Acting as an Innovator is a program that awards participants an EU-recognized diploma. Over the course of three years, the program seeks to empower 400 Palestinian teachers. Acting as an Innovator program aims to spark a positive and innovative digitally inclined development mindset among teachers in Palestine. Equipping them with tangible tools and sound practices, the program helps teachers identify challenges in their learning environment, and design and develop solutions to these challenges in the form of powerful and impactful learning projects with a digital dimension. As a result, the program’s impact is maximized throughout the entire learning ecosystem.

AAAI targets Palestinian teachers working at public, private, professional and UNRWA schools in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem.

Focus Area 1: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The SDGs have a truly global dimension in their nature and application, as they take into account each country’s local context, priorities, and policies. Although they constitute independent goals, achieving them can only happen through shared responsibility by all stakeholders, including governments, private sector, and civil society. These goals cannot be achieved in isolation and must be linked to each other in all walks of life.

Focus Area 2: The Integration and Application of STE(A)M in Education
Integrating and applying STE(A)M in the educational process implies an interdisciplinary approach that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STE(A)M) and brings academic concepts into the real world through practical application in school-community and global contexts.

We have chosen to work under these themes, in particular, to link the educational process to global issues, such as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and enable it to address global challenges and incorporate them into students’ learning experiences. In addition, the application of advanced educational approaches such as (STE(A)M) and highlighting their importance as part of the entire educational process provides students with a more comprehensive and integrated perspective of learning.

Participation in the program includes participation in one round only.

One round is about 5 months equivalent to “one academic semester”.

No fees are required for participation in the program.

Participants will receive an Omnia Joint Authority of Education module diploma recognized by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture. The diploma is competency-based and not exam-based and therefore participants must implement a project and conduct benchmarking in order to earn the diploma.

Finland is internationally recognized for its highly-ranked world-class educational systems. Education in Finland focuses on the learning outcomes that keep pace with the world today and is based on educational decentralization, trust, transparency, and independence. Highlighting the role of teachers in preparing future generations, Finland encourages innovation and utilization of all available resources to promote education.

Yes, teachers working at government, private sector, UNRWA schools can participate in the program.

Withdrawal from the program means failure to complete its requirements and therefore results in the dismissal of the entire team.

Throughout the program, participants must allocate time for self-study, assignments, and attendance of workshops. Participants must also interact with team members, trainers, and mentors and dedicate enough time to all these activities. If joining other programs will not prevent the participant from allocating the required time for AAAI and carrying out the necessary assignments, then it will not affect participation in the program.

The program focuses on promoting the digital dimension in education and building the capacities of teachers and enhancing their digital competencies and skills because nowadays the digital dimension has become inevitable in any activity or program.

Yes, participants’ media presence is a requirement because QF is keen to document the participants’ journey in the program with all its details.

AAAI Round 2 starts at the beginning of the academic year 2023-2024 by the end of August 2023.

AAAI targets Palestinian teachers working at public, private, professional, and UNRWA schools teaching different subjects except for kindergarten teachers. Selected teachers must:

• Have a development mindset, an interest to try new ideas, and experience leading similar initiatives in their schools.
• Propose new ideas to be implemented as tangible initiatives in their schools or communities within four months.
• Have the knowledge and ability to use digital devices and must have a connection to the internet.
• Form a team of two or three teachers from one school or more.
• Attend all workshops and meetings with mentors and allocate the required time to carry out the program activities.

Teachers can apply to participate in AAAI Round II by filling out the application form: aaai-khutwa.org/en/round-2

Participation in the program requires the following:

• Forming a team of two or a maximum of three teachers from one school or more teaching similar or different subjects.
• Choosing one of the focus areas and developing and implementing a project under the selected theme. For more information about the development projects’ focus areas and Round I projects, please visit the program website through the following link:
• Identifying one of the challenges facing education and developing a project to address this challenge.
• Coming up with an initial idea for a project to be implemented during the program.
• Obtaining schools’ official written approval of teachers’ participation in the program and its meeting and workshops and all other required assignments. The approval must be signed and stamped and must include the participants’ detailed information.
• Allocating necessary time to participate in the program round starting in September 2023 until January 2024.
• Having access to a laptop and internet connection.

Projects developed by teachers who participated in AAAI Round 1 can be viewed through the following link: aaai-khutwa.org/en/teacher-projects

Round II activities will include physical meetings and interactive online workshops.

Participants don’t have to be fluent in English because they will not deal directly with Omnia Education Partnerships facilitators, however good knowledge of the language will facilitate the use of different tools and software.

Teachers participating in the AAAI program must allocate around 118 hours for the program and its activities.

Schools are required to facilitate the participation of teachers in the program and allow them to implement their projects in schools.