Posted by William Nunnelley on 2004-06-22

A team from Samford University’s Orlean Bullard Beeson School of Education and Professional Studies will present workshops on “Optimizing Student Learning” in Beirut, Lebanon, the week of June 28.

Samford President Thomas E. Corts will travel with the team for two speaking engagements in connection with the workshops. Dr. Corts will speak at the close of the workshop and present certificates to an estimated 160 participants. He also will address the graduation of the Beirut Baptist School July 5.

Education Dean Ruth Ash and Professors Carol Dean, David Finn and John Harris will present workshops to K-through-6 teachers of Beirut Baptist School and Amman Baptist School in lesson-planning, student interactions and creative learning styles. Samford student Rebecca Smith, an international relations major, is also part of the team.

Teachers in Lebanon have degrees in their subject fields, but have little access to teacher training workshops such as those offered to American teachers. The Samford team will present programs on strategies that promote achievement such as helping students to become more analytical and less dependent on rote memorization. The team will also emphasize developing problem-solving skills and how to understand and implement change.

The Beirut Baptist School, with about 1,200 students, has the highest rate of students passing the exit exam of any school in Lebanon. Approximately 90 percent of the students are Muslim, but they attend the private, Christian school because of the high quality of its education programs. The school is open to all faiths.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.