Unprecedented Opportunities for Real World Learning

Not Beamish Museum

I was recently asked to write an article for a national UAE publication, answering some questions on technology use and digital learning in our schools. Here's an edited version of the full draft (so it may not flow perfectly!)

What strikes me most about our schools are the incredible opportunities our children have. When I was at school, we made plastic picture frames and I remember how exciting it was to be allowed to bend the plastic - normally a serious offence! I guess that was the 1980s version of the Maker Space...

But it's the real world focus and opportunities outside of school that really blow me away. Again, a field trip for me was Beamish Museum 10 miles down the road to 'learn' about coal mining. Hmm...

Now, our students go on scientific expeditions to Antarctica and undertake astronaut training in the US. Times have changed...

Digital Literacy Skills sessions

1.      Why do you think it’s so important to teach children digital literacy skills?

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs study (2016) predicted that “5 million jobs will be lost before 2020 as artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and other socio-economic factors replace the need for human workers.”

A 2014 report produced by the UK Digital Skills Taskforce suggests that well over half the workforce requires digital skills that extend beyond the basic skills of digital citizenship and that over 90% of jobs now require at least those basic digital literacies.

It is clear not only that many of the jobs of the future will require mastery of digital skills, but also that our children today must learn to be the masters and creators of new technologies. It is the creators who will flourish and the consumers who are left behind. It’s not all about technology, of course. Numerous recent studies have predicted the need for students to develop their so called ‘soft skills’ including empathy, teamwork, influencing, emotional intelligence and even mindfulness. These skills are all an inherent part of the curriculum in GEMS schools.

2.      Would you agree that digital skills should be regarded as equally important as lessons in numeracy and literacy?

Digital skills are really now being seen as a literacy.  Rather than pitting traditional subjects against digital skills, we aim to provide our students with the wide range of skills they will need to succeed in the future. The 3 R’s (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic) have traditionally been the building blocks needed to succeed, but it is important to recognise that it has always been necessary to be able to do something with these skills in order to make a valuable contribution to society. The real value of being literate and numerate in the traditional sense has always been the ability to apply these basic skills. There is no conflict between the 3 R’s and what educators now call the 4 C’s: Creativity, Critical reflection, Collaboration, and Communication. All that has really changed is that the digital revolution is re-defining what it means to be literate.

3.      What is your digital agenda? Are Digital Literacy Skills sessions compulsory?

With the assistance of the central Innovation, Research and Development team, all GEMS schools have developed their own Innovation Strategies, and digital learning is a key element of these plans. We are also fortunate in the UAE that the National Inspection Framework now prioritises the need for digital and innovation skills, so our schools are judged in these important areas. Together with the requirements of the comprehensive range of curriculum options on offer in GEMS schools, there really is now no question that digital skills are a compulsory element of our provision. Moreover, digital learning skills are embedded in all areas of the curriculum, in line with the view of digital mastery as a new literacy.

GEMS’ digital technology

1.      What digital technology have you integrated into the classroom?

Digital technologies are transforming the way in which our students learn and it is important to realise that it is not just about what happens in the classroom. The introduction of the GEMS Fusion platform in all our schools is empowering teachers, students and parents to interact in ways that were inconceivable when we were at school. The very concept of the classroom as the main place of learning is rapidly becoming an anachronism, as online, blended and active flipped learning become the norm, transforming the way we organise and personalise learning for every student.

2.      What are the pros of this technology?

Within the secure Fusion environment, GEMS students are able to connect with their teachers and each other in real time, acquiring important digital learning skills as they cover curriculum content through a dynamic and challenging process. Students come to class with greatly enhanced knowledge of the content and their teachers are aware of any misconceptions, having interacted with the students online, often making timely interventions to aid the learners – all before the ‘lesson’ has started. This frees up our teachers to engage the students in more creative and challenging activities during their valuable face-to-face time, whilst teaching the students important time and project management skills and making them more accountable for their own learning. The students love this way of working, as evidenced by their feedback:

“If I didn’t know something I’d ask a question on there and someone, a friend or a teacher, would answer.” Jordi, Year 8 – GEMS Wellington Academy – Silicon Oasis

 ‘It helps us think out of the box and learn independently.’ – Pritika, Grade 8 – GEMS Modern Academy

Parent engagement in children’s learning has always been a high priority in GEMS schools and the Fusion platform is taking this to new levels, with parents having a real time window into their children’s work, progress and achievements.  They are true partners in the learning process.

