Mona El Khatib

Oct 24, 2009

More Insights from Leaders

Educational Leadership
October 2009 Volume 67 Number 2 Developing School Leaders

Take the Extra Step
A teacher leader is first an effective, accomplished teacher. A teacher leader takes that extra step beyond reflection and into scholarship.
More teachers will strive for excellence when there's more reason for them to do so. If we truly honor our teachers, we won't continue paying them poorly, disrespecting their professional opinions, and subjecting them (and our children) to unsafe or shameful working conditions in our schools. If we value our children, we will honor their teachers; we will give them room to excel.
—Renee Moore, English and Journalism TeacherBroad Street High School, Shelby, MississippiNational Board Certified Teacher

Change the Lens
"School leadership can be shared among many more than we think." This insight was voiced by participants in a secondary school redesign initiative sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Education. Six-person teams from 23 secondary schools created a plan to reform one aspect of their high schools. The teams—a student, a parent, a teacher, a principal, a district administrator, and a local school board member—explored the multifaceted nature of school change.
Participants told us this experience challenged them to see school leadership through a different lens. Rather than being the unique responsibility of those in titled roles (such as the principal), school leadership roles should be nurtured throughout all levels of the school community. Students, teachers, school staff, community members, and other stakeholders potentially have leadership skills that can be tapped.
—Cathy PineDirector, Office of Professional Standards, Licensing, and Higher Education CollaborationNew Jersey Department of Education, Trenton, New Jersey

Focus on Small Powerful Practices
In Ohio, we have been working with more than 60 districts on a continuous improvement framework that helps districts and schools focus on doing a few small, but powerful, practices. In this learning laboratory, schools and districts study and learn on a small scale but still have potentially big outcomes. We have begun to call these "fractal learning experiences." By focusing on a few small, powerful practices, we can examine what is working well, what is not working well, and why—developing what Doug Reeves calls "a sense of inquiry."
—Brian A. McNultyVice President for Leadership Development, The Leadership and Learning CenterEnglewood, Colorado

Lead Courageously
Successful school leaders are first and foremost courageous. It takes courage to promote, initiate, and lead school and community efforts to redesign our obsolete schools. It takes courage to create a purposeful collaborative leadership team, serving as a member yet providing the authority that enables the team to make decisions that affect learning and teaching.
Courageous leaders lead through best practice. They ensure that the school or district focuses on high expectations and standards, that professional development first focuses on providing time for colleagues to have meaningful discussions about our craft, that all learning is engaging, and that the school provides a healthy, safe, supportive, engaged, and challenging environment for all kids. Above all, courageous leaders fundamentally believe that all kids can learn and all teachers can teach.
—Wayne SweeneyEducational Consultant, Tomorrow's Schools TodayCromwell, Connecticut

Walk Your Talk
As Daniel Goleman tells us, emotional intelligence plays a huge part in an individual's success. Too often, leaders are not clear about who they are, what they believe in, and what they stand for—or against, for that matter. The classic phrase that we have all uttered at some point, "You must walk your talk," speaks louder than we imagine.
To be a leader you must have individuals who are willing to follow. The ability to build and maintain relationships—particularly with those who are not ardent supporters—is the key. I have come to believe this as a result of feedback from former colleagues and students, all of whom remember me as someone they could talk to even when they disagreed with my decisions.
—Ainsley B. RoseFormer principal and Director of EducationKanata, Ontario, Canada

Put Students First
Leadership is about empowering others, inspiring them to get on board as you work to achieve a vision of schooling that puts students at the center. Although a meaningful curriculum that's tied to high standards can certainly help students reach lofty goals, it's not just curriculum or rigorous standards that count. I have been fortunate in my career as a primary school teacher and now as an instructional coach to work with building administrators who put students first, and as a teacher leader I strive to be a true example of student-centered teaching and learning.
—Gail V. Ritchie, Instructional CoachFairfax County Public Schools, Virginia

Build Professional Relationships
Good leadership, like good teaching, is about professional relationships. It is not about being a friend or a judge. Good education leaders draw out the best in their staff, building on strengths seen and unseen, modeling this for teachers who can then do the same for their students. Praise and recognition when deserved; mentoring and assistance when needed—these are the keys to good leadership.
—Laura Reasoner Jones, Technology SpecialistMcNair Elementary School, Herndon, Virginia

Oct 15, 2009

The Outside-Inside Connection

Thomas Hatch
Educational Leadership
October 2009 Volume 67 Number 2

The success of school improvement efforts depends on the opportunities and relationships that educators cultivate outside the school.

Imagine this school scenario: For the most part, staff members go about their business, doing what they're asked to do. They look at data; they make some adjustments. They work with coaches who have helped usher in a host of different programs. Student performance is adequate but not stellar, yet parents seem satisfied, making relatively few complaints.

