Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Emerging Professional Knowledge
Action Research in a United Arab Emirates Context
1
If you would like SSAT to develop your own action research programme, please contact:
Shaun Robison, Lead Practitioner Coordinator
The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Abu Dhabi
T: +971 – 501440167
E: Shaun.Robison@ssatrust.org.uk
www.ssatrust.org.uk
2
Bridging: creating and translating professional knowledge within
the context of Abu Dhabi
Introduction
Abu Dhabi is a unique, ever‐changing emirate with an The topics in this portfolio are representative of trends
ambitious plan for the future. The Abu Dhabi Education in Abu Dhabi both in public and private school
Council’s ten year plan aims to bring about a 21st education. They range from the use of classroom
century education system that will be sustainable for displays to engage learners, to improving the use of
future generations. Due to the many changes technical vocabulary. Each story is unique to its context;
implemented from a diverse group of educators from however, the process of gathering the data and
around the world, professional knowledge created from collaborating with other professionals demonstrates a
this context has a particular value. commitment to improving the outcomes of learners.
This collection of research summaries were conducted Practitioner enquiry should be used as a key
by educators working in public and private schools in component of school improvement. It is possible for all
Abu Dhabi. Over fifty teachers and consultants took teachers to engage in their own professional
part in the initiative, each with their own research development through action research. By following a
interests specific to their context. In each case, the reflective cycle whilst implementing strategies to
teachers identified a research issue, provided a
support change, professional knowledge emerges. By
rationale for researching it, gathered data and evidence involving colleagues and working in teams, professional
to show how their research evolved, and presented knowledge is shared. We hope this collection of stories
their findings to their peers for critical response. will encourage you to get involved.
Evidence based practice can significantly contribute to
whole school improvement, professional development
and collaboration across schools. This has formed an Many thanks,
integral part of SSAT Abu Dhabi’s work in improving the
teaching and learning in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
Shaun Robison, SSAT Abu Dhabi
3
Inside
Speaking like Mozart – improving the use of technical vocabulary 5
The Impact of Visual Literacy on ESL learners’ Speaking and Vocabulary Usage 7
How can we increase the amount and frequency of technical words used by students? 8
Will professional development and target setting support the use of English within the classroom? 10
How can raising the awareness of SEN make a difference to the attainment
and welfare of students at Meyzad Boys’ School? 12
Will the use of an interactive classroom display engage disruptive students and encourage
Teachers to create a positive climate for learning? 13
In what ways can you support a new teacher in their organizational skills and record keeping? 15
Will motivating students through games improve their attitude towards Maths? 17
Literacy Skills through Jolly Phonics 19
Behaviour Management Success 20
How can visual and kinesthetic card games improve the writing of low ability students? 22
“Drip feed” – an approach to increasing students’ EMSA performance 23
How to use video to develop critical and creative thinking? 24
How can I support student understanding through assessment? 25
Promoting Reading Skills with Grade 4 Students 27
What will the impact of a Maths Challenge be on Gifted and Talented students? 28
Will the development of an effective Learning Support Team (LST) result in
60% of students on IEPs showing improvement? 30
4
Paola Conte ‐ Al Ain English Speaking School
Speaking like Mozart – improving the use of technical
vocabulary in Music.
Context
My sample group consisted of twenty seven students, mixed
gender and multiple nationalities. Some had played an
instrument, whilst others had never been exposed to music
lessons before. The group showed little interest in the theory of
music, and struggled to make use of technical vocabulary.
Research question: Will students make use of the technical vocabulary to justify their music choices?
Rationale
Students needed to be familiar with technical vocabulary, and change their preconception about theory of music.
They needed to participate more actively during lessons. I wanted them to find a link between the theory contents
seen in class and their favourite music. They had very little confidence to express their ideas to the class. Self
assessment needed to be introduced to support the reflective process.
Findings
Key questions: have your findings achieved your initial aims? What evidence do you have to support your claims? What
were the benefits to you and the students? What did the students think of your innovations?
Students became more aware of their music choices and enjoyed discussing its elements, making use of
technical words.
Self assessment was very effective as they all wrote or spoke about their favourite music and its
elements.
Students were able to use music contents outside the classroom, and apply them to their everyday
listening.
5
Including their music choices allowed me to understand them better as individuals, and developed a safe
environment where everybody could express themselves.
Students felt more confident to speak to the class with a visual of the technical word.
Students were keen on learning more about the music they like, and found many similarities with
classical pieces and their own personal musical preference.
Discussion
As the project developed, I had to reduce the number of activities in order to give more
time to students to share their brainstorming. Limitations were entirely about time: 2
sessions per week of 45 minutes.
If I repeated this project I would improve the use of props for “Mozart” role play, and more
one‐ to‐one assessment, targeting advanced and challenging students.
On a larger scale: students are in the ongoing process of changing their preconceptions
about classical music. It could be extended to music clubs, including “class guests”,
performing for the class and talking about different music styles. It could be applied to
Math or any other subject with technical vocabulary.
Most important findings: students can create a very dynamic class adding their own music
choices, and expressing their feelings and opinions. Self assessment works best when
students have a safe environment to express themselves. Visualisation of words,
workgroups and role play can create a very interactive lesson.
The overall impact was acceptance of new music and lots of interest about new musical
terms and how to use them.
Paolo Conte, Al Ain English Speaking School, Music Teacher
P.Conte@aaess.sch.ae
6
Mahjabeen Zaheer ‐ Al‐Sheyam Girls’ School
The Impact of Visual Literacy on ESL Learners’ Speaking
and use of Vocabulary
Context
My sample group was a Grade 11 class, aged between 17‐18
years. There were twenty five students in class who were
mostly Emirati. 20% of students in the class have been
identified as responsive and interactive, whereas, 40% are the
average students who depend on the high achievers to help
them by using the first language. The remaining students can be
described as low level students.
