Haytham Kaawash

Haytham Kaawash

A continuous learning educationalist, game changer, having leadership in prospect

Location Lebanon

Activity

  • I agree with you Mustafa Khattab; the MOOC highlighted many basic elements in the teaching-learning process from planning, considering learners' profiles, organizing classroom practices, and utilizing technological tools and methods.

  • I agree with you Mustafa Khattab; the MOOC highlighted many basic elements in the teaching-learning process from planning, considering learners' profiles, organizing classroom practices, and utilizing technological tools and methods.

  • Unfortunately Eileen Kennedy, I could not access the form that inquires for permission to use comments in your research and promotes more participation from trainees in this course, for I would like to be more involved. Would you be kind enough to send me that form on my organization's email below?
    h.kawash@unrwa.org
    Thanks in Advance :)

  • (2 of 2)
    I have a question: Will it be possible to involve trainees who took the course in actual workshops led by the University College of London’s mentors?

    Hoping it is not the last communication, I cannot thank the mentors enough for this e-course. I especially thank Mrs. Malak Soufian, Head of Education Development Center in UNRWA, for inviting me to...

  • (1 of 2)
    I have developed my perspective on Transforming Education which entails proactivity on the side of teacher and independence on the side of learner. When it comes to using digital methods, I have become more convinced and advocative for it because they do not only engage learners but makes the life of teacher easier. As a result of this course, I...

  • For my activity above I would add the use of WhatsApp via which pairs of students could record more informal conversations between them, listen to them, improve this speaking sub-skill -the main learning objective- accordingly.

  • (2 of 2)
    I made the changes above because the targeted group, their age, their number, their environment, their level of understanding, and their mode of delivery are different than the original learning design.

  • (2 of 2)
    I made the changes above because the targeted group, their age, their number, their environment, their level of understanding, and their mode of delivery are different than the original learning design.

  • (1 of 2)
    I changed the design to suit the context of ninth graders. I made changes to the aims and outcomes that are compatible with the learners’ self-assessment of their needs when it comes to a speaking sub-skill. Consequently, this implied changes in the activities in terms of duration and types of interaction where students need to practice both making a...

  • OVER-TO-YOU ANSWER:
    The features of the tool affect how teachers design their lesson plan through guiding them to address different learning styles including the auditory and visual ones. Also, they help the teacher organize his/her class time. Above all, the pie chart feature gives the teacher a quick visual summary of the types of learning he/she is...

  • EXERCISE ANSWERS: (2 of 2)
    When it comes to the question about the modifications to the learning design to suit learners or even adult trainees –as is my case- in UNRWA:
    • I think that the topic is more appropriate for school cadres, whereas for students the topic may be modified to address assessing their own learning needs at a certain sub-skill.
    • When...

  • EXERCISE ANSWERS: (1 of 2)
    Although I faced difficulty trying to understand the conversation of the two teachers in its two formats; however, from what I comprehended I fairly guess that the teachers thought about helping their students learn by managing the time of classroom activities as well as raising the proportion of those related to...

  • 1) Go to www.menti.com
    2) Enter Code: 55 25 77

  • @LaraElKhoury Padlet can be used for sure by young learners.

  • The "lesson plan diary" makes me think about how it would be easy for the teacher to reuse the lesson plans, making only a little number of modifications based on self-feedback and type, levels as well as learners' backgrounds.

  • I second your notion on the Reflection part.

  • This approach of designing learning is very beneficial because it enables the teacher to meticulously organize classroom practices, and the feature of the pie chart is a new and very helpful visual aid that assesses to which extent their approach is transformative.
    My question is: Can any teacher access this lesson design easily and for free?

  • Game-based learning

  • Your comment was really helpful to me, thanks.

  • If it is helpful to vote on my Mentimeter, here's the code:
    55 25 77
    on www.menti.com

  • I usually/always use both Google Translate and WhatsApp, but I only encountered Mentimeter and Padlet during this course. I think all the four applications are very helpful in disambiguating language, communicating with others, and discussing issues of common interest with them.
    I tried Mentimeter and I made my own presentation whose link...

  • The virtual reality tools can greatly increase learner motivation.

  • I have made changes to the lesson plan on students' aspirations by adapting it to the context of UNRWA schools. Instead of drawing by using pencil and paper, learners are asked to use software and this would both serve a lesson subsidiary aim and better enable the teacher to display the learners' drawings.
    The changes are highlighted...

  • • I would add in Windows Paint program to make it more motivating for learners – accordingly, the lesson plan’s first activity is as follows:
    Class Size: 40 students
    Mode: Offline
    Visual Means: Windows Paint software

    Group work (25 minutes)
    Practice Tutor Not Available
    Ask learners to work in pairs in the computer lab.
    - Learners draw using...

