The second annual MEPLI regional conference was held on Friday, May 10 – Saturday, May 11 in Amman, Jordan at the Landmark Hotel. The conference was hosted under the Patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Education and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Jordan, Professor Azmi Mahafzah, and in collaboration with the Queen Rania Teacher Academy and the Makhzoumi Foundation. The focus of the conference was on on Education in Emergencies and consisted of plenary sessions as well as concurrent workshops. HGSE Faculty member Dr. Vanja Pejic, a psychologist specializing in trauma, presented on The Effects of War, Violence and Trauma on Child Development and Learning: Restoring Safety and Promoting Healing and also joined a panel discussion alongside Katy Noble, Global Head of Education in Emergencies at Teach For All, and Anies Al-Hroub, Tenured Professor in Educational Psychology and Special Education at American University of Beirut. Thirty MEPLI Fellows presented across workshops focused on the following four content streams: equitable access to education in emergencies, leadership in emergencies, alternative education, and social-emotional learning. The conference was attended by almost 200 educators from across the region.
The detailed conference schedule and resources from the workshops can be viewed below.
Conference Schedule
Friday, May 10
14:00 – 14:30 Registration
Location: Venue Hall
We request that registrants arrive on time to move quickly through the registration process so that we may begin on time.
14:30 – 15:00 Opening Remarks
Room: Venue Hall
Opening Remarks will be offered by MEPLI Program Director Shaylyn Carey, His Excellency Professor Azmi Muhafzah, Queen Rania Teacher Academy CEO Dr. Osama Obeidat, and Makhzoumi Foundation President May Makhzoumi.
15:00 – 16:00 Keynote Panel on Education in Emergencies
Room: Venue Hall
Moderator: Nabila Bashir, Director of Business Development, Queen Rania Teacher Academy
Nabila is the Director of Business Development at Queen Rania Teacher Academy (QRTA), with more than 18 years of experience in teaching, innovation in education, EdTech, STEM, and project management of education development projects. Nabila is responsible for the development of proposals, promotional planning and implementation, and program development. She researches, develops, and presents bi-annual reports to communicate promotion plans and organizes yearly strategic planning. Nabila brings voices of partners, customers, and educators to cross-functional teams/projects and provides key input into program development. Nabila is a member of the Senior Leadership Team and of the Programs Review Committee.
Panelist: Dr. Vanja Pejic
Dr. Vanja Pejic is an attending psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Instructor for Harvard Medical School. Deeply informed by her own refugee journey, Dr. Pejic’s clinical work, research, and advocacy has primarily focused on examining and reducing health inequities within forcibly displaced communities. Much of her research and clinical experience have examined development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally attuned prevention and intervention programs in school mental health with refugee children. Dr. Pejic splits her time between two programs, Trauma and Community Resilience Center where she serves as a consultant and researcher supporting development and delivery of trauma informed systems and clinical interventions and Boston Children’s Neighborhood Partnerships Program in which she provides consultation, training, and clinical care at Boston International Newcomers Academy, a local high school for newly arrived immigrant and refugee youth. Dr. Pejic also serves as part time faculty at Harvard School of Education where she teaches on trauma informed school practices both locally and internationally.
Panelist: Katy Noble
Katy Noble is the Global Head of Education in Emergencies at Teach For All, which is a growing network of over 60 independent partner organizations who are each developing the collective leadership needed in their countries to ensure all children can fulfill their potential. Katy has over a decade of humanitarian experience working in INGOs, UN agencies, local education organizations and schools. She started her career as a secondary school teacher in London in 2009, where she taught Psychology, Sociology and Citizenship. Since leaving the classroom Katy has lived and worked in a range of emergency-impacted contexts, including South Sudan, Ethiopia, Palestine, Iraq, Bangladesh and Pakistan. She has also deployed for short-term EiE support to Afghanistan, Nigeria, Ukraine, Sudan and Lebanon. Katy has worked across the different levels of a humanitarian response, from the school- and project-implementation level up to the strategic and education policy-level. She enjoys keeping one foot in teaching whenever time allows, and has been an EiE Instructor at the University of Geneva, a faculty member at the University of Deakin’s Humanitarian Leadership Programme, and a Simulation Facilitator on Save the Children’s Senior Humanitarian Intermediate Programme. Katy joins us today from Palestine, where she’s lived with her husband and 2-year old daughter since 2022.
