8DiscoverNEWS16th International Conference on Education 2011The Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education (SHBIE) once again successfully organized the 16th International Conference on Education, which was held from the 23rd to 26th of May 2011, at The Chancellor Hall, UBD. The theme for this year’s conference was Design Research in Education: Empowering Teachers, Learners and Researchers. Design-based research focuses on the interaction between resources, learners and teachers in natural situations. Results from design research can be used to develop designs, to refine the theories of learning from which they are derived and to empower teachers, learners and researchers. It is different from other forms of research in that it focuses on enactment as an outcome when investigating the effect of educational interventions. The conference was officially declared open by the Minister of Education Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia Hj Abu Bakar Bin Hj Apong. In his speech, Pehin Dato Hj Abu Bakar said the conference was especially relevant to Brunei as the ministry has embarked on a number of initiatives in its commitment towards attaining excellence in education. These include the development of 21st century skills through the national curriculum under the National Education System for the 21st Century (SPN21), the training of the nation’s teachers for School-based Assessment for Learning, the development of technology mediated teaching and learning through the e-Hijrah project and the proposed establishment of model schools at both primary and secondary levels. The minister also highlighted that in each of the above mentioned initiatives, design research education has an important role to play. This inquiry-based approach carried out in classrooms with and by teachers to improve teaching and learning has the potential of transforming education in powerful ways as it will support the teaching and learning that is ongoing in the various contexts of learning. Through design research projects, communities of educators will actively collaborate and communicate with one another as they work through continuous cycles of design, enactment, strategies and tools for teaching and learning. The keynote speakers for this year conference were Professor Dr. Anthony E Kelly from George Mason University and Professor Dr. MA Clements from Illinois State University.The conference attracted more than 200 abstract submissions for the presentations from 20 countries. There were 290 participants from Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Brazil, Botswana and Brunei Darussalam attending the conference with a total of 86 papers presented and three workshops held. The paper presentations were both in English and Malay. Dr Chng Eng Siong, from NTU, Singapore, commented that “ICE2011 was not only a vibrant conference with insightful and refreshing presentations in design research over 3 days, the thing that I took home most, is the memory of the Bruneians’ gentle hospitality and warmth that have endeared me and many other foreign delegates,” and thanked Brunei for its hospitality. His sentiments were echoed by other international delegates.
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