Abdel Rahman Zu'rub

Education Development Center

(AZ-EDC)

A. Background:

1. The Abdel Rahman Science Education Center:

Dr. Abdel Rahman Zu'rub founded the "Science Education Center" as a development of the course " Special Methods of Teaching Mathematics and Science", a course offered through the Teaching Diploma Program for Secondary School Teachers, in 1989 . The aim of the center was "to provide continuing support service for teachers and initiatives to enrich the teachers' professional competence". In 1992, the center was dedicated to Dr. Zu'rub to commemorate his dedication and commitment to what became his mission to improve the teaching of science and mathematics in the schools.

2. From the School Development Project to the Education Development Center:

The EDC grew out of the School Development Project (SDP). This project developed from the Field supervision component of the Preschool Teacher Training Diploma program (PSTD) which began in 1981.

The PSTD program introduced the active learning approach to the preschool at a time when the preschools were percieved as miniature schools pushing down the first grade curriculum to ensure the alphabetization of young children before they started school.

The PSTD Field Supervisor had to explore with the preschool teachers ways to move away from rote learning to more child-centered approaches. The discussion included suggestions for introducing changes to the classroom environment and practices which value child initiated learning, and which viewed teaching as supporting the learning of young children.

As the PSTD program progressed it started assisting the schools to implement the "Developmental Preschool Model", (often referred to as the Bethlehem University Model) through the SDP. The work included offering consultation services to the preschool, and holding workshops aiming at:

1. assisting the school in implementing enrichment and remedial education activities with the pupils.

2. assisting the teachers in developing educational materials for the class.

3. assisting the school in establishing a positive relationship between the parents and teachers of young children by facilitating activities aiming at raising the awareness of both teachers and parents the importance of the role of adults in promoting the growth and development of young children both in the preschool and at home.

4. assisting the schools in effecting the necessary administrative decisions which support the transition into more child-centered programs.

As the work progressed, more schools became involved and the requests for development started to be received from schools and preschools outside the scope of the field supervision of the PSTD program. This coincided with the development of the PSTD program into the Early Childhood Programs with both the EDCT and EDPT degree. The level of involvement between the training program and the field expanded and started to encompass working with the formal educational institution (Ministry, school, and training institutes), as well as with the community, starting with the family and the neighborhood.

The SDP was no longer sufficient to respond to the needs expressed by the field. The necessity for a more elaborate system was needed to maintain the unique relationship between the academic training program and the community it served. This brought forth the establishment of the EDC.

3. Merging the Two centers:

The EDC and the Science Education Center grew independently of each other, but reached a point where they had a significant overlap. In order to increase the efficiency of both centers and to build on their mutual human and material resources, and in order to avoid duplication and ensure cooperation the two centers where merged under the name of the "Abdel Rahman Zu'rub - Education Development Center".

B. Interface:

The AZ-EDC is both a "facility" and an "approach". As a facility it consists of the space, equipment, as well as the human and material resources available to users of the center through out the semester on a daily basis.

As an approach the AZ-EDC acts as an interface between the academic program and the field, it generates a variety of learning opportunities which challenge the students to use their own initiative and to put to work their knowledge , skills they acquire through the program. More importantly it provides the Faculty of Education with an access to the formal and non-formal education settings from where it can gather the necessary feedback to continuously evaluate and update its programs in view of the educational changes and needs of the community it serves.

The AZ-EDC is an important venue for the Faculty to contribute to the educational development at the local and national levels through its out-reach activities extended to the formal and non-formal educational settings ranging from cooperating in the training activities organized by the Ministry of Education to providing non-formal training for mothers of young children.

C. Objectives:

To initiate co-curricular activities with schools, whereby the Center, in dialogue with schools, will help develop new initiatives in curriculum design and vocational preparation and training.

To plan and propose continuing education opportunities such as short courses, workshops for the school teachers .

To plan and propose extra-curricular activities for the pupils from the schools to promote their interest in Education and to provide them with opportunities to experience the relevance of what they learn in school to their lives.

To generate learning resources (models, packages, and a variety of curricular materials) to be used as learning/ teaching resources in the schools.