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4 years ago
At the start of a new academic year with COVID 19 continuing to affect the education of millions of students, as we continue to battle with the challenges and seize the opportunities, we are becoming more aware of the social and emotional impact of the pandemic on our young people. During these times, teachers across the region are doing their very best for their students, working hard to support their learning. In this new school year, we, at Britus Education, have a significant percentage of our students in Dubai, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia learning online, interacting with their teachers and peers ‘at a distance’. However, students are also in school and it has been my pleasure to visit classrooms and see children learning and enjoying the new term. However, there is something uncomfortable about watching a group of socially distanced children wearing masks and visors interact with each other and with their teacher. The current circumstances remind us very clearly that there is so much more to education than learning new knowledge – how can we, during a pandemic, provide our children with the social and emotional context to thrive and enjoy life? Whilst there may be a dearth of […]
4 years ago
Shaikha Latifa Al Khalifa, Co-founder & CEO of Clever Play Kids need a strong support system to thrive in learning be it in the classroom or online. With school, work and life in general disrupted so dramatically, how are parents to cope with the demands of future learning coming sooner than expected? Education experts often highlight the necessity of digital skills among students to train for future jobs. With schools abruptly shut down and shifted to online platforms, kids are not the only ones having to cope. Parents are challenged to quickly adapt to digital learning not only materially in terms of providing gadgets, tools and reliable internet connection but psychologically, in terms of getting into the right mindset to get a handle of the dramatic shift in learning platforms. Most parents would agree that the goal of providing continuity to learning amidst the pandemic and keeping children engaged within the safety of home is not without challenges. In the US, more than half of parents reported challenges with distance learning. With job disruptions and uncertain public health outlook wreaking havoc, parents’ stress is compounded by time management and child care issues. Yet, that is just one side of the […]
4 years ago
School leaders and their teams are busily working towards being ready for the new school year. Of course, this year, everything is different. COVID-19 continues to exert a grip on our lives and this has an inevitable impact on schools and schooling. COVID-19 is likely to be here to stay until a vaccine is developed and administered worldwide, therefore schools will be planning to offer alternative approaches to learning for the whole of the 2020-21 school year. As schools prepare for a very different start to the year it is important that school leaders remember their moral purpose, vision and strategic direction. COVID-19 has created a ‘new normal’, but the fundamentals of education remain the same – students deserve to receive a quality learning experience in a safe environment provided by schools that are trusted by their parents. So, how are schools preparing for the new school year? Carefully, is the most obvious answer! So, as a parent, what can you expect from your school? First, you should expect to have high levels of clear communication that keep you fully informed about the plans a school has to ensure your child is being given the opportunity to learn. You can […]
4 years ago
Shaikha Latifa Al Khalifa, Co-founder & CEO of Clever Play When one thinks of summer – camps, the smell of outdoors, free play, exploration, and friendships can’t be far behind. Summer adventures are perhaps the best thing that could happen to kids after months of quarantine and remote learning. But is it even possible at this time? Never have school routines and academic calendars been so dramatically and abruptly disrupted as in recent months. The onset of the CoVid pandemic invites us to look at out-of-school enrichment pathways and informal education as needful reinforcements. STEM for Summer The world is looking ahead at a fast-approaching future, one that is characterized by constant flux and steady uncertainty. As jobs continue to appear and disappear according to the dictates of technology, parents and educators are prompted to look at the bottom lines. Focus is directed towards skillsets and mindsets that provide the baseline for any future endeavor. It is a given that every learner must gain digital literacy. In combination, human-based skills must likewise be developed in equal if not greater measure to reap the optimum benefits of technical skills. Human skills also known as soft skills are the ties that bind […]
4 years ago
Leena Verma, Principal of New Horizon School The New Horizon School opened in 2000 as a kindergarten catering to value based schooling for children in the age group 3 to 6. In 2003, the institution expanded its services to educate children from 3 to 12, obtaining the official approval of the Ministry of Education with the new name, the New Horizon School. Why choose the New Horizon School for your child? The New Horizon School firmly believes in holistic development of the students and provides them with the tools and experiences to blossom and become good and responsible human beings. We have an amalgamation of the academic and non-academic activities which caters the needs of every growing child and we give chance to each student to stand apart and to enhance his/her skills. The dedicated staff at the school provides the right learning environment through their commitment and love for the students under their care. They play an important role to empower the minds of students not only with knowledge and skills, but also with the discretion to distinguish between right and wrong. The extracurricular activities like yoga, music, art, swimming, karate, cricket and football enable the students to hone […]