  • As I said the plan is concise, organized and staged: beginning from testing the background knowledge of students, questioning them to lead their logical thinking, engaging them in a discussion to improve their concepts, and it is closed by the teacher. I would recommend having students themselves make a summary of the lesson to have a formative assessment of...

  • @StephanieD I agree with you, and I would like to add that audiobooks improve the listening skills of all learners.

  • • I could use RM Easimaths website for it does not only improve the numeracy skills of young learners, but it also links learning to life skills. One feature of the relevant software is that it contains “reporting tools designed within RM Easimaths that allow the teacher to analyze progress by individual, groups or class, and plan lessons...

  • (4 of 4) Last but not least, my child keeps telling me that some of the sixth graders at her school own a mobile; the educational applications that can be loaded on a mobile are limitless, and simultaneously it can be used as a communication tool between the teacher and her class either directly or indirectly through their parent’s mobile. This sheds light on...

  • (3 of 4) Many problems have been posed by the participants on the Padlet. In principle, teachers who face problems in the use of technology can always resort to plan B as mentioned above, which may or may not include utilizing technology. Mostly, there is a need for cooperation between the computer teacher and his/her colleagues when it comes to keeping the...

  • (2 of 4) This took me long hours, but I persisted in my attempts and I ended up with sufficient knowledge and skills for my role as a teacher of typing on Windows Word as well as creating slides with videos and sounds on PowerPoint. Finally, there used to be only desktops at one school, and this necessitated me to have my class move to the computer lab in...

  • (1 of 4) When reflecting on my previous teaching experience, I remember challenges of the technical, personal, and organizational kinds. To begin with, recurrent electric current cuts in Lebanon pose a big problem and to overcome them I used to prepare an alternative lesson plan as one teacher mentioned in the video above. The plan suggests steps that can be...

  • The option "I really like the idea" has the largest result up till my taking the Poll, and this indicates that most teachers agree that technological methods and tools benefit and boost learning as well as facilitate instruction and teaching.

  • I don't agree totally with you Sandy; technology can be used beneficially in all subjects. For instance, when it comes to using calculators it is not forbidden in all situations. For example, sometimes the computations a student need to do in order to answer a question in numerical reasoning on standardized tests are time-consuming, like long division. For...

  • The value of digital technology is mainly in enabling children to become independent learners who can acquire knowledge on their own pace and based on their levels of understanding. In contrast, the major two concerns about using digital methods is to be exposed to inappropriate content or waste time on trivial games.

  • @AmelSayegh In addition to what you have asserted Amel, I would like to add that digital literacy has become very essential in our world as nearly as language and numeracy. At home, a toddler opens his eyes to the mobiles and tabs; in pre-school, he is trained on the use of iPad; in school, computer becomes a subject; in university, he has to surf the Internet...

  • @SandyKinninmonth Using technology in a classroom does not mean that it will take the whole teaching-learning time, and it must not.

  • I totally agree with you Stephanie on the main advantage of using digital platform as to sharing expertise with different people in a similar context like ours. You will never see a richer context than that of the Palestinian refugee students whose plight have been continuing for over 70 years with success stories and some drawbacks.
    Check...

  • I agree with @LaraElKhoury on feeling excited while using the FutureLearn platform, for we are learning new things, sharing our knowledge, and refreshing our minds. The most important thing is to use what we learn here in our work.

  • The FutureLearn course is a rich resource where I feel free to express my point of view on a given educational theme. With respect to the Mentimeter World Cloud, this is a new digital method to me and I am very interested in it for being an English linguist; before I thought such a cloud is only a design on Google Images! The discussion in the Comments column...

  • It was a fruitful week when it comes to resources and discussions, and I learnt about transformative teaching.
    My question is: In the case of a large class with a fragile security context and an unmotivated teacher for low income and career instability, how would transformative teaching help?

  • Could you please clarify "mediums of scarcity"?

  • • Mostly the hegemonic attitude of teachers or principals may be a barrier to a transformative approach. Also, the security conditions in which the displaced children live may be another barrier.
    • The hegemonic attitude may be changed by the support of strategic units as that of professional development where school cadre can receive awareness and...

  • Being attentive to the psycho-social condition of the child is a very good point.

  • I believe the teachers who know about the transformative approach would aim at it as the benchmark and ideal intervention in their classes.

  • When it comes to the class scenarios above, I would do the following if I were the teacher.
    1. The student with the parrot:
    I would use the parrot as a teaching aid; for example, if it was a life science period, I would ask students to identify the characteristics that make it a bird as beak, wings, etc.
    2. The teacher with the train of students:
    I would...

  • 4. A child arrives late for a security check:
    I would do the same as the teacher. She has used a life experience as a subject matter for class debate that widens the thinking horizons of students.
    5. A child comes late for poor transportation services:
    I would also provide the student with extra help to compensate the missed part of the session, but I...