Panelist: Anies Al-Hroub
Anies Al-Hroub is a Tenured Professor in Educational Psychology and Special Education. He chaired the Education Department at the American University of Beirut and holds a Ph.D. and MPhil in Special Education from the University of Cambridge, along with an M.A. in Special Education and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Jordan. Al-Hroub’s research, published in leading international journals and five books, focuses on vulnerable and marginalized populations (2024), school inclusion in Lebanon (2023), gifted education in Lebanese schools (2018), ADHD in Lebanese schools (2016), theories and programs for the education of gifted and talented (1999). He’s been a Visiting Scholar at institutions like the University of Connecticut and Cambridge. He’s a member of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and has led projects with support from UNICEF, UNRWA, UNESCO, and more. Al-Hroub served as the co-founding academic advisor of the Middle East Professional Learning Initiative (MEPLI) at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
16:00 – 16:30 Coffee Break/Move to Breakout Sessions
16:30-18:00 Breakout Sessions 1
Education is a Decision, Not a Choice: Leading in Emergencies
Room: Rum 2
Session description: The educational system faces many challenges and risks due to the various crises the world is witnessing, such as wars, conflicts, natural disasters, epidemics, the consequences of climate change, and others. These crises negatively affect the quality and continuity of education and threaten the safety of students, teachers and education workers. This requires preparation to deal with crises and emergencies in an effective, professional, coordinated and integrated manner. This workshop seeks to familiarize participants with how to conduct a comprehensive analysis of barriers to education in their context, identify examples of how to achieve the comprehensive goals of education in emergencies, and discuss the three main overarching goals of education in emergencies according to priority and stages. This will be done through interactive activities, including case studies, group discussions, collaborative activities within groups, questions and answers, and feedback.
*Please note: This session will be conducted in Arabic.
Presenters: Wesam Al Hassasnah
Embracing Learning through Play: An Alternative to Bridge Gaps in Emergencies
Room: Rum 1
**This session is now full.
Session description: Compelling and informative play provides a potent alternative for addressing gaps in emergency preparedness and response. Employing play-based learning and immersing learners in an entertaining context creates a dynamic platform to communicate vital information and cultivate proactive behaviors. This educational approach not only educates but also empowers learners, fostering faster and deeper development across multiple dimensions. This workshop will focus on play-based learning that promotes and extends students’ learning and development towards meeting desired learning goals, especially when used in emergencies. Participants will briefly explore the six principles of playful learning according to the latest Project Zero research in Pedagogy of Play, engage in various playful, inquiry-based hands-on activities and group discussions, and will be able to co-construct purposeful play experiences that lead to deep learning for children in all subject areas.
Presenters: Hala Bou Kamel, Nadine Joudi, and Safa’ Obeid
From Creating Opportunities to Building Communities: A Journey Toward Achieving Educational Equity
Room: Jerash 2
Session description: An interactive workshop on applying equity in education is considered an opportunity to enhance understanding and awareness of the importance of equity in the educational environment. This workshop is organized to include a set of interactive activities and group discussions. The workshop begins with an introduction to the concept of equity in education and its importance in achieving equal opportunities for learning for all students, followed by a series of interactive activities such as case studies and small group discussions that address issues related to educational equity. The workshop also includes interactive activities on educational strategies that promote equity, such as fair assessment and flexibility in educational methods. Models of best practices and successful experiences in the field of promoting educational justice are also presented. The workshop is designed to encourage participants to think critically and develop practical strategies that they can apply in their educational settings. The workshop concludes with a closing activity that summarizes the main ideas and encourages continuous interaction and exchange of experiences among the participants.
