Edarabia's Podcast

Anna Carey from the British International School Abu Dhabi highlights the importance of Personal and Social Development. She shares tips on how teachers and educators can enhance the wellbeing of their students. It's important for students to learn the importance of acts of service; why and how their acts of service can affect the lives of others around them.

Stress-related mental health conditions are one of the most talked-about barriers to learning in recent years - but why is that and how can schools support students to improve their wellbeing?

It's undeniable that we've seen a rise in the number of students affected by mental health conditions, with the latest NHS survey of young people’s mental health revealing that one in eight 5-19-year-olds in England had a diagnosable mental health condition in 2017. This isn't just limited to Secondary School students either, with 66% of mums and dads in a recent nationwide survey of Primary Schools claiming that their child regularly feels anxious about lessons, homework and social aspects of the school.

In International Schools, in particular, students face the additional challenge of experiencing a new country and culture, which can have a big impact on their level of stress and how they handle that. But whether anxiety and stress are caused by increasingly demanding examinations or navigating the modern school environment, it's clear that there is a growing need for schools to evaluate the procedures they have in place to ensure the wellbeing of every student.

However, with limited resources and hundreds of students under your school's care, it puts a huge amount of pressure on staff members to meet safeguarding requirements and provide each student with the best possible experience in their pathway to higher education

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1. Develop Financial Literacy - Learn the business language of a CEO or CFO. Choose a
degree programme where you will be engaged with a range of technical and applied skills that builds up the industry terminologies and applications relevant to the business career to wish to enter

2. Add 3rd dimension activities to your CV - Engage with the wide range of University activities on offer during your study programme - be it an internship; learn a new language or be part of a volunteering group. Standing out from the crowd should be a number 1 priority!

3. Enhance Your Human Capital - That basically means investing in a relevant education
programme where you will meet the requirements of the specific industry you want to be part of in your future career

4. Network with the local profession - Take up every opportunity to meet the leaders in your
chosen field; impress the industry speakers who come into the university as guest speakers and ensure you push your professors to publicise the most relevant local networking events

5. Go Global with your qualifications - Choose a programme accredited by a relevant global
professional body for example real estate professionals should be looking at obtaining an RICS accredited degree. This will become a global passport for your career and you will find it easier to move to jobs in the parts of the world you want to live in!

About the Speaker:
Dr. Michael Waters is an Associate Professor in Real Estate at Heriot Watt University Dubai and has launched three related real estate education programmes. These include BA in Real Estate Management & Finance (Undergraduate); MSc in Real Estate Management & Development (Postgraduate) and MSc in Real Estate Investment & Finance (Postgraduate).
 
Dr. Michael Waters has been working in real estate academia since 2004. Whilst being a professor at Heriot-Watt, University Dubai, he also undertook various endeavors within the Real Estate Industry, which include APC Assessor at The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and conducting workshops with real estate developers Engel & Völkers Dubai.
 
He has worked in a private practice in London prior to moving to Dubai in 2004, building a portfolio of strategic property advice for major UK housebuilders. Dr. Michael Waters holds a plethora of academic and professional qualifications including Chartered Membership of Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS), and a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (FHEA). He has also authored and delivered over 30 conference presentations and white paper discussions at national and international levels, in areas of property valuation, real estate, development feasibility and professional development.

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What skills do you need to develop success in the course? 
The skills that are needed to achieve success and ones that are developed over time throughout the course are: team leadership, being able to agree on a work plan and create structure within a team in order to achieve a successful outcome. Time management is also key, in order to ensure that all projects are delivered effectively and efficiently and finally communication skills are required and developed throughout the course to ensure that success is showcased and presented. 

Turning projects into bigger achievements
During the course, I was fortunate enough to team up with my peers to create a racecar under the competition ‘Formula Student’. Mechanical engineering is very diverse in terms of the opportunities that are available, automotive was something I took a particular interest in. For this project, it was really important to be creative, innovative and ambitious. In addition to taking the time within the team to do technical research outside of class to ensure that there is a full dedication to the project.   

Tips for keeping up in class 
I have a routine to ensure that I am always on top of my work, this includes, writing notes in class in case I forget any important detail, making sure I revise over key theories and topics at home, using logic to create solutions to various problems in mechanical engineering and finally working closely with professors who share their expertise.

About the Speaker:
Saadeddine El Nakib is a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student studying at Heriot-Watt University in Dubai

#Education #StudentStories #Students #MechanicalEngineering #HigherEducation #HigherEd

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Coaching is a facilitation technique to help individuals reach their potential and meet their aspired goals through self-awareness and behavior change. It has been described as ‘unlocking a person’s potential’ and can be applied within organizations for developmental purposes, through talent management and/or through Executive Coaching for leaders. 
By adopting a psychological perspective, we can root our coaching understanding and application is rigorous and evidence-based psychological tools and techniques from specific fields of Psychology such Behavioural, Cognitive Behavioural, Psychodynamic and Positive Psychology.