“I found the presentation really emotional, as my son had put his heart and soul into the work.” – GEMS parent commenting on the culmination of a blended course delivered through the Fusion platform.

3.      What are the cons?

With the 24/7/365 nature of the digital world, there is always a risk that students (and teachers and parents!) may be unable to switch off and manage their time effectively. This is why all GEMS schools offer a comprehensive, fully assessed Digital Citizenship curriculum in partnership with Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/). Not only does this programme ensure that our students are becoming competent, safe and responsible users of technology, it also engages parents in this key area, empowering them to reinforce and model responsible technology use. We have had all of the Common Sense Media parent resources translated into Arabic, a sign of our commitment to community learning and inclusion.

4.      What’s your rule about cellphones in class?

Smartphones, like any other internet-ready device, are very much a part of everyday life and provide us all with an important tool for learning, communication and collaboration.  It is essential that students do not see these devices as being ‘forbidden.’  Rather, they are integrated into the learning process, and teachers, students and parents work together to ensure the appropriate and responsible use of these tools. As a rule of thumb, we have found that tablets are the most effective devices for young learners, who are encouraged to add laptops to their armoury at around the age of 7 and smartphones from 11 onwards – but this is a rough guideline rather a strict rule.  The guiding principle is digitally normal use and, if a particular type of device provides the vehicle for optimal learning in any given situation, then we must empower our students to use those devices effectively and safely.

5.      How do you deal with high tech ‘doodling’ and communication during class?

The Digital Citizenship programme, along with signed ‘Empowered Digital Use’ agreements ensure that misuse of technology is very rare in our schools. This is proactively managed and constantly monitored. A key part of the Digital Citizenship programme is that children understand and can debunk the myth of ‘multi-tasking’ and learn to stay focused on the task at hand. Of course, the best way to avoid digital distraction is to ensure that students are so engaged in their learning that this is not an issue!

6.      A study from Princeton University shows that we process information better when taking notes by hand because writing is slower than typing (an argument often spun in favour of laptops), which helps students learn and retain the material – what are your thoughts on this?

It is not surprising that we process new information more effectively when we write by hand rather than simply typing a transcript verbatim. Writing in shorthand, paraphrasing, making diagrammatic and visual connections, mind-mapping, and annotating notes with our emerging thoughts and ideas as we absorb new data, are all powerful ways of making instant sense of what we are seeing and hearing. We are also retaining more information at the time, and are more able to make sense of that information and develop our initial thoughts and ideas at a later stage. We remember what we ‘thought’ rather than just what we heard or saw. Physically brainstorming in groups on walls, glass and traditional whiteboards is also known to be highly effective.

I would point out that the Princeton research looked at University students in formal, lengthy, large scale lecture situations. In my ten years with GEMS, I cannot think of an example of students in any of our schools learning in this way from their teachers. Accordingly, it is not a real concern in schools - at least not in good schools!

When students do take notes, from books, websites, presentations, performances, demonstrations, debates, etc., they use a variety of methods. As always, the golden rule is fitness for purpose – we should never be using technology for the sake of it.

It is also worth noting that universities themselves are moving away from a reliance on the lecture, a form of mass exposition and knowledge transfer, as they introduce collaborative, problem-based learning, transform their learning spaces, and begin to offer online courses such as MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). 

