During my growing-up years in Dubai, my mother would write small clues and hide them all around the house. Then my friends and I would split up into teams and find the treasure. This was our favourite game as it would give us a chance to explore the great outdoors and the clues would be so mentally stimulating or sometimes even humorous, that we would spend time mulling over them or excitedly laughing over their hilarity. That’s my earliest memory of the much-loved game of treasure hunting; which has now become a very interesting career for some, given advancements in technology and expertise.

Playing this game is organised in many childcare centres in the Middle East as it not only keeps the children distracted but also enhances their self-confidence and problem-solving skills. It encourages them to work in teams and creates bonds between the players. Rewards and discoveries instill a sense of achievement within the players while solving the mysteries makes them more confident in taking up future challenges.

For the uninitiated, Treasure Hunt is a game where you are provided with clues, one leading to the other. The final clue leads you to the treasure. The first person to retrieve the treasure wins. Alternatively, the simpler form is to hand over a list to the players and the first team or person to get all the items from that list is declared the winner.

Playing this game with kids helps them develop patience and social skills. They need to decipher the cryptic clues and not give up when they get stuck as the whole game depends on each clue. If there is a participant team, each player gets a turn to read and solve the clue. So patiently waiting your turn is key. Being completed focused while the others are having their turn is also vital as you could contribute your thinking skills or creativity and win the game together as a team. Reading maps or clues, following directions and navigating them, teach the children many necessary life skills such as listening and concentration. Playing this game bolsters the very important requisite of social skills. They learn how to communicate effectively and act responsibly. Working in the outdoors is also a great opportunity, especially in the UAE to explore nature and get some fresh air and exercise – A much-needed change from hours of screen time.

Robotify, which is an online platform aims at teaching children coding and believes in the bright future of automation. They aim at providing accessible and affordable learning for all. It is a popular brand used in schools throughout the GCC. Introducing this platform to the children can free up the parents’ time while also giving your children something fun and intuitive to focus on. Building on the age-old game of treasure hunting, Robotify introduces its new course called The Underwater World of Treasure Hunter where you explore the depths of the ocean in a remotely operated vehicle – The Robot LIR. Similar to the original, you will explore, collect data and clues and come across sunken pirate ships and deep-sea creatures in addition to a dark abyss holding a giant secret.

This new course from Robotify also introduces the children to a career in Marine Biology. Without the use of any external hardware, the learner is introduced to the underwater world and the magic it holds. He can use functions, loops, and variables to control the robot exploring the ocean. The learner needs to collect, store, and retrieve data thereby learning to program and at the same time much about life underwater.

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The world and especially the GCC area is still divided when it comes to whether grading students in the school is beneficial or detrimental to their learning. The grading system is just a concrete system to judge your academic accomplishment. However, it is not the sole measure as they can sometimes be unreliable. There can be myriad reasons why a student may not have been able to perform well on a test or have performed extremely well. However, it is a known fact that good grades have a great impact on lifetime earnings. So if you plan to get a degree or pursue higher studies, you can’t afford to dismiss grades as insignificant, even if you may have reservations about them.

Keeping that in mind, CodeMonkey has taken into account feedback from its users and implemented it into refining their grading system. CodeMonkey is an award-winning online platform that teaches programming to students in a fun and gamified manner. It teaches coding languages like CoffeeScript and Python. Teachers, parents and Kids alike can use this platform to their benefit and now with its new grading system, they can all evaluate the learning journey even better. Previously the grading for the courses included only a limited number of options for filtering. But now, teachers can filter progress for all or even one of the selected courses and calculate overall performance. The grades can now be viewed in a numeric, alphabetic or percentile format after selecting from the Quiz drop-down menus. Code Monkey even makes it possible now for teachers to generate a course certificate once the student completes the course.

Good grades usually open a lot of doors for students, most of which lead to good colleges and universities and there onwards to good jobs. Therefore grades out of high school matter if further, higher education is to be pursued in college or university. Many colleges in the Middle East place a lot of importance on the grade point average or GPA score of the student while considering his application for acceptance. In the professional fields of medical school or law school etc, there is immense competition and so grades are usually the deciding factor of who gains acceptance into the institution. The best graduate schools can afford to take only the best so grades with an average B or lower may not even be considered, This builds pressure sometimes on the student which proves disadvantageous in the long run.

The UAE is usually generous in awarding funding to a student to pursue further education. But they too are required to deliberate mainly over the grades and then look at other achievements of the student. Higher grades can lead to more scholarships. While lower scores, sometimes can negatively impact a student’s future by immersing him in debt. Becoming a part of a scholarly organization or honor society can sometimes open the door for such students to special funding and consequent opportunities. He may thus be able to travel abroad or be a campus leader with the help of such involvement.

Post studies, the first employers who absorb freshers straight out of college also consider grades while hiring for jobs at entry level. While the smaller employers may not expect to see excellent GPA scores but the big fry will. 67% of companies surveyed confirmed that they screened candidates by their GPA as it was the sole indicator of the applicant’s technical ability and competence to do the job that he was hired for. The higher the grades the higher the possibility that the employee would successfully be able to complete tasks given with minimal need for supervision.