Rationale
I wanted to develop the students’ understanding of concepts and views expressed through visual literacy and to
promote inquiry amongst students. Visuals are interesting and attractive for students and they support creative and
critical thinking. They challenge their emotions and expressions and encourage them to guess the hidden message.
Using images showing action and conversations in bubbles helps them to interpret the text at advanced levels.
Findings
Visual resources serve as great starters. Students were anxious to look at the pictures and to find out more
about them. They interpreted what they saw visually in different ways. Different groups had different
interpretations of the same picture shown.
It would be a useful practice to use pictures with labels or titled items and actions to provide vocabulary to
the low achievers.
Students enjoyed looking at images and talking about it with their friends.
It is important for the teacher to reach every group and engage the student in visual literacy
For less able students, a vocabulary bank could be made by using post‐it notes and putting all the notes in
a basket or paste them in the classroom.
For more challenging students, creative writing may be encouraged by getting them to write imaginatively
about a provocative image.
7
Nathan Mann ‐ Al Ain English Speaking School
How can we increase the amount and frequency of
technical words used by students?
Context
Year 6 children, ranging in age from 10 to 11. Mixed classes of boys and girls, locals and expats, native English
speakers and children with ESL. Numeracy group is, however, the most able within the year group, but still mixed
in sex, nationality and native language.
Numeracy group has 26 children whereas other classes have 22.
The numeracy class is very confident and several of the children ‘suffer’ from over confidence: thinking they are
fantastic mathematicians capable of doing any task given to them with ease. In baseline assessments the average
mark achieved was a level English National Curriculum level 4B.
Outside Numeracy, the class ranges in ability in Literacy and Science from National Curriculum level 2A right
through to 5B
Rationale
Children were aware of concepts, ideas, theories, scientific facts, geographical features and
historical periods of time, but were unaware of or are not using, technical vocabulary to describe
them.
A lack of technical vocabulary is hindering some students’ ability to communicate effectively.
A lack of understanding of the technical words themselves is leading to some students not gaining
the knowledge and understanding they require to access the curriculum in full.
Findings
An initial run through a set of vocabulary cards on the topic of light revealed the complete lack of ability, on the
part of the children, to recognise technical words that describe scientific processes and concepts. Discussions
with other teachers and personal experience led to the development of a game to try and embed the use of
technical words.
Experience has shown that when children are ‘playing’ and having fun they often ‘forget’ that they are learning.
The game ‘Victorian Teacher’ is now used in Science, Numeracy and Geography lessons and children have even
asked for it! It has, with some children, even opened up lines of enquiry into Victorian Britain and the wider
world.
The first questionnaire given to the children show that a majority (over 80%) of the children really liked the game
Victorian Teacher. The questionnaire also asked what the children now think is important when talking about
new topics in any subject: a majority (over 60%) quoted the need to use technical words
8
Discussion
The key change has been incorporating homework activities
into the task. For science or homework the children are
given a list of technical words which they are to then find
and learn the meaning of. These words are then ‘tested’
through the game. This has been very beneficial for both
teacher and child as it eliminates the need for the teacher to
mark extra work and, as the children are usually very keen
to participate in the game, it motivates the children to learn
and gives them custody of their own learning. This has been
the most dramatic finding: giving the children responsibility
for their own learning, rather than having words and
definitions simply imposed on them.
Use of word searches that contain the words linked to the topic has been found to be a great starter activity to
use in conjunction with the Victorian Teacher game. The children work in pairs: they find the words, work out a
definition together then volunteer to be tested by the Victorian Teacher. This peer learning has been extremely
powerful and effective, especially when compared to definitions simply given by the teacher.
Word cars have also been taken from the vocab zones and given out to groups of children who then discuss what
they think the word might mean. The children then volunteer for an ‘interview’ with the Victorian Teacher’
If children are still unaware of the meanings of words after going before the Victorian Teacher then the class
teacher clearly needs to explicitly teach the meaning of the word. It is essential that such teaching is visual and/or
kinaesthetic
As this was the first time the children have been ‘exposed’ to the game it is impossible to accurately say whether
their use of technical language has increased. The whole cycle, including the survey, will need to be carried out again on
next year’s students with a survey right at the start of term and then repeated.
The game and the spotters have been designed specifically so as to be used across the entire curriculum. Working
through the research has simply proved the belief that every area of the curriculum has a meta‐language.
The impact on the children is tangible. If you ask children in my class what I am looking for when we discuss new
topic they always answer that I am interested in vocabulary and using technical words correctly. Questionnaires given to
the children show the impact the Victorian Teacher game has had on them and their feelings in the same.
Nathan Mann, Al Ain English Speaking School, Primary Teacher, n.mann@aaess.sch.ae
9
Melanie Davis ‐ Bukoreya Boys’ School and Al‐Borooj Girls’ School
Will professional development and target setting support the use
of English within the classroom?
Context
I currently work across two schools located 80 kilometers from Al Ain. For the purpose of the
research I focused on the girls’ school. As an ESL Trainer, I support teachers first and foremost with
their development of English Language skills. It is also important that students within the schools are
able to demonstrate strong English language skills. I work mainly with adults who all speak Arabic as
their first language, and have a common target to achieve an IELTS level 5.5 – 6.5 in order to teach
within the government schools. Teachers currently range from 3.5 – 6.5 IELTS, thus have a
reasonable standard of English to use within their classrooms.