There is also, of course, a raft of both established and emerging technologies, such as the digital stylus, Livescribe pens and digital paper, and digital annotation, collaboration and ‘backchannel’ tools that are incrementally improving the digital learning experience. Just because students are using technology doesn’t have to mean they are merely word processing as seen in the Princeton research. A good example of how technology can be used in an arguably more effective way than handwritten notes is the blending of Twitter and Storify. Using Twitter, students can share what they feel are the key points in a lecture or other learning situation, in real time. They are forced to actively and critically think in real time, while creating a ‘backchannel’ that sees the whole group, plus their entire, combined personal learning networks, sharing, commenting, reasoning, thinking and arguing on the fly. Once the session is over, users can ‘Storify’ the whole experience, which in effect provides the group’s (not just the individual’s) notes. These are visible to the teacher and can be used as the basis for deeper learning in subsequent face to face and online sessions. This is similar to the process already described in the GEMS Fusion platform, where the forums provide the valuable backchannel, record of the learning journey and basis for deeper learning in later sessions.

Computer clubs and coding classes

Although all our schools do still offer the more traditional style ‘after school clubs’, we are now seeing a shift towards more sustained, productive and ‘real world’ curriculum enrichment programmes. It is incredibly exciting to see the range and quality of opportunities available to our students, from NASA Astronaut Training in the USA to scientific expeditions to Antarctica.

The focus now is on Real World Learning, as students learn to use and create technology to solve the most pressing issues facing our global society. For example, GEMS Maker Day has evolved, in association with Singularity University, to become the Global Innovation Challenge, which this year engaged 45,000 GEMS students in identifying and solving real problems facing humanity and our planet. Twelve winning teams in categories such as Disaster Resilience, Learning, Environment, Health, Energy and Governance, have been awarded seed funding and been invited to join the GEMS Accelerator Programme. This initiative provides the students with access to mentors from Singularity University, as well as local industry, empowering them to become entrepreneurs, ensuring that their ideas come to fruition and have real impact.  It is pleasing to note that the balance between male and female students participating and succeeding in this, and other technology-based initiatives, is very even.

As part of the Make School programme, students at Bradenton Prep Academy – Dubai Sports City have been given the opportunity to study app development and entrepreneurship as part of their AP programme, under the mentorship of a fully trained teacher, who attended a summer course at the Make School headquarters in San Francisco. This programme is noted for its successful track record in helping students to gain internships and employment with high profile companies in Silicon Valley, such as Apple, Google and Tesla.

Opened in September 2016, GEMS Nations Academy has been purpose built to lead the way in preparing its students to succeed in the digital age, with facilities, expert educators, small class sizes, personalised programmes and an innovative curriculum that are combining to take learning beyond outstanding.  As Principal, Tom Farquhar, says, “We speak three languages here at GEMS Nations Academy: English, Arabic and Coding.”

It is no surprise, then, to see GEMS Nations Academy selected as the perfect venue for an exciting first in the UAE – the iD Tech Summer Programme. 

With this rapid and seismic shift in curriculum provision, we recognise the need for our teachers to gain new skills and stay ahead of the curve. To this end, GEMS has engaged with a number of high level partners and accelerators to ensure that our teachers are world leaders in the field of exponential digital technologies and entrepreneurship. Our partners include Singularity University, Make School, DTEC, Rochester Institute of Technology, ID Tech and Harvard Graduate School of Education.

All in all, there is no better time or place to be a student, with a wealth of unprecedented opportunities to learn to succeed in life and to make our world a better place.

Innovate My School event a great success!

This was a great event and the beginning of what I believe will be an enduring partnership with the Innovate My School team!

16 of world's leading education technology providers introduce cutting-edge products and services to boost innovation in UAE schools

As part of the UAE Innovation Week, GEMS Education in partnership with ‘Innovate My School’ organised an innovation speed networking event on education technology (EdTech) for all GEMS schools. The half-day event was a fun and effective introduction for the teaching community to cutting-edge products and services to boost innovation in education.

The event, held at The Kindergarten Starters school, saw 16 of the world’s leading and up-and-coming innovative EdTech providers, who were selected to showcase their products in a fast-moving and exciting new format of speed-networking – a first in the Middle East. 

