The Teacher Education Institute (TEI) is an intensive, four-week teacher-training and cultural exchange program of the University of the Middle East Project (UME). The TEI is one of the many programs the UME implements to provide higher education opportunities of the highest standard for all the peoples and communities of the Middle East and North Africa. In 2011, for the tenth time, the TEI will be sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

TEI courses are taught in English for three weeks at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, and for one week in Washington, DC, at American University. A combination of lectures, discussion sessions, workshops and field trips immerses participants in a wide variety of innovative teaching methodologies. TEI faculty members are carefully selected from a variety of universities and other institutions for their strength in relevant areas of educational research, individual teaching methodologies, and cross-cultural experience The TEI allows participants to learn about new and creative pedagogical tools that incorporate critical thinking and constructive dialogue for practical application to secondary school classrooms. Technological tools such as internet-based learning and educational software programs also will be explored.

The TEI is the first of several follow-on programs (see below) that build off the foundations of knowledge established in this overview course. Alumni of the program stay in touch with one another long after the program is over sharing ideas and motivating one another in their continuing professional development. 

Teacher Education Institute curriculum

Overview

The Curriculum of the Teacher Education Institute (TEI) is designed to share innovative teaching methodologies for creating educational environments that encourage critical thinking, creativity, inclusivity, and dialogue as a means of deepening knowledge and understanding. After an intense month-long experience, TEI participants return to their schools with enhanced pedagogies and practices to equip their pupils with the intellectual tools to achieve their goals and contribute to the long-term prosperity of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). TEI participants are secondary school teachers from the MENA region who explore emerging theories and cutting-edge teaching practices from both a MENA and an international perspective. The thematic areas include:

• Secondary education theory and practice (including curriculum design, instructional strategies and classroom management)
• Cross-cultural education
• Technology in the classroom
• Education for critical action
• Cooperation and conflict in school settings
• Special topics: comparative education; civic education and service learning; the arts for creative learning and problem-solving; students with special needs; successful public speaking

Format

The four-week TEI consists in part of more than 100 hours of coursework. Classes are highly participatory and interactive in nature, covering a number of academic readings, and requiring frequent reflection through class participation, presentations, and written activities. The UME curriculum encourages active learning, with an emphasis on discussion and group work.

Various site visits during the Institute provide valuable field experience on topics explored in classes and readings. UME coordinates outings to American secondary and vocational schools, as well as, organizations engaged in youth civic education, training for employment, and community service

All participants produce written reflections on class activities and assigned readings, and participate in multinational group projects that demonstrate the methodologies introduced during the Institute through the development of a classroom activity. With the guidance of a TEI core faculty member, each group completes a collaborative paper and presents the project at the TEI conference during the final week of the institute.

Group project topics include, but are not limited to:

• Investigating methodologies of interactive and student-centered learning in the classroom
• Building strategies to improve instructional and evaluative teaching methods
• Identifying the organizational tools to engage secondary school students in civil society (hospitals, community services, primary education, etc.)
• Evaluating the role of computers and the internet for educational applications

A number of recreational weekend outings give participants an opportunity to relax and experience the culture and heritage of the United States by visiting New England towns and art and historical museums, attending plays and films, and experiencing a variety of American-ethnic restaurants, folk dances, and musical performances, among other activities.

Faculty

UME is proud to be an institution that brings together an extraordinary group of instructors who constantly provide UME programs with a fresh flow of ideas and quality academics. TEI faculty members teach at leading institutions such as Boston College, Harvard University, American University and the University of Massachusetts, and have a background in and/or working knowledge of the region. Most importantly, all our faculty members have a passion for creating teaching environments that encourage critical thinking, equality, dialogue, and cross-cultural understanding.

Continuing Education

The TEI is designed to be the first of several professional development programs that UME offers educators from the Middle East and North Africa. TEI alumni have the opportunity to participate in UME’s follow-on programs which provide further training and cross-cultural experiences both abroad and in their home countries. The following are current or past follow-on program themes:

• Education Leadership
• Negotiation Strategies
• Identity and Intercultural Education
• Youth Civic Engagement
• Capacity Building Workshops for local Alumni Associations 
• Experiential Learning for Youth Employment
• Arts and Education

This program was primarily funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the United States Department of State.