IS SUE 2

JUL - SEP

2011

in focus
Teach For Pakistan is a nationwide movement of graduates and young professionals who will commit two years to teach in under-resourced schools and go on to become lifelong leaders working from across all fields to expand educational opportunity.

Learning to Lead: Summer Training Institute

Teach For Pakistan held its first six week summer Training Institute in July August 2011. It was designed to provide Fellows with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to become highly effective beginning teachers in challenging environments. Pedagogical skills were developed through a series of curriculum sessions woven around the Teaching As Leadership (TAL) framework. Fellows maximized their learning through a combination of teaching methods including lectures, workshops, discussions, readings, case studies, films, and group exercises. Fellows were also given the opportunity to put theory into action during a three-week long Summer School. Teach For Pakistan set up two Summer School sites where Fellows taught English, Math, Science and Social Studies to classes 4, 5 and 7. During this time Fellows were closely supported and mentored by Teach For Pakistan staff members. In three weeks, the Fellows managed to impact their students and the schools in which they were teaching. Attendance rose steadily indicating increased levels of interest amongst students. Effective classroom management techniques led to higher levels of student participation and behavioural improvements. Fellows ended Summer School on a very positive note, excited to begin their final placements. Institute faculty comprised Khuzama Rizwan, Child Protection and Life-Skills Education Specialist; Hanifa Farooq, former Teach For America Fellow and TAL Curriculum Specialist; and Umbar Sharif, Deputy Headteacher at a school in Birmingham, UK and mentor to

Students at Teach For Pakistans Summer School

participants in the Teach First, Teaching Leaders and Teach On programs. Experts and leaders in the fields of education, academia, business, politics and the arts were also invited to interact with Fellows and share their valuable experiences.
Teach For Pakistan|An initiative of the Aman Foundation| www.teachforpakistan.edu.pk

Teach For Pakistan is a Partner in the Global Education Network Teach ForAll

Our First Cohort

Teach For Pakistans first Fellowship cohort was chosen after a rigorous selection process, with 20 Fellows currently placed in schools across Karachi. Having being chosen with an acceptance rate of less than 10 percent, our Fellows not only represent some of the finest educational institutions in Pakistan and across the world, but have also displayed exceptional leadership, determination and perseverance, as well as a deep commitment to community service. Our Fellows also have a record of academic excellence, with the average cumulative GPA of the 2011 Fellowship cohort standing at 3.41. Within this group however, there exists great variation in academic backgrounds and experiences. Our Fellows have pursued degrees in engineering, the social sciences, dentistry, law and computer science. While most are originally from Karachi, this years cohort includes out-station Fellows who have relocated from cities including Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Dera Ghazi Khan to be a part of this Fellowship. Ten universities are represented in our first cohort, with 40% of our Fellows graduating from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and 15% graduating from Institute of Business Administration (IBA). Other schools represented include National University of Science and Technology (NUST), University of Karachi, Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST), Foundation of Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST), Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, and international universities like New York University and the University of Nottingham Malaysia.

We value this diversity greatly, as each Fellow brings a wealth of different experiences with them, only adding to the strength of our program, as the Fellows collaborate to share best practices and further improve on their teaching methods. Fellows are currently placed in 9 under-resourced schools, directly impacting approximately 1200 students, teaching Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and English to classes 4 through 8.

Hope in the Classroom: Reflections from Institute

Curriculum Specialist Hanifa Farooq, a former Teach For America participant

I wasnt sure what to expect when I arrived in Karachi on June 30th after just having finished my two year commitment with Teach For America. What I found was something wonderful: exuberant Fellows determined to change the state of education in their country and a staff dedicated to ensuring this would happen.

After having taught for two years in a low-income community where students faced their own challenges, coming to Pakistan and experiencing the disparity first hand that exists in education was life changing. However, meeting the Fellows and the Teach For Pakistan team I know that there are catalysts for change working each and every day to bridging this gap. I was moved by the level of commitment Fellows put into their lessons each day and found hope in each classroom that I visited. Students naturally took to the Fellows and found a love of learning through their teachers.

My experience over the course of six weeks with I understood the gravity of the achievement gap in Los Teach For Angeles where I taught, but wasnt quite aware of the Pakistan and enormity of this gap that existed in Pakistan. As I set out its Fellows has to conduct curriculum sessions, teaching Fellows about re-invested my own commitment to closing the lesson planning, classroom management, and the TAL achievement gap both in the United States and the rubric I was impressed by how quickly they saw the country of my birth, Pakistan. relevance and need for a framework within the education system. I am honored to have had the opportunity to come to Pakistan and to have been a part of this movement.

Fellows at Work
Teach For Pakistan has placed its first cohort of Fellow in 9 schools across Keamari, Korangi, and Saddar towns in Karachi, including schools operated by The Citizens Foundation and Behbud. Even though the need for quality education is dire across the nation, Teach For Pakistan developed a specific selection criteria for placement schools. Our placement schools demonstrate a financial or human constraint for quality teachers and also face challenges such as high teacherstudent ratio, low student learning outcomes and lack of subject specialists. Our Fellows are teaching classes 4-8 focusing on English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. They are focused on working closely with parents, school administration and the community to raise the level of household investment in a childs education. Our Fellows are impacting approximately 1200 students with an average class size of 55 students.

This is my Summer School Story

Teach For Pakistan Fellows 2011

The three weeks that we spent teaching at SMB Fatima Jinnah Girls School will always remain outstanding for each of us. We entered our classrooms full of energy and excitement, ready to teach and practice all that we had learnt. We couldn't wait to experience a glimpse of the journey that lay ahead, to witness and feel the change we aimed to bring.

The three weeks, however, were incredible not because we all emerged as outstanding teachers or because each of our students excelled academically but because we entered our classrooms as teachers and in turn gained infinite wisdom from thirteen year old girls. Our lives have changed for the better as a result of the time we spent in the classrooms. These children managed to do for us what no book or training could have done - they validated and reaffirmed the magnitude of the task we have undertaken and gave us the motivation we required to dedicate all our efforts to this cause. Most significantly they made us realize the extent of the impact we could create in the classroom and in our students lives. We anticipated hardships; teaching English, Mathematics, If we could Social Studies and Science to seventh grade girls without achieve all this in Students at Teach For Pakistans Summer School significant teaching experience was never going to be a three weeks, then straightforward task. More importantly, we knew our no goal is too mandate as teachers was not only limited to academic idealistic or impossible for the upcoming two years. content but extended to all facets of the students lives an opportunity we relished.

Thank you Partners

Teach For Pakistan would like to thank our guests and partners for generously donating their time to meet and share their experiences and inspirational stories with our Fellows during our summer Training Institute. Specifically: Mr. Arif Usmani, Chief Executive Officer, Citibank Pakistan, for sharing his story with the message It pays to take a risk and change your career! Ms. Saba Karim, Country Marketing & Public Affairs, Citibank Pakistan for sharing her personal experience The Unilever Pakistan team comprising of Ms. Naila Ismail (Corporate Affairs Manager), Ms. Asma Yusuf (Sustainability Project Manager), Mr. Faizaan Ahmad (Leadership Development Manager) and Ms. Sarah Karamatullah (Assistant Manager Leadership Development) for emphasizing the value of development of communication, problem solving and management skills that Fellows will develop through the Fellowship Ms. Sara Taher Khan, CEO of Radio1 FM91, our Radio Media Partner, for sharing her leadership experience and hosting Fellows at the radio station Mr. Javed Jabbar, writer, film-maker, policy analyst, former Senator & Federal Minister, for highlighting the importance of imparting knowledge through media in classrooms Ms. Sadiqa Salahuddin, Founder & Executive Director of the Indus Resource Center, for demonstrating leadership and commitment towards improving education for women in Sindh Mr. Abbas Husain, Director Teachers Development Center, for explaining the importance of developing critical thinking skills in children Ms. Rafia Khan, Project Coordinator of the Zindagi Trust, for sharing her experience of working in a lowincome government school and the potential of transformation through quality education Mr. Ali Usman from the Sindh Education Foundation for conducting a workshop teaching Fellows how to utilize Low Cost- No Cost strategies in classrooms