Dubai: The classroom of the future will be showcased during the Global Education Supplies and Solutions Dubai (GESS Dubai) next month.
Experts who will be attending the event, to be held from February 27 to March 1, said classroom design has been shown to have an impact on learning outcomes.
“Recent developments in technology, featuring robot teaching assistants, for instance, or new learning formats all require an enabling infrastructure for the benefits to be fully harnessed both by the teachers and students,” said Matt Thompson, project director at Tarsus F&E LLC Middle East, organisers of GESS Dubai.
GESS Dubai has partnered with companies such as Intermetal and Office Inspirations in transforming assigned conference rooms to set-ups of the classrooms of the future, highlighting how the environment and infrastructure as well as technologies can positively impact a teacher’s or student’s performance.
On Saturday, organisers said although educators instinctively know that the design of a classroom impacts on the learning rates of pupils, it has been surprisingly difficult to prove. However, a team of researchers at the University of Salford, Manchester, headed by Professor Peter Barrett, has provided “a provable link” between the physical space and learning outcomes through a study that took eight years to complete.
Based on the results of the HEAD (Holistic Evidence and Design) Project, “clear evidence” has been found that well-designed primary schools boost children’s academic performance in reading, writing and maths.
Meanwhile, academic research done in the US and Canada has found that a classroom designed to be more flexible enhanced student creativity and increased their engagement and motivation.
Another international expert, Christian Eineder, executive director at International Business of Hohenloher, a German-based firm providing innovative equipment to educational institutions around the world, will introduce different concepts of flexible learning environments to education professionals in the Middle East as part of the Worlddidac Mini Conference at GESS Dubai.
GESS Dubai, to be held at Shaikh Saeed Halls of the Dubai World Trade Centre, is free to -attend for education professionals and the public who wish to see education innovation and advances from around the world in action through various workshops and sessions, as well as exhibition showcases from over 550 leading global education-focused companies and brands.
Registration can now be done online at www.gessdubai.com.