Lamia Al Harmoudi (Sharjah)
A number of educators stressed the importance of instilling a culture of innovation in young people at an early age, in order to enhance them with the necessary elements to discover their talents and innovative and creative energies, especially in light of what our wise leadership attaches to the axis of innovation and transforming it into a daily work platform in various areas of life. In statements to Al-Ittihad, they pointed out that planting the seeds of innovation in the hearts of male and female students and among teachers in the school, academic, and educational communities is a methodology followed by the United Arab Emirates, in order to create future generations that create a brilliant and advanced future that is directed to the attention of the whole world. The UAE leads the Arab world in the Global Innovation Index for the year 2019. Innovation is one of the most important national pillars of the UAE Vision 2021. Through this, the country seeks to achieve a knowledge-based, diversified and flexible economy led by skilled Emirati competencies and enhanced by the best expertise to ensure the long-term prosperity of the UAE and its people. They pointed out that the innovation policies in the United Arab Emirates aim to promote a sustainable way to invest in Emirati human energies and stimulate the country’s economic activity away from dependence on oil, in addition to enhancing global competitiveness, and transforming the concept of innovation into an effective and permanent corporate culture and work in the government. In addition, innovation is a government tool aimed at increasing the pace of innovation in any economy, and solving various social and economic problems such as low levels of productivity, or economic issues related to energy, environment, or health.
Majd Sheikh Hussein, Director of the American School of Scientific Creativity in Sharjah, said: At the American School of Scientific Creativity, we seek to create the appropriate environment for the development of innovation and excellence, and the school derives its vision emanating from the National Agenda for the State Vision 2021. We are keen to support the educational staff in finding new ways to serve the educational process, which is reflected in a distinctive way on students at all levels, through the launch of many initiatives and professional workshops throughout the year, through which we seek to instill and strengthen the culture and strategies of contemporary innovative learning , while preserving originality and heritage.
For her part, Sondos Al-Najjar, Director of Al-Morouj English Private School in Sharjah, stressed: Based on the importance of innovation and its role in the advancement of nations and countries globally, the UAE has encouraged all segments of society to discover and innovate, and has given great care to talented people and thinking and discovering minds, because of that A major role in achieving a competitive knowledge economy that achieves sustainability and ensures long-term prosperity for the UAE and its people, placing it as a main axis of the UAE Vision and the National Agenda 2021. The country’s efforts in this field were rewarded by achieving an advanced position in the Global Innovation Index and being topped by all Arab countries.
She emphasized the importance of education and its institutions and its role in building society and achieving the goals of countries. Innovation in schools was considered an essential aspect of the criteria for the framework for evaluating the performance and achievements of schools. This concept in education became more than a mere buzzword, but rather as a means of learning and education because of its great role in encouraging education. Research, exploration, and use of higher-order thinking skills to solve problems, not necessarily through the use of technology, but rather by finding innovative, non-traditional and practical solutions to those problems, which facilitates the process of students’ integration into life.
Thinking outside the box
While Ibrahim Baraka, Director General of Al-Shula Schools, stressed that innovation is mainly based on finding smart solutions by thinking outside the box, the most fertile environment for incubating innovation is the school, especially the student community in it, because the minds of students in these age stages are freely open to creative ideas. Unaffected by societal constraints that may affect it later in the more mature stages.
He said: For teachers, there is no doubt that the current generations are no longer tempted by traditional educational methods, no matter how proficient the teacher is in his scientific subject, so he must resort to innovative strategies in teaching, assessing students’ performance and developing their learning skills. In order to achieve the principles of innovation, school leaders must first adopt the idea of innovation and an open door policy to receive student initiatives, and plan and follow up the launch of school programs and initiatives that develop students’ innovation skills, attract creative ideas and direct them in a meaningful way, so that the principles of innovation are translated into a tangible reality that has an impact within and outside the school environment.
On the level of teachers, Rasha Hassan, Head of Social Studies and Moral Education at the American School of Scientific Creativity, emphasized the possibility of achieving and implementing innovation principles by relying on six basic dimensions of innovation in education and twenty-first century skills: cooperation, activating communication and communication skills, building knowledge and developing thinking. Critical, as well as self-regulation and evaluation, problem solving in new innovative ways, use of artificial intelligence techniques and technological education.