Founded in January 2010 in the UK, the ‘Innovate My School’ community reaches more than 50,000 friends and followers through unique events, community update, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The concept is meant to inspire the education sector by showcasing, through a range of platforms, the best in education innovation by teachers and industry experts from around the world.

Phil Redhead, Senior Manager - Digital Strategy, Innovation, Research and Development Unit at GEMS Education, said: “GEMS schools have long embraced digital learning as an essential element of 21st-century education and a medium through which we strive to instill our four core values of leading through innovation, pursuing excellence, growing by learning and global citizenship.

“This is a great opportunity to explore some of the best EdTech resources on the market, to consider how these could add value to our schools’ digital learning strategies, and to network with the providers as well as peers from all other GEMS schools.”

Michael Forshaw, Founder and Managing Director, Innovate My School, said: “We have pioneered speed networking with 130 school groups and 1,517 schools in the UK, so to be asked to deliver a session for GEMS is, of course, a great honour and incredibly exciting. Bringing together the best of British EdTech innovations, completely tailored to the needs of the GEMS schools, and at a time and location that suits their calendars, is going to be of great benefit to all involved.”

Asha Alexander, Principal of the host school, The Kindergarten Starters, said: “Children are the change agents and have a great deal of responsibility for creating the world they wish to live in. Teachers and school administrators, therefore, have a great responsibility to facilitate that change. KGS has always spearheaded change and innovation and the ‘Innovate My School’ platform will inspire to bring educators together like never before.”

The event was attended by Principals, Vice-Principals, School Digital Learning Leaders/Chief Digital Officers, Curriculum Directors, Teaching and Learning Leaders/Coaches and Senior Leaders across the GEMS Education network.

About GEMS Education GEMS Education is a pioneering education company. Through our schools, consulting practice and our charitable foundation we are advancing education for all. Every day in our schools around the world, we prepare thousands of children of all ages for real world success. We are a catalyst and delivery partner. We work with governments, donor agencies and private clients to improve education systems, and provide vital training for young people in an increasingly competitive world. Through the Varkey Foundation we campaign for, and support initiatives that change lives through education.

Time to get serious about digital leadership

I honestly believe this rather unassuming gentleman is the most important person working in education today - and I am eternally grateful to my good friend Mark Stone for introducing me to his work several years ago.

                                                                      Mal Lee

In his recent work, with Roger Broadie, Mal introduces us, as directly as ever, to the concept of The Chief Digital Officer .

As always, Mal seems to speak with an uncanny, almost supernatural understanding of our own experience and data in GEMS schools, cutting through the hype and the tech to say things as they really are. School transformation is about empowered people. It is about leadership. And it is about taking these things seriously.

I recommend that all educators and leaders working with educational technology - and looking to transform their schools - take a break from the tech, cool tools and what seems to work at a micro-level. Time spent reading Mal and Roger's blog: http://schoolevolutionarystages.net/ is, in my humble opinion, the best one can do to ensure sustainable success for schools and their students.

Enjoy!

Changing Culture in Schools

Another fascinating insight from Asha Alexander, Principal of The Kindergarten Starters, Dubai. 

The school's 'Open Doors' initiative is having a huge impact and making some waves across the UAE! 

Read more about this initiative here.

Changing a Culture

A cultural change requires a deep understanding of what a culture is and how cultures grow. When organizations embark on cultural change, they often do not recognize the culture they presently have. People create cultures. Some are deep-rooted and define everything that happens in the organization. Others are transient and shift with changing leadership and staff. To change a culture, one must have a vision of what that change would bring.

Very recently our school decided to open its doors to the parents in a way we had never done before. We welcomed them into classrooms to evaluate lessons and give us their feedback. One of the reasons it met with the success it did was that parents were eagerly waiting to be a part of this process of teaching and learning. They wanted their kids to succeed even more than we did and we were keeping at bay thousands of people who would actually be able to help us achieve our goals.

