Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 30 September 2019:  Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and organized by the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, Qudwa 2019 celebrates World Teachers Day on October 5 by hosting the Qudwa Ideas_Lab, an invitation-only working session held to reflect on the changing role of teachers and shape strategies to teach for global competence. The work will take place at a creative space dedicated to collaboration and learning. 

The Qudwa Ideas_Lab will immerse 100 education leaders in a collaborative experience to explore the impact of “Global Competence” on teaching methodologies. The Lab also illustrates how teachers can prepare students for a more challenging and rapidly changing world. 

 

The Lab attendees include key government ministers H.E. Hussain Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, H.E. Dr. Ahmad Bin Abdullah Humaid Belhoul Al Falasi, Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Higher Education, H.E. Dr. Abdulla Karam, Chairman and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, H.E. Dr. Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, Chairman of the Sharjah Education Council, and H.E. Ali bin Abdul Khaliq Al-Qarni, Director General of the Arab Bureau of Education for the Gulf States, alongside education experts, teachers and partners from Teach For All, the American University in Dubai, Educational Testing Service (ETS), OECD and more.

 

“The Ideas_Lab is a key element of Qudwa 2019, as it will serve as a roadmap for shaping strategies in the UAE’s education sector,” commented Mohamed K. Al Neaimi, Director of the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi. “The Lab will host key government representatives, education leaders, experts and, importantly, teachers, who will discuss and converse in multiple sessions and activities to ensure that teachers in the UAE are prepared to teach for global competence,” he added. 

 

Participants will discuss the four pillars of global competence during the Lab: to examine local, global and intercultural issues; understand and appreciate the perspectives and worldviews of others; engage in open, appropriate, and effective interactions across cultures; and take action for collective well-being and sustainable development, both locally and globally.

 

H.E. Hussain Ibrahim Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education will begin the Lab with an opening address. Following the opening address, the Lab’s facilitators will introduce the format’s concept, titled “Working Inside an Ideas_Lab: Being Teachers and Learners”. The Lab will be divided into two parts, each consisting of an introduction, a small-group working activity focused on a specific topic and a concluding plenary conversation to share the outcomes of the work groups. 

The Lab will end with a discussion of its final outcomes, presented by discussion leaders, rapporteurs, ministers and regulators.

 

This outcome, a Blueprint combining the work of all participants throughout the Lab’s discussions and activities, will be a roadmap to help teachers in the UAE grow professionally, work collaboratively, and prepare their students for a dynamic and interconnected future.