Rationale
Teachers and students were reluctant to use English within the classroom, despite their ability to do so. ADEC
have insisted that teachers are able to display a specific IELTS level in order to meet the needs of the students
and the long term 2030 vision, to create a world class workforce who have a true bilingual ability. Target teachers
include the English, Science, Math and ICT staff who must demonstrate improvement of English year on year. I
aimed to provide professional development and target setting to work towards ADEC’s goal
Findings
My findings have achieved my initial aim, and progress will continue to develop with time as displayed within the
evidence collated so far. English within the classroom observations were carried out as a baseline to identify the
level of English being used within the classroom. On average classroom English was at 44.3% including the English
department which brought that percentage up. It was at that point that I acknowledged the real need for support
within this area. I decided to promote English within the classroom on a whole school level to draw on some of
the positive practices but mostly to demonstrate techniques and approaches teachers could use without
interference to their core subject such as ICT, Science, Math etc. From the feedback received at the end of the
professional development session, I was able to plan a more ‘tailored’ approach than I had initially decided upon.
I planned more visits to the classroom to observe the use of English against the targets set from the baseline
observations and recommendations made and identified within the whole school professional development
session. English within the classroom is making progress and feedback received is mixed with regards to planning
and preparation time for such. Unexpected effects included a teacher who demonstrates little use of English
within her ESL classes, used 100% English within her own classroom. Benefits include the more English being
demonstrated and used by teachers and students (last observations 78% average) meant an overall improvement
due to the level exposure and practice. The teachers are considering their use of English whilst planning.
10
Discussion
Throughout the project I collected feedback in order to respond to the needs of the teachers, students and
the school. This informed the route that my research took, I subsequently included ‘all staff welcome’
planning sessions, specifically for the use of English within the classroom, developed vocabulary walls in
response to the curriculum being delivered at the time which again had a positive effect with the planning
and use of English within the classroom. The limitations included the peer observations, many teachers
suggested that they could not teach in English as they believed that this would hinder their students
achievements and progression within the given subject area. Peer observations took place, where the
teachers observed the English department who use the most English within the classroom to demonstrate
techniques that teachers could use, whilst also gauging an awareness of the students levels of English to
identify what they could deal with. Peer observations at a private school may have been more suitable to
show that other schools that have bilingual teachers where it is mandatory to teach in English with students
who speak Arabic as their first language is effective for the teaching and learning process. Thus if I were to
make a change I would like to expose the teachers to a variety of learning environments and scenarios where
English within the classroom with bilingual learners is effective.
To implement this project on a larger scale, it would be more effective to adapt the ‘whole school
professional development’ to include video examples of effective use of English within the classroom and a
breakdown of the project to show how simple and clear targets can support the improved use of English. It
would also be important to identify the barriers as to why teachers were not using their English and their
feedback at the end of the project. This could be shared as part of the induction process to work within a
bilingual school, thus capturing a wide audience whilst demonstrating the importance of such.
Melanie Davis, ESL Trainer. Melanie.Davis@ssatrust.org.uk
11
Qaisar Khan ‐ Meyzad Boys’ School
How can raising the awareness of SEN make a difference to the
attainment and welfare of
students at Meyzad Boys’
School?
Context
Meyzad Boys’ School is a desert school with
extremely low attainment. Raising the awareness of
SEN is vital to the community and to the school to
ensure that each student maximizes their potential.
Staff have been apathetic towards SEN in the past
due to a number of cultural and educational factors.
Rationale
I wanted to establish an SEN committee in the school to promote collective responsibility and to ensure
sustainability. I wanted to raise awareness of SEN through PD and ensure that teachers’ are differentiating
their lessons for the different levels of learners. Overall, I wanted to promote student well‐being and
improve the perception of SEN in the school.
Findings
We raised awareness of SEN in the school through PD. Staff were initially apathetic but once they
understood the importance of it, they quickly changed their thinking.
Student confidence and well being improved due to the recognition of specific learning needs
Although it is too early to make a claim of sustainability, local staff took the initiative and they
promoted collective responsibility among each other in relation to this particular issue.
Qaisar Khan, Consultant Partnership Teacher for Maths, Qaisar.Khan@ssatrust.org.uk
12
Syreeta Taylor‐ Al‐Zayedia Girls’ School
Will the use of an interactive classroom display engage
disruptive students and encourage
teachers to create a positive climate for
learning?
Context
I work in a girls’ high school G10‐12 with around 800 students. The school
is involved in PPP program and its 3rd year. There has been good progress
in the classroom; teaching and learning on the whole has improved.
However, the school has a problem with student attendance and
punctuality to lessons. This has impacted negatively on the learning time
of the students and the teachers’ planning. I wanted to develop an
activity that could be used by the teachers to help them engage and
settle the students that arrived to the lesson on time.
Rationale
I wanted teachers to trial the use of a ‘bell task’ in the classroom. Bell tasks are activities which allow the students
to come into the lesson and start, and they will last no more than 5 minutes. The idea behind them is to keep
those who come to class on time occupied, whilst waiting for the others to catch up.
I thought that this would give the students an educational activity to do while waiting for their peers to arrive to
class. I hoped that it would also help to reduce any behavioural issues in the classroom, as the students would be
engaged in their learning. Furthermore, I hoped that by having an active fun ‘bell task’ in progress when late
comers entered the room, it would help to settle these students down and encourage them to come to class on
time.
I also thought this idea would help my teachers use their planned lesson activities more effectively. Many teachers
were complaining that the students’ late attendance to class was having a detrimental and disruptive effect on
their lesson planning.
Additionally, I needed to improve the classroom environment across the school. I wanted to show how classroom
displays can be interactive and used as a starters/plenaries or settler task.
I had been encouraging teachers to consider their learning environments since the last academic year. Progress
had been slow and only a few teachers had developed their own classroom space. SSAT staff had established a
team to improve this particular area of the school. As part of my strategy, I decided to model positive classroom
displays in a free classroom at school. I also developed an interactive word wall, so teachers could see how they
can use a display as a starter or plenary
13
Findings
The model classroom allowed the teachers to be the ‘students’ and to see the difference a stimulating
environment has on learners. All of the teachers commented on the lovely, educational surroundings.
I used the model classroom to teach a group of high ability students and modelled the use of a ‘bell task’. This
was used as evidence to show the benefit of the word walls, this evidence was photographed and discussed with
staff.
All of the English teachers’ have used this strategy in their classroom. The teachers reported that the students’
motivation increased; the students found the activities engaging and fun. They found that student punctuality
increased slightly, so that they too could participate in the activity. Additionally, many teachers were happy that
when they did begin their lesson, using their planned activities, the majority of the class was present. These
activities helped the flow of their lesson.
The word wall is being used across all 3 grades in English, in a variety of different ways e.g. vocabulary games
using English/ Arabic or key words/ definitions and sentence builders. It helped students with their English and
also it is also being used for starters or plenaries.
It also helped to increase the teachers’ pride in their classroom. Many of the teachers requested for SSAT staff
and the Principal to come and see their work!!
Discussion
The use of an active bell task helped to engage the students in their learning. The activity also acted as a
classroom display, this aided the classroom environment in a positive way. A major finding of this research
was that the model classroom has really worked and acted as a positive stimulus. The teachers needed to
see the ‘word walls in action’ rather than it just being recommended. Modelling its use in an empty, unused
classroom has helped to inspire the teachers to use the activity.
This motivated many of the English teachers to be responsible for decorating their own classroom in an
educationally stimulating way.
As the project developed, I had to increase the number of activities that could be used on the ‘word wall’, so
to keep the students and teachers interested.
I have been looking at this over a 2 wk period. Can the momentum be kept up? Are teachers going to change
the key words twice a week?
I believe that this initiative could work elsewhere. I am going to trial the idea in Trimester 3 in another school
that I work in. It is a 7‐12 school with the same number of students. Hopefully, by having all of the evidence
from AZG, this will help support the initiative.
Syreeta Taylor, Consultant Partnership Teacher for English
Syreeta.Taylor@ssatrust.org.uk
14
Carine Risberg ‐ Al Taweelah Primary School
In what ways can you support a new teacher in their
organizational skills and record keeping?
Context
I work in a government primary school situated in the desert. Class sizes vary from between twenty and twenty eight.
Attainment is mixed with some SEN students working at the bottom and top of the spectrum. I work with an ICT
teacher with no teacher training who is new to the school. She is required to teach and deliver a curriculum in the
same way an experienced teacher would. I wanted to support her in maintaining the information in the most
effective way possible, particularly in reference to attendance and assessment.
Rationale
Previously attendance was recorded in a book that was passed around the school. Entrance of marks was indifferent
and no consistent system was established. Most teachers were keeping marks on paper and not referring to them
or using them effectively. I developed a model using Microsoft Excel. This was particularly relevant as I am based in
ICT. Electronic records are easily accessible and easy to use. I also wanted to promote the use of data as a method
of monitoring student progress. It would also be useful to have this data on hand for parents and other teachers.
Findings
My findings show that I achieved my initial aims – which were to give an efficient electronic recording tool to each
of the teachers I was partnered with. As well, other teachers have begun to use the e‐recording process at various
levels.
This is evidenced by the spreadsheets from the two teachers.
The fact that the ICT teacher so readily took to using e‐record keeping was completely unexpected as well as her
independent modifications when in discussion there were issues in the formatting of her original spreadsheets.
15
Benefits to the students were that in all cases continued absences were caught, and missed lessons were able to
be easily completed by the students. It gave the teachers evidence to support their protests over duplicated
classes or completely missed classes in a clearly visible way.
The teachers were happy that they had something to work with that makes their daily planning easier and
organized. Students feel they are always important and never “lost” in the crowd.
Discussion
As the e record keeping progressed, the original spreadsheets were “handed over” to the science
teacher to allow her to take responsibility for her own record keeping. I had done it before she arrived,
and after she was introduced to it she took some time to figure out Microsoft Excel.
In the case of the ICT teacher, the original spreadsheet she developed had student names only in
Arabic. This was changed to a bilingual version before the end of Trimester 1 when she realized that to
enter marks, share data with others, and to allow anyone to access the information, it was necessary to
have both Arabic and English.
I found that because I was only partnered with an ICT and the Science Teacher, other teachers on staff
only chose to use the methods I introduced.
The project has already been incorporated to some extent in the whole school in terms of
administration when the Principal asked me to produce the same for attendance on a whole school
basis. The task ended up being given to the ICT teacher since she had the bilingual lists. However, to
make this work on a whole school staff basis it would be necessary to have a directive from
administration to the staff that it MUST be incorporated.
Electronic recording can work in areas outside attendance and continuous assessment. It can be used
to record reflections, lesson plans, projects, group work and other things. E recording does not have to
Discussion
be a spreadsheet. eSIS will be a complete e record keeping system which will allow teachers to access
everything from planning to assessment.
There would be improvement if all teachers were to begin to use the process.
