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What’s the right teaching method?

DUBAI - Some students find conversations with the teacher on the birds they notice on the way to school informative. Some prefer a power point presentation on the birds in the UAE while others respond to a drawing assignment on the local birds.

So what is the right method to teach?

Teacher trainers say there is very little research in the UAE on effective teaching practices that can lead to enhanced learning outcomes of the students.

There is no one way to teach, and effective teaching methods vary from country to country. Finding what suits best requires serious research, something the UAE lacks, say experts

Dr Peggy Blackwell, Dean of the College of Education at the Zayed University, says there is a plethora of research on what affects learning outcomes in the West but those methods cannot be expected to produce the same results in the UAE.

“Student learning methods in the US cannot just be dropped in the UAE and yield the same results,” she said.

“Hypothesis for similar studies can be developed from the research in other countries for local outcomes.”

There is a large grey area when it comes to education research in the UAE, as highlighted by Professor Ian R. Haslam, Vice Chancellor of the Emirates College for Advanced Education in Abu Dubai.

The institute is currently preparing 600 students with modern teaching practices to facilitate the improvement of school education in the UAE.

“There is a dearth of research on teachers and teaching methods adopted in the classroom and a lot needs to be done,” Haslam said.

“We are looking to collaborate with the UAE University, Zayed University and Higher Colleges of Technology to set up a research cohort to understand the need of the students and what works best.”

Two professors of the Zayed University undertook a study with 700 Emirati students of the university, assessing their learning styles. The research was published last year by Tofi Rahal and David Palfreyman in the ‘Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives’, an international journal.

The study aimed to identify the learning styles of students and to use the knowledge to teach students accordingly.

Using a Building Excellence survey by Rundle & Dunn 1996-2007, students had to respond to 124 short items.

As a result, the study found that the verbal style of learning (by talking) is the most favoured among students and a discussion based class could benefit students.

The tactual style (using the hands and body while learning) was preferred by students from less economically/academically advantaged backgrounds.

Students attending government schools seemed comfortable with a visual picture style of presentation.

Recommendations by the researchers include conducting pilot studies of a similar nature in government and private schools and training teachers on learning style-matched instruction. The aim is to move the traditional educational practices from teacher to student-centered.

Students pursuing degrees at the Zayed University are being taught to mould their methods according to the potential of the students. Blackwell said students are given the knowledge to be applied in the classroom, but it must be backed by professional development strategies during their career.

“There is no one way for a teacher to behave or teach,” she said.

“The overall objective of the teacher is to optimise learning for everyone in the classroom.”

Shortcomings in the education sector have been highlighted in various evidence based programmes that analyse and aim to raise the standards of education in schools in the country.

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority, that inspected schools in Dubai last year revealed that teaching methodologies in public schools need an upgrade to improve student progress and attainment in subjects.

Students in private schools were found under performing in the Arabic language subject. A rank to schools, based on their performance will encourage schools in the emirate to rethink their practices.

In Abu Dhabi, the need to raise the standards in public schools has led to several public private partnerships with the Abu Dhabi Education Council.

Recording successful practices that have led to better student outcomes is also required, which not only provides a database but is an incentive to teachers to continue innovating.

The Madaras Al Ghad project (MAG Future Schools) began as a pilot in the country with a select number of public schools that operate on the same resources as the other ministry schools but have adopted a different teaching mechanism to compare the outcomes with those from the traditional methodologies.

Jane Truscott, Academic programme co-ordinator of MAG said the students are limited by the creativity of the teacher at the traditional public schools.

“Most of the testing is standard and is added to the end of the teaching,” she said.

“We want to move to a modern classroom where we want students to learn at their own pace and provide them with information they can reflect on and apply,” she said.

Afshan Ahmed

afshan@khaleejtimes.com

70 Per Cent of DWC Graduates Find Jobs

DUBAI - More than 70 per cent of the graduates of Dubai Women’s College have been employed in private sector institutions and governmental departments since its inception in 1989.

The college that is a part of the federal Higher Colleges of Technology has graduated more than 5,600 students who have gone on to hold senior posts contributing to the changing landscape of Dubai while making their mark as career oriented Emirati women.

