Teacher Educators Graduate IIS-Cambridge Assessment International Education Programme
All 18 candidates—primary-level teacher educators from the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Boards (ITREBs)—graduated with distinction from the programme, which was run by the IIS in partnership with the Professional Development Qualification Unit of Cambridge Assessment International Education.
The programme aimed to support the teacher educators to deliver the IIS’s curriculum, drawing on new research and modern principles of education, making learning a creative and engaging experience for young minds, as well as seeking to bridge religious and secular education. Participants came from ITREBs for Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and the UAE.
The course featured guided learning, practice-based workshops, practicums at centres in London, online learning, and field work at local ITREBs, where participants were able to apply theory to practice in their context. IIS and Cambridge faculty visited the teacher educators in the field to observe their practice, provide context-specific feedback, and help them grow in their vocation.
The graduates have said that the programme was transformative. They are now expected to support volunteer religious education (RE) teachers in their jurisdiction on a one-to-one basis, through observation and feedback, co-planning, co-teaching, and co-reflecting on practice. The expectation is that each graduate will support around 50 volunteer RE teachers. Under the guidance of the IIS, some of the graduates will also be recruited to adapt, structure and run teacher educator development programmes and courses for volunteer teachers in their local languages.
Some have been selected as mentors for the second cohort of the London-based programme. The graduates will have access to a continuing education programme, led by the IIS’s Department of Community Relations, to help them keep abreast of new learning and hone their practice.
We congratulate the graduates on their success and wish them the very best in their work supporting the RE programmes of their ITREBs.
