2 years ago
“Every curriculum and approach, whether it’s British, American, or Canadian, have their strengths.” – Dave McMaster Gulf Insider speaks with Dave McMaster, Founding Director of the American School of Bahrain, about the American curriculum, the advantages of studying in a US accredited school, the IB Diploma, and how the students are being prepared for university and careers beyond. ASB offers a standards-based American curriculum. Can you tell us briefly what this is? An American-based standard curriculum is a research-based educational approach for a curriculum that looks at each area of academic studies. We use the common core standards for English and Math, the new generation’s Science standards, as well as standards for Physical Education, Health and Wellness, and Fine and Performing Arts. As the students go through school, the teachers will look at if they’re meeting these standards. We use data driven assessments like the Measure of Academic Progress test, which measures their literacy and numeracy levels. If there’s a gap – which there’s been a lot lately, due to COVID – they can go back and assess how the student is doing against these standards. Is ASB accredited by any US accrediting authority? What does it mean for the […]
3 years ago
Gulf Insider meets Sandra Al-Ajmi, Early Childhood Lead Teacher at American School of Bahrain. We recently had a chat with Lead Teacher Sandra who joined ASB after a 12-year tenure at The Learning Tree. With over 30 years of educational experience, Sandra has also served as principal, vice-principal, and has taught at the middle school, high school, and university levels. Can you walk us through a day in your life at ASB? What does it look like? My day begins at seven o’clock. I go through my emails and make sure that I’ve attended to parents’ and teachers’ concerns. From 7:30, I then head outside to welcome the kids and greet the parents. After that, I usually go into a meeting with other senior leadership team members to discuss learning support, budget, daily needs and all the administrative things that need to get done. If I’m not in that meeting, I am going from class to class guiding and mentoring some of the teachers. I also would usually have technology check ins and parent interviews and assessments with students coming in for next year. That goes throughout the entire day. By the end of the day, at around five, I’m […]
4 years ago
Gulf Insider interviews Dave McMaster, Director of theAmerican School of Bahrain (ASB). What makes the American School of Bahrain different? I think one of the main differentiators would be our campus. The building itself was purpose built to include innovative spaces like the maker-space room, food technology lab, six science labs, two libraries and more. Our staff comes from 11 different countries,with a majority of North Americans trained in the US and Canada – it’s a very diverse group and I think that makes us unique. In addition to that, our founding organization, Esol Education, connects us with a global school network, accreditation bodies and educational collaborations with universities, such as MIT CSAIL Lab’s App Inventor and Stanford University’s Pre-collegiate Program. Our Advanced American Curriculum includes STEAM learning, PBL, coding and design thinking. We also focus on extracurriculars,performing & fine arts,sports and service projects. At ASB,we are committed to developing the whole child and providing a happy and supportive learning environment! How have you been able to extend support to students and parents during the crisis? The best support we can provide right now is trying to be as communicative as we can with parents. In contrast to my experience […]
4 years ago
Interview with Dave McMaster, Founding Director of American School Bahrain American School of Bahrain offers a holistic and challenging American and international educational program founded on the pillars of academic excellence. As an Esol Education school, ASB is part of a family of exceptional international schools around the world in locations such as Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Hong Kong, Cairo, Nicosia and Lebanon. Tell us a bit about yourself, your work and philosophy. I worked as a teacher, vice principal and principal at five schools in Canada prior to moving to Hong Kong to work at a large international school as principal for two years and then Head of School for 10 years. I’ve been an educator for 31 years, the last 26 as a principal or head of school. I’m a huge believer in having a positive school atmosphere and an ethos that the kids and staff would love to come to. The greatest thing I can do as a leader is to set that atmosphere and ethos to one where people want to be there. I think this makes the learning and the teaching much more natural. What advice would you give students from your 30 years’ experience working […]
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