In turn, Sana Mahmoud, coordinator of social studies and moral education, emphasized the mechanisms and strategies that can be adopted to encourage innovation, most notably transforming the classroom into large workshops for the creative industry, where students participate in designing their educational intentions and success criteria. Adopting the idea of the student teacher or young teacher: It is one of the strategies that contribute to encouraging innovation and raising the level of education for students, as the student and teacher seek to devise ways, methods and strategies that suit their peers and help them acquire new knowledge and sciences, in addition to holding virtual exhibitions, which is a method Innovative Students showcased their projects and presented them in innovative ways, providing opportunities for everyone to see distinguished projects and works.
Future Design 2071
The state has adopted the “Professional Program for the Design of the Future 2071”, which attracts a selection of young talents from graduates of universities, colleges and academic institutions in the UAE and the world, to cooperate with the UAE in designing proposals and pioneering ideas to design the future of governments and the development of societies. To take advantage of it to make radical changes to the work system within governments, and to launch exceptional and future projects for the UAE in line with the fifty-year plan.
The state is taking bold steps and initiatives to encourage innovation, including the establishment of the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Government Innovation in 2014 to stimulate a culture of innovation and develop work in the government sector through an integrated system, to enhance the competitiveness of the UAE government so that it is among the most innovative governments in the world. Among the center’s achievements is the launch of the Ibtikr platform, which is the first of its kind in the Arabic language for government innovation, and aims to enhance competencies in the Arab world and build a generation of Arab innovators and future leaders. In addition to launching the Innovation Diploma in cooperation with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, which is the first of its kind.
future makers
The child, Moza Muhammad Al-Hoti, who is affiliated with the Children’s Center in Khorfakkan affiliated to “Sharjah Children”, stressed that the launch of the innovation approach in the country helped children think outside the box, and sparked their insight to look at the future from a different and diverse perspective, to find solutions and innovations that contribute to the development of everything around us. She said, “Innovation encouraged me to try my talents and skills in various fields. I made several innovations, including the “smart table” project and the creation of the idea of an e-reader, and I received the Digital Innovator Medal, and I am happy with that, and I am excited to invent other projects that contribute to community service.”
In turn, student Ali Hamid Al-Loghani, in the fifth grade at the American School of Scientific Creativity, stressed that innovation for him contributed to the development of the skill of positive thinking and thinking outside the box, and that innovation encourages the student to learn many skills, including the use of programming programs, computers and artificial intelligence programs. and electrical connections.
He said: In order to innovate, we must have a problem and search for a solution to it in an innovative way that contributes to solving this problem and innovation taught me patience, and research in order to transform this idea into something tangible that serves society, and we are in a country that is not impossible, and our dear country provides us with all support In order to achieve what we aspire to, and through my innovations, I presented the idea of a bicycle that converts kinetic energy into electrical energy, in addition to robots based on artificial intelligence, and I participated in many competitions and achieved advanced positions, and this is what made me aspire to innovate in creating new innovations that serve the society.
Discover the innovators
Dr. Saeed Musabah Al Kaabi, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of the Sharjah Education Council, said: The culture of innovation must be an approach adopted by countries, and innovation is the basis for creating differences between one society and another, and civilizations are distinguished by this, and the school environment is one of the most important incubators through which innovators are discovered and nurtured. He added: “Innovative students are discovered and nurtured in educational methods that are known by academics through specific educational and teaching methods. When they are discovered, teachers must take care of innovative students by communicating and dealing with them, and assigning tasks and skills that contribute to the development and support of the innovative student.”
He pointed out the importance of teachers being empowered, familiar with the ways and methods of caring for the gifted, so that they are trained and rehabilitated in ways of dealing with the category of gifted and innovative students by the concerned and competent authorities. It is considered one of the most important innovators factories, through which generations of talented and innovative students are graduated who participate in creating positive and distinct differences at the level of society and the state. Stressing the importance of concerted efforts among all institutions to achieve the desired goal; One hand does not clap, pointing out that youth centers and children’s centers, the Ministry of Education and other concerned parties also have a prominent role in discovering talents and innovators.