2022 Q3 Newsletter

Q3 Newsletter

Welcome to the last edition of the 2022 Ras Al Khaimah Teachers Network (RAKTN) newsletter.

Welcome to the Q3 edition of the Ras Al Khaimah Teachers Network (RAKTN) newsletter.

Welcome back to the new Academic Year! We hope you got the much-needed rest and are settled in with your new studentsJ 

Thank you for being a part of the Foundation’s Professional Development Programs, we also warmly welcome our new members, and look forward to seeing you all.

Wishing you all the very best this Academic Year!

Warm regards,
RAKTN

Fall 2022 PD Course offerings

We appreciate your active participation in the Fall 2022 PD Cycle. The courses supported educators as they explored Alternative Assessments, factors that stimulate learning environments, differentiation and strategies that enhance teaching of Math & Science subjects, Dialogic teaching, Gamification to engage learners, deconstructing the SMART School Framework and participants also reexamined the Characteristics of effective learning in Early Years. Career counselors also deepened their understanding of career readiness.

Below were the featured course links for those who missed out on live sessions and are keen on asynchronous learning:

An Upcoming Exchange Program

The Al Qasimi Foundation team is pleased to inform you of an upcoming new exchange program for Ras Al Khaimah educators (keep your ears to the ground for the host country and more details).

During this exchange, a group of Al Qasimi Foundation employees, educators from Ras Al Khaimah, and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Emirates School Establishment will visit the host country.

The main purpose of the RAK Teachers Exchange Program is to provide opportunities for educators in Ras Al Khaimah public schools, representatives from Emirates School Establishment, and the Ministry of Education to develop their knowledge and skills in education and to explore different learning environments through exchange with schools in other countries.

(The Al Qasimi Foundation will inform you when the call for applications to participate in the RAK Teachers Exchange Program opens. Educators and administrators will be selected from Ras Al Khaimah schools in addition to representatives from Emirates School Establishment, and the Ministry of Education to participate in the RAK Teachers Exchange Program.

In the host country, participants will visit several educational institutions, including the Ministry of Education, public and private schools. Participants will also be able to discover the rich culture of the country.

The RAK Teachers Exchange Program is a great opportunity for educators from Ras Al Khaimah and representatives from the Emirates School Establishment, and the Ministry of Education to more learn about various educational issues, study their own practices, and explore similarities and differences between schools in the UAE and those in the host country. This Teacher Exchange Program will serve as a part of the Foundation’s Teacher Professional Development Program. It will allow participants to refine their research skills within an international framework and support their professional and personal development.

Once participants are selected, they will participate in a series of workshops aimed at maximizing multicultural experiences, introducing Ras Al Khaimah teachers and the representatives from the Emirates School Establishment, and the Ministry of Education to the host’s education system before travelling.

The benefits of this exchange will not end at the end of the host visit. On return, the participants will share their research findings with their colleagues through presentations and use ideas from their experience to improve educational practices in Ras Al Khaimah. In this way, the RAK Teachers Exchange Program qualifies teachers to provide the best for both students and the community as a whole.

We request Alumni to join their page here https://raktn.org/groups/international-exchange-program/members/all-members/ )

Eligibility: A candidate should have participated in two recent Professional Development courses offered by the Al Qasimi Foundation.)

The RAKTN Symposium Launch

The Al Qasimi Foundation is pleased to inform you about the official launch of the annual RAKTN Symposium on Saturday the 22nd of October 2022 at the Hilton Garden Inn Ras Al Khaimah. This Symposium will be part of our professional development initiatives that contribute towards improving teaching and learning in Ras Al Khaimah and across the United Arab Emirates.

This annual event will be a platform to actively engage and learn with educators who “move needles” in the field of education and themes will revolve around; professional development, classroom management, teaching and learning, curriculum, Edtech, best practices, and more. Its goal is to bring educators and the local community together to inspire transformative teaching and learning.

The audience for this event will be classroom teachers, heads of department, middle and senior-school leadership teams, school administrators, educational institutions and organisations. Keep your ears on the RAKTN ground for details.

