التربية والتعليم

Current research aimed to examine the effectiveness of a program to develop the professional competencies for Arabic language teachers' female supervisors (senior teachers) in Sultanate of Oman in the light of contemporary trends, the problem have been identified in the following questions: 1 – What are the necessary supervisory competencies of female Arabic language teachers' supervisors in Sultanate of Oman? 2 - What are the necessary training requirements needed to develop these supervisory competencies of female Arabic language teachers' supervisors in Sultanate of Oman? 3 - What is the proposed training program to develop the supervisory competencies of female Arabic language teachers' supervisors? 4 - What is the significant effect of this training program in developing those competencies of female Arabic language teachers' supervisors? In this study, the researcher used the descriptive and the experimental approaches. Furthermore the study was applied on a study sample consisted of (30) female Arabic language teachers' supervisors in Muscat. The researcher accumulated the data and results using a set of tools which were prepared by the researcher such as: a list of professional competencies required for female Arabic language teachers' supervisors, observation card, knowledge proficiency test, and a training program consisted of modules. After the reliability and the validity of the study tools were established, these tools were applied on the sample of the study during the second semester of the academic year 2007/2008 to the end of the second semester of the academic year 2008/2009. The researcher has reached the following conclusions: 1.Results obtained through the observation card showed that these supervisors could not reach the accuracy limit of (75%) determined by the researcher in twelve competencies. These competencies are as follow according to the average accuracy they reached in descending order : conducting field research, building training programs to develop different kinds of teachers' thinking skills, identifying the teachers training needs, analyzing the classroom interaction, using the appropriate specification when producing educational publications, evaluating the school curriculum, taking the right decisions at the proper time, analyzing the content of the curriculum, following up the training programs and evaluating them well, evaluating the various Sides of the educational process, planning for the teachers professional development, evaluating their own performance. 2. The researcher designed a training program includes modules for the least competencies used by the Arabic language senior teacher's while performing their role and these are (conducting field research, building training programs to develop different kinds of teachers' thinking skills, identifying the teachers training needs, analyzing the classroom interaction, using the appropriate specification when producing educational publication. Regarding the other seven competencies, a suggested training program was put to develop these competencies. After the application of the program designed to develop the Arabic language teachers supervisors' competencies, the researcher reached the following results: A) There are statistically significant differences at the level of (α = 0,001) between the pre and post proficiency test in five competencies included in this program in favor of post test. B) There are statistically significant differences at the level of (α = 0,001) in the supervisors performance pre and post application of the observation card in the five competencies in favor of the post application attributed to the program. In light of these results, the researcher presented a number of recommendations including:- 1. Building training programs including using educational modules to develop the seven professional competencies which are not covered in this study. 2. Easing the Arabic language teachers' supervisors burdens so that they can follow-up their professional growth and they can achieve their objectives. 3. Providing the supervisor with the appropriate training and which must focus the most important supervisory competencies before they start their work in the educational field as supervisors. 4. Giving the supervisor some freedom in decision-making to solve the problems they face in order to reduce the interference of the school principal. The researcher has set a number of suggestions for future studies and research: 1. Investigating the problems that the Arabic language teachers' supervisors face and which cannot be solved by training. 2. Future research is needed to study the effectiveness of a program based on self-learning to develop the professional competence of the supervisors in the cycle one of basic education schools in Sultanate of Oman. 3. Designing and preparing some training programs to develop the Arabic language supervisors' competencies that include modern methods of training such as programmed education, distance training and studying the effectiveness of these programs. 4. Building a program to develop the administrative, humanitarian, and social competencies of Arabic language teachers' supervisors in Sultanate of Oman.

