Fighting coronavirus: 37,000 educators in UAE learn the secret to teaching hybrid classes

Abu Dhabi - They have started attending a virtual programme that involved a lot of live demonstrations and experiments.

Nearly 37,000 teachers, school principals and administrative staff have been learning teaching techniques that would work best within a hybrid learning environment.
They have started attending a virtual programme that involved a lot of live demonstrations and experiments. The initiative for public and private schools under the Ministry of Education (MoE) is part of the Specialised Training Week and the Sixth Arab Gulf Teachers Forum, which kicked off on Monday. Lessons are conducted on Mondays and Tuesdays.
More than 33,000 teachers, 2,000 school leaders, and 2,000 support staff members are participating in the training. The programme initially covered public schools but, this year, it was expanded to include those in private schools. Sessions guided educators on using appropriate learning strategies and digital platforms like Microsoft Teams and Learning Curve.
Workshop participants agree that hybrid education requires "greater skills" as it uses all forms of learning. In such an environment, the student remains the focus, while teacher's role is to manage the process.
Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, said creating educational methods that correspond to challenges is a key part of the new normal for schools.
"I have confidence in their ability to enrich the educational system with more pioneering educational experiences, which are positively reflected on the quality of the outputs," Al Hammadi said.
He assured that the ministry is working to update its educational patterns, especially in light of the current circumstances. At this time, safety of both students and school staff has been a top priority, the minister added/
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