In the complexity of today's world, in which the economy is becoming more and more driven by the production, use and dissemination of information, never has the need for teaching thinking and producing critical thinkers been so necessary or obvious.
Critical thinking is thinking that has a purpose. How do students become critical thinkers? How do they learn to conceptualise problems, find solutions, and manage complex situations? To begin with, they have to learn much more than they used to and, most importantly, they must learn to use their knowledge to think logically, critically and consciously. So they need to be motivated to learn and must develop a positive disposition towards thinking.
To achieve these goals, teachers are supposed to communicate specific concepts, principles and ideas, and teach analytic methods. Then they have to help their students comprehend them. At the same time, teachers should impart their love of learning and knowledge, their willingness to work hard, and their ability to think imaginatively. They need to trigger a positive attitude towards critical thinking, an enthusiasm that makes students want to be the kind of person who asks "why", "how", "what if?" A superior teacher guides students towards important questions, gives them the tools they need to inquire, and inspires them to continue exploring for themselves.
Recently, we conducted a research project in a public school to find out how critical thinking was being taught here in the UAE. As a first step we surveyed the school leaders and teachers. All said they were committed to this goal and used specific curricula and methods to achieve it. They were unanimous in their conviction that they were teaching thinking. Then we sat in on more than a dozen classes in different subjects to determine the degree to which critical thinking was being taught. The results were eye-opening: rarely did the observed teachers use "if/then" language or "what if/suppose that" questions, nor did they ask open-ended questions that could have multiple answers to encourage students to think and conclude. They did not seek evidence from students for their stated claims, nor did they ask students to justify and explain their thoughts or responses. We didn't hear them ask: "Why do you think so?"
Nor did the teachers give students time to consider different points of view or encourage them to explore alternative possibilities. Most worryingly, they did not encourage students to ask questions, participate in discussions, or express their thoughts in any way. Of the 30 categories in the internationally-standardised observation chart we were using, 17 produced a 100 per cent failure. What we observed instead was mainly rote memorisation, low expectations of success, much concern about grades, and the use of threats. Repetition was the most common practice used.
Some teachers even memorised their entire lessons, repeating them word for word in different classes, without adding or relating information to students' previous knowledge. Science should be the most exciting subject for students, especially in the fourth and fifth grades when they start to discover, analyse, practise and conclude by themselves. But the subject was taught just like History or Arabic - through repetitive memorisation.
The teacher explained the students' distraction and lack of enthusiasm in her classes by saying that the subject was difficult and there was no fun in learning it. She was convinced her students were not capable of fully comprehending the subject much less demonstrating critical thinking. All the teachers emphasised the importance of getting high grades instead of academic effort. Grades were mentioned in every lesson, as a means to draw students' attention or to remind them to memorise important information. When grades take precedence over learning to think, the goal of schooling is to achieve good grades not to learn, even less to enjoy learning. Besides sitting in on classes, we also spoke to students.
They all said that memorisation is the only way they are encouraged to study and prepare for exams. Getting high grades by writing the exact same words, using model answers, and memorising textbook content without analysing it were their main objectives. They were all convinced that if they couldn't comprehend a subject it was because of their failure to memorise properly. One student said: "Many times I lost good grades for not writing exactly like the answer in the book. I hate to get low grades, but I don't understand why I always forget what I memorise."
But the most surprising and worrying finding of our research was the failure of teachers to realise the contradiction between what they say they do and what they actually do. All of the teachers and the school principal forcefully stated that teaching thinking was a major goal, yet in the classroom rote memorisation dominated. To know and not to act accordingly is to not know. Although we only studied one school, it may be reasonable to assume that it is typical of the majority of public (and even private) schools in the nation. That would mean that one of the most important educational goals of the country is not being achieved. And the main perpetrators seem totally unaware of what is going on.
Dr Clifton Chadwick is a senior lecturer and Roeia Thabet is a research assistant in the Faculty of Education at the British University in Dubai.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
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Transmission: 9-speed automatic
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Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
THE SPECS
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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On sale: now
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports