UAE: Expert says schools should focus far beyond academics

Students in the UAE are ready to adopt technology but at times the adults encourage them to adhere to conventional approaches to learning, an expert has said.

Ted Purinton, founding dean of Sharjah Education Academy, said students are ready for the 21st century, but the adults are trying to fit them into a 20th-century model. He was speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Global Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) in Dubai.

Purinton will be speaking about ‘The Artificial (but solvable) discontinuity between secondary and tertiary’ at the event.

He said schools play a crucial role in shaping well-rounded individuals, and their focus should extend far beyond academics.

Shedding light on the ‘Transition from K-12 tertiary education and work’, one of the topics to be discussed in the conference later, he continued: “In Sharjah, there are 11 different curricula among the almost 130 schools. There's a lot of emphasis on the qualifications that the school provides, and a lot of these qualifications are directed towards university admissions, disciplines, and placement which are all about jobs.”

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He noted that there is a need to reconsider traditional disciplines in education, suggesting a desire to introduce new ideas and approaches into primary and secondary schools as well as early childhood education.

“We need to explore ways to progress beyond certain traditional disciplines, axioms, and the features that keep that (traditional) system going. How do you get other elements into secondary and primary schools and even in early childhood education?”

Purinton emphasised the importance of a play-based approach in early education. “In many schools that offer early childhood education in the country, you see an incredible drive towards academics. But the reality is that they are not exactly the set of skills that three-, four- or five-year-olds need.”

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He highlighted that play allows children to learn problem-solving skills, develop language and communication abilities, and understand social norms and interactions.

“If you want people to be innovative, give people broad skills at that age. They should be exploring, playing, creating, thinking, and trying to interact. Yet, instead, often, they just sit at the desks and try to learn the alphabet.”

The veteran educationist also noted how nurturing creativity and critical thinking are essential skills for innovation.

“We work with the University of Helsinki from Finland. In Finland, which is one of the best-performing countries in education, children don’t really start learning formally until they reach six or seven years. That allows children to work together and see a perspective from somebody else’s shoes, or to take blocks and create something innovative, to play and recreate a social dynamic that hones critical thinking later,” he added.

• UAE
• Dubai