How UAE schools are rethinking education to stay relevant
UAE schools are turning to creative teaching strategies to make learning more impactful
Accelerate personalisation of the school experience
Dr Paul Richards, Superintendent, American School of Dubai (ASD)
The coronavirus crisis has opened doors to rethink education. How do you plan to create a new future for your school?
If schools are not rethinking education, their path toward irrelevance, and possibly bankruptcy, will be hastened. ASD will not change its mission, core values, or graduate profile, but we will make changes in how we deliver on these.
We will accelerate personalisation and relevancy of the school experience through a blended approach to learning, where some aspects of the school experience will be in-person, and others asynchronous. Students will see more coursework in design, innovation, business, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, and other high-interest content.
If schools are not rethinking education, their path toward irrelevance, and possibly bankruptcy, will be hastened. ASD will not change its mission, core values, or graduate profile, but we will make changes in how we deliver on these.
Considering the students’ experience of the past few months, do you think this is a good time to introduce a personalised, competency-based education system?
The pandemic offers the urgency that has been lacking to introduce a more personalized, competency-based experience for all students. ASD is a member of the US-based Mastery Transcript Consortium, a collection of some of the finest independent and international schools, who are committed to this initiative. Online learning has proven that many students not only prefer this system, but they can thrive under it. Students should demand that their schools not return to business as usual. Schools doing this will do so at its own peril.
Implement strategies for positive student learning outcomes
Ramesh Mudgal, Principal, GIIS Dubai
How do you support students when they struggle with certain aspects of the curriculum?
Student learning is monitored as an ongoing process with the help of various education platforms. Effective learning strategies are implemented during the lessons to ensure positive learning outcomes. Detailed actionable feedback enables students to get a clear understanding of the concept and acquire subject skills. Remedial lessons are planned for students needing individual attention.
Effective learning strategies are implemented during the lessons to ensure positive learning outcomes. Detailed actionable feedback enables students to get a clear understanding of the concept and acquire subject skills.
Covid-19 has thrust education institutes into the world of e-learning. How do you evaluate your e-learning programme, ensuring that you meet all the targets of a course?
Internal quality assurance and monitoring are critical to make any e-learning programme successful. At GIIS, quality assurance is implemented in various ways, which include daily walk-ins into online virtual classrooms by the heads of departments and the principal; formal lesson observations and rating of lessons as per KHDA inspection framework; peer observation and suggestions to teachers, and regular feedback from parents through online meetings.
Maximise pupil engagement
Wayne Howsen, Principal, The Aquila School
The pandemic has uncovered plenty of opportunities for new and ingenious ways of learning. What are the key lessons the education sector can learn from the coronavirus crisis?
While we realise that nothing can replace the buzz of being together in school, with some careful planning it can be closely replicated through learning at home.
At The Aquila School, because we were already using certain technologies to promote learning at home, we needed to become more innovative with whole school learning events.
We hosted a virtual iftar during Ramadan, had Thursday project days, and this week every class in school is carrying out an enquiry-based learning task.
The key lesson is to maximise pupil engagement and learn from new opportunities with a sense of positivity.
While we are still waiting on guidance on what re-opening will look like, when we re-open, three things will continue to matter — safety, well-being and of course learning.
How do you plan to adapt to changes brought on by the pandemic and create a resilient future for your school?
While we are still waiting on guidance on what re-opening will look like, when we re-open, three things will continue to matter — safety, well-being and of course learning. We will look at every opportunity to provide on-premise learning and ensuring that we are able to have the broadest curriculum offering, while maintaining the safety of our pupils and staff.
Keep students motivated and keen to learn
Daspo Yiappos, Head of Learning and Teaching, Nibras International School (NIS)
How are remote learning solutions taking shape at NIS during the period of campus closure?
Distance Learning at NIS has continued to evolve. With regular feedback from our parents, students and teachers, we have modified the platforms we use, and the type of lessons provided have also been modified to ensure ease of understanding, use and most importantly, an increased rate of engagement.
With regular feedback from our parents, students and teachers, we have modified the platforms we use, and the type of lessons provided have also been modified to ensure ease of understanding, use and most importantly, an increased rate of engagement.
