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
• Conflict and cooperation 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 Teacher Education Institute includes approximately 150 hours of interactive classes, hands-on skill development in teaching practices and technologies, small-group work, site visits, and case studies based on material drawn from the classroom experiences of the participants.

Various site visits during the Institute provide valuable field experience on topics explored in classes and readings. Field trips to various types of Boston-area secondary schools give participants an opportunity to engage with American teachers, school administrators, and students in order to gain insights about the methods they use and their effectiveness. TEI participants also visit youth organizations in the Boston area that specialize in activities connecting classrooms to their communities and deepening the relevance of education to young people’s lives.

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 professors 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
• Civic Engagement
• Local Alumni Association Workshops