Queen checks in on teacher academy’s summer programmes

AMMAN — Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday joined teachers at a training workshop on environmental education organised by the Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) at the Khawla Bint Al Azwar Secondary School for Girls in the capital.

The session is one of several short-term courses offered by the academy, targeting teachers of public and private schools during summer and winter breaks, according to a statement from the Queen’s office.

Teachers of fourth to ninth grades are participating in the session. 

Through interactive activities, they work on developing their teaching skills and learn how to direct their lessons towards the preservation of environmental resources. 

At the same time, they are given the opportunity to discover the environmental challenges of their areas and are asked to propose practical solutions, the statement said.

During the visit, Queen Rania met with Haif Banayan, CEO of QRTA, and school principal Hiyam Al Halahleh, along with several teachers and counsellors, to discuss the importance of such programmes in developing teachers’ skills and empowering them. 

These courses also help educators in using creative teaching tools that engage and inspire students. 

Her Majesty also highlighted the positive effect these courses have had on the overall teaching and learning experiences.

Banayan said QRTA designs training courses in collaboration with the Ministry of Education based on the ministry’s needs.

Since 2009, QRTA has held 65 short-term training courses that target pedagogy and content instruction.

An additional 22 courses will take place during the summer of 2015. 

The total reach of the short courses since 2009 until February 2015 has been 2,476 teachers, supervisors and principals, according to the statement.

Over 800 teachers are expected to participate this summer. The courses are taught in several locations throughout the Kingdom.