Dubai's newest schools are focusing on integrating coding and new technology into teaching methods to ensure all their pupils learn problem solving and critical thinking.
Dunecrest American School, which launched in September, starts teaching coding to children as young as three. Bill Delbrugge, director of the school, believes that rather than treating coding as something to be learnt in isolation, it should be embedded in everything that children do.
An example lesson for three-year-olds might see a child who is learning about the Wizard of Oz tasked with getting Dorothy from point A to point B on a computer screen. When they push arrows to move Dorothy, they are learning to sequence.
Nigel Cropley, principal at Gems Founders School Al Mizhar, which also launched in September, said the school aims for all their pupils to be coders "from foundation stage to Year 13".
“We want these children to be problem solvers. It’s about solving real-world problems with the use of technology,” said Mr Cropley.
Pupils at the school will do projects looking at issues such as how the school can be more energy efficient.
The school also has an innovation wing where children can innovate and do complex coding, and they also have 3D printers.
Joanne Wells, principal at South View School, said the fact that technology affects every part of our life is at the heart of the way they now run the school.
However, she believes at the same time that preparing children for a distant future should not mean overlooking the present.
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"Everyone talks about getting the child ready for 20-25 years later, but, on any given day, a child is just trying to do their best. What matters to them is now.
"They can’t just be sat down and told about the future. It has to be about now as well,” she said.
Teaching children soft skills and financial understanding is as important as teaching them coding, added Ms Wells.
Another new school, Dubai International Academy Al Barsha, has a product design laboratory where pupils can do 3D imaging and design. They blend traditional design with modern technology.
At this laboratory, pupils can design and manufacture their own products. Hammers, screws, and tools are laid out in an industrial fashion alongside printers and laptops — pupils actively design on computers, use a projector to project the designs on the material and then make the object.
Pupils study robotics and coding in primary and secondary school. There are robotics clubs and programming sessions available to senior classes.
The school also has a digital design studio, where pupils are faced with a research problem and have to create a solution.
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
The biog
DOB: March 13, 1987
Place of birth: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia but lived in Virginia in the US and raised in Lebanon
School: ACS in Lebanon
University: BSA in Graphic Design at the American University of Beirut
MSA in Design Entrepreneurship at the School of Visual Arts in New York City
Nationality: Lebanese
Status: Single
Favourite thing to do: I really enjoy cycling, I was a participant in Cycling for Gaza for the second time this year
Essentials
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours.
The package
Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Januzaj's club record
Manchester United 50 appearances, 5 goals
Borussia Dortmund (loan) 6 appearances, 0 goals
Sunderland (loan) 25 appearances, 0 goals
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
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