New Arabic curriculum for Schools of Tomorrow

zoom

ICT is now the norm at Madares Al Ghad schools.

Grade one and two students in UAE public schools will learn Arabic under a new curriculum spearheaded by the government's Madares Al Ghad (MAG, Schools of Tomorrow) programme.

The new curriculum will revise teaching materials and methodologies to make learning more interesting, said Dr Fouzia Badri, CEO of education affairs at the Ministry of Education.

"In the beginning, there was only one book for the student, and one book for the teacher. Now, we are using big books, stories, flashcards and posters; giving the teacher the materials they need in their teaching."

Eight teachers have so far been trained for the curriculum. "We sent these teachers to be trained in the skills they need to be mentors," said Badri. From October, training will begin for the remaining teachers.

The plan is to do away with rote learning and introduce more communicative methodologies, she continued. "Teachers will be taught how to implement the new curriculum, and how to teach it in a new way, not the old style."

MAG schools also aim to nurture English-language skills from a young age. Through Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), maths and science are now taught in English, enabling children to acquire the language more easily.

"We had to change our previous curriculum because students weren't reaching the level of English we expected. That's why we have this new standard," said Badri.

MAG schools regularly incorporate technology into classrooms, and English lessons make full use of ICT from the planning to the implementation stages. Lack of suitable ICT resources, however, means that Arabic classes will continue to be book-centred.

The new Arabic curriculum will affect 18 of MAG's 50 schools across the country.

Print | Email | Discuss this article

| Share |

READERS' COMMENTS

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic. Arabian Business would like to point out that only comments relevant to the story will be published. Any containing personal insults or inappropriate language will not be approved.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Enter the words above *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM