- O’Sullivan says no school can make meaningful progress without understanding the educational impact on students’ learning
LAHORE: Representatives of the Cambridge Assessment International Education with the British Council and good quality schools discussed the importance of understanding the impact of education on students and different ways to measure the impact at a conference here on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Schools Conference, where 220 teachers and school leaders from over 140 Cambridge schools were present, was hosted by the Cambridge Assessment International Education (Cambridge International). The conference theme was measuring what matters understanding and improving educational impact.
“The concept of educational impact has become increasingly important in academic research and education debate, as no school can make meaningful progress without understanding the effect of its practices on students’ learning,” Michael O’Sullivan, the chief executive of the Cambridge International, explained to conference delegates.
He said that the Cambridge schools work hard in many ways to help their students learn. “They do this through careful curriculum design, inspiring extra-curricular activities, professional development of teachers, and the creation of school environments conducive to learning,” he said.
During the conference, principals discussed how to measure the impact of their work, including the different methods used to do this and how to make the best use of the information gathered. They also examined how teachers can measure the educational impact of their lessons and the role that professional development plays in this regard.
Cambridge International’s Education Director Tristian Stobie, education consultant Dr Liz Taylor and British Council Country Director Rosemary Hilhorst were among the speakers. A lively panel discussion explored ideas around the challenges of understanding impact and whether everything in schools can be measured.
The panel discussion was moderated by Stephen Crowly while Michael Thomson, Zarene Malik, Philip Hallworth and Nadine Murtaza were among the panelists. “I am really excited to be hosting this conference on behalf of the Cambridge International, which is our fourth flagship conference in Pakistan,” said Uzma Yousuf Zaka, the country director of the Cambridge International.
She said that this type of conferences were important as not only they generate meaningful debate around key educational issues, but also give us an opportunity to hear from Cambridge schools in Pakistan. Over 600 schools offer the Cambridge programmes and qualifications in Pakistan, including Cambridge O Level and Cambridge International AS & A Level.
