Geology and geography classes replaced in Abu Dhabi public high schools

New geoscience subject was designed by curriculum specialists at the Abu Dhabi Education Council with input and guidance from parents, teachers and more than 42 UAE-based agencies, organisations and companies.

ABU DHABI // Geoscience, a new course that emphasises Earth sciences and other topics relevant to the UAE, has replaced geology and geography classes in public high schools.

The new subject was designed by curriculum specialists at Abu Dhabi Education Council with input and guidance from parents, teachers and more than 42 UAE-based agencies, organisations and companies.

Pupils in grades 11 and 12 who attend government schools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the Western Region were introduced to the new subject in the past year. Geoscience combines geography, geology and space science, and is offered as an elective that is taught for three 45-minute periods each week, said Sara Al Suwaidi, Adec’s manager for teaching and curriculum.

She is also the geoscience project manager. “We wanted a subject that wasn’t so theoretical, that covered content that the students could relate to and that had outcomes that were achievable,” Ms Al Suwaidi said.

“It is probably the only subject where almost every topic delves into local content, UAE content.”

The course is made up of 12 units, or strands, that cover topics including Earth formation, plate tectonics, weather, space technology, wind energy, climatology, solar energy, mapping, earthquakes, rocks and minerals, oil and natural gas, remote sensing, mountains and volcanoes, weather and erosion, and oceanography.

Students will learn about the UAE’s cloud-seeding programme as part of their weather lessons, for example.

When discussing rocks and minerals, the teachers will talk about the origins of the Arabian desert, how the sand got its colours and the peculiar mineral make-up of the country’s unique mountain range.

The country’s natural resources figure prominently in lesson planning, as does the UAE’s role in promoting solar energy.

Space science is another ­major topic in the course that will educate students about the Emirates Mars Mission, and the country’s role in advancing space technology through the UAE Space Agency and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

“The fact that we bring in so much UAE content makes it even more attractive to students,” Ms Al Suwaidi said.

“They’re learning about things around them, which they weren’t doing before.

“We know from studies that kids who do not study things that relate to them don’t usually perform well because, for them, it doesn’t make any sense.”

The course, which is taught in Arabic, will undergo revisions as Adec continues to receive feedback. But so far, Ms Al ­Suwaidi said, geoscience as a subject had been well received.

Tarek Abdel Razek, a geoscience teacher at Al Dahma’a Boys School in Al Ain, said: “Students like the topics because they are related to them.”