Oxford University Press to launch first Oxford University certified teachers’ training programme in Pakistan

Karachi: For the first time in the country, Oxford Teachers’ Academy (OTA)—a professional development programme for Pakistan developed by Oxford University Press (OUP) will be launched here in the first week of June. The completion of the OTA courses will be certified by the Oxford University Department for Continuing Education (OUDCE).This was announced by Ameena Saiyid, Managing Director, Oxford University Press Pakistan, at a press conference held at a local hotel.

She further elaborated that the Oxford Teachers’ Academy (OTA) courses providing quality teacher traininghave been developed by OUP in collaboration with Oxford University. Short and practicalwith lasting benefits to school teachers,the courses have been approved and certified by OUDCE. The OTA’s 18-hour courses are designed specifically for in‑service teachers, helpingthem develop the skills they need to meet the learning goals as the teacher training focuses on pedagogical challenges, as well as addressing the evolving new technologies and new methodologies in today’s education system.

The OTA has run courses in over 30 countries, for more than 15 years, making a difference through educationand learning to thousands of teachers and students.The courses constitute lectures of key concepts with interactive presentations, role-plays, short video clips, energizers, case-studies, individual and group presentations, as well as group discussions to consolidate successful learning.

The first course on ‘Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)’ will be held on 3, 4, and 5 June in Lahore.This course aims to help teachers understand the background and context of CLIL, including reasons for its adoption in many parts of the world, before moving on to topics that enable teachers to grasp the practical issues of teaching in CLIL classrooms.

The second course titled ‘Principles of Teaching Young Learners’ is scheduled to be held in Karachi on 9, 10, and 11 June.The teachers attending this course should have some years of experience in the classroom and a good grasp of the challenges involved in teaching children aged six to ten. This is a refresher course that gives them practical new ideas in various aspects of teaching methodology, whilst enabling them to reflect on the principles of teaching Young Learners.

The ‘Principles of Teaching Young Learners’ course is also being organized in Islamabad on 12, 13, and 15 June. Every teacher who successfully completes the programme and provides evidence of learning receives a Certificate of Completion issued by Oxford University Press and certified by theOxford University Department for Continuing Education.