GEMS Launches Innovation, Research and Development Strategy

This is the lead article from Issue 7 of the GEMS Family Magazine, out now! We have re-branded the popular Digitz section to cover a broader theme of innovation and it's great to see that it is the biggest feature in the magazine, reflecting the amazing amount and quality of innovation taking place in our schools!

This piece was written by Mick Gernon, Vice President, GEMS Innovation, Research and Development, and edited by me...

See more at:  http://www.gemseducation.com/gems-families/gems-magazine/

On Monday 2^nd November at GEMS Wellington Academy – Dubai Silicon Oasis, the newly-formed GEMS Innovation, Research and Development team launched the group’s strategy to school principals and senior leaders.

2105 marks the Year of Innovation in the UAE with a heavy focus on a range innovation strands across all sectors. Over the coming two weeks, we also engage in the UAE Innovation Week and combine it with Global Entrepreneurship Week. All of our schools will be participating in a range of technological, design and entrepreneurship challenges which will introduce them to new concepts and ideas and immerse them into businesses and real-world learning.

The best ideas from all the challenges will also feature as part of Maker Day celebrations in February and may be nominated for a new GEMS Young Innovator of the Year Award. These experiences are truly transformational for students and allow them to readily engage with new and exciting learning contexts and push themselves to excel, and grapple with a wide range of C21st skills and competences. This flurry of activity and creative problem-solving supports the direction in which our GEMS schools are now heading in terms of meeting the broader UAE National Agenda around Innovation.

However, innovation means many things to many people – the plethora of definitions regarding “what innovation means to me” is a clear indication of how people view  (test this out on our IRD Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/IRD-GEMS-Innovation-Research-and-Development-138148319862981/ ). In order to provide greater clarity around this, we have recently launched our school-wide Innovation, Research and Development (IRD) strategy.

The vision for our schools is simple – we need to make them the most innovative schools in the world. Why – because the world in which our students will live and thrive will be a very different one from now, and will be again in another 5, 10 and 20 years time. As such, our focus on innovation needs to be wide-ranging and ensure that it builds on the “best” practice that exists now and generates “next” practice thinking and solutions.

Our IRD strategy focuses on 3 key strands – innovation in teaching, learning and curriculum; innovation in C21st teacher and leadership development; and innovation in school systems, processes and operation.

In the recent strategy launch, all our Principals gathered to begin the conversation around this transformation. Key questions and discussions around how do we define our GEMS students of the future; how do we identify the key attributes of teachers and leaders and develop innovative mindsets; what is C21st learning; and what do we need to embrace and transform in how we operate and structure our schools. These questions generated a range of very-forward thinking responses, ideas and potential solutions from our Principals.

Students learn in different ways to how we as adults have been taught. They are multi-faceted - the Z-generation who are at complete ease with technology and how to use it to best effect.  Interestingly, universities have recognized this and already transformed how students now study, utilizing the growing ubiquity of social media, and the integration of online, hybrid and collaborative learning. They have shifted from seeing students as passive consumers of learning to students as creators of new knowledge and learning. The experiences that we are now going to expose our students to must prepare them for the world ahead.

At the end of the strategy launch, we received feedback from two students – their role during the morning was to be Keynote Listeners! The clarity of their messages were very clear – the world from their perspective is very different! They see schools as having to continually evolve to deliver experiences which enable them to learn, challenge, question and solve, and that are linked to world of today but giving them the skills needed to be flexible and adaptable for the world of tomorrow. A challenge for all of us in schools to consider, as well as all of us as parents too!

As parents, it is really important to have your support for this. Many of you work in very innovative settings and for global companies who have transformed and disrupted their industry. Equally, many parents view education as remaining more traditional – it is an interesting juxtaposition! We would really welcome your views and input to the strategy over the coming months and will forward details of how you can contribute to the debate…or feel free to comment at any time via the Facebook site.

The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda emphasises the development of a first-rate education system, which will require a complete transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools, universities and students to be equipped with Smart systems and devices as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research.  Equally, the new school inspection framework features innovation across a number of key indicators.

Like it or not, the imperative is there – we have now begun the journey and invite you all to be part of it.