Practicum Showcase Conference 2023

The LUMS Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education hosted the second Practicum Showcase Conference on 18th April, 2023 to present the research and ideas of students to the relevant stakeholders and industry experts. The conference aimed to bring students, teachers, and industry experts from the educational arena under a single roof and initiate conversations on critical issues and dilemmas surrounding learning pedagogies in Pakistan. The event could become a reality due to SOE’s collaboration with its practicum partners which included: Akhuwat, Beaconhouse School System, The City School, Teach for Pakistan, Maktab, IdaraTaleem-o-Aagahi, Teach the World, Oxford University Press, Rupani Foundation Pakistan, Alberuni International School, The Learning Hub, Door of Awareness, Punjab Skills Development Fund, SICAS, The Sadpara Schools, The Little Art, Deaf Reach, DAMEN, The Educators, LUMS Learning Institute, Knowledge Platform, and Ala-ud-Din Academy.

The Conference consisted of gallery walk presentations and panel discussions. Each category focused on presenting the learning of the final year students from their practicum project. While some groups presented their project details on their respective setup during the gallery walk, others moderated a panel discussion based on their project ideas.

The conference kickstarted with a keynote by the CEO and founder of Teach for Pakistan, Khadija Bakhtiar. She talked about the need for political reform and strategy to bring sustainable change within the educational environment of Pakistan. She highlighted the need to cultivate leaders who bring children to the central point of reform discussion. Khadija Bakhtiar explicated the importance of systemic changes and collective ownership, be it teachers, policymakers, or elite institutions. She stressed on the fact that it is every stakeholders’ responsibility to work on cultivating self-belief and learning opportunities for students. She said, “Hope is a moral imperative, fuel it with excellence and hard work.”

The gallery walk consisted of project displays where group members presented their ideas and work to the attendees. The projects on display catered to various topics, from stakeholder management, empowerment, and curriculum development for deaf students to reading intervention, the impact of malnutrition on student learning, and recycling products as learning resources. It highlighted the creativity and innovation that went into the design and implementation of each project. Industry officials interacted with the students to get insights into their ideas and also share their experiences and learning to help them devise a more targeted approach for their plans.

Alongside the gallery walk, multiple panel discussions were conducted where SOE faculty shared space with industry experts and leading educationists. The discussions revolved around various themes of student projects. The conversation was moderated by student teams and audience members were welcomed to raise questions and ideas towards the end. It encompassed ideas dealing with conceptualized teaching support, vocational training, and learning beyond classrooms. Role of technology was a prominent theme in the discussion where conversation presented interesting ideas with the mention of ChatGPT.

The overall focus of the conference revolved around the idea of inclusive education and sustainable change in pedagogical practices. Intersection of leading educationists with the industry experts led to the exploration of innovative ideas with hope for a better and brighter future for the coming generations of Pakistan.