To continue reading the article, click on this link:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct09/vol67/num02/The_Outside-Inside_Connection.aspx

Oct 12, 2009

تقرير عن اليوم التدريبي الأول معلمي مادة التربية الإسلامية




بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
أقامت إدارة الشؤون التربوية في جمعية المقاصد الخيرية الإسلامية في بيروت، بتاريخ يوم الخميس الواقع في 5 شوال 1430هـ الموافق له 24 أيلول 2009م، يوماً تدريبياً حول فلسفة التربية الإسلامية وخصائص أساتذة مادة التربية الإسلامية والمراحل العمرية، شارك فيه أساتذة المادة في مدارس الجمعية في بيروت، ونخبة من أساتذة المادة في مدارس القرى، حيث بلغ عدد الأساتذة المشاركين واحداً وثلاثين معلماً ومعلمة. وقد قام بالتدريب الدكتور الشيخ بسام الطراس، الحاصل على الدكتوراه في الإدارة التربوية، والخبير في تدريب أساتذة مادة التربية الإسلامية في لبنان والخارج، والمحاضر في عدد من الجامعات اللبنانية، وصاحب عدد من المؤلفات في التربية الإسلامية
بدأ اليوم التدريبي في تمام الساعة التاسعة صباحاً، بتوزيع استمارة معلومات قام الأساتذة المشاركون بتعبئتها، ثم ألقى مدير إدارة الشؤون التربوية الدكتور كامل دلال كلمة رحّب فيها بالمدرب والمشاركين، وبيّن أهمية مثل هذه اللقاءات التدريبية وورش العمل، كما عرّف بالدكتور المدرّب شاكراً موجه مادة التربية الإسلامية على تنظيم هذا اللقاء.
ابتدأ التدريب حوالي الساعة التاسعة والنصف بحديث المدرب عن خصائص وأهداف معلم التربية الإسلامية لمدة ثلاثة أرباع الساعة، ثم أقيمت ورشة عمل حول سمات أساتذة التربية الإسلامية لمدة ساعة واحدة، حيث قسّم الأساتذة المشاركون إلى خمس مجموعات، طُلب من ثلاث منها تحديد أهم خمسة أسباب لنجاح معلم مادة التربية الإسلامية في مهمته التعليمية، ومن مجموعتين تحديد أهم خمسة أسباب لفشل معلم المادة في مهمته

وأبرز أسباب نجاح المعلم في مهمته والتي خلص إليها المشاركون
أن يكون المعلم قدوة لتلاميذه.
أن يعزز المعلم قدراته المهنية وثقافته التخصصية.
أن يتقن المعلم فن التواصل مع التلاميذ.
أن يكون المعلم ذا همة عالية ويحفّز تلاميذه ليكونوا كذلك.
أن يحافظ المعلم على رسالة مهنة التعليم.
وأما أبرز أسباب فشل المعلم التي خلص إليها المعلمون
ضعف شخصية المعلم.
عدم التنوع في طرائق التدريس.
عدم تقدير المعلم أو الإدارة لرسالة التعليم.
عدم تقدير المعلم لتلاميذه وترهيبهم بشكل دائم.
عدم مراعاة المعلم للمراحل العمرية.
وتمّت مناقشة ما توصّلت إليه كل مجموعة، والتأكيد على المعلمين العمل على تحصيل أسباب النجاح وتجنّب أسباب الفشل
بعد استراحة قصيرة للضيافة مدة نصف ساعة، التأم شمل المشاركين من جديد وألقى المدرب محاضرة عن فلسفة التربية الإسلامية ومقارنتها بالفلسفات التربوية المعاصرة لمدة ساعة، تبعتها استراحة للغداء والصلاة لمدة ساعة واحدة، ثم تحدث المدرب عن المراحل العمرية وخصائصها لمدة ساعة ونصف تقريباً، وانتهى اليوم التدريبي في تمام الساعة الثالثة والنصف بعد الظهر، وتمّ استلام الاستمارات التقويمية لليوم التدريبي من المشاركين بعد تعبئتها
الشيخ خالد عيتاني

Formations linguistiques et pédagogique dispensées par la MCFL à destination de MAKASSED

Synthèse de l’année Scolaire écoulé

Un Partenariat étroit depuis 2003

Depuis septembre 2003, Un Partenariat étroit a été noué entre la MCFL et L’association philanthropique Islamique Makassed fondée en 1878 à Beyrouth et qui regroupe en son sein un effectif général avoisinant 2500 employés dans différents domaines (maternelles, écoles, collèges, lycées, université, hôpital, dispensaires, écoles techniques, défense civile, lute contre l’analphabétisme, sociale, pompes funèbres…).
Le personnel pédagogique couvre 41 établissements (écoles, collèges, lycées), sans compter les écoles techniques et professionnelles et l’université islamiques. L’enseignement du français, première et deuxième langue étrangère, est assure par 105 enseignants.
En 6 années, La MCFL a mis en œuvre, à la demande de cette association, les actions suivantes:
- Formations linguistiques de professeurs de français.
- Formation pédagogique de professeurs de français.
- Mise en place du DELF junior dans 3 établissements.
- Projet d’enseignements du français selon la méthodologie du FLE mis en place dans trios établissements (2 à Beyrouth et 1 à Barja) depuis la rentrée 2008 dans des classes EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4 et EB5 .

En 2008-2009, 5 Projets ont été menés:

- Formation linguistique de 40 heures de 52 professeurs du Liban Nord (qui s’est terminée par la passation du DELF A2 ou du DELF B1 au mois de mai).
- Suivi et Coordination pédagogique à destination d’enseignants de 2 établissements de Beyrouth: Ecole Khaled Ben Walid et Ecole Aicha Om El Mo’minin.
- Suivi et Coordination pédagogique à destination d’enseignants de l’école primaire de Barja.
- Participation de 3 enseignants aux formations nationals méthodologiques du CDL de Beyrouth.
- Passation en juin du DELF junior: 61 élèves des 3 écoles partenaires (36 A1, 25 A2).
Le Conseiller de Coopération et d’action culturelles a par ailleurs participé le 11 juin 2009, aux côtés de l’équipe des cours de langue à une cérémonie de fin d’année à Beyrouth. Ce fut l’occasion de remettre les premiers DELF junior obtenus par ce bureau pédagogique et de rencontrer le président de l’association et Mme Leila Hage, Coordinatrice de Français et conceptrice passionnée et très efficace de l’ensemble de nos actions communes. Le projet de discours de M. Gaillard et L’allocution de Mme Hage figurant en annexes 1 et 2.