Presenters: Lamis Omoush and Eman Irsheid
Empowering Educators: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning for Holistic Growth
Room: Jerash 1
**This session is now full.
Session description: In today’s dynamic educational landscape, fostering both academic and social-emotional growth is paramount. Social-emotional learning (SEL) offers teachers essential tools to cultivate students’ self-awareness, social skills, and responsible decision-making. Research underscores the positive impact of SEL programs, correlating with improved academic outcomes, behavior, and mental well-being. This proposal outlines a two-hour training session designed to empower educators with practical strategies for seamlessly integrating SEL into their teaching practices. By enhancing teachers’ proficiency in SEL implementation, we aim to cultivate nurturing learning environments where students thrive holistically. The session will employ interactive presentations, group discussions, and hands-on activities to actively engage participants. Through collaborative efforts and shared experiences, educators will develop actionable plans tailored to integrate SEL effectively into their educational practices. Ultimately, this training endeavors to heighten teachers’ awareness of SEL’s transformative potential in fostering students’ holistic development.
Presenters: Israa Warrar, Areej Nofal, and Darine Zoueini
Saturday, May 11
8:30-9:00 Arrival and Coffee
9:00-10:30 The Effects of War, Violence, and Trauma on Child Development and Learning: Restoring Safety and Promoting Healing with Dr. Vanja Pejic
10:30-10:45 Transition to Concurrent Workshops
11:45 – 13:00 Breakout Sessions 2
Art Integrated Education (AIE): Learning Through Art to Promote Innovation, Inclusivity and Wellbeing
Room: Rum 2
Session description: Amid a world that is plagued with crises, from war to pandemics and violence, art is viewed as a tool of innovation, healing, and resilience. Research on art integration into education has recently gained momentum due to its increasing importance in consolidating 21st-century skills and promoting inclusivity and well-being. However, the importance of art in the classroom is still underestimated, and its integration into education is challenging for many teachers. The goal of this session is to promote awareness among teachers of the importance of art-integrated education (AIE) while guiding them to adopt practical multidisciplinary techniques and necessary resources for successful implementation. The workshop will also highlight how AIE fosters SEL competency development and its benefits in creating a responsive educational environment during times of crises and emergencies. Teachers will identify and choose best practices of AIE to be transformed into their contexts through hands-on activities, case scenarios, a “voices from the field” video, and interactive discussions. The session will also give space for teachers to think of challenges that might hinder implementation and come.
Presenters: Rana Fleihan and Chirine Ajab
Equitable Technology for Homework Support and Differentiated Needs
Room: Rum 1
**This session is now full.
Session description: The digital divide has emerged as a significant barrier to equitable learning opportunities. This session addresses the pressing issue of the homework gap and aim to explore robust strategies to mitigate these challenges, focusing on innovative technological solutions that cater to the diverse needs of learners. Participants will examine strategies for providing offline solutions (ex: gpt4all, freedomgpt), learn about free or low-cost educational tools, and discover how technology can facilitate differentiated instruction. The session aims to empower educators and administrators to bridge the digital divide and create inclusive learning environments where no student is left behind. 1-Gap Analysis: Participants will work in small groups to identify the specific challenges related to the homework gap and student needs within their own contexts. 2-Solution Brainstorming: Groups will brainstorm potential technological solutions to address the identified challenges. 3-Tool Exploration: Participants will have guided exploration time with a selection of free and low-cost technologies, differentiated learning platforms, and offline-capable tools.
