Latest Plans to Globalise the BTD

For many teachers and support staff, this is the time of year when you get to take a holiday with family and friends, enjoy some well-earned downtime and simply recharge the batteries. However, here at BTD Head Quarters, this is a very busy time of year. Another cohort from Jordan successfully completed the BTD a few weeks ago. This cohort was different from previous ones, consisting as it did of 20 teachers who all came from the same school, as opposed to individuals from many different schools, which has been the case so far. This is a welcome development and has the effect of significantly benefitting the wider learner experience across the institution. 

I would like to quickly update you about the work we are doing to upgrade the BTD Student Portal. All features of the BTD are predicated on our guiding principle at Dragonfly Training which we have been committed to from the start. And that is that every course must be as hands-on and as practical as possible. This is something we have never wavered from. Consequently, our Zoom based delivery of the BTD uses all the standard features of most on-line course such as breakout rooms, live questioning and communal activities, as well as extensive resource sharing. 

However, the one single thing that all of our delegates have commented favourably upon is the integration of all of these features into the bespoke BTD Portal. This facility enables delegates to upload and download material with ease, as well as gain constant access to trainers. The Portal has now been further updated to archive copious video recordings produced by delegates as part of the module assessment process, and to capture the verbal and written feedback of trainers delivered in a collaborative dialogue that underpins cutting edge marking and feedback strategies. We made a considerable investment in this IT innovation and it certainly appears to have been a wise decision as the BTD gathers momentum.

How is the BTD doing in other parts of the world?

Although Jordan and the Middle East is leading the way, we also want the BTD to gain traction in other parts of the world. 

Regarding further progress in various parts of the world, we are delighted to be working with a progressive group of schools in Southern and Central America called ‘The Latin American Head Teachers Conference (LAHC)’. This highly respected organisation will soon be offering all of its 50 members the chance to send a member of their staff along to a sample module of BTD for FREE as a means of assessing the suitability of the programme for their staff. We are also investigating having a presence at their October 2023 Conference to further promote the penetration of the BTD in this amazing region.

We are making inroads in Thailand via our good friends in Welsh Government and their colleagues in the Department of Business and Trade. We are also anticipating to be able offer schools in Thailand an opportunity to sample a module of the programme for free and sign up for the BTD as part of an Early Bird offer.

Dragonfly Training has trained teachers across Thailand for nearly twelve years now, and I myself have worked with teachers there on four separate occasions. In fact, I had one of my most enjoyable training days in Bangkok with a group of the most inspirational and open-minded teachers. It was also where I met my colleague and good friend Paul Michael who was working at Harrow Bangkok at the time. I am really excited about the prospects of the BTD in Thailand and will be updating you in a future Blog.

By the way, we are currently updating our website. We hope you like the improvements. Please feel free to contact us at any time to provide feedback as we are always striving to improve the quality of our service to students, customers, agents and partners alike.

To all our BTD delegates past, present and future, my sincere thanks for engaging with what we think is a truly transformational professional development programme. We hope that it helps you get to where you want to get to in the profession and we’re more than confident that it will help all of your learners achieve their true potential. 

The world has some pressing priorities – elevating the status and quality of education is always going to be one of them.

Thanks for reading this. I’ll be back soon.

Steve Chapman (Managing Director, Dragonfly Training, Cardiff)