Des Résultats probants:

Ces Projets se sont fort bien déroulés et ont permis:
- La Formation linguistique et l’obtention d’un DELF par 52 professeurs de français: taux de réussite de 100% (28 DELF A2 et 24 DELF B1);
- Le Suivi pédagogique (16 heures d’observation et 10 heures de restitution) au sein des écoles Khaled Ben Walid et Aicha Om El Mo’minin de Beyrouth;
- Le Suivi pédagogique (90 heures d’observation et de restitution) à l’école de barja;
- La Passation de 58 DELF junior et l’obtention 56 DELF (28 DELF A1 et 24 DELF A2 obtenus et 2 absents): 100% des présents ont obtenus le diplôme.

Sep 1, 2009

Six Steps to Better Vocabulary Instruction

Robert J. Marzano
September 2009

Educational Leadership is pleased to announce a new column this year—The Art and Science of Teaching—and a new columnist—noted researcher Robert J. Marzano. Internationally known for his practical translations of current research into effective classroom strategies, Marzano is cofounder of Marzano Research Laboratory, which synthesizes teacher research into components that schools can use for gains in student learning. A well-known speaker and trainer as well as a prolific book author, he draws from 40 years of experience in education. Each month, Marzano will focus on one teacher-tested instructional strategy in education.

After examining for decades the research on instructional strategies and reflecting on my involvement in hundreds of studies, I can say one thing confidently: If you examine all the studies conducted on a given instructional strategy, you will find that some studies indicate the strategy improves student achievement whereas other studies indicate it doesn't.
Take, for example, the strategy of providing feedback. Researchers Avraham Kluger and Angelo DeNisi (1996) synthesized the findings from 607 studies on that strategy. They found that the average effect of providing feedback to students is a 16-percentile-point gain. However, more than one-third of the studies indicated that feedback has a negative effect on student achievement. Simply using a strategy does not guarantee positive results. Rather, it's how someone uses the strategy that determines whether it produces great results, mediocre results, or no results at all.
So what's a teacher, school, or district to do? Certainly, the answer is not to ignore the research. In fact, the research is the first place to start. You should scour studies to identify those strategies for which research shows positive effects on student achievement. Next, teachers, schools, and districts should conduct their own informal (and formal) studies on how well an instructional strategy works in their particular context—with their students, their grade level, or their subject matter. No strategy is foolproof. No strategy is proven. You have to see how it works in your particular setting.
To continue reading the article, click on this link

The 21st Century Skills Movement

Paige Johnson
September 2009

Since 2002, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills has been the leading advocacy organization in the United States focused on infusing 21st century skills into education. Its Framework for 21st Century Learning, the result of a consensus among hundreds of stakeholders, describes the skills, knowledge, and expertise students need to succeed in work and life.
In their discussions with the partnership about the framework,
Educators recommended a combination of rigorous courses imparting both core content knowledge and skills to engage students and increase achievement.
Civic and community groups outlined a set of 21st century skills and knowledge that citizens in a participatory democracy must possess.
Business leaders identified skills and knowledge they perceive as essential for success in the workplace.
Four components of the framework describe these skills and knowledge:
Core subjects and 21st century themes (such as language arts, mathematics, science, global awareness, and financial literacy).
Learning and innovation skills (such as creativity and innovation and critical thinking and problem solving).
Information, media, and technology skills.
Life and career skills (such as initiative and self-direction).
Each stakeholder group independently identified these skills, supporting the need for students to develop deep content knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge across disciplines.
To provide educators with concrete solutions from the field, the partnership collaborated with the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Science Teachers Association, and the National Council for Geographic Education to craft core subject maps that show how to infuse 21st century skills into core classes.
In 2005, the partnership began the State Leadership Program. To date, 13 states—Arizona, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wisconsin—have joined the program. Leadership states develop standards, assessments, and professional development programs to ensure that students have the 21st century skills they need. To join, states must demonstrate strong commitment from their governor, superintendent, and other stakeholder groups.
To successfully face rigorous higher-education coursework and a globally competitive work environment, schools must align classroom environments and core subjects with 21st century skills. By combining both skills and content, educators can impart the expertise required for success in today's world.

