Teaching By Textbooks is over

Technology is the alternative

The results of the first experiment of its kind, which included six schools in the UAE, revealed the enormous potential of gamification and the Internet in the field of education, as 98 percent of the student sample scored a result of more than 70 percent in the initial assessments.

Gamification is a new term derived from the word game, which is the application of game elements and digital game design techniques in achieving goals and solving problems in other fields outside the context of games; Such as media, marketing and education

The Moral Education Program is a unique and strategic program designed to support the comprehensive development of children in a world that is witnessing rapid changes in technology and globalization. The program was launched in 2017 to enhance students' understanding of universal values ​​and instill higher values ​​that include tolerance, community cohesion and empathy, in addition to their appreciation for the culture of the UAE, at a time when the compulsory program is taught to all schools through traditional methods that include teachers, textbooks and educational resources.

In order to enhance student participation and educational outcomes in the new program, the Education Affairs Office has partnered with the Arc Skills Group, to launch an innovative version of the Moral Education program in selected schools in the UAE.

Working closely with the Office of Education Affairs, Arc Skills ran the pilot program in which 400 seventh grade students participated in six schools in the UAE, including Avalon Heights International School, GEMS Westminster School, Abu Dhabi International Private School, Dar Al Marefa Private School and Ateeqa Girl School. Abdul Muttalib for Girls and Umm Suqeim Model School for Girls, for a period of three months this year

In this context, the company has adapted the content of moral education to teach it through an electronic platform that allows interesting group class activities centered around electronic games, interactive quizzes and gamification techniques, using heroes symbolizing good and evil. This interactive game added a new element of fun to students' learning, which was reflected on the topics of moral education in an interesting manner that keeps pace with the requirements of the times, to include topics such as making good decisions, responding to harmful situations, first aid, crime, commerce, travel and communications

The students also participated in weekly online modules that included reading tasks, interspersed with quizzes, which contributed in general to introducing students to the values ​​of moral education. The students later worked as a team to strategize to progress and win an online game without the teacher's direction or intervention.

Somaya Ajam, a moral education teacher, said, “Play grabs the students’ attention, and gamification techniques allow them to learn effectively, but indirectly, and the students do not realize the amount of material they acquire, but they learn new concepts, and I see that as something special. We were really pleased to see the students’ interaction with each other and their high turnout to complete assignments, compared to their willingness to complete their homework sometimes.”

To test the extent to which students acquire the main values ​​of the subject through the pilot program for teaching moral education with gamification techniques, a group of 232 students from four schools participated in a final questionnaire that included multiple-choice questions, where 98 percent of the participating students scored more than 70 percent, which Denotes students gaining knowledge in the course.

Eight out of ten students scored 80 percent or above in the assessment. These students spent 50 to 90 minutes using the online platform before class activities, and those students, who were the most engaged, scored the highest, demonstrating the effectiveness of gamification techniques in teaching the core values ​​of moral education.

For his part, Andrew Wilson, Deputy Principal of GEMS Westminster School in Sharjah, praised the program for motivating children and drawing their attention for the fun and renewal they found in it. "These important topics were presented in an interesting way that attracted the students' interest," he said. "It is really a great way to learn."

The Moral Education Program is an important way to ensure that students achieve excellence in the future, enabling them to become effective global citizens.

Dr. Kishore Pillai, Director of Educational Affairs at Avalon Heights International Private School, said that the trends indicate the shift of students of the twenty-first century towards electronic tools in education. He added, "I think that the era of the textbook method of teaching is over, and that interaction via the Internet is a feature of the times."

Mohammed Khalifa Al Nuaimi, Director of the Education Affairs Office at the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, said, "We seek to explore the possibility of using modern technology in order to add fun and interaction to education, and to enhance students' involvement in moral education and their understanding of its concepts."

He added, “We attach importance to evaluating the impact of gamification techniques on students’ engagement in the moral education programme. Despite the challenges we faced during the pilot phase, we look forward to the possibility of finding solutions to them in the future.”

Mitum Kamat, CEO of Arc Skills, noted that the Moral Education program is an important way to ensure that students achieve excellence in the future, to enable them to become global citizens and actors in sustainable development. We were honored by the request we received from the Office of Education Affairs at the Crown Prince’s Court

محمد الحمامصي

كاتب مصر