BRUNEI-MUARA

TEACHERS were urged to become practitioner researchers so they can identify what does not work and improve upon them, said a senior academic.

Dr Jainatul Halida Hj Jaidin, Dean of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, told The Brunei Times it is imperative for teachers to research and investigate their practices so they can intervene and improve for the students’ benefit.

Dr Jainatul Halida, who is also the Chairperson of the International Conference on Education 2015 (ICE 2015) Organising Committee, said this on the sidelines of the conference’s opening yesterday.

The conference, held at the Pengiran Anak Puteri Rashidah Sa’adatul Bolkiah Institute of Health Sciences Extension building will conclude tomorrow.

Themed “Education in the 21st Century: Present Practices, Future Directions, What’s Next?”, ICE 2015 will deliberate on a wide range of issues including early childhood education, primary and secondary schooling, technical and vocational education and tertiary education.

The conference aims to critically examine education in the 21st century to help empower students to lead meaningful and productive lives in all stages of their development and growth.

It also seeks to establish relationships between educators and intellectuals from various specialisations in education.

Dr Jainatul Halida added she hoped for teachers attending the conference to improve upon classroom practices and support the Ministry of Education by learning from best practices and evidence based practices.

“We hope that this platform will be used by teachers, policy makers and academics to come together and debate on educational issues, as well as inspire new findings and knowledge,” she said.

“Through the discussions, they can grow professionally and create a mindset that is progressive and proactive in terms of combating problems. They need to use what they have learnt and studied to further improve,” she added.

The dean said they hope to also develop a stronger relationship between the teacher education institute, teachers in schools and the ministry of education in forming best practices based on evidence.

More than 100 participants – comprising lecturers from higher education institutions, teachers from government and private schools and officers from the ministry – are expected to attend the conference.

Also present are international participants from Malaysia, Philippines, India and Oman. Yesterday’s opening featured keynote speakers from the University of Hong Kong, University of Melbourne and Chief Education Advisor in Pearson, UK. Ninety-five papers will be presented by both local and international intellectuals throughout the three-day conference.

Dr Jainatul Halida said she was pleased that there was an increasing number of teachers from primary and secondary schools participating in the conference as paper presenters.

“This signifies a serious effort, taking in the role of practitioner researcher, to improve teaching and learning to meet the needs of the students,” she said.

The Brunei Times