Abu Dhabi: For the first time, public school students enrolled in Grades 10 to 12 in Abu Dhabi will be assessed under new final examinations set by the emirate’s education sector regulator.
A curriculum overhaul introduced by Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) in the previous academic year called for new assessments and examinations, including for newly introduced elective subjects like geosciences, said Sara Al Suwaidi, curriculum division manager at Adec.
In previous years, public school pupils in Abu Dhabi sat for exams designed by the Ministry of Education. Adec’s high school curriculum reform, however, included elective subjects that differ from those taught under the ministry curriculum.
As reported by Gulf News, the updated Adec Cycle 3 (Grades 10 to 12) curriculum, which dedicates 50 per cent of the school day to the learning of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects, has been taught to Grade 11 students since the 2015-2016 academic year. It was implemented for Grade 12 pupils at the beginning of the current 2016-2017 academic year.
Under this new curriculum, STEM subjects, which include various levels of biology, chemistry, physics and geoscience, are still taught in Arabic for pupils in Grade 11 and 12. Those in Grade 11 must opt for two STEM electives, while pupils in Grade 12 have to select three STEM electives. Arabic, Maths, English, Islamic Studies and Integrated Social Studies are the compulsory subjects. There are also lessons dedicated to physical education, career guidance and life skills.
Among the STEM electives, geoscience is relatively new. This year, a total of 11,690 students in Grades 11 and 12 have opted for the subject, representing an increase in the number of pupils who selected the elective when it was first introduced in 2015-2016, Al Suwaidi said.
“It combines geology, geography, oceanography, and weather sciences, and allows students to pursue careers in oil and gas, aeronautics and space, meteorology and environment, among others,” she added.
The focus on geosciences is also evident in Adec’s deployment of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which helps to capture, store and analyse geographic and spatial data.
“GIS is used as a resource to teach geoscience for pupils in Grades 11 and 12, but it is also employed by public schools to teach pupils in Grades 6 to 9 concepts in maths and ccience. It allows students to use their problem-solving skills, which is a key component of Adec’s curriculum and teaching goals,” the Adec official said.
For example, a recent activity saw dozens of public school pupils chart the development of mangroves in Abu Dhabi with the help of GIS tools.
Private schools can also work with Adec to use the GIS resource in their teaching, Al Suwaidi added.