How can psychology allow us to really benefit from coaching practice in the workplace?
- Explore alignment between the goals of an individual and those of their organization
- Recognize personal and organizational values, beliefs and purpose
- Inspire others to be more positive, motivated and effective
- Guide through transitions and changes
- Promote well-being, resilience, positivity, strengths, growth and flourishing
- Help to develop coping strategies

These benefits can all improve wellbeing, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

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Hi, my name is Ms. Jade and I am a teacher here at the Little Dreamers Nursery. Is listening
something that your child struggles with? Well today I’m here to give you some top tips on
how to get your child to listen a bit more effectively. Be sure to hit the subscribe button below
so that you don’t miss out on future videos from Edarabia.

1. Attention first, get on their level
My first tip is to make sure that you connect with your child prior to asking them a question or giving them a command. To do this its best to get down on their level, make eye contact or
give them a gentle touch on their body. You might want to start by commenting on
something that they are doing (for example- “wow, I like what you’re doing with the blocks,
what did you build?”) then, allow your child to respond before making your request, this way
your child will be much more likely to co-operate.

2. Use fewer words- do and not don’t
Try to keep your interactions on the positive side, using more do’s instead of dont’s.
Negative commands such as “no” and “don’t” can sometimes confuse children as they are
required to then process multiple things instead of one (what should I not be doing? And
what shall I do instead?) So, instead of telling your child “Don’t throw the toys all over the
floor” you could say “Please keep the toys inside the basket”. This way they only have to
listen, process and respond to one thing, therefore your child will be more likely to follow
through with the command.

3. Give them a choice
If your ever stuck in a stand-off with your child and they may be being very persistent about
a particular matter. This next tactic can work wonders in this type of scenario and it’s as
simple as offering your child a choice. For example, “which shoe do you want to put on first?
This one or this one? This allows your child to think that they are the one in control. Children
of all ages have a hard-wired need for power.  When children don’t have opportunities to
exert their power in positive ways such as choosing what clothes to wear or picking what
game to play they tend to exert their power in negative ways, this is where you will see the
challenging behavior.

4. Engage co-operation- say thank you beforehand
All people (children through to adults) thrive from being managed in a positive way. By
saying thank you to your child before you give your instruction your child will understand that
you trust them to follow through with the direction that you are giving, increasing the
likelihood of them actually doing it. So try saying “thank you for cleaning up your toys when
you have finished with them, it makes me so happy”. Try it- it really works!

5. Routine, Routine, Routine
Lastly, as we all know and understand a solid routine is imperative and also ensures that
children are naturally conditioned to what is about to happen. When a child is settled into a
routine they are already expecting that you are about to ask them to tidy up or brush their
teeth or go to bed (especially if you give a warning a few minutes before), whilst this might not work all the time having a routine will help to minimize the likelihood of your child ‘not
listening’ as such, as they are already aware of what’s about to come.

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Ruth Chilles from the Windsor Early Years Nursery gives tips to parents and teachers on how you can encourage a baby to talk with language development advice. Simple things like copying the sound a baby makes, reading stories to them and using baby sign language are all key things you can do. Watch this video for more useful tips on teaching babies how to talk!

Before babies learn to talk in a real language - English, say, or Spanish - they babble and coo, playing with sound. That's baby talk, and baby talk sounds similar the world over. But when will you hear your baby's first words? Critical milestones for a baby learning to talk happen in the first three years of life, when a baby's brain is rapidly developing. During that time, your baby's speech development depends on your "baby talk" skills as well as your baby's.

Baby Talk Milestones
Baby talk at 3 months. At 3 months, your baby listens to your voice, watches your face as you talk, and turns toward other voices, sounds, and music that can be heard around the home. Many infants prefer a woman's voice over a man's. Many also prefer voices and music they heard while they were still in the womb. By the end of three months, babies begin "cooing" -- a happy, gentle, repetitive, sing-song vocalization.

Baby talk at 6 months. At 6 months, your baby begins babbling with different sounds. For example, your baby may say "ba-ba" or "da-da." By the end of the sixth or seventh month, babies respond to their own names, recognize their native language, and use their tone of voice to tell you they're happy or upset. Some eager parents interpret a string of "da-da" babbles as their baby's first words -- "daddy!" But babbling at this age is usually still made up of random syllables without real meaning or comprehension.

Baby talk at 9 months. After 9 months, babies can understand a few basic words like "no" and "bye-bye." They also may begin to use a wider range of consonant sounds and tones of voice.
Baby talk at 12-18 months. Most babies say a few simple words like "mama" and "dadda" by the end of 12 months -- and now know what they're saying. They respond to -- or at least understand, if not obey -- your short, one-step requests such as, "Please put that down."