RAK Awards for Educational Excellence eligibility

The Ras Al Khaimah Awards for Educational Excellence will soon be relaunched. For those who don’t yet know about the Awards, this is an initiative that aims to create an educational ecosystem that supports innovation, creativity, and excellence. It encourages educational institutions to implement development standards and motivate schools, teachers, students, and all stakeholders involved in the educational process to support quality pathways, which lead to the improvement of the educational system in Ras Al Khaimah.

Eligibility: It will be open to all educators however; one of the criteria will be that a candidate should have participated in at least two recent Professional Development courses offered by the Al Qasimi Foundation. Keep your ears on the RAKTN ground for details.

Call for “Outstanding” Ras Al Khaimah School Project Grant Applications

The Al Qasimi Foundation’s Professional Development Program is grounded in evidence that teachers themselves, rather than outside consultants often have the solutions to the problems they face because of their experience in the classroom and rich local knowledge of students’ strengths and weaknesses. 

Based on these principles, the Foundation established its Community Impact Grants to support and inspire educators to find creative, collaborative approaches that are a springboard for improving student learning. These grants seek to highlight positive impacts and measureable results individuals and schools can make based on their intimate knowledge of their students and the local community.

There are four levels of funding available depending on the applicant(s) involved and the nature of the proposed project or initiative:

  • Individuals (up to 5,000 AED)
  • Schools (up to 10, 000AED)
  • Collaborations (up to 25,000 AED)
  • Partnerships (up to 50,000 AED)

For details, please visit Community Grants (alqasimifoundation.com)

To apply, please complete this form Government Grant Application (alqasimifoundation.com)

Educational Resources

Design the ‘COP’ IS A REAL WORLD CHALLENGE FOR SCHOOLS IN THE UAE

The Heriot-Watt University is supporting the COP28 Challenge, which is open to students from Grade 6-12.

There is a stellar line of judges and winners get to present their designs to an audience of professionals at the Big 5 International Building & Construction Show in December. The closing date is 30th September. Please apply by following this link https://designengineerconstruct.com/design-the-cop-uae/ 

Find out here how the British Dubai School has taken advantage of this academic and industry expertise!

Follow us on our different social media websites

To learn more about the latest news related to education, Ras Al Khaimah, and the UAE, please follow the Al Qasimi Foundation on social media! You can see how it supports the social, cultural, and economic development in our community.

School News

To learn more about the latest news related to education, Ras Al Khaimah, and the UAE, please follow the Al Qasimi Foundation on social media! You can see how it supports the social, cultural, and economic development in our community.

Our Mission

Ever wondered what is going on at other Ras Al Khaimah schools while you’re hard at work teaching your students? If you would like your school’s news as well as initiatives to be featured, please send a message (details and photos of the initiative/event) to jackie.k@alqasimifoundation.rak.ae

The Iqra Program Overview

In comparison to their peers, Arab students perform at a lower level on international assessments in foundational subjects, including reading, math, and science. With the support of the Al Qasimi Foundation, curriculum and materials have been developed to improve children’s reading skills, which preliminary research has shown to be an effective intervention. Teacher instructional materials and textbooks are designed to increase primary students’ standard Arabic reading speed and comprehension in a pilot project called Iqra at selected government schools in Ras Al Khaimah.

 

Curriculum

Iqra is supplemental to the Cycle 1 Arabic language curriculum. Lessons are taught by existing teachers at each school, who are trained and mentored by the Al Qasimi Foundation. At the beginning and end of each term, students’ Arabic reading skills are measured to track their improvements in reading fluency.

Benefits
Potential benefits of this project over time include:

  • No cost to schools for participating
  • Increase in students’ ability to read fluently in their native language
  • Increase in students’ international assessment scores
  • Better equipped teachers and school administrators with strategies and tools to promote students’ native language fluency
  • Results, class observations, and teachers’ feedback will be shared with schools and teachers

Our Mission

The Ras Al Khaimah Teachers Network exists to enable community educators to collaborate, share knowledge, and support one another.

All teachers and education leaders in Ras Al Khaimah are welcome to join this network, share their experiences, ask questions, and support one another by making Ras Al Khaimah an inspiring and transformative teaching and learning environment.