SHARJAH // At 35, Emirati teacher Hani Khalil spends most of his days in front of a government school classroom, but this week he found himself learning alongside sixth-graders at an Australian curriculum school.
Everything about his new environment was different from Mr Khalil’s home school, Sultan Bin Saqr. The pupils spoke English, not Arabic. The open-concept classrooms were surrounded by glass walls. Pupils sat in groups around small tables as they pinched and tapped their personal iPads to complete assignments and communicate with each other and their teacher, 56-year-old Jean McDonald.
Mr Khalil took notes and nodded as Mrs McDonald instructed her pupils and demonstrated an online reading programme called myON, which tracks and promotes children’s reading comprehension.
The immersive exercise is repeated once a week for 8 weeks as part of a mentoring programme between Emirati public-school teachers and principals and their peers from the Victoria International School of Sharjah (VISS).
The idea is to promote an exchange of knowledge and practical ideas between the two vastly different academic cultures.
Mr Khalil said the regular visits to VISS had helped introduce him to new concepts as a teacher.
“I’m attending different classes, so I catch some ideas from each,” said Mr Khalil, a sixth-grade special-needs teacher who is working on developing programmes at his school aimed at improving pupils’ reading, writing and maths skills. “You know, more methods of learning, a lot of strategies and how to use the computer. We get better ideas of how to assess the students.”
When it was launched last year, more than 70 Emirati teachers and 50 principals from 50 government primary schools were mentored by VISS staff. The Sharjah Educational Council, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, extended the programme this year to include about 30 teachers and 20 principals from government secondary schools.
“This year, we had a record number of our teachers volunteering to take part in the programme as mentors. Everyone wants to be involved,” said Dr Roderick Crouch, principal at VISS.
Each day of the weekly programme includes classroom observations and specially designed workshops covering a range of topics, including the difference in the learning capabilities of boys and girls, student well-being, best practices and curriculum planning in English, mathematics, science and Arabic, and using technology, Dr Crouch said.
He also leads management training for the principals, where issues such as performance management, teacher appraisal, implementing technology in classrooms and time management are addressed.
An Emirati principal, Bader Al Hosany, said the workshops had introduced him to novel procedures and strategies.
“They have also more experience here,” said Mr Al Hosany, 40.
Another principal, Waleed Nasser, said it was beneficial to see how other schools operate.
“We asked for these kinds of workshops,” Mr Waleed said. “Most of our work is dependent on the zone or the council or the Ministry of Education, but here at an independent school, you have your own way of choosing, deciding, so this was very helpful for us.
“So, we will adapt it in our own way. Dealing with a weak teacher, for example, or student, this will help us. Most of what is mentioned in the programme, we do need in our school, but in a different way. It’s good experience for us to have a workshop in a private school and this was very helpful.
“We have a lot of challenges in school and having more than one point of view is better for us.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
57%20Seconds
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