The all-new grading system at CodeMonkey makes it easier for users to clarify what topics have been understood and what have not. Recent studies in Dubai have found that the confidence of the students was tied to their grades, and barely any familial support and encouragement could change that opinion for them. It could be said that grades have more benefits than discredits to their name.

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Learning is beneficial to all, but the teaching-learning process can be different as per the understanding of the educator or the set guidelines by the institute. Often there is a debate about whether to teach a classroom full of students or focus on individualized learning to direct all energies toward one student. There are many different styles of teaching, but today let us elaborate on the advantages of personalized learning.

What is personalized learning?

Personalization means customizing the way of teaching to suit the needs of the learner. It also depends on the pace and capabilities of the student to understand the topic. The teacher pays great emphasis on whether the child is able to fully grasp the concept and only then decides to move to the next chapter or explanation. This technique does get a little tedious to execute, as tailoring lessons as per each individual child’s needs, skills, and interests, is a difficult task. Nonetheless, the elite schools of Dubai, especially those following the International Baccalaureate curriculum, tend to customize the teaching plan as per the readiness of the student.

Benefits of Personalized Teaching Method

#1 Deeper Understanding

It makes a lot of difference when the teacher teaches 50 students together vs. just one child. When so many kids are attending the lecture, it is hard to keep track of all and without even your realization, there may be kids who are yawning away or chit-chatting at the back bench. You can’t even tell whether the student is gaining more confidence on the topic or getting more confused. However, when there is one-on-one teaching, it is so much easier to pause and enquire to the student whether he/she is on the same page as you are. Based on the input of the child, you can then alter a bit and make studies more meaningful. The Mathletics Platform which is quite the talk of the town in Dubai and other Middle East regions can be used by teachers as an excellent teaching aid to drive down important concepts of Math to an individual student in a personalized classroom environment.

#2 Better Communication

Some students are shy, while others are bold and don’t think twice before asking their doubts or queries. Asking a question in front of your peers may feel like an embarrassing situation, so they refrain from letting their doubts out in the first place. This can affect the student adversely, as he may not be able to understand the topic with clarity. In one-to-one teaching, one has no such fear of ‘asking a silly question’, as no one’s watching or judging them, and hence, the student feels the most comfortable even getting the silliest doubts cleared.

#3 Good Bonding

It’s best suited when the teacher becomes your friend and there is seamless communication between the two. This teacher-student camaraderie can allow the educator to not just impart education but be a friend, advisor, guide, and life coach to the kid. In today’s complex world, alongside decent IQ, one needs to possess a great EQ (Emotional Intelligence). This helps an individual understand his own emotions and also that of others in a better manner. EQ helps build relations and reduces stress in one’s life.

#4 Improves Retention

When the content and teaching method are to the liking of the student, it is apparent that retention is better. If the student is a visual learner, then he prefers seeing pictures and learning through a pictorial representation of content through graphs, storylines, flashcards, and colorful presentation slides. If he is more of a kinaesthetic learner, then the teacher might have to arrange for objects and teaching aids that can be felt by hand. Some examples are; clay set, an abacus, a puzzle, sandpaper, and even Lego blocks. Basically, anything that the child can feel & touch and move around freely in the surrounding. The Mathletics app available in GCC and UAE regions features assessments at the end of every lesson plan, which will help students practice concepts that have been taught so that they can put their learning to the test.

Overall, the personalized learning approach aims to enhance the traditional education system by focusing on quality, rather than merely completing the syllabus.

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Braille books have been around for decades for the visually impaired but with the ever-increasing amount of matter to read, printing, obtaining and carrying around braille books can be cumbersome, difficult and inconvenient. The delay caused by the time taken to create, publish and ship these books made all the titles obsolete by the time they reached the shops. Furthermore, reading the braille alphabet requires training. Audiobooks on the other hand are cheaper, easier to obtain and hundreds of e-books can be stored on a single device.

Audiobooks are digital versions of books that are read aloud by AI that are available online through apps. These are downloadable texts that you can listen to while you do other work, in existence in simplistic forms since the 1930s. The use of audiobooks is growing from strength to strength in the Middle East due to their versatility and ‘on-the-go listening’. Audiobooks can be used by all for leisure listening but they also serve a more meaningful purpose. They are highly beneficial tools for the visually impaired. Special educational schools in the UAE have increased the use of audiobooks in their teaching methodology to transform the way they learn.

Reading Eggs is a comprehensive online library of books that recognises that reading has a significant impact on learning and skill development of children. It can be accessed through any device and the user has access to the whole library at the click of a button. Instead of carrying around bulky braille books, you can access over 3000 books on this platform, anywhere, anytime. Reading Eggs has a wide range of book categories to suit every child’s interest, ranging from everyday instances to mythical creatures in fantasy lands.

Audiobooks also help with time management as you can listen and continue to go about your day with tasks and chores that need to be completed. Commutes to and fro the office become less monotonous when you can listen to your favourite authors spin stories about various characters.

Students who listen to audiobooks improve their comprehension skills while the intonations of the voice guide them through the book. In the GCC areas, it has been found that students who develop mental health issues because of negative thought patterns, benefit from listening to audiobooks. They are distracted from negative thought patterns, by focusing on something else while listening. Studies have also shown that there is a link between social media use and feelings of loneliness and depression.

Schools in Dubai engage their students in audiobooks to motivate them to build fluency and critical thinking. Reading Eggs has hundreds of interactive reading lessons which build these skills in an enjoyable and rewarding way. They believe that all the literacy skills such as vocabulary, articulacy and comprehension can be attained through the use of audiobooks. Furthermore, the use of audiobooks is encouraged in all Dubai schools as it reduces the screen time for students and allows the eyes a break from the glare of a device screen.

Audiobooks can help a visually impaired child not only gain knowledge, but they can also boost their independence as they feel confident that they are able to do it alone. Sometimes they are also available free of charge to special students. And if not, the charges of shipping, production etc., are eliminated so the full benefit goes towards providing these audiobooks at minimal cost to the consumer.

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It is generally observed that out of many subjects, children find Math most difficult, and it happens to be quite a tough cookie to crack. It is the never-ending numbers, tricky formulae, complex diagrams, confusing theorems, intense calculations, and mind-boggling equations that baffle them. The teachers much as they give importance to every child in a group class, yet it may not be possible to clear the littlest of the queries each kid may have. Here is when the significance of a one-on-one Math class comes into play. Individual care has the highest benefit to a child. The teacher assists solo and the undivided attention that the child receives helps him or her ace Math like no other. It would then not be as hard and would become a favourite topic. In the current digital age, where online learning is at the helm, such a kind of a personal interaction can have the child understand the concepts best, not have any fear or doubts and can achieve amazing results. Educators today are working earnestly to go the extra mile and meet the international standards so that they can give the greatest knowledge to a child. Mathseeds is one such intelligent programme. They are based out of Dubai in the UAE and are also present in the GCC region and other Middle East sectors. This award-winning programme for kids aged 3 to 9, gives them the enjoyment, interaction and lessons that are rewarding since they teach foundational math’s and problem-solving skills while nurturing an early love for this subject. Mathseeds combines structured one on one lessons and highly motivational elements that keep children engaged and they are matched to the perfect lesson of their ability. Let us see some benefits of a one-on-one Math class.

Personal Interaction

The one-on-one communication between the student and the teacher helps bridge the gap between them. In a group, the teacher may or may not be able to develop an absolute close rapport with each child. In this set up, the teacher is clearly able to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his/her student and develop a healthy bond towards greater learning. The teacher can be physically present teaching individually in person at home, off school hours, or can teach online via popular methods of communication like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or other video call apps. Remote learning gives the advantage of flexible hours. The child is thoroughly comfortable in its environment rather than being one amongst many in a class and can easily communicate with the tutor.

Doubts Solved Effortlessly

In a class, a student may sometimes hesitate to ask a question. They may get shy or awkward or feel their question or query might be silly or not worthy to be asked. Hence, they will not be able to clear their doubts. The calibre of students also varies. Some children might have to be taught a concept again due to their inability to grasp quickly in the first go, after it has been taught in class once. The repetition may slow the pace of the entire class and the smarter students may tend to mock the weaker children. Awkwardness and repetition are major factors for students not being able to communicate everything with their teacher and clear their concepts. Hence, in a one-on-one class there is no fear of asking as many times as possible or however small the doubt may be, the teacher will happily make the child understand Math. This personal interaction raises the child’s intellectuality and confidence. Of course, once that is achieved conquering Math becomes a smooth journey.

Online Resources are Plenty

Vast amount of information can be shared via online mediums. Offline too there are plenty of additional books available, however as compared to that online has better resources in terms of pdf documents, powerpoint presentations, excel files, to be shared. In a class, due to restricted time, a teacher can cover only the required elements of Math. While in online one-on-one learning a teacher can share more knowledge with the child with a plethora of resources and online tools that are definitely a blessing towards the finest learning be it Math or any subject. The additional tips and shortcuts to learning Math quickly and grasping concepts better can be done more so in a one-on-one format with these interactive online tools.

Cost Effectivity

Offline one-on-one learning may get a little pricey however the advantages are numerous. The same one-on-one concept online is even more powerful and affordable as it saves travel time. Teacher and student can connect together from the comfort of their respective locations.

Math for All

Learning is for life and is not restricted to just children and while being in school. If someone has missed elementary studying for whatever reason or if a person even wants to brush up certain Math concepts at a later age for an exam or to elevate personal knowledge, one-on-one online learning proves to be very beneficial. The teacher can cater amazingly as per the needs of the student and Math can be taught beautifully, not making it a gruelling subject for anyone. When one has a wonderful teacher, to personally teach, no subject in the world would be ever tough.

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