Teacher’s Development Conference 2021

Venue:             Future World Schools, Lahore
Date:                Friday, 5^th March, 2021
Audience:        250 plus Notables and Teachers 

NEWS REPORT AND MEDIA REPORT OF THE EVENT

Lahore 5^th March, 2021: Millennium Institute of Professional Development-MIPDE launched Pakistan’s largest 13^th Annual Teacher Development Conference on Friday, March 5, 2021 on the very real-life concrete theme- “Journey from Curriculum to Concept” at Future World Schools, Lahore. Roots Millennium Education, Pakistan understands that the role of an educator and a school leader is extremely challenging, complex, and continually demanding in today’s time of constant change and innovation. Nearly 250 teachers and organizers were enthusiastic and highly motivated to take the learning initiatives and training ahead to their classrooms. This year’s conference brought together leading national and international speakers including Mr. Abbas Husain Director Teachers Development Centre, Mr. Ian Eldred, a renowned educationist, performing artist, and a lawyer,  Umair Jaliawala CEO and founder Torque School of Leadership,  Dr. Farrah Arif the founder and CEO, EDTechWorx and ex-Professor LUMS Lahore, Yumna Warraich, the solo tourist biker and vlogger , and Maj.Gen.(retd) Farhan Akhtar HI(M) Chairman Garrison Education System Lahore.  They motivated and injected new ideas into the conference delegates comprising Roots Millennium Education CEO Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq TI, Directors, Head Mistresses, Branch Heads, Academic Coordinators, and the entire teaching faculty.

In her opening speech, Ms. Ayesha Amir, the General Manager of Millennium Institute of Professional Development, emphasized the importance of teacher’s integrity and technological skills in present day revised roles of teacher and learner.

Senator Waleed Iqbal was the Chief Guest on this promising day. He paid tribute to Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal by focusing on his journey as a teacher and talked about the high esteem in which he held his teachers. Dr Iqbal believed that knowledge is nothing without action. His book “Secrets of the self” extols the virtues of self-actualization and attainment of purpose and objectives through ‘Ishq’; passion and fervour. Mr. Waleed heightened the multifarious responsibility of teachers in an era of interconnected dimensions and emphasized that teachers to find a role model in the personality and works of Dr. Allama Iqbal. The respectable Senator appreciated TME commitment to the overall development of students who, alongside academics, are seen in the forefront in all the international and national mega events.

Mr. Abbas Hussain, the founder of SPELT (Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers), facilitated the conference and enlightened the delegates about the concept of “The Words for Now”. He began his discourse by quoting Yong Zhao and introduced a new perspective to the present situation: “A global crises is too good an opportunity to waste”. He presented new vocabulary that the world has coined to make sense out of present chaos: presentism, infobesity, upskill, human capital, and ethics of emergencies.  He stressed the longer-term vision, reading, collaborative expertise, and the underthought” It will pass” as the solution to present day challenges.

Umair Jaliawala mesmerized the audience with his motivational talk. Mr. Jaliawala reinvigorated the listeners’ spirits by inculcating the much-needed topic, “If they are laughing, they are learning”. He elaborated that a sense of mindful humor can improve mental and physical health, boost your attractiveness, and improve your leadership skills. He urged the teachers to build positive classrooms that do not insulate learning spaces from young and impressionable students. His message of creating safe spaces for such an environment hit a spot with the audience. He said that it’s not the ego that transforms rather it’ s the presence of the teachers that transforms the classroom.

Dr. Farrah Arif talked about the 21^st century skills that students need to survive and succeed in the future world that is peppered with digital technicalities. She accentuated the need for the students to devise solutions to complex problems by creativity, analytical thinking, collaboration, communication, ethics, and accountability. She shared the journey from a nondigital traditional classroom to experiential and digital classroom where teachers play a pivotal role in creating the difference. She concluded by saying, “Teaching comes from within, it is the passion that matters.”

Mr. Ian Eldred appreciated the teachers as “irrigators of deserts”; the ones who are custodians of restorative and rejuvenating system of hope. He spoke elaborately about life skills like time management, conflict management, social and emotional intelligence, and money management as critical to the formative years of learners.  He reiterated that digitalization is the core component of the fourth industrial revolution that the teachers need to incorporate in the learning process.

Ms. Yumna Warraich spoke about developing success skills through her own life experiences and encouraged self- dependency and resilience among women.

Maj. Gen.(retd.) Farhan contrasted passive learning to active learning, monologue to dialogue, closed ended to open ended questioning and teacher centric to student centric learning. He highlighted that pedagogy is a “social phenomenon” and is deeply incorporated in practical application of knowledge.

Ms. Shireen Jawaid, Director TME, was of the view that now is the ‘Time to skill up and build comfort from the known to unknown’. She extolled the teachers as agents of change and stability during these unprecedented times. Living up to one’s opportunities, making the most of one’s resources is the most relevant skill set of the 21^st century.

While addressing the session, Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq Chief Executive, The Millennium Schools and Founder MIPD, talked about the underlying objective of the conference, “Give your room some class”. His discourse revolved around the fact that learning has moved from globalization to Millennialization. He reiterated that as educators, we want our students’ learning to be enduring, enabling them to make sense of complexity now and in the future by intentionally designing learning activities in which students move from the factual to conceptual. We can help them construct understanding, facilitate transfer, and build their sense of agency. He urged on the need to move from curriculum to concept, fostering critical thinking, leadership skills, and connectivity through technology.

This Teacher’s Development Conference 2021 was all about providing word class learning opportunities to the teachers. This conference aimed to provide the teachers with a platform to express themselves not only as educators, but also to discover the hidden potential in each one of them that leads to the discovery of their ultimate identity.