4 years ago
A look into the not too distant future: Point of view from a Bahraini Academician. In December 2019, two global pandemics emerged. The first one is, of course, the COVID-19 outbreak with so far over 15 million reported cases around the world and around 639,000 deaths. The second epidemic is no less serious, having disrupted the lives of over 2 billion students around the world. It is the ‘epidemic’ of internet-based online distant learning – a shift from the traditional teaching in closed classrooms. Both these pandemics have changed lives everyone around the world forever. We are unlikely to ever go back to the way we used to live, work, think, communicate and study before the COVID-19 era. Recent reports suggest that the Coronavirus pandemic is likely to reach its plateau in most countries within the coming few weeks and as in all previous outbreaks, it will start to fall. However, in my opinion, the online teaching epidemic will continue to rise and rise and may never decline again; as educational institutions have discovered that in comparison to classroom, face to face lectures, teaching via internet is in many circumstances more effective. It increases the retention of information and is […]
4 years ago
Coming across so many raving reviews of Little Wonders Preschool, Gulf Insider met with the Founders, Ali Khan, Shazray Khan, and Rabiya Essa to learn more about this outstanding Preschool and what sets it apart. Established in 2017, in just a short period Little Wonders Preschool has developed a reputation as a Premier option for children across Bahrain. Located in Saar, parents bring their children from as far as Amwaj, whilst most live in Saar, Riffa, and Hamala. Little Wonders Preschool provides a friendly, nurturing, child-centered environment for children aged one to four years of age. With a bright and welcoming ambiance, super clean and state of the art facilities, one can easily determine no expense has been spared by the owners. The preschool fosters curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking for children, with a bilingual option of teaching in both English and Arabic. Little Wonders Preschool follows the British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum while bringing in a Montessori teaching approach, which according to Ali Khan, Cofounder, “Provides a happy and fun learning experience for the children both academically and holistically, and the children receive a strong foundation and develop confidence to be well prepared for their future […]
4 years ago
Along with the development of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak are the psychological issues that go with it. Several studies have found out the heightened prevalence of moderate to severe self-reported depressive and anxious symptoms among the general public; due to effects of uncertainty and health-related fears. For students, the shift towards online learning has been occasionally difficult and this has manifested itself in different ways for students not only in Bahrain but also the world. It is possible that one of the main reasons students have struggled to keep up with their school work during the pandemic, was caused by the shift from being in quarantine. “My anxiety levels increased because my future suddenly seemed so uncertain”, Zayn, a student at RCSI said. “Other than that, the fear of failure academically and socially got more intense. A big part of my student life was the social interactions I get from being around the university campus”, she added. Some students may be experiencing reduced motivation toward studies because of the increased pressure to learn independently while abandoning their “old lives”. Meanwhile, the new transition for classes left many students with a lack of motivation that may affect their academic performance throughout […]
4 years ago
An interview with Shaikha Latifa Al Khalifa – Co-founder & CEO Clever Play Clever Play is an online and offline STEAM education platform for children. Clever Play is a big advocate of STEAM education– which basically is Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math, which we think is the future of education. How different is virtual learning for younger and older children? Children of all ages have had to adapt to the virtual learning space but younger ones have more challenge to adapt; the older kids being more technologically advanced and digital savvy. But yes, there’s a lot of things educators have been doing to keep younger kids engaged. What are the ways to keep children engaged via virtual learning? Transition from a traditional to an online video conference has been challenging for teachers as well as students. One thing that I feel works is re-thinking the lesson format in a virtual setting. Giving students more autonomy, more control and ownership of their learning journey. One way that the teacher can do that is by giving children the freedom to choose topics and projects they’d like to dig deeper into. As an informal educator, that’s something that I find students gravitate […]
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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