Arab league The Arab Organization for Education Culture and Science Institute of Arab Studies and Researches- Cairo Education Department The Effectiveness of using problem-solving strategy in teaching mathematics on the achievements and development of mental computation skills of first grade basic education students in Sultanate of Oman Summary M.A. thesis for the fulfillment of Master's Degree in Education (Curricula and Methodology/ Mathematics) Presented study by Enthar Ali Al-Manthari Supervision by Prof. Dr. Khalifa Abd Samie Khalifa Professor of Curricula and Methodology(Mathematics) 1430H – 2009 AC Summary of the study The use of problem-solving strategy as a method of teaching was in line with the emergence of the concept of modern curriculum, and it is used effectively to achieve educational goals. Many of the previous studies have shown that problem-solving strategy has great importance in the development of numeric skills. On this regard, the current study attempted to measure the effectiveness of using problem-solving strategy in teaching the calculation of numbers for grade one of basic education students. This was done through training students to use some mathematical problem-solving strategies and the impact on the overall performance in mathematics and in the development of mental computation skills. The problem of study The problem of the study was identified through answering the following question: How effective is the use of problem-solving strategy in teaching of mathematics on the achievements and development of mental computation skills of first grade basic education students in Sultanate of Oman? This question can be divided into the following sub-questions: 1) How effective is the use of problem-solving strategy in teaching of mathematics on the achievements of grade one basic education students? 3) How effective is the use of problem-solving strategy in teaching of mathematics in the development of mental computation skills of grade one of basic education students? The Importance of the study The study is important because it: 1. It is expected that it will be useful to the following people: • helps curriculum planners in organizing the academic content of mathematics in a clearer way to the learner, teacher and parents. • helps mathematics teachers in delivering the subject through problem-solving strategy in a coherent and organized way. • helps students to carry out arithmetic calculations in various ways, accurately and at a good speed. 2. The Study provides a guide that helps the teacher to teach calculation of numbers in mathematics curriculum for grade one of basic education, which includes the use of certain types of mathematical problem-solving strategies to find the result of calculations of addition and subtraction of natural numbers in the (100). 3. The study presents a student activities book specific for operations with numbers in light of the goals established therein. 4. The study provides a test in mathematics with high degree of reliability which can be benefited from. 5. The study provides a test of mental computation with high degree of reliability which can be benefited from. Study sample The researcher has chosen the study sample, deliberately, from two basic education schools, in order to stabilize the variables that may affect the course of study such as the economic and social level, where the sample of pupils in schools represent almost the same variables . As a result, two schools have been selected: Manba' Al-Elm School for basic education (1-4), and Khadra Ibri school for basic education (1-4). Also two first-grade basic education classes were selected from each school and were randomly classified into two groups: the experimental group with (32) pupils, and the controlling group with (34) pupils. Study tools To achieve the objectives of the study the researcher prepared the following tools: 1. Re-building the teacher's guide for the teaching of number calculation using the problem-solving strategy. 2. Writing a student's activities book. 3. Preparing a mathematics achievement test. 4. Preparing mental computation test. Study Procedures Followed the researcher to collect data and answer questions about the study, the following steps: 1) Review of educational literature and previous studies on the present study, in order to benefit from the results in the current study. 2) Analysis of the mathematics curriculum for grade one of basic education on Sultanate of Oman, for use in the preparation of the current study tools. 3) Re-building of the teacher's guide for the teaching of number calculation using problem-solving strategy. 4) Randomize the selection of two schools, and to identify the study sample, and divided into two groups: the experimental group and the controlled group, and the selection of teachers. 5) Verification of the equality of the experimental group and control group in the variables for the characteristics of the sample, and the variables for the study procedures. 6) The application of the experience of the study. 7) The application of the tests: the achievement test in mathematics and mental computation test for the two groups for the study. 8) Statistical analysis for the data. 9) Writing and discuss the results and propose recommendations. Statistical treatment The researcher used the following statistical treatments to test the validity of the assumptions and to answer the main question of the study: 1. Independent-Samples T Test to determine the significance of the difference in the average of students' marks in the experimental group and the controlled group in the achievement test in mathematics, and in the mental computation test. 2. Calculate the impact of using problem-solving strategy in teaching on the achievements, and the development of mental computation skills using the impact influence formula (Eta ²). Summary of the study results 1. There is a significant statistical difference at the level (0.05) between the average grades of the experimental group and the controlled group in the achievement test in mathematics for the favour of the experimental group. 2. There is a significant statistical difference at the level (0.05) between the average grades of the experimental group and the controlled group in the mental computation test for the favour of the experimental group. These results confirm the effectiveness of the use of problem-solving strategy in teaching of mathematics in the achievement and the development of mental computation skills of the first-grade basic education students in Sultanate of Oman.

The Roles of the Heads of the Academic Departments in Applying the Knowledge Management in the Egyptian Universities. Abstract: This study aims at identifying the roles and relevant responsibilities of the heads of the academic departments, which contribute to the application of the knowledge management in the Egyptian universities. For achieving such a goal, the study seeks to answer the following questions: (1) What is the intellectual and conceptual frame upon which the knowledge management is based?. (2) What is the role of the leaders in achieving the tasks and requirements of the knowledge management?. (3) What are the roles of the heads of the academic departments, which can contribute to the application of the knowledge management in the Egyptian universities?. (4) What is the actual state of the performance of the heads of the academic departments in the Egyptian universities? (5) What are the requirements for activating the performance of the heads of the academic departments regarding their roles in the applying the knowledge management in the Egyptian universities The study has used the descriptive methodology. The tool manipulated is a 25- item questionnaire applied to a sample of 150 university professors in the theoretical and scientific faculties – Mansoura University. It aims at exploring the actual state of the performance of the heads of the academic departments in regarding to their roles and responsibilities of relevance for the achievement of the knowledge management from the point of view of the university professors. The study has identified four major roles and responsibilities assigned to the heads of the academic departments for achieving the knowledge management in the universities: 1- The role as a administration, 2- The role as an leader, 3- The role as a scientist and a scholar,4- The role as one who develops the performance of the university professors. The study has concluded that the performance of the heads of the academic departments of their roles and responsibilities is not up to the standard. The study eventually has set a group of tasks and responsibilities of the heads of the academic departments have to perform to apply the knowledge management and laid some suggested theses.