21st Century Skills: The Challenges Ahead

Andrew J. Rotherham and Daniel Willingham
September 2009

To work, the 21st century skills movement will require keen attention to curriculum, teacher quality, and assessment.
A growing number of business leaders, politicians, and educators are united around the idea that students need "21st century skills" to be successful today. It's exciting to believe that we live in times that are so revolutionary that they demand new and different abilities. But in fact, the skills students need in the 21st century are not new.
Critical thinking and problem solving, for example, have been components of human progress throughout history, from the development of early tools, to agricultural advancements, to the invention of vaccines, to land and sea exploration. Such skills as information literacy and global awareness are not new, at least not among the elites in different societies. The need for mastery of different kinds of knowledge, ranging from facts to complex analysis? Not new either. In The Republic, Plato wrote about four distinct levels of intellect. Perhaps at the time, these were considered "3rd century BCE skills"?
What's actually new is the extent to which changes in our economy and the world mean that collective and individual success depends on having such skills. Many U.S. students are taught these skills—those who are fortunate enough to attend highly effective schools or at least encounter great teachers—but it's a matter of chance rather than the deliberate design of our school system. Today we cannot afford a system in which receiving a high-quality education is akin to a game of bingo. If we are to have a more equitable and effective public education system, skills that have been the province of the few must become universal.
This distinction between "skills that are novel" and "skills that must be taught more intentionally and effectively" ought to lead policymakers to different education reforms than those they are now considering. If these skills were indeed new, then perhaps we would need a radical overhaul of how we think about content and curriculum. But if the issue is, instead, that schools must be more deliberate about teaching critical thinking, collaboration, and problem solving to all students, then the remedies are more obvious, although still intensely challenging.
To read the whole article, click on this link

Teaching for the 21st Century

Managing Messy Learning
Suzie Boss

Educational Leadership.
September 2009

Projects help students approach learning in real-world terms. But to launch successful projects, teachers must develop their own 21st century skills.
Two years ago, West Virginia teacher Deb Austin Brown turned her classroom at Alban Elementary School in St. Albans, into a bustling communications center. Clocks keep track of time on several continents, reminding students that they are part of a global community. News feeds bring in updates from around the world. Student teams produce and broadcast a daily news show, publish a newspaper, and tackle other projects in which they apply reading, writing, speaking, and thinking skills to real-world creations.
Brown designed the communications center project to help her students develop 21st century skills. Her curriculum redesign was part of a statewide push "to get kids to be big-picture thinkers, collaborators, and problem solvers," she explains. Before designing the center, Brown had taught language arts for more than 30 years and often incorporated projects. But shifting to the real-world, project-based approach required Brown herself to apply some new skills.

To read the article, click on this link http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/Managing_Messy_Learning.aspx

Jul 27, 2009

Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education

Principle 1

Promotes core ethical values and supportive performance values as the foundation of good character.

Character education holds that widely shared, pivotally important, core ethical values - such as caring, honesty, fairness, responsibility, and respect for self and others - along with supportive performance values - such as diligence, a strong work ethic, and perseverance - form the basis of good character. A school committed to character development stands for these values (sometimes referred to as "virtues" or "character traits"), defines them in terms of behaviors that can be observed in the life of the school, models these values, studies and discusses them, uses them as the basis of human relations in the school, celebrates their manifestations in the school and community, and holds all school members accountable to standards of conduct consistent with the core values.

In a school committed to developing character, these core values are treated as a matter of obligation, as having a claim on the conscience of the individual and community. Character education asserts that the validity of these values, and our responsibility to uphold them, derive from the fact that such values affirm our human dignity, promote the development and welfare of the individual person, serve the common good, meet the classical tests of reversibility (i.e., Would you want to be treated this way?) and universality (i.e., Would you want all persons to act this way in a similar situation?), and inform our rights and responsibilities in a democratic society. The school makes clear that these basic human values transcend religious and cultural differences and express our common humanity.The Character Education Partnership (CEP) believes that character education's primary focus is on developing the core ethical values needed to be a good human being. But character education also seeks to develop complementary performance character qualities that enable students to perform at their highest potential in the classroom, the workplace, or any other area of endeavor. These two parts of character work together in mutually supportive ways.

Principle 2

Defines "character" comprehensively to include thinking, feeling, and behavior.

Good character involves understanding, caring about, and acting upon core ethical values. A holistic approach to character development therefore seeks to develop the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects of moral life. Students grow to understand core values by studying and discussing them, observing behavioral models, and resolving problems involving the values. Students learn to care about core values by developing empathy skills, forming caring relationships, helping to create community, hearing illustrative and inspirational stories, and reflecting on life experiences. And they learn to act upon core values by developing prosocial behaviors (e.g., communicating feelings, active listening, helping skills) and by repeatedly practicing these behaviors, especially in the context of relationships (e.g., through cross-age tutoring, mediating conflicts, school and community services). As children grow in character, they develop an increasingly refined understanding of the core values, a deeper commitment to living according to those values, and a stronger capacity and tendency to behave in accordance with them.

Principle 3

Uses a comprehensive, intentional, and proactive approach to character development.

Schools committed to character development look at themselves through a moral lens to assess how virtually everything that goes on in school affects the character of students. A comprehensive approach uses all aspects of schooling as opportunities for character development. This includes what is sometimes called the hidden curriculum (e.g., school ceremonies and procedures; the teachers' example; students' relationships with teachers, other school staff, and each other; the instructional process; how student diversity is addressed; the assessment of learning; the management of the school environment; the discipline policy); the academic curriculum (i.e., core subjects, including the health curriculum); and extracurricular programs (i.e., sports teams, clubs, service projects, after-school care). "Stand alone" character education programs can be useful first steps or helpful elements of an ongoing effort but are not an adequate substitute for a holistic approach that integrates character development into every aspect of school life. Finally, rather than simply waiting for opportunities to arise, with an intentional and proactive approach, the school staff takes deliberate steps for developing character, drawing wherever possible on practices shown by research to be effective.


