SHARJAH // Two years have passed since Dr Christina Gitsaki stepped in to head the United Nations' educational efforts in the UAE, and in that time 220 Sharjah teachers have been retrained.
Her work is far from over as she must expand the project to take in more of the Sharjah Education Zone's 320 primary and secondary school English teachers and promote more research into education.
Dr Gitsaki is the third person to fill the position, created eight years ago, of running the UAE arm of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).
There are 75 such Unesco academics around the world, who help countries develop their education systems. Continuous education for school, college and university teachers is part of this agenda and Dr Gitsaki, who is a specialist in teaching English as a second language, has done this by introducing innovative teaching methods and technology.
The creation of the position - funded by Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed, the Ruler of Sharjah - was an acknowledgement that Sharjah needed help to reform its education system and develop private schools.
Dr Gitsaki has also trained dozens of English teachers at the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT).
"English really holds the key to these children's future," she said. "They need it to get into university and the level of teaching needs to be raised." When she arrived, she found that teachers were doggedly relying on textbooks.
"The teachers couldn't engage the students," she said. "There was little or no use of black or white boards to introduce more vocabulary, the teachers wouldn't bring resources to make the class more interesting and group work just meant that the weaker students would copy the work of the people who knew what to do."
And after eight months of training, the difference has been "day and night". "They were bringing worksheets that they'd prepared at home, constructing game-style activities. This was an overhaul reform."
Forty-nine teachers who were preparing students for the International English Language Testing System, which is used for university entry, were given three months' training. It included extending vocabulary and more detailed reading comprehension. In addition, a group of newly graduated Emirati infant school teachers have been trained in classroom technologies.
Both groups are now being assessed to see what difference the training has made to their teaching style.
Ahmad Bourini, the head of professional development at the Sharjah Education Zone, said the project's effect is already visible in classrooms, with teachers embracing technology and more creative teaching techniques.
Even before it started, he said, teachers were asking for this type of training. "We can see many of them are now feeling more comfortable with shifting towards a more modern approach to teaching, which was necessary."
During training with HCT's teaching staff, one area of research has been the educational value of social networks and online multimedia tools, capitalising on the popularity of websites such as Facebook.
Although many teachers were sceptical, most end up comfortable with tools like Xtranormal, which can be used to make animated films. "The students are using these tools anyway, so we should see how we can utilise them in a way where the students actually learn something."
With all that under way, Dr Natasha Ridge, the director of the Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation for Policy Research in Ras Al Khaimah, said Dr Gitsaki's next step should be to reach beyond HCT.
"Christina has contributed a lot in terms of HCT and promoting education research in the UAE," she said. "But for the future, it would need to be something that wasn't institution-bound but cuts across all the federal institutions as currently, its impact is limited. It would be good to see her work stretch farther than Sharjah."
mswan@thenational.ae
The specs
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The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
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Jetour T1 specs
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Brighton 1
Gross (50' pen)
Tottenham 1
Kane (48)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
How it works
A $10 hand-powered LED light and battery bank
Device is operated by hand cranking it at any time during the day or night
The charge is stored inside a battery
The ratio is that for every minute you crank, it provides 10 minutes light on the brightest mode
A full hand wound charge is of 16.5minutes
This gives 1.1 hours of light on high mode or 2.5 hours of light on low mode
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The larger version costs between $18-20 and generates more than 15 hours of light with a 45-minute charge
No limit on how many times you can charge
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
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
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets