“We are working with partner universities both domestic and abroad along with other educational boards to increase the capabilities of our teachers”
Dr. Aye Aye Myint
(Continued from yesterday)
MRTV released an education roundtable talk on upgrading the capabilities of teachers. The roundtable includes discussion from National Education Policy Commission Member Dr. Win Aung, Yangon University of Education Rector Dr. Aye Aye Myint, Department of Higher Education Deputy Director General Dr. May San Yi, Department of Education Research Planning and Training Deputy Director General Dr. Zaw Latt Htun, Technical and Vocational Education Department Director Dr. Pyae Kyaw Thu and Department of Basic Education Director U Toe Win.
In regards to other additional training, there are also ones we collaborate with international organizations. The University of Yangon is a member of the ASEAN Teacher Education Network known as the AsTEN University Network. We collaborate within the other nine universities in the network and also work with China and Japan, totaling up to 19 universities. The University of Yangon is also part of the nine education network including the UNESCO, UNICEF educational netwroks and others such as AsTEN- mentioned previously – OSF, EU groups. These collaborations greatly enhance the skills of the Teacher Educator.
How do we execute it? We do Study Exchange programs. Through the Study Tours in the study exchange programs, international experts share their knowledge and we do so as well. Another way we do this is through workshops, which also serves as assessment tools. For example, when the school was working on creating a new Competence-based curriculum for teacher educators, DR. Michael Grosch -with the help of DAAD from Germany- came to give a workshop on transforming our current curriculum to a Competence-based curriculum to professors, assistant professors and teacher educators.
Advancing the capabilities of teachers
On one hand, we have to work on training and nurturing the teachers through capacity building and on the other, we have to build the capacities of student teachers. We send our teachers for study exchange programs and practice teaching programs to the schools mentioned along with youth and student forums. One example is the Philippine Normal University (PNU), who is also a member of the AsTEN. PNU gives scholarships to two students from each members schools so we send two selected people from our program for a month of practice teach. They also participate in Youth forums and parliament field trips. In a nutshell, we are working with both domestic and international educational organizations and universities to build the capacity of student teachers along with the teachers.
Facilitator: Can you also tell us about the collaborative efforts between the University of Education and other domestic and international education organizations, and partner schools?
Dr. Aye Aye Myint: This is related to the previous question. Another point I’d like to make in addition to capacity building is Teacher Educators and their English proficiency. As English is necsessry to communicate with other international organizations, we have worked with British Council from 2014-2017 on various courses to advance the skills of the teachers in the University of Education. Courses from British council include EfECT courses (English for Education College Teachers) , EfECT course Bridge Course and E-bridge Course for Teacher Educators for three consecutive years.
In addition, Teacher Educators at universities not only have to be good at teaching only. They need to develop their research skills as well. For research skills, we are collaborating with the above mentioned 19 partner schools. We send our people for submissions in academic journals, international conference presentations, seminars and workshops as well. We also encourage them to submit to MAAS, Myanmar science and chemistry journal, Universities Research Journal and our very own Yangon University of Education Journal and a Monograph which is a collection of a theme of research topic starting last year. Not only does the students publish in such journals, they also go and present at other research centers and try to be included in the proceedings to improve the research skills of Teacher Educators.
Working towards improving research skills
We also submit to the AsTEN (ASEAN Teacher Education Network University) Research Journal as we are a member to them. By submitting the papers, we try to improve our local, regional and international research skills. We do two projects with Hong Kong University. After submitting our first project, the world have asked about our work and request to send in papers of our findings to them. This success has allowed us to present in conferences such as the ASEAN Pacific Early Childhood ones for the UNICEF and ARNEC. But we’ve done projects with HKU before such presentations. We also do student exchanges with Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan as we have an MoU with them. There is also an MoU for Faculty of International Development that is set to go for three years. In August, we have an exchange planned and also an ongoing research project. We also have collaborated on presentations with them together with our findings on our three year research of students dropping out after enrollment in basic education.
There is also an ECCD diploma training class with funds from OSF. With the help of the American Embassy and our government, research experts for ECED also come to help us as fellows. Like the German DAD program, experts also come as Visiting Lecturer. Starting January, we have longterm Visiting Lecturer that will work and teach together with our local professors on undergraduate and graduate courses to boost the capabilities of student teachers, undergraduates, graduate students along with the teachers.
Advancing the Skills
One thing is Fellows. The American embassy supports them to be here for four years. The Cultural Affairs department gets permission from the Ministry and get two people per year – one English teacher from Brunei via East-West Center and another American Native Speaker who specializes in English Language teaching.
The program has been going on for three years and the future teachers have been utilizing this to improve their English skills. We have asked for this fellows from the Ministry next year as well. Hence, we have capacity building programs such as receiving experts from domestic and foreign experts, going to partner universities for presentations.
Facilitator: How do you plan to increase the capacity of teachers in Teaching Colleges?
Dr. May San Yi: Our Teaching Colleges have two courses: pre-service training and on the job training. First of all, I’d like to explain about the pre-service training. I’d like to talk about the ways to advance the different skillsets of Teacher Educators and Student Educators.
In regards to capacity building for teachers in the Teaching Colleges, we are currently working on curriculum building, attending workshops, working with ICT for classes, action research and also sending educators for scholarships abroad.
Facilitator: Can you explain more about capacity building for teachers and developing proactical training skills?
Dr. May San Yi: We have started building a competency-based curriculum to cut down from our seven-year college course to four year degree colleges starting 2017. The Ministry of Education and UNESCO Myanmar’s technological help along with International Bureau of Education (IBE) and University College of London (UCL) has teamed up together with their international experience to lecture about curriculum development skills starting 2017 June to a central committee of 50 members from Education Colleges and Universities and University for the Development of the National Races of the Union and has now completed up to 10 workshops for their professional development.
Facilitator: Can you also talk about how, in the Teaching Colleges, ICT is being used to enhance the development and skillsets of the teacher’s ability?
Dr. May San Yi: We have employed two teachers who have a masters in ICT for every college starting 2015 and has also used materials from UNESCO for technical help in developing the ICT training and the annual workshop curriculums.
Facilitator: Do you have any other skill development programs planned for the teachers?
Dr. May San Yi: We’ve had the teachers in Teaching Colleges perform action research and present in your bi-annual presentation events to build their capacity in addition to sending teachers aboard for workshops. For a long-term training program, the school sent 2 students in 2017, one in 2018, totaling of three for Master for Education in Japan.
Several others include four students for doctorates in China, one for a Computer Masters in Russia – totaling of 4. For shorter training courses to Japan, USA and Singapore, we have sent 11 in 2017, five in 2018 – a total of 16 to enhance the skills of teachers.
Facilitator: Can you explain about your current work in capacity building of the current students who will become teachers?
Dr. May San Yi: In Education Colleges, there is peer group teaching taught in groups for two subjects with 15 minutes teaching practicum for 30 days. In this coming four year teaching degree college curriculum, the practicum hours are more than the current two year teaching degree college curriculums.
It’s not only Teaching Colleges. Even in partnership schools, we are working together to improve and implement great teaching skills. There are also Teaching Aids Competition being held twice every year.
May Thaw La Wun: Thank you all of you for giving us your time to discuss.
(Translated by Mya Myat Thwe)