Principle 4

Creates a caring school community.

A school committed to character strives to become a microcosm of a civil, caring, and just society. It does this by creating a community that helps all its members form caring attachments to one another. This involves developing caring relationships among students (within and across grade levels), among staff, between students and staff, and between staff and families.

These caring relationships foster both the desire to learn and the desire to be a good person. All children and adolescents have needs for safety, belonging, and the experience of contributing, and they are more likely to internalize the values and expectations of groups that meet these needs.

Likewise, if staff members and parents experience mutual respect, fairness, and cooperation in their relationships with each other, they are more likely to develop the capacity to promote those values in students. In a caring school community, the daily life of classrooms and all other parts of the school environment (e.g., the corridors, cafeteria, playground, school bus, front office, and teachers' lounge) are imbued with a climate of concern and respect for others.


Principle 5

Provides students with opportunities for moral action.

In the ethical as in the intellectual domain, students are constructive learners; they learn best by doing. To develop good character, they need many and varied opportunities to apply values such as compassion, responsibility, and fairness in everyday interactions and discussions as well as through community service.

By grappling with real-life challenges (e.g., how to divide the labor in a cooperative learning group, how to reach consensus in a class meeting, how to reduce fights on the playground, how to carry out a service learning project) and reflecting on these experiences, students develop practical understanding of the requirements of cooperating with others and giving of oneself.

Through repeated moral experiences, students develop and practice the skills and behavioral habits that make up the action side of character.


Principle 6

Includes a meaningful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops their character, and helps them to succeed.

When students succeed at the work of school and feel a sense of competence and autonomy, they are more likely to feel valued and cared about as persons.

Because students come to school with diverse skills, interests and needs, an academic program that helps all students succeed will be one in which the content and pedagogy are sophisticated enough to engage all learners.

This means providing a curriculum that is inherently interesting and meaningful to students. A meaningful curriculum includes active teaching and learning methods such as cooperative learning, problem-solving approaches, and experience-based projects.

These approaches increase student autonomy by appealing to students interests, providing them with opportunities to think creatively and test their ideas, and fostering a sense of "voice and choice" having a say in decisions and plans that affect them.

In addition, effective character educators look for the natural intersections between the academic content they wish to teach and the character qualities they wish to develop. These "character connections" can take many forms, such as addressing current ethical issues in science, debating historical practices and decisions, and discussing character traits and ethical dilemmas in literature.

When teachers bring to the fore the character dimension of the curriculum, they enhance the relevance of subject matter to students' natural interests and questions, and in the process, increase student engagement and achievement.

Principle 7

Strives to foster students' self motivation.


Character is often defined as "doing the right thing when no one is looking." The best underlying ethical reason for following rules, for example, is respect for the rights and needs of others, not fear of punishment or desire for a reward. Similarly, we want students to be kind to others because of an inner belief that kindness is good and a desire to be a kind person.

Growing in self-motivation is a developmental process that schools of character are careful not to undermine by excessive emphasis on extrinsic incentives. When such schools give appropriate social recognition for students' prosocial actions (e.g., "Thank you for holding the door; that was a thoughtful thing to do.") or celebrate character through special awards (e.g., for outstanding school or community service), they keep the focus on character.

Schools of character work with students to develop their understanding of rules, their awareness of how their behavior affects others, and the character strengths such as self-control, perspective taking, and conflict resolution skills needed to act responsibly in the future.

Rather than settle for mere compliance, these schools seek to help students benefit from their mistakes by providing meaningful opportunities for reflection, problem solving, and restitution.



Principle 8

Engages the school staff as a learning and moral community that shares responsibility for character education and attempts to adhere to the same core values that guide the education of students.

All school staff - teachers, administrators, counselors, school psychologists, coaches, secretaries, cafeteria workers, playground aides, and bus drivers - need to be involved in learning about, discussing, and taking ownership of the character education effort. First and foremost, staff members assume this responsibility by modeling the core values in their own behavior and taking advantage of other opportunities to influence the students with whom they interact.

Second, the same values and norms that govern the life of students serve to govern the collective life of adult members in the school community. Like students, adults grow in character by working collaboratively with each other and participating in decision-making that improves classrooms and school. They also benefit from extended staff development and opportunities to observe colleagues and then apply character development strategies in their own work with students.

Third, a school that devotes time to staff reflection on moral matters helps to ensure that it operates with integrity. Through faculty meetings and smaller support groups, a reflective staff regularly asks questions such as:
What character building experiences is the school already providing for its students?
What negative moral experiences (e.g., peer cruelty, student cheating, adult disrespect of students, littering of the grounds) is the school currently failing to address?
And what important moral experiences (e.g., cooperative learning, school and community service, opportunities to learn about and interact with people from different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds) is the school now omitting?
What school practices are at odds with its professed core values and desire to develop a caring school community?
Reflection of this nature is an indispensable condition for developing the moral life of a school.

Principle 9
Fosters shared moral leadership and long range support of the character education initiative.


Schools that are engaged in effective character education have leaders (e.g., the principal, a lead teacher or counselor, a district administrator, or preferably a small group of such individuals) who champion the effort.

At least initially, many schools and districts establish a character education committee often composed of staff, students, parents, and possibly community members that take responsibility for planning, implementation, and support.