Presenters: Lina Khair Rahme and Areej Alia
Building Bridges Towards the Well-being of Education in Times of Crisis
Room: Jerash 2
Session description: Starting the workshop with an introduction about the conference topic in general and about the well-being of education, providing the audience with an interactive code to think about examples about the crisis that the region has been facing following with the interactive code activity about how education can help reduce the negative impact of crises. Share answers on screen and discuss them. Then move to the understanding the meaning of the well-being, its importance and its types and their contexts. After that moving to Learning Compass: Guiding students towards well-being 2030, which is an advanced educational framework that sets out an ambitious vision for the future of education. It provides points of orientation toward the future we want: individual and collective well-being. And its importance, as was mentioned on the OECD website. Then, we discuss how to reducing the impact of challenges (crises) in schools by employing social-emotional learning, and how can social-emotional learning achieve the well-being. Then we are going to discuss the importance domains or area of intervention to achieve well-being and apply social-emotional learning. Additionally, showing and discussing components of a school-level intervention plan, multilevel intervention models (graded intervention). In the interactive and cooperative strategy within groups, they will be provided with real scenarios from Palestine, Jordan, and Lebanon, and the audience will be asked to analyze the scenarios analysis, find what kind of well-being each scenario needs, and planning to implement appropriate interventions.
*Please note: This session will be conducted in Arabic.
Presenters: Yaffa Jumah and Eman Zghoul
Case Writing Workshop
Room: Jerash 1
**This session is now full.
Dr. Katherine Merseth from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Amjad Abu Hilal will conduct a workshop with regional school leaders on how to write a clear and effective case study, and how case studies can serve to inform school leadership practices.
Please note: This session will be conducted in English and translation will not be available.
Presenters: Katherine Merseth and Amjad Abu Hilal
12:15-13:15 Lunch
A buffet lunch will be served at Colours Restaurant at the Landmark Hotel, Amman.
13:15-14:45 Breakout Sessions 3
Empowering Educators as First Responders
Room: Rum 2
Session description: This training session is meant equip educators to respond effectively to emergencies in schools, prioritizing safety & well-being of students and staff.
Presenters: Mohamed Al Amine
Enriching and Diversifying the Curriculum Through Creativity
Room: Rum 1
Session description: An interactive session about engaging students in the learning process and providing opportunities for experiential learning.
Presenters: Lamya AlTamimi and Mai Ekhlaeil
Differentiation for Emotional Support: Nurturing Student Well-being During Emergencies
Room: Jerash 2
Session description: Through a blend of theoretical understanding and practical strategies, participants will learn how to tailor their teaching approaches to meet the diverse emotional needs of students in challenging circumstances. The workshop will delve into the principles of differentiation, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and responding to individual student emotions, strengths, and vulnerabilities. Participants will discover how differentiation can be utilized to create a supportive learning environment that promotes resilience, empathy, and self-regulation. Participants will learn useful strategies and tactics for putting emotional support first in differentiated instruction through engaging discussions, case studies, and practical exercises. The particular emotional needs of kids during emergencies will be addressed by educators using a variety of flexible assessment methodologies and tailored learning routes, all aimed at creating a more inclusive and caring learning environment for all students.
Presenters: Hala Daoud, Rabaa Okour, Ramsey Ata, and May Abdul Ghaffar
Rising Above: Seizing Education Opportunities in Emergencies
Room: Jerash 1
Session Description: While emergencies present significant challenges to education, they also offer valuable opportunities for growth, innovation, and positive change. By embracing these opportunities and leveraging the resilience and creativity of educators, students, and communities, we can transform crises into catalysts for educational advancement and societal progress. In this interactive workshop, participants will delve into inspiring case studies and scenarios that highlight solutions to reduce educational adversity. From adapting teaching methods to fostering community solidarity, we will explore how crises can spur innovation and promote equity in educational settings. Through engaging discussions and hands-on activities, attendees will gain practical insights and strategies for seizing educational opportunities in emergencies and building more inclusive learning environments.