  • 4. A child arrives late for a security check:
    I would do the same as the teacher. She has used a life experience as a subject matter for class debate that widens the thinking horizons of students.
    5. A child comes late for poor transportation services:
    I would also provide the student with extra help to compensate the missed part of the session, but I...

  • 4. A child arrives late for a security check:
    I would do the same as the teacher. She has used a life experience as a subject matter for class debate that widens the thinking horizons of students.
    5. A child comes late for poor transportation services:
    I would also provide the student with extra help to compensate the missed part of the session, but I...

  • @JumanaAl-Waeli I agree with you Jumana that Mobiles may be the Answer.

  • A Lesson Successfully Learnt
    When I was a teacher, I had this student who did not make it in the first session of Brevet official tests. She was very depressed and what made things worse was the discouragement of people around her. However, I encouraged her persistently and told her that she was a really active learner and she could make it with more effort...

  • The published note entitled 'Chatty Student' gives a beneficial piece of advice to teachers, for it's a down-to-earth and practical one. I find the categorization of the author of their note under transformative teaching is plausible since the teacher managed to transform the energy of her student from causing a negative, disruptive behavior to a positive,...

  • @JumanaAl-Waeli but dear a platform is very expensive for a single school to create, unless you mean connecting to an already-founded, open and safe one by a known educational institution.

  • In the case of ‘nus al-muwalad’, students situated themselves in their displacement context where they had been denied access to their previous schools as the boy in their movie who is denied learning computer skills. They attempt to relate their experience with other learners on the micro level in the time they suffered displacement on the macro level. The...

  • @WassimOmarSidani What do you mean by "MCQs"?

  • Adding extra points for punctuality is a form of Formative Assessment.

  • @JulieGreen Could you please elaborate on "creating intrinsic motivation"?

  • @ClaireArnott You have managed to teach them life skills. Bravo :)

  • I have identified the problem of negative attitude of some teachers towards their professional development. In my previous capacity as an Education Specialist, I have investigated this during my school visits and via social media. In response to it, I have prepared questionnaires for teachers in order to get data, analyze it, reach findings, and make...

  • @AmelSayegh Your comment ascertains both my belief in educational research as being the starting point for a successful teaching career and the fact of having established, universal principles and basics in education. For instance, we cannot imagine an active class without having good rapport between the teacher and their students. Finally, I may safely...

  • ... the student stands for the nucleus. The teacher need to recognize the value of (1) the knowledge, skills and developmental recommendations as well as interventions introduced to them smoothly and simply within the strategic support cadres’ domains namely professional development, curriculum, assessment and school quality assurance; (2) the support they...

  • Based on the introduction above, transformative educationalists are all the staff who can bring about positive change to (1) Teaching & (2) Learning. If we focus our thinking and efforts on these two domains, then we will be speaking one language and aiming in the same direction. This brings to mind the importance of having unified mission and vision that vary...

  • Thank you very much.

  • I agree with you, and I would like to add that quality education, which includes building communication skills, is only one of the main elements of sustainable development goals in any community (Check SDGs 2030). Hence, teachers need not to get disappointed if they see that their teaching does not bring the immediate change they are looking for. However, they...

  • I would like to thank the Educators for introducing me to the Ecological Systems Theory, and here I would like to emphasize the importance of pedagogical theories without which practice would be intermittent, chaotic and aimless.
    Do we expect to have videos and articles about the Palestinian refugee students in the Near East?

  • I really find your integrated approach very enriching to student learning. And I hope one day in Lebanon, we will be able to apply the interdisciplinary approach among subjects as in the US.

  • On the topic level, I think that the part of the lesson plan on bullying is more feasible than the other on early marriage in UNRWA classes. The first topic is neutral; i.e., it has no implications in the culture of local community. However, the second has a religious implication and can start negative resonances in the local community. Consequently, the...

  • There was a problem in an UNRWA school upon the enrollment of Palestinian refugee students from Syria (PRS) where there was almost nonacceptance from the side of those residing in Lebanon. There I attended an English lesson about tolerance, and the teacher asked students to narrate an experience when they had dealt with different children. They brought their...

  • The most important lesson for students -I think- is knowing their rights.

  • The principles of discussing controversial issues in the classroom can apply to some extent in the UNRWA context. A teacher inside a refugees' camp deals differently with these issues than one outside a camp. In the first case, students and their local community are very sensitive for controversial issues especially the political ones; whereas in the second...

  • Zohreen -if typed correctly- I find your approach advanced and focusing on practicing Research work, which is the very end of the Lebanese curricula. Of course, a researcher is a critical thinker, a constructive learner, and an "independent inquirer".

