Saudi Arabian School Immersion Program

Professional development and cultural exchange

For a number of years, Northcote have participated in promoting the global development of education through the Saudi Arabian School Immersion Program. The program is facilitated by University of Melbourne and involves visiting teachers and leaders from Saudi Arabia spending a number of months working with the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE), including a ten-week school placement.

The program aims to facilitate cultural exchange and to build professional relationships between colleagues, schools and the MGSE.  It is a good opportunity for our teachers, who act as mentors, to reflect on their own practice, as well as to share in the expertise and knowledge of the high-performing Saudi teachers. It also opens up professional learning opportunities for our staff with the MGSE.

This year we hosted Mohammed and Yousef. They spent their first weeks becoming familiar with the school and the Victorian Education system, participating in a wide range of classes, co-curricular activities and staff planning sessions. Each of the visiting teachers then undertook an action research project. Mohammed focussed on vocational and career education and our variety of pathways offerings; whilst Yousef focussed on curriculum planning using the ‘Understanding by Design’ process (this is the method we use at Northcote) and on assessment using Developmental Rubrics.

A number of staff spent time working with Mohammed and Yousef.  A big thank you in particular to Abigail Egan, Martin Ramsay and Erik Koopmans who were instrumental in the action research phase, and to Megan Young who is the coordinator of this and other teacher education programs.

Ciar Foster