Most important findings: A: E‐record keeping provides complete easy to find, print, and/or share (hard
copy or e copy) records
B: Teachers feel confident that they are “covering all the bases”. C: E‐record keeping alleviates some of
the stress of evaluations/parent meetings as teachers have evidence readily available.
The overall impact was the benefits in planning, and assessment to both students and two new to the
school teachers allowing them to both have high evaluations and a huge dose of self‐confidence in
their abilities as teachers.
Carine Risberg, Consultant Partnership Teacher for Science, Carine.Risberg@ssatrust.org.uk
16
Liz Doig ‐ Al Ain English Speaking School
Will motivating students through games improve
their attitude towards Maths?
Context
I am responsible for a Year 6 low ability Maths group who entered the class on the 1st day very dejected. The class
consists of twenty one students, seven girls and fourteen boys. There are four students on the ILN register and 10
students who have English as their 2nd language. Their attitude at the beginning of the year was very
disconcerting and I knew they would be a challenge. They were mostly National Curriculum levels two or low
level three (expected level at Yr 2 = Level 2, Yr 6 = Level 4
Rationale
These were extremely reluctant children who were being ‘forced’ into a class that they had already
decided they would fail at, were ‘no good at’ and would not enjoy.
The children were to move to the secondary school at the end of the year and did not have the basic skills
needed to address more complicated areas of maths. I wanted to increase their motivation with fun games
that engaged them in the learning process without them knowing.
17
Findings
Coming up to the final SATS the children were very excited to come to class. Several children from others classes
wanted to join our class! I did not expect to have all the children so enthusiastic about their own learning. I also
did not expect to learn so much about where their gaps in learning were by using games in the class. Through
using games the children were willing to look at where they needed to improve (so they could win!) and were
willing to look at how they could improve by working on their own gaps at home.
The children thoroughly enjoy their math’s class and were willing to look at previous tests, as they have also been
used as games.
Discussion
As the project developed I used my learning support assistants for more guidance on where the children
in their group needed more help. Having had the EAL coordinator as an LSA, this helped the children
working with English as a Second Language. I addressed vocabulary issues and we quickly realised that it
was a major issue. Some children have since left the class as they have grasped the main vocabulary in
Maths.
I have been limited by the time the children needed to learn the basic skills, which they are now
acquiring due to their increased motivation and confidence.
Next year I will be using games again but with a view to encouraging the children to use real life
situations in which the skills are used and to encourage the children to see what areas of Maths they are
hitting outside of the obvious.
On a larger scale I would encourage all teachers who take the weakest group for Maths to have a
meeting at least once a month to discuss what has worked well and where we can improve. It would
also be beneficial to have our LSAs to observe other Math’s classes and to make contributions to the
meetings.
It has made me realise the importance of hands‐on experience for children and to incorporate it into
every other lesson in the class. We have begun to use songs from YouTube for science and interactive
games for History. I will also start a forum on TES to discuss what other successes teachers have had
with this level of learners.
To improve this I will start next year with the basics – multiplication tables. I have found that without
this knowledge the children are spending more time working out what 3 x 4 is rather than working on
the actual problem.
My 3 most important findings are that: the children are very excited to come to their math’s class which
leads to 2. They want to learn! 3. The children want competition against each other now, whereas at the
beginning of the year any competition was met with fear and anxiety.
Overall, my weakest student has now achieved a level – in all previous years she achieved an ‘n’ which is
a non‐recordable level. Now she is working without support and is achieving a level on all tests. She is
also helping others in their learning!
Liz Doig, Primary Teacher, L.doig@aaess.sch.ae
18
Esther Ajuma‐ Taiba School
Literacy Skills through Jolly Phonics
Context
I work with kindergarten pupils in an international private school in Al Ain. My research group consisted of
children of a range of nationalities both male and female. Approximately 10% of them are SEN pupils and all of
them speak English as an additional language.
Rationale
My research was aimed at developing literacy skills using the jolly phonics approach to reading in combination
with art as a subject. I grouped the pupils based on their learning abilities. I wanted them to acquire literacy skills
before proceeding to elementary level. My personal interest is based on the pupils’ background; all of them
speak English as a second language.
Findings
My findings have achieved my initial aims and the reactive to the activities in class demonstrate this.
Approximately 80% of the students were completed engrossed in the learning process due to the art
inclined approach to learning which I adopted. There were many benefits to me and the students such as
maintain the students’ interest and motivation. The students thought the jolly phonics program was
interesting and they enjoyed describing each word using pictures and painting.
Discussion
I didn’t change anything as the project developed. I was limited by time as I was constrained by the academic
sessions in the school and I wasn’t able to deviate from this. If I adopted this approach again I would prefer to
have more time to investigate this strategy in more depth. If I did it on a larger scale I would like to work across
subjects with other teachers. If I was going to improve this strategy I would attempt to do it individually and not
in groups. My three most important findings are that every child demonstrated the ability to engage in this
process. The children enjoyed the practical element and they thrived in the role of a teacher. The overall impact
of this was the children’s ability to write words and simple sentences phonetically correct using the phonics
approach.
Esther Ajuma, Kindergarten Teacher, Ajumaa112@gmail.com
19
Najahh Mabillia ‐ Al‐Zayedia Girls’ School
Behaviour Management Success
Context
I work in an all girls’ school in Al Ain and I teach English classes in Grades 10, 11 & 12. All of the girls are from the
UAE and my research was with girls aged 16. Two girls in the class were identified as SEN. Each class had twenty
five students. The attainment levels were varied and the classes could be described as mixed ability. Through my
project I wanted to improve students’ behavior with rewards and sanctions. Many of my students were
unmotivated. Through my innovation (reward and punishment stars sheet) I was able to have more control on
students’ behavior during the lessons, which lead to a better classroom environment and more attentive
students.
