School Workshops and
Development Consultancy

Bob Turner has over thirty years experience in education internationally, as a teacher, curriculum developer, principal, educational consultant and faculty developer. His approach is to support the human resource in the school to develop a sustained curriculum and faculty development model, aligning whole school improvement with commonly held beliefs, best practice and market intelligence.

Sample Faculty Workshops

Learning for Life in the Student-Centered Classroom

The ultimate accomplishment of a school is to produce students who learn how to learn all their lives, and who become confident, creative problem-solvers, working for the betterment of mankind. These are not traits that appear from nowhere: these are skills and attributes taught and nurtured in schools which practice Learning for Life in the Student Centered Classroom

In the student centered classroom, teams are more important than individuals, and students learn to respect the work of others and support them while at the same time learning to use their fellow students as important resources. The goal in such a classroom is not to be the best, but rather to get the whole class across the finish line and move ahead to new challenges outside the school where teams of creative, problem-solving, capable researchers can take on any problem and solve it – making the world a better place to live. And this is the beauty of the child-centered classroom: it encourages learning for life. Students grapple with problems in practical contexts, have the support of caring teachers and fellow students, can fail and learn from the failure safely, and prepare themselves to be good citizens and colleagues in their adult lives through all the skills they gain.

If the classroom is student-centered, what happens to the teacher? His or her role becomes that of the guide in a community of learners: everyone learns in the student-centered classroom. The faculty is the key to a continually emerging curriculum, which provides appropriate challenges for students who raise the standard of achievement higher and higher through motivation and support.

Starting a Career and Life Choices Programme in Your School

Some simple facts to remember:  

• A Career and Life Choices programme does not have to be a separate course - it can be integrated into Language studies, Geography, Group Counselling, Mathematics, Science, Economics, Personal and Social Development, and can be taught "across the curriculum" by all teachers.
• There are many resources available to you that will help you strengthen your school's network: parents, local business men and women, your students themselves will all bring a rich experience to Career and Life Choices studies.
• Materials do not have to be expensive: there are internet resources that are free and nearly free, newspapers and other local publications, you existing textbooks and workbooks can be adapted to the programme.
• The time taken for Career and Life Choices programme is not "stolen from exam preparation time": it augments healthy preparation for all life challenges by enhancing student motivation. Personal goals are important for everyone.  

Bob Turner has worked with schools on three continents to develop and teach Career and Life Choices Programmes. He brings a wealth of international experience that can help you and your faculty develop and deliver the most appropriate programmes, aligned with your own mission and vision.

Creating a Value-Added School

How can you help your students excel?   In partnership with parents and faculty, identify areas that are essential for the success of students - not just this year, but all their lives.

• Once you have identified appropriate objectives and aligned them with the mission and vision of your institutions, strategize with key stakeholders about how the school will collectively tackle the project of school improvement.
• Value your faculty: nothing will happen in your classrooms without their buy-in and support. The best schools are those in which faculty lead the change process, and continually improve the curriculum and methodology.
• Make your schools research and learning centres in which reflection, questioning and problem-solving are valued as positive elements of change and development.
• Investigate projects elsewhere, to find keys to successful implementation of school improvement projects. Keep everyone involved as partners through this process. Your won't replicate what they have achieved, but you can learn from success (and failure) stories what works best.

These workshops can be customized for your school through a consultation in which the schools current practice is used as a basis for taking sound new steps in improving education for your students

Consultancy Service for Schools and Educational Organizations

Robert C Turner
Education and Human Resource Development Consultant

PO Box 76726
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Voice: +971 50 656 8010 Fax: +971 4 398 7968
bob@rcturner.com