Work of Schools in TAMAM
The first group of schools (Private Schools):
The first group of schools included nine private schools from Lebanon, Jordan, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. School teams collaboratively conducted action research on school projects of their choice in order to gather evidence on the school’s performance in their chosen project. School teams were trained and coached on action research skills: asking research questions, developing tools for data collection, analyzing and interpreting data, developing action plans, and reporting the research experience.
When the schools were at the stage of interpreting the results, they were introduced to reflective practice and its different levels. This helped them engage in critical reflection not only on the level of the project but also on various school practices and school culture. Because the role of the team does not end after giving recommendations but rather extends to assuming a leadership role and specifically designing and implementing an action plan in this case, school teams were introduced to leadership acts and were coached on some leadership skills.
Through this experience, school teams learned the importance of the skills of action research, reflective practice, collaboration, and leadership for school improvement. This experience also gave the teams some insights into their school practices and school culture. Along with their work on their focus projects, some teams decided to train new school members on the skills and habits of mind they have acquired. Other school teams identified certain school concerns, and are currently working on attending to them through employing the skills and learning acquired.
As you will notice, the path each school took differs across schools. The decisions and actions each school team made were decided upon by the school team. The AUB team did not impose any viewpoints or actions on the schools.
- Ahliyyah School for Girls
- Al Kawthar Secondary School
- Amman Baccalaureate School
- Dar Al-Fikr Schools
- Dhahran Ahliyya School (DAS) for Boys
- Dhahran Ahliyya School (DAS) for Girls
- Hariri High School II
- Saint Mary’s Orthodox College
- The Asriyya School
The second group of schools (Public Schools):
The second group of schools included three government schools from Lebanon. The school teams are conducting action research to identify a school concern, understand it, attend to it through an intervention, and evaluate the intervention. To this end, the school teams were trained and coached on several skills: identifying a focus, setting improvement goals, developing tools for data collection, collecting data, and analyzing and interpreting data.
Throughout the process, it was always emphasized that the process of action research is a dynamic process where they can revisit any decisions or actions at any time based on new learning. Currently, the school teams had identified a focus for school improvement, set improvement goals, and are at a stage where they are developing an intervention. Inquiry, reflection, and assuming a leadership role have been highlighted throughout the whole experience. However, systematic training on those skills awaits those teams as they progress forward with their chosen endeavors.