Rationale
The project is a way of developing a reward and punishment strategy to control students’ behavior and engage
them more in class. They needed to be more engaged with the lesson to achieve more and this depended on
their behaviour and ability to concentrate. The project relates to the students’ interests as a reward I promised
to take them to a place of their favor. We were working on topics related to their culture and traditions to get
them more involved and to make the learning authentic.
Findings
Have your findings achieved your initial aims? Indeed they have. I now have a much better
classroom environment and more attentive, more actively involved students in the lesson. And as
for myself, I am more relaxed during lessons and less tense at work and at home.
What evidence do you have to support your claims? I have pictures of the sheet I used to carry out
my project. I also kept a record of the students’ names and the stars they collected. Another thing is
that their grades really improved by the end of trimester two.
What were the unexpected effects? The students really liked the project. I didn’t expect it to have
such an effect. They were really excited about the stars. They felt proud whenever they got yellow
stars.
What were the benefits to you and the students? I was really more comfortable in class during
lessons. The students were more engaged in the lesson and their grades really went up in trimester
2. Active learning was achieved.
What did the students think of your innovations? They really loved the idea. It was new in school.
They waited impatiently for the field trip I planned at the end of the trimester.
20
Discussion
Did you change anything as the project developed? Yes. This trimester I divided the class into groups and
gave each group a different colour. I told them if a student in a group misbehaved the whole group gets red star
(punishment) and the other way around. So each group was trying its best to behave and collect yellow stars
(reward).
What were the limitations of your project? At the beginning there were some students who tried to
create distractions, but I dealt with that by calling their parents and sending them to the social worker’s office.
The students wanted to go on a field trip to Dubai, but the administration wouldn’t allow it. The principal said that
the parents wouldn’t agree it. The girls were disappointed. But at the end the students got to go to the zoo.
If you used this method again, what would you
change? I plan to carry out this project next year because it
really worked for me. Next time I intend to change the
award system. I plan to create appreciation certificates to
honour the students in the morning assembly in front of
the whole school on weekly basis. They really love being
honoured in front of their friends. Again something related
to their traditions.
How would you make this work on a larger scale?
I talked to my friends about the project they really admired
the idea and they wanted to try it out.
How could it work in other contexts? In my
opinion, everyone likes to be awarded for the work they do.
So I believe it would work in any context.
What are the most important findings?
One: the girls were really excited about the idea; I didn’t think it would make such a great effect.
Two: the girls were really involved in active learning and their grades really went up in trimester two.
Najahh Mahbillia, English Teacher, Najahhbalila@yahoo.com
21
Mohammed Faris ‐ Al Dahera Boys’ School
How can visual and kinesthetic card games improve the
writing of low ability students?
Context
I work in an all boys’ school in the desert. The majority of students are Emirati and of low socio economic
backgrounds. My research was focused on low level achievers in Grade 6. The class was divided into ability
groups.
Rationale
I planned to implement colored cards and shapes to help the low achievers improve their writing skills,
since these students need differentiated support.
Findings
The findings of my project achieved my initial goals.
Students' writing and my observation of students’ work
with the cards are evidence of improvement.
The benefits: for me, using differentiation strategies in the
class to get all the students engaged in the learning
process. For the students: improving their levels in writing.
All students cooperate in the class to help each other.
Discussion
Teaching and learning styles were changed to
meet the students’ needs.
Limitation: my work was limited to one class of boys’, a greater study looking at age, gender and socio‐
economic group would be more comprehensive.
I am working with the Arabic teachers to see if it can improve Arabic literacy.
My main findings are: 1‐The use of visuals like colour and shape affects students’ learning.
2‐Age is not a significant factor in low achievement improvement.
3 ‐ Low achievers in my class learn more by doing kinaesthetic activities.
The overall impact: improving the low achievers teaching and learning styles in the school. Students enjoy
their work since they use kinaesthetic and visual learning.
Mohammed Faris, Head of English, mohfarj@yahoo.com
22
Justeen Clements – Al‐Falahiyya Boys’ School
How using the “drip feed” approach to EMSA examinations
affects the performance of the students?
Context
Much work has been carried out to build on the previous year’s examination results. The need to raise the
profile of the EMSA examination in the classroom environment was investigated by the teachers using the
examination question worksheets, as part of a 3 part lesson and a focus on the command words and
keywords.
Rationale
I wanted to increase the awareness of the EMSA examinations by introducing differentiated worksheets based on
the EMSA examination questions throughout the year
Findings
Qualitative: Students and teachers have engaged in the worksheets and they have easily been incorporated into
the
individual teaching styles with the teachers having control and ownership of how they are used in the
classroom environment.
Quantitative: to be confirmed ‐ Awaiting examination results
Discussion
I have had great pleasure in using the worksheets and seeing the students using the resource. They responded
positively to them and the level of motivation increased in class.
The keyword and command words definitions have had a great impact on the students and teachers have a much
better understanding of differentiated questions. This has helped build a mechanism for lesson planning that
encourages a 3‐part lesson approach.
Justeen Clements, Curriculum Director for Science, Justeen.Clements@ssatrust.org.uk
23
Islam Mohammed ‐ Al‐Zayedia Boys’ School
How to use video to develop critical thinking skills?
Context
My research was focused on Grade 12 students at Al‐Zayedia Boys’ School in Al Ain. The target cohort was a class
of 25 students of mixed ability. The class was equipped with a data show, PC and a 46" TV.
