Parents look to schools to promote values among kids

The UAE is seeing more and more educators teach problem solving, time management, and resilience skills hand-in-hand with selfawareness,empathy, optimism, conflict-resolution, teamwork and leadership skills. - File photo used for illustrative purpose

Positive education and student happiness has become a huge focus of educators and regulatory authorities in the UAE. This has become particularly prevalent following the appointment of the UAE's Minister of State for Happiness, Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi.
The 'father of positive psychology', Dr Martin Seligman, defines positive education as the "skills of achievement combined with the skills of well-being".
This value-theory approach to teaching goes far beyond academic learning, and many people have begged the question: "Should schools teach values or is that the parents' responsibility?"

In answer to this, Katrina Mankani, director of positive education at Fortes Education, told Khaleej Times that schools are just as responsible as parents in promoting values.
"Research suggests that many overworked and frayed parents are looking to schools to take on a larger role in their children's moral growth."
In 2012, the Harvard Graduate School of Education shared a poll indicating that 70 per cent of public school parents in the US wanted schools to teach "strict standards of right and wrong", with a further 85 per cent wanting schools to teach values.
"Positive education is not a subject, it's the culture of the whole school. At Fortes Education, we believe the end result of education is to build character. Therefore, we focus on the development of all aspects of a child's growth from a young age," Mankani said.
Explaining the concept in laymen's terms, she said positive education has an "explicit and implicit" element.
The explicit process refers to the human values lessons and experiential activities.
And the implicit element refers to the way teachers use positive vocabulary to reinforce learning.
"For instance, 'Well done John and Amy for showing so much cooperation when you worked together'," said Mankani.
Dubai's positive push
Earlier this year, Dr Abdullah Al Karam, director-general of Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), said it is imperative schools educate "hearts, not just brains".
"How do we become compassionate and empathetic? This is what I also want to see in the future of education."
The authority has long spoken about the importance of positive education in the UAE and has even turned those words into actions.
In September 2015, the KHDA organised the What Works wellbeing conference, which was attended by more than 600 private schoolteachers and principals from all over the world. It focused on introducing a culture of well-being in schools.
And in 2016, it launched the 'School of Hearts' initiative, inspiring schools and families to look beyond examination results, focusing on three key areas: School environment, personal wellness, and peer-support.
The initiative reached over 9,000 students from 35 schools in the country.
Although a rigorous academic offering still holds great importance in schools here, the UAE is seeing more and more educators teach problem solving, time management, and resilience skills hand-in-hand with self-awareness, empathy, optimism, conflict-resolution, teamwork and leadership skills.
Mankani said multiple studies have also highlighted the fact that an improved level of a student's wellbeing has a direct correlation to achieving better academic results, as well as stronger social and emotional skills.
So, more than just teach right from wrong, positive education will promote healthier mindsets, too.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com

 

Kelly Clarke

kelly@khaleejtimes.com