7 minute read
Love of Reading During Lockdown
BRIGHTON COLLEGE DUBAI CELEBRATES THE GOLDEN JUBILEE BY LAUNCHING A 100% SPONSORED SCHOLARSHIP
In honour of the UAE’s 50th anniversary celebrations, leading British curriculum school Brighton College Dubai is giving exceptional scholarsa life-changingopportunity, as it launches an incredible 100% scholarship for its Sixth Form.
Advertisement
In an unprecedented first, one outstanding applicant will be selected to receive 100% tuition funding for both their Year 12 and Year 13 studies at the Dubai campus of the United Kingdom’s ‘School of the Decade’. Applications are now open, with the College taking on the successful candidate as soon as January 2022. Alongside this coveted place, there are two further Sixth Form scholarships which include both a 50% and 25% fee remission.
Head of Sixth Format Brighton College Dubai, Joe Hall commented: “We wanted to do something truly exceptional to celebrate the UAE’s historic milestone, so launching a 100% scholarship seemed more than fitting. We know that there are exceptional pupils in the UAE who will thrive in the right learning environment, and these scholarships will give them an opportunity like no other.”
Simon Crane, Head Master at Brighton College Dubai added: “The launch of these incredible Sixth Form scholarships shows Brighton College Dubai’s commitment to providing the very best educationalopportunities to the promising young people here in the UAE. We are proud to be living and teaching in the Emirates, a place of opportunity and forward-thinking. We prepare young people to go on and study at the leading universities around the world, and these scholarships could change the course of someone’s life. They are truly a fantastic opportunity, and we can’t wait to welcome our new pupils.” Brighton College Dubai offers pupils a vibrant and challenging learning environment, and a distinctive British independent school ethos, which reflects the values and dynamic culture of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. The Sixth Form offers a tailored approach to support every pupil to reach their full potential, whilst growing academically and emotionally. Brighton College Dubai has a reputation for providing an outstanding intellectual experience, and endeavours to provide its pupils with the opportunity to go on to access the world’s very best universities, from Oxford and Cambridge to Harvard and Stanford.
THE UK’S ‘SCHOOL OF THE DECADE’ IS ALSO LAUNCHING A 50% AND 25% SCHOLARSHIP FOR ITS VIBRANT DUBAI SIXTH FORM
SEVEN-YEAR-OLD RUTVA CREATES TWO WORLD RECORDS IN TWO LANGUAGES IN ONE ATTEMPT!
Rutva Nikhil Pore, a seven-year-old extremely talented Indian girl, has created two world records in one attempt by reciting 91 facts about the solar system in both English and Arabic..
TThis impressive achievement took place via a virtual live event and was streamed live on Facebook and YouTube. Rutva recited all 91 facts in English in two minutes and 46 seconds and Arabic in four minutes and 39 seconds, becoming the first in the world to create ‘world records’ in this new category.
Rutva has had a great interest in space from the age of five years and has been collecting information through various sources, such as the Internet and a variety of books. Her interest in space came primarily from her father, while her mother encouraged her to tackle the world records.
Realising Rutva’s great interest in the subject, her parents contacted Mr Sushant Mysorekar, founder of Brain Rhyme Pte Ltd, Singapore, and an internationally certified Intelligence Coach, during the summer vacation, and he agreed to work with Rutva.
Rutva’s world record journey started around three months back with the support of her mentor, Mr Sushant, who has been training her on memorising the content through various memory skills, tools and techniques. Initially, the plan was to recite facts in English only, but after a few sessions, seeing Rutva’s keen interest in the Arabic language, a second journey was initiated. Finally, it was decided to translate all 91 facts into Arabic as well as English.
Rutva’s Arabic recitation started with support from her school – Ambassador School, Dubai - and her Arabic teacher Miss Walaa Ahmed Hassan El Sheikh, who helped her in translation and pronunciation. Miss Walaa’s way of teaching and her confidence in her pupil to grasp the language quickly made Rutva’s Arabic learning a lot smoother.
