The Intel® Teach In-service Program was launched in Pakistan in March 2002. Participating teachers receive extensive training and resources to promote effective technology use in the classroom. Teachers learn from other teachers how, when and where to incorporate technology tools and resources into their lesson plan.
In addition, teachers are instructed on how best to create assessment tools and align lessons with educational learning goals and standards. The program incorporates use of the Internet, Web page design, and student projects. It encourages interactivity and creative thinking at the student level and helps develop their 21st century skills.
More than 170,000 Master Teachers and Participant Teachers have been trained on the curriculum since the program’s inception, and we have reached more than 70 districts and cities in the country. These Teachers work as agents of change and belong to a new genre of techno savvy teachers who are better equipped to prepare their students to face the challenges of the 21st century workforce.
In 2002, Intel signed a MoU with the Ministry of Education – Government of Pakistan to train teachers across the country, including Sindh, Baluchistan, Punjab, NWFP, FATA, FANA, ICT and Pakistan administered Kashmir. Intel’s efforts in the education space have been appreciated at the highest levels: a letter of appreciation from General Pervaiz Musharraf, President of Pakistan and Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, Chairman of the Higher Education Commission.
Within each provincial ministry, contact persons have been assigned by the Secretaries and Ministers to help the Intel® team with the operational aspects of the program. The resounding success of the In-service program is due to the undying support that the government and Ministry of Education has shown for the program.
The Intel® Teach Program follows the Train the Trainer Model. From the government sector, the provincial education departments nominate participants for batches, whilst private schools are approached directly. Extensive work and trainings are also being conducted in collaboration with various NGOs such as the Aga Khan Education Services, Pakistan (AKES, P), INFAQ Foundation and the Rotary Club. Furthermore, collaboration and trainings are being conducted with various school networks such as the Fauji Foundation School System, Army Public School System and Pakistan Air Force School System. More and more organizations and NGO networks are also being tapped to increase the outreach of the Intel Teach Program into the far flung areas of Pakistan. Trainings are also conducted at the district level and even the most remote districts have been reached via district trainers.
All teachers trained are provided a certificate of participation and completion of the training. The training activities are supported and assessed through a comprehensive evaluation program.
In Pakistan, Intel Education offers the following trainings to teachers:
Getting Started: this is a professional development offering for classroom/subject-matter teachers with little or no experience with computers, in need of basic skills and introduction to project approaches. The 28-hour course is intended for classroom teachers who have little or no computer experience and need or desire to learn computer basics and 21st century teaching and learning approaches.
Essentials Course: being the flagship Intel Teach training, this course is conducted for a duration of 60 hours with subject teachers who hands on with computers. The aim of the course is to teach teachers how to effectively integrate ICT into the curriculum and develop students’ 21st century skills to prepare them for the knowledge economy of tomorrow. This course has been running successfully in Pakistan for over 5 years.
Skills for Success: this is a training program for IT teachers, which prepares IT teachers to implement a student curriculum that develops key 21st century learning skills with a focus on technology literacy, critical thinking, and collaboration. The 24-hour course is ideal for countries with a centralized computer model in school or computer lab environment.
Thinking with Technology: the training program is intended for teachers who are hands on with computers and guides teachers on the use of online thinking tools, available free of cost on the Intel website, to develop students’ higher order thinking skills. The 40-hour training comprises of training on three tools: Visual Ranking, Seeing Reason and Showing Evidence.
