Launch of Pilot Program – “Tawasol: Learning Coexistence”
Launch of Pilot Program – “Tawasol: Learning Coexistence”
The Center for Learning in Practice has recently completed a pilot program that delivered training and support to the leaders of 14 Syrian-led informal learning centers in Egypt. Undertaken in partnership with Plan International Egypt, “Tawasol: Learning Coexistence” was launched in June 2018, responding to the education and child protection needs of the most vulnerable children amongst Syrian refugee and Egyptian host communities in six communities across Greater Cairo, Alexandria and Damietta. This initiative responds to the 2011 influx of Syrian refugees in Egypt, and a mandate by the Egyptian president that set forth the expectation that Syrian refugees in Egypt would be afforded the same rights as Egyptian citizens with regards to accessing education and health services.
Following PIE’s face-to-face training with educational leaders, the Tawasol pilot aimed to extend learning and deepen conversations around well-being, inclusion, socio-emotional learning, lesson planning and assessment. The pilot was designed around the core competencies curriculum developed by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies’ Training for Primary School Teachers in Crisis Contexts and the Carey Institute’s Sustainable Learning Framework. It provided participants with relevant materials in Arabic; videos and activities for practice; and opportunities for dialogue with each other and a team of facilitators, guided by the Center for Learning in Practice’s instructional team.
According to surveys conducted before and after the training, 100% of participants found Tawasol engaging and motivating, and would recommend the course to their colleagues. When asked to evaluate their own progress, participants showed significant improvement in areas such as:
- Creating a supportive, inclusive and positive learning community
- Classroom management
- Supporting the socio-emotional well-being of their students
- Strategic use of varied teaching strategies (such as differentiation, scaffolding, hands-on learning, etc.)
- Using formative assessments to improve instruction and enhance student learning
- Collaborating and problem-solving with colleagues
- Lesson planning
Tawasol Digital TiCC is now available in both English and Arabic and can be rolled out with new cohorts – connecting learners and facilitators – all over the world, in either language by any organization or institution in both development and humanitarian contexts. The Center for Learning in Practice seeks to improve professional learning and knowledge sharing in and across civil society organizations through sustainable-learning programming, research and services. Its Refugee Educator Academy strives to increase the number and accelerate the preparation of qualified refugee educators and service providers in the United States and around the world. The Carey Institute for Global Good is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2012 by Wm. Polk Carey and is dedicated to building a strong, educated and just society. We provide education, tools and resources to practitioners of the global good to help them succeed. We put practitioners first — teachers, journalists, farmers — because we know that they have the power to change their communities and inspire others to do the same.