RAS AL KHAIMAH // A virtual staffroom set up for teachers in the emirate to share information on projects has helped enhance lessons in public schools.
More than 175 teachers from various schools in the area have begun collaborating with their peers on the Ras al Khaimah Teacher's Network.
The online platform was set up for the teachers who wanted to discuss ways to improve education in the emirate.
Abdeaziz Hasa, a mathematics teacher at the Tumb Secondary School, uses the forum to find out how colleagues at other schools teach similar topics.
"The forums are so famous and we get immediate responses from other teachers who are part of the network," he said.
"We exchange exercises and test papers. The sharing reduces our work and also helps us think of better ways to improve our students' performance."
He recently created an animated presentation to teach trigonometry and noted a renewed interest among pupils.
"Mathematics is tough, but when you make the lessons interactive, they get interested."
Mr Hasa was not always technology-savvy but he said attending a series of IT courses organised by the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research changed his outlook towards teaching.
The foundation, set up in 2009, designed a scholarship programme to train educators in 21st-century skills after it was found that the "chalk and talk" approach was hampering students' progress.
A hybrid programme was developed two years ago which included face-to-face and online sessions in using social media and creating blogs and podcasts for teaching.
The teachers have gone from relying on books to explain content to creating their own resources with the help of online tools, said Anna Batchelder, founder of Bon Education, which was commissioned to design and run the programmes.
"The teachers are communicating with the students and parents through blogs and have a more practical approach now than before," she said.
When the organisation was asked to step in and boost teacher skills, an initial survey of 150 teachers revealed that they wanted to learn about technology.
"Most of them were familiar with Microsoft, but they wanted to do more in web 2.0 tools: blogs, podcasts and social networks," Ms Batchelder said.
The initiative is not without challenges. Disrupted internet service and a lack of computers can pose difficulties, according to 30 per cent of those surveyed.
Ms Batchelder added: "The biggest challenge is also getting the principals on-board because, if they do not want these changes, it cannot be effectively brought about."
As part of the three-month voluntary programme held twice a year, participants had to complete a project like creating an online newspaper, managing a school radio station or developing an in-house communication network.
Ms Batchelder said using online tools inspired teachers and offered them the chance to work with other schools.
"A blog created by an Islamic teacher has received 10,000 visitors - and that too from other countries in the Middle East," she said.
A research component was added to this year's programme, which was attended by 20 teachers, where they had to identify an issue in the school and use the knowledge gleaned in the sessions to solve it.
The other aim of the programme is to pass on expertise to local staff. Mohamad Ata, a biology teacher at the RAK Public School, took part in the course a year ago and was taken on board as a full-time trainer recently. "Children are using the internet all the time and they know more than us. We cannot be left behind," said the teacher who uses YouTube videos in his lessons.
"We need to move away from our traditional approach and adopt these new tools if we want to be better teachers."
To view the teacher's network, log on to rakteachersnetwork.ning.com.
aahmed@thenational.ae
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
SPECS
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Du Football Champions
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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