Queen Rania Teacher Academy

Background & Objectives

Established in 2009, Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA) is a non-profit organization committed to the vision of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of supporting and empowering educators with the skills to become creative and diligent professionals, who are well-equipped to nurture and lead future generations. QRTA offers innovative and evidence-based professional development programs informed by international best practices and the latest research in the field. The academy has been providing valuable professional learning opportunities for teachers and school leaders since its inception, with an outreach of over 90.000 professional development opportunities in the various programs. Whether you are an educational institution or an educator looking for high-quality programs and courses, QRTA has something for you. Our team of experienced professionals has designed and delivered a wide variety of offerings and continues to innovate new ones to meet the needs of ever-evolving generations.

Vision

Through being the leading provider of quality teacher education in Jordan and the region, we enable teachers to achieve more than they thought possible.

Mission

Enabling, strengthening, and equipping teachers and educators in Jordan and the region with the essential knowledge, skills, and competencies to make the greatest difference for their students.

Teacher Education Professional Diploma

QRTA launched its Teacher Education Professional Diploma (TEPD) in 2016. The diploma has been developed in collaboration with the University College London (UCL) – Institute of Education. TEPD is awarded by the University of Jordan and is accredited by the Ministry of Education in Jordan.

TEPD is granted the accreditation from the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in the USA. Therefore, QRTA is the first educational organization in Jordan to be fully accredited by CAEP and the third in the Middle East.

The Diploma equips teachers for the current challenges in education, preparing educators to treat learning environments as more than mere space, but as the birthplaces of innovation, leadership, intellectual curiosity, and civic participation among youth.

The TEPD is a 24-credit hour, nine-month accredited diploma. The Diploma combines theory and an extensive school practicum for teachers in General Pedagogies of Teaching and Learning or in Subject-Specific ones. The program is offered in two modes of delivery, blended learning and online learning. In order to transfer new skills and knowledge gained, professional practice is planned for within the program as the practicum experience is one of the core pillars of the TEPD which ensures transferring theoretical frameworks into practice to develop teachers’ skills. This takes place with support from online learning through an electronic platform which consolidates the teaching and learning of participants.

Diploma graduates are life-long learners and reflective practitioners who are able to use data-based inquiry to improve the learning of students and move learning to ensure student agency. Teachers are well-equipped to effectively help students acquire knowledge and skills necessary for preparing a generation that can contribute to building its community and country. The Diploma also prepares participants to make the learning environment more innovative and creative.

Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma

QRTA launched The Advanced Instructional Leadership Professional Diploma (AILPD) in 2016. AILPD is awarded by the University of Jordan and has been developed in collaboration with the University of Connecticut (UCONN) and is based on the Public Education Leadership Project (PELP) originated in 2003 at Harvard University through a joint effort from the Business and Education schools. AILPD is accredited by the Ministry of Education in Jordan.

The twenty-four credit hours, nine months diploma seeks to make essential changes in leadership practices through including the best international practices in instructional leadership.

Program Objectives:

The Diploma aims to:

Increase conceptual understanding of instructional leadership in order to articulate a vision for the organization and lead learning to achieve that vision.
Develop strategies for school improvement through a close examination of curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices, teacher development, culture, and school organization.
Apply new learning directly to work within the school and create a Networked Improvement Community to self-reflect and provide one another with actionable feedback

Online Courses

Queen Rania Teacher Academy presents free specialized online courses that aim to meet educators’ needs in general and teachers in specific.

The free online courses are based on Queen Rania Teacher Academy well-recognized professional development programs for teachers and school leaders in areas of subject specific pedagogy, along with psychosocial specialized programs and innovation, entrepreneurship and STEAM.

These courses were developed in return to the community and a response to its responsibility in serving teachers and educator with the best practices in professional development by providing opportunities to all at their own convenience.

To learn more about these courses please click here

In-Service Professional Development

Subject Specific Pedagogy

Arabic Program

QRTA's Arabic Language Program aspires to contribute to the formation of an educated Arab generation that adheres to its rich culture and heritage and open to the civilized accomplishments of other nations through reading and writing fluently and confidently in Arabic language.

The Program aims at developing Arabic Language teachers’ attitudes, pedagogical skills, and practices in teaching and improving reading, writing, and oral skills focused in units of study and across genres with clear plans and using K-12 Arabic standards for teaching and learning Arabic as a native language.

English Program

QRTA’s English Program is developed using evidence-based best practices with an emphasis on techniques that promote a student-centered classroom. The English Program include training 4-10 grade teachers on writing strategies related to different genres – Personal Narrative, Informational Books, Persuasive Essays, and Memoirs and reading modules to build students’ fluency, vocabulary, reading, and oral communication skills, in addition to strong foundational skills for Early grades Literacy for teachers from grades 1-3.