There has to be buy-in if a culture has to change and there must be a need that is felt by all the people connected to that organization. As parents visited lessons, there were changes in perceptions. They began to understand the teaching learning process that hitherto lay hidden. They recognized challenges and above all they were helpful in providing constructive suggestions because they wanted the school in which their kids were studying in to become an even better place. We had placed our trust in them and they returned that in ample measure. It became clear to us that changing a culture meant that everyone who were associated with the organization had to embrace that change. We were trying to effect changes keeping thousands of parents who were integral to our organization with a limited understanding of what was happening. Every person is key. Each one contributes to culture. We were not trying to cobble together what worked for others but we were trying to make a mosaic of all the patterns of thought that existed within our own organization.

At times, when leaders look at effecting a cultural change they try to do what others are doing in the hope that similar results will accrue. People have to live the behaviours that will result in the change and it will not happen if they don’t understand how these behaviours fit in to their organization. Every organization is unique and must create its own culture; singularly different from all others and as distinctive as your finger prints.

The other thing I learned about culture is that it changes slowly and imperceptibly at times, it grows organically in pockets within a large institution and sometimes it can engulf the entire populace because it is so relevant. Open Doors is a wonderful step in growing our culture because we have embraced the parent community as an integral part of our growth process. Every parent’s thoughts and ideas are welcomed as we try to recognize how this is helping to shape our vision of our school. Cultures need to stay open and have outlets, else they tend to stagnate. Every person that comes into your culture ‘contaminates’ the minds with new ideas and we begin to think in new ways about old practices. This is a necessary part of growth in a culture. This is what adds and revitalizes the life in the organization.

Finally, there is a need to sustain a culture even as it is growing. There is a need to prune and trim and guide the growth so that its shape inspires others to live that culture. When a culture is in place you look at things differently. You search for opportunities that will help your culture to grow further rather than jump into everything that looks like an exciting opportunity. Cultures usually don’t develop if there is nothing within to sustain that growth. You need challenge and opportunity. You need celebration and recognition. You need to let go off some things and embrace some others. Above all, you need to nurture that culture that is so unique to you. If you understand that people make cultures, then you need to nurture the people. You need to communicate ideas, be receptive to thoughts, reflect and refine. The process is unending but definitely worth your while as you create an organization that is singular- one that bears the collective stamp of its people.

A great leader in action!

Tracy Moxley, Associate Principal at GEMS Wellington Academy - Dubai Silicon Oasis, is not just a great leader of learning, but also a wonderful example of Lee and Broadie's Chief Digital Officer in action.

Great to see this thought piece going out to the whole community this week, through the My Learning school blog.

It is so important to engage our communities in a continuous learning conversation around the digital transformation that is on-going in schools around the world.

Tracy understands this. She is, as Lee and Broadie put it, 'a high level, professional educator'...and NOT the IT guy!

Looking forward to seeing more of this from our senior leaders, principals and CDOs across the group.

Well done, Tracy!

Blended Learning Plaza, GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis

WSO AT THE CUTTING EDGE OF EDUCATION!

 WSO is at the cutting edge of education….it really is!

Many educational institutions are grappling with the necessary introduction of new ways of teaching and learning – an educational revolution as it has been termed!

The digital world has been described as alluring, irresistable and engaging. (Fullan 2013) and we all know that it is! The time spent in the virtual world, that is also a part of our reality, is difficult to distinguish anymore! It is positively enhancing and disrupting all aspects of our lives including education. 

When I say ‘positively disrupting’ I mean this in the way that it is challenging and promoting change, to enhance the experience of the learner. It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that WSO is at the forefront of developing new strategies that enhance teaching and learning and we are focused on integrating three key aspects of real and meaningful learning. These have been described as deep learning goals, new pedagogies and technology. The continuing development of ‘new’ knowledge available through new technologies means that learners must be helped to organise and manage that knowledge, to find, select, analyse, evaluate and apply knowledge.

New Technologies have provided not only access at any time, but the creation and sharing of knowledge. The impact of this is on how teaching is structured and how learners interact both inside and outside the classroom.

Recent research into how enthusiastic students are about school shows that their interest decreases from 95% in KG until satisfaction decreases, by Year 8, and is reported at 37%. (Lee Jenkins Toronto University). In fact, it has been reported that students’ brains are more asleep when passively listening to the teacher, than when they are, in fact, really asleep!