Over time, the regular governing bodies of the school or district may take on the functions of this committee. The leadership also takes steps to provide for the long-range support (e.g., adequate staff development, time to plan) of the character education initiative, including, ideally, support at the district and state levels.

In addition, within the school students assume developmentally appropriate roles in leading the character education effort through class meetings, student government, peer mediation, cross-age tutoring, service clubs, task forces, and student-led initiatives.

Principle 10

Engages families and community members as partners in the character-building effort.

Schools that reach out to families and include them in character-building efforts greatly enhance their chances for success with students. They take pains at every stage to communicate with families via newsletters, e-mails, family nights, and parent conferences about goals and activities regarding character education. To build greater trust between home and school, parents are represented on the character education committee. These schools also make a special effort to reach out to subgroups of parents who may not feel part of the school community. Finally, schools and families enhance the effectiveness of their partnership by recruiting the help of the wider community (i.e., businesses, youth organizations, religious institutions, the government, and the media) in promoting character development.
Principle 11

Evaluates the character of the school, the school staff's functioning as character educators, and the extent to which students manifest good character.

Effective character education must include an effort to assess progress. Three broad kinds of outcomes merit attention:

(a) The character of the school: To what extent is the school becoming a more caring community? This can be assessed, for example, with surveys that ask students to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements such as, "Students in this school (classroom) respect and care about each other," and "This school (classroom) is like a family."

(b) The school staff's growth as character educators: To what extent have adult staff--teaching faculty, administrators, and support personnel--developed understandings of what they can do to foster character development? Personal commitment to doing so? Skills to carry it out? Consistent habits of acting upon their developing capacities as character educators?

(c) Student character: To what extent do students manifest understanding of, commitment to, and action upon the core ethical values? Schools can, for example, gather data on various character-related behaviors: Has student attendance gone up? Fights and suspensions gone down? Vandalism declined? Drug incidents diminished? Schools can also assess the three domains of character (knowing, feeling, and behaving) through anonymous questionnaires that measure student moral judgment (for example, "Is it wrong to cheat on a test?"), moral commitment ("Would you cheat if you were sure you wouldn't get caught?") and self-reported moral behavior ("How many times have you cheated on a test or major assignment in the past year?"). Such questionnaires can be administered at the beginning of a school's character initiative to get a baseline and again at later points to assess progress.


Reference:

http://www.character.org/elevenprinciples

Service Learning: The Power to Inspire

By Maria Sudeck and Theodore Hartman

July 2009

Here's what happens when students learn they can make a difference.

To read this "Educational Leadership" article, click on this link:

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/summer09/vol66/num10/Service_Learning@_The_Power_to_Inspire.aspx

Jul 22, 2009

Supporting Educational Leaders

A School for Peace and Justice
Educational Leadership

Elliott Seif


A focus on four dimensions of social responsibility transforms a Philadelphia high school and fosters skills and attitudes that promote social justice.
A visitor walking the halls of Parkway High School for Peace and Social Justice would encounter the usual crowd of students chatting, joking, and working their way to their next class. Classes might appear similar to those in any school to the casual observer who dropped into this public high school in Philadelphia. But this school of approximately 300 students, 57 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, differs in profound ways from other high schools.
In 2005, at the urging of Public Citizens for Children and Youth (a children's advocacy organization) and after much discussion and debate, the school adopted the theme of peace and social justice. The leadership of the Philadelphia school district was pushing the development of small, themed high schools, and Parkway's leaders chose to focus on fostering peaceful, responsible learners. They committed themselves to building a program that would help students learn "how to decrease violence, advance justice, work with people of different backgrounds, and help create a culture of peace," as the school's vision statement pledges.
Since Parkway embraced this theme, test scores have risen,
1 suspensions have decreased, attendance has increased, and the graduation rate has hit 100 percent, with almost all students going on to college. Parent participation is stronger. Teachers are more committed to the school's programs, and students are showing an enthusiasm for learning not always seen in high schools. Adopting this focus has made a difference in students' self-discipline, interpersonal relationships, and willingness to take responsibility for their own learning.

Four Dimensions of Transformation
Teachers and administrators didn't transform the school just by crafting a vision statement. As the school has developed, faculty members have created new courses, projects, and learning activities designed to foster students' social responsibility. These new experiences teach students to care about one another, to critically examine violence and social justice issues, and to foster skills and adopt actions that will help resolve social problems.
This effort changed Parkway along four dimensions that I believe are essential for fostering social responsibility within any school: It enhanced the culture of the school; gave students opportunities to reflect on their own values, beliefs, and behaviors; offered enriched academic learning experiences; and encouraged students to serve others. Let's look at how Parkway has developed each dimension.
Students at Parkway High School for Peace and Social Justice paint a mural illustrating peace and justice themes on a wall of their school.











Remaking School Culture
A major goal at Parkway is to build a schoolwide culture and value structure that supports peacemaking. Teachers have had numerous discussions on how to promote peace and social justice in each classroom and the school as a whole. Representative faculty members gathered with outside experts in daylong strategic planning sessions to develop a vision for the school. The principal and the entire faculty talked over the implications of adopting a peace and justice theme, created a mission statement, and established a set of four rules (called "Peace Actions") that guide both student and faculty behavior.
Be on time, prepared, and ready to learn.
Practice academic honesty.
Respect personal space, property, and opinions.
Promote a positive educational environment through respectful language and actions.
These decisions led to the adoption of programs that promote the desired atmosphere of social responsibility. For example, every 9th grade student at Parkway takes part in an extensive peer mediation training led by a consultant from
Educators for Social Responsibility, a group that helps teachers create safe, caring, respectful, and productive learning environments.
One teacher proudly recounted an incident that showed the effect of this training. When two students began to fight in the hallway, other students—instead of egging them on—separated the two and calmed them down. Students encouraged the fighters to attend a session conducted by a student trained in peer mediation that would focus on their conflict. The boys did so, and they resolved the contentious issue peacefully.