Presenters: Hanaa Jaber and Yousra Sabra
14:45-15:15 Coffee Break
15:15 – 16:45 Breakout Sessions 4
Resilience and Recovery: Nurturing Social and Emotional Learning in Times of Emergencies
Room: Rum 2
Session description: In educational institutions, academic achievement traditionally takes precedence. However, the escalating violence and trauma in the region underscore the critical importance of social and emotional learning (SEL), particularly during the current emergency situation. Research, including studies by Lindorff (2020) and the OECD (2018), supports SEL’s integration as not only beneficial for academic performance but essential for nurturing the well-being of the learners. The presenters will spot the light on SEL’s crucial role amidst the specific challenges faced in the region, using the CASEL framework to guide the design of SEL-rich activities tailored for crisis conditions. A focal point will be the “Rebuilding Hope Initiative” at Birzeit University as an example of systemic initiative at the institutional level aiming at fostering emotionally intelligent learners capable of facing the complexities of unrest, violence, and trauma. The presenters will also focus on practical in-class activities that help foster the learners’ resilience through the emergencies. The various activities that will be introduced fit both online and face-to-face modalities.
Presenters: Rasha Halat and Tina Rafidi
Insights from Finland’s Progressive Approach: Alternative Education
Room: Rum 1
**This session is now full.
Session description: This interactive hands-on workshop aims to highlight the best practices of alternative Education in the Finnish Education system. It is a distillation of 2 years of coaching Finnish and international teachers at Finland Oman School which is affiliated with the German University of Technology in Oman where I work and 2 educational field trips to Finland. The participants will explore the four main pillars of alternative education methodologies in the Finnish education system which are: Individualized learning plans, play-based learning, Integration of art, and outdoor education. They will gain insights into how these methodologies promote holistic development, creativity, and lifelong learning skills among students. By the end of the workshop participants will leave empowered with practical strategies to adapt and implement alternative education approaches in their own educational contexts.
Presenters: Hadi Basma
Equitable Access to Education: Plan B Strategy, Instructional Tool
Room: Jerash 1
Session description: Instructional dialogue, PLAN B Tool. It is an effective and evidence-based coaching tool that adopts six moves with a fixed assessment rubric for each move. Inspired by the following thought: Children are the message we send to the future.” (Abraham Lincoln; 1809—1865.) “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” (Charles Darwin; 1809—1882.) To effectively resist the crisis, Let’s calm down and think about an accessible strategy, PLAN B strategy. After critical thinking, instructional dialogue is the second component in teaching practices that has as primary goal facilitating the learner’s understanding and mastery of a particular concept or skill. Instructional dialogue refers to a conversation or exchange of talk between a teacher or expert and learners. It is an interactive workshop. The attendees are going to realize the effectiveness of the six moves of the instructional dialogue through role modeling. The rubric of each move will be also shared through which some moves will be assessed. The six moves are: ASK, Press, Revoice, Post and Connect, Step back, and Create
Presenters: Sara Hassoun and Dalida Hommayda
Building Hope: Education Resilience in Gaza
Room: Jerash 2
Session Description: This session aims to examine the Palestinian higher education policies and practices before and during the current war on Gaza. As a context of ongoing conflict, the educational process has always been disturbed. Interestingly, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2018, Palestinians have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Moreover, Palestinian graduates perform high in fields such as mathematics, engineering and business. All the twelve higher education institutions in Gaza have been destroyed and at least ninety four university professors lost their lives , Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor (Jan 24, 2024). According to Neve Gordon, a professor of human rights law at Queen Mary University of London, the damage in Gaza will take 10 to 20 years to recover from. So, what can be done to keep the learning process alive? This session is planned as the following: 10 min: overview of the context of higher education before and during the war 10 min: stories of resilience and initiatives from the ground. 10min: Examining some suggestions by expert and displaying success stories from other contexts 10 min: open discussion and reflection
Presenter: Dalya Saleh
16:45 – 17:00 PM Transition to Main Hall
17:00 – 17:30 Conference Closing
17:30 Conference Concludes