This year’s conference focuses on ‘Change and Transformation in UAE Education’ reflecting the dynamic period of new ideas, rapid improvement and creative innovation the UAE’s education sector is currently experiencing. 

The Teacher Education Conference aims every year to help foster the development of a professional education community in the UAE and to encourage stimulating debates and new creative ideas for this sector.
As the UAE is undergoing extensive change and transformation in its education systems, all sectors face the opportunities and challenges of preparing students to be involved in the rapid growth of a wide range of sectors in the economy.  Several sessions were held throughout the day focusing on key issues and strategies of this reform process.  “This conference tackles the core of what educators need to do to help make the development of a sustainable UAE economy a reality,” said Dr. Howard Reed, Senior Director at the HCT, and Director of DWC.  
Keynote speaker, Dr. Mona Mourshed, a partner with McKinsey & Company’s Middle East Office, attended to the issue of global trends in education and the implications for the UAE.  Scientific data research provided by McKinsey & Co. provides that there are a handful of countries which were able to consistently improve their education systems in the world. 

Dr. Mona Mourshed

Dr. Mourshed stated that the quality of an education system can not exceed the quality of the teacher; teachers’ quality is the most important lever for improving students outcomes; the only way to improve outcomes is to improve instructions; high performance requires every child to succeed; and every school needs a great leader.  “It is easy to create a few good schools, the challenge, however, is to create a system that can deliver the same quality at scale,” Dr. Mourshed argued. The issue of sustainability in education was addressed by John Collins, Professor of International Education at the University of Northern Kentucky, USA who argued that the solution to the current weak education system in the UAE is a sustainable education system.  The curriculum cycle is of high significance to the reform movement as education policy makers need to establish what is to be learned, taught and assessed, establish the sequence of content, establish the process by which it will be taught or learned, assess the knowledge gained and review the curriculum cycle. 

Educational developments in Dubai schools were discussed by Fatima Al Marri, CEO of the Dubai School Agency under the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai (KHDA) and a member of the Federal National Council.  “It is time for teachers to think before joining this profession whether they are ready for sacrificing much to make a difference in generations’ lives,” she noted. The conference was sponsored by Pearson Longman with several contributions from visiting professional associated with the British Council and Magrudys Bookshop.  Several sessions took place throughout the day focusing on English, Maths and Science teaching; low cost – high impact resources in the teaching of English; innovative teaching approaches using a classroom projector; facilitated peer mentoring; literacy and content-based instruction in L2 learning; storytelling as a teaching tool; classroom management through change and transformation in education; a look at behavioral and developmental issues in early childhood; a career counseling program and the future of career counseling in the schools; and educational technology to improve learning environments.