Learning to Reflect and Lead
The purpose of self-reflection at Parkway is to enable students to build personal responsibility through exploring their own values and beliefs. By looking more deeply into their values, ideas, and experiences, students learn to take greater responsibility for others, to explore ways to communicate well, and to solve interpersonal problems. Leadership skills are also a focus; students practice setting personal goals and carrying them through.
All 9th and 10th grade students take a core sequence of social leadership courses, also developed with Educators for Social Responsibility. The 9th grade course focuses on the question, What does it mean to lead for social responsibility? Participants build communication and conflict-resolution skills and develop tolerance for individual differences.
Students explore the definition of leadership. They determine whether they are currently leaders or followers, and why. Students discuss articles on good communication, take part in exercises that help them think about and practice effective ways to communicate, and learn conflict-resolution techniques. Another set of activities requires students to define social justice and examine whether it's possible to have a socially just world.
This course helps students hone such crucial skills as listening actively, managing anger, learning how to disagree with others, and recognizing the difference between dialogue and debate. In a series of lessons, students work in pairs to write a skit about a personal conflict and act it out in front of the class. The teacher assigns two other students to take the role of mediator for each skit, and all four students role-play a mediation session. Afterwards, the whole class reflects on and analyzes the mediation process.
In another set of lessons, students reflect on how movies, advertisements, music, and television perpetuate negative stereotypes. They watch or listen to selections that exemplify stereotypes and analyze how these media are designed to influence viewers' perceptions and ideas.
The 10th grade course builds on the first year's work using a program called
Journey of a Champion. This program is designed to help students take greater responsibility for their own actions and become proactive in their school and community. Students reflect on who is a champion (or hero), the challenges champions face, and how individuals can become more heroic. They explore their own lives and values, analyze their communities for negative realities, and think about their roles in the community (as bystanders or as actors in support of change). The teacher also uses readings and discussions about historical events such as the Holocaust and the internment of Japanese Americans in the U.S. during World War II to examine how individuals and groups reacted to these events. Students explore champions in history and model ways to emulate them through behavior change and service to others.
Each class also takes on one or more projects for the year, such as learning about and working with elderly people, helping homeless people, or exploring ways to aid people with mental illness. Journal writing and self-reflection are integral parts of these lessons and projects.
Parkway students work with older adults from the Oxford Presbyterian Elderdiner club on physical fitness and nutrition projects.














This program makes for dynamic lessons. For example, students use several lessons to create their own classroom code of behavior. Students continually refer to this code in their effort to be upstanding class members. In one class, this seemingly simple task led to passionate debate about what rules should be on the list. Some students argued that a rule might belong in the code of conduct, but they weren't sure they could always follow it. Eventually the class agreed to the following guidelines:
Listen to the teacher and to classmates.
Talk one at a time.
No throwing things in class.
Raise your hand.
Respect everyone's opinion (nobody's is "wrong").
Speak wisely.
No cursing.
Learn how to take constructive criticism.
No eating or drinking in class.
Stop jumping to conclusions.
No laughing at or teasing others.
No smart comments toward people.
Integrating Social Responsibility Themes into Academics
Academic learning can foster social responsibility by giving students a basic understanding of local, national, and worldwide social justice issues and of the underlying conflicts that can lead to violence.
A newly developed required course at Parkway helps all 9th grade students become aware of worldwide problems and develop ways to face them creatively. There is no textbook; teachers provide students with readings and direct students to do research, collaborate in small groups, and contribute to class discussions. In the first unit, students learn problem-solving and research skills. Subsequent units help students examine local problems and also research other countries and study the challenges citizens of those countries face. Students come to understand how globalization has helped many people but also has created numerous problems.
In the unit People Who Make a Difference, students research people who have worked throughout history to resolve conflicts, fight injustice, and make the world a better place. They create posters about such individuals as Clara Barton, Nelson Mandela, or César Chávez, which they share with others throughout the school.
Teachers have revised parts of the core curriculum to integrate peace and social justice themes. In a course called African-American History—required by the Philadelphia school district—the teacher asks critical-thinking questions to promote students' understanding of social issues. In one lesson I observed, the teacher posed the following questions:
What is racism?
How long has it been around?
How did it develop in the United States?
What forces may have led to the growth and institutionalization of racism?
One English teacher at Parkway chooses literature with what he calls "edgy and risky" content—including Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Sula by Toni Morrison—that raises issues of peace and social justice in ambiguous ways, promotes open-ended discussion, and sparks generative writing assignments. As students progress through these novels, the teacher reads to the class from various other sources, introducing themes like racial and cultural identity, assimilation, human sexuality, and conformity. A key goal is to promote passionate dialogue among students as they examine provocative issues through the novels and to help them take greater responsibility for their own discussions.
A science teacher uses the theme "how humans affect the planet." He examines such questions as Which interactions between humans and the environment benefit society? Which cause hardships?
During the 2007–08 school year, Parkway sponsored half-day seminars for the entire school around such topics as the civil rights movement, climate change, and lesbian and gay issues. Speakers came to classrooms to discuss voting rights, the legacy of apartheid in South Africa, and the scourge of land mines as a legacy of war.

