"We foster a culture of continuous learning”
Monique Flickinger, Superintendent, American Community School of Abu Dhabi (ACS)
With industries undergoing rapid transformations, how do you adapt your curriculum to ensure students will be ready to thrive in the competitive business world in the future?
At ACS, we emphasise critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and collaboration skills, which are all essential for success in the business world. Our curriculum incorporates project-based learning, internships and partnerships with local organisations to offer students practical experiences and exposure to real-world challenges. Contributing more than 5,000 hours of service each year and exploring their passion in academics, arts and athletics, ACS students learn to become well-rounded, responsible leaders who are prepared to make changes in the world.
Today’s teachers need a different set of skills than their predecessors as students adapt to a new world of learning. How do you help teachers stay updated and keep pace with the changing trends of education?
We foster a culture of continuous learning and provide access to ongoing training, workshops and conferences focusing on the latest research, pedagogical approaches and technological advancements in education. These experiences create opportunities for teachers to enhance their knowledge and subject area expertise, while being exposed to new ideas and innovative strategies that increase student achievement. Additionally, we encourage our teachers to pursue advanced degrees and certifications. By investing in our teachers’ professional growth, we know they have the necessary skills and knowledge to empower our students to shape the future.
"We offer a creativity-inspired curriculum”
Jasmit Kang, Founding Principal, Glendale International School
Brief us on Glendale International School explaining what essentially makes this school truly unique in Dubai’s education space?
In a first in Dubai’s educational sphere, we have a multipurpose smart card for children that will give them access to a range of school facilities — canteen, lockers, labs, purchases from tuck shop and more. We also offer students a creativity-inspired curriculum with opportunities including skills in photography, drama in the Black Box room, Makerspace and Design Technology room with an engineering focus, AI robots, and breakout zones inside and outside of the classroom, with unparalleled sports facilities starting from FS.
Today’s teachers need a different set of skills than their predecessors as students adapt to a new world of learning. How do you help teachers stay updated and keep pace with the changing trends of education?
Training and development is key for our staff and we curate that in-house. The best professional development is to learn and share what works for a range of subjects and developing strategies that can be used in an educator’s own classroom practice. Giving more opportunities for peer observation and feedback help raise standards consistently and allow our teachers to feel comfortable, learning and showcasing their teaching strategies in collaboration. Regular staff meetings related to curriculum enhancement is paramount, with a clear, consistent vision driving the priorities for the school development plan.
Human relationships hold the key to high-quality education”
Dr Steve Druggan, Superintendent, American School of Dubai (ASD)
With the education sector across the world reimagining its role to keep up with the digital era, what, according to you, are the best ways that schools can strike a balance between technology and learning objectives?
For now, the key to high-quality education is the human relationships that form the core of all great schools. The teachers in these schools know how to bring digital technologies into the teaching and learning process. At ASD, we invest the vast majority of our resources in hiring and developing the best faculty in the world. These faculty work with students to use technology in a creative and empowering way.
What does innovation mean to ASD and what are the various approaches you implement to enhance classroom experiences and learning outcomes?
Innovation means different things for the various facets of life within ASD. For example, we continue to develop our communications technologies to keep everyone updated about what is happening on our unique campus. We also continue to innovate on how we shorten the feedback loop for all learners. We know that students want to learn from their work and mistakes, and innovating around shortening this feedback loop is something we look forward to enhancing in the years ahead.
We also recognise that innovation is often made possible by people being able to connect seemingly unconnected ideas and thoughts; that is an area where an American curriculum truly shines as we do not force students into a narrow path of learning during some of the most creative years of their lives.