Active learning is what engages all of us.  Real-life problem solving makes learning relevant and meaningful. Using Information at your fingertips to help. Peers to collaborate with. Knowledge of how to harness the power of technology to reach your learning goals is key.

As the digital world grows outside school, education must not ignore what is happening outside. The deep learning goals that are integral to the current learning revolution – known as the 6c’s of education: Critical thinking and problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, Creative thinking and imagination, Character education, and Citizenship (Fullan 2013b).

This is most apparent in WSO at P16 with our cutting edge blended learning programme, but can also be found both the secondary and primary phases. This doesn’t mean that traditional teaching is lost - far from it! It is enhanced and, with the improvements, emerges a new partnership – a new learning relationship between and among students and their teachers. It is clear from this assertion that students must take on a greater share of learning as partners in the classroom. 

So, watch this space and all other social platforms to see what’s happening in our classrooms at WSO!

Tracy Moxley Associate Principal 

References:

Fullan, M. (2013a). Stratosphere: Integrating technology, pedagogy, and change knowledge.Toronto: Pearson.

Fullan, M. (2013b). Great to excellent: Launching

Hattie, J. (2012). Visible learning for teachers. London: Routledge.

Homework Questions... and Dangerous Biscuits

Today, I was asked to provide some answers for an article on homework in schools for one of the UAE national newspapers. The stimulus for the article was the big story out of the UK this week:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/secondary-school-philip-morant-college-catherine-hutley-bans-homework-time-improve-lessons-a7334401.html

I won't comment on that school's decision, except that I am obviously in favour of schools doing something to change the status quo if things clearly aren't working. I am sure they will monitor the impact of the decision and keep innovating based on the data. It's easy to criticise but it's easier to do nothing...

I must admit that I did chuckle (or LOL if I was trendy) when I Googled that story and was reminded of another tale that came out of Essex recently, concerning a school that banned flapjacks. Try Googling 'Essex school bans...' if you would like to replicate my mild mirth...

Anyway, here are my answers:

1.       What is the homework policy at GEMS?

All GEMS schools are free to set their own home learning policies and we rely on the high level of professional judgment of our school leaders and teachers to ensure that home learning adds value. This is monitored through school reviews and via the GEMS Digital Ecosystem, which provides rich data on the learning that is taking place across the group. Effective practice is shared and celebrated across the network. GEMS also engages with parents and students, eliciting their valuable feedback through the annual stakeholder survey, complementing the continuous engagement throughout the year at school level.

2.       Would GEMS ever explore the idea of issuing a blanket ban on conventional homework?

Rather than issuing a blanket ban, we look at the impact of different types of out-of-school learning and emerging models of learning, sharing the most effective practice across our schools. As digital technologies and flexible schedules provide unprecedented opportunities to organize learning more effectively, new models are taking hold, blurring the boundaries between home and school. Flipped learning, where students access materials at home and then complete what would have been homework in class with the teacher, is already evolving into a more continuous model of active learning. Thus, we are seeing innovative teachers in GEMS schools running their own blended courses through the GEMS ecosystem, putting the students in control of their own learning. We are already seeing amazing results from this approach, with students learning to manage their own time, meet deadlines and collaborate online with their teachers and peers. This real world learning is also resulting in the time spent with teachers in class being more productive and also greater personalized learning, as students work at their own pace and explore their own pathways. It also empowers teachers to make more effective interventions, supporting those in need and extending others who are powering ahead. And, since all this learning is now more visible to parents, we are seeing increased levels of parent engagement in the learning process.  

3.       What would you say are the pros and cons of homework?

The findings of Professor John Hattie that homework in primary school has an ‘effect size of zero” have been well-publicised. Indeed, the wrong kind of homework can negatively impact progress and students’ attitudes to learning, notably when it becomes a chore and a cause of conflict between children and their parents. Children need time to unwind, play, exercise, be happy, socialise and explore their own interests outside of school – and spend quality time with their families and friends. So, by the way, do parents!  It is imperative that we make room for these things and avoid ‘over-scheduling’ our children – and ourselves.