Promoting Service
Over their four years, students must donate a minimum of 60 hours of service and leadership to the local community. Many give much more. During the past year, students have worked on election campaigns, contributed to after-school programs, helped rebuild homes in economically depressed communities, volunteered at museums, and supported reading programs at libraries. School leaders encourage students to work with organizations that promote peace and social justice.
Another vehicle for service is the graduation project, a school district requirement that has been adapted to focus on Parkway's theme. During their senior year, all Parkway students design and complete a multidisciplinary project connected to a real-world problem. This project helps them
Better understand peace and social justice issues.
See the connection between social justice issues and the world of work.
Demonstrate and improve competence in research, reading, writing, and giving presentations.
Topics chosen during the 2008–09 school year included worldwide food shortages, ethnic cleansing in Darfur, and violence in Philadelphia. Every senior project includes service learning as well as a research paper. The culminating activity is a presentation on the student's topic to a panel of teachers and outside community members.
For example, one project focused on the connection between violence and the media. A student researched the prevalence of violence on television and in movies and its effects on young people. She also discovered how the Internet has made it easier to access information that promotes violence, such as how to make a bomb. Working with Mothers in Charge, a Philadelphia-based group aimed at reducing violence, she developed a presentation on her topic suitable for 9th graders.

Making a Difference
Developing powerful social responsibility experiences for students in these four crucial areas has taken continual commitment by school leaders, enthusiasm from teachers, and hard work by volunteers and outside consultants. The results have been very positive. In addition to the changes in school culture and test scores cited earlier, teachers report that students show greater initiative in planning and implementing the school's peace and justice activities. Students are also actively involved in resolving conflicts, show more tolerance toward diversity, demonstrate greater understanding of social justice issues, and more frequently participate in service activities.
Parkway's success illustrates how any school can transform itself into a place that develops socially responsible young adults. Other schools that wish to build socially responsible attitudes and skills in students need to commit to this task by rethinking school culture, designing programs and courses that enable self-reflection, integrating appropriate themes into the curriculum, and promoting service learning. A comprehensive emphasis on developing social responsibility will enable students to make a difference in their schools, families, and communities—and will create students with the skills a conflicted world needs.

Endnote
1 Parkway students' standardized test scores have increased from 40 percent to 45 percent proficient or advanced in mathematics, and from 54 percent to 64 percent proficient or advanced in reading.

Jul 21, 2009

The Third Annual Makassed English Language Teacher's Conference in Bekaa Valley

The two days June 26th & 27th, 2009 were very different and special for the Makassed Schools in the Bekaa Valley. The 3rd Annual Makassed English Language Teacher's Conference was held there in Al-Marj School and it was entitled "ENLIGHTENING LIVES THROUGH CREATIVE AND EFFECTIVE TEACHING".
Different topics were presented by Makassed teachers and coordinators. Most of the presenters were from the Makassed Schools in the Bekaa Valley, in addition to two American fellows, a Makassed teacher from the South, and some other Makassed teachers and coordinators from Beirut. Our President Mr. Amine Mohammad Al Daouk and the director of education in the Makassed Schools, Dr. Kamel Dallal, showed their pleasure and proud of such a successful Makassed conference, and they promised of having annual conferences in Bekaa in the coming years. Also, the presenters were graduated by having certificates from the Makassed Association.




In these two days, six workshops and nine presentations were provided. The presented topics were universal such as; "HOW TO CREATE AN INTERACTIVE CLASSROOM? AND HOW CAN A TEACHER BE INTERACTIVE?" BY Naela Sabry ,"ERROR CORRECTION" By Nada Hammoud, " LEARNER'S DIFFERENCES " by the couple Fatima Shahadi & Fatima Darwish, "VOCABULARY STRATEGIES " By Zeina Farhat, " MOTIVATION " By Nabiha Karnouh, COMMUNITY BUILDING IN THE CLASSROOM" By Samah Omama, "EXTENDING YOURSELF BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: PURSUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT " By Natasha Isadora," TEACHING LEARNING STRATEGIES ; KEY WORDS FOR A SUCCESSFUL LEARNING PROCESS" By Inass Akel, "GET STUDENTS TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX "By Daniel Sass, "Teaching WRITING IN A CREATIVE, COMPREHENSIVE MANNER " By Hassan Ali ," CREATIVE DRAMATICS FOR YOUNG CHILDREN " By Raymonda Sharaf, "EFFECTIVE USE OF ROLE PLAYING IN LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT " By Rajia Araji, " TREAT LISTENING AS A CHALLENGING AS A MENTAL TASK " By Ghassan Abu Fard, " INTERACTIVE 6+1 TRAIT WRITING MODE " By Rola Kazem, and "TEST ANXIETY " By the Rana Lawand and Sahar Chaer.
In addition to the presentations, there were samples of students' and teachers' work through TRADE FAIR of both Kindergartens and Elementary Cycles, and through the POSTERS which were done by students of Makassed Schools in The Bekaa Valley and The South. At the end of each day there was a lunch of all the Makassed teachers and all the participants who shared in the Conference.
Written by Naela Sabry
Makassed coordinator in the Bekaa Valley