“This success comes from multiple streams,” said Rabia Bekhazi, CAREERS supervisor
at DWC.

“A key one is the relevance of our programmes to market needs. The market is continuously surveyed and monitored for emerging trends that are reflected in either adding new programmes or updating current ones,” she added.

Bekhazi pointed out that another essential key success factor is the quality of Dubai Women’s College graduates.

Once they leave to join the workforce, they are equipped with superb academic qualifications topped with personal skills and attributes in communications, IT, problem solving, process based thinking and social networking.

“Accordingly, they are ready to provide their employer with a new and fresh perspective on how to do things and a continuous desire to achieve and accomplish,” Bekhazi
concluded.

In the last two decades Dubai Women’s College enrollment grew from 135 to 2,200 students, and the college introduced many new programmes, such as Corporate Communications, Biomedical Engineering and Tourism and Event Management, to cater to changing market needs.

Staff Reporter

news@khaleejtimes.com

Want tostudy Medicine in the US?

Need to decide where to study or what tests to take?

This week learn about studying medicine in the US, courtesy Intelligent Partners, Dubai.

In the US, you need to have a first degree in almost any discipline (given prerequisite courses in the biological sciences, chemistry, mathematics, behavioral and social sciences, and humanities).

In most cases, it is advantageous to complete your undergraduate degree in the US to apply to medical school .

Medical school is divided into three portions: An undergraduate education (4 years), medical school (4 years), and residency programme (3-4 years).

This leads to your doctorate studies.

Most students take time off after undergraduate studies to prepare for medical school and appear for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), a standardised computer based exam administered in the US and internationally.

REQUIREMENTS

A certification programme administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)

The ECFMG requires English proficiency (TOEFL), Degree in Medicine; pass both steps of the United States Medical License Examination (USMLE) and then a Clinical Skills Assessment exam.

Doing your undergraduate studies in the US and applying to medical school directly is another option.

International students have to show a unique perspective and exceptional experience for a consideration by the admission committee. Because the competition is high, personal attributes of candidates becomes important at the judging table.

For more details:

www.intelligentpartners.com for additional enquiries that will be answered by Director, Sanjeev Verma.

WORD UP

Teaching Content Outrageously

‘I am Board’ is something that will not be uttered in a classroom that uses instructional methods suggested by Stanley Pogrow in his book on how to captivate all students and accelerate learning for Grades 4-12.

The author provides intriguing classroom examples showing how teachers can tap into their own creativity to create lessons that are riveting, effective, and meaningful.

Pogrow is a professor of educational leadership at San Francisco State University, where he coordinates the Educational Leadership for Equity Programme.

THE THREAD

When Students are Struggling with the Content

... what makes math so hard for students...

...one of the teachers said, “Sometimes I just can’t figure how why they don’t get it. It’s not that hard or confusing.

“But math was easy for you—that’s why you’re a math teacher,” one of his colleagues observed.

So maybe the best math teachers would be those who struggled with the content, and maybe this is true of all fields. When you understand something, when it’s crystal clear and makes perfect sense, it is hard to figure out how or why it’s so confusing to somebody else. But teaching is pretty much a lost cause once a teacher starts believing the students can’t learn.

“I really don’t like to have students work problems on the board,” another of the teachers commented.

“I just hated that when I was a student. You know the kid at the board doesn’t know what he’s doing, and seeing him make a mess of a problem is such a waste of time.”

It’s so easy for us to project our learning preferences on our students, quickly forgeting that not all learners are like us. Does seeing other students working problems on the board help students to learn? ...The best way to answer these questions to ask students.

I don’t really think we want people who aren’t all that good in math teaching math, but I would have to say one of the best math instructors I have ever seen was a woman who dropped out of high school. She later earned a master’s degree, but she starts her classes by telling students, “There was a time in my life when I hated math. I failed the first several math courses I took.”

Students wait semesters to take her math courses.

Maryellen Weimer, award winning teacher and author of Learner-Centered Teaching blogs @Teaching Professor