Baby talk at 18 months. Babies at this age say several simple words and can point to people, objects, and body parts you name for them. They repeat words or sounds they hear you say, like the last word in a sentence. But they often leave off endings or beginnings of words. For example, they may say "daw" for "dog" or "noo-noo's" for "noodles."

Baby talk at 2 years. By age 2, babies string together a few words in short phrases of two to four words, such as "Mommy bye-bye" or "me milk." They're learning that words mean more than objects like "cup" -- they also mean abstract ideas like "mine."

Baby talk at 3 years. By the time your baby is age 3, his or her vocabulary expands rapidly, and "make-believe" play spurs an understanding of symbolic and abstract language like "now," feelings like "sad," and spatial concepts like "in."

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Maryum is very passionate about early years education and enjoys working with senior leaders to plan, develop, direct and establish early years educational facilities in the UAE. She has also continued her further studies in Early Childhood Education, completing her NCFE Cache Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for Children.

Maryum suggests the following tips
1. Where to Begin 
a) Really get to know the child
b) Talk to the child about what they are doing
c) Parallel play with the child

2. Methods used to help a shy child 
a) Read books to your class/at home based on characters that overcame shyness
b) Pair children together or in small groups
c) Spark interaction
d) Praise another child's friendly action in the presence of the shy one
e) Reward friendly behaviors
f) Show empathy and understanding

Maryum was born in England and grew up in South West London, graduating from City University, London with a 1st Class Honours degree in Business Computing Systems. Shortly after graduating she moved to the UAE in 2007 where she took an interest in Early Childhood Education by supporting a new Nursery business start-up in 2012 and taking on the role of Nursery Deputy Manager.

She then pursued her career in early childhood education by moving onto a new nursery group, taking on the role of Nursery Principle in a British Nursery in Dubai for over 8 years. In 2018 she was then offered an incredible and exciting opportunity to join BEST Education Group, in their project to head the first Finnish ECEC nursery in the UAE. Joining Best Education Group as Senior Nursery Development Manager her role involved working with Best Education senior team through stages of each project including academic planning, curriculum development, nursery design and layout, procurement, policies and procedures, marketing, recruitment and training and liaising with ministry officials.

After successfully establishing the first branch of Best Kidz Nurseries licensed by the Ministry of Education as the first nursery under the Finnish Early Childhood Education and Care curriculum in the UAE, Maryum continues to work with Best Education Group to develop and expand the brand and group of nurseries and continue her passion for Finnish Early Years education.

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Building a child’s confidence is a very rewarding experience because you almost get to see it as it is happening. It’s really important to give kids thé room to make mistakes and attempt things without becoming discouraged. 
Sharing their enthusiasm when they bring their successful work or creation to show off with pride will help reinforce their confidence in their own ability to find solutions to challenges. It’s really important to resist the urge to step in and fix things or do things for the child. Give them the time to try things, to get it right, and to share and communicate what they know and learn. These are key traits for success in learning and also greatly important for social and emotional development!

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Shefali Karani is the author of “Own It! Love What You Already Have” of which all book proceeds go toward good causes. She is an executive at her family’s business, and board director for two other companies. She’s an alumna of Columbia Business School in NYC and Drexel University. She lives in Dubai with her husband and continues to travel for work

Are you a high school or university student, millennial, or entrepreneur? Do you want to learn how to dress for success? Then this video is for you. This EdTalk series featuring Shefali Karani reminds everyone that to be able to dress for success, you have to dress for yourself. Being comfortable with what you wear is important, as this goes hand-in-hand with your self-confidence and will affect the way people treat you when they see your confidence shining through.

One of the secrets to success is the way you dress. While office-appropriate attire has changed over the years and formal suits aren't a requirement, it's important to dress for the role you want or already have. While people may argue that "you can't judge a book by its cover", most businesses and organizations still do, and while staying confident and comfortable with what you wear is key, it's important to make sure you wear professional attire.

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Camilla Adams from The Arbor School in Dubai explains how phonics leads to reading and writing, the sounds letters make and how children can blend these to read words. Using flashcards to teach children the sounds associated with letters helps them form their words and sentences. Teaching formation rhymes also helps children form letters, and this video will help you educate children on how to blend sounds to read simple words!

What exactly is phonics?
Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship. In other words, it is the link between what we say and what we can read and write. Phonics offers beginning readers the strategies they need to sound out words. For example, kids learn that the letter D has the sound of "d" as in "doll." Then they learn how to blend letter sounds together to make words like dog.

Why is it important?
The ultimate goal of reading is good comprehension. But in order for kids to understand what they read, they must be able to do it quickly and automatically, without stumbling over words. Phonics facilitates that process.

Systematically and sequentially. Teachers give children plenty of practice before moving on. Your child will read short, easy books, containing the particular letter sounds or words they're working on. You can help them practice by providing similar books at home

In pre-school or nursery, before they even start learning letter names and sounds, children begin developing their listening skills so that they are tuned into the different sounds in words.

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