Under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Majed Bin Ali Al- Noaimi, Minister of Education, Bahrain Training Institute (BTI) hosted the first training summit, entitled "Enhancing education, training and lifelong training", held in collaboration with Bahrain Teachers College (BTC) and Bahrain Polytechnic, on 26th and 27th March 2019 at the Institute premises in Isa Town.
The training summit coincided with the centennial celebration of the formal education in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and witnessed the introduction of more than 30 scientific papers by speakers from the participating training institutions. The summit was centered around major themes related to training and education such as: Technology for Training and Education; Teaching and Learning and Student Support.
In her opening speech for the summit, BTI Director General Dr. Samah Al Ajjawi said “this summit represents a golden opportunity to share knowledge and experiences on best practices of education and training. It is also an important step towards the building of bridges between the participating parties in order to unify their visions and values with respect to the National Project for the Development of Education and Training; a project that is mainly based on linking the pillars of human development which are: education, training and the labour market.
“The summit presented 30 scientific paper and organized around three major themes: Technology for Training and Education; Teaching and Learning; and Student Support. These three elements are vital for teaching and training success. Such forums and professional development opportunities play essential roles in helping participants reflect, discuss and share ideas on best practices in teaching and training” added Dr. Samah.
The training summit addressed several key topics related such as: uses of technology for education and training, the ultimate technology tools and its uses for collaborative learning practices, teaching strategies for digital learners, application of robotics in classroom, in addition to other topics and issues related to education and learning as well as student support, through teaching innovation, cognitive loading, enhancing the flipped classroom experience, using NLP in education , introducing practices of problem-based learning (PBL). The summit also presented models of cooperation between educational institutions and several industrial establishments, presented knowledge-based economy concepts as well as the role of Market-Responsive TVET in enhancing practical Skills.
It is worth mentioning that the training summit confirms BTI commitment and keenness to support the teaching and training processes, by seeking to provide training and development opportunities as well as support for various education and training projects and programs.
Keynote papers…
The scientific papers which were presented during the various sessions of the training submit were organized around three major themes that are vital for the success of teaching and training, these were: Technology for Training and Education; Teaching and Learning; and Student Support.
Addressing the three themes, the papers reflect on a number of issues and topics of teaching and training, such as; the use of technology for teaching and training, the use of technology for collaborative learning Practices, teaching strategies for digital learners, application of Robotics in classrooms.
Other papers addressed topics related to students and trainees support through the teaching of innovation, cognitive loading, enhancing the flipped classroom experience, NLP and its use in education, as well as the problem-based learning.
Models of cooperation between educational and training institutions with the industry in teaching and training, were also presented. Some of which addressed the Knowledge-based Economy Concept and the Responses of the market to the efforts of Public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the Kingdom of Bahrain
TVET Challenges
Mr. Ahmed Al Saffar, an instructor at BTI presented a paper on “The Role of Market-Responsive TVET in Enhancing Practical Skills”
Al Saffar discussed the major challenges to TVET shaped by market demands and other factors. He stressed on the necessity for TVET to evolve in response to these local and global challenges, emphasizing the importance of enhancing trainees’ and students’ skills to fill the gap in the market in collaboration with private industries and other educational institutions.
The importance of counseling and educational guidance
Ms. Nada Naseem, an instructor at BTI, presented a paper on "The importance of counseling and educational guidance in supporting students and trainees". She emphasized the importance of counseling and educational and reviewed some of the themes presented at the second Regional Health Conference in addition to world-wide statistics of students’ psychological problems all over the world.
Students’ Best Science Teaching Practices in Bahraini Governmental Primary Schools
Dr. Rayenne Dekhinet, Assistant Professor at the University of Bahrain presented a paper of teaching practices that help elementary students of Bahraini governmental primary schools, learn science better.
The paper revealed statistical differences between male and female student perceptions, confirming that there are no statistical differences between male and female students’ perceptions and that the science teaching practices perceived to be the most effective are learning in a social environment through cooperative learning, expressing and discussing opinions, tutoring peers, learning independently, learning through doing, learning through technology-aided activities, and learning from timely feedback provided by both teachers and peers.
Title Project-Based Learning (PBL): Implementation and Challenges
Dr. Shaban Aldabbus, Assistant Professor at the University of Bahrain, presented a study investigates the application of PBL in some Bahraini primary schools. The findings of the study revealed that more than 3/4 of the participants were unable to implement PBL with their students. The various challenges they encountered were also identified. These included choosing significant content, time management, monitoring and assessment, and lack of facilities.