The impact of homework on older students is generally more positive and, whilst the traditional format of public examinations persists, we will not see an end to the need for students to put in long hours of revision out of school. Hattie is clear that we need to get homework right, rather than getting rid of it. We see two key drivers in the transformation of home learning in the future. The first is that the format of public examinations simply has to change – we cannot persist in assessing ‘Career, College and Life Readiness’ through what is still largely a series of handwritten exams. This is already changing and, as it does, the nature of how students prepare for assessments will also change dramatically. Students will still work hard, as they should, but they will be working ‘smarter’. The second driver is being seen in the new models of learning already mentioned. When learning is organized effectively, giving ownership and accountability to the students within a flexible schedule, we begin to see a blurring of the home-school boundary and more independent learners managing their time effectively to complete tasks and meet deadlines. This is real life learning. 

A Principal's Tale of Digital Normalisation

Asha Alexander (The Kindergarten Starters, Dubai) is, without doubt, my favourite school principal. Five years ago, arriving at a school with the lowest fees in the group, it would have been easy for expectations and results to match. 

Not for Asha. 

From day 1, she has been steadfast in her belief that the children at her school would have the same and even better opportunities than any other children anywhere else. Nothing would be out of reach. And she continues to deliver. 

Above all, Asha teaches other Principals that the digital journey is necessary and the rewards are real and significant.  BUT, it is also clear that the journey is a hard one and it takes vision, courage, resilience, and an unshakable self-belief. 

The risk, as always, is not in doing. Rather, the question is: What if we don't do it?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Brown wooden desks and chairs staring at a white board in orderly silence in class after class greeted me as I took over a Primary School in the heart of Dubai five years ago. They were talking to me as I wandered through the Kindergarten corridors telling me of how children were imprisoned by the fetters of structure and released by the shrill alarm of the bell that reverberated loudly down the corridors.

Then there poured out in thousands and thousands from every single crevice in the building, children of every shape and size that would have baffled the Pied Piper.

I went back to the office that day disturbed by what I had seen. How could children still be learning in isolation behind desks in a city that was embracing technology? It was not congruent to our times.

I had 5500 students and their families and an army of 228 teachers to contend with. This Pied Piper was not promised a bagful of gold coins but was endowed with the belief that freedom is the right of every child- freedom to move, to think, to opine, to play and in doing so to learn.

I addressed this concern with a handful of like-minded individuals on the Leadership Team and then began a grueling journey of transformation.  First, I had to find a small band of teachers to shake the others out of years of lethargy and automation. These people had to be trained and become the catalysts of change. So for six months which seemed like eternity to me, we gathered together a group of change agents and unleashed chaos in the school.

I had watched several schools gingerly putting their toes in the waters of technology, hovering at the brink, waiting for someone to push them in. They have been standing there since. I jumped in with the school. When school reopened for the new academic year there were no text books for the Core Subjects. Instead we presented our carefully mapped objectives and Digital Resources to help transact the curriculum- the handiwork of our Curriculum Head and the Vice Principal.

Parents stared in dismay as the bookseller handed them only notebooks and stationery and thronged my office to ask if the circulars I had sent earlier were in earnestness. If you have ever taught in an Indian Curriculum school with its reliance on textbook directed learning you would know the size of my problem. Yet there we were, standing in front of thousands of irate parents explaining the advantage of technology.

I had considered myself a fairly good communicator but that day it dawned on me that I have the capacity to effect change in the minds of people. I stood there for over three hours fielding questions, explaining strategies and pedagogy until all of them left- exhausted but partially convinced. It taught every Leadership member and teacher that if we stood together we could make a change like no other. I learned that I had more potential than I had ever dreamed of.

The plan was in motion and we would have to weather the storm. Every day was one of hard work- upskilling teachers, searching for the best possible resources and did I tell you that we didn’t have money? No. We were catering to a segment of society who were among the more economically challenged.