  • I think that the easiest way to communicate with learners outside school in Lebanon is the WhatsApp program. The school of my two girls -within the UNRWA schooling system- has a broadcast group for the students in each grade via which an assigned teacher shares homework assignments, test dates, certificate handing in, administration call, and other issues with...

  • @SandyKinninmonth Hi. What I meant is how you made a link to your post.

  • I am not going to tell your principal :) Just kidding!
    I believe using play and gamification in education is a great and fun way to learn.

  • How did you post your Padlet note?

  • I think the lesson plan is organized and concise, and it was my first time posting on a Padlet! I like the idea.
    In addition to seeking methods to have students express their aspirations and ambitions in life, the suggestions focus on the social-emotional scope especially when it comes to the rapport between the teacher and his/her pupils.
    The ideas are...

  • Stakeholders -as teachers and social workers- may organize awareness sessions at school on different health and environmental issues, social ills ,and dangers affecting students outside school premises.
    To face the above challenges, parents may be advised to accompany their children from and to school especially when home is far.
    Integrating the topics...

  • @LaraElKhoury Based on your comment, also parents must be contacted within the microsystem.

  • In case of children who are used by drug dealers, is the best reaction to go to the exosystem and contact police?

  • Do you mean that you have referred the student to a psycho-social support officer?

  • The divorce cases in our community today are high in number, and they have been very evident in one school. Although the classes are small, these cases certainly have reflected on the children's psychological state and ability to learn and acquire new skills. Following the mesosystem, the school leader and teachers need to face this difficult situation by...

  • @OussamaMahfouz I find your way of intervention and referral almost ideal.

  • Once a child underestimated learning English in my classroom. I highlighted the uses of English in our daily life, future study and career. I acted on the microsystem and chronosystem --I think. The communication was only between me and the student along his classmates, and some of them narrated incidents in their life where they had to speak English, like in...

  • Noubani or Loubani?

  • The social ecological system as I perceive it is the context or environment in which a child or young person lives. First, the social dimension probably stands for the kind of relationships and hierarchy among locals beginning from the family as the building block of the community; for example, the patriarchal modality where the father or males lead the...

  • I would like to inform you that I faced difficulty in typing (Arabic vs English) when I took the survey.

  • Well, according to <https://everydayfeminism.com/2014/09/equality-is-not-enough/>, "Equity is giving everyone what they need to be successful. Equality is treating everyone the same."
    However, I do NOT think that schools in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Arab World have become experienced enough to apply Equity in their inclusive education policy....

  • So if they are ahead of the syllabus, would you have them enjoy some time in the school theater or the playground?

  • I agree with you: Teacher is central, Audio-Visual Means -especially computer & the Internet- are learning-enhancers, amplifiers & extensions; however, in the age of informatics & technology they have become more important than ever.
    I am telling you that in the videos shown in this course and in ones about an African impoverished environment, students have...

  • @RobertCilia Yeah we are living the experience! One of the most important things for refugees is to have their Human Rights protected including access to quality education.

  • However, using active boards or modified laptops has become one of the ICT skills that our students need to know in the world of informatics today. Knowing how to use software programs and applications today is as knowing how to write on paper before the advent of computers and the Internet --let's say in the last century.
    It is noteworthy to indicate that...

  • I agree with you that failure is the experience that precedes success, but I disagree with accepting failures all the time regardless of circumstances.

  • "To err is human," I totally believe that. However, not accepting failure may have two benefits in life: (1) Exerting all the effort you have to avoid failure before it takes place, and (2) Challenging the circumstances, keep going, challenging adversities after it takes place. Hence, I think that it psychologically healthier not to surrender to failure.

  • I agree with you that the social environment is paramount.

  • The result of the importance of the physical building was not as I expected.
    I take the history of physical learning spaces into consideration; back then the achievement of students was better. A sixth grader could write well-organized compositions in their native language and in the foreign language their is learning. However, now undergraduates are...

  • Can you relocate your class (students)?

  • When it comes to teamwork; for e.g., a teacher can change the traditional classroom seating modality and depend the round tables’ one, so students can talk face-to-face to each other and capture the messages of their classmates more comprehensively for being able to observe facial expressions and other body language cues. Moreover, it is recommended to have...

  • I understand from what you shared above that inner peace would be reflected outwardly in one's relationships with others, including students. However, if one accepts failure in every situation and circumstance, how will he/she grow? Rather, I think taking failure as a lesson learnt applies to any situation or circumstance.

  • In practice acceptance means to welcome all students regardless of their economic or social level or even religious beliefs. When I hear the word equality the first concept that comes into my mind is to treat boys and girls the same way. Justice is to be fair with all students by rewarding or taking measures against each of them as anyone else if they...

  • This is not a complement, but you are a SUPER Education Specialist.

  • Thank you dear; you are always supporting me.