Math Program

QRTA's Math Program is designed based on the most relevant best practices to train Grades (1-10) math teachers on content-specific pedagogies related to important mathematical concepts – fractions, early numeracy, multiplicative reasoning, algebra, geometry, statistics and proportionality, in addition to how to use information technology to facilitate learning in Math Classrooms.

Science Program

QRTA's Science Program is developed based on inquiry-based teaching and learning and the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) that aim at preparing future generations to be well-informed citizens. The new vision of the Science Programs is to further enhance science teachers’ capacities to teach science according to the most integrative paradigm that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Social Studies program

QRTA's Social Studies Program is developed to build teachers’ capacity in using several approaches in teaching geography, history and civics education such as an inquiry-based learning (IBL), concept-based learning (CBL) and project-based learning (PBL), in addition to develop an advanced vision of the contribution of social studies to the formation of good citizenship from the perspective of civil society. The Program also embeds how to use technology in geography and history including the use of digital maps, digital compasses and GPS, and different types of assessment that improve learner outcomes, and the program builds teachers’ capacity in reading and interpreting tables, charts and graphs.

TAWAZON for Psychosocial Support

Tawazon for Psychosocial Support Program aspires to equip unspecialized workers and caregivers with skills and knowledge to provide adequate psychosocial support and care to children of different abilities and psychological status. The program draws on QRTA’s flagship program “Cultivating Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment” which has been implemented by QRTA since 2012 with an outreach of more than 16,000 beneficiaries throughout the Kingdom. The program success and proven impact coupled with the increasing complexities and emergencies in the region has inspired the scaling up of the program into a comprehensive certification to provide psychosocial and socio-emotional support to individuals and organizations who work and provide services to children as well as refugees.

Objectives:

Supporting caregivers creating a positive culture while dealing with children.
Developing caregivers’ communication skills in dealing with children and their problems according to their developmental characteristics.
Clarify the concepts of psycho-social culture: communication, crisis management, psychological resilience, self-awareness, violence, abuse, bullying, and inclusion.
Developing children’s socio-emotional skills awareness.
Deepening and expanding caregivers’ knowledge about the intellectual framework based on psychosocial well-being and inclusion.
Developing the capabilities of caregivers to integrate the skills and values of psychosocial support into their working fields.
Employing supportive communication mechanisms, crisis management, behavior modification, forms of bullying, cognitive and behavioral intervention methods for the integrated groups.

Arabic Education Program

QRTA Arabic Language Program aspires to contribute to the formation of an educated Arab generation that adheres to its rich culture and heritage and open to the civilized accomplishments of other nations through reading and writing fluently and confidently in Arabic language.

Foundational Reading and Writing Skills

A specialized program for developing the skills of Arabic language teachers to teach reading and writing skills for the early stage from kindergarten to the third grade in phonemic awareness, reading letters and vocabulary voice, reading comprehension, writing and evaluation based on standards and performance indicators.

The courses of this program are considered the foundation for forming the basic reading skills of learners, and provide solutions for dealing with the teaching of the Arabic language in the context of international and national schools that face challenges in teaching Arabic, in addition to enabling teachers to interact with students in order to build their language skills and away from rigidity and complexity.

Specialized Reading and Writing Skills

A specialized program for developing the skills of Arabic language teachers in reading, writing, speaking skills, and standards-based evaluation for grades (12-KG). The courses of this program have been developed according to the latest global strategies in teaching language skills in cooperation with the University of Colombia, and regional and local programs.

The program includes eight courses (standards-based assessment, conversation skills, intensive reading, reading of narrative text, reading of nonfiction text, writing of personal narrative, writing of Informational books and articles, writing of essays)

The program aims at developing the Arabic Language teachers’ attitudes; pedagogical skills; and practices. It guides teachers through reading and writing skills within focused units of study and across genres with clear curriculum plans. The activities of this program involve teachers as readers and writers but most importantly as experts of teaching literacy skills.

International Baccalaureate Workshops

Queen Rania Teacher Academy has been recognized as an official IB professional development provider since 2010. Since then, QRTA organizes and hosts IB professional development workshops twice a year, reaching IB teachers, coordinators, and administrators.

Testimonial

“I’m grateful to the QRTA training, it has helped me implement strategies and skills that have really worked, and helped one young woman come out of her shell.”

- Areej, a teacher overseeing a school book club

“I’m thankful to my teacher and for running the Reading Club. I now know what I want to do; I want to produce drawings for books and stories. I believe that talent and creativity need to be honed and developed every day, and that is now what I do.”

- Amal, a student of Areej’s and a member of the school book club