Hardship made us creative. We marched on doing what we had to do- mentoring, coaching, supporting and celebrating every small success. I heard many barbed comments and saw the look of contempt in eyes that saw us marching to our doom. “Don’t jump on the Digital Bandwagon- Theirs is a crazy curriculum- You have been given a long rope to hang yourself” were but some that stuck with me and which I use to drive us on to success.

The first year was pure chaos as we stirred up and sullied the crystal clear waters of textbook based learning. We learned and rectified mistakes every day. Some teachers left convinced that this school had seen its best days, some parents left convinced that now it was pure madness- we held our course. Students learned and enjoyed the learning- rid of the burden of textbooks and note taking they delved into the joys of exploration and research. We stood by and watched with pride our first faltering step of our journey.

Our success that year lay in the fact that we did two things right- we based the integration of technology on a well mapped set of objectives defining the appropriate use of technology in each lesson. Secondly, we created a 90 minute block of Common Planning Time for each Grade every week which we protected to share best practice, discuss student work and learn from each other.

The second year was a bold step to invite the Bring Your Own Device program. We realized that we were not equipped with enough computers at school to drive this forward. We must have been doing something right because Grade 5 (our oldest ones) began to roll in with devices. By the end of that year we had an almost 90 % success with our BYOD program. We acquired better resources, continuously reviewed and strengthened our curriculum, sent teachers for Digital Training Workshops, learned from tech gurus and we realized we hadn’t drowned- our heads were above the water! However, we had not yet been picked up on the technology radar of our Group of schools.

Walking this path was lonely because there was no belief in us but I couldn’t let that show. So, I celebrated each small accomplishment, opened up opportunities for children to take part in inter-school competitions, strengthened their belief that we were getting there and pushed as hard as I could to move this juggernaut. But it wouldn’t budge. Or so I thought. There was no perceptible movement in inspection ratings and we seemed to be running on the spot.

The thing about change is that once begun it becomes necessary for our appetites and I had whetted theirs. Every day there were changes of all kinds- in learning environments, in resources, in organizational structure, in relationships, in the very culture of our school. We ventured from the safe harbours of our school environment and started participating in every single digital learning opportunity. A small blip appeared on the technology radar of our Group- Something was happening in that Primary School with five thousand plus kids!

People who believed that technology was necessary to learning began to give us a hand- they shared resources and we lapped it up. We widened our network and searched beyond our shores and then the magic began.

Our brown desks disappeared, collaborative learning environments emerged, our leadership team grew from 9 members to 39 members, Digital learning coaches supported and mentored teachers, a Digital head shouldered the vision and we began to gain momentum.

The BYOD program grew to encompass all of Grade 4 and 5 which numbered around 800 students and filtered down to Grade 3 as well. Laptops with trolleys were wheeled into Grades 1 and 2. With devices in front of every child, students were beginning to embed the use of digital technology, learning to use the most appropriate tool at the most appropriate time to facilitate understanding.

It had to happen. Our inspection ratings moved to a Good and suddenly there was so much energy in the campus. The work of teachers and students had been validated. It appeared like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and an ecosystem of innovation began to emerge.

Suddenly, the sky was the limit and teachers and students started embracing coding and programming. Young ones made rapid strides in Robotics. Spaces were created to encourage Design Thinking and Self Organized Learning. Teachers who had stood teetering at the edge made a splash and the school radiated joy.

Five years down the road, I can see the impact- confident teachers, great learning outcomes, fantastic scores on the International Benchmark Tests but most of all the readiness to embrace change. Parents walk through our doors, sit in on lessons, evaluate learning and have become partners to help us succeed. When they say- “your children are far ahead of others” my mind nods in silent agreement.

This is not the end. It is but a brief snapshot at this point I time. This Pied Piper did not drown the rats- she released to the skies thousands of fledgling eagles whose nature it is to soar and I hope someday I will see them wheeling way up above in the horizon empowered and enriched but above all FREE.

Asha Alexander

Principal

The Kindergarten Starters, Dubai