Developing reflective practice of Syrian teachers of refugee youth in Jordan

Education in emergencies (EiE) increasingly forms part of the humanitarian response, yet there is limited empirical evidence of teaching quality and effective teacher development in EiE. Conventional teacher development has... [ view full abstract ]

Education in emergencies (EiE) increasingly forms part of the humanitarian response, yet there is limited empirical evidence of teaching quality and effective teacher development in EiE. Conventional teacher development has been critiqued for limited engagement with teachers’ concepts, identities and contexts. However, challenges of time and resources in EiE have limited implementation of teacher development that follows reflective practice or action research paradigms.

This paper presents ongoing teacher development initiatives in NRC youth skills training programmes in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. These centres provide three-month training courses in technical, IT and crafts and care (e.g. barbering/beautician) subjects, as well as Arabic, English and life-skills to youth aged 16 to 32 years.

The paper explores the process and outcomes of the teacher development initiative, which is based on a ‘reflective practitioner’ model. Rather than a conventional focus on teaching methods, central themes of this initiative include teacher self-awareness, reflection on practice, experimentation and collaboration.

Analysis of changes in teachers’ dispositions and practice, through lesson observations and interviews with teacher-participants, investigates their abilities to respond to the specific yet diverse needs of their students. This critically questions the outcome of the initiative on the teachers and their abilities to realise the programmatic objectives of youth learning and participation in their communities.

The paper concludes by presenting a contextually adaptable model of teacher development through reflective practice in EiE.