During the initial days, it took around 15 minutes to recite all 91 facts in Arabic, and it involved learning all of the complex terminologies and pronunciations. However, with support and consistent practice over 15 days, Rutva was able to recite the same in less than five minutes.
“You need to persevere, be curious and should have the spirit to learn new things. Once you get an opportunity, you can create a world record with learned and practised ability. I am a nonArabic girl, but I love the Arabic language and find it very interesting because of my teacher Walaa ma’am who made it more interesting by her teaching approach,” Rutva explained.
Among her plans for the future, Rutva wants to work as a space scientist at NASA and become a black belt karate champion. We fully expect her to achieve these goals too!
ACCELERATING K-12 MATH LEARNING
Thousands of teachers in the United Arab Emirates and the United States will now have access to powerful data to inform maths instruction as the result of a new partnership between the global K-12 education technology company Alef Education and MetaMetrics®. The Alef Platform, which leverages artificial intelligence, will now report MetaMetrics’ Quantile® measures from its math diagnostic assessments, providing teachers with a measure of ability to guide future learning.
The Quantile® Framework for Mathematics provides a scientific approach for matching students with ability-appropriate resources. Quantile measures help differentiate instruction and monitor growth in mathematics.
ALEF PLATFORM DIAGNOSTIC TESTS WILL REPORT QUANTILE MEASURES, SUPPORTING DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
STAR INTERNATIONAL MIRDIF INTRODUCES REMARKABLE, NEW FACILITIES THE BRITISH BOARDING SCHOOLS SHOW RETURNS TO THE UAE
Star International School Mirdif, a bespoke British curriculum school in the heart of Mirdif, has announced its newest facilities, including its state-of-the-art STEAM+ Makerspace, Art Room, and Science Labs, alongside the launch of its GCSE/IGCSE and BTEC programmes this academic year.
As technology evolves, it remains vital for schools to offer a curriculum that provides an advanced learning environment, technology support, and design education. Along with its latest facilities, and as part of Star Mirdif’s ongoing strategy to maintain its position as a leading educational institution, the British curriculum school has launched its IGCSE and BTEC education programs and STEAM+ curriculum.
Since the launch of the STEAM+ curriculum, the students have delved into subjects such as ecosystems, pollution, and recycling, and are in the midst of developing fascinating prototypes with the sole purpose of collecting waste from polluting the oceans. The + represents the ambition to go beyond and offer a STEAM curriculum with enterprise, innovation, and life skills embedded into it.
The British Boarding School Dubai 2021 returned to the UAE for its ninth edition, bringing together over 25 of the most prestigious and well-regarded British schools under one roof, offering educational advice and information to parents and prospective pupils after one of the most profound and fundamental times of change in the educational world in the past century.
After a period where the lid was lifted onto the complexities of schooling, with students around the world forced to be homeschooled, the nature of independent education has been thrown into the spotlight. At the show, parents witnessed the true value that British schooling can offer, specifically the nature of critical thinking and rigour of independent analysis that are so vital for future employers and success in the modern workplace.
It is estimated that the UAE sends around 15,000 children for overseas education per year, a number that is rising around 3-4% year-on-year. The UK has traditionally been the most popular destination country for Emirati degreeseeking students, accounting for an estimated 30% of the student body.
WE LOVE READING AT ISP SCHOOLS
On the International Day of Literacy this year, International Schools Partnership (ISP) launched its first annual ISP Reading Challenge. The month-long challenge for its schools in the Middle East encouraged students to read as much as possible in English and Arabic.
Children in the younger years received a Reading Challenge Treasure Map or a Reading Challenge Passport to record their reading, while children in the secondary years uploaded their Reading Challenges using a digital link.
Throughout the month, ISP had the privilege of welcoming a number of authors to visit its students virtually. The children’s authors read books, spoken about the importance of reading, and shared their own journeys.
