Continuation to the first Khebrat-cohort, the second round has now also drawn to a close. This time 14 participants, including teachers of multiple primary school subjects, as well as technical and business school teachers, graduated from the programme. In addition, certifications were awarded to the Supervisors, who were a great asset to the programme, ensuring high-level support and approval for all development.
“Khebrat” is an Arabic word that means “Experiences”. Adeptly named, the programme has been described by participants and other stakeholders alike as an experience for life, not only for work and professional development.
Below, you will find a practical account of how this project exemplified some of the cornerstones of how OEP works with clients.
The Process
Phase 1: Research and Evidence Based Preparation
We firmly believe that there is no such thing as a finished product – there is always something to improve and things to develop. This is why prior to the initiation of the programme, the team worked hard to update and upgrade the materials from the previous year to suit the needs and profiles of this year’s participants, as well as to accommodate for learning!
No update was made solely on a whim: Participant and stakeholder feedback was carefully assessed. Evaluation reports were combed through to find which aspects of the training were best absorbed, and which needed more emphasis. Mentor and Trainer notes from the previous cohort were thoroughly discussed – and much more!
Phase 2: A Kick-off with a Personal Touch
In the days following the Kick-Off Ceremony held at the Ministry of Education premises in Doha, the team of Mentors paid a personal visit to each one of the participating teachers. This had a dual purpose: first and foremost, to observe the teachers in their classroom to better understand where they are coming from. Secondly, to get to know them and their context better through an interview of both the teacher and their school’s administrators. and conducted a short interview to get to know the participants better.
The interviews helped the team better understand the particular needs, expectations and contexts of each teacher, and the school they teach in. In addition, it enabled the team to better match the right mentors, teachers, and later on, Finnish schools.
Following the kick-off week, participants received an in-depth introduction to Finnish Education and Pedagogical Practices by our University of Turku Lecturers and Teacher Education Specialists, also informed by the interviews and visits.
Phase 3: A Tailored and Co-Created Study Visit
The participants arrived in Finland and each was carefully placed at a partner school best suited to the needs of the teacher in question – matched not only based on grade level, but the profile of the school they came from. Teachers’ lesson observations were guided by weekly mentor meetings, learning journals, as well as weekly workshop days.
There were various visits which were selected for the specific needs and interests of the teachers, as well as the goals set out for the training by the Ministry of Education. Participants’ feedback was also taken into consideration, and some visits were further tailored based on feedback from previous weeks.
A major task of the Study Visit was to settle on a suitable Capstone Project, which took lots of work from both the participants and their mentees – not due to lack of ideas, but because Finland had simply given these dedicated teachers so much inspiration!
Phase 4: Promoting Innovation through Guided Practice
After returning home from the study visit, work continued hard as ever: participants were tasked with ensuring that the plans they came up with while far away from home still made sense in their original context. It’s not always easy to keep your expectations realistic when being so far away for a long time! It is equally challenging to keep up spirits when the realities of everyday life come in the way.
In order to keep the spark alive, participants were not left alone with their challenge at any stage: mentors followed them to Qatar to finalize plans. The time was dedicated to workshops, small-group, one-on-one and peer mentoring and to ensuring that solutions are found to any challenge or doubt that may have come up after departing from Finland. The week culminated in a formal presentation of each project, attended by key ministry stakeholders, supervisors, administrators, and, of course, the mentor team.
Phase 5: Practical Application of Learning
With the blessing of the Ministry of Education, the participants were ready to start the implementation of their projects. In Finnish, there is a saying: “Well planned is half-done”, which anyone who has worked in education development can surely say is nowhere near the truth. The reality is that you can plan as much as you like, but implementation is where any idea is truly tested.
This is exactly why mentors followed the participants throughout the implementation process, too. Journaling continued throughout the project, as did one-to-one mentoring calls. Participants shared their triumphs and challenges for an external point-of-view. In addition, Supervisors who had also received OEP training, supported and evaluated teachers using Competency-Based Assessment.
Phase 6: Documentation and Reporting
Throughout the process, participants were asked to measure the success of their project. At the end, all the measuring and documenting was put together to form a presentation and a report, which outlined all the major milestones, and well-documented outcomes of each project. These were all presented in conjunction with the Final Graduation Ceremony.
Ongoing Assessment
Assessment of the participants took place throughout the training. Owing to the flexibility and adaptability of the Finnish TVET system and Competence-Based Assessment, there was no need for one major milestone or hurdle, such as an exam or individual lesson observation, to prove that learning had taken place. Instead, participating teachers received constant, ongoing feedback and always knew what they needed to work on in order to reach the required outcomes.