Cambridge Outlook | eNews (April 2016)

Experts discuss 'learning how to learn' at Pakistan Schools Conference

25/04/2016

Building students’ capacity to understand how they think and become ‘self-aware learners’ is likely to bring about marked and sustained improvement in their educational achievement, according to experts at our Pakistan Schools Conference in Lahore on 11 April 2016.

Focused on ‘Learning how to learn’, the conference was attended by over 250 principals from 100 Cambridge schools in Pakistan.

During the event, principals explored how best to engage and inspire the next generation of students for success in our changing world. This included discussion on how factors such as active learning, assessment for learning, study skills and metacognition are inter-related – and what this means for schools.

Speakers included Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Minister for Education for the Government of the Punjab, Michael O’Sullivan, Chief Executive, Cambridge International Examinations and Peter Upton, Country Director, British Council Pakistan.

A Cambridge principal who attended the conference said: "It is a privilege to be here among top national educators, researchers, senior leaders and most of all, the school principals. The conference programme covered the essential elements of becoming lifelong learners in a very systematic way. I am sure most of the delegates will take a lot of learning from this conference to improve the quality of learning at their schools.”

Michael O’Sullivan, Chief Executive, Cambridge International Examinations, said: “As educators our greatest concern will always be to help students learn better and learn more. One of the most effective ways to do this is to draw on well-established research evidence. Research tells us that the ‘self-aware learner’ is much better prepared for life after school and indeed for life after university. At the conference we worked together to develop strategies that can be applied in the classroom to improve learning.”

Over 560 schools offer Cambridge programmes and qualifications in Pakistan, including Cambridge O Level and Cambridge International AS & A Level.