Live lessons and the use of Google Classrooms have been tools that have proven to enhance the distance learning experience at NIS. Whole school events, assemblies and virtual coffee mornings for our parents have also been key in making sure our entire community come together. A variety of sports, arts and music challenges ensure that the social and emotional needs of students are being met.
We have continued to ensure all students are able to access the course material and it is modified to all learning needs. Furthermore, planning virtual field trips and guest speakers have kept students motivated and keen to learn. Recently, our Model United Nations students successfully organized and hosted a Virtual MUN conference, where they had 50 students from four other International Schools Partnership (ISP) schools from the UAE and globally.
As the head of Nibras, how are you preparing for life after Covid-19?
Our entire school team, supported by ISP, are exploring a variety of different scenarios for September. While we are waiting for more guidance from authorities on school reopening, we have our guiding principles around reopening at Nibras International School.
Any decision made will ensure that we maximise as much on-premise learning and offer the broadest curriculum possible while maintaining the health and safety of our students and staff. We believe our guiding principles make us well-prepared for reopening whenever that happens and allows us to be responsive to suit our parents’ and students’ needs. Our school mission remains to provide a safe and healthy environment where learning remains central.
Prepare children for the jobs of the future
Monique Flickinger, Superintendent, American Community School of Abu Dhabi
Will blended learning become a new normal for schools as we continue to practice social distancing? What are the best ways to implement blended learning in schools?
Because schools are now focusing on digital literacy, problem solving and creativity, students will be able to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution.
The misconception is that schools should replicate face-to-face learning online. And that is when students struggle with certain aspects of the curriculum. Blended learning is really about capitalising on the best practices in remote learning and on-campus learning. This blend is a paradigm shift from traditional methods. Because schools are now focusing on digital literacy, problem solving and creativity, students will be able to succeed in the fourth industrial revolution.
New student-driven projects are meaningful and often created for a worldwide audience instead of traditional work submitted to achieve a grade. By combining the best of both educational practices, students become highly capable of being successful in the workforce of the future.
Follow principles of interdisciplinary learning
Dr Heena Rachh, Principal, Global Indian International School (GIIS) Abu Dhabi
What steps have you taken to deliver career-focused education in your school?
At GIIS, the younger generations are educated in a way that they are ready for life and the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution). We also make them AI-ready from kindergarten. GIIS, Global Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship offers science and technology-oriented projects such as robotics, rocketry and engineering.
We use audio-visual content of textbooks and digital infrastructure/ virtual learning while keeping highly structured and standardized textbooks as the base.
Integrated learning solutions have now become widespread in most schools in the UAE. How do you support the digital infrastructure requirements of students while retaining traditional textbooks as the base?
We use audio-visual content of textbooks and digital infrastructure/ virtual learning while keeping highly structured and standardized textbooks as the base. We also assign future-market projects to students such as web designing, creating an infographic, producing a series of podcasts and making an explainer video. Principles of interdisciplinary learning, emphasis on project-based STEAM and integration of AI equip our students with the right skills to prepare them for higher education, workplace, and citizenship in the 21st century.
Focus on curricular innovation
Sangita Chima, Principal, Amity School Dubai
How has the Amity School Dubai adapted its curriculum for a digital learning future?
Blended learning, personalised learning and active student participation are the drivers of curricular innovation.
We formed a curriculum design team, tasked with creating exciting, imaginative and practical concepts for online learners, keeping in mind that our parents have become home-school teachers overnight. Our approach includes easy-to-follow DIY instructions to ensure the seamless use of online platforms, on-screen-off-screen balance, knowledge checks with regular feedback at every stage, measuring progress through formative online assessments and the exchange of ideas and opinions among classmates to nurture friendships. Blended learning, personalised learning and active student participation are the drivers of curricular innovation.
What steps have you taken to deliver career-focused education?
Our goal is to impart key life skills through activity based learning that will build a student’s self-awareness, communication skills, problem solving techniques, creative thinking styles, interpersonal skills and empathy. Students also set goals for themselves based on interest, future ambitions and career goals, they then work on achieving them over the academic year with the help of their teachers. We follow a STEAM integrated curriculum with an emphasis on coding in all related subjects.