Rationale
The ADEC Grade 12 curriculum aims to develop critical thinking skills. I decided to use video clips as a tool for
improving these skills. Students’ critical thinking needed improvement as they struggled to reason and justify
their answers.
Findings
Students’ responses during the lessons were great. The advanced students started to extend their thinking by
exploring new areas of critical thinking such as answering questions about type of video, what they expect to
happen next, and the reason behind using certain voice tone in different scenes. The low ability students
began to provide simple explanations regarding the music, background images etc. Most of the students
enjoyed the lessons but few of the lower achievers found it difficult to participate in written activities such as
listen and complete activities. The low achievers participated using L1 rather than L2 but I accepted that as
developing the critical thinking skills in L1 would of course lead to L2 skills to be improved. Students’
feedback to the lessons was very positive verbally and I've also asked them for a written feedback which was
good as well.
Discussion
I started the project with movie trailers but found it difficult for some students, so I selected some educational
videos which helped many students to participate but they were as stimulating. The only limitation regarding the
project was supporting low achievers with some L1 explanation that was of great help to all students. If I use this
method again, I will start with educational videos and then move to movie trailers and complete movies. This
project can be introduced as a whole school project in which each class can be taught a lesson every week using
this technique. The project can also be used in Arabic or Science lessons as a tool of encouraging students to look
carefully behind scenes. The most important findings are: a) students started discussing things associated
content, b) students enjoyed most of these lessons, and c) students started to think critically and analytically. The
overall impact was good, except for some misbehavior that happened due to some technical problems which can
be avoided by careful planning and preparation.
Islam Mohamed, Consultant Partnership Teacher for English, Islam.Mohamed@ssatrust.org.uk
24
Shiema Al‐Ghafri – Al‐Taweelah Primary School
How can I support student understanding through
assessment?
Context
I work in a primary school with both local and international students. Each class has approximately twenty to
twenty five students in. Continuous assessment is an integral aspect of the ADEC curriculum. The assessment
framework s does not always match the students’ needs and their level of understanding.
Rationale
I wanted to give the students multiple choice questions to assess their knowledge of ICT but the
results were problematic due to their limited understanding in class.
The problem was that the some of the students couldn’t read or they did not understand the
question in a written style, so they did not give the right answer.
I created a rubric to assess them one‐to‐one to support their understanding rather than their
writing or ability to read.
25
Findings
After my change, the students had better chance to show their knowledge when they were assessed in
one on one style.
For the students who couldn’t read, this gave them a better chance to articulate their understanding and
therefore, get a better result.
One on one assessment helped me to understand the students’ level better that a written assessment.
Discussion
I changed the assessment type during the project. The limitation of time hindered my progress.
If I had the chance to use this method again I would make the assessment more interactive with
the students.
I will make a template to distribute among the teachers to help them start with it. I would make a
PD session which would be delivered to the teachers in my school to help them understand it
better.
This type of assessment can be used in any subject and with all grades.
To improve it we would need to do it with many students and measure its progress on a wider
level
The students felt more comfortable and they did better in these types of assessments.
The teachers had a better idea about the student knowledge based on this method
Overall the students achieved more and they felt better about the assessment because they
could participate.
Sheima Al‐Ghafri, ICT Teacher, Sheima.alghafri@hotmail.com
26
Mr Muhanna – Al Hubab Bin Al Monther School
Promoting reading skills with Grade 4 students
Context
I work in a primary school in Abu Dhabi. The students selected for my research were from a Grade 4 class.
They were identified as low ability students and were a mixture of local and international students. All of
them are learning English as an additional language. I categorized the students into three main groups:
some with no phonological skills, students who were limited in writing and students with special
education needs. Their targets ranged from learning sounds of words to reading letter together to form
words.
Rationale
I wanted to improve my students’ reading ability and also
develop my pedagogy in this particular area. My students
needed to develop their reading skills in line with ADEC’s
curriculum and their vision of a bilingual society. I also
wanted my students to learn and have fun. I wanted to
create a success centre with interactive displays for the
students to engage with and for the students to enjoy
reading.
Findings
Overall the students’ reading has improved due to their increased
exposure to the success center. It clearly motivated the students and they enjoyed being there. The
interactive displays with the phoneme sounds were an excellent tool to get the students sounding out
different sounds and eventually forming words.
Discussion
Overall my project was a success as the students’ awareness of words and sounds increased. However, a lack of
parental support should be noted as the major limitation. If I were to repeat this project I would probably limit
the size of the groups and perhaps increase the number of success centers.
Mr. Muhanna, English Teacher, Mu.hanna@hotmail.com
27
Auruna Veena Raja and the Maths Department – Al‐Ayasel School
What will the impact of a Maths Challenge be on Gifted and Talented students?
Context
Al Asayel School is a Grade 4‐9 girls’ school in Abu Dhabi. It is in the third year of the Public Private Partnership
Programme with Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) as the Operator. The Abu Dhabi Education Council`s
focus in Mathematics is on problem solving. This research project was conducted by the SSAT Curriculum Partnership
Teacher and the nine teachers in the Mathematics department.
Rationale
The Maths department was tasked with the
writing of a departmental action plan with the
SSAT CPT this year. We reflected on successes and
areas of development to enable the writing of the
action plan. It became clear there was a need for
extension activities beyond classroom
differentiation to support Gifted and Talented
students. We decided to have a ‘Maths Challenge’,
a competition where students compete against
each other to answer creative and critical thinking
skills
Findings
The ‘Maths Challenge’ was a resounding success. It was obvious that all contestants and their classmates were
enthralled in the competition. Maths was fun! Contestants actively worked together in their class teams to answer the
questions. The rest of the students forming part of the audience were observed trying to answer questions as well and
cheering the team representing their class on to win. Some students even made posters. A questionnaire was
developed to determine participating students’ opinions on the challenge. 97% of students enjoyed participating in
the Maths Challenge and hoped to participate next year. 91% of students felt that the questions encouraged them to
use their critical thinking skills and all students felt their creative thinking skills were used. 80% of students did not
have difficulties answering questions in English. It was inspiring to note that 77% of students wanted to answer more
challenging questions next year. Students were able to apply mathematical knowledge to questions. Teachers also
observed that there were a few student spectators who were able to answer competition questions. These students
did not always perform well in during tests and continuous assessment.
