A Study of Educational Reform & Teacher Training in Oman

Training plays an important part in supporting educational reform in Oman. This report looks at the effectiveness of the 2005 Primary Teachers’ Course (PRIT) for cycle 1 (grades 1-4) in preparing and supporting English teachers in implementing the new national curriculum. A number of key issues are identified, such as the importance of training courses and their need to focus on teachers’ requirements and interests. The need to update the course and introduce more activity types and modes of input is discussed. The article ends with suggestions for ways to continue supporting teachers in implementing the new curriculum. These include an on-going system of support where the trainer develops links with supervisors and senior teachers, and also the development of self-assessment and small-scale classroom-based research strategies, with which teachers can investigate their own practice