28
Discussion
Preparation for the Maths Challenge began midway through Trimester 3 with 2 PD sessions
conducted by the SSAT CPT. The first session was based on determining the format the Maths
Challenge would take. The SSAT CPT discussed the Maths Challenge taking the format of either a
relay, individual or team competition. A class team challenge was decided upon. Class teams in
each grade would compete against each other to be crowned the champions of the grade.
Participating students would be identified using data and teacher input. During the second PD
session, teachers were offered hints on writing extension questions for ESL students. Thereafter
individual teachers took responsibility for writing and moderating questions for a grade. The Maths
Challenge was held in the school theatre.
Visual questionnaires were used to collate feedback from teachers and student spectators. All the
teachers had positive responses towards the Math Challenge especially after reviewing feedback
from participating students and student spectators. The objective of the Maths Challenge was
achieved, Gifted and Talented students answered questions that encouraged them to think
creatively and critically. These students worked strategically and co‐operatively. Other possibly
Gifted and Talented students were also identified and teachers plan to monitor and harness their
mathematical prowess. Comments from student spectators included, “It was a fun and educational
event.” “I liked the enthusiastic, strong challenge and the cheering.” “Liked the atmosphere of
competition.” “Would prefer fastest answer first rather than taking turns to answer questions.”
The Maths department has planned that next year the Maths Challenge will follow a football
league format with a round‐robin component and finals with a possibility of the competition
running every trimester and a field trip for the winners. For now the winners will have to be
content with custom designed ‘Gold Medals’.
Auruna Rajah, Consultant Partnership Teacher for Maths, Auruna.Rajah@ssatrust.org.uk
29
Auruna Veena Raja – Al‐Ayasel School
Will the development of an effective Learning Support Team (LST) result
in 60% of students on IEPs showing improvement?
Context
Al Asayel School is a Grade 4‐9 girl`s school with
approximately 700 students in Abu Dhabi. Al Asayel
School has a very supportive and progressive
administration. The school has a policy of “No Child
Left Behind” and is committed to all students
enjoying a full life with the support and guidance
necessary to reach their own potential. It is in the
third year of the Public Private Partnership with
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) as the
Operator.
Rationale
One of ADEC`s major focuses this year has been on SEN. Next year the New School Model will be
introduced into the school. The New School Model requires a school to have a Learning Support Team to
address SEN at a Whole School Level. Operators such as SSAT are responsible for supporting SEN in their
schools and this may be SSAT`s final year in Al Asayel School. It was therefore essential for me, as a SSAT
Curriculum Partnership Teacher, responsible for SEN at Al Asayel School to support the development of
an effective Learning Support Team to ensure SEN student support, raised SEN student achievement and
sustainability in SEN.
Findings
Analysis of data comparing student Trimester 1 scores against Trimester 2 scores indicated that 100% of students on
IEPs had shown some improvement. Student work samples collected clearly evidenced each SEN students’
improvement against SMART targets from their IEPs. Questionnaires used to gather feedback from teachers of
students with physical and social challenges indicated that the accommodations and support students received were
benefitting them.
Responses from a SEN student survey showed that all students felt supported in achieving their targets and
overcoming their difficulties. They felt more enthusiastic about being at school and want similar support next year.
30
All teachers including members of the Learning Support Team co‐operated with the SSAT CPT, Learning Support Team
Co‐coordinator. This was a encouraging and serves an indication of teacher commitment at the school.
We endeavored to include parents in the process. Due to negative perceptions surrounding IEPs, parents opted out of
the process. However the Learning Support Team included a parent representative.
The development of the Learning Support Team at Al Asayel School has resulted in whole school ownership and focus
on SEN, as well as all SEN students showing 100% improvement.
Discussion
The process of supporting the SEN students was one that constantly evolved. As we progressed
we reflected on the needs of the students and included new processes to fulfill those needs. One
of the processes included was the development of a Student Voice questionnaire to allow
students to share their opinions and challenges they were facing. This information was used to
support students in the areas they felt they required support. A plan of accommodations was also
introduced to support low ability students who were not SEN.
The psychologist was absent for 3 months preparing for a new project and we were not able to
include her input in writing of the IEPs. The Learning Support Team looks forward to her support
next year. Full parental involvement will also be a focus for next year.
The development of the Learning Support Team began at the beginning of Trimester 2, when I
was placed in the school. The Learning Support Team aims to start the process of supporting
students for the next academic year once the final ADEC Examinations are completed. The
Learning Support Team Personal Action Plan for the 2011‐2012 academic year has been
completed. Feedback on the Learning Support Team indicated that all staff members felt the
Learning Support Team had been beneficial to SEN students and teachers. The development of
the Learning Support Team also assisted teachers, the nurse, social workers, SEN co‐ordinator and
administration to work together easily.
This year`s Tribal monitoring feedback acknowledged “that students who have particular learning
needs are catered for.”
Auruna Rajah, Consultant Partnership Teacher for Maths, Auruna.Rajah@ssatrust.org.uk
31